“Well, when you say it like that …” Jesus, she was beautiful when she laughed! The server delivered her plate and she picked up a fork, then put it back down. “Oh. Have you been sitting there waiting for me to get my food?”
He chuckled. “Yeah. Being polite.”
“And yours has gotten cold! Thanks, but that wasn’t necessary.” A little salt and pepper got tossed on her eggs, and she picked up her fork and knife. “Bon appetit!”
What happened next was something Ross had hoped for—a relaxed, casual, and very, very real conversation. It was wonderful. There was no bragging about farting or how much beer she could drink, no talk about how fast her car would run, and no crowing about her latest conquest. That was all he heard at the station, and he got sick of it. Having a real conversation with someone who wasn’t an overgrown twelve-year-old boy was a pleasant change, one he welcomed. They talked about the weather, about what they liked to do in their free time, favorite foods, favorite music, and as they talked, Ross realized they were very compatible. That was a relief too.
When the food was finished, Carly sighed. “I suppose I should go. I’ve got to go on shift at noon, and I’ve got a few things I need to do before then.”
“I do too. I bet the store’s open by now.” The server had left their tickets on the table, and he reached for hers.
She was quick to say, “You don’t have to do that.”
He grinned. “Seems I said something very similar yesterday to someone else standing right here.”
She grimaced. “Yeah. You’re right.”
“I love it when a woman says that,” Ross fired back with a snicker.
“Says what?”
He couldn’t hold back the massive grin he gave her. “‘You’re right.’ Men don’t hear that very often.”
Carly rolled her eyes. “Ah-hah. Very funny.”
Ross handed the cashier a twenty and a five. “Ask your brother. I’m sure he’ll confirm that.”
“I’m sure he will.” She pushed the door open and Ross followed her out. When she reached her car, she turned and stood there, keys in her hand. It seemed a little awkward, and Ross wondered if she was about to say something. “Ross, I―”
“I really enjoyed this, Carly. Really did.” Go for it, McEvers! he told himself. “I’d love to take you to dinner sometime if you’d like to go.”
“I think that would be a bad idea.”
That was odd. He’d thought breakfast had gone well, and he couldn’t remember saying anything that would’ve offended her. Matter of fact, he’d been very careful not to. “Did I do something wrong? Because if I did, I’m―”
“It’s not you, Ross. It’s my situation.”
“Situation?”
“Yeah. The last thing I want to do is get you into some kind of trouble.”
That was confusing as hell. “Trouble? What kind of trouble could you get me into? You’re a deputy sheriff. You’re supposed to keep people out of trouble!”
“Look, I like you. You seem like a great guy. That’s all the more reason not to drag you into my mess, okay? That wouldn’t be fair to you.”
A light bulb went off in Ross’s head. “This wouldn’t have something to do with your ex-husband, would it?”
“It would. Between him and the sheriff, I don’t think you’d be safe here if we went out.”
“I’m a grown man. I can handle myself.”
“I’m sure you can, but you don’t understand. We’re talking about a sheriff who’d arrest you for something you didn’t do and a county attorney who’d lock you up and throw away the key. I can’t do that to you.”
“You let me worry about that, okay? Like I said, I can handle myself.”
Carly stood there for a few seconds, not looking at him, just staring off into the distance. He just waited and let her stew. After what seemed like forever, she finally said, “Okay. But we need to go somewhere other than here.”
“We can do that.”
“And we’ll need to meet there.”
That didn’t sound much like a date. “Now wait a minute―”
“Ross, I’m not kidding. Those are the terms.”
Oh, boy. I didn’t realize we were negotiating. It wasn’t looking too promising. “Anything else?”
“Yeah.” She opened the car door and rested her right foot in the floorboard. “Bring stuff for overnight. If we’re going somewhere else, might as well make a night out of it.”
Then she grinned.
Holy fucking hell! Ross wanted to scream. She didn’t waste time! “I can do that.”
“Good.” She pulled something from her shirt pocket and handed it to him—her business card. “That’s my cell. Think about where you want to go and what you want to do and let me know.”
He gave her a tiny salute and a smile. “Will do.”
“Good.” When she shut the car door, she put the window down and looked up at him. “And stay away from cold water. I don’t want to have to deal with shrinkage,” she said, just as serious as could be.
With a nod, he said, “Stay away from cold water. Absolutely. Talk to you soon.”
“Bye.” The motor on the window whined a little as she put it back up and in a few seconds, she was gone.
The sign in the store window across the way blinked a red Open, and Ross made his way over. A bell tinkled as he opened the door, just as it had at the diner. At first he saw no one, but in a couple of seconds a voice sang out, “Good morning!”
“Good morning.”
The woman made her way out of the stock room in the back. “Well, look at that beautiful smile! You must be having a good morning!”
He wondered if he looked as sappy as he figured he did. His cheeks hurt from smiling, and he couldn’t stop. “A good morning? Ma’am, you have no idea.”
Chapter 4
Thoughts of where they could go and when consumed Ross, mostly because he had nothing else to do. He wanted to call her and ask her when she could go, but there was something he had to do first.
When he asked where Tank worked, Michael seemed glad to tell him about the Reardon family garage with the tongue-in-cheek name of Otto Repairs, Otto being Tank’s father’s name. He hadn’t confided in his cousin regarding what was going on. That was on a need to know basis, and Big Mack really didn’t need to know.
The next evening, he called Carly’s number, but all he got was her voicemail, so he left a message. All it said was, “Hey, it’s Ross. Please call me back.” His phone rang in less than two minutes. “Hey!”
“Hi. Sorry I didn’t answer. I was on a call. What’s up?”
“I was just wondering when you’d be free.”
It was as though she’d already thought about it and had an answer ready. “I’m off Sunday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon. Will that work for you?”
“Absolutely. Can you be ready by Sunday evening, or would you rather wait until Monday?”
“Oh, I can be ready by Sunday evening. That’s not a problem.” She seemed eager, and that was encouraging.
“Good. So I was thinking about just going on into San Antonio. Maybe downtown?”
“Have you ever stayed at the historic hotel down there by the Alamo?”
Ross laughed. “I’ve never been to the Alamo!”
“Oh, we have to go. And the hotel is haunted. You’ll love it.”
“Sounds good to me! I’ll give them a call. Know any good restaurants?”
“Down on the Riverwalk. Just look it up and pick one. Never eaten anything down there that wasn’t good.”
“Anything you don’t like?”
She snorted. “Do I look like I’ve missed any meals?”
Now’s your chance, McEvers. “I don’t know about that. You look pretty damn fine to me.”
“Thank you.” She was silent for a few seconds before she said, “Ross, there’s something you should know about me.”
“Let’s see.” Ross let out a little laugh. “I know you’re not going to tell me
you’re secretly a man, and I know you’re not going to tell me you’re a lesbian. So I can’t imagine what it is.”
“It’s something you’ve probably already figured out about me, but I might as well say it. If I want something, I generally say so. I’m not shy about how I feel about people or things. I tend to speak my mind, even if it gets me in trouble and, trust me, it’s gotten me in a lot of trouble. But I just can’t be fake. Tank’s the same way. Bree’s a different story, but not us. So I’ll just tell you this up front. I like you. There’s something about you that makes me feel settled and … safe. But―”
“Yep. There it is. The great ‘but.’ The death of all things promising,” Ross said with a groan.
“But I’ve got this jackass of an ex and my boss to think about. And you and I both know you’re going back to Kentucky.”
Ouch. She’d gone straight for the gut. Ross didn’t know what to say because she was right. He had to go back. Besides, they hadn’t even gone out on an actual date, so who knew if they’d get along that well?
But there was something else Ross knew full well. His grandpa had said it over and over. Never say never. Sure as you do, you’ll turn out to be a liar. He’d seen it too. It was true. “Let’s just take it a day at a time, okay? Let’s see what happens.”
“Ross, I’m never leaving this area.”
“And I’m never leaving Kentucky. But never is a long, long time. So let’s just enjoy it while it lasts and then see where it goes, okay?
She was silent again for a few seconds before she said, “Okay. That’s reasonable. So should I be at Big Mack’s on Sunday evening?”
“Or I could come to your house and―”
“No. Don’t come here.”
Aha. The ex and the sheriff. “Right. So sure—come to Michael’s and we can leave from there. He’s got a big barn out back and I’m sure he’ll let us stash your SUV in there so it’ll be out of sight. I’ll be ready to go. All you’ll have to do is let me know when you’re on your way.”
“Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it. Gotta get busy. Talk to you soon. Bye.”
“Bye, beautiful. Talk to you soon.” So she was direct and didn’t mind going after what she wanted.
Well, two can play that game, gorgeous. He was usually the same way, and when he looked at those sexy curves and those sweet, warm eyes, there’d be no holding back.
An hour later, he had a room booked at the hotel and had found at least three restaurants on the Riverwalk that sounded promising. Sunday night. She didn’t have to be back to work until Tuesday. That meant they’d spend two nights together, and by the time they came back on Tuesday, he’d know for sure. And he’d call the florist the next day and order some flowers sent to her. That would let her know he was thinking of her.
Two days alone with Carly Cross. Ross couldn’t think of anything that could be much better.
It had been a very, very long time since Carly had gotten flowers, and she had to admit it was nice. It also made her very nervous. Had anyone seen the delivery van? She sure hoped not.
Those questions were answered pretty quickly. She’d finished with a report and was cleaning up her desk drawers when a voice asked, “Well, who did they come from?”
“Who did what come from?”
“The flowers. I hear a delivery truck showed up at your house this morning.”
“You know, you really should mind your own business,” she spat out.
“That’s, ‘You know, you really should mind your own business, sir’,” Sheriff Charles Anderson fairly growled back.
“Yes, sir.” Carly was getting tired of them watching her every move. She and Eric were divorced, for god’s sake. She shouldn’t have to answer to him. She shouldn’t have to answer to anyone.
But Eric had kept tabs on her constantly since they’d split up. She was beginning to think he had cameras set up around town just to watch her. If anything could make a person paranoid, that kind of shit would be it. It was getting tiresome, but as long as she worked there, she didn’t see that there was an end to it. She’d have to quit and move away. That couldn’t happen because if she did, Chuck would put something in her personnel file that would render her unemployable, at least to any other law enforcement agency. Then what would she do? She wasn’t sure, but she guessed Eric’s end game was to force her to go back to him. That wasn’t happening.
She couldn’t unsee him and Mindy Caturano together in their bed. She couldn’t forget the feelings of hurt and betrayal, and she couldn’t stomach the idea of ever being in that bed again. It sickened her. She’d been a good wife, a wife any man would want. She’d kept a well-appointed, clean home, done the social secretary thing, and their sex life had been awesome. Oh, sure, she’d heard the rumors about him and other women long before they’d married, but she hadn’t been too worried. They’d be married, she’d reasoned, and that would stop.
It hadn’t. It had only made him sneakier and less trustworthy. It was as though he wanted to see if he could get caught by being as blatant as possible. All those rumors she’d heard and thought were bullshit? They weren’t.
He’d cried. He’d begged. He’d pleaded. But all his fake acts of contrition and all his lame-ass apologies hadn’t been enough. In the end, Tank had gone to the house and had a talk with him. It seemed to make everything okay. But it wasn’t okay.
That was when the harassment started, from Eric and Chuck both. She glared up at her superior officer. “Why are you asking me who they’re from? I’m sure you looked at the card. Hell, you probably have a standing order for the woman at the florist shop to call you or Eric when there’s an order placed for me. You know when I’m having my hair cut. You know when I’m at the gym.”
“Do you really think your life’s that interesting?” he asked with a smirk.
“I don’t know. I don’t think my life’s all that interesting, but apparently the two of you do. You’ve made it a point to know my every move. What on earth will you do if I ever remarry?”
The look he gave her was enough to freeze the blood in her veins. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it and walked away. Good. She found a way to shut him the hell up. That was all she really wanted.
The rest of the workday was uneventful, and by the time it ended, Carly was over her mad. All she really wanted was a peaceful evening and a beer. The streets were quiet as she drove home, and everything seemed just as it should be—until she pulled up in her own driveway.
And there it was at the curb. You have got to be kidding me, her brain screamed. She thought about just backing out and leaving, but it was too late, so she threw open the cruiser’s door, got out, slammed the door closed, and strode straight to her front door. He was on her in a second and a half. “What’s this about you remarrying?”
She spun and planted her hands on her hips. “I’m not getting remarried. That was not what I said. But you know what? It’s none of your god damn business. Go find somebody else to harass. I’m sick of it.”
Eric leered at her. “And you’re going to do what about it?”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’ve got a plan, asshole.”
“Why don’t you let me come in and we can talk about it.” He moved to step up to the door, but in a split second, her service weapon was out of its holster and pointed straight at him. “Whoa! Do I need to call the sheriff?”
“You need to get the fuck off my porch, get in your car, and go. You know, right this minute, going to prison would be fine as long as I knew I’d never see you again.”
Eric threw both hands up in a sign of surrender. “Fine. I’ll leave. But you know this isn’t over, Carly. It’ll never be over.”
“It was over the day I came home and … You know what? I’m not even going to play that game with you. Get out of here and don’t come back.”
“Or you’ll, what? Call the cops?”
She didn’t answer, just unlocked the door and opened it. She’d already decided—if he put a foot in the door or
tried to push past her, she’d let him come in, shoot him, and then call the state police and tell them she had an intruder. She’d absolutely had enough.
But he didn’t. She stepped inside, slammed the door closed, and locked it. Instead of turning on the lights, she waited, her eye to the peephole, as he stood there for a couple of minutes and then finally wandered out to his car.
Her text messaging tone sounded and she pulled her phone from her pocket to check the screen. Hey, are you up?
She sent him back one word: Yeah. Her phone rang almost instantly. “Hello.”
“Hey! Just wanted you to know that I booked the room and I found several restaurants that sound really good. So we’re all set.”
“Good. Thanks.”
“You okay?”
Damn it, I’m not doing a very good job of hiding it. “Uh, yeah. Just had a rough day, that’s all.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
Boy, she wished she could. Maybe while they were in San Antonio she could tell him what was going on, but right that minute, she didn’t want to talk about it. She didn’t want to think about it. She just wanted it all to go away. “No, but we can some other time.”
“Okay. If you change your mind, you know where to find me.”
“Yep. Will do. I need to get some sleep. Talk to you soon, okay?”
“Sure. Talk to you soon. Goodnight, beautiful.”
“Goodnight.” She hit END on the phone’s screen and fell across the bed. How in the world was she going to make all of it work?
She didn’t know, but she did know one thing for sure. She wanted Ross McEvers. And she’d have him, if it meant she had to kill Eric and Chuck. She wasn’t going to let them stand in her way.
It was the last thing on earth he wanted to do, other than spontaneously combusting, but it had to happen. When he finally worked up the courage, he went by Tank’s shop, only to be told he’d taken the afternoon off to go to a doctor’s appointment. Ross wasn’t really sure where he lived, so he dropped by the station.
Fighting For Carly Page 4
