Bennett (Bourbon & Blood #1) (4 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

Bennett stared at the tire tracks in the dirt and frowned. Even with all the rain, there was enough left for him to worry. It wasn
’
t the churned up mess from under the wheels of Mia
’
s car that bothered him. It was the lone tread of a much larger vehicle right over top of the tracks left by her car that didn
’
t quite mesh with the single car theory. Those tracks were much more in line with what she
’
d said at the hospital the night before.

There was a chance, he reminded himself, that the tracks were due to the scene being contaminated. The only thing he was an expert at was building furniture, but common sense wasn
’
t too difficult to apply. He
’
d parked his truck on the side of the road. The EMT
’
s, when they
’
d finally arrived, had been in the middle of the road. It was still possible some idiot curiosity seeker in a pick up or SUV had driven right up to the edge to look over at the submerged sports car.

It wasn
’
t just the tracks. There were other things as well. Even though the accident scene had been cleaned, there were still bits of busted plastic and acrylic ground into the asphalt. Since it was considered to be a single car accident, just what could she have connected with in the middle of the roadway?

The sound of an approaching vehicle brought him to his feet, but he relaxed instantly when he saw the battered pick up. His cousin Carter had been
‘
fixing it up
’
for years, only nothing ever got fixed. Just patched. The muffler had more holes in it than a sieve.

“
That damn thing will outlive us all,
”
Bennett said as Carter parked the vehicle and stepped out.

“
What the hell are you doing, man?
”
Carter demanded. His shaggy dark hair was scraped back into a ponytail and the thermal undershirt he wore was streaked with grease.

Bennet shrugged.
“
I just feel like there
’
s more to this than meets the eye.
”

“
She
’
s fucking with your head again, Bennett!
”

Bennett ignored the anger that statement prompted and focused on the words themselves.
“
She
is in the hospital and very nearly died yesterday. The only thing she
’
s doing is sleeping off pain meds. I
’
m out here by my own choice.
”

Carter shook his head.
“
Did she ask you to do this?
”

Bennett didn
’
t answer, but his hard glare was apparently telling enough.

“
I knew it!
”
Carter said.
“
She batted her eyelashes and here you are, her errand boy, all over again!
”

“
She asked me to look into the accident because she believed another car was present! Should I have told her no?
”
Bennett demanded. He wasn
’
t angry. Just frustrated and tired of everyone in town watching the two of them like hawks. Assholes and opinions, everybody had them.

Carter raised his hands.
“
You can get as mad as you want to
…
but the truth of the matter is, Bennett, that girl ties you up in damn knots. She always has and she always will. But if you decide to get tangled up with her again, that
’
s on nobody but you!
”

“
You
’
re damn right. My business, my decision.
”

Carter made to walk away, heading for his truck.
“
Don
’
t come crying to me when she dumps your ass again
…
not unless you plan on buying the beer!
”

Bennett shook his head.
“
Before you go off pouting like a two year old, I need you to take a look at this.
”

Carter strolled back over and stared down at the pavement for a split second.
“
Don
’
t see a damn thing.
”

“
Dammit, Carter! Look at the broken plastic from the headlights! How did the rear end of her car go through the guard rail and the front lights get smashed in the same spot in a single car accident?
”

Carter stopped and put his hands on his hips as he considered the question.
“
It
’
s impossible. The only way that could have happened is if there was another vehicle or something else to strike the front end
…
Do you really believe that? There
’
s no proof that this is debris from her accident.
”

Bennett stooped down and brushed his fingers over the pavement, picking up fragments of the plastic.
“
This road was resurfaced a month ago and there haven
’
t been any accidents in this location other than Mia
’
s
…
I went back to the hospital last night to check on her. She told me that there was another car
—
a black SUV with a deer guard. What if it wasn
’
t an accident? What if they deliberately pushed her over?
”

Carter shook his head.
“
You
’
re reaching
…
you
’
re reaching because you want a reason to bring her back into your life.
”

“
No, I’m not. But if someone is trying to hurt her I can
’
t ignore it,
”
Bennett argued.

“
Sure you can. She
’
s ignored you for ten years.
”

Bennett sighed and rose to his feet.
“
You don
’
t pull any punches, do you? Ever?
”

Carter leaned against his truck and crossed his arms over his chest.
“
That woman turned you inside out and you haven
’
t been right since. You think I shouldn
’
t ask questions after you played hero and ran off to the hospital like you
’
re some lovesick Romeo? I might not have made the best grades in school, but even I know that shit didn
’
t end well!
”

Bennett
’
s lips firmed and his gaze hardened.
“
I can handle this.
”

“
I hope so,
”
Carter said. As he climbed into his truck, he turned around and looked back,
“
Tread carefully.
”

Bennett watched him drive away and cursed under his breath. He wasn
’
t foolish enough to completely disregard Carter
’
s warnings. Mia got to him, she got inside his head like no one else ever had. But if she was in danger, he
’
d do whatever it took to protect her.

Staring down at the tiny shards of busted glass and plastic, Bennett cursed. It felt good so he said it again, louder.
“
Fuck my life.
”

*~*~*

It had been two days since the accident. Mia had spent the first day after being released from the hospital dealing with her mother. Patricia's condition never really changed. Every neurologist, every specialist had a different opinion of just how aware Patricia was of what was happening around her. Mia had her own theories about that. Patricia couldn't respond, yet whenever there was turmoil or upheaval in the family, her mother would always have some sort of physical reaction. Seizures, blood pressure spikes, something would happen. Mia's accident was no different. Since then, Patricia had been having mild seizures with much greater frequency. Whether it was the bruises, the cast, she felt like her mother could see something in her present battered appearance that was upsetting to her.

She was having to face the very real fact that until she was healed, someone else would have to care for her mother. It was causing more harm than good for her to be around her mother at the moment. There was only one course of action and that was to hire someone to help with Patricia
’
s care for the time being. In the interim, her soon to be former sister-in-law was helping out.

To save her sanity, Mia had left the house. She hadn
’
t had a plan to start out with, but it didn
’
t really surprise her where she
’
d wound up. As much as the accident had been on her mind, her rescuer had taken up residence there as well. Bennett was just as dangerous to her as the accident had been.

She
’
d cut through the woods, taking a path that was suspiciously well worn. It brought her out just to the right of Bennett
’
s house. She had a dozen reasons to turn around and just head back home, but not a one of them trumped the undeniable fact that you didn
’
t let something as monumental as someone literally saving your life pass without acknowledgement. There was another tiny, traitorous part of her that whispered insidiously in her mind that any excuse to see him was worthwhile.

As she emerged from the dense tree cover, she could hear the sound of power tools and the low wail of country music coming from behind the house. Rather than knock on the door, she followed the noise.

The double doors of the old barn turned workshop were wide open and she could see Bennett standing at his table cutting pieces of trim. He wore a plaid shirt, the buttons undone and hanging open over jeans so old and faded it was a wonder they didn
’
t just disintegrate into nothing.

She noted the pieces he was working on, the intricately carved molding and trim work undoubtedly rescued from some dilapidated house. In the middle of the workroom was a large piano, keys missing, the entirety of it painted an unlikely shade of blue. She had no idea what it would be transformed into, but she silently acknowledged that his little sister, Savannah Hayes, and the store she
’
d created, Revision, were a raging success. Repurposed vintage and antiques along with fantastic architectural salvage had put them on the map and Bennett played a big part in that.

He must have sensed her presence. While she was still standing there drinking in the sight of him, the power tool he
’
d been working with had been switched off. Only the low hum of music from the docking station filled the space. Glancing up from the broad and rippling expanse of his chest, she met his gaze and blushed.

Silence stretched between them, taut and expectant. There were so many things that needed to be said, but most of them wouldn
’
t make a difference, she thought sadly. They were stuck on the course she
’
d chosen. Even though just looking at him set her heart racing, and being so close to him made her want things with a kind of desperation she
’
d all but forgotten, she couldn
’
t afford to let those things matter.

Finally, to break the fragile quiet, she said,
“
I should have called but I didn
’
t have your number.
”

He removed his safety glasses and set them aside.
“
Why are you here, Mia?
”

She hesitated for a moment, uncertain of how to begin. She had questions and he was the only one who could give her answers.
“
I need to talk to you about the accident.
”

He sighed and then scrubbed his hands over his face.
“
Let
’
s go inside. I could use a drink for this.
”

Mia followed him up the steps of the back porch and through the back door. The kitchen was spotless, more from lack of use than his incredible housekeeping skills, or at least she assumed so. He reached up and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet and then pulled down a bottle. She recognized the label immediately. It was theirs.

“
I
’
m surprised you
’
d have that in here,
”
she remarked.

“
I might not have much use for your family, but they make damn fine bourbon,
”
he said as he poured a couple of fingers in each glass.

Their conversation was interrupted by the sound of nails clicking on the hardwood floor. They increased in speed until the dog came hurtling into the kitchen, sliding every which way on the linoleum until it ended up in a heap at her feet.

Looking down at the dark head and floppy ears, she felt tears stinging her eyes.
“
Slick? But, I thought
…
Daddy sent him to the shelter.
”

“
I liberated him,
”
he said.

“
How?
”
she demanded.

He just shook his head.
“
Someone told me what had happened and
…
well, you know I always loved that dog.
”

Mia smiled as she knelt down and nuzzled the dog, burying her face against his thick neck. He was older, the fur around his muzzle white with age, but God it felt good to see him. He licked her hands, her face, whatever he could reach, clearly ecstatic to be with her again.
“
Oh, I have missed you so,
”
she said softly. The dog whined back at her.

“
Looks like the feeling is mutual.
”

Mia rose but kept her hand on the dog
’
s head, rubbing his soft ears while he leaned against her leg and panted happily. It took her a minute to be able to utter the words, to force them past the lump in her throat. God above, the man made her insane. How could anyone be that good, that selfless?
“
Thank you for taking him, Bennett, for taking care of him.
”