“Go?” A combo of confusion and alarm flashed through his system. “You have to trust somebody.” He didn’t want to leave but couldn’t stay. Not after she’d dismissed him.
“It’s complicated.”
Her cavalier gesture might’ve fooled somebody else. He didn’t miss the anxiety behind her eyes and it ripped a hole in his gut. But she’d shut him out. He stood, pulled her into his arms, and kissed her soft lips. “I don’t like leaving you alone. Call if you need me. Any time. Any place.”
She didn’t trust him enough to confide. That was something he had to fix.
****
Chiding herself for forgetting her sunglasses at home, Stacey squinted in the bright sunlight. Shielding her eyes with her hand, she scanned her apartment’s parking lot for anyone watching. She slipped her purse over her shoulder and headed up the stairs.
A shiver of excitement rushed over her just thinking about the deposit she’d made at the bank today. Thursday was payday at the doctor’s office, and between today’s check and her tips from the weekend at the bar, her money worries eased. The Rockin’ Boot was a stop gap measure, something to get her over the cash flow shortage. She’d heard the rumor Doc was considering hiring an office manager. If she worked hard and proved herself, she’d be the logical choice for the position.
She hadn’t heard from Cash since sending him away Sunday. Her abrupt brush off upset him, but confiding in him wasn’t a matter of trust. If Ray had killed Lance for hanging around her, being seen with her could cost Cash his life. Her heart twisted. This situation had probably ended any chances of rebuilding a relationship with him.
She changed into shorts and a T-shirt, then pulled the rubber band from her hair and dug her fingers into her scalp. Getting that weight off the back of her head was enough to make her lightheaded. She opened the vanity drawer and reached for her hairbrush.
“What?” she said, curious as hell that her comb, curling iron, and other products were there, but she couldn’t locate her brush.
She checked the dresser, the nightstand, and every other available spot. Had she absentmindedly stuffed it in her purse? Stacey dumped the contents on her bed and sifted through. She found a tube of lipstick she’d thought lost but no hairbrush.
She gave up the search and plopped down on the couch with a good book. Unable to concentrate, she dragged her hand through her tangled hair. What had she been thinking bringing Cash into her problems?
Lance’s death had weakened her resolve. Her fear had tumbled away when Cash arrived and gathered her in his arms. Buried feelings bubbled to the surface. Hell, who was she kidding? She had never really stopped thinking about him. Or wondering where he was, who he was with, and more importantly, was he safe?
She’d hoped the rumor mill would answer those questions while she was at home. Geesh, she hadn’t expected him to have moved back too.
He’d offered an olive branch, standing there all gorgeous in those Wrangler jeans. Yet she’d steeled her heart and sent him home. If staying away from her kept him alive, then she’d made the right decision.
Her cell buzzed, bringing her focus to the present. She closed her book, realizing she couldn’t remember a word she’d read. She checked caller ID and warmth spread over her. Cash.
“Hey.” Surprised and relieved he’d called, she breathed a little easier.
“Sug,” he said in that special tone that weakened her knees. “How about some supper?” She heard no hint of anger at her quick brush off.
Her heart jumped to the back of her throat. Her emotions tugged her one direction while logic pulled her in the other. She wanted to accept but feared for his safety.
“I promise not to pressure you for information.”
If they stayed out of sight, would that be enough to keep him safe? Could she convince him to stay in the background until the killer was behind bars? The answer to that question was a resounding no.
“How about I come get you? We’ll eat here, and you can check on the orphaned colt.”
“I’d like that.” Blood pulsed through her veins. Going to him worked. “But I’ll come to you. What can I bring?”
“Your appetite. Ginger is quite a cook. Supper’s at six-thirty.”
Stacey disconnected and then scrambled off the couch. A quick shower and fresh makeup had her hunting for her hairbrush again. She fished out an old one and finished her hair.
“Well, hell.” She stared at the empty spot on the breakfast bar. The setting sun would be right in her line of vision on the drive to the ranch. She scanned the small kitchen and living room surfaces.
She’d misplaced her brush and her sunglasses? Was she getting feeble minded? Paying so much attention to other things that she put her belongings down and couldn’t remember where?
With no time to search, she checked to be sure she had her car keys and hurried out the door. She had to be sure no one followed her, so she circled through town a few times to make sure she didn’t have a tail.
****
Stacey had been withdrawn all through supper. Cash hadn’t asked why she’d been late. He worried that her coming out to the ranch might’ve brought back sad memories of her mother’s death.
As a teenager, he’d promised himself that someday he’d own a spread like this one. When he bought the old McKinney place, the possibility of Stacey ever sitting across the dining room table from him hadn’t entered his mind. Or had it? Had his subconscious driven him to buy this place in hopes someday they’d raise a family right here where she grew up?
He needed to know what trouble drove her from the big city back to the country. Had fate brought her home to him? Could they recapture what they’d had so many years ago?
He offered his hand. Heat shot up his arm when she rested her soft palm against his. Together they stepped off the porch and headed to the barn. The wind caught her long hair and blonde waves unfurled around her shoulders. Her lips curved upward into a smile, and filled him with more light than the sun provided.
“I’m glad you came.” He tugged, and she walked into his open arms, inside their protection. He tightened his hold, molding her body against his. Could she feel how right this was?
“Sorry I was late.”
“No problem.” He breathed in her clean floral scent. He couldn’t identify it, it wasn’t roses or anything so ordinary.
“Ginger is a great cook.”
He tamped down the twinge of hurt and irritation. Stacey had problems. Why was she being secretive? Didn’t she know he’d want to help? She had no reason to distrust him.
“Ginger’s more like family. She befriended Mama long before I got out of the service. Sort of took it upon herself to fill in after Mama passed.”
“I’m glad you have her.” Stacey crossed the yard into the barn and went straight to the colt’s stall. “He’s going to have a beautiful red coat.” She leaned over the gate and extended her hand for the young horse to sniff. “Is he eating enough?”
“I think so. The vet put him on additional vitamins.”
“Where are your ranch hands?”
“Both of them have families. Everybody goes home at the end of the day. Ginger stayed because we had company coming.”
Stacey wandered over to a bench that ran along the far wall. She sat, pulling her legs under her. Tall and slender, she had a childlike look about her.
A frightened child
. She took a deep breath and blew it out. Cash struggled to keep quiet. If she wanted to confide in him, it had to be her decision. She stared at her fingers, picking at an imaginary hangnail.
“I was the loan officer’s assistant at a bank. This man, a regular customer, walked past my desk on the way in and out. Pleasant, he always spoke. One day, I’d gone next door for lunch. The place was crowded, so when he showed up at my table and asked if he could join me, I said sure. A few days later, he was there again.”
She placed her hand on her stomach as if in pain, rolling Cash’s insides into a ball.
“Go on.” He wanted to hold her. Instead, he leaned against the wall, giving her space.
“Before the meal was over, he’d chastised me for being too friendly with the waiter. I got really uncomfortable when he asked why I took so long in the restroom. So I excused myself and hurried back to work. The next day I looked up and he’s at my desk with flowers. I refused them and explained I wasn’t in the market for a relationship.”
“He got angry.” Cash’s military training rushed to his hands. He flexed his fingers, forcing them to unclench.
“Not outwardly. He smiled, tossed the flowers in the trash, and left.”
“But he didn’t give up.”
“Not even. Suddenly, he was everywhere. Parked outside my apartment. Leaning against the streetlight outside the bank. Then I started getting phone calls, which escalated to face to face confrontations. He thought I’d led him on intentionally. I finally called the cops.”
“Nothing they could do, right?”
“Not until I woke up one night with a knife pressed against my throat. I thought for sure he’d rape me. Instead, he lectured me. According to Ray, we were in love. Made for each other, and if he couldn’t have me no one would.”
“Did the cops arrest him?” Cash relaxed his jaw when his teeth started hurting. Fear emanated from her. It washed over him feeding his need to protect her.
“Questioned and released. It was my word against his. I convinced a judge to issue a restraining order. Everybody knows how well those things work.”
“That’s why you came home?” That she’d been emotionally tormented by this maniac sent Cash’s blood boiling.
“Yes. He knew nothing about my background. I thought Oak Hill would be safe. Not very smart of me to think he couldn’t find me. I hoped he’d move on.”
She swallowed. Cash got a bottle of water from the small refrigerator in the tack room and brought it to her.
“No one except Dad was supposed to know how to reach me. Him, I swore to secrecy by fabricating a story about needing to get back to my roots. He’s pissed, but he’ll honor my request.”
The irony of them both returning to Oak Hill to find peace wasn’t lost on Cash. “Your dad would really be pissed if he knew I’d moved home too.”
Her eyebrows dipped. “I can’t imagine he’d care where you were.”
Cash bit back a nasty retort about her domineering father, deciding to get back to the issue at hand. “You think this Ray found you.”
“I think he may be here and has been following me.” She ran her fingers through her hair, pulling a lock over her shoulder to inspect.
“Have you actually seen him?” Fire exploded in Cash’s belly. He battled back the urge to pull her inside the safety of his arms.
“No…Maybe…I don’t know.” Frustration and confusion filled her tone. “At first, I figured I was jumping at shadows. Saturday night someone almost ran me off the road. I convinced myself it was a drunk driver. Thinking back, I’m not so sure.”
“I want you to stay here until they figure out what’s happening.” The need to touch her was too much, so he pulled her hands into his. They were cool, soft and small inside his big mitts.
“And put you, your ranch hands, and Ginger in danger? I can’t do that.”
“No one’s going to hurt us.” His heart jack hammered against his chest. Her behavior Sunday made sense now. She wanted to protect him. “What did Detective Kelly say about your suspicions?”
She rolled her eyes.
“You did tell them.”
“No.” She lifted her shoulders. “At the time, I didn’t think the two were connected.”
“Do you want me to talk with him?”
“No.” She fired the answer back. “I can speak for myself.”
“I wish you’d consider my offer to stay here.”
Tears rimmed her eyes. She walked back to the colt’s stall. Cash followed, letting her think about his offer.
“What if it was Ray, and he saw us together?”
“Let him come after me. He’ll find me harder to kill than an inexperienced kid like Lance.” Cash gripped her shoulders, turning her to face him. Fear emanated from her, slicing into him and filling him with rage. “What’s Ray’s last name.”
“Simmons. Why?” Her eyes flashed wide. “Don’t mess with him.”
Cash stepped back, feigning shock. “Whoa. Talk about a blow to the ego. Don’t worry about me, I can handle myself.” All the time he admonished her, he secretly hoped he’d get the chance to test his skills.
She moved closer and buried her face in his chest. His heart folded. He had to locate Ray. No way was the sonofabitch harming a hair on her head.
“If something happened to you...”
“I’ll be fine.” Cash lifted her chin with his fingers and thumbed away the tears from her beautiful face. “You’re not responsible for this bastard’s actions. You’re not in this alone, and I won’t let you down.”
In that moment, with his own statement, a realization hit Cash. He breathed in her scent, soaked up the warmth of her body, and released his anger. The past, with its real or imagined hurts, vanished from his mind.
Stacey wasn’t responsible for her father’s actions or how he’d treated the poor white trash boy who’d fallen in love with his daughter. No more than she should carry the guilt of Lance’s death. Someday, he’d talk with her about the past. Right now, her life was in danger, and he’d watch over and protect her at all costs.
“I’d better get home. Brady has a popular band lined up for tomorrow night. I need to be at work early. Jonathan and I are double stocking our area.”