His bushy brows drawing into a fierce scowl, Bud shook his head. “I’ve been taking care of myself since long before you were born. You just let me be, you hear?”
“But—”
“I’m all right, Riley. You keep an eye on your pretty tenant and her sweet kids. And by the way, if you’re not making a real effort in that direction, you aren’t near as smart as I always gave you credit for being.”
Riley was no more interested in talking about his relationship—or lack of one—with Teresa than Bud was in talking about whatever was bothering him. “You be careful,” he said as his uncle moved toward his truck.
Bud waved without looking around again. Shortly afterward, he was gone, leaving Riley standing on his doorstep, worrying.
Making a sudden decision, he went inside and picked up the phone, dialing a number he knew as well as his own. “Lindsey, it’s Riley,” he said a moment later. “Is Dan there?”
“He’s here. Is something wrong?” she asked, her notorious curiosity piqued by the late call.
“I just really need to talk to Dan.”
“Okay, hold on.”
A moment later, Dan’s deep drawl came through the line. “Riley?”
“I know it’s late, but can you come over? I’d offer to come there, but I don’t want to leave Teresa and the kids in the duplex alone right now.”
Dan’s voice sharpened. “What’s going on?”
“Probably nothing more than a monumental overreaction on my part. But I’d still like to talk to you.”
“I’ll be there in fifteen minutes. Have the coffee ready.”
“I’ll do that.” Even as he hung up the phone, Riley wondered if he’d made a mistake calling Dan. Bud wasn’t going to like it. But something had to be done.
Despite his concerns about his uncle, he found his thoughts turning to Teresa as he started a pot of decaf brewing. He wondered if she’d gotten over her irritation with him for kissing her and then teasing her about it.
Kissing her had been an impulse he hadn’t been able to resist. Teasing her had been his instinctive reaction to the aftermath of that brief but memorable embrace. A way of diffusing the tension and awareness that had been building inside him all evening until he simply couldn’t wait any longer to find out if her soft, beautifully shaped lips tasted as sweet as they looked.
He’d thought a sample would be enough. A quick kiss, and his curiosity would be satisfied, his attention free to move in other directions. He’d known almost the moment his lips had touched hers that it wasn’t going to be that easy. One taste wouldn’t be enough to satisfy him for long. Not unless he made a determined effort to remind himself of all the many reasons he didn’t need to be kissing Teresa Scott.
The doorbell rang, and he put that imprudent kiss out of his mind—or at least he tried to. He knew the memory was still lurking in the shadows, ready to haunt him again later, as he lay alone in his bed, separated from Teresa by no more than a couple of walls.
His life was getting much more complicated than he liked.
Teresa heard the news at the diner Monday. Bud O’Neal had left town, as silently and unexpectedly as his friend R.L. had a couple weeks earlier. Gossip had it that Riley was very upset.
She rushed home as soon as her shift ended, arriving a full hour before the children were due home. She headed straight to Riley’s door when she saw that his car was in the driveway.
He jerked the door open almost before the sound of her first knock had faded. It wasn’t exactly disappointment she saw on his face when he recognized her, but she could tell he’d been hoping to see someone else.
“You haven’t heard from your uncle,” she said.
He pushed a hand through his hair—which seemed to be even more in need of a trim than usual, probably because he’d tugged at it so much during the past hours. “You heard he left town, I guess.”
“Yes.” The look in Riley’s eyes made her speak gently. “Are you all right?”
“I don’t know.” As if he’d suddenly realized that she was still standing on his doorstep, he stepped back and motioned her inside. “Come in. Can I get you anything?”
“No, thanks. Tell me about Bud.”
Waiting until she was seated on his sofa, he sank to the cushions beside her, his hands lying limply on his knees. “He left me a note. He didn’t tell me where he was going or how I could reach him.”
“What did he say?”