Marie, Laura - Miss: Never Gonna Love Again [The Miss: Series] (BookStrand Publishing Romance)

by Laura Marie

  “He’s not Lawrence, Jules.”

  Julianna swallowed hard and her eyes widened in shock at her aunt’s casual mention of Lawrence.

  “Lawrence has connections everywhere. How do you know the sheriff’s not on the take?”

  “Oh, Jules, my god, what did that man do to you?” Her aunt shook her head and the tears filled her eyes.

  “He’s not gonna find you and the sheriff is not connected to him,” Roy whispered, the stern tone apparent.

  “How do you know that? You have no idea what I went through back in New York. What he did to me. He’s a monster with enough power and connections to evade prosecution and continue with his corrupt lifestyle.”

  “You have every right to be concerned and to question other’s integrity. I’m telling you that the sheriff can be trusted. Besides, maybe if ya all told us what went down in New York, we’d better understand your concerns,” Roy challenged.

  Julianna got up from the table.

  She was silent and debated about revealing the truth, but maybe if she did then they could help her to avoid the sheriff.

  The thought of having to explain, to admit her failures, her bad decisions, the near death experience, and the loss of her baby was still too much to handle and discuss. It wasn’t the right time.

  “We’ll just have to see.”

  She grabbed her jacket and headed out the door to the cottage.

  * * * *

  “She is so scared, Roy. She’s lost her ability to trust, to open her heart to anyone. What if she’s right about Johnny?” Ellie asked.

  “Oh, honey, don’t be silly. You know Johnny well. He’s just hard around the edges because of the war and the years in the rodeo circuit.”

  “He’s a lot older than Jules and a lot more experienced.”

  “Maybe in some respects, but it’s obvious he’s interested in her.”

  “What do we do?”

  “Let nature take its course, Ellie. No interfering. If it’s meant to be, then it will be.”

  Ellie sighed.

  “What else happened to Jules back in New York to make her lose trust, become so timid and reserved?”

  “I don’t know. Obviously, she’s not ready to discuss it.” Roy ran a hand through his hair and sighed.

  “I suppose the fact that she nearly died being mugged is more than enough information for me. She needs us. She needs Palmer Place, and most importantly, she needs our love.”

  Ellie smiled then frowned as she glanced down at her clasped hands.

  Roy covered her hands with his own.

  Their gazes locked.

  “Let her be, Ellie. When the time is right for her, Jules will talk to us. But for now, we all need to respect her privacy and focus on loving her. To know she’s here, safe and sound, is enough for me.”

  Ellie was silent a moment, and the tears pooled in her eyes.

  Roy placed his hand on her shoulder.

  “What is it, Ellie?”

  She took a deep breath, and as she spoke, the tears rolled down her cheeks.

  “She mentioned Lawrence not wanting her to leave. Then she sent her things to all those places before here. What about the post office box out of town? The different ways she’s trying to stay hidden? Do you think he’ll come looking for her? Do you think he wants her back?”

  Roy glanced toward the shotgun sitting right next to the front door. Ellie followed his line of sight.

  “If he comes looking for trouble then trouble he’ll get. We’re all that girl has and she needs to know she’s safe with us. She’ll come around, Ellie, you’ll see.”

  * * * *

  Julianna let her anger get the best of her. She stubbed her foot on the front step as she unlocked the front door. Not that there was a need to lock her door around these parts, but she was suspicious and weary of the unexpected. The unsuspecting ones were always the victims.

  She took off her boots then tossed them on the rug. They banged against the molding. Then she turned on the radio and listened to the current weather forecast. Another snow storm was headed their way for later tonight and would continue into tomorrow evening. The people calling into the radio were both thrilled and annoyed with the winter so far.

  She walked over to her answering machine and saw she had one message.

  It was the lady who worked at the post office in Summersville County, two counties over from Claire.

  She had set up a PO Box there to receive mail from Catherine. The message informed her that a package was delivered for her.

  She had given the woman her telephone number to call if any packages or mail arrived at the post office two towns over. It was a forty minute drive and she didn’t need to travel there unnecessarily.

  The woman said it arrived “urgent mail,” and that required her signature. She pondered over what the package might be and who it was from. Her gut told her it had to be from Jeremy.

  She contacted him about investigating Sheriff Black. Although she felt bad about doing so after speaking with Jeremy, he was adamant about checking things out. Surely Jeremy wanted her to be cautious, and he explained that more than likely the sheriff was just doing his job and if anything it would be a positive to have such an aggressive and thorough law man in charge of the town.

  Maybe all her answers could be found in the envelope.

  She called her aunt to let her know that she would be gone for a couple of hours.

  “You hurry on back now, Jules, storms like these are unpredictable.”

  “I will, don’t you worry. I’ll be back in no time. Besides, they’re calling for a few inches, in the truck I’ll be fine.”

  Julianna grabbed her purse and prepared to leave.

  * * * *

  The sheriff sat holding the phone while his old Marine buddy Troy looked up information on Julianna McKay.

  “There’s a case number attached to her file. The file is confidential.”

  The sheriff swallowed hard. His gut told him to make the call, investigate Miss McKay, and find out what she was running from. He found himself praying that it wasn’t bad news.

  “Well, what does that mean, Troy?”

  “It means I’m going to have to make a few phone calls to get back to you. I keep hitting wall after wall. It appears the file is protected by a password. Has she committed a crime?”

  “No.”

  “Well, why do you need to know this information then?”

  “I just need to know it…Listen, she’s up to something. Suspicious behavior, and when she arrived here, she lied about her name. I keep a clean, quiet town and I pride myself in that.” He was quiet a moment.

  Johnny could hear his friend breathing.

  “I have a contact listed here. Let me call a friend of mine and get back to you.”

  “I appreciate that.”

  Johnny hung up the phone and sighed.

  This wasn’t looking good, and his bad feeling just got worse.

  The sheriff was interrupted by a knock on his office door.

  Deputy Tyler entered.

  “Snows startin’…You hear the latest weather report?”

  “No…I thought this system wasn’t coming in until tonight.”

  “Changed it…and they’re talking a foot or two.”

  “Well, Tyler, looks like it’s gonna be a quiet night.”

  “That’s for sure. No one in their right mind be goin’ out in this.”

  The sheriff laughed and Tyler left his office.

  For the next hour, Johnny attempted to get some paperwork done as he waited for his friend Troy to call back.

  * * * *

  “Damn it to hell,” Julianna yelled as she gained control of the truck, nearly colliding with a large tree on the side of the road. Just her luck, the damn tire blew out.

  The snow was coming down hard. A layer of hail and icy rain started falling over an hour ago and then changed to all snow. She also hadn’t passed another car in miles.

  This was looking to be
a bad decision.

  She glanced at the overnight envelope, having mixed emotions about its contents.

  Yes, it did look like the sheriff was legit. He had served in the war as a Marine, traveled through the rodeo circuit for a few years, grabbing some nice championships along the way, and he came from a law enforcement family.

  Still, she couldn’t help but be weary.

  Then there was the accompanying bad news about Lawrence.

  The FBI was doing an investigation, and they wanted to ask her some questions about Lawrence.

  She did enough, and she took an extra twenty minutes to immediately telephone Jeremy and state her mind. Her past was behind her, and Lawrence could rot in hell.

  If the FBI wanted her help, they could call her after they made the two charges of murder and attempted murder stick to Lawrence. Then she would be happy to assist them.

  Julianna glanced at the clock. It was getting dark out, and she was at least fifteen minutes from the ranch traveling in good weather. She could barely see a foot after the hood of the truck. She could attempt walking it or try to change the tire. Under normal conditions that would work out fine, but in the damn blizzard it appeared impossible. She thought hard about her choices, and the more she stared out the windshield, the more concerned she got.

  “Okay! Let’s change us a tire, girl.”

  She pulled her snow hat on tighter, adjusted the zipper on her jacket until it could go no higher, then pulled on her mittens. Not exactly ski gloves, but they would have to do.

  The second Julianna got out of the truck the snowy wind slapped against her face and the bitter cold penetrated her layers. She mumbled some profanity. She was determined to succeed in changing the tire.

  It took her a few minutes to gather the jack and then the tire iron.

  She set the jack up just right and began pumping. This had only been her second time having to change a tire herself. She knew what to do and was confident.

  The snow whipped against her causing a blinding blanket of white all around her. The temperature was brutally cold as Julianna held her coat tighter against her body, wishing she could just stay inside the warm cab of the truck.

  It just wasn’t an option, not in weather like this and with no sign of any travelers happening along. Damn! I have got the most consistent stream of bad luck. Would anything ever go smoothly with no bumps, walls, or regrets?

  She blew out a long, stress-filled breath. Then she continued to solve her current problem.

  She worked her way to the side of the truck. The wind was a killer as she tried her hardest to keep her eyes open.

  The car was lifted, and she was panting and out of breath from exerting the energy to pump the jack in such chilling temperatures. As she grabbed the tire iron to loosen the bolts, she focused on her objective.

  Get the tire off, roll the spare to position, then bolt the new tire on. She went over the steps in her mind as she tried to ignore the fact that her toes were freezing through her boots.

  The weather was getting worse by the minute. The first layer of sleet and snow was now covered by inches of the white stuff.

  Thick flakes fell continuously, and under normal circumstances, Julianna would take the time to observe the pretty coated branches on the trees and the winter wonderland around her, but right now she craved warmth and a nice big cup of steaming hot chocolate. Her stomach warmed at the thought then the warm feeling instantly disappeared with the next icy wind.

  She positioned the tire iron. Then she began turning the bolts. The first two came off nice and easy, but the third one did her in. Sweat penetrated the rim of her snow hat. Her cheeks felt flushed, and she could feel more sweat dripping down her back against the thermal shirt. Breathless, she couldn’t seem to unscrew it. The little bit of hair that was sticking out of her snow hat was covered in frost, so were her gloves and her coat.

  The weather was brutal, and the panic sunk in.

  The tire wasn’t coming off.

  ‘Let’s try plan B.’

  Julianna stood up and walked back to the driver’s side door. The wind howled around her, pushing her body against the door before she could pull it open. The second attempt she was successful as she jumped into the cab and slammed the door closed. Inside contemplating her choices, she turned the heater on high and absorbed the warmth as the windows fogged.

  ‘Stay here and freeze to death or walk the rest of the way and freeze to death?’

  Then she eyed the portable navigation system. Another city-girl thing to have, but it was a great help for all these country roads and the trip from New York.

  She turned it on and it indicated her precise location.

  Fifteen miles.

  She looked in the back seat and saw her snow shoes. In those, she could get through the deep stuff. She was in great physical condition, she had eaten a nice lunch, grabbed a granola bar twenty minutes ago, and she had two bottles of water.

  “I can do this…” Suddenly the truck started to sputter and smoke, and then the heat disappeared. Quickly, she turned off the ignition.

  “Damn it to hell! Is there a God? Why does this kind of stuff keep happening to me?” she yelled in frustration as the heat in the cab quickly disintegrated.

  She finished having her tantrum then prepared for her hike. She grabbed a flashlight and allowed fate to decide that it was time to leave.

  * * * *

  Instantly Johnny felt the tightness in his chest and his heart ache. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  “How did he try to kill her?”

  “He ‘allegedly’ hired someone to attack her. The purpose wasn’t to kill Miss McKay”

  “What then? What was he after, Troy?”

  “It appears she was pregnant with his child.”

  Johnny sucked in a breath. He felt nauseous and dizzy with anger. It took a lot to ask the question.

  “You mean.”

  “Yes. He didn’t want the child, she obviously did.”

  Johnny was silent for a few moments before Troy spoke.

  “That poor girl. She’s only twenty-four years old. I spoke with a close friend of hers back in New York. He’s a state trooper. The guy said the local detectives couldn’t get enough evidence to stick and prove that Lawrence Irving was guilty. The suspect who committed the act remained on the run for a week then showed up dead. Obviously murdered. Again, no evidence, nothing that the detectives could use to charge Irving. The trooper friend said that McKay should have died. She came damn close to it.”

  “I can’t believe they didn’t have anyone else who could testify or who knew anything.”

  “There was another woman. Apparently she was a close friend to McKay.”

  “She couldn’t help them?” Johnny asked. He was getting more upset with each detail of Julianna’s experience.

  “Her loyalties lied in other places.”

  “What does that mean, Troy?”

  “She was banging Lawrence.”

  Johnny sighed heavily.

  “My god. What a hell of a thing to go through.”

  “Well, I e-mailed the whole report to you. I also attached the contact number of State Trooper Jeremy Trenton. If for any reason you feel that Miss McKay is in jeopardy, or anyone suspicious comes snooping around, this trooper wants you to contact him. He insisted that no matter how small the suspicion is, that you’re to contact him.”

  “How is a State Trooper involved with this case?”

  “He said he’s a ‘close’ friend of hers. Keep a good eye on her, buddy. She doesn’t deserve any more heartache or pain.”

  “I hear ya. Thanks for everything.”

  “Take care.”

  Johnny hung up the phone and leaned back into the chair. He clicked on the mouse and brought up his e-mails. Closing his eyes a moment, he tried to absorb all the information Troy gave him. Then he read the file from beginning to end. It included her statement after being attacked as well as documented questioning by the investiga
ting detectives.

  Johnny filtered through the documents, reading bits and pieces of information Julianna gave in response to the numerous questions. He felt guilty knowing everything that happened to Julianna. It became clear why she was so afraid and reserved.

  He read her statements and could feel her pain and the betrayal.

  My fiancé…my ex-fiancé, is very resourceful. You’ll find nothing and no one to testify against him. He owns too many people. I should have seen this coming. Should have gotten out of the relationship sooner…but I couldn’t, I was in over my head. Lawrence made it clear that I belong to him, trouble was…he didn’t belong to me.

  No sir. I had no idea he was sleeping with my best friend. Nor did I know or suspect that he was going to get rid of our unborn child.

  No…I don’t think he intended to kill me, too. It was the child he didn’t want. Me…he still wants to own.

  Johnny felt the tears sting his eyes at the hurt, the betrayal and pain Julianna experienced. The guilty feeling for investigating her intensified, and reading her file and learning about her experiences felt sneaky and cruel. These were her secrets, her pain. It all made sense. He thought about the way she avoided him every time they met. How she winced before he went to touch her with fear that he would strike her. He swallowed hard. To think that she was afraid of him and more than likely afraid to trust anyone hurt most.

  No wonder Julianna was so skittish.

  Johnny was angry, and he found himself wondering how he could talk to Julianna and make her see she would be safe in Claire County and safe with him.

  Not even the law could protect her from Lawrence Irving. Johnny’s hatred for the man intensified with each word he read. How could someone so evil, so criminal, evade prosecution?

  Johnny jumped when the phone on his desk began to ring. It wasn’t until the third ring that he was able to bring his mind to the present.

  * * * *

  Julianna stepped out of the truck just as a gust of wind slammed against her face and body. She tried covering her eyes, tried using her strength to move forward, but it was tiresome to say the least. She needed to walk towards Palmer Place, and that direction was against the wind. She damned the weather reporters for their lack of blizzard prediction. If she knew this type of weather was even possible, she wouldn’t have left Claire County today. The news she received gave her peace of mind, but one more day in worry and fear wouldn’t have mattered. Considering the state of her current position, she would have embraced feeling fearful for one more day instead of freezing her tail off.