Callum stepped into the conference room in the back of the Town Hall building, Sam on his heels. Instantly, he went on high alert.
Iris was there.
She sat next to her father on one side of a long conference table surrounded by elegant leather chairs—no expense had been spared to outfit this room. There were no windows, and the closed space made him instantly claustrophobic. He was glad he'd left the boys with a lady from church that Sam had vouched for. They'd have been running circles or spinning in the desk chairs within seconds.
It was one thing facing off with Wade. Having to do it in front of Iris added another whole layer of tension.
He'd conferred with Sam yesterday when he'd received the summons to this meeting, but Sam had been ignorant of its purpose.
Why was Iris here?
She was tapping on her laptop computer on the desk and didn't look up as he and Sam made their way to the opposite side of the table. Wade sneered at Sam's quiet greeting, but Iris murmured a "hello."
Was she avoiding looking at him or just engrossed in something important on the computer?
Callum sat in one of the padded leather chairs, turning it at an angle and stretching his legs out to cross them at the ankle, pretending casualness for all he was worth. He wasn't going to let Wade get to him.
It seemed kind of silly to have a meeting with just the four of them in this room that sat more than twenty.
The police officer, Mike, entered the room, with another man on his heels. The man Callum didn't know had salt and pepper hair and wore a shirt, tie, and slacks. Callum didn't recognize him.
"That's the district attorney," Sam hissed, standing to shake hands with him.
Callum followed suit and met the older man's speculative look with a steady gaze. He had nothing to hide, but that didn't stop his heart from pounding. What was going on here?
"Aaron Charles," said the DA.
"Callum Stewart." Callum shook the man's hand.
Callum's heart was in his throat as the DA rounded the table and made nice with Wade. Why was the DA involved?
"What's going on?" he hissed to Sam.
Sam shrugged, but his expression wasn't as nonchalant as when they'd walked in the door. He busied himself opening a manila folder on the desk and shuffling some papers. Callum didn't even know what he had in there, other than a copy of the lawsuit.
Callum's stomach roiled. If this kept up, he'd have an ulcer by mid-afternoon.
"Is this all of us?" the DA asked.
And Callum couldn't contain his surprise when Iris said, "Yes, sir."
The DA sat at one end of the table, the policeman next to Wade.
"You want to tell me why you called me down here, young lady?"
Callum went hot and then cold. Iris had called the meeting? What did it mean? His thoughts raced, and he missed Iris's words through the roaring in his ears.
His eyes fixed on her computer.
And then on her hand as it came to rest flat on the table next to her keyboard. Was that...?
He leaned forward slightly, his jeans squeaking against the leather of the chair.
She was wearing the engagement ring.
He would never forget the small diamond he'd agonized over before spending the savings he'd socked away all summer. He'd wanted better for her, knew she deserved better.
He couldn't believe she'd kept it. Or that she was wearing it now.
The roaring in his ears changed to white noise and then cleared.
"...concern about the investigation over Mr. Stewart's auto accident."
Her eyes met his briefly over the laptop screen. Was he imagining the spark of warmth in them, even as she kept talking?
So this was about the lawsuit. He should probably be angry that she was still sticking her nose where it didn't belong, but he was too fixated on that ring on her finger to summon any real amount of temper.
Was there a chance she'd found a way to forgive him? And that she wanted him back in her life?
How could he think any differently when she was wearing that ring?
Heat crept into Iris's face under Callum's intense scrutiny. She saw his eyes flick to her exposed hand and quickly back to her face.
He knew.
It was all she could do to keep her attention on what she was saying. This was important. This meeting could change everything. And she couldn't afford to mess it up.
"I was on the scene when the accident happened. I witnessed it. I responded as an off-duty EMT, which is one of my volunteer positions with the FD."
She took a deep breath.
"After Callum—Mr. Stewart was served with the lawsuit papers, I was shocked to see the accusation of negligence. The accident was not his fault. And when I made an official statement to Mike, I got the impression that the police department was practicing the very thing my father had accused Mr. Stewart of. I have personal reasons to believe my father instructed the department not to pursue their investigation into the black pickup truck or its driver."
Her father sucked in a deep breath. "What? Iris, how could you say such a thing?"
His face had gone an alarming shade of red. She saw the glittering anger in his eyes and knew that she had just severed the last thread holding their relationship together. No matter the outcome for Callum today, things between her and her father would never be the same.
She turned her gaze on the DA, who wore an impassive expression. She didn't know whether he would believe her about her father, but at least she had evidence to support Callum.
"My father has long held a grudge against Callum, and I suspect he intended to use the lawsuit to ruin Cal's reputation around town."
"Do you have any evidence of this?"
"No, not unless Mike wants to add anything to this conversation."
Mike wore a pinch-lipped expression.
"But I do believe they purposely botched the hit-and-run investigation. The damage to Cal's truck was extensive, which is evidence in and of itself. But also...I noticed that the bank has a parking lot camera that would've provided footage that might've helped the investigation. When I went into the bank last week, I was informed that the tapes roll over every week, and the footage from the day of the accident was no longer available."
Her father gave a harrumph from next to her.
"The bank manager confirmed that the police had never asked to see those tapes, even though they would clearly have shown the accident."
Her father started to rise. "That's because there was no reason—"
"But..." Iris said.
Her father sat back down.
She met Callum's eyes again, and she let one corner of her mouth turn up.
"My friend Melody owns a clothing shop on Main Street, and she has a security camera that faces the intersection. This is the footage from her camera."
She pressed the button to start the streaming video and turned the laptop toward the DA. Sam shifted in his seat to be able to see. Dad watched too.
But Callum's eyes remained glued to her as the silent footage played. Her face kept heating until she knew it was red—not a cute blush but an unattractive beet-color—but she met his gaze evenly.
He cocked one eyebrow at her and drummed the fingers of his left hand on the table—once.
Oh, yes. He'd seen. He knew.
But judging from the corner of his mouth that lifted, the hope sparkling in the depths of his eyes, he wasn't angry.
They must've reached the part of the video that showed the accident, because Sam erupted out of his chair. "Did you see that? The light was clearly red when the black truck zoomed through the intersection."
Her father stood up, too. "That doesn't prove he wasn't negligent."
Mike leaned forward in his chair, reaching for the laptop. "Can I rewind it?"
And Iris met the DA's gaze squarely. She didn't know Aaron Charles personally, but he had a reputation for fairness. She hadn't wanted to bring him into the investigation, hadn't wanted her father scrutinized.
But she'd had no choice. Not when it came to protecting the man she loved.
"I think we've seen enough for today," the DA said. "Sam, I'll call you later to follow up."
Sam stood, and Callum did, too. Callum shot her one last look before following his lawyer out the door.
When the door had closed behind them, the DA turned back to her. "Young lady, how did you get a copy of that tape? We don't want any issues with chain of evidence."
"Melody has it hosted on an online server. I made a copy to my hard drive, but the original is still out there in cyberspace. I'm sure Mike can contact her for details on how to access it."
The DA nodded.
Her father was silent, fuming. He'd put a few feet of distance between them when he stood up, but she could feel the daggers he was shooting at her with his eyes.
She would try to salvage their relationship. But not now, not when he was hot under the collar. She would give him some time to cope with what had happened today—and to start accepting that Callum was going to be a fixture in her life.
The men left, her father silently stalking out first. The DA shook her hand and thanked her. Mike had the decency to look embarrassed. That was something.
The sun was too bright when she stepped onto the sidewalk. At least that's what she blamed for her watering eyes. It would take some time for her emotions to settle. It hurt to find out that your father wasn't the man you'd thought he was.
Callum was leaning against the drivers' door of her pickup, his arms crossed over his broad chest.
"You okay?"
Callum saw the wobble of Iris's chin and the slight red rims of her eyes as she approached.
"Does you wearing that ring give me permission to hug you?"
Her face crumpled even as she reached out for him. Her black computer bag whacked him in the side as she came into his arms and he relieved her of it, quickly lifting it over the side and depositing in the pickup bed. Then she was in his arms fully, her head tucked beneath his chin, her arms clasping his waist tightly.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, baby," he said into her hair.
"I knew it was going to hurt," she said, her cheek pressed to his collarbone. At least she wasn't crying. "I just didn't know how much."
She didn't seem in a hurry to leave his embrace, and he could've held onto her forever. He swallowed hard, emotion swamping him.
"I can't believe you did that. You could've emailed the video to Sam and nobody would've ever known."
She eased back in his arms, and he reluctantly let her go. "I would've known."
His heart tripped as she looked up at him. He didn't see the trepidation or bitterness he expected. "About the night I left...I'm sorry."
She would never know how much he regretted what had happened back then, but he also couldn't regret the life he'd lived because of it. Without those years, he wouldn't have the boys.
"Were you drunk?" she asked.
"No." That wasn't enough of an answer, and she deserved an explanation. "I'd gone out with the guys after the rodeo, but I'd only had one beer."
"I believe you."
He didn't realize he'd been holding his breath until it expelled, releasing with it the tension he'd carried for years. He closed his eyes and leaned his forehead to touch hers. "I tried to help Champ, but there was so much trauma...so much blood..."
She squeezed his waist, closing the distance and deepening their embrace again. "I know you loved him too. I forgive you."
A weight lifted from his shoulders at her whispered words.
"Take a walk with me?" She eased back from his embrace and nodded her head toward the street.
It was ninety degrees with the Oklahoma sun shining down, but he'd walk through fiery coals for her. "I can manage it—now. Getting around pretty well without those crutches in my way. I'm joining Buck's harvest crew on Monday." It would be hard to be away from the boys for days at a time, but if things worked out the way he hoped with Iris...Who was he kidding? It would be awful to be away from her, too. But the harvest crew would give them their future. And maybe next summer, he would be able to take them all along with him.
He fell into step beside her. Their hands bumped, and he took the opportunity to clasp her hand in his. And she let him.
"How are the boys? Jilly and I miss them."
"They're missing you something fierce. They ask about you all day long and keep correcting me. 'That's not how Iris does it.'"
She grinned, though her eyes scanned for traffic as they crossed a side street off of Main.
"Where are we going?" he asked.
"Somewhere."
He let her tug him across the street, and once they'd settled back into a rhythm, he threaded their fingers together.
"I saw you outside the restaurant with your mother-in-law," she said. "You decided to give her a second chance?"
He cleared his throat and raised his opposite hand to scratch the back of his neck. "Yeah. I guess you could say you inspired me. It was...awkward, but Maude seemed happy. She went back to Texas."
"How did the boys do?"
"They had fun. Didn't notice the tension. She and Jackson might come up soon for a visit."
They were nearing the end of the downtown area of Main Street. A few more buildings remained before they reached the more residential area. Where was she leading him?
"And you're okay with that?"
He shrugged, knowing she'd picked up on the tension that the topic put in his back. "I'm not going to leave the boys alone with them anytime soon. We're still building that trust back. But I'm willing to try."
He was also tired of delaying—he needed to know where they stood. Now.
They were far enough from the majority of the foot traffic downtown to attract notice, and he tugged her to a stop, keeping their hands entwined and drawing her to face him.
He raised her hand so the ring she wore was in plain view.
She flushed a delicate pink.
"This is even smaller than I remember."
She attempted to pull her hand away, but he kept hold of it.
"I'd like to put something bigger there, if you'd let me."
Her eyes flashed to his face, and his equilibrium went haywire. He squeezed her hands gently. And bared his heart. "I know I've still got a ways to go to earn back your trust. But the truth is, I never stopped loving you."
Her eyes began to shine. "Me too."
Joy exploded inside him and he exhaled a shaky breath. He leaned forward until their foreheads touched, closing his eyes as emotion overwhelmed him. "Yeah?"
"Yeah." Her breath fanned his jaw, and he let go of her hand to put his arms around her.
Her hands rested against his chest, and she met his kiss eagerly. And he got lost in her, the same way he always had.
Until the blast of a horn honking startled them both. A truck blew by, windows down. The driver wolf whistled.
He chuckled as she leaned her forehead against his chest, between her hands. He reached up and tapped the back of her hand, just behind the engagement ring. "I wasn't kidding about replacing this. I can afford something bigger now."
"Even with the three terrors and their future college educations?"
He nipped her shoulder for the joke, and she pinched his ribs.
"I'm attached to this one." She hitched her chin. "It's sentimental to me."
He squeezed her but didn't try to kiss her again. It was too easy to get wrapped up in her, and he didn't want her to have any reason to be embarrassed.
"I'll be away a lot of the summer. But we can talk on the phone, and we can have a long engagement, if you want. I think we need to talk about New York. Watching you dance the other day..."
She shook her head, a smile he couldn't quite read playing on her lips. "I'm too old for that dream now. The prima ballerinas are much younger. And after my back injury, I can't perform the way I used to."
He shook his head, certain about this. "When you dance...it's magic. You can't just give up on your dream."
Her smile just got bigger. She broke from his embrace and pointed to the building they stood in front of. "I'm not. My dream just changed, that's all. This is going to be my new dance studio."
The storefront was bare, glass windows revealing a large, empty space inside.
"After some renovations," she added.
Remembering her with the boys' dance class, he could see it. She was still sharing her love of dance, just in a different way.
"I can swing a hammer," he said.
"Good. There's a lot of work to do. Can we go see the boys now?"
He kissed her for the question and again on the front step of his trailer, because when they opened the door, three shrieking boys launched at them, engulfing them in hugs and joy and chaos.
And he wouldn't have it any other way.