by Lee Rose
Ben sighed sadly, feeling frustrated with the whole situation and tempted to march into the shelter and just tell her how it was going to be. “I have absolutely no luck these days, especially with Hannah.”
“You know Hannah has trust issues, Ben. Thanks to our parents’ constant fighting and that creep that broke her heart in college, she has trouble believing in happily ever after. And I’m sure me and Kelly didn’t give her any good impressions,” Jackson explained with regret as he came back outside and overheard Ben’s comment. He sat next to Grace and held her hand lovingly. “Relationships are hard, Ben, but worth it in the end. Before I met Grace, I had no luck in relationships, but now I believe I was waiting for Grace to come into my life all along.”
Ben nodded. “I know that, Jackson, and you two are lucky to have found each other. You inspired me to go for my dream girl. I never pressured Hannah to go out with me until this year. I thought we finally were getting somewhere. I just don’t know what to do to fix all this. I am in love with your sister but she refuses to believe that.”
“Well, you’re being too nice with Dorothy, Ben. If you truly aren’t interested in dating her, be firm and let her know that showing up at every place you go to is called stalking,” Grace said, putting her own two cents in. “If she keeps ‘accidentally’ running into you, Hannah is always going to wonder why you haven’t put your foot down and told Dorothy straight out to leave you alone. I know if someone followed Jackson around like that I’d be one pissed off girlfriend and let him and her both know it.”
Jackson put his hands up in surrender at Grace’s angry speech and laughed. “I don’t need any other women. You’re my one and only, babe.”
Grace snuggled happily into his arms and hugged him tightly. “Keep it that way, cowboy, and we’ll live a long happy life.”
“You’re right, Grace. Hannah has been unusually quiet about all this, which is not like her. That’s why I’m worried. Normally if she is mad at me she’ll be in my face, yelling at me and she wouldn’t care who overheard us,” Ben admitted sadly, envying the obvious deep love between the couple. That’s what he wanted with Hannah. “I’ve been trying not to be too harsh with Dorothy, but she is either too dumb to get the message I am not interested or playing dumb. When Hannah walked in with lunch and saw Dorothy there at the station I did kick Dorothy out and told her I was only interested in Hannah, but it was too late. The damage had been done. And the rumors about me being some kind of Romeo are ridiculous. If I even stop and say hello to a woman or, God forbid, have a simple cup of coffee with her all of a sudden I’m a wild playboy with no morals.”
“Has Dorothy been back?” Jackson asked, knowing the answer already and frowning deeply when Ben nodded. “Grace is right on this one, buddy. You’re too soft with the ladies, that’s why they always flock around you and Hannah gets so jealous. Remember the chili cook-off a few months back? You started dancing with Hannah and she looked happy until Dorothy and a few other women butted in and you let them, so Hannah stalked off mad as hell. You’re going to have to make a stand or my sister will never take you seriously. I know she loves you, Ben, but she is a Hawthorne all the way through. We can be a bit jealous.”
Grace snorted at Jackson’s comment. “A bit? Like throwing a fit when I wanted to go to Randy’s with Sammie and Jane.” Sammie and Jane were two of the other waitresses at Flo’s Café where Grace worked.
Jackson nodded firmly at Grace, putting his arm around her shoulder and hugging her to him. “Damn straight. No one dances with my woman but me, baby.”
Ben shook his head at Jackson’s comment, especially when Grace swatted him in the head. “I have absolutely no luck. The one woman I want won’t give me the time of day and the one I don’t want won’t leave me alone.”
Chapter Four
Ben drove by the shelter after leaving the Lazy J. He wasn’t looking forward to going to his empty house, so he just drove by to make sure Hannah was safe in there all alone. Not that Bear Creek was a dangerous place. It was a small, quiet community filled with ranchers and working people who had lived here all their lives. Everyone knew each other. The population only ran to a few hundred people. The trouble with Grace and her ex was the most trouble they had ever had besides little neighborly arguments and petty crime. He turned his Jeep off and sat in front of the brick building feeling like a stalker. He needed Hannah like he needed air to breathe. Especially now that he knew what it felt like to have her in his arms and be inside of her. No other woman would do for him.
One light was on in the back so he knew Hannah was back in the medical room working. He was tempted to go in there and have a showdown, but knowing she was in the middle of something important stopped him.
He had lived in this town all his life and wanted to raise his family here. It was a safe place to raise kids. He wanted several kids and at least one daughter that looked like Hannah.
He had grown up as an only child of a single mom and it had been a lonely life. His mom had moved them from Dallas to this small town to give Ben a better life when his dad had died, but she had worked a lot of hours to make ends meet. He had loved his mom but he had spent a lot of his time on the Lazy J with Jackson and Hannah so he wouldn’t be all alone while his mom worked.
When he thought about a future, he thought of Hannah. No other woman had ever invaded his mind and his heart. Women did flock around him but he had always been able to forget them easily, but not Hannah Hawthorne. She was beautiful and that was nice but she was more than a pretty face to him. She had a heart of gold and she was the strongest woman he knew, always forging ahead no matter the obstacles life threw her way. Hannah made him laugh with pure joy and drove him crazy with frustration at the same time. He loved her fierce spirit and her loyalty toward those she loved. He wanted to be included in that circle. Life with her would never be boring, if he could get her back. He needed a plan and more free time. He was fighting for his future. With a sad sigh, he turned his Jeep back on and headed to his empty house.
* * * *
“You want me to hire on permanently as a deputy?” Billy Walters asked Ben with surprise the next day at the sheriff’s office. Ben had called him and said he needed to talk with him.
Billy Walters was a long-time resident of Bear Creek, but had spent many years away from home in the military. He was a little taller than Ben at six two and a few years younger. He kept his blond hair cut in the military style. He liked to work out and it showed on his muscular body. He had come back to town to help his cousin, Grace, when her ex-lover escaped from jail. After helping to save her he had decided to stick around town for good, much to the happiness of his family.
“Yeah, if you’re interested in taking the job. Between me and Stan we’re always busy and now that I’m trying to court Hannah I could use some free time instead of the twelve hour days I’ve been putting in,” Ben explained to his friend. He leaned back in his chair, waiting for Billy’s answer. He knew Billy was more than qualified for the job, especially with his military background.
Billy laughed and sat back in his chair, rubbing his chin playfully. “That little blonde spitfire that saved Gracie? Lucky you’re in love with her cause she is my type of woman, all fire.”
Ben didn’t laugh back, instead he gave Billy a disgruntled look. “Well, she’s mine, so keep your bulging muscles and hero status to yourself, or better yet, I know someone who is looking for a date,” he said thoughtfully, thinking of Dorothy.
“Gracie told me of your stalker and if you’re trying to pawn her off on me, forget it,” Billy said, making a scared face. “I’m not interested in settling down anyway.”
“She’s just a lonely woman,” Ben corrected him defensively. He didn’t like that term stalker. Dorothy was just lonely, not dangerous. He understood what it felt like to be lonely.
Billy shrugged not wanting to argue with his new boss and just reached across the desk to shake Ben’s hand. “When do I start, boss? I need something to do. Retirem
ent is boring and my parents want me to try cooking at the restaurant. I told them I’d only burn it down, but they don’t listen.” His parents, Bill and Flo Walters owned Flo’s Café.
“No time like the present. I have a woman to woo.” Ben grinned, feeling lighter already. “Ruth, my secretary, has all the papers ready for you to go over and sign. She’ll get you a uniform and settle you in.” He took Billy to Ruth so she could get the ball rolling. He had romantic plans to make and not a minute to waste.
Chapter Five
Hannah, Amy, and Grace decided to enjoy a night out at Randy’s Bar and Grill in town. Grace and Amy had showed up at the shelter earlier and announced they were tired of Hannah moping over Ben. Amy Davis worked with Hannah at the shelter and was also going to school to get her veterinarian’s license. She was in her early twenties with short red hair and blue eyes. It had been her idea to go to Randy’s to dance instead of a club in Austin.
Hannah sipped on a cola and looked around at all the people dancing and having fun. The music was playing loud, which made it easier for her not to have to think. Maybe her friends were right, she thought to herself. Moping around gets you nowhere. She had always sworn to herself that she wouldn’t be one of those weepy women lost in a state of deep depression just because some man left them. So Ben wasn’t who she thought he was, did that mean she had to sit around feeling lonely and depressed? No, she was a strong independent woman and it was time she acted like one. She had a career that brought her joy, a wonderful family, and now a baby on the way. She was blessed with or without Ben.
Hannah looked behind her, where Amy stood flirting with a cute cowboy at the bar and gave her a thumbs up sign. Grace was sitting next to Hannah watching the dancers and tapping her foot to the music with a happy smile on her face. She had confessed she had never been in here, so it was an exciting night for her. Grace was a city girl from Michigan but you’d never know it by how she was dressed. She wore tight faded jeans and a tight blue checkered blouse tucked into her slim waist. She even had the cowgirl hat Jackson had bought her over the summer and some cowboy boots on her feet. She was ready to boogie down she had told Hannah and Amy happily when they had arrived.
“I do feel better, Grace. Thanks for convincing me to go out tonight.” Hannah smiled brightly, already feeling like her old self. “This is just what I needed. So tell me, how did you convince Jackson to let you come to Randy’s? He would never let me come in here despite this being his favorite hangout. I snuck in here once on my twenty-first birthday and it took twenty minutes for Jackson to find out and escort me out of here with an hour long lecture on the dangers of being in bars.”
Grace laughed and sipped her cold beer slowly and looked at Hannah. She took off the cowboy hat she was wearing and fanned herself with it. The bar was stuffy from all the movement going on. Her long, curly red hair was laying loose down her back. “I didn’t exactly tell him where we were going. I said Amy and I were going to cheer you up tonight no matter what it took and he just shrugged and grunted ‘fine’ and went back to baling hay. I think he imagined we’d all be sitting at Flo’s drinking ice tea and eating cookies like good little girls.”
Hannah’s eyes widened in surprise then she shook her head and groaned. “Oh boy! Well, small towns are hotbeds for gossip, girlfriend. I bet he gets a phone call within an hour tattling on you. That will teach him to take more of an interest in what his girlfriend is saying.”
Grace laughed, rolling her eyes. “We’ve become like an old married couple already, stuck in a routine. While that is nice and comforting, I think we need a little spark in our life. I’ve asked him to bring me here several times but he says it’s too wild for me.” Grace looked around at all the people laughing and dancing. “It looks like fun to me.”
Amy walked to the table with her cute cowboy to set her beer down and overheard Grace. “You got that right, Grace. You got to keep your man on his toes. I’m going to dance with Jack here and he has two friends who want to dance with you and Hannah, and they promise to behave like gentlemen.”
Jack waved his hand to his friends at the bar and they walked over to Hannah and Grace. “This is Sam and Andrew. We work at Bar L. We just started working there a few weeks ago and don’t know many people yet but we love dancing. I met Amy here a few weeks ago.”
After everyone introduced themselves they got up to join the other couples on the crowded dance floor.
Hannah danced with Andrew and he was very nice and she enjoyed talking to him. So why couldn’t she feel a spark of attraction to him? He was tall and slim with blond hair and blue eyes. He was charming and although she enjoyed his company she didn’t want to do more than dance.
“Amy said you went through a breakup. I’m sorry, I know it hurts. Been through a few myself,” Andrew said in a sympathetic voice. “I moved here from Houston hoping a change of scenery would cheer me up. Keeping busy helps.”
Hannah nodded, technically she only had one night with Ben but it did feel like a break-up. He had been embedded in her heart for so long that she wasn’t sure he would ever leave. “Yeah, it hurts but as they say, life goes on, right?”
“So they say.” Andrew smiled with a shrug to his shoulders. He twirled her around in a fancy move and made her laugh. He was a great dancer and very friendly.
After two dances Andrew walked her back to her table. He ordered her a fresh soda. Sam walked Grace back to the table and pulled out her chair for her to sit in. She looked up at him to thank him for the dance when she glanced toward the doorway and saw two angry looking men walking toward their table.
“Uh-oh, it didn’t even take an hour for someone to tattle on me. You just lost the bet, sis,” Grace told Hannah with a smile and Hannah giggled as she spotted Jackson and Ben walking their way at a fast pace. Neither man looked to be in a friendly or social mood.
“Thanks for the dance, boys, but you better get out of the line of fire,” Grace advised Sam and Andrew. The two men hurried away after catching a glimpse of Ben and Jackson’s grim expressions with a quick good-bye.
“Grace.” Jackson stopped and stood in front of Grace and frowned, his forehead lined with creases. He crossed his arms across his chest. “You didn’t tell me you were taking my sister to a bar.” He said the last word as if Grace had taken his sister to a truly disgraceful place.
Grace sipped on her beer casually, looking relaxed and totally unafraid. She thought for a moment, as if trying to remember her conversation with him. She gave Jackson a look of innocence, her red eyebrows crinkling over her brown eyes. “Are you sure? I didn’t think you listened to a word I said. If I remember correctly you just grunted and kept on working.”
Hannah laughed out loud at her brother’s grouchy expression, earning a glare from him. “That’s what you get, dear brother, for ignoring your girlfriend when she’s trying to have a conversation with you.”
Ben glared at Hannah then glanced over at the bar where Amy stood laughing with the men they had been dancing with. “Who were you dancing with, Hannah? I didn’t recognize those men. You shouldn’t be trusting strangers.”
“You’re not the only one who can have admirers, Ben,” Hannah said, keeping a bland expression on her face despite her senses coming back to life as soon as Ben stood next to her. She went from feeling lonely to feeling excited in two seconds flat, so much for being strong and independent. “I don’t have to answer to you, Sheriff Parker. I am young and single and allowed to have fun.”
Jackson sensed an argument brewing between his best friend and sister so he pulled Grace up from the table and led her to the dance floor, leaving Hannah and Ben alone to talk.
“I don’t like other men putting their hands on you, Hannah. I saw his face and I’m tempted to go pound it in for him,” Ben said, sitting in Grace’s empty chair and looking at Amy’s friends in a threatening manner. He looked at Hannah’s tight faded jeans, pink tank top that showed cleavage, and her white cowboy hat and boots. “Especially with you lookin
g like a sexy angel.”
“Well, Ben, I don’t like other women following you around and flirting with you. But you refuse to put a stop to it because I think it flatters you,” Hannah fired back quickly. “Andrew was nice to me so leave him be, he at least had the decency to leave us alone. If Dorothy was here she’d be all over you and you’d let her.”
Ben let out a heavy sigh, staying silent as if thinking about her words. “Okay, maybe you’re right. It does flatter me but I am honest when I say I made it clear to Dorothy that you are the only woman on my mind. She is just a lonely woman but I’m sure she’ll give up and find someone else soon and forget all about me.”
Ben pulled her out of her chair and led her to the dance floor where a slow song was playing. He pulled her close to his body, swaying to the music. He wrapped his arms around her waist. “If you let him hold you this close, I will take you home and spank that sweet ass of yours to remind you who you belong to. You are mine, Hannah Hawthorne. Your body and heart belongs to me, even when we’re fighting. Don’t you ever forget that.”
Hannah laid her head on his strong shoulder and closed her eyes, just enjoying the feel of Ben’s arms around her. She could feel his muscles underneath his shirt and smell his spicy cologne. She missed him. One night in his bed and she felt like she wasn’t complete without him. She had always known Ben would creep into her heart and embed himself there and never leave. Maybe that’s why she had avoided his advances for so long. She knew once she gave in to him, she’d never recover if they broke up. And that scared her more than when she faced Grace’s crazy ex-boyfriend pointing a gun on her.