When the Heart Falls (19 page)

She watched him as the muscles in his arms tensed as he tightened the wire around the post. His shirt clung to every inch of his perfect torso from sweat.

“
You didn’t call me back,” she said, walking closer to him.

“
I know,” he said coldly.

“
You wanna tell me why?” she asked and the sound of thunder rumbled in the distance. The blue sky that had surrounded them just moments ago was now covered in gray clouds.

“
Don’t really feel like I need to explain myself. You should know why.”

“
Obviously I don’t, I mean that is why I came out here to talk to you in person.”

The sky illuminated with a bright flash of lightening and rumbled once more. The first few drops of rain fell from the clouds and quickly started to increase.

“
Damn it,” Dylan mumbled and quickly started to gather his tools. Misty bent down to help him and he waved her off. “I’ve got this.” He grabbed up the saddle bags that contained his tools and flung them over the seat of the four-wheeler. He flung his leg over the seat like he was climbing into a saddle and started the engine. “You coming or are you just gonna stand there and get soaked?”

She wanted to let her stubbornness have the best of her and let him take his attitude and go. But knowing that it was a very long walk back to the house she pinched her lips together and climbed on the back, holding onto the racks as she did before. She had just enough time to get a grip on the bars when he punched the gas and took off. Why was he being like this? She didn’t understand his anger towards her. What had she done to deserve this? Just then the four-wheeler hit a bump with such force that it lifted her from the seat. Automatically she let go of the rack and flung her arms around Dylan’s waist.

She let her hands run over the ridges of his abs as she moved her hands from his stomach to his sides. The sensation sent a chill throughout his body and left goose bumps on his arms, even with the air being so warm. Though he wanted nothing more than to feel her touch once more he couldn’t help but remember his reason for being so cold to her. She had chosen to go back to her husband. A decision he wasn’t all too thrilled with.

The rain was coming down even harder now as he pulled the four-wheeler into the yard and drove it to the shed attached to the barn. Misty removed her hold from the sides of his waist and stepped off of the vehicle. She watched as he too got off and removed the saddle bags from the seat.

“
Dylan, talk to me,” she pleaded.

“
I’ve got nothing to say,” he said as he walked past her back out into the pouring rain.

She ran after him and grabbed his arm, attempting to pull him to a stop. He turned to look at her, and the rain from the brim of his cowboy hat ran like a waterfall down the front of it. She could see through the cascade of water that although he was putting up a good front of being angry, that he was actually sad. His blue eyes were filled with hurt, and she wanted to find out why.

“
Why are you being so mean?” she asked over another rumble of thunder.

“
I’m
 being mean?” Dylan asked and let out a sarcastic huff. He walked away from her and into the barn where he hung the saddle bags with all the other tack.

“
Yes 
you
,” she said, increasingly becoming angry as she followed him.

Unwillingly he looked at her. She was so unbelievably gorgeous, standing there in front of him with water droplets hanging from her eyelashes and her rain soaked hair falling down around her shoulders.

“
Misty, I just can’t do this anymore,” he said and walked off toward the ladder that led to the hayloft.

“
What can’t you do?” she called after him.

“
This.” He turned and waved his hand back and forth pointing from her to him. “It hurts too much to be friends with you when you know I want more than that. And that fact that you’re throwing away what could have been the best thing either one of us has ever had to go back to your cheating husband,” he said, shaking his head. “I just can’t sit back and watch. And I won’t.” He turned away from her and climbed the ladder to the hayloft.

“
Going back to my husband?” she questioned. “Wait, Dylan, don’t walk away from me,” she said as she climbed the ladder after him. He was in the corner grabbing a bale of hay when she made her way into the loft. “Where did you get the idea that I’m taking Brad back?” she asked over the sound of the rain on the tin roof.

He started to walk towards her with the bale of hay in his hand and said, “Move.”

“
No,” she said and crossed her arms.

Dylan let out an exasperated sigh. “Misty, please move. I’ve got work to do.”

“
No. Not until you talk to me and we get this straightened out. Now where did you get the idea that I was taking Brad back?”

He dropped the bale of hay at his feet, removed his work gloves and threw them on the floor. “I heard the two of you talking at the hospital, ok.”

“
What exactly did you hear?”

“
Enough,” he said and took a seat on the bale of hay.

“
Well obviously you heard wrong because the conversation I had with him didn’t end with me saying that I’d take him back,” she said heatedly.

“
Misty, I heard you tell him that you love him. I think that pretty much sums it all up,” he threw back at her.

“
Well maybe if you had stuck around long enough and talked to me you would have learned that I didn’t mean to tell him that I love him,” she yelled back, her voice increasing in volume.

“
People don’t just say ‘I love you’, Misty. You had to mean it to say it.”

“
I did mean it, Dylan!”

“
I rest my case,” he said, throwing his hands up in defeat and moving to a standing position.

“
I didn’t mean to say it to Brad. When I said it I thought I was talking to you!” she said, taking a deep breath to calm her anger.

A shocked expression spread across his face. “What?” he almost whispered.

She took another deep breath and replied, “The room was dark and I had just woken up. I remember calling out for you and a voice said ‘
I’m here’
,” she explained calmly.

He crossed the hay loft floor to where she stood and stopped a foot away from her. “You love me?”

She nodded her head and a slight smile tickled the corners of her mouth. “Yes,” she whispered.

He closed the distance between them, wrapping his arms firmly around her waist and pressed her body against his. He bent his head down and joined his lips with hers; kissing her with such passion that it left her feeling week in the knees. She brought her arms around his neck, moved one of her hands to the back of his head and tangled her fingers in his hair. Her body melted into his embrace as his lips tenderly caressed hers. Dylan pulled away slightly and stared into her eyes. He brought his hand up to her face and brushed a stray hair from her forehead. He slid his fingertips down the side of her face and cupped her cheek in his hand. He gently pressed his lips against hers once more, then kissed the tip of her nose and leaned his forehead against hers and smiled.

“
I love you too.”

CHAPTER 16

The cell phone in her back pocket rang, momentarily distracting her from Dylan’s soft kisses.

“
Don’t even think about answering that,” he whispered against her lips.

“
Wasn’t planning on it.” She grinned, reached in her back pocket, and pressed the ignore button on the side of the phone.

They were once again surrounded by only the sound of the rain beating against the tin roof of the barn. Dylan slid his hand from the side of her cheek, down her neck, to her shoulder, gliding along the side of her waist and resting it on her hip. He drew her closer to him and she responded by wrapping her arms more tightly around him. The cell phone began to ring again and she let out an exasperated sigh, loosening her grip from around his neck.

“
Whoever this is they sure are persistent,” she grumbled and reluctantly pulled away from Dylan’s embrace. She glanced down at the screen of the phone and noticed the familiar number immediately. “It’s from my house,” she said to Dylan and flipped the phone open. “Hello? Hey, Mom.”

Misty tried to listen to the words her mother was speaking, but she was finding it very hard to concentrate at the moment. Dylan was steadily leaving a trail of kisses from her jaw, down her neck and to her shoulder. She was surprised by the way his kisses affected her. No other man had ever made her feel the way Dylan had with only a kiss. Brad’s kisses were good at first. Actually, she used to think they were great. But then again, he had been her first and only kiss until recently. When Brad kissed her, it felt routine, like it was just something you had to do every day.

Vance’s kisses were much different from Brad’s. There was no sense of routine to them at all. Their first kiss had been wonderful. He was so gentle and tender, almost as if he was handling fine china. But then, as their relationship continued, his kisses changed from gentle and tender to greedy and selfish. She chalked that up to him basically just wanting to get into her pants.

And now there was Dylan. Dylan’s kisses sent her senses into a whirlwind of confusion. With each touch of his lips, it left her with the odd sensation of feeling like she was on fire but gave her goose bumps at the same time. She felt weak in the knees and felt like her limbs had turned into jelly, but she still had strength enough to pull him closer. Each kiss left her breathless and wanting more. She wondered, if his kisses are this amazing, what would other things that kissing led to be like? She felt the heat flood into her cheeks and she bit her bottom lip.

“
Hmm? Ok, Mom, I’ll be there shortly,” she said into the phone before closing it and placing it back in her pocket.

“
Now where were we?” Dylan asked playfully and placed another kiss on her neck.

“
Mmm,” she moaned and her eyes rolled back into her head. “Dylan?”

“
Hmm?” he asked without breaking his kiss.

“
I have to go home,” she said.

“
No you don’t,” he disagreed and pressed his lips to hers.

She placed a hand on his chest and gently pushed him away. He stared at her confused and she quickly caught her breath to explain. “Trust me I don’t want to leave; especially right now. But the sheriff is at my house and he needs to talk to me about the accident.”

Dylan’s shoulders slumped a little. 
Perfect timing
, he thought sarcastically. Here he was, finally living the moment he’d dreamt of for years and she has to leave. He knew she wouldn’t be gone forever, but it hurt his heart to even think about her being away from him now. Even though she would only be twenty minutes away. “I guess I have to let you go then,” he said, still keeping his hold on her.

“
What do you mean? You’re coming with me,” she said.

“
I am?”

“
Yea, the sheriff wants to talk to you as well. Mom said he’s got some information about the accident that we both need to hear.”

***

The rain had slowed and was almost to the point of completely stopping when Misty drove into the yard. She parked in her usual spot and waited as Dylan pulled in next to her. He stepped out of his truck and walked towards her, taking her hand in his as they walked towards the house. Maggie watched as Dylan and Misty walked hand in hand. She smiled, let the curtain fall back and turned towards Jack and Sheriff Brittingham.

“
They’re here,” she announced. “Can I get you anything else sheriff?”

“
No, ma’am. I’m just fine, thank you,” the sheriff replied and leaned back in the arm chair.

Dylan escorted Misty up the porch steps, released his hold from her hand and opened the door for her.

“
Thank you,” she said and smiled.

“
You’re very welcome.” He smiled back and winked.

Three pairs of eyes were on them as they entered the living room. Misty felt like they were reading her face and knew everything that transpired between her and Dylan within the last hour. She could feel her cheeks growing warm and took a deep breath to stop the blush.

Jack took in their appearance and asked, “Get caught in that downpour?”

Misty looked to Dylan and had to force herself not to smile.

“
Yes, sir, we did,” Dylan confirmed, trying to hide his smile as well.