The Librarian’s Secret Scandal

by Jennifer Morey

  “Hey, May.”

  She loved his voice. “Hey.”

  “You going home?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’ll walk with you.”

  “I rode my bike.”

  “Then I’ll push it for you.”

  To heck with it. She’d see what he was all about and then worry about the rest later.

  “Okay.”

  She walked beside him to the bike racks and found hers. He pulled it free after she unlocked the chain, and they headed down the street.

  “I heard about what Sherilynn and her friend did,” he said.

  “Oh, that. It was nothing.” Yeah, right.

  “I’m sorry about that. For some reason she thinks we’re still going out.”

  “You aren’t?”

  “No. I broke up with her a couple of weeks ago.”

  “Oh.” She tried to sound like it was no big deal.

  “Has she bugged you since then?”

  “Nope. And she better not.”

  “She thinks she’s tough but she’s not. I’ll say something to her so she doesn’t do it again.”

  “Thanks.”

  A boy rode past them and looked back, staring. Levi walking her home would be all over school tomorrow. She held back a big smile.

  “You want to catch a movie sometime?”

  Was he asking her out on a date? What would her mom say? Would she let her? Then another thought deflated her excitement.

  Was he just trying to get into her pants?

  “Only if you want,” he said.

  “I’ll ask my mom.”

  He stopped and she realized they were in front of her house. Her mom was still at work.

  “I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” he said.

  “Okay.” She smiled and took the bike from him when he leaned it toward her. “Thanks for walking me home.”

  “I’ll walk you home tomorrow, too.” He grinned and she loved it.

  “Okay.”

  Lily was bone-tired after closing the library. Early-September evenings in Honey Creek cooled with the approach of winter and tonight was no exception. She walked to her truck. A Ford Expedition parked across the street made her stop. She squinted her eyes to see better. She couldn’t tell what color it was, but there was a man sitting in the driver’s seat. It had to be Wes.

  She crossed the street, feeling little sparks of excitement igniting the closer she got. Now she could see his new SUV was dark gray with shiny chrome trim. He rolled his window down and she leaned her forearm on the frame.

  “Are you stalking me?” she teased.

  He grinned. “Just making sure you’re all right.”

  “A likely excuse.” But she knew he hadn’t liked the note that came with the roses.

  “I also wanted to see if you were hungry.”

  “Oh….”

  “Have you eaten dinner?”

  She was a terrible liar so she stuck with the truth. “No. I was going to stop at the market on the way home. May and my dad will already have eaten.” And her dad, she was sure, hadn’t gone out of his way to save any for her.

  “We could go over to Kelley’s Cookhouse.”

  Where everyone would see them together? “I was just there with May over the weekend.”

  “How about McCormick’s, then?”

  McCormick’s was a small pub on the other end of town. It attracted some regular drinkers and served typical pub fare. They’d be safe from the quilters there. Besides that, the entire town was abuzz over Damien’s homecoming. The focus wasn’t on her anymore, or at least not for a while.

  “All right.” Why not? It was just dinner. She wasn’t going to go home with him, as she might have done all those years ago.

  “Climb in. I’ll drive you back here when we’re finished.”

  She opened the door and got in. The Expedition had that new-car smell and Wes reached for the radio to turn down the music. Country.

  “Why don’t you wear a cowboy hat?” she asked.

  “Just because I listen to country music doesn’t mean I have to wear a hat.”

  “A Montana sheriff should wear a cowboy hat.” Plus he’d look good in one.

  “I was never comfortable wearing them. I don’t like anything on my head. Gets in the way and makes me sweat. Besides, I’d look a little funny driving an SUV in a cowboy hat.”

  She laughed. “Fair enough.” She didn’t think it would matter what he drove, though.

  It never took long to get where you were going in this town. Wes parked his SUV and she got out before he reached the passenger side, leaving her purse and taking her sweatshirt.

  He opened the pub door for her. It was dim inside the long and narrow bar and a football game played on two TVs above shelves of booze. Bar stools lined one side of the establishment and small, tall tables lined the other. Four men sat at the bar and a couple and two men sat at two of the tables. She didn’t recognize anyone. Before she’d left Honey Creek, she’d done most of her carousing in Bozeman.

  McCormick’s wasn’t the kind of place that had a hostess, so Wes led her to a corner booth in the back. It was the only booth and the biggest table in the place. Some turned to look at them as they passed, but no one showed any further interest than that. For the first time since returning to Honey Creek she felt normal in public.

  The bartender came to get their order. She ordered a burger and Wes ordered the same.

  “Has anything else happened since you received those roses?” Wes asked.

  “No.” Hopefully whoever sent them had had their fun and was finished now. But she knew that wasn’t why Wes was asking. He didn’t think she’d confide in him at this stage of their relationship.

  “Getting protective of me now?” She kept her tone light, but really she was touched that he cared so much.

  “Part of my job.” He grinned.

  She was glad he recognized her teasing. That made it easier on her to explore him a little deeper.

  “Doesn’t that make this too personal for a sheriff—involving yourself with your girlfriend?”

  The residual traces of his grin renewed and twinkling humor reached his eyes. “You said it. Just remember that.”

  This wasn’t how she wanted it to go. She hadn’t meant to say that. She fumbled for a response, damage control.

  He chuckled. “Freudian slips don’t have to count for now.”

  He was so good at that, easing her mind. “How is it possible that you’ve escaped marriage for so long?” The question came to her mind as naturally as she voiced it. “You’d think a woman would have come along and snatched you up by now.”

  “Are you volunteering?”

  The bartender came with waters. The interruption was perfect. She used it as an out not to respond.

  But when the bartender left, he said, “Just for that I’m going to spend more time at the library.”

  She laughed softly and was surprised that the idea didn’t bother her.

  Their burgers arrived and they ate in silence for a while.

  “When is Damien going to be home?” she asked.

  “Tomorrow. I’m going to pick him up.”

  “I’d say I’m relieved everyone’s talking about him now, but I know it can’t be easy for him. Or you for that matter.” In one respect she could see why some in the town were leery about his return. Innocent or not, he’d spent fifteen years in prison. That had to harden a man.

  “I never care what people say. I only care what the truth is.”

  He’d said as much before, and that probably helped to make him a good sheriff. “How will Damien feel about it?”

  “He already knows what he’s coming home to. He’ll be fine. He just needs some time to adjust, just like everyone else who has a negative opinion about his incarceration.”

  “Fifteen years is a long time.”

  “He’ll have his moments. But Damien is a strong man, and not everyone is against him.” His expression grew more somber. “What wo
rries me is his anger. I don’t blame him for wanting justice, but I don’t want him doing anything stupid.”

  Like resorting to violence to avenge himself? Lily knew what it was like to want that.

  “Are you going to let him help you with the investigation?”

  “I’m sure nothing will stop him from his own inquiries. I’ll keep him updated on my progress, though. Hopefully that will be enough.”

  She didn’t know what to say to that. She didn’t know enough about the case to judge. Or about Damien for that matter.

  She could tell the talk about his brother upset him. Maybe he felt guilty for not being able to prove his innocence. Maybe he was worried about how Damien would handle his anger and bitterness. It wasn’t a good situation, but she remembered the Coltons as bold and ambitious. Some of them carried that boldness a little too far, but none of them were the backing-down type.

  Wes was no different, except he had a softer side, one she noticed more and more. He caught her looking at him and she wanted to turn away from that direct gaze. No shyness there. His interest was clear and building, if the heat that came into his eyes was any clue.

  The way that made her feel was almost foreign. She’d forgotten what it was like to have a man look at her like that, and to enjoy it. Had she felt this way at all since the rape? Had a man ever stirred such a warm glow before? No. Even before that, she couldn’t recall a time she’d felt a response this intense to someone.

  The bill arrived and she let herself absorb the sight of Wes while he was distracted. But when he finished, he met her look and the heat renewed. Averting her head, she walked ahead of him to the door. Outside, his hand took hold of hers, and she let it. All the way to his SUV, he held her hand. That was it. At the side of his SUV, he held the passenger door open for her and didn’t try anything as she climbed in.

  He was taking it slow, being a perfect gentleman. Or was cautious a better word? More likely he was afraid she’d shoot him down again. Or was that what she wanted to believe? Because right now she didn’t feel like telling him not to call. And that was a new one for her.

  She held back a smile as he got behind the wheel and drove toward the library. All the way there she felt his presence beside her. Energy hummed. Sexual energy. It had been so long since she’d felt this way—without the usual stiffening. Relationships hadn’t been easy on her after her rape. She’d had to work at them. This felt different. Easy. Natural. Should she be worried? Even their age difference didn’t matter as much anymore.

  Wes pulled to a stop beside her truck and she froze as she looked out the window. Someone had used spray paint to write all over her truck.

  Whore covered the driver’s and rear passenger doors. It was written on the hood, too. On her pretty truck.

  Tears sprang to her eyes. She heard her own hitched breath.

  Wes swore from the other side of the SUV. “Stay in here.”

  She struggled to hold back her crying, but it was too much. Why wouldn’t everyone leave her alone? She was so tired of being labeled. Jezebel. Rape victim. Outcast.

  Watching Wes walk around the truck, scanning the parking lot as he did, Lily wiped her cheeks. He came full circle and pulled out his phone, dialing a number then lifting the phone to his ear.

  He opened the passenger door and looked at her with concern in his eyes. Concern and anger. He put his hand on her knee, a comforting gesture. She listened to him ask his deputy to come gather evidence. When he finished with that call, he made another one to arrange for a tow.

  How sweet. He wasn’t going to let her drive the truck anywhere, sparing her any embarrassment.

  When he hung up, he put his phone away and placed his hand on the headrest behind her head. He was so close.

  “I’ll find whoever did this,” he said.

  A swell of affection rose up in her. Odd how his nearness didn’t make her feel suffocated. That was usually how she felt when she was with a new man. It was a struggle to overcome anxiety over his intentions. But not with Wes.

  He lifted his hand from her knee and touched her cheek. Just when she thought he’d kiss her, headlights shone on them. Wes’s deputy had arrived.

  Wes moved back and waited until the deputy emerged from his car, then he walked toward him. They spoke a moment, the deputy nodding every once in a while, and then Wes returned to his SUV, going around to the driver’s side.

  “Ryan will take care of it. I’ll drive you home.”

  She avoided looking at her truck as Wes started driving.

  “Do you need a ride tomorrow?”

  She hadn’t thought about it yet. “I’ll get a rental.” She could walk to the car-rental company.

  “You can drive my Jeep. I’ll bring it by in the morning.”

  “Really?” He was going out of his way for her. After a brief hesitation, she decided to go along with it. “Are you going to use that as an excuse to see me?”

  He kept his profile to her. “Yes.” But he was grinning as he turned the SUV off Main and headed east out of town. She didn’t question how he knew where she lived. Her father had lived in the same house for years.

  A few minutes later he pulled to a stop in front of the house. All the windows were dark. She hadn’t called May to tell her she was going to be late.

  She got out of the SUV and turned in the open door to say goodbye to Wes, but he was already shutting the driver’s door.

  Her heart leaped into a faster rhythm. He was going to walk her to the door?

  The idea was both tantalizing and frightening. It also felt a little juvenile. Had a boy ever walked her to the front door before? She couldn’t recall a time when that had happened. Men had walked her to her door, but that was only when she was going to let them in. No way was she going to let Wes in, and that was what made this night so different from others in her past.

  She heard him walking behind her on the sidewalk that led to the front step and porch. He took her hand when she reached the door. She faced him, as nervous as a teenager on a first date.

  “I had a nice time at dinner,” he said.

  “So did I.” And it was true. She’d enjoyed every second with him up until she saw her truck. And even that hadn’t been as bad as it would have been without him.

  Letting her hand go, he slid his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. His movement was nonthreatening. Slow. Gentle.

  He kissed her, a soft touch that was far from invasive. And it was over as soon as it began. The sweetness of it made her fall for him even harder.

  “Good night,” he said.

  “Mmm,” she could only utter. She put her fingers on her lips as he walked to his SUV. She turned before he reached it and opened the front door. The entire exchange was clichéd, it had been so simple.

  Man and woman go out on a date. Man walks woman to front door. Man kisses woman and says good-night. She wondered if that’s why it worked for her. It was undemanding. Easy. There that word was again, popping into her head. Wes was easy to be with. Easy on her eyes. Easy to talk to. Easy to feel good with.

  Floating into the house on those thoughts, Lily closed the door and turned. Her father was standing in the entry between the living room and the kitchen. She saw his silhouette in the dim light of the interior.

  “You’re home late,” he said.

  “I went out for dinner after work.” She didn’t want to talk about the truck.

  “Who with?”

  Did he care? “Wes Colton.”

  “Wes Colton.” It sounded like a sneer.

  She didn’t respond, just put her purse down and slipped out of her shoes.

  “You’re shooting kind of high, aren’t you?”

  She straightened. “Excuse me?”

  “Going after the sheriff. Don’t you think that’s awfully bold?”

  He thought it was bold of her to want to be with a sheriff. She shoved her hurt feelings aside. “I’m not going after him. He drove me home, that’s all.”

  “I saw you
kiss him.”

  “He kissed me.”

  “You didn’t seem to mind.”

  “Dad, it’s been a lot of years since I left here.”

  “You haven’t changed.”

  If he couldn’t see how wrong he was by now, she wasn’t going to bother arguing. She started to head toward the stairs.

  “Is he the only one you’re chasing around town?”

  Stopping at the top of the stairs, she turned. “I’m not chasing anyone.”

  “Don’t be breaking up any more marriages. I don’t need that kind of embarrassment at my age.”

  “I know, Dad. It has always been about you.” Talk about never changing….

  “You watch your mouth in my house.”

  Lily sighed. What was he going to do? Kick her out? He needed her and he knew it. He had no one else, even though he wished he did.

  “Why didn’t you drive yourself home?” her dad asked.

  “My truck…broke down. I had to have it towed.”

  “And you went to the sheriff for help? Or maybe you planned it that way. Maybe there’s nothing wrong with your truck.”

  “Wes was in the parking lot when I left work.”

  Her dad grunted.

  Lily faced him fully and folded her arms. “Why do you hate me so much?”

  He didn’t answer, but his smirk eased a bit.

  “I think you’ve hated me since the day I was born.”

  “That isn’t true.”

  Nothing would convince her of that. Not with the way he talked to her just now. But he had his mind made up. He had his version of her all lined out in his mind, with no second chance in sight.

  “I’m sorry you don’t believe me,” she said, dropping her arms and turning to go to bed.

  “Give me a reason to, Lily.”

  That stopped her. She looked back at him. “What do you think I’m doing?” He was a big reason why she’d come back to Honey Creek. She wanted his love as much as she wanted the demons of her past to stay in the past.

  She watched her question register on his face. He knew what she meant. And yet, he didn’t acknowledge her.

  Leaving him standing there, she tried not to let the crushing heartbreak of their damaged relationship ruin the enchantment of her evening with Wes. But her father thought she was shooting too high. What if he was right?