by Lee Rose
* * * *
Ryan hung up the phone with a confused look on his face, then he realized he was sleeping alone tonight. “Ethan!” he yelled out angrily.
He walked to the outer room where his three deputies were still working. Helen, his secretary, had already left for the day. “Because of you I am without my fiancée for the night.”
Ethan looked up from the paperwork he was doing at his desk. “Huh?” he said as he looked up puzzled, his mind still on the report he was filling out about Mr. Harris’s missing cows. Whenever Mr. Harris got lonely his cows would suddenly go missing and this time it was Ethan’s turn to go visit with the elderly man.
“I just got a call from a very drunk Lacy who is over at Liz’s house and they are calling you all kinds of names,” Ryan explained with a frown, glaring at his deputy and folding his arms angrily across his chest. “What did you do to Liz? Lacy is staying the night with her.”
Logan Wilson, who was eavesdropping, started laughing loudly. “I always told you to hang out less with Gabe and more with me if you want to impress the ladies, Ethan.” Logan had a reputation as a ladies’ man. He went out on a lot of dates but never got serious with one woman.
Gabe threw a balled-up piece of paper at his younger brother Logan and hit him on the arm. “Hey, I can do just fine with the ladies if I want to. I just don’t want the headache or drama that comes with them.”
Ethan glared at both of them so they could shut up. He had already been feeling guilty over his conversation with Liz earlier in the day. Now he felt worse. Ryan glared at him. “You are now on Lacy’s shit list. She not only called you names but you are no longer her friend,” he said, shaking his head sadly at Ethan as if feeling sorry for him.
Ethan winced and ran his hands over his face and leaned back in his chair. What a mess he made out of the talk he had with Liz. This was why he stuck to one-night stands and lately not even that. “I’m sorry, Ryan. I am attracted to Liz physically but she is not my type. She is classy, rich, and soft. Everything I’m not. I’d only end up disappointing her and breaking her heart. I was trying to avoid all the drama that comes with that. Besides, isn’t she dating that Peters guy?” he asked, not really wanting to hear that she was. His heart was telling him that Liz belonged with him but then his head would say, remember Diana and how awful that turned out?
Ryan looked at him squarely in the eyes and shook his head at Ethan in disappointment. “How do you know what Liz needs? Did you take the time to get to know her or did you just judge her by her appearance? There’s a lot I can tell you about Liz but I won’t. If you’re really not interested in her there is no point. But I will say this. Elizabeth Daniels is no snob and she is a good-hearted woman and no, she had one date with that jerk Peters and didn’t like him.”
“You should know better than to judge someone because of how they look,” Gabe interrupted Ryan, giving his own advice to Ethan. Not all women were like Ethan’s ex-wife. “How many times have we been judged harshly by our outer appearance and thought it unfair? I know you are thinking of your marriage. You and Diana were both young and Diana was selfish and spoiled. It would never have worked no matter how hard you tried. No matter how much you lay the blame on yourself for the failed marriage you have to admit Diana was hard to please and you need to let go of the past, my friend. It’s been eight years already. Don’t let it ruin your future.”
Ethan sighed, leaning back in his chair and feeling worse. Liz’s earlier words were echoing in his head. He did judge her by her looks and he knew better than that. He should have asked her out on a date that night and gotten to know her as a person. He had been wildly attracted to her yet he rejected and hurt her. He had met and married Diana when he was twenty-five. He had still been in the army but home on leave. It had been a quick courtship. Diana had been unhappy with everything. No matter how hard he tried to please her, it was never enough. The marriage lasted a year and a half, and he regretted ever going into it in the first place. Maybe the real problem, he admitted to himself, was that he was scared to risk his heart again. He and Diana had had nothing in common and everyone told him that, but his young, idealistic self only saw the physical attraction and labeled it love.
Logan stood up, chuckling at Ethan’s dilemma. Ethan sat at his desk looking bewildered and unsure of himself. Logan liked keeping his relationships easy and light with no deep feelings. That way he never had these kinds of headaches. “I’ll drive by Liz’s place and make sure everything is quiet over there with the girls.”
Ryan nodded. “Please do. They are both drunk and who knows what kind of trouble those two could get into if someone messed with Liz’s store tonight,” Ryan said as Logan walked out the door still chuckling.
* * * *
Lacy and Liz stayed in the living room since they were comfortable. Liz had lent her some silky pajamas and they were lying on a pillow-covered floor with the lights dimmed low, talking about what they missed about living in big cities.
“Pizza deliveries.” Lacy smiled, rubbing her stomach and wishing she had pizza.
“Chinese food.” Liz sighed, thinking of food, too. “Yummy!”
“The bright lights of downtown,” Lacy added.
Liz opened her mouth but before she could say anything they heard glass breaking. They sat up with wide, scared eyes and grabbed each other’s arms. “Is that a window breaking?”
Lacy nodded and stood up nervously looking around for weapons, wishing the self-defense lessons had started already. “Please tell me you keep a weapon here.”
Liz shook her head but picked up the phone just in case. She opened her front door and heard more glass break. How dare someone vandalize her business. In her anger she forgot all about Ethan’s lecture about not investigating alone. They snuck down the stairs quietly, both of them scared, but the wine had taken away their ability to think logically.
“What is it with my luck lately? I’m not the only business in town, yet someone picks on my store,” Liz whispered to Lacy, trying her best to be quiet. “It’s just too much.”
Lacy felt a little wobbly on her feet and very scared, memories of another night invading her mind, but she was willing to be brave and help her friend. “Maybe it’s not random, Liz. Wait, we can’t go in there. We have no weapons.”
Liz giggled softly, still feeling tipsy. “Let’s hit him over the head with the phone.”
Lacy rolled her eyes but joined in with a smile. “Okay or we could use our ninja skills.”
Liz snickered and covered her mouth with her hands so she wouldn’t make noise. “Quit making me laugh, Lacy, or I’ll have to pee.”
They crept toward the front door. It was open slightly and the small window had been broken so a hand could fit in there and unlock the door. Liz gasped, putting her hands on her hips in an angry pose, her anger winning over the fear she had just felt a few minutes before. “Now I’m mad! Someone broke another window.”
Liz opened the door slowly so it wouldn’t creak. It was dark inside the store and she couldn’t see if someone was in there. She was about to call the station when a car pulled up and they both tensed for a second and stood still.
They turned to see Logan getting out of his jeep and let out the breath they were holding in.
“You ladies okay?” he whispered, looking them both over and seeing they were unharmed.
“Logan, you scared the crap out of me,” Liz whispered back, still mad someone was messing with her store again but also relieved she and Lacy were no longer alone. “Someone broke in. I don’t know if they are still in there or not.”
Lacy smiled at Logan, putting her hand up to her rapidly beating heart. “Logan, my hero. I am so glad to see you!”
Logan grinned widely at Lacy, seeing the fear in her eyes and then at Liz who looked mad instead of scared. “Finally, someone who appreciates me.”
He hugged Lacy tightly.
“Quit flirting, Logan, and go get him before he steals something or breaks more of
my stuff,” Liz told him, pointing to the open door of her shop. “I have a lot to say to this jerk when you catch him. My insurance company is not going to be happy with me.”
Logan nodded. “I called it in as soon as I pulled up and saw you two ladies standing there. We wait for backup. I am not leaving you two unprotected,” he said firmly. “Ryan would kick my ass.”
Lacy knew her fiancé had probably panicked with Logan’s call. “Please tell me Ryan went home already.”
“Sorry, sweetheart,” Logan answered and was interrupted by the squealing of tires and doors slamming. “The cavalry has arrived.”
Ethan got out of the jeep with Ryan. Ryan ran frantically toward Lacy, pulling her out of Logan’s arms. “Darlin’, are you hurt?”
Liz envied the way Ryan looked Lacy over for injuries. He obviously loved his fiancé very much and had been worried. He took off his jacket and put it over her, noticing her silky pajama pants and camisole. “What in the hell are you wearing, Lacy? You can’t be walking around town half naked,” he said, outraged at her attire, looking around and blocking her as if a crowd of people was there staring at her.
Liz snickered quietly behind her hands but Lacy answered, rolling her eyes at Ryan. “I’m not walking around town half-naked. There is a thief in the store, Sheriff, so quit worrying about my wardrobe and go do something.”
Ethan, who had been standing quietly to the side, pulled out his revolver. “I’m going in through the front. Logan go in the back.”
Logan nodded and ran toward the back of the building while Ryan led the two girls to the side where Liz’s apartment stairs were. “Go wait inside, girls. I’ll go get you when it’s clear.”
Liz shook her head but before she could protest Ethan came out, putting his gun back in his holster. “It’s empty.”
Logan came around from the back of the building. “Back door was wide open. He must’ve heard us talking and we scared him off. I checked inside, Liz. Looks like he didn’t have time to touch anything.”
Now that the excitement was over, Lacy remembered that Ethan had hurt Liz’s feelings and looked angrily at Ryan, her hands on her hips. “Why did you bring him and not Gabe. You know Liz and I are mad at that snake, that—”
Ryan chuckled and covered her mouth. “Baby, you can’t go around insulting my deputies. I’m sure there’s a law against it.”
Lacy bit his hand and he let her go. “Watch me!”
“Ow! I can arrest you for assault, you little hell cat,” Ryan told her, shaking his hand in pain. Liz started laughing and ran over to Lacy, hugging her and loving her friend for defending her honor. But she didn’t want Lacy getting in trouble with Ryan.
“It’s okay, Lacy. I plan on ignoring Ethan,” Liz said, shivering with the cold now that the fear was over, and glared at Ethan furiously.
Ethan figured it was better to stay quiet and not antagonize the two drunken women in their present mood. He took off his jacket and wrapped it around Liz’s shoulders despite her protests without saying a word. This was becoming a habit.
Lacy interrupted them by groaning and holding her stomach. “Ryan?” she whispered. “I think I’m going to be sick.” She ran to the side of the building by some bushes and started throwing up.
“Jesus, Lacy, how much did you drink?” Ryan yelled but gently held her hair up for her.
Logan, Ethan, and Liz winced with the awful sounds Lacy was making.
Liz looked at Logan, avoiding Ethan’s gaze. She had to remember she was mad at him and not get lost staring into his sexy eyes. “Why is someone picking on me? This can’t be random, can it, Logan?”
“It looks like someone is targeting you, Liz. Who have you made mad lately?” Ethan answered even though she wasn’t talking to him.
“You,” she answered haughtily and turned back toward Logan who was laughing at Liz’s attitude toward Ethan. Logan was enjoying the byplay between his two friends and couldn’t wait to see the moment Ethan realized he had feelings for the petite beauty.
Ethan glared at Logan. He was so tempted to pick Liz up and take her upstairs to her bedroom. Her defiance and snappy remarks provoked and aroused him. He had plenty of ways to make her shut her sassy mouth.
“Listen, Deputy, my head hurts and I’m freezing. I think we are done here for the night. Just do your job and get this guy before he costs me a fortune in window repairs,” she said firmly, stomping off away from him. She was very upset with Ethan still and wasn’t in the mood to deal with his attitude.
Ryan came back, holding Lacy against him looking very pale and sick. “You’re staying with us tonight, Liz,” Ryan said firmly. ”I won’t take no for an answer.”
Before she could protest Lacy looked at her and pleaded with her. “Please, Liz, I’m scared for you and I don’t want you to be alone.”
Liz sighed and agreed. She didn’t want to stay alone anyway.
Ethan felt relieved that at least for tonight Liz would be protected. Tomorrow he would try to talk to Liz and apologize. He was realizing he had been wrong to judge Liz. He hadn’t stopped thinking or dreaming about her since the Halloween party and he had to know once and for all if something could develop between them or not.
Chapter 5
“Shush, people, talk quietly.” Lacy groaned, leaning her head on her hands. She sat at the diner, trying to drink coffee even though her stomach protested at the thought.
Stella was standing next to them listening to Liz’s account of what had happened last night. She patted Lacy’s back soothingly. “Poor Lacy, you and Liz had quite the exciting night, I hear.”
Liz frowned and nodded, drinking her coffee and thinking about yesterday. What a day it had been, from her argument with Ethan to the break-in at her store. She now had to deal with a possible stalker. Her days were getting better and better. What happened to peace and goodwill and all that? Didn’t stalkers take a break for Christmas?
Ryan had dropped Lacy and Liz off at the diner before going to work. After finishing her coffee, Liz would walk over to her store and open up. She had been telling Stella all about their crazy night.
“I can’t believe someone in this town would do that to you, Liz. Everyone likes you,” Stella observed, shaking her head in confusion and looking concerned. “What are you going do? Maybe you should close for a few days and give Ryan and the guys a chance to catch this crazy guy.”
Liz shook her head then regretted it when her head hurt. “Ryan promised to get this creep soon and the deputies are driving by often to check on me. I’ll be okay, Stella. This creep is not ruining my business. I’ve worked too hard to build it up.”
Ally came out of the kitchen with aspirin for Lacy, who had stayed quiet. She chuckled when she saw Lacy leaning her head on the counter and groaning. “Put me out of my misery, Ally, please and I’ll never drink again.”
Ally laughed softly and made her take the aspirin with her coffee. “I’d have a headache, too, if I got an hour-long lecture on the dangers of drinking first thing in the morning.”
Stella laughed out loud then lowered her voice when Lacy winced. “Sorry, I take it Ryan is not too pleased with your little party. Wish I could’ve been there.”
Lacy mumbled something that sounded like “no.”
“I got a good hangover remedy for you girls. Raw eggs, Tabasco sauce, and Alka-Seltzer in a blender with some cold coffee. Works every time,” Henry, Ally’s assistant cook and longtime friend offered, rubbing his hands together and looking eager to make his hangover cure.
Liz got up in a hurry, finishing her coffee. “Thanks, Henry, but I feel better already. Got to get to work. It’s a busy season for me.”
“Coward,” Lacy muttered under her breath so Henry wouldn’t hear her while Stella and Ally laughed.
Liz just smiled and waved and left out the door before Henry made his concoction.
* * * *
The morning passed slowly. A few customers wandered in doing Christmas shopping despite the dropping temperatur
es. At lunchtime Gary walked in. “Good morning, Elizabeth,” he said cheerfully, looking perfect as always. She wondered if he even owned jeans and T-shirts.
“Gary, what are you doing here?” she asked with a sigh. She really wasn’t in the right frame of mind to deal with Gary, not today. She was tired and her head hurt.
“I’m on lunch,” he answered, leaning on her counter and giving her a charming smile. “It’s been a very busy week at the bank with the holiday season, but I made time for you.”
When she didn’t reply he kept on talking. “I heard from Stanley you had some problems with a vandal. That’s just awful. I have a Christmas party at work tomorrow night. Come with me so we can have time to talk. Stella will be there,” he offered gallantly, as if offering her the world.
Liz looked at him. The man was persistent, that was for sure. He obviously had not heard the word no very often. It would be easy to say yes to one more date, but she didn’t want to encourage him.
“Gary, I’m sorry. You are a nice man,” Liz lied, but she didn’t like to hurt people’s feelings. “I don’t think it’ll work between us, so maybe you need to put your efforts into someone else,” Liz said softly. He may be self-centered but she would do her best to be polite as her parents had taught her to be.
He looked puzzled as if she had lost her mind. “Of course we will work out. We both have money and sophistication. There is no one else in this pokey little town like us. We belong together. Darling, you are Roger Daniels’s daughter and my family owns the bank. I don’t understand why you are being so stubborn. We could go far together. If you insist on having a hobby, then you can open up your little boutique in any city.”
Did he just say her store was a hobby? Liz took a deep, calming breath, feeling her headache come back with full force. “Gary, I have made up my mind already. I love it this town and I’m not moving.”
His mouth tightened with aggravation. “Fine, you are obviously upset so I will leave for now, but this isn’t over!” he said angrily and walked out the door, slamming it hard, and Liz winced at the loud sound.