Protecting Tricia

by Pamela Tyner

  Clint shifted, braced his forearms on his thighs, linked his fingers together, and stared at the floor. “I don’t know what to do.”

  “Don’t do anything. Let me handle this my way. Actually, I think this whole situation might work to my advantage. I’ve been thinking that maybe I should talk to Matt. Offer to make a deal with him—he leaves me alone, and I agree not to go to the police.”

  Clint jerked his gaze to hers and stared at her like she had gone insane. “And you actually think he’ll agree to that?”

  “I don’t know, but it might be worth a try.”

  “Absolutely not,” he said firmly.

  “It’s my decision to make.”

  “I’m making it for you.”

  She looked away and clenched her jaw. What was it about her that made men think they had the right to order her around? Maybe it wasn’t the most brilliant idea, but desperate times called for extreme measures. At the very least the idea was worthy of consideration. And whether or not to follow through with it was her choice.

  “But I will agree not to talk to David about this—for now.”

  Clint’s words jerked Tricia from her thoughts. She looked back at him and exhaled a silent sigh of relief. Had he decided to speak with David, there was little she could have done to prevent it.

  “Thank you.” Her words were spoken softly. So softly that even to her they were almost inaudible.

  A look of surprise crossed Clint’s face. “Yeah, well…” He paused as if searching for words and then said simply, “You’re welcome.”

  * * * *

  Late Friday afternoon, Clint stood on the back deck, brushing a generous portion of barbeque sauce on the pieces of chicken that were stacked on the grill. He lay the brush down and stepped back. The heat from the grill combined with the warmth of the day made the temperature almost unbearable. He lifted his hat and swiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

  When the back door opened, Clint looked over to see Neil walking outside carrying two beers. Clint smiled gratefully as he replaced his hat on his head and accepted the bottle Neil held out to him.

  “Thanks.” He twisted the cap off and took a long swallow of the cold liquid.

  “I brought in Tricia’s bags.” Neil dug in his pocket, pulled out a set of keys, and tossed them in Clint’s direction. “She’s not going to be happy about you having those.”

  Clint shoved the keys in the pocket of his jeans. “She’ll get over it.”

  Neil leaned against the railing of the deck. “So, how are things going?”

  Clint shrugged. “She isn’t exactly thrilled about the situation.” Which was a huge understatement. “But she seems to have accepted it.”

  “To be honest with you, I was a little worried. When you left the house she looked mad enough to scratch your eyes out.” He gestured toward Clint with the bottle. “I’m glad to see you still have them.”

  “Oh, she wanted to scratch them out. She still hates me.” The admission squeezed his heart, but he shook off the feeling.

  Clint turned the pieces of chicken and brushed on some more barbeque sauce. The smell of the roasting meat and the hickory flavored sauce filled the air, and his stomach rumbled in response.

  “What did you expect, Clint? Did you think she was going to welcome you with open arms?”

  “No. But it’s been eight years. Eight years. That’s a long time. I thought her anger might have diminished a little by now.”

  “Please,” Neil replied with a laugh. “Women have long memories. Twenty years from now she’ll still be pissed at you, and I hate to say it, buddy, but can you really blame her?”

  “I guess not,” Clint muttered. While the chicken sizzled on the grill, he dropped down into a chair.

  “And besides, what do you care if she hates you? That doesn’t matter to you, does it?”

  Clint shrugged and took a swallow of beer.

  “I mean, in all the years the two of you have been apart, you never once asked about her. You knew she kept in touch with Jenny, but you never even asked Jenny how she was doing.”

  But he hadn’t had to ask. All he had to do was wait. Sooner or later Jenny always brought up the subject of Tricia. And by waiting for her to volunteer the information rather than asking for it, he saved himself from looking like a lovesick fool.

  “So, the fact that she hates you really isn’t a problem,” Neil continued.

  “Right.” Except it was. He hated knowing she thought he was slime. Hated the fact she had to force herself simply to tolerate him.

  “She’s safe, and once Matt leaves, she leaves. As long as she’s not scratching your eyes out in the meantime, everything’s fine.”

  Clint nodded. “Any news about Matt?” he asked.

  “Heard he’s asking everybody he sees if they’ve seen or heard from Tricia. As a matter of fact, he asked me just today.”

  Clint’s head jerked up. “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I’m telling you now. When I got to work this morning, he was waiting in the parking lot.”

  “Are you sure he didn’t follow you here?”

  Neil sighed. “For the tenth time—I’m sure. I was very careful.”

  Clint took a deep breath and ordered himself to relax. Of course Neil had been careful. Neil knew as well as he did the consequences of allowing Tricia to be located by that maniac.

  “What’d Matt say to you?” He was pleased when the question came out calm, almost boarding on casual.

  Neil shook his head. “Man, he had his story all worked out. Had an explanation for everything.”

  “Oh yeah?”

  “Said he and Tricia had a disagreement, and she got upset and left. Asked me if I knew where she was. I told him I didn’t have any idea, I hadn’t seen or heard from her. He said if I did see her that she might have some bruises because when she tried to leave he grabbed her arm—just to talk to her—and she yanked back and in the process fell and hurt herself.”

  “Do you think he believed you when you said you hadn’t heard from her?”

  Neil shrugged. “Don’t know. He told me he’s staying out at his brother’s and to let him know if I hear from her. Said it’s important he talk to her.” Neil paused, took a drink of beer, then stared Clint straight in the eye.

  Shit. Clint hated when Neil did that. When he paused and looked at you intently, it was his way of saying brace yourself for what’s coming next.

  “Tell me,” Clint demanded.

  “Claims she’s pregnant. Said that’s why it’s so urgent he speak with her and straighten all this out.”

  Clint’s heart stopped working. He was sure it actually ceased beating for several seconds. And he forgot to breathe. He forced himself to inhale.

  Good God. Could things get any more complicated?

  If she was pregnant, it would make it more even difficult for her to get free of Matt. Sharing a child with her would give him yet another hold over her. As the father of her child, he would have rights. Along with a court system that would allow him to pursue those rights over and over again. Clint knew firsthand all about the long, expensive, legal processes involved with family court.

  As much as Clint wanted to believe Tricia wasn’t pregnant, it might explain some things. Like why she’d put up with Matt for years and then suddenly decided to walk away. Maybe it was a pregnancy that had finally given her the incentive she needed to leave.

  “What do you think?”

  Clint looked over at Neil. He blinked and shook his head. “Sorry. I wasn’t listening. What did you say?”

  “I suggested giving Matt a false lead. Telling him Tricia called, and she’s in New Orleans or something.”

  Clint considered it for a moment, then shook his head. “He wouldn’t buy it. Tricia has no money. He thinks she’s gone somewhere where she knows someone who’ll help her. He thinks she’s in Lexington.”

  “Exactly. So, knowing that she’d be aware of that, he might believe she’d go somewher
e else.”

  “Maybe. But I’m not sure he’d believe that you would willingly tell him where to find her.”

  “I never had any cross words with him.” Neil shrugged. “Of course, I wasn’t exactly friendly toward him either. But I could play up the whole pregnancy angle. You know—I’m a father too, I couldn’t imagine not knowing where my kid was…and so on.”

  “Let’s wait him out for a while. Did he say how much longer he planned to be in Lexington?”

  “I asked. He said he wasn’t sure.” Neil walked over to the grill and poked at a piece of chicken with a fork. “Unless we’re going for Cajun style, I think this is just about done.” He transferred the meat to a plate, turned off the grill, and headed for the door. “You coming?”

  “Yeah.” Clint stood and followed Neil inside.

  The table was set and filled with side dishes—corn on the cob, mashed potatoes, gravy, bread. Neil sat the platter of chicken on the table. “Where’s AJ?” he asked.

  “Sleeping,” Jenny replied. “Sit down. We just need to pour the drinks, and we’ll be ready.”

  Clint was tempted to ask for a whiskey but decided against it. He needed to have a clear head for the conversation he intended to have later with Tricia. Apparently, she was still withholding information from him. And damn it, if he was going to help her, he had to know everything.

  Everyone took a seat, and dishes were passed around the table. As they ate, Jenny and Tricia chattered. Every once in a while Neil added a two-word sentence to the conversation. But Clint didn’t speak a word. He just watched and listened, amazed at the transformation in Tricia. She was relaxed, friendly, smiling. She seemed like a different woman.

  Since he’d re-entered her life, she certainly hadn’t offered him any of those beaming smiles. There’d been no friendly conversations, no warmth…but there had been a kiss.

  A kiss which had occurred for no purpose other than evading attention by a police officer. Even though Clint knew the reason behind the kiss, it didn’t change the fact that when she’d pressed her soft, sweet lips against his, desire had surged hot and heavy through his body.

  At the time he’d been too stunned to respond, and he’d cursed himself numerous times for it. If he could do it over again, he’d pull her close, dip his tongue…

  “Clint, you’ve been awfully quiet,” Jenny said.

  Shoving the sensual thoughts from his mind, Clint glanced in Jenny’s direction. “Don’t have anything to say.”

  He looked down to see his plate was empty and decided he must be through, although he hadn’t tasted a bite of the food. He pushed his chair away from the table, reached in his pocket for a cigarette, and lit it up.

  Jenny frowned. “When did you start smoking again?”

  “Recently.”

  Jenny shook her head. “And you were doing so well.” She wiped her hands with her napkin and pointed a finger in his direction. “You know, that’s really bad for your health.”

  “Yeah, I know. But sometimes you do things even when you know you shouldn’t.” The past few days were a prime example of that.

  Jenny tossed her napkin on the table and turned her attention to Tricia. “I need to check on AJ, and then I’ll help you clean up.”

  “Clint, I’ll help you outside,” Neil said.

  Confused, Clint looked at him.

  Neil leaned closer to him and lowered his voice. “Either we go outside and pretend to be busy, or we stay in here and take a chance of getting drafted into washing dishes.”

  “Now that I think about it, there are some things that need to be done outside.”

  Neil grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “I thought maybe there were.”

  Clint and Neil stood and headed for the door.

  “Hey,” Tricia called out.

  Both men stopped and turned to face her.

  “I’m going to tell Jenny.” The words were a threat, the tone firm, but the teasing glint in her eyes gave her away.

  Neil chuckled. “No, you won’t, ’cause you’re too nice to squeal on me,” he said as they continued outside.

  Clint cleaned the grill, and they walked out to the corrals where they watched the horses graze in the pasture. After an hour, they decided it was probably safe to return. When they stepped inside the house, they found Tricia and Jenny in the kitchen.

  Tricia held AJ against her shoulder, stroking his back with a gentle, steady rhythm. The baby had his hand balled into a fist which he had stuck into his mouth, and he was sucking on ut as if it were the most delicious thing in the world. AJ looked very content. Tricia looked…very maternal. Clint’s stomach clenched at the thought of her carrying Matt’s child.

  “You ready to go?” Neil asked Jenny.

  “Yeah.” Jenny picked up AJ’s diaper bag, took the child from Tricia, and they all walked to the door.

  “Where are my car keys?” Tricia asked Neil.

  Rather than answering, he jerked his head toward Clint and continued on outside. “You take care,” Neil told her.

  “Be careful,” Jenny added.

  “You too,” Tricia replied.

  Clint closed the door and locked it. When he turned around, Tricia was standing in front of him with her hand held out, palm up.

  “I want my keys,” she demanded.

  “I’ll hang on to them for a little while.”

  She propped her hands on her hips and glared at him. “What?”

  “I said I’ll hang on—”

  “I heard what you said,” she hissed. “Why?”

  “Because you don’t need to be taking off.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “Where would I go?”

  “I don’t know, Tricia. Maybe you’d go to see Matt, try to make a deal with him. Or maybe you’d just leave altogether—with no money and nowhere to go.”

  “That’d be pretty stupid, wouldn’t it?”

  “Yes, it would be very stupid. But right now you’re not thinking rationally, so until you are, I’ll hang on to your keys.”

  “That’s my property, and you have no right to take it,” she said between clenched teeth, fury blazing in her eyes.

  “You’ll get it back eventually.”

  Tricia scrubbed her face with her hands and emitted a frustrated growl. Without another word, she turned and headed down the hallway.

  “Tricia.”

  She spun around to face him. “What?” she spat out.

  He crossed his arms over his chest and braced himself for her answer. “Are you pregnant?”

  Chapter 5

  Tricia gaped at Clint, shocked at the question he’d tossed her way. Where in the world had he gotten that idea?

  “What?” she sputtered.

  “Neil talked to Matt today. He claims you’re pregnant.”

  “Neil talked… Jenny didn’t say a word about it.”

  “Maybe Neil didn’t tell her.” Clint stared directly into her eyes, almost as if he would find the answer to his question there. “Are you pregnant?”

  “No, I’m not.” She shook her head as everything in her body shuddered. The thought of being pregnant with Matt’s child chilled her soul.

  “Then why do you suppose he said you are?”

  “I don’t know.” Her mind searched for an explanation. What possible motivation would Matt have had for telling Neil something like that? “Maybe he thought if he told Neil that, then Neil would be more likely to tell him where I am.” A pretty lame answer, even she realized that, but it was the only possible reason she could come up with.

  “Maybe.”

  There was a tone in his voice she couldn’t quite identify. Was it uncertainty or simply disbelief?

  “Are you sure you’re not pregnant?” Clint asked.

  “Yes,” she hissed. Grabbing the hem of her shirt, she tugged it up, baring her tummy for his view. “Do I look pregnant?”

  He looked down at her stomach. “No, you don’t.” His gaze returned to meet hers. “But that doesn’t mean
you aren’t.”

  “I’m not,” she snapped as she shoved her shirt back down. Rubbing a hand over her forehead, she struggled to calm down. “What else did Matt say?”

  “Not much. He didn’t say how much longer he’d be hanging around, but he did tell Neil he wanted to speak with you and straighten things out. Apparently, he’s worried about his child growing up without a father.”

  “There is no child.”

  “How can you be so certain? Even if you used protection, sometimes it fails. That’s a fact I know firsthand.”

  “For the last time, I am not pregnant.”

  Tricia turned on her heels and headed down the hallway and into the bedroom. She gave the door a powerful fling behind her. When she failed to hear the slam that should have occurred, she looked back to find the door wide open and Clint leaning against the doorjamb.

  “Get out of my room,” she ordered.

  “Actually, it’s my room,” he replied, his tone mild. “And we’re not done yet. You know, if you are pregnant, then it’s a whole different ballgame. There’s going to be lots of other things to consider, and you might need to rethink your strategy for dealing with Matt.”

  “Well, since I’m not, I don’t need to worry about it.” She planted her fists on her hips and glared at him, but he didn’t budge an inch, just stood there staring her down. “I can’t believe you’re taking Matt’s word over mine. Matt. You said yourself you know what he’s like. He’s deceitful, underhanded, and he lies so much he can’t even distinguish a lie from the truth anymore.”

  “You have to admit that a pregnancy would explain a lot.”

  She threw her hands up in the air. “What on earth would it explain?”

  “You stayed with the man for years, and all the sudden you decided to leave. A pregnancy might have given you the push you needed to do that.”

  “No. What gave me the push was his fist slamming against my jaw. Along with the realization that if I stayed with him much longer, I could end up in prison.”

  He stared at her silently, an unreadable expression on his face.

  “Basically you’re calling me a liar.” Why it stung, she hadn’t a clue, because Lord knew, she had been called worse. “What do I have to do to convince you I’m telling the truth? Do you want me to take a lie detector test?”