by Cindy Stark
“But you are. I saw it in your eyes.”
She smiled then, a warm, sweet smile that kissed her rosebud lips. “That right there is your own conscience. Has nothing to do with me.”
She was probably right. He couldn’t help it though. If one looked too closely at his life, she’d see all the little things that were slipping through the cracks. One day soon, if he wasn’t careful, the dam would break, and everyone would know he hadn’t been able to make it without Michelle. Just like she’d said when she’d hightailed it out of his life.
The sound of an approaching engine broke the quiet, and Scarlett stood. Jesse followed her gaze and folded his arms again as his best friend’s wife came down the drive. He glared as she parked. Lydia cast him a quick glance as she climbed out of her car but paid no mind to the glower on his face.
She popped her trunk and reached inside. “You just gonna stand there, Jesse Brogan,” she called to him. “Or are you going to help?”
He cursed under his breath as he dropped his folded arms and strode forward. He took the bags from Lydia’s hands and then nudged her out of the way. “I’ll get ‘em.”
“Why, thank you, kind sir,” she said with a tease in her voice.
He cast a quick glance to where Scarlett waited by the porch, far enough away to speak his mind to Lydia. “What the hell did you think you were doing bringing her here?” His irritation strained to break free as he fought to keep his voice low.
“We came to help you.” She spoke in a normal tone that Scarlett could most likely hear, and he narrowed his eyes in response.
“Like I’ve told you for the millionth time, I’m fine. You don’t need to be popping in to surprise me.”
She slammed her trunk shut and gave him a brilliant smile. “Say what you want, Jesse, but we all need a little help now and then. Even the strongest, manliest men could use a hand sometimes.”
Half of him loved her for it, but the other half wanted to strangle her right now.
“What are you doing home this time of day anyway?” Lydia asked as their boots crunched on the gravel drive as they walked toward his house.
“Head’s killing me. I took the last of my pain meds yesterday and forgot to refill the bottle. Thought I’d grab a bite while I’m here.” He found himself trapped by Scarlett’s gaze as she watched them approach.
Lydia snorted. “I didn’t see anything worth eating in that kitchen, did you, Scarlett?”
She smiled. “I found a pickle.”
He huffed his annoyance as Lydia opened the door and let him and the bags of groceries go inside first. He wondered if Scarlett would follow.
When he reached the counter and dropped the loot Lydia had purchased, he turned to look. Sadly, Scarlett had not reentered his house. “How much do I owe you?” he asked Lydia.
She patted the top of his arm near his shoulder. “You don’t owe me anything, big guy. You’re the one always coming to my rescue. Let us help you for a change.”
“I don’t need help, Lydia.”
She snorted and shook her head as she grinned. “Whatever you say. So, you’ll be over for dinner tonight?” She tilted her head in question.
He stalled for several long moments, his irritated gaze battling with her happy one. Finally, he exhaled. “I’ll be there. Might be a little late. Start without me if I am.”
“Okay.” She nodded toward the bags of groceries. “I guess you can manage to put these away yourself, since you’re so self-sufficient.”
He shook his head in warning. “I’ve got them, mother.”
She laughed. “That’s exactly what you need. A mother. Or better yet, a wife.”
He didn’t bother to answer but pulled a can of beans from a sack instead. They both knew a wife was the last thing he’d ever consider again.
Ever.
Chapter Seven
Scarlett had claimed a chair in the living room and curled her feet beneath her, pretending to read the latest sci-fi fantasy hit as darkness settled around Lydia’s two-bedroom house. Romance didn’t interest her, because, well, what was the point of reading about a happy couple, knowing she would never have that kind of relationship? That outcome was out of reach because to divorce Hank, she’d have to see him again. And that just wasn’t happening. Ever.
Thrillers weren’t any better. Reading about a psycho madman hit a little too close to home. Sci-fi it was.
She glanced toward the clock in the kitchen and sighed. It wasn’t that the story wasn’t good, but how could she focus when she knew Jesse would be showing for dinner at any moment. He’d told Lydia he might be late, but they’d finished eating an hour ago. Merle and Lydia snuggled together on the couch, lost in a documentary on inhabitants in the ocean.
Unfortunately, Scarlett couldn’t settle until Jesse had come and gone. Which was ridiculous. She could easily retire to her bedroom and not see him at all. If he bothered her, she could stay away. But she couldn’t, and that was a problem.
She wanted to see him. Why? She had no idea. She’d puzzled on it the past little while as she turned unread pages. The only answer she could conceive was that he also had a shitty life, and people who suffered tended to seek similar company. Someone who might possibly understand. Someone who didn’t laugh and smile all the time.
The ring of a phone startled her from her thoughts, and she looked up as Lydia lifted her cell from the coffee table in front of her and glanced at the screen. “It’s Marie,” she said to her husband, and he paused their show.
“Make it quick,” he mumbled as he got to his feet and headed for the kitchen. Scarlett frowned. Merle seemed like a decent enough guy. Lydia definitely loved him, but sometimes his surly attitude grated on her.
Lydia answered the phone and then shifted a curious gaze to Scarlett. “Of course, she’s right here.” Lydia leaned toward Scarlett’s chair and held the phone out to her.
Scarlett frowned. “She wants to talk to me?” Silly to ask because she’d just overheard the answer to her question.
She put the phone to her ear. “Marie?”
“Scarlett.” Marie’s voice came across in a rush of relief, but an underlying tone left Scarlett anxious. “So good to talk to you. Lydia tells me you’re doing great.”
She didn’t have time for niceties. “What’s wrong, Marie?”
Her former neighbor chuckled on the other end as though to contradict Scarlett’s question, but it did little to dispel the tension crackling over the phone. She exhaled. “It’s Hank.”
Cold fear sliced through her fragile heart. Oh God. “Tell me,” she managed.
“Oh, sweetie.” Marie released a deep, worry-filled sigh. “I’ve been keeping an eye on him like I promised. He’s been by here a few times, just like you said he would. He’s threatened us if we don’t tell him where you are.”
She gripped the edge of the armchair. “I warned you.” She couldn’t allow her friends to take the brunt of this.
“Don’t worry. We’ve done a great job denying any knowledge, and he can’t prove otherwise. I’d be worried about him, but I can tell he’s uncertain where we stand. Also, I’ve made it very public knowledge that he’s harassing us. He’s not going to do anything because he would be the first suspect.”
She closed her eyes on an exhale before forcing in a slower breath. “Please be careful with him.” Underestimating him would be a huge mistake.
“It’s not us I’m worried about. It’s you.”
Her body tensed. “What do you mean?”
Several seconds of silence crept across the line. “It could be nothing. I’m sure it’s nothing, but Hank hasn’t been home since yesterday.”
Something invisible gripped her throat. “He hasn’t?” Where would he go? Why would he leave? With no family or friends outside their hometown, he rarely left. In fact, she couldn’t remember the last time he had.
He must have found a lead. Or thought he had. “He could drive to Moose Meadows in a day,” she whispered. She glanced toward th
e darkened window. Just as she did, the sound of a car door closing echoed into the house.
She froze. Blood drained from her head, leaving her dizzy as her mind urged her to run. She couldn’t move. She could only watch in horror as the front door pushed open. She dropped the phone as a scream tore from her throat.
Jesse.
His eyes flew open wide, and he stopped in his tracks. “Jesus Christ. What the hell?” he yelled.
“Scarlett,” Lydia exclaimed from beyond her shoulder.
The expression on Jesse’s face switched from annoyed to concerned the second their gazes connected.
Scarlett couldn’t breathe, couldn’t talk. She could only stare at him as tears welled in her eyes. She’d completely overreacted, but there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.
“Ah, shit.” Jesse hurried forward and knelt in front of her as Merle’s quick footsteps drew closer. Jesse pulled her clammy hands into his warm ones. “Are you okay?”
“What the hell?” Merle echoed.
“Hang on,” Lydia said to her husband, and she retrieved the forgotten phone. “What did you say to her, Marie?” Lydia’s voice mixed with the crazy emotions rolling through her like a freight train. On some level, Scarlett knew she was safe, but the fear that had consumed her only moments before needed an outlet, and it was all she could do to hold herself together.
“No, no,” Lydia answered. “Jesse came in just as you told her, and I think she thought it was Hank.” Her voice quieted. “I need to go. Thanks for that information. We’ll be on the lookout.”
Feeling completely asinine, Scarlett pulled from Jesse’s grip and buried her face in her hands. She was worse than a train wreck. She was the damn Shanghai Maglev who’d hurled itself against a twelve-foot cement barrier.
Lydia’s hand slipped across her shoulder. “It’s okay, Scarlett. Just breathe.”
“I’m sorry,” she whispered. Her apology would never be enough for bringing her burden to these lovely people, but it was all she had.
“What’s up?” Jesse asked in a quiet voice. Scarlett wasn’t sure if he spoke to her or Lydia but she couldn’t answer. Not yet.
“Marie wanted to give Scarlett a head’s up that her…husband may be out looking for her.” Lydia’s words mirrored her fear.
“He’s coming here?” Jesse asked.
“No,” Scarlett whispered. She couldn’t believe he could find her here.
“We don’t know that,” Lydia agreed. “Marie only knows he’s not there. We have no reason to believe he’d come to Moose Meadows. He knows we exist because we met him once a couple of years ago, but it’s a hell of a long shot to think he’d remember us and to think Scarlett would come to us for help.”
A deep shiver rolled through her and vibrated to her core.
“This pisses me off.” Merle’s voice boomed through the quiet house. “We don’t need this kind of shit. I swear to God if that asshole dares show his face this side of the state border and threatens my wife in any way, I’ll blow his fucking head off.”
“No,” Lydia replied, shooting a warning look at her husband. “He’s not coming here. He has no reason to.”
Scarlett couldn’t blame him. She wouldn’t want anyone bringing this to her doorstep, either. She lifted her gaze to Lydia, uncertainty clinging to every beat of her heart.
Lydia’s expression remained steady for several long seconds and then faltered. “Shit,” she hissed.
Scarlett sucked in a fortifying breath. She had to be strong for these people who didn’t deserve to be smeared with the taint from her life. “It’s okay.” She inhaled and focused on steadying her words. She’d learned to hide her fear from Hank, and she could hide it from her new friends as well. “You’ve been very kind to let me stay here this long. My bruises have faded, my stitches are gone, and I should be able to find a job somewhere now.”
Lydia pinched her features in shock. “You’re not thinking of leaving.”
Scarlett nodded. “It will be best for all of us. I need to move farther away. To a place across the country. To somewhere no one knows me, and he’ll never find me.”
Jesse shook his head. “If you work anywhere, there’s a chance he could find a way to trace you through your employer. ‘Sides, how the hell are you going to get a job without any identification? You gotta have a driver’s license and social security card at a minimum, and Lydia said you came with nothing but a few clothes.”
She swallowed, trying to keep her façade in place. She even managed a kind smile. “I’ll figure that out. You’ve given me what I needed, a springboard to a new life. I won’t endanger you further. I simply won’t.”
Jesse stood, and she followed him with her gaze. “Then you’ll stay with me.”
Chapter Eight
Jesse glanced between the three shocked faces who stared back at him. He couldn’t be certain what had prompted him to invite another woman into his house. He’d sworn on his dead grandpa’s grave that he’d never be that stupid again.
This was different. He wasn’t in love with Scarlett. Hell, he barely knew her. She needed a place to stay, and he could use the help. “It’s the answer to both our problems.”
Scarlett shook her head. “I think I should leave Moose Meadows altogether. I’ve taken enough charity. It’s time to stand on my own.”
“It’s not charity,” he countered, part of his brain questioning why he seemed determined to make her stay. “I’d put you to work. You’d be earning your keep, and after some time, if I’m able to turn around my operation, I could give you some extra.”
“Sounds like a damned fine idea to me,” Merle said.
Jesse and Scarlett both turned their gazes to Lydia. If he could get Lydia to agree with him, Scarlett might as well. “We can’t let her leave, Lydia. It’s too dangerous out there. At least here, she has people to protect her. You guys are cramped here in this little house while I have all that empty space. I could pay her under the table when I’m able so there would be no way to trace it. It’s the only thing that makes sense.”
He knew Lydia worried about him being alone, and she never let up that he needed a wife or mother. This was a perfect compromise.
Scarlett’s lips turned into a smile, one much more genuine than that half-assed one she’d tried to convince them with earlier, and it tugged hard on his heart. Here was a person who’d been beaten down by life, literally, and yet, she still had unmistakable warmth glowing inside her.
Then she slowly shook her head, stomping on his hope. “You’re very kind. But I think I need to do this on my own.”
He glanced between the two women as inexplicable frustration grew. “Lydia, make her see reason.”
“I think she should stay here in our house,” Lydia countered, drawing a frown from Merle. The man liked to run around in his underwear too much and Jesse knew Scarlett’s presence cramped his style.
Jesse scowled at Lydia. She wanted to keep her safe, but couldn’t she see Scarlett would be better off with him? “I know that’s what you’d like, Lydia. But I need her, and she needs me.”
The number of eyebrows that shot skyward notified him of his faux pas. He cleared his throat and tried again. “Come work for me, Scarlett. It will give you a chance to get your feet under you and figure out what you want to do. In return, I’ll get a little bit ahead of things. You obviously know how to cook and clean, and I could use the help.”
Lydia snorted and narrowed her gaze. “Oh, I see. You want someone to make breakfast and bake a chocolate cake.”
He started to shake his head and then stopped. “It’s a legitimate job offer. If it doesn’t work out, Scarlett can leave whenever she wants.” He shifted his gaze to her and waited.
Scarlett stared long enough to make him uncomfortable, and he had no doubt she was doing her best to size him up. “Okay,” she finally said, sending happiness rushing through him.
“Smart lady,” Merle said under his breath, earning him a punch from Lydia.
Scarlett glanced at Jesse with warm brown eyes. “When do I start?” she asked quietly.
“Right now. We can move your stuff over tonight. If…” He hesitated, not wanting to broach what had to be a sensitive subject, and then plowed ahead. “If the asshole is looking for you, he won’t find anything here.”
Lydia put both hands on her hips and faced her husband. “I hope you realize you just lost the best coffee you’ve ever had.”
Recognition dawned on his face, and he shook his head in defeat. “Well, shit.”
“Your loss, my gain.” Jesse chuckled and turned to Scarlett. “I’m going to scarf down that dinner Lydia promised me. Tomorrow night, I’ll be eating a hot meal in my own home. I’m pretty damned excited about that.”
****
Scarlett rethought her decision a million times as she packed her meager belongings into her suitcase. She’d just agreed to live alone in a house with a stranger. A man, no less. To cook and clean for him. Something she swore she’d never do again.
Different circumstances, to be sure. She wasn’t married to Jesse, and he had no claim on her. He’d said it himself that she could leave anytime she wanted. If things went south in any sort of way, that’s exactly what she’d do. In the meantime, she could earn a little money and put it away for a rainy day. She’d be safe. Hidden. No ties to her past and no way for Hank to find her. She’d stay away from town and other people. No one in the whole entire world would know where she was except Jesse, Lydia and Merle.
She exhaled an anxious breath as she zipped shut her suitcase. Her gut told her this would be okay. She hoped to hell she was right.
Myriad emotions fluttered through her as she lifted her bag and opened the door. She was nervous. Sure. But not really scared. Maybe…excited?
For the first time in forever, she’d be earning her keep. She’d have a voice, and she didn’t have to fear that if she used it, she’d get slapped.
Jesse stood near the kitchen sink talking with Lydia when she peered in. As though he sensed her approach, he turned, and she recognized one other thing. If Hank did find her and try to hurt her, this mountain of a man could squash him like a bug. Knowing that Jesse was willing to protect her, cemented the decision in her mind.
