by Joleen James
"Alone," Tawney said, not wanting to share the contents of the box with Trudy until she saw what was inside. "Is that okay?"
"Of course," Trudy said, backing out of the room. She winked at Tawney. "If you want to show me tomorrow, of course I'm interested." She laughed. "Sleep tight."
"Thanks."
Tawney opened the card first. A big red heart was on the front. Inside it simply said Happy Valentine's Day. Rick.
She pressed a hand to her beating heart.
Eager to see what was in the box, she carefully removed the pretty paper, exposing a silver box. She lifted the lid.
A silver bracelet lay on the bed of cotton batting. The bracelet had a single charm—a wild mustang. Tawney's eyes filled with tears. She loved it! She put the bracelet on, her fingers touching the tiny horse. This was the most thoughtful gift she'd ever received, and she knew she would treasure it always.
Rick had given her a Valentine's Day gift. A small gift, not two dozen red roses that said will you sleep with me, or a gaudy expensive ring that said I own you, but a perfect symbol of their newfound relationship. The mustang, her talisman, and maybe Rick's as well. She'd never shared that story with anyone but him, and that made the gift so much more special.
It was a point in Rick's favor.
He hadn't tried to kiss her again, but he had shown her many times that day that he wanted her.
He'd been respectful.
He'd taken the time to find her the perfect Valentine's Day gift.
Tawney smiled.
It was a start.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Rick pulled into the carport and cut the engine.
The ten-mile drive from Cade's place had cooled his libido some.
And man did he need cooling off.
When he'd seen Tawney in that dress, her shoulders bare, her hourglass figure showcased to perfection, he'd felt like he'd been delivered a hand slap to his forehead.
Right then and there he'd admitted to himself that he wanted her. Physically, yes. As a girlfriend? As a partner? He didn't know. Confusion was his enemy, yet he'd been unable to stay away from her.
And that kiss. He'd lost himself in her taste, the softness of her skin, the scent of her hair. She was a woman made for a man.
His body roared to life. Even now he wanted her.
He exited the Jeep, forcing his mind to the here and now. Problem was every man she met wanted her. How did he stand out, prove to her that he was different? He thought about the gift he'd left her, hoping she'd be okay with the present. He often thought about the wild mustangs. Seeing those magnificent horses running free had really meant something to her. He hoped she liked the gift. The last thing he wanted to do was scare her, or make her think of Fox and his unwanted presents. He'd intended to give her the gift himself but had forgotten about it until he'd been leaving the party.
Maybe it was better having Trudy deliver the present. She was a neutral third party. If Tawney was uncomfortable with the gift, he didn't want to know. He was putting himself out on a limb giving her the present, having no idea if she'd be receptive to the gift or not.
He knew she didn't like anonymous gifts, and he wondered if she'd received any today. Rick crossed the yard to her cottage.
Sure enough two packages sat on the porch. He scooped them up and took them to his place. Once inside, he unwrapped the first one, recognizing the paper as a wrapper from the local candy store. There was no card, just of box of truffles. The second package also contained candy. There was a card but it simply said from an admirer.
Cowards. Why couldn't the men around here own up? How did they ever expect to get a woman when they couldn’t even include a card with their signature?
He didn't intend to tell Tawney about the candy. She'd only get upset. Maybe the time had come to install a camera, one he could view from his phone. He'd have to get her consent. He didn't want her to think he was spying on her.
His phone rang. Tawney. "Hey."
"Hi." Her voice crept across the airwaves to him. "I got your present. Oh, Rick, I love it."
He smiled. "I'm glad. Happy Valentine's Day."
"I want you to know it's the most thoughtful gift I've ever gotten. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome."
"Well, I just wanted you to know that," she said. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Count on it." The line went dead. He sat there for a few minutes, playing her words over and over in his mind.
He grinned. She'd liked the gift. He was on the right track with her.
Tired, he hit the shower before crawling under the covers. Instant sleep overtook him. Vivid dreams ran through his mind, Angie, gunshots, Phil, the snap of his own neck when he was hit in the teeth by the butt of a gun.
Rick jerked awake. Sweat coated his forehead. His hand touched his teeth, finding reassurance that his implants were intact. He tossed the covers back trying to get his bearings.
Something about the dream wasn't right. Had the events been out of order? Yes, Phil hadn't been there until after he'd been hit. But in his dream, he'd heard Phil first.
No, Phil hadn't been there first, had he?
Rick had already taken some hard hits to the head prior to being force-fed the butt of a gun. His memories weren't clear; they never had been. For so long he'd refused to think about that night, but now the night Angie had died was all he could think about.
Rick got up and drank some water. He longed to call his partner, but it was the middle of the night. His questions would have to wait until the morning.
He knew one thing for certain. He wasn't ready to let that day die. He needed answers if he wanted to move forward.
More at peace now, Rick went back to bed.
This time his dreams were filled with a beautiful woman with dark hair and skin so soft she made him ache for her.
* * *
The following evening at The Junebug, Tawney picked up two draft beers from Rick and delivered them to Mel and Harry.
"You're looking real pretty tonight, Tawney," Mel said, his eyes on her breasts.
She smiled. "I'm a little tired tonight. My sister got married yesterday. Stayed up too late."
"I heard Cade and Star got married." Harry used a toothpick to clean his teeth. "Good for them."
"What's it take to get a date with one of you girls?" Mel asked.
"Which one did you want to date?" Tawney asked, both irritated and amused.
"You of course," Mel said.
"I'm not dating at the moment," Tawney told him. "Sorry."
"If that's true, it's a shame." Mel leaned closer to her. "I'm just going to admit it. I left a box of Valentine's candy on your porch yesterday, and when I did, I saw another present there for you. Makes me think there is someone else."
"What?" Tawney asked, instantly alarmed. Mel she could deal with, but someone else? "I didn't see any candy when I got home this morning."
"Well it was there yesterday," Mel said. "I guess you know by now that I like you Tawney. I'd like to take you out."
Harry spit out his toothpick, watching the exchange between the two of them with interest.
Tawney didn't want to ruin her relationship with her best tipper, so she decided to tread lightly. "Mel, that was sweet of you to leave the candy, but like I said, I'm not dating right now. I've been burned recently. I'm not up for having a relationship with anyone. I have no idea who left me the other present."
Mel's beady eyes pinned her. "Um hum." His tone told her he didn't believe her.
"Sorry." She moved away from him, back behind the bar.
Rick glanced at her over his shoulder. "Is he giving you a hard time?"
"No worse than usual," she said. "He told me he left me a box of candy on the porch yesterday, and that there was a second package there. He wanted to know who his competition is."
"You don't say." Rick kept his back to her.
"You wouldn't happen to know what became of the gifts would you, Rick?" She removed a
rack of beer glasses from the dishwasher and set them on the lower counter. She walked around him to see his face.
"I might." His mouth tightened.
Instantly her anger ignited. "Why would you keep that from me? I need to know if someone is stalking me. Keeping me in the dark is dangerous."
He glanced away, clearly unable to look at her. "Both boxes of candy were local. Both anonymous. Obviously one came from Mel."
"Yes, but who sent the other one?"
"I don't know. Not Fox. It's not his style."
Some of her anger faded. "Candy is definitely not his style. Candy doesn't say I own you."
"Face it, Tawney, in this town you are a prize. There isn't a man in this bar who doesn't want to sleep with you."
Tawney looked out into the crowded bar, instantly wary of every single man in the place. She hated feeling vulnerable and anonymous gifts made her feel just that.
"Look," Rick said, touching her arm. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want to upset you. Yesterday was great. I wanted you to have a perfect memory of that day. I knew the candy would make you crazy."
His words touched her, defusing her anger. She fingered the mustang charm on her bracelet. He had indeed given her a perfect day. "Okay, apology accepted, but please if you see anything suspicious will you tell me? I need to be prepared. This town is giving me a false sense of security. Talking with my mom yesterday brought Vegas back with all its seediness. I need to remember that Fox is still out there. I’m not stupid enough to think he's just going to let his infatuation with me go."
"I won't let him hurt you," Rick said, his tone low. "You can trust me."
Could she trust him? Boy, did she want to. It would be so easy to lean on him, to let him take charge, but she was not that kind of girl. Accepting help from others was hard. Now, with Star and Cade away on their honeymoon she felt even more alone.
The door opened again and Destiny walked into the bar. Tawney watched as male heads turned. Even with her coat on Destiny oozed sexuality. She took a seat at the counter, peeling off her parka, tossing the coat onto the empty barstool beside her. She wore a figure hugging hot pink sweater and slim fitting black jeans. Holy cow.
"Tawney, there you are," Destiny said. "I conned Brandi into dropping me off while she gases up the car. I thought we could have a quick drink and spend a few minutes together before we leave for the airport. Be a dear and get your mama a glass of chardonnay."
Tawney didn't dare look over at Mel and Harry, sure their tongues would be hanging out.
Rick poured Destiny a glass of wine and slid it to her. "On the house."
Destiny smiled her famous "megawatt" smile. "Thank you. Tawney can you take a break and sit with me? I only have a few minutes, and we haven't had much of chance to get caught up."
"Sure, Mom." Tawney glanced at Rick. "You don't care, do you?"
"Of course not."
Tawney hung up her mom's coat then took the empty bar stool beside her. "Have you enjoyed your time here?"
"You know it," Destiny said. "I loved seeing you girls and that baby is so delicious. I could just eat him up."
"I could eat you up," Harry said from two bar stools down. He leered at Destiny.
Tawney shot him a withering look.
Destiny peered around Tawney to better see Harry. "Why aren't you sweet?" she said. She held up her left hand. "Sorry, sugar, I'm married. But a girl does like to feel appreciated."
"I appreciate you," Mel said.
Tawney wanted to puke. No one could work a man like Destiny.
"Did I hear you say you were Tawney's mama?" Mel asked. "I can see where she gets her good looks from."
"Thank you." Destiny fluffed her hair, putting on quite a show for Mel and Harry. "If you don't mind, fellas, I so rarely get to see my daughter; we need to have some private girl talk."
Mel and Harry grumbled but went back to their beers.
"You are a master, Mom," Tawney said. "You handled them like a pro."
"You don't work in a city like Las Vegas as long as I did and not learn a few tricks," Destiny said. She fiddled with the stem on her wine glass. "Are you really okay, baby? I'm worried about this business with Fox. Just say the word and I'll call him myself."
"No!" Tawney said. "Promise me you won't. I don’t want him to know anything about me."
"Okay, okay." Destiny took Tawney's hand. "Just be careful."
"I am, Mom." Tawney glanced over at Rick. He watched them from his perch near the cash register.
"Protect yourself when it comes to that one," Destiny said, giving a head nod toward Rick. "I don't trust him. He looks at you like you are some kind of delicious dessert and he wants to eat you up."
"Mom," Tawney groaned.
"Well, it's true. I mean, what is he really doing here in this town? Who's he trying to fool? He doesn't belong here any more than you do."
"We all have our baggage, Mom, including you," Tawney pointed out. "Now for heaven's sake, please change the subject."
"If you get tired of things here," Destiny said, "you could come and visit me. John and I would love to have you. You'd love my house there. It's one of those McMansions. Gorgeous. Professionally decorated, not really my taste, but classy."
Tawney squeezed her mother's hand. "Thanks, Mom. That means a lot to me. I’m glad you're happy."
"As a clam." Destiny smiled. "That's all I want for all of my girls, for you to be happy. Star and Brandi are pretty settled, but I worry about you and Ruby."
"I know."
"Well…" Destiny finished her wine, setting the empty glass on the bar. Her phone pinged and Destiny fished it out of her purse, glancing at the screen. "Brandi's waiting outside. Time to go. I guess this is good-bye, my tiny dancer."
Tawney hugged her mom. "Have a safe trip."
"And you be safe," Destiny said, kissing Tawney on the forehead.
After Destiny had gone, Tawney couldn’t help but think of her offer to go to Canada. Fewer men? A better neighborhood? It all sounded appealing, but then Tawney's thoughts went to Rick.
Again her fingers touched the mustang.
He'd been keeping an eye on her all night, maintaining a "respectful" distance. He was doing everything right. She appreciated that he wanted to protect her. Maybe he felt like he owed her. There was so much more to him now. The ambitious teenage boy was gone and in his place was a serious, troubled man. Serious on so many levels.
Tawney worked the rest of her shift. Rick was waiting for her when she was ready to start for home. She didn't bother to fight the escort. Her nerves were too raw. And as much as she hated to admit it, he made her feel safe.
"Let's go," he said.
She followed him out, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of her jacket. They walked home at a brisk clip. She didn't feel the need to make small talk.
At her door, he waited while she opened the lock.
"Good night," she said.
He nodded. "Good night."
She heard the longing in his voice, longing she couldn't answer yet. Her feelings for him were so mixed up. If she kissed him now, she'd be unable to stop.
"See you tomorrow." She slipped inside, closing, then locking the door to her cottage and the door to her heart.
* * *
Rick had no idea what Destiny had said to Tawney about him, but Tawney seemed cooler to him, more thoughtful. He knew Destiny didn't like him and he didn't blame her. He did know that the best thing he could do for Tawney would be to get his own life in order before he pursued her.
And he did intend to pursue her.
Tawney O'Hara was worth fighting for, that much he knew.
But for now he was content to let things simmer between them while he sorted out the night Angie had died.
Earlier he'd called Phil, leaving his ex-partner a message to call him back. So far, no return call. It wasn't like Phil to ignore a call from Rick. His uneasiness over that night rose.
Something wasn't right, but what?
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As he got ready for bed, he replayed what little he could remember over and over in his mind. Rick and Phil had been working undercover for two months, trying to score information on a big heroin drop. Angie had hooked them up with Tony Malone. Tony didn't trust easily, and they'd had to play along with Tony, proving to the dealer that they were the real deal. They'd made several small buys, but Angie had given them information that there was a major shipment coming in, so they'd bided their time, waiting. At last, Angie had supplied the date and place.
But they'd never made it that far.
Instead, Rick had received Angie's call. Man, he wished her words had been in the form of a recorded message or text message. Everything had happened so fast that night. What had she said exactly? Rick willed his mind to clear. He grabbed a pad of paper and a pencil, writing down what he could remember.
"I think Tony knows, Rick. I need you to come and get me. Something's wrong. Tony locked me in the office. He's shouting at someone. I'm scared."
Rick lifted his pencil, thinking.
There had been a scuffle, muffled sounds. Then, "Hey—what? No. Let me go."
A crash. Angie had screamed.
He'd raced to the warehouse.
After arriving at the warehouse parking lot, Rick had fired off a text to Phil with his location. He'd been about to call his location into the precinct when he'd heard the gunshot. Drawing his weapon, he'd sprinted from the car, going inside without backup. Angie had been on the ground, the red stain of blood on her white shirt.
Not seeing anyone, Rick had started toward Angie. The next thing he remembered was waking up, tied to a chair. There had been voices. Yes. Someone else had been there with Tony, but who? Tony had fired rapid questions at Rick, wanting to know how much the cops knew about his operation. Tony had known Rick was an undercover agent. How? Had Angie told him? And who did the other voice belong to? Had that person still been in the room?
Rick had refused to answer Tony's questions, or been unable to answer, he wasn't sure. That's when Tony had used his gun to knock Rick's teeth out. After that, he'd lost consciousness.
Damn. His memories existed in a haze of pain and blank spaces. When he'd come to, Phil had been there. Had Phil been arguing with Tony? Rick closed his eyes, trying to remember the conversation between Phil and Tony, but the words wouldn't come. Had Phil been pleading for Rick's life? Probably.