Playing With Fire

by Ruth Staunton

  “And why would you think that would matter?” Stacy asked.

  Cade grinned. “Because you, Anastasia, strike me as the sort of woman who loves being right.”

  Unable to deny it, Stacy countered, “Fine. I get off at five. What about you?”

  “Why?” Cade wondered, suddenly feeling apprehensive.

  “Why do you think?” Stacy asked pointedly. “If we’re going to do this dating thing, we may as well get started. No time like the present and all that jazz.”

  “We?” Cade sputtered. “Who said anything about we? I distinctly remember saying you.”

  “If I remember correctly,” Stacy said, “your terms were that I date one man exclusively for one month.”

  “Yeah,” Cade agreed, “so…” For the life of him, he still couldn’t see how this had anything to do with him.

  “So,” Stacy continued patiently, as though explaining something to a child for the millionth time, “you’re the man.”

  “Me?” Cade gaped at her, openmouthed. “I didn’t mean me. I meant one of the guys you’re already seeing.”

  Stacy shrugged. “Like you said, I’m not seeing anybody, exactly.”

  “Yeah, well, I know, but…” Cade stammered, still unable to wrap his mind around this sudden turn of events.

  “Any reason it can’t be you?” Stacy pressed.

  Yes, Cade’s mind screamed, thousands of them. Not the least of which was that he’d probably end up losing his patience and spanking her within an inch of her life. This was supposed to prove he couldn’t get involved with her not get him even more involved.

  “Well, are you seeing somebody or what?” Stacy asked impatiently.

  It would have been easy enough to say he was, but in a town this small, the truth was bound to come out, and Cade Dawson was many things, but a liar wasn’t one of them. “No,” he admitted, somewhat reluctantly.

  “Ok then,” Stacy said breezily. “That settles it–unless, of course, you can’t handle me.” She added the latter almost as an afterthought, challenge glinting in her eyes.

  “Oh I can handle you,” Cade assured her. It wasn’t whether or not he could handle her that worried him. It was how to handle her. “I’m not sure you can handle me.”

  Stacy laughed, reveling in the challenge even as she congratulated herself on the victory. “Oh don’t you worry, lawman. I can handle you.”

  “I wouldn’t be so sure of that,” Cade told her. “I’m a difficult man, if we’re going to do this, you should know that from the start. My job is crazy, and I work all hours. There will be broken dates and plans changed at the last minute, and I have little tolerance for temper tantrums when that happens. If you can’t handle that, get out now. Find another guy, or drop this crazy dare all together.”

  “If you think you can shake me that easy, you don’t know me nearly as well as you think,” Stacy said bluntly.

  “I’m serious, dammit,” Cade said in exasperation.

  Stacy leveled her gaze on him, as serious as he’d ever seen her. “You’re a cop, I get that. I told you. I can handle you.”

  Cade sighed. For all Stacy’s reassurances, he had serious doubts. He had a feeling Stacy was going to have a far harder time handling him than she thought, and not only because of his job.

  “So,” Stacy asked again, “what time do you get off tonight?”

  “Not so fast,” Cade said. “There’s one more thing you need to know.”

  “What now?” Stacy huffed. “You have some exotic incurable disease, or there’s a weird old lady chained in your basement.” She paused long enough to roll her eyes. “Come on, you’re a cop. How many vices could you possibly have?”

  If you only knew, Cade thought, but what he said was, “Not a vice, a rule. I do not share, period. If we’re going to date, I won’t share you with another man. No casual dates, no flings, nothing.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” Stacy replied, brushing him off with a wave of her hand. “Exclusive, I know. That’s kinda the point. I can do that. What about tonight?”

  Cade eyed her, raking a hand through his hair. At this point, he was beginning to wonder whether he could handle this. He felt as though he’d suddenly taken a step off of a high cliff and there was no way to stop the fall, and the damnedest thing was, he’d done it to himself.

  “I’m scheduled till five. Barring any major disaster, I should be able to get away then,” he answered.

  “Major disaster,” Stacy repeated with a laugh. “Just what sort of major disaster can you possibly have in a place like McCloud?”

  You’d be surprised, Cade thought. Even a tiny rural town like McCloud had its share of problems, but rather than telling her that, he flashed her a grin. “Let’s just hope Mrs. Crowder’s cat doesn’t decide to climb up on the roof again.” That brought a laugh, as he had known it would. Betsy Crowder’s devotion to her ancient, overweight and exceedingly ornery cat was the stuff of small town legend.

  “God forbid,” Stacy said, still laughing. She stood up, unconsciously smoothing her skirt as she did. “And on that note, I’ve got to get back to work.” She started to walk away then stopped and called back over her shoulder. “I’ll see you at six. Pick me up at home.”

  “And where is that?” Cade asked.

  Stacy shot him a saucy, challenging grin. “You’re a cop. Find me.”

  Cade laughed and watched her go. Finding her wasn’t the problem. There were barely eight hundred people in McCloud. Everybody knew everybody else. All he had to do was ask a few questions, and he could find not only her house, but her entire life history and family history, which, if she had grown up here, could easily go back several generations. No, finding her wasn’t the problem. The problem was, what the hell was he supposed to do then?

  Chapter 2

  The day was heading rapidly toward dusk when Cade swung his truck into Stacey’s yard. Her tiny trailer was mostly hidden in the rapidly lengthening shadows, but he still frowned at the sight of it. It wasn’t that the trailer was in bad shape. Someone, Stacy most likely, had clearly put a considerable amount of effort into its upkeep. No sagging screens or duct-tape quick fixes for her. That didn’t really surprise him. The kid had pride in spades. Still, it was old, and there was no disguising that. The white exterior was faded. Its pea-soup green trim was clearly a throwback to a by-gone era. The wooden steps were weathered and the underskirt had clearly seen better days. He’d be surprised if there weren’t any number of critters sleeping under the trailer given the number of holes it had.

  As if conjured by this thought, a scraggly mutt of a dog popped out from under the porch and began barking its fool head off. Moments later, Stacy appeared at the door yelling, “For crying out loud, Rufus, leave the damn squirrels alone. If they want to get fried on the transformer, then let them die in peace.”

  Laughing, Cade stepped out of the truck. “Big squirrel,” he teased.

  Stacy swung to face him, looking frazzled for the first time since he’d known her. “Oh,” she said blankly, “I didn’t know you were here.”

  “Really,” Cade drawled, eyes still shining with mirth.

  Stacy shot him a withering look. “Smartass.”

  “Watch your mouth, little girl,” Cade scolded, climbing the steps to meet her.

  Stacy laughed, short and humorless. “Little girl, my ass.”

  “I mean it,” Cade warned. “I’d hate to have to wash your mouth out with soap.”

  Stacy shoved the screen door open and stepped back to allow him to enter. “You’re welcome to try.”

  “Don’t tempt me,” Cade told her. “Besides, it’d ruin your dinner. Are you ready to go?”

  “Not quite,” Stacy said, “I’m running a little late. Give me just a sec.”

  “Sure,” Cade replied, knowing better than to rush such things. Growing up in a house with three sisters, there were moments when he felt he’d spent half his life waiting on women, but he’d long since learned better than to complain about it. Instead he
moved restlessly through Stacy’s living room and kitchen. They, like the outside, were worn, but well cared for. In fact, he was rather surprised at how neat they were. Stacy seemed a high maintenance woman, but there wasn’t a hint of that in her house. Much to Cade’s surprise and relief there wasn’t a frilly or fussy thing in sight. A few little do-dads, knickknacks his sister called them, a scattering of framed photos and a couple struggling plants, but nothing that made him feel cramped or worried about breaking anything, like he’d often felt in other women’s houses. He saw a good deal of pride here too. She’d obviously worked hard to make the best of what she had, and he respected that. Still, he wouldn’t mind having a word or two with those skinflint Bowron brothers she worked for down at the trailer place. Those tight-fisted old lechers obviously had her working for peanuts, or she’d be able to afford better than living in a ramshackle neighborhood like this.

  Just then, Stacy came back down the hall, and he forgot about the neighborhood, the Bowron brothers, and pretty much everything else. She’d shed her work clothes in favor of jeans and a black t-shirt emblazoned with a glittery fairy in bold shades of red and blue. There was nothing remotely provocative about it, not at all like the outfit she’d worn to the bar the night before, but she still took his breath away. “You clean up good,” he said lightly, pulling himself forcefully back to his senses.

  Stacy smiled, deliberately giving him a once-over. “So do you, lawman. So do you.”

  Cade’s mouth quirked up in a lopsided half grin, but all he said was “Ready?”

  Stacy nodded, moving for the door. Cade fell into step behind her, pressing a hand lightly to the small of her back as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Stacy looked up, surprised, but didn’t protest.

  In truth, Stacy was shocked. No man in her whole life had ever done that. It would have never occurred to the men she’d known to escort her like that, or to hold her door and usher her into the truck like Cade had. Even more surprising was realizing she liked it. Despite the fact the part of her that had been steeped in women’s lib felt like she shouldn’t, she really liked it. It made her feel safe, protected.

  “Penny for your thoughts,” Cade said, and Stacy realized with a start that she’d gone almost completely silent.

  “Just wondering where we’re going,” she lied.

  Cade shot her a sharp look letting her know he saw the lie for what it was and didn’t approve at all, but all he said was, “I thought we’d go to Mary’s, if that’s ok.”

  Stacy nodded, struggling against the urge to squirm like a reprimanded child. Dammit, how did he do that? He hadn’t said anything, just looked at her, but he’d managed to make her feel eight years old and naughty all the same.

  “So how did you get Rufus?” Cade asked, climbing into the driver’s seat and pulling out into the road.

  “He just showed up one day,” Stacy told him. “He was just a puppy. The most bedraggled little runt you’ve ever seen in your life, all big eyes and tangled fur. He was so skinny you could see his ribs, and I just couldn’t let him starve, so I fed him and he stuck around.” She glanced uncertainly at Cade half-expecting him to be laughing at her sentimentality, but found him nodding understandingly instead.

  “That’s how I got my dog too,” he said. “Missy just followed me home one day. She looked pretty pitiful so I fed her, and the rest is history.” He shrugged self-depreciatingly. “I always did have a soft spot for a stray. Been dragging home wounded birds and homeless kittens and puppies for as long as I can remember.”

  Stacy laughed, seeing the child he must have been in her mind’s eye, all gapped teeth and skinned knees, dragging home every stray in the neighborhood. “What did your parents say?” she asked.

  “Mostly they just shrugged and shook their heads, though Mama did put her foot down one time when I brought home a snake.”

  “A snake,” Stacy repeated, shuddering. “I don’t blame her. It’s a wonder you didn’t get bitten.”

  Cade laughed. “That’s what Mama said, but it was really just a baby. He was so little he fit in my pocket, and he was so quiet I forgot all about him.”

  “You forgot?” Stacy said, aghast.

  “Yep,” Cade said, lighting up with a mischievous little boy grin. “I forgot all about him till Mama found him.” Cade broke out into an all out belly laugh. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anybody yell so loud. She was trying to empty my pockets to put my jeans in the wash and pulled him out. God, she screamed blue murder.”

  “Cade!” Stacy admonished. “It’s not funny,” but it was hard to believe that when she was laughing herself. “I’m sure you nearly gave the poor woman a heart attack.”

  “I didn’t mean to,” Cade said, sheepish. “He just needed a home.”

  “How old were you?” Stacy asked, still shaking her head and fizzing with laughter.

  “Six, I think,” Cade replied, slowing in front of the restaurant. He angled the pickup into one of the last remaining parking spaces and turned to look at Stacy. “You know if we walk in here, it’s gonna be all over town tomorrow that we were together. Last chance to bail.”

  “Are you chicken, lawman?” Stacy asked, grinning.

  “Nope,” Cade assured her, grinning himself. “You?”

  “Not on your life,” Stacy answered, opening her door and stepping out.

  Mary’s Diner was crowded for a weeknight with families, and young couples and elderly men all filling the tiny storefront restaurant near to bursting. The moment Cade pushed the door open, the crowd engulfed them. It was chaos, pure and simple. No less than half a dozen voices called out greetings from all around. Somewhere in the back, a baby was crying. Teenaged servers, in jeans and bright blue Mary’s Diner tee shirts, dodged this way and that delivering food. The smells of frying onions, burgers, and coffee mingled in the air. Cade was sure they’d never find a table, but Stacy plunged into the crowd with the air of one who’d been doing it all her life. Which, Cade realized with a start, she probably had. In a matter of moments, she’d found them a spot along the far wall beneath the diner’s hodgepodge of neighborhood photos.

  “Good,” Stacy said, sliding into a booth under the black and white picture of a big-toothed donkey standing outside a dilapidated barn that seemed to be grinning at them, “nobody got my spot.”

  “Your spot?” Cade questioned.

  “Yeah,” Stacy said, flicking a glance up at the photo. “Barney’s my favorite.”

  “Barney?” Cade wondered.

  “The donkey,” Stacy explained. “He belonged to old Mr. Pete Madison. Mr. Madison was positively ancient and that poor donkey was even older, but every year without fail they did a hayride on Halloween. Barney sort of became something of a legend among us kids.”

  Cade chuckled. “So what happened to him?”

  “He died when I was in high school,” Stacy said sadly. “Then they put his picture up here.”

  “You grew up here, right?” Cade asked.

  Stacy nodded, sighing. “Yep, been here my whole life.”

  “It’s a nice town,” Cade said, meaning it. After his time in the city, he loved the slower pace and close knit community here. It reminded him a lot of the town he grew up in, and little by little, it had begun to feel like home.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Stacy said noncommittally, fiddling absently with the salt and pepper shakers on the table.

  “What is it?” Cade asked gently.

  Stacy shrugged, studying the table. “Nothing really. It’s just when you’ve been here so long you start to feel trapped sometimes. We used to joke that the world was really flat and it dropped off just outside of the McCloud city limits. People left but they never came back.”

  Cade smiled. “Nope, ‘fraid not, I can vouch for that. After all, I came here. I’ll admit it took awhile to fit in though.”

  Stacy nodded. “I’ll bet. McCloud doesn’t take well to strangers.”

  “Nope, kind of had to prove myself,” Cade agreed. Ev
en after three years, he still remembered with startling clarity just how hard that first year had been. “It’s better now,” Cade went on. “Still a few who don’t accept me though.”

  “Not surprised,” Stacy muttered. “Closed-minded old biddies.”

  The phrasing was so incredulous Cade just stared, raising an eyebrow.

  “What?” Stacy asked in a tone vaguely reminiscent of a belligerent teenager.

  “Nothing,” Cade told her, “just sounded a little funny coming out of your mouth.”

  “What do you mean?” Stacy asked.

  “It’s just, you have such a sweet little mouth…” he trailed off, eyes twinkling, leaving it hanging between them as he picked up his water and took a sip.

  “You mean you’re surprised I didn’t call them bitches,” Stacy said, dry and sarcastic.

  Since that’s exactly what he had been thinking, Cade spluttered, choking on his water, “Um...”

  Stacy smiled, the very picture of wide-eyed innocence. “What?”

  “Nothing,” Cade said quickly. The look Stacy gave him made it clear she didn’t buy it for a minute, but he was saved from further questioning by the waitress who arrived to take their order. Cade ordered his usual, a hamburger all the way with fries and a Coke, and Stacy both pleased and surprised him by ordering the same except with a shake. Clearly she wasn’t one of those women who was shy about eating, and that pleased Cade to no end. He’d dated his share of pencil thin overly appearance conscious women and quite frankly he was sick of them. It was a relief to know Stacy wasn’t one of them. “So, Stacy, what do you do for a living?” he asked when the waitress left.

  “You mean you don’t know,” Stacy said, giving him a mock stunned look. “I was sure a trained investigator like you would know my whole life story by now.”

  Cade grinned, feeling only slightly shamed by the fact that he did in fact know a good bit about her by now. Not that he was going to admit that. “Well...”

  “Well?” Stacy pressed.