by Becky McGraw
"You heard me...but you know what? I'm not here trying to hurt him...I didn't even know he was fucking here, until a minute ago," she spat then finished, "If you were any kind of friend, you'd get him the hell out of here, he's drunk as a skunk." With a heated look, Karlie pushed past him and went to find Wade by the dance floor. He was out on the dance floor with another woman, and seemed to be enjoying himself, so Karlie went back to the bar and got her another beer, then sat at the bar to drink it.
"Your boyfriend's dancing with someone else, you want to dance with me?" Gabe said near her ear, then licked her ear lobe sending shivers along her nerves, even though his touch should disgust her. He kissed her hair, then his hot breath teased her ear, "C'mon baby, dance with me...I need to hold you."
"Well, I don't need that...and I don't need your drunk ass hitting on me," she told him then pushed against his chest, although she wanted to pull him closer. What was wrong with her, she wondered, this man had insulted her this morning to the highest degree, yet her body still responded to him like butter on a griddle. She was the one who was pathetic...needy and pathetic.
"I'll beg, darlin'...I'm so sorry for the shit I said this morning," he said in a choked voice.
"Too late, sugar...once the words are out, you can't take them back," she told him then shrugged and fiddled with the label on her bottle. "You just said what you believed about me, so there's nothing to apologize for, right?" Karlie told him then tilted her head to look at him with a wry half-smile.
Gabe's face turned red, then he grated through his teeth, "No--that's not right, that's not what I think of you. My head was fucked up from that dream, and that's the only reason I said what I did."
"You did that last time too, remember? Lashed out at me," she reminded him then said firmly, "I'm not anybody's whipping post, Gabe...those days are behind me. I'm not letting any man degrade me like that again, regardless of the reason."
He groaned, then told her, "It wasn't the same dream...it was different, and it scared the hell out of me."
"Tell your therapist, see if he can help," she said coldly, because she couldn't buy into this, or she'd be sucked back in like quicksand. Karlie pushed up off of the stool and stood then told him, "Take care, Gabe," turning on her heel to go find Wade.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
It had been two weeks, since she'd seen Gabe at the bar, two weeks where day by day her heart shriveled up like a raisin in her chest. Once her anger faded, all she was left with was pain, and regret. She wasn't eating, wasn't sleeping right, and her nerves were shot. Even the horses could sense a change in her...that was the only reason she could think of for Titan to be so skittish he almost tossed her off his big back. That horse was solid as a rock, and her riding him like she was would ruin him, so she'd asked Wade to take over riding him for her, until she got herself back together. Karlie had no idea how long that would be.
Gabe had tried to call her on the house phone several times, but she didn't return his calls. That wouldn't do anything, but make them more miserable...or her anyway. Wade had asked her to go out a few times since the night at the bar, but she'd turned him down, so he didn't get the wrong idea. She was thinking about going to the Rockin' D this weekend to see Dixie and her sister, maybe check out the new stock for Cassie.
Cassie was a month from delivering the baby now and couldn't do much. She looked like she'd swallowed a watermelon...and Luke was hovering over her like a farmer watching a seedling. She'd seen Luke sitting on the sofa in the family room reading baby books, birthing books, and parenting books, they were scattered all over the tables in there. It was really kind of sweet, but she could tell it was aggravating Cassie to no end, because every five minutes he was saying 'the book says this' or 'it said this in the book'. Karlie wouldn't be surprised to see a bonfire going in the field soon, fueled by Luke's book collection.
Karlie put the last shovel of manure in the wheelbarrow and pushed it out of the barn and across the field to the fertilizer pile. After she dumped it, she saw a police car out front of the house, it was a Texas Ranger car, so she figured they must be here to talk to her. She looked down at her dirty clothes and hands and groaned, then hopped the fence and went to the house. She went into the family room and saw Luke and Cassie sitting and talking with a good looking younger, well not younger really, maybe twenty-six or seven, lawman with dark hair. When she walked in, they all looked her way and smiled, "Hey, Karlie...this is Officer Bowman, he's here to take your statement."
He stood up and stuck out his hand to her and said, "You can call me Beau...and I apologize that it's taken us so long to get out here."
Karlie looked at it then put hers behind her back and laughed, "I don't think you want to shake my hand right now, I just finished cleaning stalls. Can you give me fifteen minutes? I want to go clean up."
"He smiled a beautiful white smile and told her, "My family raises horses, trust me when I say a lil horseshit doesn't scare me."
Karlie laughed then stuck her hand out to him. "Well then, welcome to the farm..." she told him with a chuckle.
He grinned again, then shook her hand and then wiped his on his pants. "If you really want to go change, I can wait, I'm in no hurry. I drove over from Lubbock, so I'm spending the night. Luke and Cassie invited me to stay in a spare room."
"That's great...I will go upstairs then, be back in a few," she told him with a wink, then ran for the stairs.
Twenty minutes later, she'd showered and changed into shorts and a fresh top, and braided her wet hair, so it wouldn't frizz out. She walked back in the family room and said, "Okay, now you're not in danger of being contaminated," she told him.
His eyes traveled up her legs across her chest then met hers. "I told you that kind of contamination wouldn't bother me a bit."
There were some serious sparks flying off the handsome lawman, and although Karlie was flattered and wanted to be interested, she wasn't. She was beginning to wonder if there would ever be anyone for her besides Gabe. Maybe she was one of those women who fell in love with one man and it was for keeps. If that was the case, she was in for a really lonely life. It looked like Gabe had given up the chase...of course she'd told him to, so she got her wish. Maybe he'd found someone else. The thought caused what was left of her heart to ping around in her chest.
"So you have questions for me?" she asked him, then said, "I have answers, what do you know..."
"Good, I want to nail this guy really bad, and I think with your testimony, he won't have any wiggle room."
Karlie swallowed hard then said in a squeaky voice, "I have to testify? In a courtroom in front of him?"
"Yeah, unless he pleads guilty, or makes a deal with the prosecutor," he told her then walked over to her and grabbed her shoulders, "But you don't have to worry about him hurting you, darlin'. He'll be guarded and in handcuffs." Karlie saw Cassie and Luke stand up then Luke took her hand and they left the room.
"That wouldn't stop him if he really wanted to get to me, trust me," she told him with a wobbly smile.
"Help me put him away, then the guys in the prison will teach him a lesson...with all the charges he has, he could be put away for a very long time, with your help."
Karlie nodded, then let him guide her over to the sofa, where they both sat and he let her tell him the whole sordid story, then he asked her probing questions that would help with the case, evidently. An hour later, he flipped his notebook closed, then said, I'll type this up and fax it for you to sign. I'll talk to the prosecutor and see if he'll try and cut a deal with the asshole, so you don't have to go to court."
Karlie huffed out a relieved breath then smiled her thanks. "I never want to see him again."
"Can't blame you, sugar. Where is that dog you told me about anyway? That is one of the craziest things I've ever heard...five thousand dollars a month to take care of a dog?"
"It's not just any dog, it's S
arge...he's a baby doll, and I love him. I told them they didn't even have to pay me to take care of him, but they insisted," she chuckled, then got up to find him. He was hiding under a chair at the kitchen table and she called him then walked back to the family room.
Sarge immediately ran over to the sofa and jumped up and started to lick Officer Bowman's face, but then he pulled back a little studying Beau, like he was trying to figure out who he was, and it was then that Karlie realized how damned much the man resembled Gabe, and a sob rose up in her throat.
He petted Sarge's head then looked at her curiously, "Everything okay, Karlie?"
She nodded, then turned and ran out of the room, so she didn't burst into tears in front of him. Running up the stairs she went to the bathroom, and splashed water on her face and throat, then toweled it off. Taking a deep breath, she let it out slowly, then went back downstairs. "Sorry about that," she told him, "I'm just a wreck these days, it hits me at odd moments...are you hungry?" she asked him trying to infuse cheerfulness into her tone.
"Yeah, starving...." he admitted then said, "Luke showed me to a room earlier, I'll just go up and change too."
Even his uniform reminded her of Gabe...god, she needed to get hold of herself. "I don't think Imelda cooked tonight. Cassie and Luke ate at the Bluebird, so we'll probably have to go to the Bird too, if that's okay with you?"
"Haven't eaten there, but if you recommend it, I'm game," he told her with another grin that made his dark green eyes sparkle. They weren't the right color, she thought, the mentally slapped herself.
"A friend owns it and she's a top-notch cook, but she's probably not there tonight...she's pregnant and works days. She's the Sheriff's wife," Karlie informed him, and left out that she was the Deputy Chief's sister...she didn't even want to go there.
"I need to say hello to Cole before I leave town...he and I were in the academy together," he told her, then added, "His daddy was a great Sheriff."
"He is too," Karlie told him sincerely then went to pick up Sarge from the sofa. "I'll just take Sarge out for a walk, while you get ready." That would give her time to get her crazy emotions under control. It didn't matter that this man was a dead ringer for Gabe, except for his eyes, he wasn't the same man. He was flirting with her, but there was none of the heat there that Gabe elicited in her. It didn't mean she couldn't have a pleasant dinner with the man, it just confused her already confused mind.
He came back down the stairs a few minutes later and her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth, he had changed to a white button up shirt with tight Wranglers and boots. He looked good enough to eat, so why wasn't she hungry? When she stared at him too long, he smiled self-consciously and asked, "Is this okay?"
"Perfect," she told him then walked over and put her arm through his, "I'm famished, let's go eat."
"We'll have to take my patrol car, it's all I have," he told her with a chuckle.
"We could take my hot rod Lincoln, but I don't want you to have to arrest me..." she said with a smug grin, when they stepped out on the porch.
"That's your car?" he asked reverently then looked at it parked in the yard, like a kid looking at a new bike through the shop window.
"Yep...built it myself...or rebuilt it rather."
"No, shit," he said and blushed then apologized.
He was so darned cute, she wanted to pinch him. "Hard to believe huh? A girl did that...I souped up one of the Bowie police cars too, so it could catch up," she told him not caring that she was bragging.
His eyebrows hit his hairline then he asked, "Why would you have to do that?"
"Long story," she told him, "Maybe if you ask real nice, I'll tell you over dinner."
"I definitely want to hear about that," he chuckled then they walked to her car and he got in the passenger side. She leaned in the window and tossed him the keys. "We might be better off with you driving, I have a lead foot," she told him with a wink.
Typical Texan that he was he let out a whoop then scooted over behind the wheel and put the keys in the ignition. She got in the passenger seat and buckled up. "This car is amazing, sugar." he said excitedly then turned the key over and Freddie roared to life.
"Yes, he is," she agreed then pinched her lips. Seeing him behind the wheel made sickness fill her, her appetite all but disappeared. Gabe was the only man she'd ever allowed to drive Freddie. Why was she letting Beau Bowman drive it then? Because you miss Gabe and this guy reminds you of him. Visual stimulation is what you're getting here...unfortunately that was the only stimulation he provoked in her.
He slid the shifter down to drive and circled around his patrol car and headed up the driveway to the road. His foot wasn't any lighter than hers, she realized when they hit the main road, of course Freddie didn't like to be held back either. A glance over at the speedometer told her they were doing close to ninety, and she got a little nervous. She tell him to slow down in a little bit, she was enjoying the wind blowing through the window cooling her skin.
When she saw the reflection of red and blue lights on the white seat, she turned around and groaned, "Elmer," she told him then clarified, "Barney Fife of Bowie..."
"Oh, wonderful," he said with a grin, then added, "My Captain is gonna have my ass if he gives me a ticket."
"I could always hog-tie him like I did the one that stopped me on my first day in Bowie," she told him with a grin.
"No, shit!" he said with an astonished smile then blushed. "You're not...the Karlie Upton, pro roper extraordinaire? The 'Wild Child'?"
"Fraid so," she told him, smiling smugly, then sobered, "That's where I met Jake...he was a bull rider."
"Totally amazing, sugar," he said with awe, then pulled the car over to the shoulder and cut off the engine.
"He's easily impressed, so use your badge, you'll make his day," she told him.
Reaching in the hip pocket of his jeans, he pulled it out and flipped it open, then stuck it out the window when Elmer walked up. "Evening, officer..." Beau said cordially, and Karlie saw Elmer's eyes widen when he saw the badge.
"I thought it was Gabe driving your car, Karlie...he looks a lot like him. So what are ya'll up to?" Elmer asked nervously then stepped back. So, Karlie wasn't imagining things, Beau Bowman was the spitting image of Gabe Kelley.
Beau spoke up authoritatively, "I was just taking my witness, Miss Upton to dinner in town. I apologize if I was speeding officer," Beau shook his head then added, "This car seems to go fast, even if my foot is off the accelerator."
"Yeah, Karlie has that thing running like a scalded ape...she did Gabe's cruiser too, but mine sucks," he told Beau sulkily.
Karlie leaned over to look at Elmer then smiled broadly at him, and asked in a silky tone, "You want your car modified, Elmer? You're the traffic control officer, your car should be able to keep up with speeders too!"
"You'd think so...but Sheriff thinks the computer system was a bigger priority."
"I tell you what...you forget you saw us tonight, then bring your car to the Double B next week, and buy the parts. I'll have that cruiser screaming," Karlie told him then smiled again. "Shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred bucks, no labor."
She heard Elmer suck in an excited breath then he leaned down and said, "Oh man, you'd do that for me?"
Karlie nodded then smiled again, hoping her bribery was working. She didn't want Beau to get into trouble with his boss. "Yep, yours will be faster than Gabe's...I'll make sure of it. That way next time you're in a high speed chase, nobody can outrun you."
"Ya'll have a nice night...I'll see you next week, Karlie...and thanks!"
"You're welcome, El...have a good one," she said then sat back on her seat and laughed.
"That was brilliant, sugar...I need some negotiation lessons."
"Okay...let's get to Bowie before my stomach sticks together," she told him with a chuckle.
T
hey couldn't find a parking spot on the street in front of the Bird, so she told him to go park in the police station lot, hoping they wouldn't get towed or get a ticket. She could do it without worrying really when she and Gabe were dating, but now...the way he probably felt about her, all bets were off.
Beau got out and walked around to her door, and opened it then helped her out. Karlie was surprised when he didn't let her hand go, after she was out and he shut the door. Instead, he laced his fingers through hers and walked to the curb then led her across the street to the Bird. When they walked into the cafe, she saw people stop their conversation to do a double take at her and Beau, while they walked across the black and white tiled floor to a booth. Beau sat on the side facing the door, and she sat on the other side. They both grabbed menus from the holder behind the sugar dispenser and flicked them open.
