Protecting Tricia

by Pamela Tyner

  Protecting Tricia

  by

  Pamela Tyner

  Protecting Tricia

  Copyright © 2006, Pamela Tyner

  ISBN: 9781940744889

  Publisher: Beachwalk Press, Inc.

  Electronic Publication: July 2015

  Editor: Deborah Williams

  Cover: Fantasia Frog Designs

  eBooks are not transferable. No part of this book may be used or reproduced without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations in articles and reviews.

  This book is a work of fiction and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, or places, events or locales is purely coincidental. The characters are productions of the author’s imagination and used fictitiously.

  Back Cover Copy

  Desperate and on the run, Tricia is forced to seek protection from a man who betrayed her years earlier.

  After escaping an abusive relationship Tricia Stephens returns to the hometown she left years ago. But when her ex-boyfriend follows her, she needs help in a big way to stay one step ahead of him. Fearful of police involvement and flat broke, she’s still reluctant to accept help from Clint Owens, a man she had a disastrous and humiliating relationship with almost a decade prior. His white-knight-in-shining-armor act doesn’t impress her, even if he does have the full support of her friends.

  The sight of bruises on Tricia’s face is all Clint needs to feel justified in doing whatever is necessary to keep her safe. Although she balks at accepting his help, it doesn’t deter him from his mission. He’s determined to protect her, even if she fights him every step of the way.

  With each passing day Clint’s supportive and caring attitude slowly weakens Tricia’s resolve to keep him at a distance. Still, it’s imperative she remembers that he’s already proven himself to be untrustworthy and capable of betrayal. And she mustn’t forget that domineering side of him that showed itself recently—a side she’d never known existed. It certainly hadn’t been in her plan to trade in one controlling man for another.

  Content Warning: contains sensual sex scenes

  Chapter 1

  Tricia Stephens had never believed in love at first sight. She found the concept ridiculous. That was before she met AJ. The instant she laid eyes on the tiny baby, her heart melted. It didn’t matter that he wasn’t her child.

  She shifted, positioning AJ more securely in the crook of her arm. As he sucked greedily on his bottle, he stared up at her, his little eyes filled with innocence and trust. Tricia couldn’t keep her lips from curving up the smallest degree.

  “That’s the first time I’ve seen you smile since you’ve been here,” Jenny commented.

  Tricia glanced at her oldest and closest friend, who stood at the kitchen counter chopping vegetables for dinner. As she allowed the words to sink in, the only sound in the room was the whack of the knife slicing through the vegetables then striking against the wooden cutting board.

  Jenny was right. It was indeed the first time she had smiled since she’d arrived back in her hometown of Lexington, Oklahoma, a little more than twenty-four hours ago. It was the first time she’d smiled in a long time. And it felt good.

  “I haven’t had much to smile about lately. But AJ’s so precious, I can’t help it.”

  Jenny looked over at her son with an expression so loving and tender, just the sight of it made Tricia’s heart ache.

  “I feel that way every time I look at him too.” Jenny grinned and popped a slice of raw carrot into her mouth before opening a cabinet and removing a frying pan from the bottom shelf. When she shut the door, it immediately popped back open. She pushed against it again only to get the same result.

  Shaking her head, Jenny left the door as it was and placed the pan on the stove. “I swear, no matter how many times Neil fixes that, it won’t stay shut. That’s what you get when you buy a forty-year-old house.”

  Tricia’s gaze moved over the small kitchen. It could use a few repairs. Numerous scratches covered the countertops, a few of them so deep it almost looked like the previous homeowner had gouged them with a knife. The linoleum had seen better days, and the floor creaked every time someone walked across it.

  But the walls and cabinets had a fresh coat of paint. Cheerful yellow curtains covered the one tiny window above the sink. And even with the limited space and baby supplies taking up a good portion of the room, it was tidy.

  More importantly, the room, the entire house, was filled with happiness, warmth, and lots of love. The complete opposite of what Tricia had left behind.

  She fought back the bitterness that swelled inside her, reminding herself that she also held some responsibility for the situation she’d been in. After all, she’d stayed—for three long years—clinging to the irrational belief that things would improve. It had taken an act of violence before she’d finally left.

  Shaking the thoughts from her mind, she looked down to find AJ had drained the last drop of milk from the bottle. She set the bottle on the table and lifted the baby to her shoulder. Leaning back in the chair, she gently patted AJ’s back. She brushed her cheek against his soft, fuzzy head and inhaled deeply, filling her nose with his fresh, sweet baby scent.

  She glanced over at Jenny, wondering if she truly realized how lucky she was. Tricia had thought that by twenty-six she’d have the same things Jenny had—a happy home, a loving husband, and a baby to cuddle.

  Life certainly hadn’t worked out as she’d expected. Then again, she’d made some pretty poor choices along the way.

  But things were going to change for her. This was the beginning of a new life, a better one. She might never have a loving husband and babies, but, at the very least, she’d have dignity and self-respect.

  Jenny looked up, and their gazes met.

  “You going to tell me what happened?” Jenny asked.

  “No.”

  Of course, without Tricia even telling her, Jenny had figured out part of the story, but she didn’t know it all. Tricia wanted to confide the entire truth, longing for the compassion and comfort she knew Jenny would offer. But to do so would mean admitting her own stupidity. She wasn’t ready to do that yet.

  “Okay. When you’re ready to talk about it, let me know.” Jenny returned to her work, transferring the vegetables from the cutting board to the pan.

  That was Jenny. Never pushy, but always supportive. Tricia considered their friendship—one that had spanned over two decades—to be one of her greatest treasures.

  Despite their closeness, after Tricia moved to Florida with Matt, they’d lost contact. It’d been over a year since she’d spoken to Jenny. Nevertheless, when she’d arrived unannounced, in the middle of the night, she’d been welcomed with open arms. Even all those months of non-communication hadn’t diminished the strong bond between them.

  Hinges creaked, and Tricia’s gaze darted toward the back door. If the sight of Jenny’s husband, Neil, walking in the door in the middle of a workday didn’t panic her, his grim expression did.

  Tricia’s hand stilled, coming to rest on the baby’s back. With a sense of impending doom, she waited silently for Neil to speak.

  He remained in the open doorway, his gaze locked with Tricia’s. “Matt’s in town. He knows this is where you’d come. You’re not safe here. You have to leave.”

  Tricia nodded as her heart pounded furiously against her chest. Although she’d tried to convince herself that Matt wouldn’t bother coming after her, her realistic side had known there was a strong possibility he might.

  Matt held no affection for Tricia. That was evident by his contemptuous treatment of her. But as far as Matt was concerned, Tricia belonged to him. He never gave up his possessions, even the ones he regarded as worthless.

  Still, she
thought she’d have more time before he came after her. She needed more time.

  Neil stepped inside the room. When Clint Owens walked in behind him, Tricia felt the blood drain from her face. Clint was the last person she’d expected to see, and he ranked high on the list of people she had no desire to see.

  At one point in time though, many years ago, she’d been foolish enough to imagine spending a lifetime with Clint. It had been almost a decade since she had seen him. During that time his face had matured, became leaner and firmer. His body had filled out, and his shoulders were broader now. Other than that, he hadn’t changed much.

  A black Stetson covered dark blond hair that brushed the collar of his shirt, which was the same shade of blue as his eyes, eyes that could be as warm as the sunshine on a hot summer day or as cold as ice. His expression was blank, his lips set in a thin line. But she knew those lips could quickly and easily curve to form one of the most charming smiles she had ever seen.

  “Hello, Tricia,” Clint said calmly.

  She gaped in astonishment. This man had betrayed her, humiliated her in front of the entire town. Now he actually had the audacity to stand there and speak to her as if none of it had happened.

  “Get your stuff together,” Clint ordered. “You’re coming with me.”

  Confusion swirling in her brain, Tricia looked at Neil in question.

  “I’m sorry. This was the best plan I could come up with. Just go with Clint until Matt leaves town. Once he’s gone, you can come back here.”

  “Go with him where?”

  “To my house,” Clint interjected.

  Tricia’s gaze shot back to Clint. “You can’t be serious.”

  “I’m very serious.”

  “Absolutely not.” Tricia spoke slowly, emphasizing each syllable.

  “You don’t have a choice,” Jenny said, taking AJ from her arms. “If you stay in town, Matt’s sure to find you.”

  “I know,” Tricia said, more sharply than she’d intended. Standing, she rubbed a hand over her forehead and took a deep breath. “I know,” she repeated calmly.

  Matt could show up at any minute. If he was in Lexington, it was for one reason—he suspected Tricia had returned home, turning to Jenny for help. She had to leave, for her own safety as well as that of Jenny’s family. She refused to put them in danger.

  “I’m leaving, but not with him.”

  “Honey, I know how you feel about Clint,” Jenny said. “But I also know he would never let anything happen to you.”

  “The man has already proven himself untrustworthy and capable of betrayal.”

  Jenny shot a glare at Clint and then returned her gaze to Tricia. “Despite that, he’d never let anyone hurt you. Put your feelings aside and be reasonable. You need help and—”

  “I don’t need his help.”

  True, she had nowhere to go, no family to turn to, less than half a tank of gas in her car, and a grand total of three dollars and seventeen cents in her purse, but she’d figure something out. She had to because she had no other choice.

  Actually, she did have another choice, as unappealing as it was. But she’d have to be extremely desperate to agree to this plan. She refused to believe she was that desperate. At least, not yet. There had to be another alternative.

  Clint heaved an impatient breath, and she shifted her gaze to him. His arms were crossed over his chest, and his eyes were filled with determination.

  “We don’t have time for this, Tricia. We need to get out of here. Now.”

  A war raged inside her between the rational part of her and the part that detested the man standing in front of her.

  Rationality won.

  Her options were limited, and, given the situation, she’d be foolish not to accept Clint’s help. At this point, she’d do anything, even join forces with Clint, in order to stay one step ahead of Matt, because if he got his hands on her… She shuddered at the thought.

  As much as she hated to do it, she’d go with Clint. Propping her hands on her hips, Tricia sighed and shook her head in defeat. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I don’t even want to be in the same state as you, but…”

  The rest of the sentence stuck in her throat when Clint’s eyes narrowed into a hard glare, and he advanced toward her.

  In three quick, powerful strides, Clint crossed the room, grabbed Tricia, and threw her over his shoulder. In an instant, the air whooshed out of her lungs, the world turned upside down, and she had a perfect view of Clint’s jean-covered butt. Instinctively, she grabbed his waist to steady herself.

  Her muscles tensed at the feel of his hands on her body. One hand gripped her waist and the other clamped her thigh below the hem of her shorts.

  “I need her keys,” Clint announced as he turned toward the back door.

  Too stunned to react, she simply lay over his shoulder as he began to move. By the time she emerged from her stupefied daze, mere seconds later, Clint had already exited the house and was marching across the yard.

  Outraged at the indignity of being tossed around like a sack of feed, Tricia squirmed and wiggled, trying to escape his grasp. Pausing, he readjusted his hold, tightened his grip, and then continued toward his destination.

  “Put me down!” She beat her fists against his back, but it was like pounding an armored tank.

  He halted, metal screeched, and she was tossed inside the cab of a pickup truck.

  “Get out of my way,” she demanded, struggling to get past the enormous, solid wall of masculinity blocking the door. Since pushing and shoving against him had little effect, she balled up her fist and aimed for his jaw.

  He caught her wrist just before she made contact with her target. “Damn it, Tricia, stop fighting me. I’m not going to let you act stupid and get yourself killed. You’re coming with me whether you want to or not.”

  She took a deep breath and silently ordered herself to calm down. There was no point in fighting this battle since she’d already decided to leave with him anyway. However, there was a huge difference between leaving with him of her own free will and being forced to go.

  Clint’s gaze held hers. “I didn’t want to have to make you come with me, but you’re not giving me a choice.” He spoke quietly, his tone similar to that one might use when trying to calm a frightened child. “This is for your own good.”

  The words sounded eerily like something Matt might have uttered. The thought turned her stomach and infuriated her at the same time. Her anger renewed, she tried to yank her hands away, but he held tight.

  “Stop it. We can do this the easy way or the hard way, the choice is yours. If you continue fighting me, I don’t have a problem restraining you.”

  “Restraining me?” She looked pointedly at her wrists bound by his hands. “Aren’t you already doing that?”

  “I’ll tie you up if I have to.”

  “You wouldn’t,” she gasped.

  “I would.”

  And she suspected he might. She could picture him binding her without an ounce of remorse, justifying his actions as acceptable because they were for her own good.

  The thought of being in such a helpless, vulnerable position frightened her, because she’d be unable to defend herself against Matt.

  “Clint,” Neil said, his voice low, holding a clear warning.

  Apparently Neil had followed them outside, because judging from the sound of his voice, he was very close.

  “I’m handling this, Neil.” Although Clint’s words were directed at Neil, his gaze never left Tricia’s. “Now, are you going to cooperate with me?”

  “Yes,” she gritted out between clenched teeth.

  “Good.” He watched her warily as he decreased the strength of his grip a fraction at a time.

  Once his hold had eased enough, she yanked her hands away. “I was about to agree to go with you anyway when you decided to use force to get your way.”

  “Sure you were.”

  Straightening, Clint turned to face Neil who was stan
ding beside the truck. Neil clutched Clint’s hat, which apparently had fallen off at some point, in one hand, and in the other he held Tricia’s small beige purse. After Clint grabbed the hat and slammed it on his head, he reached for the purse. He unzipped it and pulled out her keys.

  Tricia started to get out of the truck, but Clint pushed her back inside.

  “Stay,” he ordered before slamming the door shut.

  Stay? She immediately got a mental picture of a master ordering a dog to stay, and her blood heated in anger once again.

  * * * *

  Clint tossed Tricia’s keys to Neil and jerked his chin in the direction of a red Chevy with Florida plates. “Get her car out of sight.”

  “Aren’t you going to—” Neil started.

  “I’ll call you when we get out of town,” Clint yelled over his shoulder as he rounded the hood of the truck.

  Right now he had to put as many miles between Tricia and Matt as possible. He’d deal with the other details later. They’d already wasted too much time.

  He yanked the driver’s door open and climbed behind the wheel. Suddenly realizing he still held Tricia’s purse, he tossed it on the seat between them and dug in the pocket of his jeans for his keys. Seconds later, he tore down the driveway, raising a cloud of dust behind them.

  “My car,” Tricia protested.

  “Neil will bring it out later.”

  “But there’s no need. I can take it now.” She looked at him, her brow wrinkled in confusion. Then the wrinkle disappeared and understanding dawned in her eyes. “You don’t trust me to follow you.”

  “Exactly.” Reaching the end of the drive, he took a right and headed out of town.

  “I told you I was about to agree to leave with you anyway.”

  Clint glanced at her and lifted a brow. “I don’t want to go anywhere with you. I don’t even want to be in the same state as you,” he said, repeating her words. “Yeah, that sure sounds like you were about to agree to come with me.”

  Tricia released a frustrated breath, crossed her arms over her chest, and stared out the windshield. Judging by the expression on her face, she was fuming inside. But she’d get over it. And if she didn’t, that couldn’t be helped. So what if she hated him? She’d hated him for years. At least she’d be alive to hate him.