It had all worked out for the best but Sawyer remained bitter toward Shelby. He didn’t know why. Habit maybe. Or self-defense?
“Hello Miss Porter and the sheriff too! I haven’t broken any laws, I hope.” The shop’s owner, Lisa, came toward them chuckling at her own joke. “What can I do for you?”
“Shelby needs a dress for the Harvest Dance and it can’t be black.” Dolly grunted as Sawyer settled her into a large comfortable chair near the dressing room.
Lisa eyed Shelby critically. “That shouldn’t be too much of a problem. I suspect you’re hiding a good figure under whatever that is you have on. It looks like a flock of sheep. Give me a sec. I’ll see what I can find.”
Shelby tugged at his elbow. “What?” He couldn’t look her in the eye. Thanks to Lisa, Shelby Porter’s body pinned beneath him on his bed was now stuck in his mind.
“We have a problem,” said Shelby, her voice tight.
“We don’t have a problem.” He moved away from her. “You have a problem. What was Dolly on about just now? Why would I ask her blessing?”
“Don’t freak out. Just promise me that whatever she says at lunch today you will not freak out.” She feigned interest in a rack of women’s clothing. “Because here’s the thing. Dolly thinks you’re going to ask me to marry you.”
Sawyer choked, caught between rage and helplessness. The desire to wring her neck was strong, but equally strong was the desire to bury his face against that neck. “No, no, no! Shelby, this has gone far enough. I can’t ask you to marry me over lunch!” he whispered.
“You’re freaking out and I said don’t freak out. There is no need for panic. We’re not getting married obviously. Just pop the question. We’ll have a long engagement and then we’ll break up. Problem solved.”
“So I get to be the guy that’s dumped twice?”
“You can dump me. We’ll make something up—like we had irreconcilable differences.”
“We do have irreconcilable differences—you’re insane and I’m not! We can’t pull off an engagement. You don’t like me enough to fake it for that long.”
“I like you, Sawyer.” She blinked at him, owl-eyed behind her glasses.
Sawyer waited for the sarcastic follow-up, for the qualification that would put them back on the same footing. There was none. Porter liked him. He didn’t know what to say.
“Shelby?” Lisa was watching the two of them, her eyes moving from one to the other. She held up a clingy mauve dress. “What do you think of this one?
Shelby slipped around Sawyer and snatched it up. “It’s perfect! I’ll take it.”
“Don’t you think you ought to try it on first?”
“It’s my size. It’ll fit perfectly and I have complete confidence in your fashion sense.”
Bewildered, Lisa took up the credit card Shelby had tossed on the counter. “All right. Give me a minute to ring it up.” Lisa slipped the dress into a bag and swiped the card. Sawyer could feel the woman’s eyes on him while they waited for the machine to approve the purchase. “Sheriff, was there anything I could help you with?”
“No thank you, Lisa. I’m just keeping Shelby and Aunt Dolly company. Got everything, ladies?” He helped Dolly to her feet.
Shelby nodded and grabbed up the bag as Sawyer hustled the three of them out of the store. He was a single man. He just had to be within fifty feet of a woman to start a rumor. From the glint in Lisa’s eye, this visit with Shelby would be circulated the minute they left the shop.
“We need to talk,” Sawyer muttered when they were outside on the sidewalk. First he helped Dolly to her chair and then dragged Shelby out of Dolly’s eyeshot. “You asked me to come to lunch as your date, that’s all I signed on for. Telling Dolly I’m going to marry you is wrong on so many levels. You’re going to have to set the record straight.”
“She’s impossible.” Shelby chewed her lower lip. “She’s doing this on purpose. I’ve told her—you think I haven’t told her? She knows, oh, she knows all right. She’s just hearing what she wants to hear, as usual. If you think you can set her straight, be my guest. This I have to see.”
She looked like she was serious but before he could respond, Dolly piped up.
“I meant to tell you before. You don’t need to buy a ring, Sawyer.”
He met his godmother’s eyes in confusion. “A ring?”
“I have your mother’s engagement ring. I think that would be a better choice and it’s what your mother would have wanted. You have no idea how happy you’ve made me. My two favorite people on this earth have fallen in love with each other and are going to get married!”
Shelby answered his stare with shrug. “Go on. Tell her. I’ll be standing right here. Backing you up all the way.”
“I must say though, I’m very annoyed with both of you. You must have known how pleased I would be with this news. I would have thought you’d take my feelings into consideration,” Dolly added primly, “seeing as I’m the mother of the bride.”
Shelby winced and looked away. Sawyer stood in front of his godmother, trying very hard to think of something to say that would slow her down and yet not break her heart. “We are doing the best we can, Dolly, but this thing is moving a little too fast for us both at the moment.”
“I was rather surprised,” Dolly continued, oblivious, (or else pretending to be—Sawyer was beginning to see Shelby’s point), when you didn’t give Janice your mother’s ring. It was Barbara’s wish that you to pass on to your wife.”
“Janice wanted something new.” His resolve to set Dolly straight was crumbling. Now it was his mother’s ring he’d be rejecting on top of the future his godmother had her heart set on.
“Are you all right, Sawyer? You look like you’re going to pass out. No wonder! Look at the time! Shelby, we’d better get lunch on. Poor Sawyer is starving. He’s gone completely lifeless.”
“All righty then. Home it is.” Shelby shot him a dirty look and gripped the handles of the wheelchair with all the enthusiasm of prisoner of war.
*
TWENTY MINUTES later, Sawyer was deposited into their large bright living room furnished almost exclusively in chintz. While Shelby fiddled with the wheelchair, Dolly vanished down the hall to the kitchen at the back of the house, chattering about the menu.
Sawyer glanced around him. The room hadn’t changed much over the years. After his mom died, he and Ryan used to practically live with Dolly. Her living room and kitchen were as familiar as the farm’s. Sawyer relaxed a little. For some reason, he’d imagined Shelby taking over the place with black light posters and weedy plants.
“Make yourself comfortable. I’m going to give Dolly a hand in the kitchen. She’s a pretty good cook but if she isn’t wearing her glasses, god knows what we could wind up eating.”
Sawyer settled on the sofa near the window. It was strange there was very little of Shelby Porter in the cheerful clutter, at least of the Shelby Porter he knew. But Sawyer realized he didn’t know that much about the owner of the Gazette. Like everyone else in town, he only knew her by reputation. The boycotts and pickets Shelby instigated were to get attention; of course. It never occurred to him that she might actually believe in what she was fighting for. She’d been a tree hugger as far back as high school. The old Gazette ran a story about a group of students led by Shelby Porter chaining themselves to trees. He was in college at the time and didn’t pay much attention to the antics of the local high school students but there was a black and white photo of Porter’s young passionate face staring defiantly into the camera. After graduation she left town to study journalism in New York City and Sawyer thought she was gone for good. There didn’t seem to be anything in Mandrake Falls for a girl like Shelby Porter.
Shelby obviously thought differently because she came back, bought the struggling Mandrake Falls Gazette and settled in with Dolly. There was some head-shaking when she put out her first paper, an irreverent mix of gossip and investigative stories, astrology and how-to columns, bu
t the papers were snapped up and she increased distribution by one hundred percent in her first year. The Gazette now rivaled the big city papers in sales in the county.
“I’m grateful to anyone who is willing to take my niece on for life,” Dolly was saying as she entered the room. Sawyer got to his feet. “I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“I can hear every word, Dolly!” Shelby shouted from the kitchen. “Just because you’re deaf, doesn’t mean I am.” She emerged, looking overheated carrying a stack of plates and cutlery in her arms. She dumped them unceremoniously on the gleaming oak table in the dining room. “Lunch is served. We’ll eat here.”
Sawyer took Dolly’s arm, escorting her to the table.
“Just soup and sandwiches, I’m afraid,” Dolly told him apologetically. “There wasn’t time for more. She sort of sprang you on me. Between her unpredictability and poor cooking skills, you’ll have your work cut out for you!”
“If I’m so hard to live with then why are you so eager to see me married off?”
“I think you’ve answered your own question, my dear.”
Sawyer smothered a grin. Banter was the last thing he expected from these two very dissimilar women.
Shelby buttered a roll and said coolly, “You’re absolutely right about my faults, Dolly. I think I need more time to mature before I get married, to get the bugs worked out. Like a beta test.”
Dolly gazed at her adopted niece with sly admiration. “You’re good. You almost had me with that one, but your time to mature has elapsed, darling. It elapsed seven years ago. Now it’s time to get married.”
“What’s the rush?” Shelby dropped her knife with a clank to her plate.
“A person with your temperament will wind up alone if we don’t move fast and land you a husband while you’ve still got your looks. She’s almost thirty; did you know that, Sawyer?”
Sawyer tried to look surprised. “No, I did not. Shelby told me she was twenty-six.”
Shelby kicked him under the table, her pointy cowboy boot connecting painfully with his shin. “I think I said I felt twenty-six, muffin.”
“Shelby appears to be more confrontational than she really is,” Dolly rambled on, oblivious. “It’s that newspaper of hers. She never has anything nice to say about anyone. It’s a scandal how she picks on people. I don’t know if you’ve noticed.”
“Oh, I’ve noticed. Ryan and I have both felt her wrath, haven’t we, sweet cheeks?” He was rewarded with a noise of disgust. “But I know it’s nothing personal,” he added, dutifully parroting what he’d been instructed to say. “Shelby is passionate about Mandrake Falls and fiercely protective of it. Although, that passion sometimes blinds her to the facts in a case.”
“A tempest in a teapot,” Dolly snorted. “Nothing is going on except in Shelby’s imagination.”
“Hah. You couldn’t be more wrong, old lady. Pass me your bowl.”
“Do you hear how she talks to me?” Dolly complained as Shelby ladled split pea soup into her bowl. “But, tough as she thinks she is, I worry about her. Shelby is so busy protecting the town and me and the Gazette—who is protecting her? Lord knows she doesn’t look out for herself. Did you know she fell into a pond last night while investigating a lead? Anything could have happened to her!”
“Could’ve, but didn’t,” Shelby said abruptly. “So let’s drop it.”
Sawyer’s gaze drifted from his godmother to Shelby’s slightly flushed face with her hidden eyes. Her skin was cream, glowing in the sunlight streaming in through the dining room window; a pale pink hue blushed her cheeks. She was pretty, he realized. Sexy, yes—she had a great body. But she was also pretty. Shelby served up the soup, ignoring them both.
“Dolly has a point,” Sawyer said, remembering last night’s adventure. “You’re fearless when someone or something you love is at risk but that makes you vulnerable. You might not like it but I’m going to stick pretty close to you from now on.”
Shelby choked. “That’s a bit of an over-reaction, don’t you think?”
“Well, I don’t think so,” Dolly chimed in. “Knowing Sawyer will be watching out for you means the world to me. And don’t you worry about her liking it. Shelby wants nothing more than to be stuck with you. Now, don’t you try to deny it,” Dolly barked, wagging her finger at Shelby who had stilled, soup ladle in hand, a look of quiet horror on her face. “She’s been in a fog all day and I know why,” Dolly trilled. “It has something to do with the fact she didn’t get home until daybreak.”
Shelby dropped the ladle to the soup pot with a thick splat.
“That’s a new color in your hair, isn’t it, Dolly?” said Sawyer. “Did Darlene do that to you on purpose? It’s very ... different ... from your usual color.”
Dolly patted her red curls delicately and dimpled at Sawyer. “I practically had to beg her, if you can believe it. That girl has no imagination. I was going to have it done for your wedding this summer but then the whole thing was called off and I had my spell and Shelby wouldn’t let me do anything fun until I got my strength back. I still have the wedding invitation though.”
“They aren’t reusable, Dolly.” Shelby stuffed a crusty roll with slice of cheese into her mouth.
Dolly gave her a pained look. “I was only thinking it must’ve been a shock for poor Sawyer, with Janice changing her mind like that. He is bound to be confused and lonely.” She eyed Sawyer expectantly.
“She wants to know if you’re on the rebound,” Shelby said, addressing Sawyer around a mouth full of cheese sandwich.
“I’m not.”
Shelby turned to Dolly. “He’s not. Now mind your own business.”
“You are my business,” Dolly beamed. “Butting into your life became my life’s work and chief joy the minute I signed your adoption papers.”
Jealousy pricked him. Sawyer reached for the last roll and forked a couple of slices of ham to his plate. “Why does Shelby call you ‘aunt’?” It was something he’d wondered about for years. It never seemed she had the right to claim kinship.
Dolly eyed him quizzically. “Shelby hasn’t told you?”
“I haven’t had a chance,” Shelby cut in. “Dolly said she was too old to be anyone’s mother when Social Services dropped me off on her doorstep so I called her Aunt Dolly.”
Dolly laughed. “I had my name on a foster parents’ list for many years before I got Shelby but I was usually passed over because of my age and I was single. Luckily for me, a judge in family court decided that an old single lady was just what Shelby needed.”
“He was right.” Shelby winked at Dolly.
“How did your parents die?”
“I’m not sure. It happened when I was quite young. How’s the soup?” She shifted her eyes to the food, making a big fuss with her napkin.
Sawyer watched her. In spite of her nervousness and the camouflage of her glasses, her eyes were glowing warm brown in the low afternoon light. “This is nice,” he said and realized he meant it. He’d missed Dolly and her simple meals of cold cuts, crusty rolls and soup. In the dark days after his mother’s death, he and Ryan would come over after school to do their homework which always led to eating dinner at Dolly’s oak dining table. She fed them knowing their father wouldn’t. Sawyer had learned to love her and depend on her.
And then Shelby came along.
“Well, I’m glad you’re enjoying it,” Dolly was saying. “I would have prepared something more substantial if I’d known what a momentous occasion this was. I was completely unaware of your relationship until last night, or rather I should say, early this morning. You could have knocked me over with a feather. Good thing I was in bed already.” She laughed at her own joke.
Sawyer probed cautiously. “Shelby and I want to keep a low profile, Dolly. I know you have expectations but it’s too soon after Janice to be talking about giving any woman my mother’s ring. I hope you won’t be disappointed if we ask you to keep this between the three of us for awhile.
Shelby is in good hands, you don’t have to worry about her. The main thing is to regain your strength so you can walk her down the aisle when there is a wedding.”
He sat back, pleased with himself and shot Shelby a glance. There. That’s how it’s done, lightweight.
Dolly scratched her cheek with a long fingernail that was painted to match her hair. “Oh, I see. I confused things didn’t I? I do that a lot lately. I’m a silly old woman, Sawyer. I should’ve known it was good to be true that you went from hating each other to wanting to get married. Regaining my strength ... yes ... we’ll get me feeling better in time for a wedding ... if there is a wedding. I’ll try not to get my hopes up. I’m sorry.”
Shelby looked at Sawyer, stricken. Sawyer felt like he’d kicked a puppy whose only crime was being happy to see him. Dolly’s skin pallor had positively grayed. The effect on her spirits was too extreme to ignore or chalk up to dramatics. For whatever reason, his godmother was genuinely invested in Sawyer and Shelby having a future together. He wasn’t willing to risk her health by contradicting her a second time.
“Of course there’s going to be a wedding.” Sawyer forced enthusiasm. Lying was a sickening business. “It’s not too good to be true—it’s pretty reasonable if you think about it. Shelby and I have known each other our whole lives. We’re loyal to Mandrake Falls. We love you. Sure, we have our professional differences but we never hated each other. Isn’t that right, Shelby?”
“Absolutely correct. I’ve always liked Sawyer, Dolly.”
“Just like? Not love?” Dolly peered at them genuinely bewildered. “It’s nice that you like each other but you need true love to marry. What’s going on?”
Lie For Me: Autumn (Mandrake Falls Series Romance Book 2) Page 8