Thirty-Two and a Half Complications

by Denise Grover Swank

  I shook my head, trying to catch my breath. “No.” At least not physically.

  “Rose, you’re scaring me. What happened?”

  “We found a dead body.”

  His body tensed. “Where? And who’s we?”

  “Muffy and me. On our walk. We found Mr. Sullivan from the bank in the ditch next to the gravel drive on the next farm.”

  His hand gripped my bicep and he pulled me back to look into my face, obviously trying to understand why I was so upset. “Did you see it happen?”

  “His murder? No. We just stumbled upon the body.”

  Irritation flickered in his eyes. “I told you to call me if you ran into trouble. Why didn’t you?”

  “I was going to. But Deputy Miller showed up as soon as I got off the call with the 911 operator, and he told me that Joe was coming.”

  “You didn’t call me because you didn’t want Joe and me to be together in such close proximity.”

  I nodded.

  The left corner of his mouth tipped up slightly as he tried to piece everything together. “It stands to reason he’d be there. Contrary to your track record, there aren’t many murders in Fenton County.”

  “That’s not the only reason he was there.”

  His face went slack. “You.”

  “Deputy Miller said he’s told all the deputies to call him if I’m involved in anything.”

  His jaw hardened. “Okay. So what happened?”

  I cringed. “We had a huge argument. He accused me of finding the body on purpose, which is ridiculous. Muffy found him. Along with a field of fainting goats. In any case, he thinks I’m investigating the bank robbery.”

  “Are you?” he asked dryly.

  My heart lurched. “Why do you ask?”

  “As we’ve already established, I’m an intelligent man. You and Neely Kate disappeared for a prolonged length of time last night. Then there was a commotion in the bar and you two reappeared just minutes later. Seeing as how I can’t come up with a reasonable explanation for one pregnant woman and another possibly pregnant woman to visit a bar, I can only presume you were up to something.”

  I smiled at him through my tears. “I love you.”

  “Rose, why are you crying?” The muscles in his chest tightened. “What did Joe do?”

  I was torn with indecision. I didn’t want to lie to him. I refused to lie to him, but to tell him the truth could drive him away or push him to do something he’d regret.

  “I want you to tell me everything.”

  “Okay.” I nodded. “But let’s sit down first. You shouldn’t be on your leg.”

  He hesitated, but then grabbed my hand and laced our fingers together, pulling me into the house. We sat on the sofa and I started from the beginning—stumbling upon the body, the deputies showing up, then Joe’s arrival and our argument.

  “He threatened to arrest you?” His voice rose as his face reddened. “That is a blatant abuse of power. I could file charges against him.”

  “Mason,” I begged. “Please don’t.”

  He pulled his hand from mine. “There’s more,” he said quietly, watching my face. “I can tell there’s more.”

  “I’m not going to keep anything from you. I promise. I just haven’t gotten there yet.”

  “Go on.” His eyes darkened.

  “He wanted to go somewhere to talk. I initially agreed, thinking I could convince him to leave me alone.”

  “Did you really think that was possible?” There was a hard edge in his voice I wasn’t used to hearing. At least not directed at me.

  I twisted my hands in my lap. “I started to panic about everything, so he pulled over to the side of the road. I told him that he had to leave me alone. That I belonged with you. I started to tell him why—that you respect me and value my opinion and then…he kissed me.”

  The fury in Mason’s eyes sucked my breath away. “Did he force himself on you?”

  I could see where he was going with this. His mind was already racing to figure out what charges to file against Joe. “At first.”

  “At first,” he repeated without emotion. “What exactly does that mean?”

  I turned away, unable to look at him. “He caught me by surprise, and I started to kiss him back before I came to my senses and pushed him away.”

  “Did you do anything else?” His voice was cold, as though he was questioning a witness. I supposed he was.

  “No.” The word was cut off by a sob. “No. The kiss lasted ten seconds or less.”

  “You kissed him back.”

  “Yes, I refuse to lie to you.”

  “But you didn’t refuse to kiss him.”

  How did I get here? How did I let this happen?

  Frustrated, I started to stand, but he pulled me back down. “No, you don’t get to walk away from this.”

  “It’s not what you’re thinking, Mason. I swear. He caught me by surprise and pinned me to him. I couldn’t get away at first.”

  His eye twitched but his face remained expressionless. “Did you really want to get away?”

  Shock washed through me. “How can you say that?”

  “You admitted that you kissed him back.” His voice was still cold.

  “I don’t know why I did it. Like I said, he caught me off guard. It was a momentary reaction, and then I shoved him away. I told him that I want you.”

  “And do you want me, Rose?” His voice was still dark as he tipped up my chin, forcing me to look at him. Anger and power oozed from him.

  My breath caught in my throat at the sexual tension that erupted between us.

  His hand slid behind my head, his fingers threading through my hair, and he pulled my face inches from his. “I love you, Rose, but I will not share you. I let you have your time and space to make a decision. I finally told you that I love you after months of wanting you, but those three words aren’t trivial to me.”

  His breath was hot on my face and I ached to touch him, but I wasn’t sure that was what he wanted from me. “They’re not trivial to me either.”

  “But you kissed him back.” It was a low rumble in his chest.

  “I wish to God I could undo it, but I can’t. It didn’t mean anything to me, Mason.”

  “I want to believe you, Rose, I swear that I do, but all I can think of is him kissing you.” His hand tightened in my hair. “And I have plenty of visuals from when you two were together to fill in the footage.”

  I pressed my lips to his unresponsive mouth. I had to make this better. I couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever. “I love you, Mason. You.”

  He hadn’t pushed me away, which I took as a good sign. I reached for the hem of his thermal shirt, but his free hand covered mine. “Stop.” He pulled my head back and stared into my eyes. A fire burned behind his gaze, a potent mixture of anger and passion. “I want you, Rose, more than the air I breathe. But I need to know that you want to be with me. I need to know you’re not going to change your mind and go back to him. Especially him.”

  I shook my head. “I’m yours, Mason. Yours. I don’t want him. I want you.”

  His mouth covered mine, and he kissed me like a drowning man hanging on for dear life. Grabbing my coat, he jerked it off and tossed it to the floor. I pulled his shirt over his head, taking in the sight of his naked chest. He kissed me again, and suddenly his hand was on my jeans, unbuttoning them with a frenzy he didn’t usually possess. I fumbled blindly for the edge of his sweat pants, but he moved my hand away. When he pulled down the zipper to my jeans, he pushed me onto my back on the sofa and tugged my pants over my hips, my panties right behind them. I stared up at him as he pulled his sweat pants and underwear down, but they caught on his brace and he growled in frustration.

  A passion I’d never seen before filled his eyes as he took in the sight of me lying there, naked from the waist down.

  I reached my hands up to unbutton my blouse, but he pushed them away, then grabbed the top of my shirt and jerked it open, ripping the buttonholes an
d sending the buttons flying. My chest heaved as my body ached for him with an intensity stronger than I’d ever felt.

  His hands covered my breasts, his thumbs brushing the sensitive skin under my thin bra. “Which one of us do you want?”

  “I want you, Mason.”

  He moved a hand between my legs, watching my face as my back arched and my breath came in short pants.

  “Who’s driving you wild right now?” he asked, his voice low, his eyes dark.

  “You are.”

  I was close and he knew it, so he slowed down the pace of his strokes. When I whimpered, he released a low guttural laugh. “Who do you belong with, Rose?”

  “You. I belong with you, Mason.”

  His hands began to move again. “Do you want me?”

  “Yes,” I panted in agony of want. “I want you. I need you.”

  He spread my legs and entered me in one deep plunge. I cried out, lifting up to him, but he couldn’t find the traction he needed with his leg.

  Slipping an arm around my back, he pushed me into a sitting position. I straddled my legs around him and wrapped my arms around his neck, kissing him wildly as he grabbed my hips and began to guide my movements.

  Within minutes, I was close again and he stilled me, pulling my body up and off of him so his mouth could find my breast. I squirmed, desperate, and tried to guide him back in, but he held me in place and turned his attention to my other breast.

  “No,” was his gruff answer.

  “Mason,” I begged. “Please.”

  “Not yet,” he growled, his hand finding the spot between my legs that sent me climbing again. He tortured me until I cried for release. He looked in my face, his eyes dark with need. “Who do you choose, Rose?”

  “I’m yours, Mason,” I whimpered. “I’m yours.”

  He pulled me on top of him and proved it was true, taking me higher than I’d ever been before. I cried out when I reached my peak, Mason right behind me as he grunted into my neck. I collapsed against him, exhausted.

  He leaned my head back to look into my eyes while he gently stroked my cheek. “I love you, Rose. I need you so much it frightens me.”

  “I love you too, Mason,” I said through my tears. “I was terrified I’d lost you.”

  His gaze was serious. “I’m giving you my heart, Rose Gardner. Please don’t destroy it.”

  “I won’t. I don’t want to lose you.”

  “As long as you love me, I’m yours.”

  Then he pulled me down on the sofa and I fell asleep, cradled in his arms.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Mason was more reserved the rest of the afternoon, but at least he wasn’t avoiding me, not that I would have blamed him. I’d cheated on him. Joe could deny it all he wanted, but it was true. I’d betrayed Mason’s trust and he was handling it far better than I deserved.

  While Mason worked in the office, I spent the afternoon going through more of Dora’s photos and papers, but my heart wasn’t in it. I was too worried about the future to think about my past. I put the things in a box in the closet and was about to head downstairs and cook dinner when the door to the sunroom caught my eye.

  The bedroom windows were covered with sheers that blocked out the view of my old nursery, making it easy to ignore the room. But I’d spent the afternoon fighting nausea and I couldn’t pretend I might not need to use this room in nine months. I opened the door and leaned inside, taking in the contents.

  The décor was startlingly pink, which would work well for a girl, but we’d have to come up with something else if we had a boy. I put my hand on my stomach, wondering what it would be like to have a baby growing inside me.

  I heard Mason’s cane thump on the floor behind me, but I didn’t turn around to face him, still too ashamed after my earlier confession.

  He pressed his chest against my back and wrapped his arm around me, placing his hand over mine. “Are you staying with me because we might be having a baby together?” he asked, no accusation in his voice.

  I shook my head and pressed my other hand on top of his. “No. I would never do that to you. You have to believe me.”

  His body relaxed into mine. “I do, but I needed to hear it.”

  “Maybe we should move somewhere else,” I said, resting the back of my head against his chest, needing to be as physically close to him as possible. “Far away from Henryetta. Then we can get away from him.”

  “What about your business? You love it.”

  “I might not be working there much longer anyway,” I sighed.

  “I know you and Violet had a terrible fight, but you own more of the business than she does. In fact, she has no capital in the business at all other than sweat equity. I’d have to brush up on my business law, but I’m nearly one hundred percent positive that doesn’t give her any ownership unless you two are married.” There was a teasing tone in his voice. “You’re not, are you?”

  I laughed and closed my eyes, grateful that things between us were getting back to normal. “No. This may be Arkansas, but I believe two sisters marrying—even half-sisters—is still illegal.”

  “Good thing for me.” He spun me around and gave me a kiss. “I know we’re in a rocky spot right now, but we’ll get through it.”

  I nodded, hoping it was true. “There’s something else I need to tell you about the Gardner Sisters Nursery.” It was time to tell him everything else too.

  His eyebrows lifted. “What?”

  “It has to do with that money that was stolen in the robbery.”

  The chorus of Laura Bell Bundy’s Giddy On Up filled the room—Neely Kate’s ringtone on my cell. Mason gave me a half-hearted grin. “I believe your culprit in crime is calling. Answer your phone.” He gave me a squeeze and headed for the doorway. “I can interrogate you later about what you two are doing.”

  I answered the phone just before it went to voice mail. I had so much to tell her. “Hey, Neely Kate.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me that you found Mr. Sullivan’s body this morning?” she asked, her voice thick with irritation. “I had to find out from my cousin. I’m sure you can imagine how embarassin’ it was for me to not know anything about my best friend finding the loan officer lyin’ dead in a ditch. I have reputation to uphold, after all.”

  I cringed. “I’m so sorry, Neely Kate. But Joe showed up at the crime scene and…” My voice cracked. I wandered into the baby’s room and sat in the rocking chair.

  “Why do I get the feeling something really bad happened?”

  “I suspect because you know me so well.” I took a breath. “Muffy and I went for a walk and wandered over to the farm to the south. Muffy found him in the ditch next to the gravel drive. I called 911 and Joe showed up.” I gave her a very condensed version of what happened before we got in the car.

  “Do you think he was really goin’ to arrest you?”

  “Honestly, Neely Kate, I wouldn’t have put it past him. Especially after the stunt he pulled when he was taking me home.”

  “What did he do?”

  I hesitated, suddenly unsure of sharing my secret shame with my best friend. What if she thought I was a horrible person? But one thing I’d learned about Neely Kate was that she was loyal. She loved me and would stand by me no matter what. “He kissed me.”

  “You’re kidding me.”

  “I wish I was, but the worst part is that I kissed him back.”

  “Oh, Rose…” She hesitated. “Did you change your mind about Mason?”

  I shook my head even though she couldn’t see me, my voice breaking. “No! I love Mason. It was an in-the-moment thing. I was caught off guard is all.”

  “What are you gonna do if Mason finds out? You know Joe will be sure to tell him just to rile him up, although you think he’d know better after last night.”

  “I already told Mason.” I took a breath. “I had to. No secrets.”

  “Oh, mercy. How did he take it?”

  “It’s a bit rocky right now, but I think
we’ll be okay.” I hoped. “He seems to have forgiven me, even if he hasn’t forgotten.” Not that I expected him to. If I’d found out that Joe had kissed Hilary while we were still together, I would have needed a lot more time to get over it.

  “I guess I can let it go that you didn’t call me about Mr. Sullivan. You obviously had bigger issues to deal with. Besides, I have news of my own.” She paused dramatically. “My second cousin knows a woman whose uncle works in Ted’s Garage with Toby. He said Toby’s worked on a gold Charger multiple times. Which explains his weird reaction when you asked him about it last night.”

  “You noticed?” I teased. “I thought you were completely focused on finding the restroom.”

  “Very funny.” But she didn’t sound amused. “Yes, I noticed, which is why I did some digging. And I found out something else: the car belongs to a guy who worked at the Henryetta Bank.”

  “Mr. Sullivan? But he wasn’t one of the bank robbers. I’m sure of it.”

  “I don’t know. My cousin didn’t know his name. Mr. Sullivan would have been stupid to let them use his car if he was involved, but I doubt he drove that Charger around town. I never saw it in the bank parking lot before. Did you?”

  “I can’t say I paid much attention.”

  “Which is why I know so much more than you,” she gloated. “I bet no one even knew he owned it. My cousin said it was one of those collector cars, so he probably kept it tucked away in a garage. Maybe we should go snoop at his house.”

  “Do you really think that’s a good idea?”

  “Have you got a better one?” she asked.

  “Don’t you think the police or sheriff’s deputies are all over his house, especially since they just found his body?”

  “Oh, yeah,” she grumbled. “I suppose you’re right. But we have all kinds of questions we need answered. Why was Mr. Sullivan killed and who killed him? Why was his body dumped at the farm next to yours? Who were his accomplices?” She paused. “You didn’t have a chance to go through his pockets, did you?”

  “No!” I practically shouted, but after a second I added, “A sheriff’s deputy showed up before I got the chance.”