Connecting Strangers (Discovering Emily)

by Rachel Carrington

  I’m surrounded by hard muscle and heat, and I’m on the verge of igniting. Sensations I can’t name envelop me. Adam cups my ass and lifts me so I’m even with him. My legs go around his waist while my hands frame his face. Nothing should taste this good. But he does. A combination of mint and coffee.

  His tongue dances with mine, and the pull reaches all the way to my toes. I’m liquid in his arms. The burn intensifies as I run my fingers through the short strands of his sandy-brown hair.

  “Sheriff, I hate to interrupt…”

  I jerk at the intrusion, but Adam merely lifts his head and turns it toward the voice. “What is it, Gary?” He slowly lowers me so my feet can touch the ground.

  “I’ve been trying to reach you on the radio.” Gary’s face is red, his cheeks practically glowing. “We..uh..we have a call. Mrs. Bartholomew done changed the locks on her husband again.”

  Adam shifts slightly, and I realize he’s trying to hide me from the prying eyes of his deputy. “Isn’t it something you can handle?”

  “I would, Sir, but we’re also needed down at the basin, and it’s just you and me until Robinson comes on shift.”

  “Fine. I’ll head down to the basin. You take care of the Bartholomews.”

  “Yes, Sir.” The deputy shifts from one foot to the other, running his fingers around the rim of his hat. “I…uh…well, that is…”

  “Is there anything else?” A little sharper, Adam’s voice snaps the deputy’s head up.

  “Just that I wanted to say I’m sorry for…well…you know.”

  I’m tempted to bury my face against Adam’s chest. My mortification equals Gary’s, but Adam doesn’t seem fazed.

  “Go to work, Gary.”

  With a quick inclination of his head, the deputy hustles away, the cold ground crunching beneath his boots.

  “Sorry about that.” Adam is standing straighter now, and he brushes the hair back from my shoulders and makes sure my blouse is in place.

  “No. It’s probably a good thing he interrupted us.” Guilt slams into me. Kissing should be the last thing on my mind with all the baggage I’m lagging behind me. I don’t want to drag Adam into the middle of anything and risk him getting hurt. He might be a good sheriff in Juniper Springs, but that doesn’t mean he’s ready to go up against Mark and his father.

  His thumbs caress the corners of my mouth. “You’ll never convince me of that.”

  I slip out from between the car and Adam and pull his coat from my shoulders. “Here. You’ll be needing this.” Unable to look at him, I just hold it out, hoping he’ll take it and leave but knowing he won’t.

  His fingers curl around the collar, but they make no further move to retrieve the coat. “We didn’t do anything wrong.”

  He wouldn’t say that if he knew what I know. I’m only a day out from breaking up with a boyfriend I should have dumped years ago. Fear had kept me rooted in place. Not necessarily fear of Mark but of the unknown. I barely have a high school diploma and though I’ve had a few jobs in high school, I’d never had to support myself.

  I don’t know if I can ever admit that aloud.

  “Don’t you need to get to the basin?”

  “It’s just some teenagers shooting cans with their BB guns. They do it as often as they can get away with it. By the time I get there, they’ll be gone.”

  “Still…” I let my voice trail off, trying to let him know I didn’t want further conversation. What I need right now is space so I can sort out what just happened. And why.

  But Adam doesn’t seem to be in any hurry. He takes both of my hands in his and guides me around to face him. “Have dinner with me tonight, Emily.”

  The invitation pinches my heart. I wish I could say yes. “I can’t. I don’t plan on being here much past lunchtime.” I let go of the jacket, forcing him to catch it. And because I don’t know what else to say, I start back-tracking toward the diner.

  Adam catches up with me before I can make it to the back door. His hand curls around my arm. “You can’t leave yet.”

  I look into his hazel eyes, and a warm ache fills my soul. I don’t want to go, but I have no right to stay. “I never planned on staying, Sheriff.”

  “I thought Juniper Springs was your home.” He uses my own words against me, but the softness of his gaze removes any judgment.

  “No, you didn’t. You never thought that.” I twist the doorknob just as Francine opens the door.

  “There you are! I was wondering where you’d gone off to.” Her gaze lands on Adam’s hand still holding my arm before she looks back at me. “But I see you weren’t alone. Looks like you two are in the middle of something.” She starts to retreat, but I quickly tug free of Adam and climb up the steps.

  “We were done. The sheriff has a call.” I don’t look back before slipping into the kitchen.

  “What was that all about?” Francine’s all nosiness once the door is secured behind us.

  “Nothing.”

  “Girl, you’ve got the worst poker face ever. Now here.” She hands me an apron.

  “What’s that for?”

  “You need a job, and we have an opening.”

  I look at the soft pink cloth and shake my head. “I can’t stay, Francine.” But I want do. Desperately. I want to know what it’s like to have a friend. A home. But mostly, I want to know Adam. In another life, he could have been mine.

  “Honey, where are you gonna go? You might get some money, but all it will do is help you keep running. You’re never gonna feel safe unless you confront the dragon.”

  “Not sure I’m ready to do that.” That’s a lie. I know I’m not ready to do that. It seems so much safer to run.

  “Well, from the way you were hugged up with the sheriff out there, I’d say you were interested in it.”

  “I thought you didn’t know what was going on.”

  A grin slides across her face. “I just peeped out because I didn’t know where you were. Once I saw you were safe, I promptly closed the curtain.” She gives me a wink. “Okay, maybe not promptly but soon.”

  My face flushes, and I look away. I’m getting too close already. To her. And Adam. Mostly to Adam. And it isn’t safe. I fold the apron neatly and place it atop the spic and span countertop. “Thanks for the offer, but I really can’t stay.”

  Chapter Four

  Francine isn’t done, and she follows me to the bathroom, her steps determined. “Listen to me, Emily. If you let Mark put you on the run, you’ll never feel safe. You have a chance to start over here. Why don’t you take it?”

  “There’s one thing I left out, Francine.” I turn to face her. “I shot him.” When her eyebrows raise, I rush on. “I didn’t kill him, but it was enough to really piss him off. He’ll come after me the second he’s able, which, I imagine will be within the next couple of days. And once he’s on the hunt, it won’t take him long to find me.”

  “That’s all right by me. I’ve got a shotgun with his name written all over it.” She’s scowling now, and I can see she means business. “Ain’t nobody coming into my diner and trying to run roughshod over you. I’ll put a bullet in his nuts and leave him wishing I’d put it in his head instead.”

  Though I appreciate Francine’s immediate defense, I place my hand on her arm to diffuse her anger. “There’s so much more to this. I shot him, and he’s still coming after me. Your bullets won’t make a difference. And getting him out of my life isn’t my only problem.” I debate telling her the rest of the story, but what good would it do? The bits I told her were complicated enough.

  Francine clearly isn’t finished with me, but she doesn’t push for more information. “Well, I ain’t about to allow you to get on the road without some decent sleep. So here.” She removes a chain with a key from around her neck. “My house is right next door. Go on over and get yourself some sleep. And I ain’t taking no for an answer. If you try to fight me on this, I’ll call Adam to impound your car. It is on private property, after all.” A saucy wink accompan
ies her words.

  I eye the key, and the thought of a warm, comfortable bed entices me. Just a few hours of uninterrupted sleep without fearing Mark will find me wouldn’t hurt. “Thank you.”

  Francine looks surprised I’m not arguing with her, but she presses the key into the palm of my hand. “You go make yourself at home, and once you’re feeling rested, come on back over for a good meal before you hit the road.”

  After a night spent tossing in turning in the cold air inside my car, Francine’s suggestions don’t seem like such a bad idea. And though I know she’s plotting, I decide to think about that later.

  In less than ten minutes, I’m inside her cozy, two-bedroom house, and I’ve found the guest room which looks a lot like something out of a Victorian novel. Just the sight of the four-poster bed has me yawning, and I tug off my shoes and climb beneath the frilly comforter thinking I’d just sleep for a couple of hours.

  My head touches the pillow, and I sink into its downy comfort. As I close my eyes, my mind takes me back to the kiss. Lips tingling at the memory, I smile. Some of my fear slips away. For a little while, I can pretend I’m a normal woman who’s attracted to a normal guy. No, I can’t get too close, but there’s no harm in dreaming.

  I awaken to the sound of wheels crunching gravel and the realization that night has fallen. Heart racing, I lurch from the bed and run to the window. A truck I don’t recognize is parked in the driveway. That shouldn’t make a difference considering I don’t know any trucks in this town. But my body doesn’t know that, and it goes into automatic react mode.

  I don’t think my mouth could be any drier, but my palms are pouring sweat. Strangers are never a good thing, and even though this truck might belong to someone intent on visiting Francine, I can’t take any chances.

  With the front door blocked by the visitor, I begin a frantic search for the back door. It’s bolted shut, and I don’t have the key. That leaves the window in my bedroom. I’m moving so fast now my hands are jerking, but I manage to slide open the old frame.

  I have one leg dangling in the air when a hand closes around my foot and begins to tow me out. I shriek and begin kicking, but I’m no match for the strength of my captor. It’s only when I’m on the ground that I realize it’s Adam standing in front of me.

  Without a thought to his badge, I pummel his chest for a few good seconds. “You scared the shit out of me! You could have just told me it was you.”

  “I didn’t know it was you. I saw someone climbing out of Francine’s window and thought I’d better investigate.”

  “No, you didn’t. You pulled up into the driveway first. You came here looking for me, didn’t you?” I smack his chest again for emphasis and remove my palm before it can linger.

  A grin tugs at the corner of his mouth. “Okay. I’m busted. Francine did tell me you were here, but it all fairness, she sent me over to check on you. You’ve been sleeping for close to ten hours. She thought you might have skipped town without your car. I told her you couldn’t get very far, but she insisted.”

  My heart is still pumping fast, and I place one hand over my chest. “So why didn’t you just knock on the front door?”

  “That was my original intention, but I heard all the noise around this side of the house. The cop in me kicked in, and I had to find out what was going on. That’s when I saw your leg coming out the window.” He pauses and tilts his head to one side. “You make a habit out of crawling out of windows?”

  “I didn’t know who you were, and I was here by myself.” Now I’m feeling slightly foolish. I’ve given Adam one more reason to suspect I’m being shady with him. “I didn’t mean to sleep so long. I still need to go to the bank.”

  He taps the face of his watch before pointing to the dark sky. “The banks are closed.”

  “Obviously.” My irritation knows no bounds. If only I had my ATM card with me…“Well, I guess I’ll just have to wait until tomorrow morning.” Which is exactly what Francine wants. I’ve no doubt the woman deliberately didn’t wake me up and sent Adam over in some type of skewed match-making scheme, as though hooking me up with him will keep me here.

  “That won’t help you, either. It’s closed tomorrow.”

  Adam’s response corrals my thoughts. “Closed?” I study him with the same level of suspiciousness I would a magician. “Why would a bank be closed on a business day?”

  “It’s the mayor’s doing. Since bank employees get the short shrift during the holidays, he thought Juniper Springs should do something special to compensate. So once a week, the banks are closed. It’s usually Fridays unless that falls too close to a holiday. Seems to be working because the bank hasn’t lost any employees in the past three years.” My skeptical look didn’t miss him. He holds his hands palms up. “Ask Francine if you don’t believe me.”

  I didn’t believe him. Not one bit. “You wouldn’t be trying to keep me in town for any reason, would you, Sheriff?”

  “Now why would I do that?” He sounds a little too smug as he checks his watch again. “It’s only seven. So how about that dinner now?”

  “You’ve got to be kidding me.” The change of subject only enhances my suspicions. I start to march around to the front door before realizing the only way back into the house is through the window. There’s no way I can climb back up without help. Damn. I return to my earlier position and look up. I hate to ask for his assistance, but…

  Luckily, Adam sees my dilemma and cups his hands. “Need a lift?”

  I offer him a begrudging thanks and allow him to launch me upward. My fingers curl around the ledge, and I start to wiggle inside with Adam’s too friendly hands holding my legs.

  “Unlock the door.” He issues the order before releasing me then I hear him walking around the corner of the house. I debate ignoring him, but it isn’t my house. And he is the town sheriff.

  So I let Adam into Francine’s living room that looks like it’s straight out of a showroom with its ivory linen sofa and walnut wood floors. “Do you actually need to come inside now that you know I’m awake and safe?”

  “It’s the cop in me. I’m very thorough.” He grins, adding an intimate promise to the words, and eases by me, his chest brushing my breasts in a manner I know isn’t by mistake. “You didn’t answer my question.”

  “What question?”

  “About dinner.”

  “Really? I thought my response was self-explanatory.”

  He shrugs, drawing my gaze to this broadness of his shoulders. “Sometimes you have to spell it out for me. I can be a little slow.”

  “I’m sure.”

  “When it counts, I can.”

  Hell. Every nerve in my body is standing on edge. The playful banter makes me nervous. I need him to leave before things kept complicated. Like they did outside the diner.

  “So? How about having dinner with me tonight? You have to eat.”

  “I’ll eat at the diner. The answer’s still no.” My toes curl on the cool floor. I want to put my shoes back on, but they’re in the bedroom. No way I’m going in there now. Adam is too close, and all it would take is one step, one suggestion.

  Instead, I move closer to the bookshelf lined with classic novels as if its size can protect me.

  “Why?” He leans against the wall closest to the front door. All tall, lean, and perfect.

  I blink at him several seconds, trying to formulate a response that wouldn’t result in more questions. “Because I don’t want to.”

  The grin segues into an evil smile. “Now I know you’re lying.” He takes a step toward me, and I move backwards until my shoulder hits the bookshelf. There’s nowhere else for me to go. “There’re a few things in life I know for sure, Emily. One of those things is when a woman’s interested. You don’t kiss a man like you did if you’re not.”

  “Well, I shouldn’t be. I can’t help it if my body responds without my permission.” I look down at my hands then back up at his face. I wish he would stop smiling. It’s unnerving me.
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  “Yeah, I can see how that might be a problem.” A few more steps bring him into my personal zone. “So why don’t you tell me why you shouldn’t be interested.”

  “Because it’s none of your business.” I do my best to sharpen my voice, but it has little impact on Adam. He’s so close I can see my reflection in the shiny badge pinned to his chest. A badge that reminds me all too well he’s the law. And I don’t need to get any closer to him if I want to keep my freedom.

  “Okay, so I’ll take a guess. You think you can’t have dinner with me because your body might betray you?” His eyebrows arch, and he shoves his hands into the front pockets of his tan slacks, rocking forward on his toes. “I mean, don’t get me wrong. I can see how being close to me might present a problem.” One more step and he strips away the remaining space between us. “Because it’s a problem for me, too.”

  The back of my neck starts tingling, and now my brain is screaming that the last place we need to be is anywhere near a bedroom. Even though it is really convenient. “It doesn’t matter what our bodies want. We are in control.” Is that my own conscience laughing at the notion? I slide past the bookcase and make my way around to the sofa, desperately needing the distance. “Now, will you please just go and tell Francine I’m okay? I’ll come to the diner in a few minutes.”

  “I’ll wait for you. It’s dark out there, and you’re not used to the walk.” Adam sits on the opposite arm of the sofa and crosses his legs at the ankles.

  It’s a short walk from where I stand to the guest bedroom. I make it two feet before I stop and turn around to face Adam. “You want to know why I can’t have dinner with you? Why nothing can happen between us? Because I left my boyfriend about twenty-four hours ago, but he hasn’t left me.”

  Adam stands, and his expression is as darkly serious as his voice. “You think he’s going to come after you.” He doesn’t make it a question.

  “I know he’s going to come after me, and the longer I stay here, the easier I’ll make it for him.”

  “If he comes here, it won’t be easy for him, Emily.” Adam is standing in front of me, and I didn’t even hear him move. His hands take hold of my shoulders, and he gives them a gentle squeeze. “You’re safe here.”