Saving Thea

by Melissa Schroeder

  Gina, his secretary slash dispatcher, sat at her desk, painting her nails, again. Five-nine, built like Marilyn Monroe, she never lacked attention from her favorite passion—men. Her natural blond hair and her baby blue eyes, not to mention the sweeter than cream skin, attracted all types of men. She’d been married and divorced three times before the age of thirty.

  Duncan had always been thankful they’d never dated. After she dumped each man, she spent the next few weeks disparaging everything from their lack of attention to their lack of cock size. Thanks to her, he knew more about the male population of Crocker and exactly what they did or didn’t do in bed than he wanted to.

  “Gina,” he said with a sigh, “could you at least pretend to have something to do?”

  “I do. I have to get ready for my date tonight. Oh, and…” she stopped her task and carefully lifted a fax between the palms avoiding her nails, “this came in. Seems they found a woman, murdered, no ID in a ditch off of I-20 west of Abilene.”

  Although he gave her a hard time about her work, Gina was the most efficient clerk they’d ever employed. In fact, the office would be lost without her. He knew Richard and Lou would never be able to work the fax machine.

  He glanced over the fax realizing the woman had been found less than an hour’s drive from Crocker. He made a mental note of the incident and set the fax on the counter. “Pin that up on the bulletin board if you can find the time. Who are you going out with tonight?”

  “Mike Newhouse.” She blew on her freshly painted nails.

  “The produce manager at Yardley’s?” He thought of Mike, with his horn-rimmed glasses and quiet ways. Not her usual type, but he wasn’t sure she had one. She’d probably demolish the guy.

  “Yeah.” She looked up at him, her eyes narrowing as she studied his face. “You met a woman.”

  Damn, he hated when she did that. It was kind of creepy the way she could know what was going on with him. He was pretty sure she paid for spies all over town.

  With what he hoped was a casual shrug, he said, “I’ve been on patrol.”

  She snorted. “That’s never stopped you before. Spill it, Perry.”

  “She’s not a woman, she’s Thea Johnson.”

  Gina cocked her head to one side. “I didn’t know she was back in town for a visit.”

  Duncan remembered Thea’s comment. “Didn’t say it was for a visit.”

  Her eyes alit with interest. “What do you think she’s doing here? What did she look like?”

  He should be used to the sick fascination that Crocker residents had with the Warren family. If he looked at it objectively, he could say he understood it to a degree. But the idea left a dirty taste in his mouth. He still considered Jed his best friend even if he did disappear for huge chunks of time thanks to his job.

  Realizing Gina was staring at him waiting for an answer, he said, “She looks a lot like her mother.”

  Gina’s chair squeaked as she leaned back. “I remember her. Margie was hot.”

  “Why I had no idea you swung that way, Gina.”

  She offered him a smile that was all teeth and no warmth. “I should, figuring I’ve reached the end of the line going out with Mike.”

  “If you don’t like him, why are you going out with him?”

  She shrugged. “He asked, and I have a feeling it probably took him three weeks to work up the nerve. I didn’t have the heart to turn him down. And don’t think I can’t tell you’re trying to change the subject.”

  He offered her an innocent smile. “Would I do that?”

  “Without a second thought. And that tells me you’re hiding something.”

  Nothing other than the momentary spurt of lust he’d felt for Thea. Granted, any heterosexual man with his head screwed on tight would be attracted to her, but it didn’t erase the fact he’d always felt like her brother. Until this afternoon.

  “I’m an open book.”

  She snorted and opened her mouth but the ringing telephone stopped her comment. Knowing he’d been given a reprieve, he ducked out of the reception area and into the safety of his office. After closing the door behind him, he settled in the chair behind his desk and thought about his encounter with Thea. Not like he’d thought about much else since she’d left him at the gas station. It was decidedly uncomfortable that every time he thought of her, his blood heated. If he’d known from the beginning it was her, he probably wouldn’t have reacted the way he did.

  He closed his eyes as he leaned his head back. The image of the faded, worn denim stretching across her full ass. He could imagine slipping his hands over her flesh, the way it would pinken after he smacked it. His cock jerked at the image and he opened his eyes. Okay, so maybe it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d known who she was. He wouldn’t let it bother him, or affect him in any way. It wasn’t like he would act on the attraction.

  Thinking of her at the gas station brought back to mind the conversation and her evasion of what she was doing there. With that, he decided to give Jed a call and see if he knew or if he had any idea just what the hell Thea was up to.

  Thea stepped out of her SUV in the parking lot at Yardley’s. She’d predicted correctly when she said it would be dead. Football season in the small towns of Texas left very few people out on the streets. As she watched the tan sedan park in the front row, she thought it a shame not everyone followed that tradition.

  She didn’t fight the irritation or the groan when she recognized Richard White. Five years older than Thea, and a football buddy of her brother’s, Richard had tormented her endlessly whenever they had crossed paths. His favorite taunt was usually calling her tubbo. Richard wasn’t known for his witty humor.

  He stepped out of the car and waited for her to gain the sidewalk. When she did, he stepped into her path. She looked up at him noting the changes in him, none of them in his favor. Any remaining evidence he had been the starting center for the Crocker High School football team that had won the 2-A championship twenty-one years ago had vanished. Gone were the muscles and the good looks. Before he had put on his hat, she’d seen the balding head where there had once been thick wheat-colored hair. His physique suffered from a beer gut that threatened the durability of his belt and the buttons on his shirt.

  He licked his lips, and asked, “Can I help you with something?”

  “No. Just picking up a few things.”

  “I know just about everyone in this town, but I don’t recognize you.” His pale blue eyes narrowed and then lit with recognition. “Thea Johnson? Holy shit, I had no idea you were back in town.”

  “Well, now you do.” She moved to brush past him but he slipped into her path.

  “Last time I saw Jed, he didn’t say anything about you coming back.”

  Considering that Jed didn’t talk to Richard, he wasn’t exactly lying, but she figured she wouldn’t mention it.

  “It’s been nice talking to you.”

  He took a menacing step closer, his body within inches of hers and she fought the urge to move back. His licked his lips again and then they turned up in a mocking smile.

  “So, I see you finally went on a diet.”

  Facing him, her stomach roiled as the scent of onions and cheap aftershave mixed with sweat drifted over her. She clenched her fists and took a deep breath. She would not lose her temper or back down. She forced herself to smile.

  “You know, once again I’m amazed at your quick wit, Dick.”

  His smile faded, his nostrils flared. The familiar unease she’d always felt around him settled in her belly churning the little bit of coffee she’d drank at Gwen’s. It was always like this with Richard. He’d never been anything but a bully. Still, whenever he got within five feet of her, her skin crawled.

  Before he could return the jab, someone called his name. She watched the inner struggle between answering the summons and blasting her. After a few seconds, he clenched his jaw, spun around and walked over to the older gentleman who’d called him.

  Seeing thi
s might be her only chance to escape, she hurried into Yardley’s. Twenty minutes later, she turned down the pasta aisle and silently bemoaned their selection. For a small-town grocery store, it was well stocked, but she’d known some items would have to be shipped in. And, as she looked over the well organized pasta section, she realized she might need to do quite a bit of shopping online. As she bent to look at the lower shelves, footsteps sounded behind her.

  She turned and smiled when she saw Chase Perry, Duncan’s little brother. A couple years younger than Thea, they’d never been really good friends in high school. He’d looked her up when he moved to Georgia to attend the University of Georgia. They struck up a friendship and he’d even been out to her house a few times for dinner.

  Just an inch or two shorter than Duncan, Chase had sparkling green eyes and a constant smile. Lean, with the streamlined body of a swimmer, he rarely lacked dates, especially with his expertise at flirting. The four years he lived in Georgia, she’d never seen him with the same woman twice.

  “Thea,” he said, his voice filled with genuine surprise and delight. “I had no idea you were here. Are you in town for a visit?”

  Without waiting for her answer, he pulled her into his arms for a hug.

  “No. I assume you haven’t seen Duncan this evening.”

  He released her, but slung his arm over her shoulders in a brotherly fashion.

  “I haven’t seen Dunc in a couple of days. I’ve been out of town on business.”

  “I’m moving back.”

  His eyebrows rose to his hairline. “And?”

  “And what?”

  He rolled his eyes. “And what about Jason?”

  “Do you and Duncan ever talk?”

  “Well, not much. Like I said, someone kept me out of town last night.”

  She laughed. “I thought it was work.”

  “She was. You don’t know how much work she was. Now, tell me that you’ll go out to dinner with me tonight. Or maybe, you could cook for me.” His cheek dimpled.

  “Chase, I just got into town tonight. I’m not cooking for you.”

  “How about some Frito pie then?

  For a second, her mind didn’t adjust. “Frito pie?”

  “You know, open a small bag of Frito chips, pour the chili on, cheese on top of that.”

  “Oh, the game.” She made a face. “No way. I hate football.”

  He leaned back and gave her a look of mock horror. “I don’t think that’s allowed in Texas. I’m sure there is a state law against the hatred of football. Actually, there might some kind of fine for just saying it out loud.”

  She laughed again. “Chase, I just got back into town today. I still have some of my cookware in the car. I’m not in the mood to do something I like, let alone go to a Crocker football game.”

  Without missing a beat, he suggested, “I could help you unpack.”

  “I’m not cooking for you and that’s final.”

  He sighed. “Well, a man can dream.”

  With any other man, she would have been irritated. Chase had a way of putting people at ease. The teasing wasn’t so much sexual as it was just natural to his character.

  “So, what’s a hot commodity like you doing alone on a Friday night?”

  “Trying to convince an attractive woman to cook for me.”

  She opened her mouth to respond when a deep, rich male voice interrupted her.

  “I see you’ve already fallen into the company of unsavory characters.”

  Duncan’s mind couldn’t function. The red haze of anger still pulsed in front of his eyes as he watched the two of them turn to face him. He couldn’t believe his little brother was putting the moves on Thea less than twenty-four hours after she arrived in town. He understood completely. Wearing a tight red sweater that accentuated the golden undertone of her skin, not to mention the generous curve of her breasts.

  “I take offense to that comment,” Chase said, but the smile belied his statement. “How’s tricks tonight, Dunc?”

  He rocked back on his heels trying his best to fight the rising tide of jealousy coursing through his blood. It was the only word to describe the emotion that had him contemplating ways to tear off his brother’s arms and beat him over the head with them.

  “Not much going on tonight. I got Michael and Richard covering the game.”

  “I just saw D— Richard out front,” Thea said.

  “Yeah, I sent him on his way.”

  “Always the sheriff,” Chase said, though there was no heat in his words.

  “More like a den mother,” Duncan said with a wry grin. “Not like there would be much there tonight, but there’s always some fight over a woman.” He turned his attention to Thea and tried to ignore the bolt of lust that sizzled through him. “What are you doing here?”

  The narrowing of her eyes was the only indication he’d irritated her. “What do most people do in a grocery store?”

  He didn’t miss the sarcasm in her voice. “I thought you just got into town.”

  “Which would mean I would need groceries,” she said in a tone he’d heard his sister use with her three year old.

  He shrugged off her comment because responding to her would cause him to look like more of an idiot than he already did. When he glanced at his brother, he fought the cringe at Chase’s raised eyebrow. “How did the meeting go in Dallas?”

  “Fine. We now have Pendleton Advertising representing us.”

  “I’m sure that has nothing to do with Carrie Pendleton?”

  “Of course not. I’m trying to get Thea here to cook for me tonight.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, and when I told you no, you offered me Frito pie. Not very enticing.”

  His brother’s lips curved. “That’s a Texas delicacy, Thea.”

  Thea made a face. “Filled with all kinds of preservatives and I am sure nitrates. All horrible for you.”

  “But it tastes so good.”

  She opened her mouth to argue with Chase but Duncan stopped them with a comment. “I tried getting hold of Jed today.”

  She sent him a frown but he would rather she be mad at him than paying attention to Chase. It was juvenile and made him feel like a kindergartener with a crush on his teacher. There was nothing he could do to stop it. Something deep inside of him wanted every bit of her attention, good or bad, on him.

  “Why?”

  He raised one eyebrow. “Why do you think?”

  She shrugged off his brother’s arm and took a step forward. Her body vibrated with irritation. “Because you’re just as nosey as he is. I take it you didn’t talk to him.”

  He smiled but said nothing. Mainly because he knew it would aggravate her.

  Anger sent an attractive flush to her skin, creeping up her neck and then into her face. Her eyes narrowed, darkened. Duncan wasn’t sure he’d ever seen that particular shade before. They weren’t completely green, nor totally blue. He’d give anything to see what they looked like as passion took over.

  That thought had him taking a step back to resist the temptation she presented.

  “No, I didn’t talk to him. I left him a message.”

  “He hasn’t contacted me in several weeks, so I’m not sure how long it’ll be.”

  “I can sometimes get a hold of him faster than you with my contacts in Texas.” He glanced at his brother and inwardly cringed at the considering look he was giving the two of them. “Have you talked to Mom about that new company you signed?”

  Before his brother could answer, Thea said, “Listen, it sounds like you two have some things to discuss.”

  “Oh, hey, don’t let big brother run you off.” Chase was already reaching for her and Duncan couldn’t quite stop a growl. The smile Chase tossed in his direction told Duncan he’d heard it but Thea gave no indication she had.

  “No, really. I’m exhausted from the trip. I just want to get back to Gwen’s and collapse in bed.” She gave Chase the same sisterly peck on the cheek she had given Duncan at the gas s
tation and said, “Tell Jed I do have the same cell number.”

  As they watched her leave, Chase said, “She’s too young for you.”

  Duncan snorted. “She’s too old for you.”

  His brother glanced at him. “I doubt that. Besides, I know her better than you do. And I know this isn’t the time to be hitting on her.”

  The steel he heard beneath his brother’s usually affable tone caught his attention. “Just what the hell are you implying?”

  “That you have your eye on Thea.”

  He snorted. “And just what were you doing?”

  “We’re friends.”

  “Friends? You barely know each other.”

  Chase shook his head. “I got to know her and her husband—”

  “Ex-husband.”

  Chase acknowledged the correction with a nod. “He was an asshole, but for some reason she stuck with him. I’m assuming she loved him, why I will never know.”

  “So you met him?”

  “Yeah. Jackass doesn’t cover his personality.”

  “I know Jed didn’t like him, but I just assumed because she married him without Jed’s consent. Either way, I gotta get back to the department. I’m manning the phones.”

  Something caught his brother’s attention behind Duncan and he turned to see Miss Petrie, the retired science teacher who had taught both of them in high school, studying the selection of pasta sauces. “I have to go now.” He waited for Duncan’s nod and headed down the aisle after the teacher. “Miss Petrie, don’t tell me you’re walking by without saying hello. It’d break my heart.” A little tinkle of a laugh floated toward him and Duncan smiled. The man could charm a woman out of her clothes in a minute.

  By the time he returned to the office, Gina was fuming.

  “It took you long enough.”

  He grunted. “I could make you work every Friday night for the rest of the football season.”

  With a toss of her head, she turned to leave. “Just remember I know most of your ex-girlfriends. One of them has to have something incriminating.”

  Because it amused him—not to mention was probably true—he said nothing as she slammed the door behind her. He settled down with his sandwich and soda. Before he could take a bite, his cell phone rang. It was Jed.