by Jenny Penn
Tara turned to face Killian, who sat there watching them with a narrowed gaze. Tara knew Rachel was his girlfriend, knew, too, that he was dying of curiosity, but she didn’t take pity on him. She just nodded and turned to walk away.
She’d given her statement. What the sheriff did now was his problem. Tara’s problem was her family, and she intended to send them a very loud message.
* * * *
“You can’t do this, Alex,” Bryant insisted desperately. He was in a panic that neither Cal nor Alex seemed to care about.
“It’s already done, Deputy Black. Miss Winters has given her statement, and it is being considered,” Alex shot back. “Now stop whining and get the hell out of my office.”
Bryant growled at that, half tempted to take the argument up a level, but that wouldn’t have served any purpose. Alex could be a stubborn son of a bitch, and he had all the authority in that moment. Continuing to cuss and carry on wouldn’t be changing his mind, but Bryant knew who would be⎯Tara.
He wanted to have a few words with her.
“Fine.” Bryant turned on his heel and stormed toward the door, but Travis hesitated for a moment before following him.
“You know this is bullshit,” Travis stated simply as he held Alex’s gaze for a moment. “And if you know that, then you know this is a setup and you should be looking for the man that actually roughed up Tara’s ex. If you find him, then she wouldn’t have to be in this position.”
Alex frowned and nodded. “I know, and I’ve already got somebody on it, and it’s not you. Understand?”
Alex directed that at Bryant, who snorted. “Trust me, Richard is not the one I want to have a word with.”
With that, he wrenched open the door and stormed out to find out Tara had already taken off. According to Killian, she’d gone looking for Rachel. That couldn’t be good. Rachel Adams was one of the local reporters for the newspaper. Whatever Tara wanted her for had to be stopped. That was all Bryant knew. Travis, though, needed some direction.
“Where are we going?” Travis asked, even as he fell in step beside Bryant.
“To find Tara and put a stop to whatever crazy thing she’s planning on doing,” Bryant shot back as he cut across the street and headed for the local newspaper offices.
“And what crazy thing do you think she’s planning on doing?” Travis pressed as he matched Bryant’s fast pace.
“How the hell should I know?” Bryant snapped. “Do I look crazy?”
Travis snorted at that. “A little.”
Bryant ignored that taunt, focusing his whole attention on tracking down Tara. He did finally find her back at the Bread Box and surrounded by troublemakers. Rachel, Heather, Hailey, and, worst of all, Patton were gathered around Tara at the counter. Even Travis knew that spelled danger.
“Oh hell,” Travis muttered. “We’re in for it now.”
He had that right.
“Yep.” Bryant nodded before taking a deep breath and booming out a greeting that startled every woman clustered around Tara. “Good afternoon, ladies.”
Guilty looks flashed in his direction as a quick chorus sounded from the group, from everybody in the group but Tara. She turned around on her stool and met Bryant’s hard look with her own. It was clear she was ready to duel.
“Excuse me, ladies.” Tara slid off her stool. “But I believe the deputies and I need to have a private word.”
With that and a quick smile, Tara turned and marched right past Bryant and Travis to push out the bakery’s front door. They were on her heels in an instant, remaining silent and seething as they followed her around the shops lining Main Street and into the alley that led to her apartment door. None of them said a word until they’d finally made it back into the loft and Travis had slammed the door closed behind them. It had barely hit its frame before Tara was lighting into them.
“What the hell were you thinking this afternoon?” she demanded to know almost instantly as she tossed her purse onto the rumpled pile of pillows still mounded in the middle of the main room.
“Us?” Bryant shot back with equal outrage. “What the hell were you thinking? Do you know what you did?”
“I gave a statement!” Tara’s hands fisted on her hips as she glared defiantly back at Bryant. “I told the truth…unlike you.”
“No, what you did was put yourself in harm’s way,” Bryant countered, not concerned in the least about the flare of anger he could see burning in Tara’s cheeks. “Now you’re on record as sleeping with two men, and what do you think your uncle is going to do with that?”
“Don’t you worry about my uncle,” Tara retorted, a smile that was pure evil pulling on her lips. “I’m going to take care of him…and the rest of the family.”
“Oh God,” Travis groaned as he started at her renewed alarm. “What did you do?”
“You’ll see.”
“Tara⎯“ Bryant began, only to be cut off.
“You’ll see,” she repeated with stubborn firmness before pointedly changing the direction of the conversation. “Now, I hear you are in love with me, and I want to know if it’s true.”
Tara said that so matter-of-factly, as if she were completely unaware of the effect her question had on both him and Travis. They hadn’t discussed it. They hadn’t even ever mentioned it. They didn’t have to. The truth was there between them, shown in all the ways that mattered.
That wasn’t enough for Tara. She wanted the words.
“Well, do you?” she pressed, the insecurity sounding in her tone and all but breaking Bryant’s heart.
“And if we do, do you?” Travis asked, drawing a frown from Tara.
“I might,” Tara allowed slowly.
“Then we might,” Travis countered. “Can’t you tell?”
Tara’s frown hardened for a moment before she sighed and licked her lips. “Fine. I’ll go first. Bryant, Travis, I think…I’ve fallen in love with you.”
“You think?” Bryant lifted a brow as he snickered at that qualification.
“Okay, so I am,” Tara admitted with a sharpness that belied her confession. “And you?”
Travis and Bryant exchanged looks before breaking into twin smiles and turning back to Tara.
“With all our heart, sunshine,” Bryant vowed.
Travis took it up a notch. “And once we settle this silliness with your family and Richard, we’re going to put a ring on that finger and a baby in that belly. Then you’re never going to be able to escape us.”
Tara blinked, obviously shocked by his words, but then she broke into a shy smile. “Well, we could always get to work on those babies right now.”
Bryant shot her a smile, his hands already falling to his belt buckle. “You can count on that, sunshine.”
Epilogue
Wanda leaned back in her side of the booth, amazed at the frankness of Tara’s story. She hadn’t left too many details out but had left some things unanswered. The first one, most forefront in Wanda’s mind, was the obvious.
“And now you’ve won your competency case.” Wanda eyed Tara’s smug smile and knew there was more to that story. “Do you mind if I ask how?”
Tara hesitated for a second and then shrugged. “Patton took me to see a woman named Lana and convinced her to help.”
“Lana?” The only Lana Wanda knew was the one who used to run things out at the Cattleman’s Club. She had a feeling that was the Lana Tara meant, given the twinkle in her eye.
“You could say she made sure that justice was served.”
“You mean she gave you the dirt on a judge,” Wanda clarified, earning another shrug from Tara. The other woman didn’t need to say anything. Her smile said it all. “Now what?”
“Now?” Tara pursed her lips and gave her answer all of a second’s consideration. “Now I’m going to live happily ever after with Bryant and Travis.”
“Yeah?” Wanda didn’t doubt that, but neither did she think her happy future was really what had Tara all but glowing.
Wanda knew that look. She’d seen it often enough on other people’s faces. Tara was plotting something, and Wanda could easily guess her target and the weapon Tara planned on unleashing on her uncle. Tara wasn’t talking, though, and that left only one person to get answers from. Rachel.
“If that’s all,” Tara began as she reached for her purse, “I have a private celebration to go plan for my two deputies when they get off duty.”
“I’m surprised they weren’t at the courthouse with you,” Wanda commented.
“The sheriff made them work.” Tara smirked. “I think he wanted to keep them out of trouble if things didn’t go my way.”
“They didn’t know the deck was already set, then.”
Tara laughed at that. “A woman has to have some secrets.”
“You mind if I ask you about one?” Wanda got out before Tara could slide completely free of the booth. Tara hesitated, lifting a questioning brow but not answering. “Do you think your uncle killed Gwen Harold?”
Tara considered that long enough for Wanda to assume she wasn’t going to answer, but finally her head began to shake. “No. He might be a greedy bastard, but why pay her off, kill her, and not take the ring back? He’s not that stupid.”
Wanda couldn’t disagree with that.
THE END
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
I live near Charleston, SC, with my two biggies (my dogs). I have had a slightly unconventional life. Moving almost every three years, I’ve had a range of day jobs that included everything from working for one of the world’s largest banks as an auditor to turning wrenches as an outboard repair mechanic. I’ve always regretted that we only get one life and have tried to cram as much as I can into this one.
Throughout it all, I’ve always read books, feeding my need to dream and fantasize about what could be. An avid reader since childhood, as a latchkey kid I’d spend hours at the library earning those shiny stars the librarian would paste up on the board after my name.
I credit my grandmother’s yearly visits as the beginning of my obsession with romances. When she’d come, she’d bring stacks of romance books, the old fashion kind that didn’t have sex in them. Imagine my shock when I went to the used bookstore and found out what really could be in a romance novel.
I’ve been working on my own stories for years and have found a particular love of erotic romances. In this genre, women are no longer confined to a stereotype, and plots are no longer constrained to the rational. I love the anything-goes mentality and letting my imagination run wild.
I hope you enjoyed running with me and will consider picking up another book and coming along for another adventure.
Jenny
For all titles by Jenny Penn, please visit
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Siren Publishing, Inc.
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