Connecting Strangers (Discovering Emily)

by Rachel Carrington

  I breathe a sigh of relief and slowly climb back to my feet. It’s Gary, and he’s got Art with him.

  “What the hell happened?” Art crosses the floor in two strides and hugs Francine so tightly she protests. “You all right, Sis?”

  “I’m fine. Just a bruise on my head.” She turns around to show it to him.

  “So what are you doing about this, Adam?” Art jams his hands on his hips after sufficiently inspecting his sister’s wound, and I notice he has a gun tucked into the back of his jeans.

  “Well, I was just trying to talk your sister into going to a hotel for the evening.”

  “Sounds like a plan.” Art plows on before Adam can say anything more. “I ain’t going with her, though. You need men to help. I’ve been deputized before, and I don’t need to tell you how good of a shot I am.”

  “You’ll need something a little bigger than the six-shooter you’re carrying.” Adam jerks his head toward a door behind his desk. “We’ll get you something from there in a minute. In the meantime, Gary will take Francine to the Teardrop Inn.”

  “Hold on just a second here.” She begins to bluster, but Adam talks over top of her.

  “Emily’s going with you.”

  “I can’t leave the jail. I’m supposed to be under arrest.”

  “This is a hot zone now, Emily, and with the radio down, it isn’t safe. Besides that, there are two people on Mark’s hit list, and I’m not about to make it easier by keeping you all in the same place.”

  “Three,” I correct, though it comes out in a hoarse voice that doesn’t sound like my own.

  “Three? You think Mark wants you dead, too?”

  “No. He wants all of my friends dead. That would include you.”

  He stares at me for the longest time until Francine begins to snicker.

  “The guy’s dumber than he looks if he thinks the two of you are just friends. He probably has a different reason for wanting to take you out. Probably something called jealousy. I suspect he’ll want to put a bullet between Adam’s eyes himself. He won’t give that pleasure to anyone else.”

  The image is enough to shake me. “Francine, stop.” My stomach queasy, I press one hand against my abdomen. “Just listen to Adam. I’ll be there with you.”

  Though she makes a tsking noise, Francine hooks her arm through Gary’s. “Well, since I’m being banned from my home and forced to spend the night in a fleabag motel, do I have your permission to pack a few personal items I’ll need, Sheriff Madison?”

  Adam massages his temples. “Yes, go.”

  “And you won’t mind if Gary takes me, what with it being so dangerous out there and all.” She bats her eyelashes. “I mean, that is, if he doesn’t have a problem with going. You don’t mind, do you?”

  The deputy blushes and stammers a reply that seems to satisfy Francine. She begins to tow him to the front door. “I’ll see you in a few minutes, Emily. I should warn you. I snore.”

  “Like a freight train,” Art adds for emphasis.

  “Kiss my ass.”

  Once the door closes, Adam jerks his head toward Art. “Give us a minute, would you?”

  He grumbles his way over to the corner of the office.

  In two long strides, Adam is in front of me. He rubs his hands up and down my arms. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

  “Me, too.” I bump my head against his chest. “You take care of yourself while I’m in protective custody.”

  He chuckles. “I wouldn’t exactly call Francine protective custody, but there will be a deputy outside.”

  “I figured that out already.” Reluctantly, I pull away. Two steps toward the cell, I pause. “I’m going to kick Mark’s ass.”

  “You won’t have to. This stunt will land him in jail.”

  Somehow I manage to refrain from snorting. “You don’t know anything about his father, Adam, but I can tell you that jail is the last place he’ll allow his baby boy to end up. Believe me. He’s already got Mark’s alibi solidified as well as his own. If anyone’s going to prison, it’s one of Broomtown’s gomers. And they’ll take the fall because Ike Metzger has promised to take care of their families or some other nonsense. I’ve seen it happen one too many times. The one good thing I can say about Ike is he does keep his word. That’s why he has so many volunteers, and Broomtown has the highest population of ex-convicts. At one point or another, most men in that town have served time because of Ike’s persuasive nature.”

  “And no one has seen through his bullshit?”

  “Of course they have. Everyone has seen through it, but when you’re the biggest dog in town, the puppies certainly aren’t going to go up against you.”

  Adam’s gaze slides to the door. “So he just hasn’t had any contenders yet.” When his hazel eyes connect with mine, I see a depth of fury I didn’t think was possible in one man. “I’ll see what I can do about changing that.”

  Chapter Twelve

  “I think Gary likes you.” I greet Francine with this bit of knowledge when she exits the shower because I want to talk about anything but Mark, Ike, or my travel plans in a few hours.

  Francine scrubs her damp hair with a threadbare white towel. “Honey, I figured that out a long time ago.” She makes a face at the carpet. “Whoever the housekeeper is should be fired.”

  “So why haven’t you done anything about it?” The lumpy pillow behind me gets a thump from my fist before I settle back against it and the shaky wooden headboard.

  She shrugs and tosses the towel onto the foot of the double bed she’s claimed for the evening. “Wasn’t sure I was ready.”

  “How long has it been since…?” I’m not allowed to finish my question.

  “Not long enough in my opinion. Now, shouldn’t you be getting some sleep? Adam’s going to be getting here awfully early in the morning to take you back to the jail.”

  Though I know she’s hoping I’ll switch out the light, I swing my feet to the side of the bed instead. “Or I could leave.”

  Dropping to the uncomfortable mattress, Francine stares at me for a long moment then gives a little laugh. “You won’t do that.”

  “How do you know?” She can’t know me as well as she thinks she does. I could run. Even without a car I could be across the county line before sun-up. It wouldn’t be difficult to catch a ride with a farmer heading into Lexington then.

  She grins at me. “Because you want to see if things can work out between you and Adam.”

  “There is nothing to work out. Once I’m taken back to Broomtown, that’s the end of anything Adam and I have…had. I don’t regret one second of the time we’ve spent together, but after this, we’re out of time.”

  “If you think he’s going to let you go without a fight…” Her voice trails off. “Adam hasn’t been this close to a woman in a long time. Not since Kathryn left.”

  “Kathryn? Who’s Kathryn?” I sit up straighter, my curiosity piqued.

  Suddenly, she’s not smiling anymore. “Oh, hell, he hasn’t told you about Kathryn? Now is a good time for me to shut my mouth and go to sleep.”

  “No. No way.” I scramble from my bed and onto hers. “Who is Kathryn? And before you refuse to answer my question, know that I have no interest in sleeping. I can stay awake all night. Which means, of course, so will you.”

  Francine scoots beneath the polyester bedspread and brings it up to her chin. “Me and my big mouth. I thought he would have told you.”

  “We didn’t get around to sharing much personal stuff.”

  “Oh, really? Sounds to me like the two of you shared a whole lot of personal, just maybe not with words.” The snarky tone of her voice doesn’t dissuade me.

  “Was she his girlfriend?”

  Flinging one arm over her eyes, Francine mutters a curse then replies. “His wife.” She lifts the arm to peek at me. “He was married for about thirty minutes right out of high school. Okay, it might have been a bit longer than that, but he hasn’t spent this much time with a woman since
she left.”

  His wife? I’d asked him if he’d ever married. I couldn’t remember his complete response, but there’d definitely been no mention of a wife. “Why did she leave?” It’s none of my business, but I have to know.

  Francine sighs. Not just a weary, restless sigh. This one is a gusty “I need to learn when to keep my mouth shut” sigh.

  “If you’re worried I’m going to say something to Adam—”

  “Oh, honey. I can handle Adam any day of the week and twice on Sunday. But I know he wouldn’t want me telling you this. Art’s always told me I need a shoe extractor for my mouth.” Her shoulders lift and fall. “But maybe I said all this on purpose. I’ve always figured if you’re getting involved with a man, you ought to know the whole story.”

  “Adam and I aren’t involved…at least not in the way you think we are.” My rapid heartbeats drown out the sound of my own voice. She makes it sound more intimate than it is. We’ve shared our bodies, but we’ve kept our secrets. That alone is enough to tell me neither one of us is looking for a relationship. “There’s involved and then there’s involved. We’re the first one. It’s a casual relationship.” The more I talk, the more I talk myself into a hole.

  She lifts her head up off the pillow, stares at me for a moment, then flops back down. “You just keep digging, honey, but it’s gonna get awful cold down there pretty soon.”

  “I’m not saying we haven’t been together, but we aren’t. It’s just…” Sex? I don’t like how that sounds. What else could it be? There was an immediate connection which lust could explain. The amount of heat between us, the combustion, could be attributed to physical attraction. But there’s so much more between Adam and me.

  When I’m with him, I want to stay, and when we’re apart, I’m counting the moments until I can see him again. The touch of his hand sets me on fire, but his voice ignites me in a different way. In Adam, I’m found someone who listens to me, who isn’t just there because he wants sex.

  Whatever is between us goes way beyond sex. I’m just not sure we’ll have time to sort it out before I’m shipped off to prison.

  “You’re trying to figure it out yourself, and it’s not working,” Francine points out with all the finesse of an eight-legged giraffe. “No use in defining it. It is what it is, but I’ll bet you dollars to donuts it’s about more than just sex. Adam could have sex with any woman he wanted.” She gives me a stern look. “And when you first showed up at the diner, I could tell you were about as interested in men as my ninety-eight year old great aunt, Hilda. So something happened to change things. You expect me to believe he just charmed you out of your pants? No way I’ll ever believe it’s all about the flesh. I see the way he looks at you.”

  It’s hard to swallow past the lump in my throat. “We’re attracted to each other. Of course he’s going to look at me differently. I suppose it’s the same way I look at him.” I’m not ready to tell her what’s going on in my head.

  A snort, similar in tone to a fog-horn, breaks forth. “You just need to stop trying to convince yourself you and Adam don’t have a good thing going.” She raises one finger. “And don’t you say one word about time. My folks met, got engaged, and married within three months. They were married for fifty-eight years before my dad died. So time has nothing to do with it. Sometimes you just know.”

  “Is that how you feel about Gary? Do you just know?” I turn the tables efficiently.

  Francine switches off the light. “This isn’t about me and Gary.”

  “I didn’t even know there was a you and Gary until tonight.”

  “That’s because there’s not.” Her tone switches to pure surliness. “Now you need to get some sleep. You’ve got one hell of a day ahead of you tomorrow.”

  I retreat to my bed and slide beneath the covers. The pillow has lumped up again so I punch it a few more times. “Whatever happens with all of this, Francine, I meant what I said back at the jail. I’m really glad I came to Juniper Springs.”

  “I’ll bet Adam is, too.”

  Groaning, I bury my face in my pillow. “I meant because I met you and Art.”

  “And Adam.” Her voice is thick with humor now that she’s neatly changed the subject back to one of her favorites.

  “Why do you want me and Adam together so much?”

  “It’s not about what I want, but besides the fact the two of you make a nice couple, both of you deserve some happiness. You’ve found that with each other.”

  When I don’t respond, Francine finally falls silent, and minutes later, her snores threaten to rip the wallpaper off. I smile and close my eyes, even though I won’t be able to sleep.

  Tonight is my last night in Juniper Springs for what could be a long while. The last night with people who actually give a damn about me.

  At just past five, Adam’s at the door. Francine is still mumbling in her sleep when I let him and a blast of cold air in.

  “You get any of that?” He jerks his head toward her when she rolls to her stomach and smashes her face into her pillow.

  A smile is my only response as I go to wake her. “Francine, Adam’s here. We’re leaving.”

  Her reply is muffled. “Gary will be here in a half an hour to get her. I’ve got coffee in the truck.” Adam is already leading me to the door.

  “Who’ll be here?” Francine sits straight up in the bed, her hair sticking out like a stalk of ripe wheat.

  His hand at the small of my back, Adam looks over his shoulder to respond. “Gary. He’ll take you to the station. I haven’t gotten word from Broomtown as to when the deputy will be arriving, but I want to get Emily back before anyone gets to the station.”

  He’s lost Francine’s attention. She’s on her feet and bolting toward the bathroom when he closes the door.

  “Wonder what that was all about. I’ve never seen her move that fast.”

  Keeping Francine’s secret, I shrug. “Did you stay at the station all night?”

  “No. I had something else to take care of.” He opens the passenger door and helps me into the seat.

  Hot air is blasting from the heater, and I hold my hands in front of the vents while I study Adam’s profile once he slides in next to me. Stubble lines his jaw, and the shirt he’s wearing looks familiar. Like yesterday familiar. I take a quick look around to confirm my suspicions. A Thermos is propped against the gear shift, and empty granola bar wrappers litter the floor. A thick fleece blanket is draped across the back of his seat, and I have my answer even before I ask the question.

  “You stayed out here all night, didn’t you?” I never thought to check outside the window. Now that I study him, I should have.

  He puts the truck in reverse. “Needed to keep watch.”

  “Adam.” My hand goes to his thigh. “No one else knew we were here. Francine and I were safe.”

  “I wanted to make sure of that.” His fingers curl around mine. “I’ve already talked to Harry, and he’s going to Broomtown right behind you. He wants to be there when you’re taken in. He thinks you’ll be arraigned this morning.”

  My stomach churns, and I slid my fingers in between his, needing the feeling of his warm palm against mine. This connection would be gone soon, and I’d need to stand with my own strength. Inside I feel capable, determined. Mark isn’t going to win, no matter the outcome. His lies might take away my freedom, but they won’t take away who I’m becoming.

  “What are you thinking?” The gentleness of Adam’s tone brings tears to my eyes. I don’t want to cry. Not yet. When I’m alone in the police car on the return trip to Broomtown, then I’ll give into the tears I’m holding at bay.

  “That’ll I’ll miss Juniper Springs.” Not a total lie.

  “You’ll be back.”

  “I just don’t know when. No matter how much I want to fight Mark, he could still win this, taking me away for a very long time.” I didn’t add that he probably will. With his father safely corralling the county judge’s, the odds were fully in my ex-boyfriend
’s favor.

  Adam brings my hand to his lips and presses a kiss against my skin. “You’re not alone in this.”

  “I don’t expect anything from any of you. This isn’t your fight.”

  “The hell it isn’t.” His reply is sharp, and he releases my hand at the same time. “And I’m getting a little tired of hearing you say that, like this means nothing to me. You think I want to see you hurt? That I feel nothing when you’re in pain? Maybe you need to spell things out for me, Emily, because I’m beginning to wonder if I should give a damn.”

  My lungs ache with each breath. The pain is so strong inside of me, I could shatter into a million tiny pieces. But I’m holding on. Wherever this strength is coming from, I’ve got both hands wrapped around it. “I didn’t mean to make you angry.” I shift in the seat, more away from him than toward. “I just don’t want you to think I expect anything from you.”

  He makes a noise I can’t decipher. “What do you want, Emily?” The anger has dissipated from his voice, but there’s a residual simmer.

  “A normal life, whatever that is.”

  “That’s a generic answer. What do you really want?”

  I’m not sure what he’s hoping to hear so I say what comes to mind next. “A chance to escape my past and be happy. If that sounds generic to you, then that’s just how it is. I’ve lived too long in Mark’s shadow, and I don’t want to do it anymore.”

  “Do you want to come back here?”

  Now I understand, and I reach across the short distance to touch him again. The muscles on his thigh are tight with tension. “I don’t want to leave.”

  He pulls the truck over to the side of the road, throws it into park, and turns to face me. “But do you want this?” He sweeps a hand back and forth between our bodies for clarification. “Do you want us?”

  Heart leaping, I swallow hard several times. This is the last discussion I expected to have with him this morning. Most men would rather take a bullet to the balls than have a serious discussion about a potential relationship.

  Finding my voice takes me several seconds, and when I respond, it doesn’t even sound like my own. “I’m not sure I know how to be part of an us.” When he starts to pull away, I grab his hand. “But I want to try.” I barely get the words out before he’s released the catch on the seatbelt. He lifts me out of the seat and onto his lap where he wraps his arms around me so tightly I can barely breathe. I just bury my face into his neck and rest my cheek against his warm skin.