by T. L. Haddix
Wyatt glanced at his watch. “Then how about I take that soup and coffee to go?”
The microwave beeped, and she set the hot soup down in front of him, handing him a spoon and napkin. Holding onto the spoon, she touched his hand with hers. “That’s not what I meant. Eat your dinner.”
He tucked into the soup, and she put the coffee beside his bowl. Propping her chin on her hand, she studied him while he ate. “You could stay and watch it with me.”
There was a noticeable hesitation as he absorbed the invitation. “What movie is it, exactly?”
“‘To Catch A Thief’ with Cary Grant, Grace Kelly. Hard to go wrong with Hitchcock.”
From the look on his face, she could tell she’d surprised him. “That is a classic. Somehow, I pegged you as more of a modern movie buff.”
She played with a pen lying on the counter and lifted her shoulders. “I like movies, pretty much any genre, but I love the classics. Especially movies with Cary Grant, Jimmy Stewart, Kathryn Hepburn, those actors. They didn’t have all the special effects, so they had to be more plot-driven.” She paused. “I’m fixing popcorn. Air-popped, with real butter.”
“Oh, that’s a low blow. Real butter?” His eyebrows drew together, and he pursed his lips. “Can I take off my shoes?”
“It’s a requirement,” she promptly replied.
Wyatt pretended to consider it. “Then I guess I’ll let you twist my arm.”
“Good. Then I’ll go change clothes. I’ll be right back.” She hurried out of the room before he could change his mind.
Once in her bedroom, Maria closed the door and rushed to straighten the covers on the bed. Using extra pillows she kept stacked in the corner just for movie nights, she arranged them on the bed so that they created a large bolster across the head. A tiny pang of unease flashed through her as she considered that she hadn’t told Wyatt they would have to watch the movie from her bed.
The pillows arranged to her satisfaction, she put a warm fleece blanket at the foot of the bed. She glanced around to make sure nothing embarrassing lurked on the dresser or the floor. It had been bad enough the day before when he’d seen inside her linen closet. The last thing she wanted was for the man to end up tripping over a pair of underwear.
She changed into a tank top and a pair of fleece pajama bottoms. Throwing a loose tunic on over the shirt, she headed back into the kitchen, where Wyatt was finishing his coffee. “Sorry about that. Why don’t you tell me what happened today while I get the popcorn ready?”
He stood and stretched, then brought the dirty dishes to the sink. “There isn’t as much to tell as you might think. Rhonda was angry, like we expected. She understands what’s at stake.”
“How did she suggest you proceed?”
“With extreme caution and due diligence. She isn’t happy about this. I’m definitely not her favorite person right now. To be fair, I did put her in a tough position, given that she’s the prosecutor.”
Pulling the popcorn popper out of the pantry, she filled the reservoir with kernels. “Is she planning on filing criminal charges regarding your wife’s death?”
“Not at the moment. There’s no physical evidence that we are aware of, which is another thing she’s angry about. I don’t think she blames me, per se, but she knows I’m not without guilt. I should have come forward when I had evidence.”
Maria was surprised. “What did you have?”
Wyatt flushed and leaned up against the counter, looking down at his hands as he answered. “I’d taken some time off to deal with things, and I’d been drinking. I went into Julie’s room to… I don’t know, just look at her stuff. I was touching the knickknacks she had on the dresser, and I lost my balance and knocked some of them off. When I bent down to pick them up, I found an empty vial on the floor, under the dresser. It was from her pain meds, the oral morphine.”
“I don’t understand. Why was that important?”
“Because Julie hadn’t been having any severe pain. She was lucky in that regard, at least. The medication was there just in case she needed it. She’d never used it, but that vial was empty.”
“How much medication was in it to begin with?”
He swallowed. “Enough that emptying it would have killed her, no questions asked. After I sobered up, it hit me, what the vial could mean. I checked the rest of her medicine, but nothing was out of place, so I went to see Marsha. I wanted to see her face when I asked her about it. Like an idiot, I took the vial with me. At first, I just asked her to tell me again about that weekend. She didn’t change her story, told me the same thing she had a few weeks earlier. She insisted that Julie hadn’t had any pain that weekend. I got angry, and I confronted her with the vial. Before I could stop her, she grabbed a cast iron skillet from the stove and smashed the damned thing into a million pieces. She cut her hand in the process from the flying glass.”
Maria winced, understanding even better why he’d been so upset to receive the letter. “And so you were basically stuck. Your word against hers.”
“Yeah. Julie had been cremated by that point, and there was absolutely nothing to build a case on. That said, Rhonda has a valid point. I let evidence be destroyed.”
“Does she?” When he shot her an incredulous glance, she continued, “I’m not condoning what they apparently did. Please don’t think that. But honest to God, Wyatt, what good would it have served if you had come forward six years ago? Even with the intact vial?”
He looked away. “I don’t know. That’s a question I’ve been asking myself since I first put two and two together.”
Taking a deep breath, she moved to stand directly in front of him. With only a few inches separating their bodies, she waited until he looked at her to speak. “I’m sorry.”
“About what?”
“All of it.”
He reached out and slid one of his hands into her hair. Pulling her into his arms with a ragged sigh, he rested his cheek on her head. “So am I.”
Maria was shocked, especially given his denials from the previous night. “I thought you said this was a bad idea?”
He groaned. “I did.”
When he didn’t elaborate, she decided to not question him further. It felt too good to be in his arms. For a few minutes they just held each other, and then reluctantly, Maria pulled back.
“So I have a little confession to make about the movie. We, um, we have to watch it in the bedroom.” Grabbing a large bowl down for the popcorn, she held it in front of her like a shield. The look of surprise on Wyatt’s face was priceless, and if she hadn’t been so nervous, she would have laughed.
He quickly recovered, though. “Hence the requirement for shoe removal.”
She nodded. “Exactly.”
“Okay. I don’t have a problem with that if you don’t.”
“Good.”
“I have a confession of my own. I ran into Jason in the parking lot. Apparently, the whole department is speculating about us.”
Pausing in the middle of getting two root beers and the butter out of the refrigerator, she stared at him. “They’re what? The whole department?”
He grimaced and reached for the soft drinks. “Sounds like it.”
“And what exactly are they saying?” she asked as she carefully closed the refrigerator door.
“I don’t know. This is the first I’ve heard of it. From what Jason said, though, there’s a betting pool, and they’re taking bets on when we have our first date.”
“Wow. I don’t know what to say.” She pulled a dish down to microwave the butter in, and looked at him. “Does that bother you?”
Setting the drinks on the table, he crossed his arms and shrugged. “A little, when he first spilled the beans, but I know they aren’t doing it in a mean way. If the speculation was malicious, someone would have told me by now. And it’s actually a little comforting, almost like getting their approval.”
She snorted. “Okay. I’m still flabbergasted.”
Wyatt grinned.
“Like Jason said, we’re cops. A big part of our job is ferretting out secrets.” He sobered. “If you want to change your mind about the movie, I’ll understand.”
“Do you?”
“I asked you first.”
She stuck her tongue out at him. “No. I don’t want to change my mind.”
“Good. In that case, do you mind if I get comfortable?”
“Please do.”
As she started the butter melting, he slipped off his shoes with a sigh. His gun belt quickly followed. “I need to visit the restroom. Shall I meet you in the bedroom?”
“Sure.”
When she heard the bathroom door close, she leaned against the counter and let out a long breath she hadn’t been conscious of holding. It had been over three years since she had let a man into her bedroom, even just to watch a movie. It was closer to five years since she’d last… well, she wasn’t going to think about that.
As she carried the tray with the popcorn, drinks, and napkins into the bedroom, she thought about the condoms she’d purchased that evening. It was way too early, at least in her mind, to entertain the notion of using them, but she’d wanted to be prepared, just in case. Maria didn’t know where her relationship with Wyatt was headed, but the last thing she wanted was to end up in a situation where protection was needed and not have it. If the opportunity presented itself, she didn’t know if not having condoms on hand would be enough motivation to stop.
Chapter Twenty One
When Wyatt came out of the bathroom, dress shirt unbuttoned over his T-shirt, Maria had the movie ready to go.
He stopped in the doorway. “I need to grab my phone.”
“Okay. I have the drinks and popcorn here. Do you want anything else?”
The look he sent her was loaded, but he shook his head. “No. I’ll be right back.”
As he went back downstairs, Maria once again wondered if she had been reckless in offering the invitation. She just wasn’t sophisticated enough to pretend having a man in her bedroom, even for something as innocent as watching a movie, wasn’t a big deal. By the time he returned, she was wishing a hole would open up and swallow her.
Wyatt picked up on her unease. “We don’t have to do this, you know.” He stood beside the bed, a guarded look on his face.
She groaned and hid her face in her hands. “It’s just that I don’t do this every day, invite men in to watch movies. Or anything else, for that matter. It isn’t that I don’t want you here, Wyatt. I’m just afraid I’m going to embarrass myself, or you.”
He set his phone on the table beside the bed and reached for a root beer. Settling in beside her, he twisted off the cap and took a drink. “What’s a little embarrassment among friends? It’s just a movie, Maria.”
With a laugh, she gave in and hit Play.
By the time they’d reached the midway point in the movie, Maria had relaxed. The popcorn eaten, Wyatt had moved the tray aside. He’d also closed the distance between them, and they were sharing the fleece blanket. When her phone rang, she cursed under her breath. Fighting her way out from under the blanket, she paused the movie and picked up the phone. Seeing the caller’s name, she made a face.
“I have to take this. It’s Savannah.”
“Not a problem,” he assured her.
“Hey, Vannie, what’s up?”
“I had some questions about tomorrow. You haven’t forgotten that you need to be there early, have you?” her sister asked.
Maria rolled her eyes. “No, I haven’t forgotten. But have you forgotten that I told you I’m not doing everything like I usually do?”
“We have to get the streamers and balloons ready, and then there’s the food. Oh, and I managed to salvage that mess you made with Damon. He’s going to be there, and he’s going to give you one more chance.”
Maria looked at the phone in disbelief. “He what?” she asked, bringing the phone back to her ear.
“He’s going to be at the party tomorrow. You’ll be able to make it up to him, that horrible date, I mean. You guys can go out after the party for some more adult activities.”
She couldn’t believe what she was hearing, and judging by his body language, Wyatt could hear Savannah’s words, as well. Maria felt her disbelief turn into a simmering anger.
“Savannah, I have no desire whatsoever to go on another date with that man. You had better cancel whatever plans you have in that direction, and make that abundantly clear before he gets there tomorrow. Do you hear me?” She wasn’t as surprised as she should have been when her sister laughed.
“Come on, Maria. Like you’ve got a better prospect? I’ll bet you’re home alone right now, watching some stuffy old movie. At least Damon would get you out of your rut. Hell, how long has it been since you’ve had sex? Four, five years? You’re going to be a virgin again if you wait much longer.”
Maria could feel her face growing redder and redder, and her fury with her sister grew, choking off her words. “You… you little brat! I–”
“How many times have we set you up with nice men? You never manage to keep them interested past the first date, with the exception of that psycho you met last year. You owe me, sis.”
To her shame, Maria felt tears well up in her eyes. They were tears of anger and embarrassment, but that she’d let herself be pushed that far in front of Wyatt made it so much worse. She started to respond, but before she could speak, he took the phone out of her grasp.
“Savannah, Wyatt Dixon here. Maria’s a little busy right now. We’re going to finish watching this stuffy old movie, and then I’m going to screw your sister’s brains out for the rest of the night. If she has time and I decide to let her out of bed, she’ll get there early tomorrow, but I wouldn’t plan on that, if I were you. Since you’re a big girl now, you can handle things, right? Oh, and Savannah? Tell that Damon bozo that he needs to look elsewhere. Maria’s taken. Have a good night.” His eyes still on Maria’s, he ended the call and handed the phone back to her with a rueful smile. “You can kick me out now. I shouldn’t have said all that, but I couldn’t let her talk to you like that and get away with it.”
Maria was stunned. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had stood up for her against her family. “Wyatt…” Throwing her arms around his shoulders, she hugged him. “Thank you.”
“You aren’t angry?”
“God, no.” Pulling back, she snickered. “I’d pay good money to have seen her face.” The more she thought about her sister’s probable reaction, the funnier the idea was, and before long, she was in tears from laughing so hard. Every time she looked at Wyatt, she just laughed harder.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… her face.” When her phone rang and she saw her other sister’s name pop up, she held out the phone to Wyatt. “Want to talk to Georgia?”
He shook his head. “Not particularly, unless you want me to.”
“Nah. Let her stew.” She sent the call to voicemail and laid the phone back on the table. Heaving a relaxed sigh, she rested against the pillows and looked at him. “You may have to go with me tomorrow, explain that you were joking.”
With a boyish grin, he picked up her hand. “Who says I was joking?”
~ * * * ~
Wyatt could tell he’d surprised her. Hell, he’d surprised himself. But as he’d listened to the conversation and seen the hurt and anger on her face, he just hadn’t been able to sit there and not do anything.
“Do they treat you like that often, your family?”
Her laughter gone, she shook her head and sat up. “No, not as much as they used to. But since I started standing up for myself, they’ve definitely gotten more vocal, I guess you could say, about their displeasure.” She wouldn’t meet his gaze.
Reaching out, he tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “When did you start standing up for yourself?”
“After the stalker. You know, the one Georgia set me up with?” She finally turned her head and met his gaze. “How pathetic is that?”
; “It isn’t pathetic at all. I’ve known women two or three times your age who never found the courage to stand up for themselves.”
With a sad shrug that broke his heart a little, she moved the remote control aside. “Savannah won’t let this go. She’s not capable of it. As much as I really do love her, and I believe she loves me, she has too much of our mother in her.”
“Don’t take this the wrong way, but what’s the worst she could do?”
She gave a bark of laughter. “Let’s see, get my whole family stirred up and knocking on your door? Harassing both of us until we commit murder and mayhem?”
“No, I don’t think so. I’m going to be very blunt here, and this is incredibly difficult for me to say, but I haven’t gotten where I am by being timid.” Looking down at their entwined fingers, he cleared his throat. “I find you tremendously attractive, not just physically, but in every way. I’d very much like to date you, see what we have. No more dancing around it, pretending I’m not attracted to you when I am. Life’s too short.”
She stared at him. “I don’t know what to say.”
His mouth tightened. “If you don’t feel the same way, please just tell me. I’m a big boy, and I can take it. We’ll call this a lark, and go on like it never happened. No harm, no foul. I give you my word. And even if you say yes, I was joking about the whole ‘screwing your brains out’ part, at least tonight.”
She reached out and touched his face. “Wyatt, you’re a smart man. I think you know I’m attracted to you, too. But it isn’t as simple as if we just met and liked each other. You’re my boss, and an elected official on top of that. The last thing I want is to hurt your career.”
“Hang the job. I’ve given that department nearly thirty years of my life. I love being sheriff, and I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished, but damn it, I have the right to have a relationship with you. As long as it doesn’t impact my job performance or yours, it’s no one’s damned business but ours.” He read the skepticism on her face and sighed. “This isn’t something I’m just pulling out of the air. I’ve been considering asking you out for a while now.”