Coming Home (21 page)

"Of course." Rooney
walked into the kitchen with Cade and his dog close behind her. He shut the
door and took a seat at the tiny kitchen table. "Look I'm sorry, I didn't
mean to rouse on you. It's just that I worry about you and what’s going to
happen if your leg doesn't come good."

"I know. I haven't
told anyone this before but if it will put your mind at rest, I'll share a
little secret promise I made to Mother."

She nodded her head and
waited.

"You know Father
always wanted us to follow in his footsteps? Well, the only way to keep the
peace between him and Mother when I left was if I promised her I would come and
work at home if I never made it playing football." He gave a bitter laugh
and Rooney watched the dog nudge at his hand with her nose. "Looks like
the old bastard will get his way sooner than I thought. After my gallant action
the other day when I thought Kate was going to get stomped by that stupid colt,
I seriously doubt I'll ever get on the field again."

"I'm sorry, Cade.
I know how much your career means to you." Rooney made him a coffee and
sat down beside him.

"Yeah well, that's
how it goes sometimes. At least I have somewhere to live and a female that
loves me." He smiled and stroked the dog’s head.

"And she's not the
only one either." Rooney grinned and took a sip of her coffee.

"What are you
talking about?" The puzzled look on his face made her smile.

"Haven't you
noticed how beautiful Kate has turned out?"

"Yeah, fiery
little thing too. She hates me. I can tell."

"Nah-ah. Not a chance
brother. That girl has loved you since she was twelve years old. It's time you
opened your eyes to a real woman and not those fancy floozies you hang around
with."

Cade laughed and shook
his head. "No, you have it wrong."

Rooney smiled to
herself, watching her brother’s face as his mind worked. She could almost
imagine what was running through his brain. Kate was a stunner and Cade would
be stupid to ignore what was in front of his nose.

When Cade left, Rooney
sat at the desk to watch the video Rhian had downloaded. It broke her heart to
see what those poor dogs were going through. She made a phone call and spoke to
the manager at the RSPCA. He requested a written statement and a copy of the
video be forwarded to him so he could see for himself what conditions were
like.

After filling in and
emailing the forms to him, she sent Rhian home. It was four o'clock and she
doubted they would get any other clients today. Rooney cleaned her treatment
room and spent some time with the puppy. It was looking so much better today
and she thought about taking it home for Tam tonight.

A car door slammed and
she shut the cage door, ignoring the whine from the pup. Straightening up,
Rooney walked out to the reception room in time to see Stevie walking in the
door.

"Rooney."

"What are you
doing here?" She tried to keep her voice even but struggled seeing him
within arm's reach
again. He still did something to her
heart and now she knew he had taken a beating too, she was feeling a little bit
kinder towards him. Maybe today would be a good time to talk to him about Tam
before it got too hard.

"What are you
doing messing with Stubbs?" His anger was palpable and she took a step
backward, shocked by the verbal attack.

"What do you
mean?"

"I've just had a
call from Dean over at the RSPCA. He wants me to co-ordinate a raid on Stubbs'
farm in a couple of days based on video evidence you supplied along with a
formal complaint."

"Hell yes, I
complained. The guy is an arse and deserves to be shot." She grabbed his
arm and pulled him into the treatment room. "Look at that pup. He brought
it in and when he found out it was going to cost him a good amount of money to
fix, he wanted to take it home and shoot it." She looked up at him,
pleading with every inch of her being for him to understand.

"Jesus, Rooney.
You could get seriously hurt here. He has a reputation and I don't want you
involved with him." Stevie grabbed her shoulders and looked into her eyes.

He looked at her with
tender passion and a fierce possessiveness in his eyes that melted her heart.
She’d been his whole world then and that was why Rooney had never understood
the way he'd left her to take the blame for being caught in the barn. "I
didn't take the video. Cade did, and he has a new dog to show for his soft
side."

Stevie laughed.
"Your brother doesn't have a soft side. Isn't it all about him and his
career?"

"No, at least, not
now. He’s the one who took the video after I told him about the pup and the
other dogs at the farm."

"The other dogs?
You've been there, haven't you?" He glared at her, his brown eyes dark and
stormy.

Rooney swallowed. This
was a side of him she hadn't seen, and it scared her. "Yes." Her
voice came out in a small squeak and she spoke again, but stronger. "I
called in on the way home to tell him what I found when I examined the pup. It
gave me a chance to see for myself what his place was like. Cade took it from
there."

"Did you not think
it would have been a better idea to call me?" His face was so close to
hers, she could smell the musky sweat breaking out on his skin as his anger
with her mounted. She lifted her hand to push him away but he grabbed her
wrist. Anger surfaced and she kicked him in the shins.

When her foot made
contact with his leg, he cursed and his gaze darkened. "Be careful what
you do here, Rooney. I'd hate to bring you in for assaulting a police
officer."

The words didn't
register with her brain. All she could think of was the times when they fought,
which were plenty, and the only thing that stopped them was sex. The memories
came flooding back and Rooney felt the heat pool in between her thighs. She
noticed the moment he shared the same memory, the smoulder in his eyes and a
small smile tipped the corners of his lips. Many of their fights and
differences were brushed aside because of the passion that ignited between
them. Passion that ultimately led to them to being caught.

She looked at the
fullness of his chin, his day old growth of black beard and the softness of his
mouth. Without thinking, Rooney reached closer and ran her tongue over the
fullness of his bottom lip before taking it in her teeth. His arms gripped her
tighter but she brushed them off and wrapped her arms around his neck as she
deepened the kiss.

Eight years of holding
back erupted inside her and there was nothing she could to stay her emotions,
even if she had wanted to. When he returned the kiss, his hands gripped her
butt, pulling her closer and she groaned against his mouth. Rooney dug her
fingers into his rich black hair, pulling and smoothing the glossy locks
alternately as she pushed herself into him, trying to gain access to the body
denied to her for so long.

Stevie took a step back
and lifted her to sit on the counter. She looked down into his eyes and he
smiled. It was all the encouragement Rooney needed. Gripping the front of his
shirt, she ripped it open to admire the smooth curves of his chest. Gone was
the boyish body she remembered, replaced by muscles gained through a rigid
fitness routine. Abandoning resistance, she trailed her fingers down the ridge
of his breastbone and traced the smattering of hair surrounding his nipples.
She leaned closer to take one in her mouth.

He groaned in pleasure,
letting her nip and tug the small hard nub. When Rooney lifted her head, Stevie
raised an eyebrow and she grinned. With shaking hands, he undid the buttons on
her shirt, peeling it from her shoulders down to her elbows. He stopped her
from shrugging it all the way off by holding her hands against the counter top.

Suddenly, she felt
exposed and wary. It was still daylight and anyone could come in and catch
them. She opened her mouth to tell him to lock the door when he leaned forward
and traced the outline of her bra with his warm tongue.

"Oh God, don't
stop. Please, don't stop." Rooney arched back to give him unrestricted
access to her breasts. When he released her hand to unclasp her bra, she
shrugged off the shirt leaving hers naked and wanton.

The prickle of his
day’s growth rasped deliciously on her breasts as he took a nipple in his
mouth, and she gasped as old memories came racing back. Rooney sucked in a deep
breath and pushed him away.
I can't do this, I just can't.

Stevie looked at her,
his expression one of puzzlement as Rooney grabbed her clothes.

"No, stop. Step
away." She put her bra on and jumped down off the counter. Rooney watched
him from under her lashes as she pulled on her shirt doing the buttons up like
a shield around her broken heart. This wasn't the way she wanted it to go.
There were things they needed to talk about before they fell into old habits.
Because once they did, there would be no going back.

Rooney walked into the
kitchen and put on the kettle. When she had two cups of coffee ready, she came back
and placed one in front of him.

He leaned against the
bench and watched her. She was nervous now and it worried him. "What's
wrong, Rooney? You reached for me just like old times and then you push me
away. I don't get it, what's going on? Is there more to the animal cruelty case
you’re not telling me?"

"No." She
sighed and bit her lip before meeting his gaze again. "There is something
you need to know and I figured we should sort it out before we jump back into
the old routine again." With a shaking hand, she pulled the band from her
hair and raked her fingers through the long strands. While she tied it back up,
catching the tendrils that had escaped, she sorted out the words in her head.

"When I left, I
took more than I thought with me." Pain gripped her chest as he looked at
her. "I didn't find out for a few months. I guess my cycle was all up the
creek with stress and everything. I was pregnant, Stevie."

He glared at her with a
thunderous mood ready to raise its head, and she held up her hand. "Don't
go all caveman on me, it won't work. You left me. You fucking left me to my
father who strapped my arse so damned hard I still have the scars. Don't you
dare go all 'poor me' over this." The tears poured down her face now and
she brushed them away.

"What did you
do?" His gut rolled as he looked at her.

"I raised her
alone. It was damned hard, but I had no choice. Dad would have killed both of
us if he'd known." She sniffed and grabbed a tissue. "I managed and,
now I'm back home, I thought you should know."

"Thank you very
much, Rooney. That’s so damned irresponsible, you know? You could have called
me. I would have come to you, helped you out." He ran his hand through his
hair and turned from her, the hurt burning through him like a knife.

"What could you have
done? You had no money, no job, no future. For all I knew, you could have been
in jail yourself. You weren't exactly the model citizen back then,
Stevie."

Ashamed of the
childhood he’d had, he snapped at her. "I was a stupid kid, I get that,
but I think I deserved better. I would never have turned you away, Rooney,
never."

She looked at him her
lips trembling and uncertainty in her eyes. She twisted her fingers in the hem
of her shirt watching him for a reaction. He almost relented, but he was hurt
himself beyond measure. This was going to take some getting used to.
A
father.
"I wish you’d told me." A deep pain was churning in his
stomach and butterflies were beating against the inside of his chest making his
breathing uneven and strained.

"I'm sorry, I
didn't do it deliberately. By the time I realised I was pregnant, I had a
decent job and people who cared about me. It seemed more important to make a
home for my baby and make sure I could earn a decent living than try and tell
everyone. I didn't even get to tell Mum. She died the day Tamara was
born."

"I wondered why
you didn't come home for her funeral. I'm so sorry. I know how much you loved
her." He stepped closer now he’d calmed down. Tentatively he reached out a
hand and she fell against him, her tears running fresh again.

"I'm sorry I
didn't tell you."

"We can fix things
now you're home." Stevie leaned down and kissed her hair, rubbing circles
on her back. "When can I come and see her?"

"Can you let me
talk to her first? You can come over tomorrow after work and get to know
her." She smiled at him through her tears. "I don't want to throw it
at her in a hurry and have you waiting by the door. It might freak her
out."

"I think that's a
great idea."

***

As he drove up the
driveway the next afternoon, Stevie was a bundle of nerves. Going into a raid
never left him feeling as anxious as he was now going to meet his daughter for
the first time. He pulled up outside the old stables and parked his car. There
was nobody in sight and he stepped out, looking around as he shut the door. The
place hadn't changed much since he was here last. The only difference was the
old man not glaring at him as he asked for Rooney.