Drifter's Darling (Culpepper Cowboys Book 12)

by Merry Farmer

  “I’m beginning to wish I’d never met that rat,” she sighed, taking the basket from Evan and marching past him toward a main aisle.

  “See, this whole drifting thing has its uses after all,” he added, trying his hand at making a joke.

  She sent him a rueful sideways look. He met it by taking her hand, letting her know it would be okay. And here he was, thinking she was the one who would make him feel better about things. Maybe she needed to get out of Culpepper to get away from a few things too. Maybe this ex-Andy-lawyer-jerk was a burr in both of their boots. Maybe the mountains around Laramie was the best idea anyone had had all month.

  They headed up to the front of the store to pay for Elvie’s purchases. As they waited their turn, Elvie said, “You know, if you are a thief and if you get caught and go to jail, I’m sure going to enjoy those conjugal visits.” Her eyes lit up, and she bit her lip.

  A decidedly non-PG shiver shot down Evan’s spine and into his groin. “I think maybe I should go back to the pharmacy section and pick up some protection,” he murmured.

  To his surprise, the guy behind him in the line plunked a box of condoms on the conveyor belt along with the rest of Elvie’s purchases. “I was picking these up for a rainy day, but it looks like it’s raining for you right now,” he said with a chuckle, then left the line, presumably to go back for more.

  Evan blushed such a deep red that he didn’t think he would ever recover from the embarrassment of it all. Elvie was bright pink with laughter herself, holding a hand over her mouth to keep from bursting out. Evan would have put the condoms back or asked the cashier to take them out of the order, but she’d already rung them up and put them in a bag. It seemed a little too much like a teaser of things to come.

  He tried to decide if he minded, if he was naughty enough to use his surprise purchase for what they were meant for, as he paid for Elvie’s things. When she looped her arm through his as they headed out of the store, he knew he wanted to.

  “So, Dr. Elvie O’Donnell,” he began in a casual tone, taking his time walking out of the store. “What do you think about a simple, quiet life, maybe a patch of land, a bunch of kids running around on it?”

  “What do I think of that?” She blinked innocently at him. “Why ever do you ask?”

  He could feel how hot his cheeks were getting, but he kind of liked it. He pretended to shrug modestly. “It’s just that I’m not the sort of guy to use some of the items we bought without a very particular commitment first.”

  He didn’t think it was possible for someone to look more pleased or excited or…or in love? She’d said so, but it was still hard for him to believe that someone so brilliant and wonderful might actually love him, let alone want to marry him.

  “Good thing I’m exactly the same sort of girl. A patch of land, a bunch of kids, some dogs and a cat and a few horses sounds like my idea of—” She stopped cold just outside of the store’s door and went on with, “What the hell?”

  Like a rubber band snapping against his skin, Evan’s fuzzy mood evaporated. He twisted to see what Elvie was glaring at across the parking lot. A part of him wasn’t even surprised to find Andrew Ball, Esq. pulling his sports car into a parking spot.

  7

  Elvie didn’t know whether she should be more angry or more disappointed by Andy’s sudden arrival. How had he caught up to them so fast? How did he know where they were? She turned her cell phone back on with the icky feeling she would need it.

  “Quick,” she whispered to Evan, pushing him toward his truck.

  Evan blinked and missed a step, but caught on to her rushing fast enough to cut through the parking lot to the far side of the truck as Andy got out of his car. Elvie ducked behind the truck’s tall hood praying that Andy hadn’t seen her.

  By some strange miracle, he hadn’t. Or at least she was pretty sure he hadn’t. Andy stood and shut his car door, looking at his cell phone the whole time. He continued to look at it without glancing up as he headed toward the store. Only when he had reached the sliding front doors did he bother to look up long enough to pass through.

  At the same time, Elvie’s phone buzzed, just as she’d suspected it would.

  “Get in the truck,” she hissed, ignoring the phone for the moment. “He didn’t see us.”

  “But he knows we’re here,” Evan repeated her thought. He unlocked the truck and pulled open the door, stepping back so Elvie could crawl across the driver’s seat to the passenger side without standing up or doing anything to be noticed. Behind her, Evan chuckled. “You’re acting like we’re in some great caper movie.”

  A trill of fun echoed around her chest. She pulled herself all the way to the passenger seat as Evan slid into the truck, then sat straight. “Aren’t we? Isn’t this what you were after?”

  For a second, his expression faltered, but he managed to put his smile back on. “If that was supposed to get me to see how silly the whole running away from my problems thing is…” He paused, turning the key to start the truck. “Then it worked.”

  “Yeah, but we’re having fun, aren’t we?” she asked as Evan backed the truck up, then pulled out to head for the road once again. She sent a quick look to the store, straining to see if Andy had turned around or noticed them at all.

  “Yeah,” Evan answered her, his smile back full force. “We are having fun. If running away with a thief is your idea of a good time.”

  Elvie giggled. “It is, actually.”

  She checked her phone, and her good mood died. Andy hadn’t just sent her that one message. He’d sent her several since the last time she checked, including the ones she’d deliberately ignored. She must not have noticed the new ones while she was shopping and flirting with Evan.

  “I saw Bad News Evan driving out of town not long ago, and I thought I saw you in the passenger seat. What are you doing?”

  A few minutes later, he’d typed. “Whatever you’re doing, you need to stop. He’s no good for you.”

  About fifteen minutes had passed before the next one. “I can’t let you do this, Elvie. You’re way too good for that guy. You deserve someone who can keep you like a queen.”

  Elvie grunted in disgust. She wasn’t about to be kept by anyone.

  The next text said, “I’m coming after you.”

  She wished she’d seen that one sooner. She could have done something about it.

  The last one must have been the one he’d sent minutes before. “I found Evan’s truck. See, I know you better than you think. I’m coming into the store to find you, then we’re going to sort this nonsense out once and for all.”

  She loathed the way Andy thought he was so clever.

  “What does he say?” Evan asked, jaw tense.

  “Oh, just your standard jealousy, telling that you’re no good, and implying that I should get back together with him,” she reported, frustrated. They’d just reached the on-ramp to the highway, so she added, “Step on it. Let’s get to Laramie as fast as possible.”

  “Yes, ma’am.” Evan nodded, and Elvie felt a surge of power as the truck pushed forward. It was kind of impressive, actually. As soon as he’d settled in a lane and relaxed into driving, Evan peeked sideways at her and asked, “Did he, uh, say anything about me?”

  Elvie stared at her phone again, even though she knew what the messages said. “Not really. Other than ‘bad news.’ I suppose he knows all about your dastardly, thieving ways.” She probably shouldn’t joke when Even looked so genuinely worried. Then again, maybe joking was just what he needed.

  “So no specifics,” he said.

  Elvie watched him in silence before replying. He really was worried about the reasons Andy was chasing him. It made no sense to her. What was it about his great-aunt’s will that was so scary? Was it like the Culpepper will, the one that specified the boys had to get married and one of them had to have a child before a certain time or that stupid cousin of theirs would get the ranch? Well, if Evan needed someone to marry him, she volunteered. She hadn’t
planned on having kids so soon after getting involved with someone, but for the right inheritance, she might—

  “What am I doing?” she whispered to herself, shaking her head.

  “What?” Evan asked, stealing another look at her.

  She shook her head harder to clear it. It wasn’t healthy for Evan to carry around so much anxiety. Like it or lump it, he was going to tell her what was wrong.

  “So why’d you and the lawyer break up anyhow?” Evan asked before she could bring up the issue.

  His question took her by surprise. She snapped her mouth shut and blinked, staring out the windshield at the Wyoming countryside zipping by. “Well, for one thing,” she said as her thoughts gathered, “he’s a self-absorbed prick.”

  Evan smirked. “Is that because he’s a lawyer or because he’s a man.”

  “Definitely because he’s a lawyer,” she told him with a mock serious voice. A moment later, she brightened. “I’m not one of those people who thinks all men are jerks. I’ve known a lot of really great men in my days. My brothers, for example. And the Culpepper boys have always been sweethearts.” She tilted her head to the side and smiled out the windshield. “Actually, I’ve been really lucky. Maybe that’s the reason I got involved with Andy to begin with. I just assumed all men would be selfless and gentlemanly and kind.”

  “Lawyer boy wasn’t those things?”

  Elvie shrugged. “He was charming. He knew where all the best restaurants in Denver were. I guess I mistook charming for nice.”

  “But you got engaged to him.” He said it as a statement, but it was really a question.

  Elvie’s cheeks burned. She was the one who was supposed to be prying truths out of Evan, not the other way around. But if she hoped to have anything serious or long-lasting with him, she had to be honest about everything.

  “Okay, don’t make fun of me or think any less of me.”

  His brow went up.

  She went on. “I got engaged to him because I slept with him.”

  She cringed, waiting for the inevitable disapproval and disgust that would follow. Instead, Evan half-shrugged, tipped his head to the side, then said, “Do you get engaged to every man you sleep with?”

  Elvie blinked. He didn’t sound mad. Not at all. “Um, as it happens, yes.”

  He surprised her again by grinning widely and saying, “I’ll keep that in mind.”

  An exciting zip of energy swirled through her, coalescing in her core. Well! If she didn’t find a way to think of something else right then and there, she’d demand he pull over so they could get down right there. The shopping bag with the box of condoms was right between them on the seat, after all.

  “Anyhow,” she said, a little over loud, “I knew it was a mistake as soon as he put that gigantic, ugly ring on my finger.”

  Evan peeked over at her hand jokingly.

  “I sent it back to him before I left Denver for Culpepper,” she went on. “Ultimately, that was the problem with Andy.”

  “Ugly jewelry?” Evan chuckled.

  “No, stuff. Money. Influence.” She paused. “Mostly the money. Andy was all about making as much of it as possible. That’s what really burns me. I came in a distant second to money every time.” She crossed her arms and scowled out the windshield. “I don’t know what it is about money, but as soon as people get some, it changes them into raving lunatics. Just look at my brother, Sly. He made a small fortune, and now he thinks he can make all sorts of changes in Culpepper. He used to just be a fun guy with bright ideas, now he’s the cock-of-the-walk. It’s all the money, I tell you. It changes people. It—”

  She stopped, sensing something really wrong. She glanced sideways at Evan. Not only had he lost his smile, he’d gone pale. Like, serious anxiety pale. She had the feeling that he was avoiding her eyes, too.

  She sucked in a breath. The will. Money. Oh, crap, she’d just—

  The sharp whir of a police siren behind them snapped her out of her thoughts. She straightened in her seat and twisted to look out the back of the truck. Sure enough, a state trooper was careening toward them.

  “Uh oh,” Evan muttered. His anxiety-face switched to plain old sheepishness. “I knew I was going too fast.”

  The momentary fear that had seized Elvie’s throat dispersed as Evan slowed down and pulled over. For two, fleeting half-seconds, she’d wondered if Andy had somehow set the cops on them. Or if someone else was looking for Evan as well. That thought stayed with her up until the trooper came alongside the truck as Evan rolled down the window and asked, “Do you know how fast you were going, sir?”

  “Too fast, sir,” Evan answered with complete respect, already handing the trooper his license and gesturing for Elvie to open the glove compartment.

  She followed his direction, finding the truck’s registration right away and handing it over.

  “The speed limit is high in Wyoming,” the trooper said, “but not a hundred miles per hour.”

  “I know, sir. Sorry, sir.” Evan handed over the registration, and the trooper took them back to his SUV.

  Evan puffed out a breath and dragged his eyes to meet Elvie’s. “Well, this is embarrassing.”

  “It’s my fault,” Elvie insisted. “I told you to drive fast.”

  “Yeah, but a hundred miles per hour is too fast.”

  She wasn’t going to argue that point. “Why don’t you let me pay for the ticket, however much it is.”

  A strange, pinched look came over him. “I’ve got the money,” he mumbled, then turned to check the trooper in his rear-view mirror.

  “I’m sorry,” Elvie said softly. “I didn’t think. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  He nodded. She didn’t think it was much of an answer.

  “Different people react to money in different ways,” she said, even quieter. A hard, sick knot had formed in her gut. And here they were supposed to be running away, having fun, and sorting things out. Well, she was doing a terrible job of helping him through his problems. In fact, she thought she’d just made them worse.

  Although, if she looked at it in a different way, maybe she just discovered the reason he was running.

  “Is it the money thing?” she asked, reaching across the seat to touch his thigh. “Is that why you’ve been drifting all summer?”

  He didn’t have a chance to answer. The trooper came back with Evan’s license and registration and a citation. “Your record is squeaky-clean, so I knocked you down to doing ninety-four in an eighty-five zone,” he said, his voice not unkind. “That way you won’t get any points on your license.”

  “Thanks so much, sir.” Evan nodded to him.

  “Just remember that even though the highway is straight and wide, it doesn’t mean it’s the Autobahn.”

  “Of course not. I should have been paying better attention.”

  The trooper glanced past Evan to smile at Elvie. “It happens to the best of us sometimes. You two have a good day.”

  Elvie managed a grateful smile as the trooper tipped his hat, then headed back to his SUV. Tickets were tickets, but it was kind of nice to be shown, once again, that most men, most people, out there were decent if given half a chance.

  Evan tucked the ticket and his license and registration into one of the bags beside him, as if he would sort it out later. He checked on the trooper in his rear-view mirror, then started up his truck again and eased slowly onto the highway. He kept to the right-hand lane and drove just a few ticks below eighty-five. He did not, however, say a word to Elvie.

  She debated opening the conversation, going back to the point about money changing people, and trying to fix what she’d said. She bit her lip and searched for ways she could infuse humor back into their drive while apologizing for sounding like a jerk. She even debated making another reference to the condoms.

  What she ended up saying was, “I guess that proves you’re not a thief.”

  “Hmm?” Evan’s response held very little emotion.

  “Because, uh, if y
ou were, your record wouldn’t be squeaky-clean?” She’d really hoped he would treat that as a joke, but all she got from him was a weak smile.

  She huffed out a dismal breath and faced forward. Boy, she’d gone and mucked things up, hadn’t she? But at least Andy hadn’t come along behind the trooper and messed with them. On a whim, she checked her phone.

  Sure enough, he’d texted, “Where did you go? You can’t keep running like this forever.”

  The worst part of that was that Andy was right.

  8

  Funny how weird, little things stopped a man in his tracks and helped him reevaluate. No sooner had Elvie convinced him to shut up and run with her comments about money changing people than that state trooper had slapped him with a real-life reminder of the dangers of going too fast. He’d pay that speeding ticket gladly, grateful that it’d made him stop and think.

  Of course, he’d done a lot of that thinking in silence while driving toward Laramie, Elvie itching at his side. He could tell she wanted to talk things out, that sitting in silence was needling her, but before he would be any good in a conversation like she wanted to have, he had to organize his thoughts.

  She was still tense when he pulled into one of the parking spots outside of a big, modern lodge up in the Laramie Mountains, but as soon as she opened the truck door and stepped down, a smile lit her face. She breathed the crisp, cold air in deeply.

  “Mmm. Smells like snow,” she said, shutting the truck door and walking the path to the lodge. “Sly will be happy about that. The less he has to rely on making snow, the better his bottom line.”

  Evan listened to her happy thoughts, reaching for the plastic shopping bags full of the things they’d bought and his backpack behind the driver’s seat. He shut and locked the truck door, then strode easily up to the path to continue walking by Elvie’s side. She gave him a hopeful look. It was probably meant to prompt him to talk, but he never had seen the need for all those extra words when they weren’t necessary.