She nodded, mute and helpless, emerging from a fog of lust.
Lust.
What they felt for each other was not the same thing as what Sawyer had with Janice. One day he’d see what this was. Not enough to pin a future on. Shelby smoothed her dress and reattached the flowers in her hair and stepped out of the closet. “I’ll see you at the table, Sheriff.”
Sawyer nodded, not looking at her as he tucked in his shirt. “Meet you there.”
Later, he was standing in line at the buffet table, loading up a plate for Dolly. Shelby was several diners ahead, sandwiched between Leonard Birch and Cindy Graham. Someone scooped a heap of mashed squash onto her plate. Shelby wasn’t paying attention. She was listening to Sawyer reassuring Mrs. Gurney about her grandson. Not his words, just his voice, which was deep and steady and measured. Shelby stared at the food on her plate, wondering what made her think she could eat anything. He said it was over with Janice. He said he was thinking about another woman. But what did that mean? What did she want it to mean? Shelby peered around Leonard Birch’s girth and caught Sawyer’s eye. He returned her gaze and held it. All around them people were talking.
“Oh my god! Shelby!” Darlene who was doling out the roasted potatoes dropped the spoon with a clatter and grabbed Shelby’s hand. “He did it! He actually came through! Oh good glory, what a rock. It’s gorgeous. Way to go, Shelby Porter!
Cindy Graham peered over her shoulder. “What it is? What’s going on?”
“Shelby’s engaged. Now don’t spread it around.”
“No!” Shelby cut in. “No, sorry, not engaged, just sort of ... promised. We—that is to say—he has a few issues to work out before we can make it official.”
“I hope the issue isn’t a drinking problem.” Cindy pursed her lips. “You can do better than a guy with a drinking problem, Shelby. Look at Scout—she was ready to settle for an embezzler. I hope you don’t make that mistake.”
“But she didn’t settle for an embezzler, did she?” huffed Darlene. The buffet line was backing up. “All right everyone, keep your hair on! Ladies, you’d better move along, but Shelby Porter I want to hear every detail. And guess what? This means I can take you off the Who’s Available list on the Beauty Box’s Facebook page!”
Shelby abandoned the line, she couldn’t eat anyway. She turned to see Dolly perched on a hay bale, waiting patiently, completely innocent. Her aunt looked frail under her bright hair, her bright robin’s eyes taking in every person in the room like she was never going to see them again. Shelby tensed. Maybe she was missing something in this crazy drive of Dolly’s to marry her off. Something that had been staring her in the face all along. Something she didn’t want to see.
And maybe you have an overactive imagination and a predisposition to think the worst.
Sawyer paused beside her on his way to the table. He held two plates of food piled high with food. “Is that all you’re eating?” he said, indicating Shelby’s plate.
“I had a big lunch. I’m not hungry.” She tried to smile.
“Sawyer, did you bring me a sausage?” Dolly called. “I love sausage; the big ones with honey mustard that the German makes.”
“You’re not allowed to have those and you know it. And the German has a name; it’s Rudy.”
“Shelby, I’m seventy-years-old; what’s the worst that can happen to me if I eat a sausage? I’ll die?” Dolly laughed at her joke.
“You’re seventy-six and you’ll get heartburn and then keep me up all night complaining about it.”
“Those sausages give me heartburn too,” Sawyer said, tucking into a mound of potato salad.
“Make a note of that, Shelby. No sausage at the wedding supper. You’ll want Sawyer up all night, but not with heartburn.”
Dolly put her napkin to her lips and giggled. Shelby examined her with disgust. “Are you going to be like this all evening?”
“No, I’ll stop now.” Dolly composed herself. “What was Darlene so excited about when you were in the buffet line?”
Shelby turned her attention to her plate. “She saw the ring.”
Dolly dropped her fork. “Shelby! I wanted to announce your engagement properly! Now that Darlene knows, everyone in town will know unless we act quickly.” She turned to Sawyer. “Shelby thought this wasn’t the place because you weren’t going to be here but now that you are, there’s no reason not to. And now is the perfect time.”
Sawyer looked at Shelby for help and was rewarded with a glare that said they had a window to pull the plug on this thing and now the window had closed. Get yourself out of this. He’d never met anyone with such expressive eyes. He opened his mouth but before he could speak, Shelby went into a coughing fit.
“Shelby, darling, are you all right?” Dolly peered at her niece worriedly.
“I’m fine,” she gasped. “Some potato salad went down the wrong way. I just need a drink of water.” She shot Sawyer a glance that spoke volumes.
“I told you Edith Reilly never mashes the egg enough. It’s a wonder we all haven’t choked to death.”
“I’ll get you some water.” Sawyer got to his feet.
“I’ll go with you,” Shelby said quickly. “Wait here, Dolly.”
“Where am I going to go?” Dolly wailed. “I’m seventy-six years old.”
“What was that all about?” he demanded when they were out of his godmother’s earshot.
“I think the less we say about this engagement, the better. You’ll be leaving soon to go on patrol, right? We can keep her diverted until then.”
“How? She’s got her mind set on it. Why did you tell Darlene?”
“I didn’t tell Darlene! She saw the ring and assumed the rest. She thinks I’m marrying Roger. It’s a long story. I said it was a promise ring, that we were still working it out. She’s busy with the buffet. I don’t think she’s going to be a problem. It’s Dolly we have to worry about.”
“Dolly won’t make the announcement without us. We’ll have to avoid her.”
“Good! Yes. We’ll avoid her.” Shelby looked at him, panicked. “I got nothing. How?”
As if on cue, the main lights for the hall dimmed and the tiny white twinkle lights came on above their heads. Music flowed from the stage, a slow song from the forties that the older people could dance to. Shelby glanced at the rapidly filling dance floor.
“I have it. We’ll dance and then you’ll tell Dolly you have to leave.”
He took her in his arms. “I’m not going to get to finish my dinner am I?” She smelled good, like apples and soap.
“Probably not. But you were getting too fat anyway.”
Sawyer laughed and eased her out on to the dance floor. “Liar.”
Chapter Twelve: My Brother’s Keeper
“ISN’T THAT Shelby Porter dancing with Sawyer?”
Tracy lifted a well-tended eyebrow in the direction Robin was observing. “Well, well, they seem pretty close. Or is that just my evil mind at work?”
The two women watched Sawyer bend over Shelby to say something and they watched Shelby laugh. To the uninitiated, Shelby and Sawyer looked like a couple in love.
“It didn’t take him long to get over Janice,” Tracy said archly.
“Would it take you long to get over Janice Feron?” retorted Robin. There was no love lost between Janice Feron and the women of Mandrake Falls. Ever since she moved to the county three years ago, Janice had kept herself apart from the young women, never volunteering for anything, rarely attending local functions and generally making them all feel like country bumpkins. Which they were, but nobody likes to be reminded.
“As much fun as it is to see Sawyer is over Janice, Shelby Porter is the last woman I expected him to lick his wounds with. And it does seem ... sudden.”
The two women looked at each other, their eyes gleaming with curiosity.
“Well, I think it’s great,” Robin said firmly. “Shelby deserves a break. My dad can’t say enough good things about her after she helped
him solve his problems with the bank.”
Tracy wiped her mouth carefully on her napkin. She didn’t want to smear her lipstick. “It just seems a tad fast to me. I mean Janice has been gone less than two months. Sawyer is definitely on the rebound. I’m afraid Shelby is only going to get hurt again.”
“Maybe there’s nothing to it. I mean, Sawyer is in uniform, obviously on duty. Maybe Shelby is interviewing him for the paper. Their dancing like that is probably just convenient.”
“Look at them! They’re positively oozing sexual attraction. That’s no convenience.”
“Either way she’s one lucky woman. I’d love it if Sawyer McIntyre oozed a little sexual attraction my way.”
Tracy growled appreciatively. “I know what you mean. He wasn’t on the Beauty Box Available list for very long. I never thought he’d go for Shelby Porter though. Of all people. I thought they hated each other’s guts.”
“She’s cute, I suppose,” Robin said eyeing Shelby critically. “Especially tonight. Not beautiful like Janice. But cute in a furry, adorable way. Like a squirrel.”
Tracy burst out in loud choking laughter. It’d been years since they had this much fun at a Harvest Dance. Sex, gossip and a good old back-stabbing. It was too much fun to keep between the two of them. Tracy and Robin went in search of a couple of friends to dish with.
*
“DOLLY WAS right. You do look pretty tonight.”
Sawyer’s hand was pressed against the small of her back. Dancing with him was testing her self-control like nothing before in her experience. “So you’ve told me. Thank you. I don’t need compliments, Sawyer. I look like I’ve always looked.”
“No you don’t. You always look like you’re hiding and tonight you look like you want to be found. Maybe it’s the dress.”
“Dolly picked it out.”
“I know. I was there when you bought it.”
Shelby didn’t know, or at least, she wasn’t consciously aware of the reasons for doing what she was doing. She was following an instinct when she rested her hand on his shoulder, her fingers tracing the muscles bunching under his shirt. He led her around the floor in time to the music and she moved with him. Shelby absorbed the heat of his hand on the small of her back and the pressure of his thighs against her hips. She closed her eyes.
“Last night was fun in a way.”
Shelby tensed. “In what way?”
“In a way I didn’t expect.”
“How do you mean?”
Sawyer looked at her, exasperation written in his face. “You sound like a reporter.”
“Sorry. Force of habit. I don’t know how to have a normal conversation anymore.”
“Janice used to say the same about me from working in law enforcement. You kiss well.”
Shelby smiled privately to herself and slid her left hand to the nape of his neck. She rested it there, liking the look of the sapphire engagement ring on her finger too much for her own good. Shelby stroked his hair, loving the flash of blue fire she could create just by moving her hand.
Sawyer caught her eye. Her hand stilled. “What is it?”
“At twelve o’clock. Ryan is talking to Dolly. Don’t look.”
Shelby turned to see what Sawyer was staring at so intently. Ryan was sitting on the hay bale with Dolly. His eyes were fixed on Sawyer and Shelby. “Crap! He’s seen me.”
“I said don’t look.”
Shelby pulled out of Sawyer’s arms. “We had a deal. He wouldn’t—would he?”
“I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on with him these days. He loves Dolly as much as we do. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt her. Even Ryan will see how weak she is.”
“So you noticed it too?” Shelby searched his face. “I hoped I was overreacting. Promise me we won’t let anything stop us from protecting Dolly. Her state of mind, having hope, it makes a difference. We have to keep her positive and happy. Do you promise?”
Sawyer pulled her close to his body. “You don’t even have to ask. I promise I won’t leave you or Dolly alone. Whatever happens.”
“Okay.” She exhaled, relieved. “Thank you. Oh god. He’s still watching us. Dolly is going to tell him about the engagement. I know she is. She’s got such a big mouth. Listen, I thought of a way we can get out of this and Ryan won’t be able to contradict it. We could have a disagreement. Darlene thinks I’m still seeing Roger. This could come as a shock to you.”
“It does. I thought you were in love with me. Isn’t that what you told Dolly?”
“Well, yes, I am in love with you but I have history with Roger, see. And then Janice showed up last night wanting to talk. So now we’re both questioning whether we’re rushing into things.”
“We’re on the rebound.”
“Yes. Exactly. And what we felt for each other was just ... ah ....”
“Lust.”
Shelby reddened. “Yes. Lust. And now the people we want to be with are back in our lives and we’ve realized our mistake. I think that’s what we should say.”
“All right.” Sawyer brushed his cheek against her hair. “You smell nice.”
“So do you.” Shelby cleared her throat, aware of the waver in her voice. “When should we tell her?”
“When we know it’s the truth, Porter. No more lies.”
Then you have a problem, Porter, because it will never be the truth. Sawyer is the man you want. Sawyer is the man you—
Oh my god. Dolly was right. Shelby gazed at his mouth, at the fine lines that creased his lips and the shadow of stubble on his jaw. A feeling crept into her bones. No.
She couldn’t be in love with Sawyer McIntyre.
He turned her slowly under the twinkling lights in the middle of the dance floor.
CATHY HYSLOP was perched on the hay bale behind Dolly Porter’s left shoulder waiting for her boyfriend, Darryl, to come back with some food. She didn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation Miss Porter was having with Ryan McIntyre, but she was bored and Dolly’s voice was pitched higher than usual to be heard over the music.
“They’re dancing. Do you see them? Shelby’s wearing a lavender dress. Doesn’t she look lovely, Ryan? Guess whose ring she’s wearing? You can almost see the stone from here. Ever since he asked her to marry him she’s a changed girl.”
Cathy strained to hear more. Shelby Porter was getting married? Cathy didn’t even know she was dating anyone and Cathy Hyslop knew everything about everyone in Mandrake Falls. She twisted as far as she could to get a look at the dance floor and the tall broad-shouldered man with Shelby. It looked like ... but that was impossible ... Sheriff Sawyer McIntyre? Cathy tumbled from the hay bale, catching herself before she hit the floor.
Darryl arrived, holding two full plates of food. “What’re you gawking at, Cathy?” He followed her line of vision to the dance floor.
“Shelby—dancing with the sheriff! And that’s not all of it. I just overheard Miss Porter tell Ryan McIntyre that Shelby and Sheriff McIntyre are getting married,” she hissed.
“You must’ve heard wrong. The sheriff still hasn’t got over Janice. My cousin Lindsay was going to be their maid of honor and she told me that Janice told her that Sheriff McIntyre took it real hard when she left.”
“That’s what I heard too. Although you know, Darryl....” Cathy’s face screwed up as she chewed over this latest piece of information. “He never seemed all that upset.”
Her brow cleared suddenly and she sat up. “Omigod. What if Shelby and Sheriff McIntyre had feelings for each other and that’s why the wedding was called off! It’d be just like him to let his fiancée save face by telling everyone it was her idea.”
Darryl watched Sheriff McIntyre and Shelby Porter moving slowly to the music, his hand squeezing the small of Shelby’s back. “They do seem pretty close. I’ve never seen Shelby look like that with her hair done.”
“Keep your eyes in your head, Darryl.” Cathy jumped from the bale.
“Where’re you going? I just brought
the food!”
“I can’t eat at a time like this. I have to talk this over with Tracy.”
“You can talk it over with me,” Darryl whined.
“This is big, Darryl. Too big for the male mind. I need a girl.”
Cathy darted through the crowd making a beeline for a group of young women standing at the back of the hall. “You will never guess what I have just learned.” She was almost squealing with excitement. “Shelby Porter is responsible for breaking up Sheriff McIntyre’s wedding.”
The instant and expected chorus of shocked disbelief that followed this statement was silenced by Cathy dramatically pointing to Sawyer and Shelby on the dance floor. “They’ve had a thing for each other for years. Janice found out about it. Now, the sheriff is going to marry Shelby instead.”
“Get a grip, Cathy.” Tracy didn’t like to be outdone in passing on juicy information. She wasn’t about to let Cathy Hyslop steal her thunder without a fight. “They’re just dancing.”
“Is that so?” Cathy said sweetly. “Well maybe you can explain that honking big blue rock on Shelby’s left hand?” Cathy followed the other women’s gaze with satisfaction. “Where I come from, that’s called an engagement ring.”
RYAN NODDED in the direction of the happy couple. “When’s the wedding?”
“Halloween,” Dolly answered, her mouth twisting.
“Yuck,” said Ryan, voicing what he saw in Dolly’s face. “Whose idea was that?”
“Guess.”
Ryan watched his brother and Shelby dancing. The plan was falling into place even easier than he and Janice envisioned. The original idea was to shatter Shelby’s reputation for being a straight-up reporter of truth. That’s where Janice came in. She was sitting in the car waiting for his signal. A fake romance was one thing—a weak attack, but viable. A fake engagement on the other hand created a whole new opportunity. What could be more natural than for a loving brother to get carried away by the great news?
“It’s too bad they couldn’t get married tonight.” Ryan shook his head with regret. “The whole town is here, including Reverend Carver. There’s plenty of food, drink and music and the hall is already decorated. Considering it’s only a few weeks between now and Halloween, it’s wasteful to do it all over again. I know how Shelby cares about the environment.”
Lie For Me: Autumn (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 2) Page 14
