Shelby made a mental note to thank Lisa as she trotted behind the dressing screen to try the dress on. She pulled the black dress off over her head—the shroud as Dolly called it and stepped into the lavender one.
“What time is Sawyer getting here?”
“What do you mean?” The fabric glided over her body and settled comfortably in her curves. It was a perfect fit! Lisa had spooky retail skills.
“He’s taking you to the dance isn’t he?”
Shelby’s heart stopped and then plummeted to her stomach. So that’s what it feels like to be scared to death, she thought. The dance. She hadn’t even thought about it. Naturally, Dolly would expect the newly engaged couple to go to the dance together. How could she be so stupid? “Sawyer has to work tonight.” It was a wild guess but quite possibly the truth. “He’s on duty but otherwise he’d be there.”
“Oh, that’s a shame!” Dolly wailed. “I was looking forward to announcing your engagement at the dance.”
“No!” Shelby jumped from behind the screen. Janice might be willing to go along with a fake romance for Dolly’s sake if it stayed between the three of them. She would totally balk at their engagement announced in front of the whole town. What woman wouldn’t?
“Dolly, listen to me very carefully. You can’t say a word about this to anyone. Sawyer and I want to keep this thing quiet.”
“This thing, as you call it, is an engagement and tradition dictates an announcement of such to the community the couple lives in,” Dolly said primly. “What better place than the Harvest Dance?”
“Please, Dolly,” Shelby begged. “Let us do this our way. I want to announce it in the Gazette for one thing. We’ll go public when we’re in the same room at the same time.”
Dolly sighed. “All right, as long as you promise you’ll let me hold an engagement party.”
Shelby threw up her hands. “Yes, of course. An engagement party. Why not? Come on, we better get going if you don’t want to miss the buffet.”
Dolly tottered in her shiny purple pumps to the door. “When is the wedding? In all the excitement of seeing the ring and hearing how Sawyer proposed, I forgot to ask when you’re getting married.”
“Soon. We haven’t set the date.”
Dolly faltered, her hand clutching the door jamb. “Oh dear, I thought it was all settled. I’m sorry, darling. I’m not feeling very well all of a sudden...”
Shelby crossed her arms over her chest and eyed her aunt skeptically. “I guess I’d better call the doctor then. I think we should cancel going out tonight if you’re not well.”
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Dolly said weakly.
Fear gripped Shelby’s throat. Dolly would never agree to the doctor if she was faking it, much less pass up the Harvest Dance buffet. She rushed to her side and helped her to the bed. “Please, don’t get sick again. Please, Dolly. I couldn’t stand it. Everything is fine. You have a wedding to plan, remember? What’ll I do if you’re not here to help me?”
“Of course I’ll help you sweetheart! I’ll do my best to stick around. I can’t guarantee anything.”
“October thirty-first,” Shelby said abruptly. Sawyer was going to kill her.
“Halloween? An odd choice. I imagine that was your idea. But it could be April Fool’s Day for all I care as long as you get married, and are happy, of course.”
“Of course,” Shelby said drily. “Now lay still and try to relax while I call the doctor. Or maybe I should take you straight to Emergency.”
“Good heavens, we don’t have time to wait for the doctor—he’s probably at the Harvest Dance by now. We’ll be late ourselves if we don’t make tracks. Come on, Shelby. Zip, zip!”
Dolly waved her hand imperiously and sailed from the room. Shelby stared after her, thunderstruck. She’d been had. Out-conned and out-maneuvered by the craftiest woman in the state. Whenever she thought she was getting one over on Dolly, Dolly went her one better. And now she had to tell Sawyer a date for their wedding had been set. It wouldn’t have mattered so much before last night, before the kiss and the ring that had belonged to his mother—and Janice.
Now the lies seemed like traps; like she was emotionally blackmailing him to get him in deeper. No matter what Sawyer said last night, or what Janice was willing to agree to, this fake engagement had to end. He had a real future to think about now. Something had to be done but Shelby didn’t know what. She tugged absently at the zipper on the side of the dress.
“Shelby!” Dolly crashed into her thoughts. “There will be nothing left of the food if you don’t get a move on. You know what Mandrake Falls is like with a buffet—a plague of locusts. Don’t you have that zipped up yet? Stand still. I’ll do it before you break it. You were always hard on your clothes.” Dolly gave the zip an expert yank and it glided neatly up Shelby’s side.
“There, let me see how you look.”
Shelby held her arms like a Vogue model. “Well?”
“Very pretty.” Dolly’s black eyes glowed. “Quite feminine for a change.”
Shelby turned to check her reflection in the full length mirror. In spite of her determination not to give a damn, she was dazzled by the transformation. She looked like a girl. A tidy, cute sort of girl. The color of the dress accented the chocolate brown of her eyes and made her skin glow. Darlene had given her some tiny blue flowers to put in her hair and Shelby reached for them.
“Who knew a dress and a few flowers could make such a difference?” Shelby asked her reflection when she was finished.
“Let’s get going before we both turn back into pumpkins.”
“Wait! I need my glasses.”
“No, you don’t. You can see reasonably well without them and you know it.”
“Not well enough to drive. I’ll take them off at the dance, how’s that?” Shelby shoved the heavy black rims into her bag.
“You know, dear,” Dolly wheedled, “I’m not so old-fashioned that Sawyer couldn’t stay here tonight when he gets off duty. You two should have some time alone together. After all, you just got engaged. Why don’t you invite him to spend the night? I’ll cook us all a nice pancake breakfast in the morning.”
Shelby fixed her aunt with a look that would have shaken a lesser woman. “You’re old-fashioned when it comes to engagement rings and wedding announcements but pre-marital sex is okay?”
“I’m being practical. I assume the two of you have consummated your relationship. You’re both adults.”
“Well, sure,” Shelby mumbled. “But Sawyer is fussy about getting a good night’s sleep.” She could just imagine what would happen if the two of them were stuck together for a whole night in her bedroom. His strong brown hands working the buttons on his shirt, his voice whispering to her across the dark ... his mouth ... his body. There wouldn’t be a whole lot of sleeping with Sawyer in her room.
“From the way your mouth is hanging open I can see you aren’t fussy about how much sleep you get with my godson.”
Shelby’s mouth snapped shut. “You have an evil mind. I only meant he likes to be in his own bed.”
“Darling, you know I think the world of Sawyer, but he’s an odd choice for a girl like you.”
“What do you mean?”
“He’s a nice boy but not very exciting. Personally I don’t think exciting is a desirable trait in a male, but a smart, strong willed girl like you might find Sawyer a bit confining.”
Shelby laughed. “I don’t want exciting. I get all the excitement I can stand at the paper.” The memory of Sawyer wading into the cold mud to fish her out of the pond flashed through her head. “He’s very straight-laced, yes, but he has a sense of humor and you know I love a man who doesn’t take himself too seriously. And he’s brave.”
“Young women know nothing about picking a mate,” Dolly said with disgust.
“Lifelong spinsterhood has made you an authority on men I suppose.” Shelby slipped a sweater over her aunt’s shoulders.
“You don’t have to
get in the cage to know the lion has teeth. I won’t rest easy if you marry the wrong man. Contrary to what you might think, any man is not better than no man at all.”
Shelby hooted. “Good grief! I never thought any man was better—you did! I enjoy being single. You’re the one who’s determined to get me married.”
“Well, and aren’t you glad now that I gave you and Sawyer a little push? You should see how radiant you look. Almost as radiant as that ring on your finger.”
Shelby’s eyes darted to the mirror. Her aunt was right. She looked like a woman in love. She fished her glasses out of her bag and planted them on her nose. “That’s better.”
Dolly snorted and turned to the door, purple sequins flashing. Some little push, Shelby thought, following her. It was more like being shoved off a cliff.
As Shelby wheeled the van in the direction of the hall, she debated calling Sawyer on her cell phone to find out where things stood. She’d feel easier if she knew what to expect from the next twenty-four hours. For the dance, at least, she should be in the clear. Thanks to Mandrake Falls’ criminal element, Sawyer never attended and Janice wouldn’t show up on her own. The blonde goddess barely tolerated community events when she lived here. What brought Janice back now of all times, Shelby wondered. Maybe she heard a rumor that Sawyer had moved on. Maybe Lisa at the dress shop tipped her off. Janice and Lisa used to be close.
The parking lot of the old Town Hall was already full. The Sheriff’s cruiser was nowhere to be seen. Shelby felt her shoulders relax. She squeezed the van into a tight spot and unloaded Dolly.
“We’re here now, Shelby. Remove your glasses like you promised.”
Shelby stuffed the lenses into her bag and steered Dolly in the direction of the brightly lit hall. The historic clapboard building hadn’t been used for town hall meetings for decades but Mandrake Falls Historical Society had rescued it from demolition and given it new life as a community center. For the Harvest Dance, the plain boxy building had been transformed into a romantic country setting. With their usual flair, the Ladies Auxiliary had strung tiny white lights across the ceiling. When the main lights were turned down low it looked like Vermont night sky, studded with stars. Hay bales crowded the sides and corners of the hall and the local kids climbed all over them. It was the abundance of hay bales that had prevented Janice from attending local functions, Shelby remembered as she took Dolly’s coat. Allergies or something like that. Corn stalks, harvest gourds and fall leaves bordered the stage where the band was warming up. Long trestle tables lined the walls covered with food potluck-style, the usual mode of dining in Mandrake Falls.
Dolly clutched her arm, chattering, almost floating with the pleasure of being out in society again. Shelby smiled and turned toward the closet to hang up their coats. Everything was going to be fine. Actually, really, and completely fine because she had come to a decision. She was going to break up with Sawyer.
And then he stepped out of the coat closet. Almost banging into her. Shelby’s heart jammed in her throat. His hand reached out to steady her.
“Why Sawyer! Shelby said you were on duty tonight.” Dolly hustled between them to give Sawyer a kiss.
“I thought he was.” Shelby smiled tightly but she couldn’t look at him. “He told me he was on duty tonight. Didn’t you, darling?”
“I am on duty. I’ll do an hour here before I go out on patrol and then I’m back when the dance is winding down. I doubt there’ll be any trouble but the Mayor likes to see a uniform at community events. Dolly, you look very pretty tonight.”
“Thank you, Sawyer. You are very handsome yourself in that uniform but I wish you didn’t have to leave so soon! We’ll barely have time to sit down to eat. Have you seen the lineup for the buffet? I told Shelby we were leaving it too late but she wouldn’t stop fussing over her appearance tonight.” Dolly winked and smiled meaningfully. “I think she was hoping she would see you here. I heard all about it last night. She looks radiant, don’t you think? The dress I picked out at Lisa’s shop was a good choice.”
“Stop fishing for compliments for me, Dolly; it’s depressing.”
Sawyer’s eyes lingered over Shelby. “She looks very nice,” he said quietly.
They shared a look that made Shelby want to cry. A look that acknowledged they would not see each other again after this night. She knew it and he knew it. Tonight was the end of their fake romance. In a way, Dolly had provided her with the way out by wondering if Sawyer was exciting enough for a girl like Shelby. He’s too quiet after all, is what she’ll tell Dolly. Even his compliments were quiet.
Quiet, genuine compliments that went right to her soul.
“You notice she’s not wearing her glasses. She doesn’t need them as much as she says does, the optometrist told me so, but she makes a big fuss when she doesn’t have them.”
“She likes to hide behind them.”
Shelby met Sawyer’s eyes, startled. Did she? And even as she thought that, Shelby knew it was true. The question was how did Sawyer know it before she did?
Dolly grunted. “Why she should feel that way, a beautiful girl like herself is beyond me.”
“Everything is beyond you,” Shelby retorted. “You’re seventy-six.”
“And she uses that tongue of hers like a weapon. You can’t say I didn’t warn you, Sawyer.” Dolly scanned the room. “Oh dear, there’s Leonard Birch making a beeline for the buffet. We’ll never get in ahead of him now and you know how he eats,” she fretted.
Sawyer took their coats from Shelby. “I’ll take care of these. Why don’t you find us a table, Shelby? I’ll make up a plate for Dolly so she doesn’t have to wait in line.”
“That is very thoughtful of you,” Dolly trilled. “I’ll take everything but Edith Reilly’s potato salad if you don’t mind. She never mashes the egg enough for my taste.”
“You never like anyone’s potato salad but your own,” Shelby said. She scanned the hall until she spotted a hay bale with a card table in front of it and led Dolly by hand through the crowd. “Wait here,” she instructed, settling her on the hay bale. “I need to have a word with Sawyer.”
“Remember the coat closet is still a public place,” Dolly winked. “Just don’t get carried away.”
Shelby shook her head and groaned. She didn’t know how much more of this she could take. She entered the narrow room already thick with coats and overshoes. The whole town had turned out to the Harvest Dance by the look of it. She hoped Trevor brought his camera. The Gazette would cover the event as they did every year. “Hi Sheriff McIntyre.” She glanced behind her. No one was watching. The closet was a notorious make-out spot.
He had made a space for their coats between a leopard print and a plaid jacket. “Hello Miss Porter. Sleep okay?”
“Not particularly, no. I’m a little freaked out about you being here, actually. Dolly is out of control. We’re going to have to break up. In fact, that’s why I’m here. To end our relationship.”
He towered over her, breathtakingly handsome in the soft overhead light. Sawyer settled his hands on his hips. “In the coat closet?”
“Dolly wants to announce our engagement tonight. I told her we would love to if only you were going to be here and now here you are! I don’t trust her to keep quiet and after last night, I think it’s best for everyone, including Dolly, if we break up as soon as possible. Right here, right now.”
“Okay. You start.”
“All right. Okay, I have it. I’ll say something like, ‘hey, why do you have to go on patrol? Can’t Deputy Garvey do that? I never get to see you.’ And you’ll say ‘well, that’s what being a sheriff’s wife is all about and if you can’t handle that, then maybe we’d better call this whole thing off.’”
Sawyer grinned. “And then you’ll say ‘you’re taking the easy way out again instead of working on the problem.’” He pulled her to him. “And I’ll think about that and decide you’re right, so I radio Garvey to fill in for me tonight and then we kiss and....”
Shelby was grateful for the dim lighting in the closet. “You can’t. You know why.”
“She didn’t stay last night.” Sawyer’s voice was so deep she felt it inside her. “We talked for three hours and then she dropped me off at your place to pick up my truck. She checked into Mandrake Falls Inn last night. She said she’s giving me space to think over what we talked about. She wants us to get married. I told her about you.”
“Oh Sawyer, we have to end to this tonight! It’s coming between you and Janice and it’s only going to get worse. It already has. Dolly thinks our wedding is set for Halloween. It’s the only date I could think of under the circumstances. Being scared out of my wits, Halloween naturally came to mind. Please thank Janice from me when you see her, for agreeing to go along. But we have a window here, Sawyer, and we have to take it. It’s the only way.”
“Shelby, it’s over with Janice. Just because she hasn’t accepted it, doesn’t make it any less over. I told her I don’t need space to think it over because there’s no question. I can’t be with her if I’m thinking about another woman.”
He bent over her, tilting his mouth to hers and kissed her deeply. His black sheriff’s uniform, the radio, the belt of equipment and the gold Sheriff’s star filled Shelby’s sight for a brief instant and then disappeared as she closed her eyes. Everything they had believed about the other—the years of mistrust, his uniform, her anger, his judgment and her retaliations—were forgiven though not forgotten. Scenes of earlier hostilities lingered and fueled their desire for each other. Like a dam bursting, something repressed. Sawyer nipped her throat. Shelby clawed at his shirt. His hand slid under her dress and she tugged on his belt. He pressed her back against the mattress of coats, their hands fighting their clothing.
The front door banged in the foyer beyond. People were entering the hall. People with coats.
“Sawyer,” she whispered. “Stop.”
“Okay. It’s just as well,” he said, swallowing hard. “Dolly is waiting for her dinner.” His voice sounded cracked and dry.
Lie For Me: Autumn (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 2) Page 13
