by Lori Wilde
“First off, I’m never gushy. I’m the chief of police. I don’t gush.”
She hoped his nonsense meant he really wasn’t getting serious on her. “Fine, you’re not gushy. But there’s no reason to change things between us. We’re doing great. Having fun. It’s perfect.”
Trent started dancing again. “I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I’d kind of like things to move forward. If not completely forward, then a couple of steps in that direction.”
Stunned, Erin stared at him. “Excuse me, but huh?”
“I’m talking about feelings,” he said.
“You mean the kind of feeling your left hand is doing at this very moment,” she couldn’t resist saying, all the while hoping he’d say yes.
“No,” he said. “Not that kind at all.”
Drat. What were you supposed to do when a flirt like Trent Barrett got serious on you? She’d really thought he’d be the last man on earth to pull this sort of thing.
He dipped his head and whispered, “I’ll admit, I have a lot of fun feeling you. Just like you seem to be enjoying yourself.”
Despite the seriousness of their discussion, Erin couldn’t help laughing. “But Trent, that’s the only kind of feeling I’m comfortable with us doing right now.”
She expected him to argue with her, but he didn’t. All he said was, “Just keep an open mind, okay?”
“Fine. But for the record, my mind may be open, but I absolutely never change my mind once it’s made up.”
“Never?”
Her nod was firm. “Never.”
“Ever?”
“Never ever,” she said slowly. It was incredibly important that Trent not think she was going to want anything serious to develop between them. It simply wasn’t going to happen, and the sooner he accepted that, the better. “I’m serious. I won’t change my mind about this. The only reason I ever agreed to getting involved was because you don’t get serious.”
“I never have before,” he admitted. “But like I said, things change. People change their minds.”
“I won’t.”
“Okay. If you say so.”
Despite what he’d said, Erin knew he no more believed her than he thought horses could fly.
Well, she’d simply have to show him she was serious. What they had together was fine the way it was.
No sense messing it up by getting serious.
“I can’t believe this is happening again,” Erin said as she walked into Trent’s office. “Here.” She handed him an old straw hat with plastic grapes decorating the brim.
“And this would be?”
“You tell me. Is it another gift? I found it sitting on the hood of my car this morning.”
He studied the hat. Man, it was beat-up. “And you think it was put there deliberately?”
“I think the chances of the wind blowing it and making it land on my hood are slim.”
He set the hat on his desk. “I wish I’d been able to see it.”
“Yeah, I know. I should have left it there and called you, but I was upset when I saw it, and I didn’t think.” She came over to his side of the desk and looked at the hat. “Trent, I thought this nonsense had stopped.”
So had he. Nothing had happened for almost a month. He’d figured it was over with. He studied the hat. It was really ugly and looked familiar, but he couldn’t place where he’d seen it before. If he had to guess, though, history said it belonged to Delia.
“So this hat was on your car. As usual, there was no note, right?”
Erin sighed. “No. No note. This is driving me crazy. Whoever is leaving these things for me is acting like a jerk. Plus, everyone in this town has known for the last month that you and I are—” She waved one hand in the air. “You know.”
Trent frowned at her. He didn’t like what was happening between them dismissed like that, but now wasn’t the time to get into that discussion again. They’d let it drop at the wedding reception, and he didn’t want to open up that can of worms right now.
Instead, he wanted to know who was leaving these things for Erin.
“Who would do this knowing I’m involved?” Erin shook her head. “It all seems too juvenile for words.”
That’s when it hit Trent. Juvenile. Erin was right. It did seem juvenile. Like something a person with a crush would do.
Like something a kid would do.
He grinned. “You’re brilliant.”
Erin gave him a dubious look. “Why? Because I’m tired of having stuff left for me by a stranger?”
“Because you’ve given me an idea.” He kissed her soundly. “I’ll stop by your store later to talk. Right now, I’ve got to go see someone.”
“Someone who might know something about these presents?”
He nodded. “Could be.”
“Who?”
Trent was tempted to tell her his idea, but he couldn’t. Not until he knew if he was right. But his gut told him he was, and his gut was never wrong.
“I’ll tell you later. Just head on back to your store.”
Erin didn’t look a bit happy about doing as he said, but she headed toward the door anyway. “I hate it when you become secretive.”
“I thought women loved men of mystery,” he said with a chuckle.
“Not this woman,” she said right before she walked out the door.
Trent sighed. Yeah. He knew. Erin didn’t love a man of mystery. She didn’t love any man.
What completely amazed him was how much that bothered him. He’d never wanted a woman to care about him before, to expect things from him. He’d always figured he’d go through life without falling for anyone.
But he’d been wrong. Because he no longer could pretend he hadn’t fallen for Erin. He’d fallen all right and fallen hard. Man, what a surprise.
He sighed and grabbed the hat off his desk.
Sooner or later, he was going to have to talk with Erin about how he felt. Of course, she hadn’t exactly been thrilled when he’d tried to bring up the subject at the wedding reception. And he couldn’t imagine she’d be happy to hear him say he’d fallen for her.
But he couldn’t worry about that now. Right now, he had to go talk to someone about a hat.
Erin bumped into Leigh the second she stepped out of the police station.
“Hey,” the younger woman said.
There was something about Leigh’s expression that convinced Erin this meeting wasn’t an accident. Leigh must have seen her enter the building and had planted herself outside.
“Hey to you, too.” Erin turned and headed toward her shop. Not surprisingly, Leigh fell into step next to her.
After they’d taken only a couple of steps, Leigh said, “So enough small talk. How are things between you and Trent? Am I going to be in a wedding party again soon? ’Cause if I am, you should know that I come with a lot of experience. I’ve married off two of my brothers this year already.”
Erin kept walking. “I told you, I’m not interested in getting married. Not to anyone.”
Leigh bobbed her head. “Gotcha. Not interested in marrying anyone. But Trent isn’t just anyone. So are you interested in marrying him?”
“Arrrgh.” Erin stopped and looked at Leigh. “What does it take to make you leave me alone about this?”
Leigh shrugged. “Marrying my brother.”
“You’re impossible,” Erin said flatly. Then she started walking again.
“Yeah, I know I’m impossible. But that’s my style. Besides, I’m curious if things will work out between you two. I’ve never seen Trent act like this before.”
Despite herself, Erin had to ask, “Act like what?”
“Like he’s crazy about a woman. He’s always been footloose, but suddenly, you’re all he talks about. Erin this and Erin that. It would be annoying if I didn’t really like you.” She grabbed Erin’s arm and added, “Plus you two have been dating for almost two months. That’s forever in Trent romance years. I can’t remember him ever dating an
yone that long. It’s like...” She shrugged. “Amazing.”
Trent had never dated anyone for two months? Rather than being comforted by the thought, it unnerved her.
“I don’t think it’s amazing,” she told Leigh. “I think it’s sad that Trent’s such a player he’s never spent even two months with the same woman.”
Leigh put her hands on her hips and snorted.
“Give me a break. He’s not a player.” At Erin’s dubious look, she added, “Not in the sense you mean. Sure, he’s always been a guy interested in fun, but do you know why?”
“He likes variety?” Erin offered, ignoring the little pang she felt when she said the words.
“No. Because when we were young, life was not a lot of fun. Dad left Mom for a waitress in town, then Mom got sick so Chase, Nathan, and Trent had to pretty much raise me. Trent got to the point where he figured life was short and damn hard. Might as well have a little fun along the way.”
When all Erin did was shrug, Leigh tapped one foot on the ground. “You’re looking at Trent all wrong. Okay, so he had some fun in his life. But now that he’s found you, he’s becoming more settled. That means something, Erin, even if you refuse to admit it.”
But Erin wasn’t sure she wanted it to mean anything. Sure, the more time she spent with Trent, the more she cared about him. And knowing about his background sure explained a lot about his attitude. She couldn’t blame him for wanting to have a little fun when it sounded like his early years had been tough.
But she was convinced the reason she and Trent got along so well was that they kept things casual. Up until now, they’d had a great time. Not only in bed, although their sex life was wild and wonderful. No, they’d also had fun going to the movies, having dinner together, and taking Brutus for walks.
She had to admit, no matter what she and Trent were doing, they seemed to have fun. They spent a lot of time talking and laughing and truly enjoying each other’s company.
Things were going well. Or they had been up until the wedding reception, when not only Leigh, but also Trent, had suggested they make their relationship something more.
Erin wasn’t sure she was ready for something more. She wasn’t sure she’d ever be ready.
The most frustrating part was she simply didn’t know what to do. She cared for Trent, but she also was realistic about him. He was an outrageous flirt, and she couldn’t see him ever settling down. Maybe in time she’d change her mind about him, but she needed that time to figure out her feelings.
There was, however, one thing that Erin was absolutely positive about. Having Leigh meddling was not good, and it needed to stop right now.
“Leigh, whatever happens is between Trent and me. I appreciate that you love your brother and want the best for him, but you need to give us breathing room.”
Leigh rolled her eyes. “Breathing room. For what?”
“To...” Erin groaned. “To breathe. To make up my own mind. To make my own decisions.”
“Erin, this is Honey. No one here has breathing room. That’s what we all like about the town. We fit very nicely into each other’s hip pocket.”
“Well, I’d like everyone to get out of my pocket, thank you very much.”
“You can say that all you want, but it won’t happen. People in Honey like each other. We’re curious about what’s happening in each other’s lives. We want the best for our friends and neighbors. Hence the constant curiosity. You’ll get used to it.”
Erin sincerely doubted that. “I appreciate your interest, Leigh, but I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen with Trent.” And she didn’t. These days, she wasn’t even certain what she wanted to happen with him.
Wow, she was one confused woman.
“I need to get back to my shop,” she said, wanting time alone to think.
“Fine. But remember what I said. Trent’s never, ever acted this way about a woman in his whole life. It means something, Erin. Whether you want it to or not.”
9
Trent found Zach sitting on the front porch of his grandmother’s house all alone. Poor kid. He probably hadn’t made any friends this summer since moving to town. So instead, he’d developed a crush on Erin. Not that Trent could blame the boy. Erin was one special lady.
“Hey, Zach,” Trent said, coming up the walkway to stand next to the porch. In his left hand, he held the straw hat that he’d bet anything was Delia’s. Zach’s attention fixed on the hat, and he turned bright red. Yep, no doubt about it now. The boy was the culprit.
“Is your grandmother home?” Trent asked when Zach didn’t say anything.
Zach slowly shook his head, his eyes wide, fear on his face. Trent knew if he didn’t say something soon, the boy was either going to run away or cry or both.
He dropped down on the porch step next to Zach. “You know what I like about summer?”
Zach made a sniffling noise. Oh, no. Here come the tears. Trent decided to bypass them.
“I like the fact that in the summer, you can just laze around doing nothing. I think I may take today off. For instance, I’m supposed to be out finding the person who left this hat on Erin Weber’s car. But maybe I’ll just be lazy instead. I’m sure the person who’s doing this knows it isn’t right.”
“Are you going to arrest...” Zach swallowed hard. “...somebody?”
“No. I’m pretty sure somebody knows to cut it out.” He nudged Zach with his arm. “Don’t you think so?”
Zach nodded. “Erin’s nice.”
“Yes, she is. But finding stuff left outside her store bothers her.”
For a second, Zach once again looked like he might cry, but then he said, “I’m sorry. I thought she’d like it.”
Trent dropped his arm around the boy’s shoulders and gave him a quick hug. “I know.”
“What are you going to do to me?”
Trent sighed. “For starters, you need to tell your grandmother what you did. Then you should tell Erin you’re sorry.”
Zach bobbed his head. “Okay. Do I have to go to jail, too? My grandmother won’t like that.”
Trent imagined not. Glancing around the yard, he noticed Zach had a soccer ball. An idea came to him. “Hey, you know what? I coach one of the boys’ soccer teams. Sign-ups for the fall are going on now. If you own up to what you did by telling your grandmother and paying a visit to Erin, then I’ll ask your grandmother if you can join my team. Of course, you’ll have to help me with the equipment.”
For the first time since Trent had arrived, Zach smiled. “I’m good at soccer. I used to play on a team in Dallas. I didn’t think Honey had any teams.”
“Sure we do. And we always need more players.”
Noticing the time, Trent stood, and handed the hat to Zach. “Tell your grandmother she can call me if she likes.”
Zach took the hat. “Okay. I really am sorry. It’s just that Erin’s so nice, and I really, really like her.”
Trent knew exactly how the boy felt. He really, really liked Erin, too.
“Yeah, but you know, it would’ve never worked. Erin’s thirty. Kinda old for you.”
Zach looked surprised. “Oh boy. Thirty. She is old. Guess I should have realized she wouldn’t fall in love with me.” Then, he added, “But she’s still nice. Even if she is old.”
Trent laughed. Yeah, she was nice. Unfortunately, she wasn’t any more likely to fall in love with him than she was with Zach.
Erin looked up as soon as Trent entered her store. He no longer had the hat with him.
“Where did you run off to? And what did you do with the hat?” She came around the counter and walked over to stand next to him.
“The hat belongs to Delia. I returned it to her grandson. Then I had a talk with the boy.”
Why would he talk to Zach about the...oh. Understanding dawned on Erin. “Is he the one who’s been doing all these things?”
Trent nodded. “Yep.”
She never would have guessed. Zach was always so polite when he came
into the store with Delia. He hardly seemed the type to leave presents on her doorstep. And now that she knew the gifts were coming from a sweet kid, Erin wasn’t upset. Obviously, Zach had been trying to be nice.
“I hope you weren’t mean to him. He only moved to town a few months ago when his mom came back to live with Delia. I don’t think he has many friends.”
Trent slipped his arms around her waist. “That’s part of his punishment.”
She frowned. “What?”
“He’s going to join my soccer team, and he has to help me lug the team equipment to all the games. He also has to tell Delia what he did. And he has to apologize to you.” He brushed a quick kiss across her lips. “That seemed like the best way to handle this. The kid didn’t mean any harm, but he also needs to know he shouldn’t do something like that again.”
Erin stared at Trent, surprised at how thoughtful he’d been. “You’re so sweet.”
The grin he flashed was pure devil. “I am, aren’t I? I’m a real sweetheart. Any chance I can talk you into closing your store early? I mean, after all, I did solve the crime. I ought to get a reward.”
She laughed and slipped out of his arms. “I officially take back my comment. You’re not sweet at all. You’re incorrigible.”
“No. I’m encouragable. One smile from you, and I am definitely encouraged.” He grabbed her hand and slipped his fingers between hers. “If you can’t close the store early, how about having dinner with me?”
“Um, I don’t know.”
“I’ll cook. Heck, I’ll even buy the food to cook. Now how can you possibly pass up that invitation?”
She couldn’t, although she knew she should. Things with Trent were supposed to be light, casual. But they weren’t turning out that way at all. They were becoming complicated. And complicated wasn’t something she wanted in her life right now.
Still, how could she turn him down? He really had been terrific in the way he’d handled Zach. And she loved spending time with him. Maybe a couple more nights wouldn’t hurt.