Wildflower Ridge

by Sherryl Woods

  “Damn, I thought I’d broke him of that. The town doesn’t need the money, and I don’t need the aggravation.” He slapped his Stetson on his head and walked out the door.

  Patsy watched him go, then turned to Sharon Lynn. “What’s with the parking tickets?”

  “Tate tends to ignore minor infractions like that. He thought the parking meters were a nuisance in the first place. Justin goes crazy every once in a while and starts handing out tickets. Tate spends the rest of the day soothing ruffled feathers.”

  Patsy shook her head. “I don’t get it. If the people are breaking the law, shouldn’t they get tickets?”

  “Technically, yes. And Justin is a by-the-book kind of man, especially after he’s done something that makes him worry whether he’s listening too much to his heart,” she said with a look in Patsy’s direction.

  “Am I supposed to understand that?”

  “You’re here, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” she said, still confused.

  “And not in a jail cell.”

  “Oh.”

  Sharon Lynn grinned. “Oh, indeed. Bottom line, it’s my guess that you’re the one behind today’s rampage with the parking tickets.”

  Patsy would have chuckled if she hadn’t been able to imagine what everyone in town would have to say if they knew to blame her.

  Sharon Lynn’s expression turned thoughtful. “Something tells me you’re going to be good for him,” she said quietly.

  “Me? I don’t think so,” Patsy said at once. If Justin Adams knew the truth about her, he probably wouldn’t even blink before tossing her in that jail cell and throwing away the key.

  Chapter Four

  While Justin had been thoroughly disconcerted by the sight of Patsy Gresham working at Sharon Lynn’s that morning, he told himself he’d merely found it troubling that she was becoming so intimately entwined with his family.

  What really worried him more, was that quick little shiver of awareness he’d felt when he spotted her. He knew his hormones well enough to recognize a man-woman thing when he felt it, and it was the very last reaction he ought to be having to the woman, not with all those legitimate suspicions he couldn’t quite dismiss.

  Except for a minor fender bender in midafternoon, the rest of the day had been uneventful. It had taken all of his willpower to keep from wandering into Dolan’s a few more times to make sure Patsy’s hand wasn’t in the till or anywhere else it didn’t belong. His conscience had reminded him that he’d promised her an honest chance.

  By nightfall, though, he couldn’t battle his desire to see how she’d fared. The fact that he chose to get his answers from her, rather than from Sharon Lynn, meant nothing, he assured himself. After all, Patsy was right here in town, while Sharon Lynn was all the way out at the ranch. It was pure logic and convenience that sent him to her doorstep.

  Yeah, right.

  Dusk was falling by the time he’d showered and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. He strolled up the walkway at Dani’s with his mind on the excuse he was going to have to come up with for his visit.

  He was about to knock on the front door, when he heard chaos erupt in the veterinary clinic. Muttering under his breath about the fact that he’d left his gun at home, he raced around to the clinic entrance and pounded on the door. It was opened by a frazzled Patsy, backed up by a snarling dog that looked perfectly capable of tearing both of them limb from limb.

  “Oh, it’s you,” she said, and turned back toward the dog, which was straining on its leash. “Punk, hush up. You’ll get your food when it’s your turn.”

  Her total lack of concern about the huge dog’s barking brought a smile to Justin’s lips. He leaned back against the doorway and admired the methodical way she was moving from pen to pen.

  “If I were you, I’d take care of Punk first before he decides to turn you into dinner,” he observed casually.

  She shot him a defiant look that would have been wasted on Punk. “And let him win? I don’t think so. He’s nothing but a big bully. He’ll wait his turn.”

  Even though she spoke with conviction, he noticed that she skirted carefully just out of the huge dog’s reach as she worked. He also noticed that her hands were trembling as she scooped food into the other animals’ dishes. Obviously this was some sort of test she was putting herself through. Was it possible that Punk represented another bully in Patsy’s life? Perhaps one she hadn’t stood up against? Justin couldn’t help wondering about all the gaps in her background he hadn’t been able to fill in.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked as she kept on working.

  “I just thought I’d stop by to see how your first day on the job at Dolan’s had gone.”

  A smile broke across her face. “It went great. Everyone is really nice. They were very patient.”

  “It didn’t seem to me they needed much patience. You were a whiz at the grill when I was there, better than Sharon Lynn, in fact. Have you done that sort of work before?”

  “Way back,” she admitted.

  He grinned. “It couldn’t have been that long ago. You can’t be more than what? Maybe nineteen?”

  “Twenty-three, actually.” She turned a knowing look on him. “Probing for information again, Deputy?”

  He shook his head. “Just making conversation.”

  “If you don’t have anything better to do, maybe you could take Punk for a walk. He could use the exercise.”

  Justin regarded the dog warily. “You have to take him for a walk? Is Dani crazy?”

  She grinned at him. “Don’t tell me you’re scared of a little ole dog.”

  “That dog is bigger than I am. He does not have a friendly demeanor.”

  “He still needs to be walked.”

  Justin sighed. He knew perfectly well he couldn’t go off and leave her to handle the beast. When they found itsy-bitsy pieces of her the next morning, he’d never forgive himself.

  “I’ll walk him,” he agreed grudgingly, “if you’ll get Billy and come with me. We’ll stop for ice cream.”

  He could read the temptation in her eyes. How long had it been since she’d had such a simple pleasure? he wondered. How long since her son had been given any kind of treat at all? With money scarce, he doubted there had been many. Patsy struck him as a very practical sort of woman who would put the basics first.

  “Where?” she asked cautiously. “Dolan’s is closed and I haven’t seen any other places for ice cream around town.”

  He grinned. “But I know the owner at Dolan’s and I have a spare key for emergencies.”

  “Somehow I doubt this qualifies as an emergency.”

  “True,” he agreed. “Actually, though, I wasn’t thinking of Dolan’s. I just bought a half gallon of rocky road and some cones. I figured we could stop by my place. It’s only a few blocks from here.”

  That all-too-familiar wary expression clouded her eyes. “I don’t know.”

  “Is Billy asleep?”

  “No. He’s surrounded by kitties and glued to a video Dani left for him. It’s one of his favorites. I doubt we’ll be able to pry him away from the TV.”

  “Sure we can. Besides he should get out and get some fresh air, too. A walk will be good for all of us.”

  “Obviously you haven’t done much walking with a two-year-old. One of us will be carrying him before we get home.”

  “I can carry him.”

  “And control Punk?”

  “That, too. Consider it a challenge.”

  Her eyes sparkled at that. It appeared he’d finally made the offer too tempting to resist.

  “In that case, I’ll get Billy. You’re in charge of Punk.”

  He eyed the beast and wondered if it was too late to reconsider. “Okay,” he said, approaching the dog cautiously. “Come on, boy. Let’s go for a walk.”

 
Apparently that was the magic word. The dog began pulling at his restraint and barking joyously. As Justin neared, Punk jumped up and put both paws on Justin’s shoulders and began trying to lick him to death. Justin managed to pull back just enough to glance at Patsy, who was grinning from ear to ear.

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  “Dani did mention he really, really liked to walk.”

  “And that he was a pussycat underneath all that snarling?” he questioned.

  “That, too, but I wasn’t sure I could believe her on that point.”

  “So I was the human guinea pig?”

  “Something like that.”

  Justin frowned at her as the dog slobbered all down the front of him. “You’ll pay for this, darlin’. I guarantee it.”

  Even in the face of his threat, she chuckled. “Sorry. I can’t help it. You look so...”

  “So what?”

  “Surprised,” she suggested. “Indignant.”

  “Wait till you see me when I’m flat-out furious,” he warned.

  Her grin never faltered. “You’re forgetting something, Deputy. I’ve been there, done that.”

  Justin paused. So she had. And surprisingly, despite the wariness he’d read in her eyes, despite a momentary panic, she hadn’t run for cover. Something told him, though, that they might both be better off if she had. There were secrets with this woman, secrets and lies. He didn’t doubt it for an instant. When the truth finally came out, which of them was going to be the one most hurt by it?

  * * *

  Every instinct she possessed told Patsy to avoid Justin Adams and yet, when he’d proposed helping her to walk that huge dog and getting ice cream, she hadn’t been able to resist. For Billy’s sake, she reassured herself. It had been a long time since Billy had an innocent outing, an even longer time since he’d had one with an adult male who actually seemed to enjoy his company.

  Will hadn’t been the kind of father who carted a messy child off for ice cream unless there was a photo opportunity in it for him. Then the ice cream had been little more than a prop and Billy had been handed back to her the instant the cameras were out of range.

  In the living quarters beside the clinic, she’d had only to mention ice cream and Billy had toddled toward her with his arms upstretched.

  “Go,” he pleaded, the video forgotten. “Go now.”

  “We’ll go now, but you have to walk. I’m not going to carry you, okay?”

  “’Kay,” he agreed, his head bobbing. “Big boy.”

  She grinned at him. “Yes, you are my big boy.” And the treasure of her life. Everything she was doing, the risk she was taking, starting over in a new place, all of it was for him. She wouldn’t have been able to bear it if he’d been injured—even accidentally—in the cross fire between her and Will.

  Justin stuck his head into the room. “All set?”

  At the sight of him, Billy ran straight toward him on unsteady legs. “Hi, ya.”

  “Hi, yourself.”

  “We go for ice cream,” Billy announced.

  “I know.”

  “You, too?”

  “Yep, me, too.”

  “Mama, Justin go, too.”

  “That’s right, baby.”

  Billy raced for the clinic and passed Punk as if he weren’t even there. “Le’s go, Mama.”

  “I’m coming,” she assured him. She glanced at Justin. “Are you bringing Punk?”

  “Do I have a choice?” he muttered as the dog leaped on him and licked his face. “Down, you beast.”

  The look of stunned amazement on his face when Punk dutifully sat was priceless. “Dani also mentioned he’s very obedient,” she said.

  “You could have told me that sooner,” he grumbled as he headed for the door with the dog heeling on command.

  “I wasn’t sure I believed her. I figured I’d let you put it to the test.”

  Justin tightened his hold on the leash and both of them watched with bated breath as Billy marched up to Punk and petted him gently on the nose. “Nice dog.”

  Punk responded by wagging his tail so hard he shook all over, but he did nothing at all to intimidate his pint-size admirer.

  As they started down the block, they passed other families out for an evening stroll. Justin spoke to everyone, but to Patsy’s relief he didn’t pause to introduce her. Deceiving a handful of people was hard enough. She wasn’t ready to put herself to the test with everyone else in town just yet.

  Being with Justin like this felt so normal, so ordinary, she couldn’t believe it. This was what she’d envisioned her marriage being, the kind of life she’d anticipated with Will. That it had turned out so very differently saddened her more than she could say.

  “Hey,” Justin said softly. “You okay?”

  “Just thinking.”

  “About?”

  “This and that,” she equivocated.

  “Which made you so sad? This or that?” he inquired lightly.

  “What makes you think either one made me sad?”

  “There are tears in your eyes.”

  And now they were spilling down her cheeks, she realized with embarrassment. She brushed them away and forced a smile. “Every now and then I get lost in what might have been.”

  He regarded her with a troubled expression. “And what might have been makes you sad?”

  “No sadder than what was,” she admitted and walked quickly on ahead.

  “Patsy.”

  His voice was soft, but something in it commanded her to stop. She hesitated, fought against a fresh batch of tears, then turned back.

  “If something’s bothering you, you can talk to me. In my line of work, there’s not much I haven’t seen or heard.”

  She looked into worried blue eyes and saw the sincere desire to help. As she had said to Tate Owens earlier, she repeated, “Thank you. I’ll remember that.”

  “Something tells me you won’t.”

  “I said I would, didn’t I?” she snapped defensively.

  “Do you always keep your promises?”

  She remembered other promises—vows—she’d made and broken by running off. “When I can,” she said quietly.

  “What would it take to make you break a promise?” he asked.

  “Betrayal,” she said without thinking.

  There was a quick flash of understanding in his eyes. “Who betrayed you, Patsy?”

  “No one,” she said hurriedly. “Forget I said that.”

  His gaze searched her face. She could see there were a hundred questions on the tip of his tongue, but he finally nodded. “For now,” he agreed.

  Patsy should have felt relieved, but instead the reprieve promised only a temporary solution. Sooner or later, Justin Adams was going to pursue his questioning until he had all the answers he wanted. He was too good a lawman not to. She knew he didn’t totally believe a word out of her mouth.

  Still she could enjoy tonight. The summer air was dry and stirred by a faint, cooling breeze. The streets of Los Piños were peaceful. The only arguments were between children squabbling over a toy or a game of hopscotch. If there were more serious fights between grown-ups, they were behind closed doors and they weren’t her fights. Will Longhorn was far away and, hopefully, nowhere close to finding her. Right this minute she and Billy were safe. They had found a temporary haven, where they could get back on their feet again, where she could rebuild her self-respect.

  And even though he represented a very real threat of discovery, Justin Adams also reassured her. She sensed that his quiet strength would never be used against her and, after so many months of fearing for her own safety and Billy’s, that was wonderful.

  Yet she couldn’t help wondering what would happen if Justin knew the truth. Would he feel betrayed because he’d risked believing in her? Would he send he
r straight back to her husband? Would be believe the lies that Will was bound to tell to discredit her?

  Or, as he had with the incident over the Tylenol, would Justin understand that she was only doing what she’d had to do? Would he protect her? Did she even have the right to expect that of him?

  As a lawman, yes. It was his sworn duty to keep her safe. Thanks to Sharon Lynn and Tate Owens, she already knew how Justin felt about duty.

  But as a man? In less than forty-eight hours she had come to see him as both. Wrong as it was, she had wished, however fleetingly, that she could be loved by a man like Justin Adams. She’d dismissed the thought as ridiculous and hypothetical, not a serious yearning for this particular man. But now, with him beside her, she wondered if the thought had been hypothetical at all, or truly wistful longing?

  Forget it, she told herself. It wasn’t even something she could afford to consider until she did something about her marital status. At some point, she would have to file for divorce she supposed, but that meant facing Will, dealing with him in a courtroom at the very least. Now she was too fearful of the outcome to risk it. She would live the rest of her life in limbo if she had to.

  “Patsy.” Justin spoke quietly as if he feared startling her.

  Startled anyway, she jerked, then gazed up into those vivid blue eyes again. “Yes?”

  His smile was slow and a little sad, perhaps regretful over frightening her. “We’re here.”

  She glanced toward the neatly tended house, a low brick rambler with roses in the yard and a sheriff’s car parked in the driveway. The latter was a shock, a reminder that she’d been too ready to drop her guard.

  He led the way inside. Punk was eager to explore, but a soft command to stay had him flopping on the cool marble floor in the foyer.

  “The kitchen’s this way,” Justin said, leading her through a dining room that was empty of furniture.

  He spotted her quick look around, then shrugged sheepishly. “I can’t decide if I want to use it for a dining room or a family room,” he explained. “It seems a little silly to put a fancy table in here, when I never entertain.”