Page 63 of Wag More Bark Less

I glanced at my watch, shocked to see the time. Fuck, had it been that long? I waited for the sense of urgency to kick me into gear, to send me marching back to the Legion Hall where I could drown out the noise in my head with some good, old-fashioned manual labor. But when it didn’t come, I sank back against the bench.

I was so fucking tired of pretending I had it all figured out. More than that, I was tired of running from the past as though if I only kept running fast enough, I could outpace it forever. Last night proved that theory was a bust. The resentment, anger, and embarrassment I’d buried deep had surfaced without warning, all at the sight of a single dress.

“Phil and Bernie are arguing over who’s driving the tractor again, so you’re not missing anything.”

I took a long, slow sip of coffee, pleasantly surprised at the sweetness. I was lucky to have the brother I did. I needed to start appreciating that more.

“I fucked up.”

“With you, that could mean a lot of things, so you’ll have to be more specific.”

“Asshole,” I muttered, turning to hide my grin.

Connor waited, quietly sipping his coffee.

“I found Maggie in a wedding dress last night.” I waited for a quip or jab, but Connor stared straight ahead and waited for me to continue, so I did. “The damn thing was strangling her, so I had to literally cut her out of it with a pocketknife.”

“Oh, shit. Is she all right? Is she mad about the dress?”

“She didn’t need medical attention.”

I had no fucking clue if she was okay otherwise. Ellie made it clear I wasn’t welcome, and I took that sentiment to heart when the door slammed in my face. I’m sure the last thing she’d welcome was seeing me after I stuck my foot in my mouth and so far down my throat it was still lodged there.

“So, what’s the issue?”

“You should’ve seen the dress—and I don’t mean after I ripped the back of it so she could breathe again. It looked as though someone took a hacksaw to it before I even got there. The whole fucking thing was destroyed.”

I couldn’t fathom the amount of anger one had to harbor to cause the damage I saw. I couldn’t imagine Maggie harnessing rage like that. And yet, the dress said otherwise.

“What do you think that means?”

“Considering she made this comment about wanting to make sure there wouldn’t be a wedding, I think the conclusion is pretty easy to draw.” I dropped my elbows to my knees and scrubbed a hand through my hair. “But then I said some things . . .”

“Of course you did.” Connor took a long sip and tossed the empty cup in a nearby trash can, momentarily startling the crow, but not deterring the creature altogether. I tossed it another couple of peanuts. “Did you try apologizing?”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”

“Why?”

Because as much as she drives me crazy, I like her. Because I crossed a line and kissed her as though she was my only source of oxygen. Because I can’t fucking think straight when I’m around her. Because it’s safer when she’s mad at me.

“Why does she just so happen to book a month in a small, out-of-the-way town she’s never even visited before, carting around a battered wedding dress? She’s been hiding it from me since she showed up. She’s running from something. She has to be.”

“So you automatically assume she jilted some poor sap at the altar because that’s what happened to you?” Connor shook his head. “I thought you had better detective skills than that.”

“What am I supposed to think?”

“I don’t know, but probably not guilty until proven innocent,” Connor chided. “You could try asking her.”

I doubted she’d tell me anything after the reaction I had, and how could I blame her? I couldn’t make this apprehension just go away. I considered doing a bit of my own digging into Magnolia Holland, but if I logged on to the system, even from home, I had a sneaking suspicion the mayor would receive some kind of red alert. That was a bear best left unpoked.

“Do you know what I felt after I heard Raquel skipped town on your wedding day?”

“Sorry for me?” I retorted.

“No.” The firmness in his tone made me sit up straighter. “I felt relieved.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”