by Amber Lynn
The pair were almost robotic as Paul scanned and bagged her items and she went through the motions of paying and taking the receipt. It was those puppet strings at work.
“He’s not dangerous. We’ve come to an understanding that as long as he’s staying, we won’t kill each other.”
“I’m not talking about murder here.”
Paul grabbed Meredith’s hand as she picked up her sacks to carry out to the SUV. It was the middle of summer, but his skin felt like ice. There wasn’t an ounce of fire in the touch.
“You can tell yourself all you want that he’s not interested in you, but do you really think a guy like that would interrupt a phone call to take a kid he barely knows out for ice cream without some kind of motive?”
Apparently, she wasn’t the only one Paul kept an eye on. It was difficult not to feel a pang of guilt for being the cause of extra scrutiny on Toby. The man was just trying to get away from it all.
“You don’t know what kind of guy Toby is, so don’t pretend you do. Now, if you’re still wanting me to come to the dance tomorrow, I suggest letting go of my hand and not saying another word.”
A short staring contest commenced while Paul evidently decided what to do. His lips pursed together in what had to have been the most ticked off expression Meredith had ever seen on his face. He was usually so good about hiding any unpleasantness from her. Dinner had proven he wasn’t all smiles, but she’d thought maybe Toby being around just caught him off guard.
Meredith waved her fingers at him as she pulled her grocery bags away from him and walked calmly out of the store. Finding a new place to shop seemed like a pretty high priority. Maybe it was time for her to find some other woods to call her own. She’d been set on sticking around because it was the only place Caleb knew as home, but the stress of expectations was starting to get to her.
Looking across the street, she saw Toby with Caleb and a bunch of other little boys sitting on the curb as they all licked ice cream cones. Toby saw her and nodded as he said something to the kids. The man wasn’t in a suit or anything, but sitting on a curb seemed a bit out of character from what Meredith had seen. Then again, the man jumped in a lake of water only a few feet deep.
She hurried to put the groceries in the backseat of the SUV, which was unlocked. The thing had to cost fifty or sixty thousand dollars, so she was surprised to see the window down and doors all unlocked. There weren’t many troublemakers in town that Meredith had heard about through the grapevine, but a fancy vehicle wasn’t something to take chances on.
After securing the groceries, Meredith walked across the street to see what kind of trouble the menfolk were getting in. She’d been worried how Caleb would react to Toby driving them to town, but he showed no signs of depression like he had when he told her he didn’t want Paul coming to dinner.
“We’ve been waiting for you,” Toby said, hopping up to his feet.
The move was more fluid than it should’ve been for a man his size. She wanted to caution that quick movements probably weren’t the best for his head issues, but she didn’t know enough about them to bring it up, especially in front of other people.
“I’m not sure why that comment sends fear through my body, but I’m definitely afraid to know why you’re stating the obvious.”
“I’m sure it’s not anything as devious as what the cashier at the store tried to sell you.”
Toby added a wink before he reached down to help Caleb up. The boy was quick to take the offered hand. He had one of his goofier smiles on his face, which spelled trouble.
“We can discuss said cashier later. What do you two have cooked up? And are your new friends involved?”
The “new friends” portion of the reply was directed at Toby. Before she interrupted the fun, he’d been all smiles and talking with the youngsters.
“Well now,” Toby started, trying to mimic the usually drawl of the people in town.
It was a poor attempt – bad enough that Meredith had to cover her mouth and pretend to yawn so she didn’t start having laughing fits. It sounded like he’d watched a few too many cowboy movies and mixed that in with the twang of the mountains. The two were not the same.
“Caleb here and I have been having a delightful debate, and the boys have chimed in, but we need your help to make sure we get to the truth of the matter.”
Meredith just shook her head as he went on. The accent plus the words were too much. Since they were supposed to be on their way to pick him out something to wear so he could blend in, she got all sorts of fun ideas of cowboy hats and boots for him to try on.
“Tell him, Mom. Mint chocolate chip is the best ice cream from Miss Kelsey’s. He won’t listen to reason.”
Caleb, who had about as much accent as Meredith did, which paled in comparison to everyone else around them, tried to copy the way Toby spoke. The pair of them clearly couldn’t be allowed unsupervised time ever again.
She sighed and darted her tongue out to lick her lips while she thought about the predicament that evidently was extremely important to the two of them. Obviously, there had to be two sides to the story, but as she looked at the ice cream cone Toby took a lick of, she couldn’t figure out for the life of her what in the world he was eating.
It almost looked like dirt and gummy worms were sticking out of it. As a kid, she’d never played around with mud pies, mainly because her mother would’ve locked her in a room for a year if she did. That aside, she’d never thought dirt looked all that appetizing.
“And I’m guessing you think whatever that is you’re eating is the best? You’ve been out here for maybe ten minutes, so I’m going to go out on a limb and say you haven’t even started diving into all the flavor options.”
Knowing that she’d never tried the ice cream Toby was eating meant she wasn’t going to be a good judge to settle their difference. Meredith was confused why they’d bothered to ask her opinion at all.
“I don’t have to try them all to know my dirt cake birthday cake cone here is the superior cone from this establishment. It’s got chocolate sandwich cookies mixed in a birthday cake ice cream, full of delicious frosting I might add, along with gummy worms. Tell me that’s not the most scrumptious thing in all God’s creation.”
Meredith’s mouth did water slightly at the thought of frosting, but only because a sweet tooth craving popped up when he mentioned it. It’d been a while since she had anything that was pure sugar. Evidently a while too long.
“Since I had no idea what it was, I’ve obviously never tried your dirt cake birthday cake abomination, but I have had the mint chip a number of times, so I’m probably going to have to side with it.”
There was a feeling that the two of them wouldn’t move on with the day unless some kind of decision was made, so Meredith decided to go with the default winner. She didn’t want to add in her two cents that a double-scoop cone of pistachio and bubble gum was heaven and they were just wasting their time.
She attempted to turn away so she could guide them to the country store down the road. Toby was quick to halt any plans of relocation.
“Now that’s just not fair. You said yourself that you haven’t tried my creation and I’m not going to stand for a biased judge. You take a quick lick of this and tell me if it isn’t heaven in ice cream form.”
Meredith hadn’t expected an ice cream cone to be thrust in her face, but maybe she should’ve known it was coming. She had to catch herself before she stepped right into an ice cream facial. Glancing down the arm in front of her, she found her way to Toby’s eyes, which not surprisingly were full of mischief.
“You want me to lick your ice cream cone?”
The words were out before Meredith could think about how they sounded. She looked around quickly to make sure it was just the group of kids listening in. They were all seven at the most, so she didn’t think they’d have the dirty minds it was clear Toby and her shared.
His eyebrows lifted and he shrugged somewhat nonchalantly. The ice cre
am didn’t move from her face. Meredith felt like there was a challenge involved, whether it was really about the better ice cream or her sampling his in particular didn’t matter. She didn’t step down from a challenge.
Even though there weren’t others in their direct vicinity, people had eyes, so Meredith kept the taunting she felt Toby deserved to a minimum and quickly lashed her tongue out to get a sample. Damn if it wasn’t heaven on her tongue.
Chapter Eleven
Toby couldn’t remember feeling more ridiculous. Suits he could do. In fact, he looked great in suits. He looked great in jeans too.
What he didn’t look great in was flannel. He’d tried to convince Meredith that one of the solid color shirts in the store worked just fine, but she insisted he needed the thick plaid shirt and a cowboy hat that felt like it was a size or two too small. He’d been assured he looked great, even when the mirror told him otherwise.
As he walked into the barn the town’s fancy dance was being thrown in, he could tell he’d been lied to on many levels. There was plaid here in there, but most of the men were wearing red or blue collared shirts with their jeans and cowboy boots. Toby had drawn the line at the boots, only because he knew there wouldn’t be time to break them in and he wasn’t going to spend an hour or so standing around in boots that made his feet cringe.
Meredith and Caleb had followed Toby in their truck, since Meredith insisted them showing up together would be a bad idea. He could hear a tinkle of laughter behind him and knew he’d been played.
“You going in or what, Toby? I know it’s a barn, so it’s got oversized doors, but you’re kind of blocking the way in.”
He didn’t bother turning around to face the evil woman. He focused on finding the man she was supposed to meet. He doubted he was wearing flannel.
“I’m going to say you’re lucky you’re pregnant. I’ve never hit a woman before, but I have a feeling you could use a spanking.”
Caleb giggled at the idea. “You can’t spank her. She’s too big for that.”
Toby wasn’t going to touch the comment on Meredith’s size. She hadn’t acted like it was a sensitive subject, but he wasn’t about to chance it.
Looking down, he saw Caleb was wearing a flannel shirt that matched the blue and red colors of Toby’s. Other than the kid sporting some cowboy boots, their outfits looked almost the same.
“I’m glad you think it’s funny, but I’d be a bad role model if I didn’t point out that it’s never okay to hit a woman.”
The kid rolled his eyes before he widened them a little to say his next word. “Duh. Mom told me that when I saw Dad hitting her once. I know it’s not a joke, but I got a picture of you sitting down with Mom over your lap and thought it was funny.”
“Go find your friends, Caleb. I think I’ll go find Paul and make sure we’re seen together like he wants.”
Meredith hurried to push Caleb around Toby. Toby froze for a second as he tried to process what the kid had said. The kid didn’t talk like he was five. He talked like he was older than Toby.
As Meredith followed her son, Toby thought about reaching out to stop her, but he kept his hands to himself. He barely got a chance to see her light blue dress as she hurried off into the room.
“Well, howdy there, cowboy. You ready to dance?”
Toby heard the woman, but didn’t immediately look over as he stared after Meredith. He wanted to find out more about what Caleb brought up. If there was a habit of abuse from her husband, the iciness she hid herself behind made a lot more sense. He couldn’t blame her for wanting to keep men out of her life, and he only had a small piece of the story.
Shaking his head, he looked over to the woman asking to dance. He hadn’t even noticed the band playing some country riff. The woman’s red gingham dress made Toby think of a tablecloth.
“Wow, you are a looker. Everyone’s been talking about you and saying how you’re a panty dropper, but I can’t believe they got a good look in those baby blues of yours. If they would’ve, you would not have walked into this barn alone.”
The woman’s golden hair was tied with red ribbons on either side of her face. She just needed some straw sticking out of her hair and she’d be the picture of a country bumpkin. That probably wasn’t the politically correct term, but it was the first one that popped in Toby’s mind.
Toby glanced down at her left hand. She wasn’t his type, but he’d be surprised if someone in the dinky town hadn’t put a ring on her finger. Her finger didn’t include a ring, not even the engagement variety.
“I’m not sure if that’s a compliment or not, but I’m not actually here to dance, as silly as that sounds.”
He wasn’t there to be hit on either, but that would’ve sounded even ruder. After her introduction of what she thought of him, Toby was ready to run out the door.
“That does sound silly,” the woman said as she circled behind Toby. “Why on earth would you come to a dance with no intentions of dancing?”
The woman completed her lap and returned in front of Toby. Her light green eyes sparkled in the sunlight coming from behind him. She wasn’t unattractive, and in a different setting he might have given her the time of day. He smiled before he looked away to see where Meredith had run off to.
“I owed someone a favor. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I need to get some water.”
Toby didn’t give the woman a chance to come up with a reply as he sidestepped her and took off to the table full of food and beverages on the right side of the barn. Meredith was there with Paul already doing his best to undress her with his eyes. The guy was such a slimeball that it made Toby sick.
During the twenty-foot walk it took to get to them, Toby curled and uncurled his hand at least a dozen times, trying to keep from delivering a punch when he arrived. The closer he got, the easier it was to see Paul’s eyes were focused on Meredith’s breasts as she spoke. Having been fascinated by her stomach the day before, Toby didn’t have much moral high ground, but he could have a conversation without being a lecher.
“What time does Caleb usually go to bed?”
Paul’s voice was a low whisper. Toby didn’t immediately interrupt the conversation, since it was Meredith’s choice where it would lead. He bit his tongue and stood four feet away or so, looking over the odd food offerings. There were little hot dogs wrapped in some kind of dough, a bowl full of gelatin mixed with what looked like cottage cheese and some kind of medley that included corn, beans and tomatoes.
Toby had no idea what any of the food was, so he made no attempts to taste anything. He glanced over at Meredith out of the corner of his eye and saw her rubbing her belly. Maybe he was a lecher, because the move made him want to ask if he could feel what she was.
“Contrary to what you believe, I’m not stupid, Paul. I highly suggest you get rid of whatever plans you’ve got swimming around in your head, because they ain’t happening. And for God’s sake, quit staring at my boobs.”
Covering his mouth, Toby tried to keep his chuckles to himself. He’d seen Meredith perform the move more than once since they met. It felt natural to copy her way of hiding amusement. Heaven help any man who tried to tame Meredith.
He realized when he went searching for her last name in his head that she’d never shared it. The fact just reiterated to him how little he knew about her. Bits and pieces he’d picked up from her or Caleb didn’t even begin to tell the story. With how private she was, he got the feeling that he’d never know.
“So does anyone ever dance at these things? Or does everyone just stand around looking at each other?”
Toby stayed in his spot a safe distance away as he asked the question. When he browsed the room looking for Meredith, he’d seen there were handfuls of people dancing, but for the most part they were standing around talking.
“If that’s your way of offering to dance, I think I’ll take you up on that offer.”
Meredith didn’t give him a chance to explain he wasn’t trying to get her out on the
dancefloor. Dancing wasn’t his thing, especially to whatever the banjo player was strumming. Slow dances were much more his style, but he didn’t get the feeling there were many of them lined up on the set list.
That obviously didn’t matter to Meredith, because she pulled him out to the dancefloor with a strength that frightened Toby. He never thought for a second she was weak, but he usually didn’t move that easily.
Paul mumbled behind them. Chances were it was more than a mumble, but Toby couldn’t hear him over the conversations and music.
“I’m going to warn you now that there’s no way I’m dancing to this.”
A group of ten people were in lines dancing in unison. It seemed like the motions were easy enough to figure out, but Toby wasn’t trying to draw attention to himself. At least not any more than being dragged around the room was doing for him. He saw the eyeballs following them along and none of them looked all that pleasant to see Meredith leading him around.
“You’re going to put your hands on my hips and sway with me in a corner. Hopefully they’ll get the idea and play something a little slower.”
No room for argument was given. Toby took a second to look for Caleb around the room, but with all the tall people standing and moving around, he didn’t see him. Meredith didn’t seem too concerned about where he’d gone off to, so Toby figured things were cool.
“You sure that’s a good idea? I thought I saw some friendly faces when I walked in here, but as soon as you grabbed ahold of my hand, I think I’m detecting more stink eyes than I see in an opposing team’s arena.”
The comparison was a little off, since there wasn’t ten thousand people in the town, but it didn’t change the difference in the atmosphere. People were actually stopping in mid-sentence as the pair moved by them.
“Welcome to being associated with the town pariah. They never did it for Lawrence, but I suspect that since you’re not from around here, you’re going to get my royal treatment.”
Meredith stopped on the edge of the partygoers and turned to face him. Her face was a deep shade of pink and her eyes looked like he had only moments before laser beams started shooting from them. Toby had known she didn’t want to go to the dance, and knowing that he was part of the reason she was there made him want to go punch Paul even more.
