He stood Kaylee on the porch, kissed the top of her head and grabbed the flower box so he could give it to Nicky. He didn’t have to go far, though, because at that moment, Nicky came out of the house.
“Meredith said you were here,” Nicky greeted.
Hell, he hadn’t wanted anything to kill his mood or the momentum, but the mention of his ex-wife nearly did it. To kick up that momentum again, he leaned in and kissed Nicky.
“Oh,” Loretta muttered. She scooped up Kaylee. “This little one and I will give you some time alone.”
Loretta made it sound as if he were about to strip off all of Nicky’s clothes and pull her to the floor, but Garrett figured that could wait.
“I wanted to see you,” he said. “Please don’t run.”
“Not today. I’m wearing flip-flops. Hard to run in them.”
He was glad she’d gone for something light. Maybe that meant she’d listen to the rest of what he had to say.
“I’m sorry you got upset when you were in my truck.”
“I’m sorry you saw what you saw,” she countered. Definitely nothing light about that.
He waited to see if she was going to add an explanation to that, but when she didn’t, Garrett went on with what he wanted to say.
“Will you go out with me?” he asked.
It was a very simple question. Just six words with very few syllables. But Nicky didn’t jump to answer. Instead, she looked over her shoulder where they could see Loretta and Kaylee through the screen door. Loretta was leading the little girl away from them.
“Why do you want to go out with me?” she countered.
He could also see the wheels turning in her head, and he didn’t like the direction they were turning. She was connecting this to Kaylee. And while it might be partially true, there was another truth here, as well.
Garrett tucked the flower box under his arm so he could slip his hand around her waist, pull her to him and kiss her. He didn’t make it too hot in case Kaylee happened to look back, but he made sure Nicky knew she’d been kissed.
“That’s why I want to go out with you,” he said when he broke the lip-lock and let go of her.
She certainly didn’t jump to agree. Probably because she thought that eventually she was going to have to talk about that scar. She wouldn’t, though. Garrett wouldn’t ask her anything about that until she was ready to talk about it.
Nicky finally nodded.
He didn’t have time to celebrate, though, because her gaze dropped to the box under his arm. He’d nearly forgotten about it, and he shifted it back to his hand.
“You brought me flowers?” she asked.
“No. Sorry.” But he made a mental note to do that. “These aren’t from me. A florist in Spring Hill delivered them to the house, and I brought them over.”
She stopped in midreach, her fingers freezing just a few inches from the box. He’d never seen someone’s expression change so fast. Nicky hadn’t been exactly smiling after that kiss, but now the color drained from her face.
“Thank you,” she said, but it didn’t sound the least bit sincere.
Maybe because he was right there watching her, Nicky opened the box and glanced inside at the pair of yellow roses. She slammed the lid shut and mumbled another thank-you.
“There’s a card,” he said, taking it from his pocket. It was only about two inches wide and was in an envelope.
Nicky opened that, too, but again he thought she might be doing that for his benefit.
But why?
Why had flowers put that kind of pained expression on her face?
Hell. He hoped this wasn’t from some old boyfriend. Or maybe this was some kind of deal her late husband had set up, to have flowers delivered after he was gone.
Garrett hadn’t read the card, but when Nicky pulled it from the envelope, he saw what was written there.
I’m sorry, but I can’t stay away.
“I have to go,” Nicky insisted, shoving the card into the flower box and going back inside.
And despite her assurances that she wouldn’t run, that’s exactly what Nicky did.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
GINA WAITED IN the parlor, peering around the side of the door, waiting. If anyone saw her, they’d think she was snooping or had developed an extreme shy streak, but there was a purpose to this lurking.
She was looking for Meredith.
Since the woman wasn’t in her room or in the yard, that meant she was somewhere in the house. Gina had already learned that this house was a maze where you could wander around for hours and not find what you were looking for, so she decided to plant herself and wait.
Lizzie walked by, and yes, she was crying. She’d been doing a lot of that lately, and Gina made a mental note to check on the woman. While she was at it, she’d check on Ruby, as well, and try not to make a funny face because of the things she’d learned about the woman during group sessions.
“There you are,” Loretta said.
Gina nearly jumped out of her dress. She apparently sucked when it came to detection mode since Loretta had made it to within just an arm’s length away and she hadn’t heard the woman coming up behind her.
“That really nice cowboy asked me to give this to you,” Loretta said, handing her a folded note. “I’m pretty sure he’s one of Hester Walter’s boys, but I don’t know which one.”
“Jake,” Gina provided, and she glanced at the note. It was his phone number with a little cartoon drawing of a cowboy with seriously bowed legs and a phone pressed to his ear.
“Call me when you’re ready for some coffee, a drink, dinner and/or mindless sex,” he’d written beneath the drawing.
Gina tried not to smile. She failed.
“Those boys always did have the best manners,” Loretta went on. “Hard workers, too. The Walters have been working for the Grangers since back in Z.T.’s days.”
“You knew the boys well?” Gina asked.
“Well, enough...” Loretta stopped, and her eyes widened. “I need to get back to the mopping,” she said, and scurried off.
Great. Either Loretta had some dirt on Jake and his family and hadn’t wanted to tell or the woman had a skewed sense of urgency regarding floor cleanliness.
Gina made a third mental note to find out if Jake was some kind of con artist who charmed women to get their fortunes. If so, he was going to be sorely disappointed in her bank account. Probably her sex skills, as well, but she didn’t intend to let things get that far between them.
She put the note in her pocket and finally spotted her prey. Meredith didn’t see Gina. That was because she had her attention on her phone screen. Actually, she was glaring at it. She yelped out a sound of surprise when Gina caught her arm and pulled her into the parlor.
“Made any trips to the florist lately?” Gina came right out and asked her.
Either Meredith was genuinely surprised by the question or else she was faking it. Gina was leaning more toward the faking-it theory. She didn’t trust Garrett’s ex one bit.
“What are you talking about?” Meredith pulled her arm out of Gina’s grip.
“Florist. Spring Hill.” Gina made sure she added a little snark to that.
Though Meredith only shrugged. “Yes, I went there. The owner is an old friend of mine, and I stopped in to catch up with her. What—are you spying on me or something?”
“Or something,” Gina grumbled.
She studied Meredith’s eyes and saw no hint of deception or gaslighting. Still, something had to be going on because there had been two flower deliveries in just a little over a week. A record. One that Gina didn’t want repeated.
“Does this have anything to do with the flowers Garrett brought Nicky?” Meredith asked.
“Does it?” Gina coun
tered.
Meredith huffed. “Clearly, you think I’ve done something wrong, and I haven’t.”
“You’re sure about that? Because it seems as if you did something wrong when you blew Kyle in the backseat of his car. And when you browbeat Nicky into letting you come here. Don’t you think we all know what you’re trying to do?”
Another huff and she folded her arms over her ample chest. “I’m just trying to get better, like the rest of you. You don’t see me accusing you of being here under false pretenses.”
“Because I’m not,” Gina assured her. “Nicky is my friend, and she’s too nice to tell you to get lost, but I’m not.”
They stood there, just staring at each other like two Old West gunslingers about to draw their weapons. Gina saw the exact moment that she won the showdown, and Meredith turned, ready to leave.
But she stopped.
“Why would Nicky get so upset over a flower delivery?” the woman pressed. Now, there was some snark to her tone. “Because if you think I had something to do with it—which I didn’t—and if the flowers weren’t from Garrett—which I don’t think they were—then it means Nicky has a stalker or something.”
Gina tried not to let her expression give anything away, but she wasn’t good at this sort of thing. However, she was good at anticipating stuff, and when Meredith finally walked away, Gina suspected this was not the last she’d see of Garrett’s troublemaking ex.
Nicky’s secret could be about to bite her in the butt.
* * *
I’M SORRY, BUT I can’t stay away.
For only a handful of words, they certainly packed a punch. One by one Nicky’s secrets had come to light. All but this last one. And it was the worst of them all.
Nicky had put the flowers in the outside trash can as soon as she’d made her way through the house and out the back. She’d shoved them deep beneath the other garbage, but out of sight didn’t mean they were out of mind. No. It’d been hours since she’d laid eyes on those flowers, and the image of them was just as fresh and unblemished as it had been when she’d first looked inside that box.
There was no one to call about this. Nothing she could do except pray that the I can’t stay away didn’t mean she would soon have a visitor.
She had worked so hard to keep her life together, and even though it felt cobbled, the pieces had seemed to fit. Even with Patrick’s death. But then the flowers had started to arrive, and Nicky had to rethink everything.
Because she could lose everything.
She tried to force all the bad stuff aside and get to work on the plans for the party. Plans that were growing by leaps and bounds. When Nicky had first come up with the idea, she’d wanted to find a way to thank Belle for giving them the lease. Also a way to thank the ranch hands for having to work around them. Now that Loretta and Ruby were involved, the guest list had been expanded to include some local business owners and members of the historical society. Every day, it seemed as if they added someone else.
Like today.
Nicky glanced at the revised guest list and saw that the mayor and Clay had been included. She doubted either of them wanted to come, especially Clay since he’d been out here enough with the investigation. But maybe they’d felt it would be an insult to Belle if they declined. Since Belle would soon be Clay’s mother-in-law, that was likely enough incentive. She didn’t know the mayor’s motive but hoped it wasn’t to try to boot them out of town because of Lady’s antics.
She put her head down on her desk, no longer fighting the tears that she felt coming on. But apparently the tears would have to wait after all because there was a knock at the door. She said another quick prayer that her visitor wasn’t Garrett. And it wasn’t. It was worse.
Meredith.
Nicky really did need to get more specific with the way she worded her prayers.
Meredith was alone, but she had a grip on the handle of a suitcase. One that she rolled into Nicky’s office.
“I wanted you to know I’m leaving,” Meredith said. “I just wanted to say I was sorry and that I hope Garrett and you won’t be mad at me.”
Until Meredith had mentioned Garrett, Nicky had thought this conversation was going well. But there was something in the way Meredith said his name that had bells clanging in Nicky’s head.
“Why would Garrett be mad at you?” Nicky asked.
“Because he blames me for upsetting you. He called me right after you ran off with those flowers. Others here are upset with me, too.”
Nicky hadn’t realized Meredith had seen that little incident, but it was possible every single person in the house had. The eyes might be windows to the soul, but there were enough windows in the house to offer every Peeping Tom a great view.
“Garrett thought I had something to do with those flowers,” Meredith went on. “He was venting, of course. Very pissed off that you were pissed off and he didn’t know why.”
“I’ll set him straight,” Nicky assured her. Of course, she wouldn’t do that with the full truth, but she would let him know that Meredith wasn’t responsible for this latest dark mood of hers.
“Thank you.” But she shrugged, then huffed. “It won’t do any good, though. He said the only reason I was here was to complicate your life. He really held up a mirror to my face with that. And that’s why I’m leaving.”
Nicky wanted to issue a good luck and give her a goodbye wave, but there was another component to this. One that Nicky didn’t like.
“What about therapy? Will you continue that?” Nicky asked.
Meredith nodded, started to leave but then turned back around. “You’ll make sure Garrett continues with his, too? His nightmares used to be pretty bad, and I doubt they’ve gotten any better.”
“Garrett was in therapy?” Nicky asked. This was the first she was hearing about it, and it made her ache for him even more. He’d lost so much.
“Yes. We both were. There was all that pain and grief to work through. But he stopped seeing the counselor when she suggested that he and I do our sessions together. If you ask him to continue, though, he would probably do it.”
Nicky doubted that. Besides, her own mental well-being wasn’t in such stellar shape, so she should just stay out of it.
Even if it felt like the last thing she wanted to do.
Just like that, the memories of Garrett’s kisses returned. He certainly hadn’t needed therapy or adjustments in that department. Even after all these years, he’d found the right place to kiss. To touch. He had increased the heat in her even though it would have been better if all of that had stayed at room temperature.
“You seem distracted or something,” Meredith commented.
She was, and she was getting a little tingly from remembering those kisses, but Nicky denied it with a head shake. What she couldn’t deny was that Meredith still wasn’t leaving.
“Is something wrong?” Meredith pressed.
“No,” Nicky assured her.
But Meredith continued before Nicky even got out that one-word response. “Because I saw how you reacted to the flowers. Gina and Garrett were upset about them, too.” She paused. “If you have a stalker, you need to let the ranch hands know. You don’t want someone getting hurt because you’re trying to keep it a secret. If you tell them, they can be on the lookout if this stalker shows up here.”
Nicky stood, trying to process what Meredith was saying and figure out what to address first. “Gina? A stalker?” She probably couldn’t have verbalized that better, but Meredith’s accusation had unbalanced her.
“Gina’s upset with me for being here. And as for the stalker, it’s something I figured out on my own. I mean, what else could it be?”
It could be worse than a stalker. And was worse. But Nicky kept that to herself.
“No one here is in danger. At least n
ot because of me,” Nicky added, mainly because Lady was stirring up some trouble with her sleeping around. The buzz was that some of the women in town were fed up with Lady encroaching on their cowboy territory.
“Oh,” Meredith said. “All right, then. I must have read the signals wrong. I figured it had to be something like that for Gina and Garrett to be so angry.”
She didn’t volunteer anything, and she just stood there, looking at Meredith until the woman finally got the message—that it was time for her to leave. Meredith issued a crisp goodbye and headed out.
Nicky waited until she could no longer hear the woman’s footsteps before she went in search of Gina. Apparently, Meredith and Gina had had a conversation, and Nicky wanted to know what’d been said to make Meredith believe she had a stalker. If Meredith thought that, then Garrett probably did, too.
Gina wasn’t in her room with Kaylee where she’d last seen them, but there was a note saying that she’d taken Kaylee to her session with her tutor in San Antonio. They’d probably be gone most of the afternoon, but that would give Nicky time to pay Garrett a quick visit.
A visit that she immediately rethought.
She really didn’t want to tell him about who was sending those roses. Didn’t want to talk about the scar, either. Heck, most of the things going on in her life were off the conversational table with Garrett, but she felt as if she owed him something.
Nicky was on her way to the trail where her SUV was parked, but her phone buzzed with a text message. It was from a number she didn’t recognize, and it caused her heart to start racing.
I’m sorry, but I can’t stay away.
Since those words were right there in the front of her mind, Nicky half expected to see them repeated in the text. But no. This had nothing to do with flowers or staying away.
I think I might know who owns the wedding ring, the texter said. The one with “forever wrapped around you” engraved inside it. Call me so we can talk.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
GARRETT SPOTTED TROUBLE coming his way. Two doses of it. His mother was walking up the hall toward his office, and out the window he saw Roman pull his motorcycle to a stop. Neither of them would want to see the other, and Garrett didn’t want to see either of them.
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