The First Time I Saw You

by Lorhainne Eckhart

She shrugged. “He did, but I made it very clear this time we’re done and not to bother me.” There, drop it. Let’s move on.

  “Did you see a lawyer yet and get a restraining order on him? If he’s harassing you now at work, you’re going to have grounds.”

  The screen door popped open again, and Gabriel stepped out with a glass of ice water and a bottle of beer. Her eyes went right to him. He handed her the bottle.

  “Kind of wanted to talk to you about that, Dad,” he said, obviously having overheard. “Your lawyer…”

  Elizabeth took the beer and wished she could be anywhere but there. Didn’t they get it? She didn’t have dollars to toss to some lawyer.

  “Marlene Abelman. You call her?” Andy said.

  Elizabeth wasn’t sure what she saw in the exchange between father and son, so she lifted her beer and took a swallow.

  “Was going to get Elizabeth in there for a sit-down so she can find out her options.”

  “Right, for a free consult,” Elizabeth said before this could go any further and she had committed to something she couldn’t possibly afford. “There won’t be anything happening after that. Told you my funds are limited. My priority is my daughter.”

  “As she should be, but Marlene will still give you some help,” Andy said. “Gabriel, give her a call first to make sure she sets aside time.”

  Elizabeth found herself glancing from father to son, feeling as if things were being taken care of and handled for her. She’d be told where to go, where to sit, and who to talk to. Then there was Blake, the sheriff, whose eyes she could still feel on her. She glanced over to him, and holy crap, he wasn’t even smiling. It was as if he’d already figured out her pathetic history and was trying to judge what kind of trouble she was.

  “You know, none of this may be necessary anyway, since my brother is planning on going over and having a talk with him,” she said. Now why would she say that? Maybe because she was hoping for them all to stop talking about it and acting as if they were going to step in and fix her problems.

  “But if I recall correctly, you said your brother could end up getting hurt if he did.” Gabriel was giving her everything in that intense gaze, the way his eyes appeared to darken. He shrugged, and of course he was waiting for her to say something.

  “Hurt? Why would he get hurt?” the sheriff said. “Is there something I should know?”

  Elizabeth stared at Gabriel, who didn’t seem to get the fact that she wanted all this talk of her ex to die away so they could…what, have an uncomfortable dinner with people she didn’t know?

  “Yeah, uh, Elizabeth said MM had put someone in the hospital. Marty mentioned it too. Thought you were going to talk to your brother, put a stop to him going,” Gabriel said.

  Andy was watching her as she squeezed that bottle of beer with both hands.

  “I left him a message,” she said. “Talking to my sister, Ruby, too…”

  The screen door squeaked. “Hey, did you say your last name was Abercrombie?” Jeremy poked his head out and looked at her.

  “Uh, yeah.”

  He gestured into the house with his thumb. “Well, the news is on, and your daughter said something…”

  “Mom! Mom!” Shaunty yelled, pushing out around Jeremy. “Uncle Marty and Aunt Ruby are on the news!”

  “What? Why…?” She glanced up to Gabriel, wondering if the horror she felt was reflected in the way she stared at him.

  Jeremy was still holding the door open. “Some fight broke out at a bar, and three people were arrested,” he said.

  She opened her mouth to say something, but all that came out was air.

  “Blake, maybe you can find out what’s going on,” Andy said.

  The sheriff went in the house, and Elizabeth stared at Gabriel and his father. Her daughter was looking up at her, and the only thing she could say was, “I’m sorry.”

  Chapter 18

  “I’m so sorry,” Elizabeth said again from the passenger seat of his pickup.

  Gabriel knew she felt horrible, and this was at least the fourth time she’d apologized for what she perceived as ruining dinner. “Stop apologizing already,” he said. “This isn’t your fault. You’re not responsible for any of this.”

  They were approaching the sheriff’s office, where Blake would already be, since he’d left as soon as he saw the news. They’d learned that Marty, Ruby, and MM had all been arrested for the shitstorm they’d created at the Waddling Pig, a bar where not a week went by that the cops weren’t called in.

  “It is my fault, Gabriel. Seriously, whatever happened, Marty and Ruby were only there because of me, and now what must your parents think? I really don’t think I should have left Shaunty with your mom.” She wiped her hands over her face, and he could see how quickly she was heading to the point of thinking the worst.

  “Elizabeth, first, Shaunty is better off with my mom at the ranch. You really think dragging her along to the jail is an ideal situation? My parents would never offer to watch her if they didn’t mean it. Second, you don’t know why they were arrested, no one does, which is why we’re on our way there now. So take a breath.”

  She swept back the long dark waves of her hair, seeming rattled, before she nodded and worried her lip. “Okay, I get what you’re saying, and you’re right, of course. She’s not better off being dragged to the jail, but I’m starting to feel as if I’m taking advantage of your parents, of you. Here you are now, driving me into town, when you should be at your parents’, having dinner. This is my problem, not yours. This is just too much, Gabriel. And as far as my brother and sister are concerned, though I may not know the exact details, I do know they had every intention of tracking MM down for me and getting him to leave me alone and stop his unruly behavior.”

  He could hear the tension in her voice. When he glanced in his rearview mirror and saw his dad’s pickup right behind him, he didn’t think he should mention it to Elizabeth, considering how acute her embarrassment still was. They’d all gathered around the TV in the family room when it showed the recap of her sister, brother, and MM being led out of the bar handcuffed and stuck in the back of two cop cars. Their names had even flashed across the bottom of the screen.

  “Elizabeth, it’s not lost on me how you have a hard time asking for help. You need to stop apologizing. I’m not sure how many times I can say it to you. Of course I’m coming, and Blake is already there. He’ll assess the situation, find out the real story, whatever that is, and then we can go from there. No point panicking until you know what the situation is. And for the record, mom loves kids, and Shaunty will have a great time with my brothers and sister.”

  Sarah was in her teenage years, at an age where she loved babysitting kids, and Zachary would ignore her, of course. Jeremy would probably have her idolizing him. Regardless, his mom had insisted that Shaunty stay, even though she hadn’t had the chance to get to know Elizabeth other than a quick hi and bye as her siblings were being arrested and paraded out of a bar on live TV.

  “Why are you doing this, Gabriel, being so helpful and a gentleman? You should just walk away, you know, because we barely know each other. Do you have some expectation of me? Because I just don’t get it.”

  For a second, he didn’t know what she meant as he pulled in front of the sheriff’s station. Blake and Brandyne’s minivan was parked out front, and he pulled in beside it. His dad parked his truck on the other side, and he took in the moment that Elizabeth spotted him and he shoved his truck in park and turned the key.

  He wanted to reach out and shake her when the meaning of what she’d said sank in. “You know what, Elizabeth? You must have a pretty low opinion of me and men in general if you think I have some expectation of you. From how you said it, you must think me some kind of dog, that I’d…what, think you owe me something because I’m doing the right thing and—” He stopped talking before he could blurt out that he cared about her. Right about now, he didn’t think she wanted to hear it, or maybe she couldn’t hear it. “The
thing is, Elizabeth, you’re beating yourself up for something someone else is doing, and you’re not responsible for the actions of your brother, your sister, or the guy you were involved with. The only person you’re responsible for is you. So if you don’t mind, how about we go in, find out the score? Then we’ll table this little discussion for later and I can figure out why you seem to think I should just kick you to the curb.” He knew it had come out sharper than expected, and with an edge of anger. Maybe that was why she pursed her lips, yanked her door open, and stepped out to where his dad was now standing, waiting. He said something to her that Gabriel couldn’t make out.

  By the time he went around the front of the truck, his dad was already walking up the six concrete steps, Elizabeth following behind him. Gabriel fell in beside her, seeing how tense she was. His dad held open the door for her, and he didn’t have to say a word to Gabriel; his gaze said everything about how he too had picked up on Elizabeth’s state of mind. Blake was behind the front desk in the bullpen of the office, talking with a deputy who’d spotted them. Another was on a phone at the back along with an older woman with graying hair.

  “Come around,” Blake said, waving them in. “Was just getting all the details of what happened.” He handed a file to the officer, and Andy stepped through the gate and gestured for Elizabeth and Gabriel to follow. He took in the deputy now answering the phone as Blake led the way into his office. It was busy today, and he didn’t spot anything that gave him any idea where Elizabeth’s siblings and ex could be stashed.

  “So where are my brother and sister?” Elizabeth asked as they stepped into the office.

  Blake shut the door. Andy rested his hands on his hips and was watching Elizabeth, who was standing straight, her chin lifted. Gabriel was starting to see how she held everything so close to her to keep everyone from seeing her vulnerability. That tough exterior that was so damn independent was starting to crack.

  “In lockup right now after a fight broke out at the bar. The owner called us in. Seems there was quite a disturbance—some chairs broken, glasses shattered…”

  “Marty and Ruby did that?” Elizabeth interrupted. Gabriel could see the horror on her face and at the same time the annoyance on Blake’s because she wasn’t letting him finish.

  “Elizabeth…” Gabriel said and rested his hand on her shoulder, which was so tense. He let his hand slide away when she lifted both of hers and tossed him an uneasy glance. He didn’t miss the exchange between his dad and Blake.

  “Not necessarily,” Blake said. “It was a disagreement, I understand, with this ex of yours. The two confronted him over by the pool tables, and no one is saying who started what, but by the time my deputies got there, Ruby and Marty had MM pinned down, and they’d made quite a mess.”

  “You’re telling me my sister and brother had MM on the ground and not the other way around?” Elizabeth started laughing, and he wasn’t sure what to make of it.

  “So are charges being filed against them?” Andy asked.

  Elizabeth touched her forehead and then pulled her hand away as if she couldn’t believe what she was hearing.

  “Well, that’s up to the owner of the bar, but see it from his point of view: He’s tired of the fights and damage that keeps coming out of his pocket, even though that place has been a thorn in my side for years, and it attracts everyone bad. No surprise that the three of them are now barred from returning, considering the ongoing trouble there. From the witnesses, it sounds as if your brother and sister were the ones who started it.” Blake settled his gaze on Elizabeth, while Andy dragged his hand over his chin and the whiskers there.

  “I want to see them, Marty and Ruby, please. Are they hurt?” she said.

  Blake didn’t say anything for a minute as he stared at her with his heavy gaze, the one Gabriel always felt uncomfortable under. “No, everyone seems to have escape unscathed, other than being sore tomorrow, some scraped knuckles, and likely a shiner for that ex of yours. I guess what’s going through my mind is why? MM is volatile, yet your siblings go and start something? I don’t like this kind of shit going down in my county, and there isn’t a week that passes where my deputies aren’t called to some disturbance at that bar.”

  Blake had his arms crossed, perched on the side of his desk, and Gabriel could feel how Elizabeth still believed this was all on her.

  “You know what, Blake?” Gabriel said. “She’s just asking to see her sister and brother, that’s all. I know all too well what comes at you with the likes of MM, and although, as I said to Elizabeth, we don’t know all the details, she’s just asking to see them, to see if they’re okay. I know they were concerned over MM’s constant interference, turning Elizabeth’s life upside down, showing up where she lives, where she works. They felt the need to do something, which is only right, because you know as well as I do…”

  “Fine, I get it,” Blake said. He gave a sharp nod and then walked around the desk to pick up his phone. “Can you bring the Abercrombies up?”

  Andy angled his head, and Gabriel thought a hint of amusement touched his lips as he looked from him to Elizabeth.

  “No, both of them,” Blake said, then hung up the phone.

  Elizabeth still hadn’t said anything but was now staring down at her hands, fussing with them. Another nervous habit, he thought.

  “You kind of didn’t answer about charges for any of them,” Andy said, and the exchanged glance between him and Blake was unusual. “Because, you know, bringing them up here for a talk when I’m pretty sure they’ve been mirandized, and not having a lawyer…”

  “I’d like to talk to my brother and sister alone,” Elizabeth interrupted, lowering her hands. Her eyes seemed to flash with fury as if she’d figured out that her siblings could be in jeopardy with Blake around to listen.

  There was a tap on the door. Then it popped open, a deputy in the doorway, and Gabriel spotted Ruby with a red mark on her face, her auburn tank ripped at the side. Marty was behind her and didn’t appear to have a scratch on him until he saw his hands. His knuckles were scraped and red as the bruising started to set in. Neither looked happy.

  Elizabeth lifted her chin and let her gaze land on the sheriff, Andy, and him. “Thank you, but I’d appreciate it if you’d all give us a moment to speak alone.” She crossed her arms as if ready to stand her ground, and Gabriel took in Marty and Ruby, who were standing just inside the door.

  Blake nodded to the deputies. “Fine, I’ll give you a few moments,” he said, and he started to the door and walked out. Andy followed and turned back to him.

  “You know what? No,” Gabriel said, looking straight at Elizabeth. “I’m staying.”

  Andy seemed to understand, because he closed the door, leaving Gabriel with Elizabeth and her siblings. Gabriel took in the odd exchange between Marty and Ruby and the fact that Elizabeth seemed far from happy.

  Chapter 19

  Elizabeth hugged her sister. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Oh, Ruby, what were you thinking, going in there, going around him?”

  “I’m fine. It was actually kind of fun, you know,” Ruby said, but Elizabeth noticed she had winced and gripped her shoulder. She took a closer look, seeing the telltale signs of bruising. At the same time, she was rattled because Gabriel was refusing to leave. This wasn’t okay, and she couldn’t turn around and look at him.

  “You’re hurt! Seriously, did they bring a doctor in for you?”

  Her sister was shaking her head and made a face. “No. Don’t you worry none about that. I told you I’m fine, just a little sore, but I’ll be fine by tomorrow.”

  Elizabeth glanced up to Marty, who was watching Gabriel. “Marty, what were you thinking? Why would you two start something with MM? You know how volatile he is. Did you go looking for him?”

  She took in the way Marty shifted his gaze back to her from Gabriel, and she could see the uncertainty, as if he was deciding on something.

  “Hey, he’s done enough, Lizzie, and you and that niece of mine are
done having to move and run because he won’t leave you be. You have a nice place now. Gabriel, it warms my heart to see you here with my sister.” Marty actually gestured between them. It was a guy thing, she thought, but she couldn’t look back to see how Gabriel responded. She stared in horror, taking in the way Marty gave Gabriel a nod as if they had talked and decided and were on the same page about her. So she turned to her sister.

  “And you…I asked you to talk to Marty about staying away from MM, and here you are instead, doing what but tagging along with him and not keeping him away from trouble!”

  Ruby laughed. “Funny thing about that. Marty here has been looking for MM for how long, and he wasn’t at that dive of an apartment you shared with him, or at work, or any of the usual hangouts. It was kind of on a whim that we stopped in at the Waddling Pig…”

  “And there he was,” Marty finished. “This was after we had ordered a pitcher of draft to discuss how we can fix your life so you can move on with prince charming here.”

  She took in the way her sister smiled past her, and now she wished the floor would open up and swallow her. She wondered how wide her eyes were as she stared daggers at her sister. “Ruby, seriously…”

  “And there he was, hanging with a couple of lowlifes around the pool table with a girl hanging off his arm, very much together, kissing and laughing, doing shots,” Marty interrupted.

  “He hasn’t changed,” Ruby said. “We just watched as he carried on, and we’re like, it’s time we have a talk to him and set him straight about messing with the Abercrombies. So I was the one who walked over there. Marty was still at the bar, watching, and MM didn’t see me at first. I had to tap his shoulder while he was lip-locked to that mousy thing, with a huge rack that was stuffed in a tank two sizes too small, a ton of makeup, and didn’t look like much for brains. He turned, giving me that asshole smile as if we were long-lost kin or something.” Ruby picked at the tear in her shirt before crossing her arms.