Page 34 of Right Number, Wrong Man

COLT

Hailey with a gun was the hottest thing ever. I’ve had a boner since I put the pistol in her hand and it’s still going strong, literally making it hard to focus on our picnic.

“You’re a quick learner,” I say and finish the last bite of my steak sandwich. “A few more lessons and you’ll be a crack shot.” I smirk, slouching on the blanket we spread on the shorter grass by the forest edge.

Hailey wipes mustard sauce from her lips with a paper napkin. “What can I say? I have a great teacher… and he makes a mean steak sandwich, too.”

“ Two compliments at once? You sure you didn’t hit yourself in the head with that first shot?”

She giggles. “Don’t push your luck.”

I reach into the picnic basket and take out a small box with a bow. “As promised, one more surprise. Open it.”

She puts her sandwich down on the napkin and takes the gift. “But I’m not going to say thank you before I know what it is,” she quips, tugging on the ribbon. When she opens the box, her face lights up. “A pink revolver? I had no idea they made pink guns!”

“I had it custom painted for you.”

“Seriously? Thank you!” Hailey beams a grin at me, and I feel like a popsicle melting in the summer heat.

I flush, clapping a hand on the nape of my neck as I speak.

“Unlike semi-automatic pistols, a revolver never jams, making it the most reliable weapon for you to carry. And I thought a snub nose would fit in almost any purse. I know y’all ladies like to change your purses to match your outfits and all. ”

“You really put a lot of thought into this,” Hailey says and her lips pinch.

My heart plummets into my gut. Why is she looking so dejected all of a sudden?

She puts the revolver back in the box, brows drawing together. “I don’t mean to spoil the mood, but is now a good time to talk?”

“You ain’t giving me the talk , are you?” I joke, but my voice comes out too thin.

She snorts. “Yes, I want to tell you about the birds and the bees. When a man really loves a woman they?—”

I chuckle, ripping out a blade of grass to throw at her and she squeals.

“You can talk to me about anything, anytime, Spitfire. So, what’s up?”

Her smile fades again and she shifts uncomfortably. “This conversation is overdue, but better late than never, right?”

My pulse stutters.

“I want to apologize to you, Colt.”

“F-for what?” I choke out.

“Well, umm, first off, I have to say that I still don’t agree with your decision to lie about the prank. But I’m sorry for the way I treated you and?—”

“Please, don’t apologize. I’m the one who’s sorry,” I interrupt. “I should’ve been honest with you. Maybe if you knew the truth about my brother, you would’ve been spared?—”

I can’t bring myself to continue or it’ll all come spilling out. Halloween. Jax. Everything.

The irony of my words ain’t lost on me, either. Just like back in the old days, I’m caught in a mess of lies when all I ever wanted was to be honest. I’m paving my road to purgatory with the best of intentions, but they’re still gonna lead me to burn for my sins.

I deserve it.

Hailey shakes her head. “I knew Mike was trouble. The fights in the schoolyard, the drugs, the drinking. His bad boy image was part of the appeal, as lame as that sounds. Nobody made me get married at nineteen, either. It was a dumb decision, but it was mine.”

The corners of her lips tug upward and I feel a little lighter.

“What I’m saying is that I hear you, Colt. You didn’t want Mike to get expelled from school and you meant well. What I’ve done is so much worse.”

My chest squeezes. “You didn’t do anything wrong. You were the victim.”

She twists her fingers, eyes on the blanket. “Because of the prank, I judged you so quickly as a bully. I felt… vindicated. To me, it seemed like you finally proved my point after ignoring me for years.”

I let out a wry laugh. Yeah, I ignored you cause I was so in love with you at first sight, I couldn’t get a word out. And when I worked up the courage, you had already fallen for my brother.

Hailey presses her hands against her cheeks, using her hair to hide her face.

“I wrapped myself in that stubborn prejudice and never gave you a chance to explain. You became my worst enemy. God, I didn’t try to talk to you about the prank once—not even when we were grown up.

I punished you for something you didn’t do when all it would’ve taken was one honest conversation to clear the air. ”

The world spins. Am I dreaming?

She looks up and her amber eyes meet mine, crinkling with a gentle smile.

“I got so comfortable stewing in my hatred for you, I couldn’t imagine myself without it.

I kept arguing with you about the stupidest things because our fights gave me reasons to keep hating you.

Since you told me the truth, all this stuff has been going through my head.

That’s why I avoided you at work. I just wasn’t ready to confront my feelings and the results of my actions, but now I am. ”

I blink dumbly at her.

“Bottom line: I was a gigantic asshole and I’m sorry, Colton. It’s okay if you won’t accept my apology, but I had to try.”

“You’re right. I can’t accept your apology…” I say and Hailey’s face falls. Cursing myself, I quickly add, “Cause I never held any of it against you. And clearing the air wasn’t just your responsibility. I could’ve started that conversation, too.”

But I couldn’t cause if I did, I would’ve had to take you from Mike. I had to let you hate me cause it was the one way I could let you live your life freely.

“Does that mean we can bury the past and start over?” she asks, offering her hand to shake.

A flutter spreads through my gut. I’ve dreamed about a do-over so many times, I’m tempted to pinch myself—and worried if I do, I’ll wake up all alone in a bed halfway across the world with Hailey still considering me enemy number one.

My hand trembles when I reach out and her fingers tighten against mine, slipping in the spaces between. Fuck me, they’re a perfect fit, like lost pieces of a puzzle.

I force calm into my voice when I say, “I’d love that.”

“Me, too,” she whispers.

Easy as five words, we put the bad blood behind us. It feels wonderfully anticlimactic to end our lifelong feud in the shade of rustling trees, our voices carried by the summer breeze and our shaking hands entwined.

She smiles. “Friends?”

I nod, fighting down the desire burning me up from inside. I don’t wanna be friends, I want to celebrate this new beginning with our very first kiss. But that ain’t what she’s looking for, ain’t what she needs.

She needs a friend, not a scumbag who takes advantage of her emotionally vulnerable state.

My heart turns to ice when I let her hand go and she quickly brushes some hair behind her ear.

I reach into the picnic basket, searching for the bottle of wine I packed at home. “How ‘bout a toast to?—”

The bushes rustle and Hailey freezes. “Shit, it’s a bear!” she whispers, panicked. “We finally made up and now we’ll get eaten by a wild animal. That’s so typical!”

“These bushes are a bit small for a bear.”

“Then a coyote! A bobcat! A snake! Bigfoot’s smaller, but no less dangerous cousin, Littlefoot! Take your pick, smartass!” she hisses.

A high-pitched snarl comes from the thicket, and Hailey yelps. I laugh, taking a spare sandwich from the basket to rip off a piece of steak without sauce. Waving the meat at the bush, I click my tongue. “C’mon… We ain’t gonna hurt you.”

Hailey’s eyes widen. “Don’t lure it out, you stubborn idiot! Make it go awa?—”

Tail tucked between its legs, a short-haired, brown and white Chihuahua emerges from the bushes. Its head cocks as it looks at the meat and its lips pull back in a rather unconvincing growl, baring teeth the size of rice grains.

Wild animal my ass .

“Oh my God, what a sweet baby!” Hailey whisper-squeals, her fear forgotten. “Looks like a girl from here.”

The dog’s pink and black nose twitches and she skulks closer, licking her lips. She seems used to being around people, but I bet fending for herself in the dangerous woods made her skittish.

Side-eyeing me, the dog plucks the steak piece from my fingers and swallows it, no chewing. She must be starving. I tear off more and drop it on the blanket. While she’s busy with her snack, I scan her body for injuries.

Tension falls from my shoulders. She seems unharmed.

“Well, you got the appetite of a Doberman, huh?” I tease and rip up more meat. “Here you go…”

Her tail wags hesitantly and she comes over. Pressing her cold nose into my palm, she takes the steak shreds one by one, eating slower now. When she’s done, she licks my hand. My fingers graze her tiny head and she ducks, but when I scratch behind her ear she lets out a happy sigh. My heart swells.

“You’re a dog whisperer,” Hailey says and scooches closer.

“Most humans are afraid of me, but I get along easily with animals. They don’t judge me by my glacial stare or imposing looks.”

A flicker of something akin to sadness crosses Hailey’s face, her eyes locked on mine. Then they drop to the dog. “No collar, but she’s in decent shape. She could use a bath, though. ”

“Some asshole must’ve abandoned her recently. If I caught ‘em doing it, I would’ve enjoyed some target practice with their head,” I grit out, rage making my voice quiver.

Hailey shakes her fist. “People who leave their pets like this are the worst. She could have died out here!”

My throat locks up when I consider what this poor little dog has been through. I can’t imagine what it must be like to be so tiny and alone in such a big, cruel world.

Gently, I push my hand under the dog’s belly and she stiffens, her ears dropping, but she allows me to lift her. It’s ridiculous how light she is, almost like she weighs nothing at all. I hold her to my chest and as if she understands that she’s safe, she leans her head against me and yawns.

“I’ll call you Gracie,” I whisper.

Hailey sputters. “What—why Gracie?”

“Cause she reminds me of a special someone who’s also on the short side and a little stubborn, has a lot of bite and never backs down. But she’s hella sweet when you get to know her.” I wink. “And a treat always puts her in a better mood.”

Her head tilts, pink scrawling across her cheeks. “You’re naming her after my middle name ?”

“Unless you don’t want me to! Then I could?—”

“No, I like it! I just—I didn’t think you-you…” She trails off into a breathless laugh. “So, you’re keeping Gracie?”

“Hell yeah I am!”

“What about when you go back to the military?”

My breath catches as I hold her gaze and then I speak words I never thought I would. “I’m not sure if I wanna leave again. There’s something here for me now. Somebody who needs me. ”

Hailey’s fingers fan across her breastbone and her mouth falls open. I can’t tell her that I ain’t just talking about Gracie. Our new beginning has given me more hope than I’ve ever had before and I’m not sure what it means for us, but I want to see where we’ll go from here.

For the first time, it doesn’t feel like I have to run. I have a reason to stay. Two reasons. The woman I love and the cutest dog I’ve ever seen.

Gracie interrupts the silence with a lazy yip and we laugh.

“Seems she approves,” Hailey says, giggling.

“See, it works. And if I need somebody to watch her, I’ll ask my folks.”

“Or me!” she cuts in eagerly.

She holds out her hand, letting Gracie sniff it, and the dog presses her head into her palm.

“Such a cute little girl,” she coos, rubbing Gracie’s chin. “Maybe we should head back into town. You need to buy some things for her and you should take her to the vet for a checkup.”

“Good thinking. Can you hold her while I pack up?”

Hailey extends her arms, fingers wiggling and eyes lit up like I offered her a million dollars in cash. “You don’t have to ask twice!”

Carefully, I hand Gracie over. She hides her nose in the bend of Hailey’s elbow, immediately closing her eyes. She has some sleep to catch up on, and with a full belly, she’s far more relaxed than earlier.

I clean up the picnic while Hailey rocks Gracie like a furry, slightly muddy baby. She’s not even worried about getting dirt on her top. They’re so cute together, I can’t resist taking out my phone to snap a picture.

“Smile for the camera!” I say .

Hailey pouts, shaking her head. “Oh, no! You need to be in the picture, too.”

My head jerks. “Why me?”

She rolls her eyes. “It’s not a family picture without you, duh. Get your ass over here, Colton Walker!”

My jaw goes slack and my heart beats double time.

She called us a family .

Hailey, Gracie, and me. We’re a family.

In a stupor, I crouch next to her and she takes the phone from me, her other arm balancing Gracie like a pro puppy wrangler. Her grin makes my stomach tingle like all the butterflies from the meadow got stuck in there. I’m so preoccupied with the feeling, I don’t notice when she takes the picture.

“There. Perfect!” she says and gives the phone back to me.

Grinning, I stare at the first picture of just us together. We really do look like a family.

A happy family.

“Can you send it to me, please?” Hailey asks. “We’re so stinking cute. Aren’t we, Gracie?”

While she looks down at the sleepy dog in her arms, I sneakily set the image as my background before sending it to her. Flustered, I shove the phone into my pocket.

I pack up the rest of the picnic and when Hailey gets up, I fold the blanket.

“I gotta buy a basket, toys, a collar and a leash, and bowls for food and water. I reckon I could use some advice picking things…” I throw her a sideways glance. “If you ain’t got no other plans.”

“I’d love to help!” she bursts out.

I stash the picnic basket in the trunk while Hailey cradles Gracie on the passenger seat. The tiny thing is still fast asleep, now curled up on her lap. I get in and start the car when she speaks up quietly, not wanting to wake Gracie.

“Can we do this again?” she whispers. “I mean the gun training and the picnic. The talking, too. I had a lot of fun.”

I feel weightless as I smile. “Anytime, Spitfire.”