Thirty-One and a Half Regrets (23 page)

Muffy put her paws on his door, watching him with her tongue hanging out of her mouth.

“Not this time, girl,” I murmured, rubbing her head to settle her down. “We’re going to stay inside.”

He walked over the cattle guard in the road and examined the gate before climbing back over it. “The gate isn’t locked. Right now anyone can open it and drive through.” He exhaled and leaned his forearm on the steering wheel. “I’ll see if I can find a padlock in the barn. It wouldn’t stop Daniel Crocker, but it might slow him down.”

“Is this a problem?”

“No. Whoever works the land isn’t likely to make the connection between you and your uncle. We’re probably fine.”

“Probably?”

“It’s the best I’ve got other than running off somewhere hundreds or thousands of miles away.”

I felt sick to my stomach. “That’s starting to sound like a better option.”

“I think we’re safer here, Rose. Jeff has seen to it that very few people know where we are. And at least we have armed protection here.”

“One man, Mason.”

“We’ll have two at night,” he said in a low voice. “With one inside watching the entrances. And we’re armed too, don’t forget.”

“Mason.”

“Rose, I’m so close to figuring out who the leak is, I can feel it. I have to keep connecting the dots. Once we have a strong case, we can make sure that the people who are after you will go away for a very long time. But I promise you, if I thought this place was unsafe, I’d be the first to move you. I would never knowingly put you at risk. Okay?”

Muffy hopped onto his lap and he reached down to absently to stroke her head.

“Okay.” I only hoped he was right. “Why are you the one who thought of the back road? Shouldn’t the sheriff’s deputies have thought to check this out?”

“Yeah,” he scowled.

That didn’t exactly fill me with confidence.

“After I figure out how to secure the gate, I want to canvass the woods behind the barn. Do you want to come with me or head back to the house?”

I looked out the window, noticing the lowering sun. “Why don’t I go back and start dinner? I don’t feel like walking around in the cold right now.”

“Okay, but stay inside until I get back.”

Mason pulled the truck up in front of the house and I gave him a kiss goodbye, worry tightening my stomach. Something didn’t feel right, but I wasn’t sure what. “Be careful.”

“I’ll be back soon. Stay inside.”

He pulled away as Muffy and I walked up the steps. Deputy Miller was sitting in a wicker chair on the porch, a gun across his lap. Muffy ran right up to him, sniffing his feet as though she were assessing him.

“Are you cold?” I asked. “It’s freezing out here.”

“I’m fine.”

“Do you drink coffee?”

He nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I found some coffee grounds in the boxes of food. How about I make you some to warm you up?”

A smile spread across his face. “Thank you. I wouldn’t say no.”

“Great,” I said, standing. “I’ll be right back. Cream or sugar? But I don’t have cream, only milk.”

“Nah, black is fine.”

Muffy and I went inside and after I put on a pot of coffee, I checked the food supply to see what I could fix for dinner, settling on pasta and a jar of spaghetti sauce. I also found a package of cookies and put a couple on a plate.

After I slipped out the front door, juggling a mug of coffee and the plate, Muffy on my heels, I gave the refreshments to the deputy and sunk into the chair next to his. Muffy settled on the floor between the chairs.

He took several sips of the coffee and shoveled one of the cookies into his mouth. He was obviously starving.

“I’m about to start dinner, nothing fancy, just spaghetti. But I’ll bring some out to you when it’s ready.”

He hesitated. “I don’t want to be any trouble, ma’am.”

“I’m no ma’am. I can’t be more than a year or two older than you. Call me Rose. How long have you worked for the sheriff?”

He shrugged, inhaling the other cookie. “A few years.”

“Did you always want to be a policeman?”

“Nah, I got into some trouble when I was a kid. I decided to use the energy for something positive and got my associate’s degree in criminal justice.”

“Do you like working for the sheriff? Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Not too much. No offense, Rose, but this is the most exciting thing that’s happened in ages. Even the original Daniel Crocker bust was within Henryetta city limits, and the state police took over. If it
had
been under the HPD’s control, we still wouldn’t have been involved. There’s no love lost between our departments.”

“That’s not a surprise.” I looked up into the darkening sky, worried that Mason wasn’t back yet. “You said this is the most exciting thing that’s happened in ages. I don’t see how sitting outside could be very exciting. Aren’t you bored?”

“A lot of police work is sitting around and waiting. And I specifically requested to be on this case.”

“Really? Why?” I was genuinely baffled. I couldn’t think of anything that sounded less appealing than sitting on someone’s porch in the cold, looking for trouble.

He shrugged. “So you own this farm?” the deputy asked after a moment of silence.

“Yeah, I guess so. I didn’t know until a few months ago. This is the first time I’ve been here.”

“Wow. It’s pretty awesome.”

“It’s really peaceful, isn’t it?”

He took a sip of his coffee. “It doesn’t scare you to be out here?”

“You mean other than worrying about Daniel Crocker?”

“Yeah.”

“No more so than being in my own house in Henryetta. I’ve lost track of how many times it’s been broken into. That tends to make you feel less safe. But when my little dog Muffy is with me, she’s a pretty good guard dog.”

Hearing her name, Muffy sat up and looked at me.

My head tingled, announcing a vision. The porch disappeared and I was in the woods in the daylight.

“It’s okay, girl,” I said, pushing my way through thick brush to find a wet and muddy Muffy huddled on the ground and shivering. I gently picked her up and cradled her to my chest. “Don’t you worry. We’ll find your mommy.”

Suddenly, I was back on the porch staring into Deputy Miller’s face. “You’re gonna find my dog.”

“What?”

Muffy jumped up and propped her front paws on his legs.

I stood, rattled by the vision. What did it mean? “I’ve got to go cook dinner.” I headed for the door and held it open. “Coming, girl?”

Muffy stayed by Deputy Miller, who gave me an apologetic look.

“She can stay out here with me if she wants,” the deputy said. “It would be good to have the company. I’ll bring her inside if she gets restless.”

I hesitated. After my vision, I was worried she’d run off, but I’d meant it when I told Mason she had a mind of her own. “Thanks.” I turned my attention to her. “You be a good girl and don’t run off.”

I went inside and started boiling the water for dinner. The sun had set and Mason still wasn’t back. I was getting really worried.

Finally, the back door swung open and Mason came through it, his cheeks pink, his hair windblown.

Relieved, I ran over to him and threw my arms around his neck, planting a kiss on his mouth. Caught unaware, his arms encircled my waist and his lips pressed against mine, his passion taking over.

Fire ignited inside me and I pressed my body against his. His arms pulled me closer, but it wasn’t close enough. Still kissing him, my fingers found the zipper of his jacket and pushed it open.

One of his hands moved to my face, tilting my head back so his mouth had full access to mine. Then he stopped abruptly, his head lifting.

Panting, it took me a second to figure out why he had stopped. The pasta was boiling over.

Mason closed his eyes and took a step back, seemingly trying to recover as I moved to the stove and turned the heat down, stirring the pot. The spaghetti was done, so I found the colander and drained it.

“I’m sorry,” I said as I put the pot back onto one of the cold burners.

He came up behind me and pressed his stomach to my back, slowly sliding his hand over my waist and down to my lower abdomen. He mouth lowered to my neck, his lips skimming up to my ear. “If you greet me like that every time I come home, I’ll be sure to leave a lot.”

Closing my eyes, I leaned back into him. “You were gone a long time and I was worried. I was about to try you on my phone.”

“It wouldn’t have done any good.” His mouth concentrated on my ear lobe, lightly nibbling. “My cell service cut out a hundred feet past the tree line.”

“Don’t scare me like that again.” I tried to sound gruff, but I was about to moan. While his mouth on my ear was driving me crazy, his hand glided up my abdomen and underneath my breast.

He stopped his exploration of my body, but he held me close before sighing and letting me go. “You’re right. I was gone longer than intended. I’m sorry.”

I turned around. “I’m not mad, Mason.”

“I know, but I can still be sorry about worrying you.”

“You really are determined not to sleep with me, aren’t you?” I asked.

Resolve filled his eyes. “Not yet.”

“What are we waiting for? Because I want this, no regrets.”

“When I make love to you, I want to give you my full and undivided attention. I don’t want to be worried that someone is going to sneak up on us and kill you.”

“Or you. Crocker’s after you too.”

“True enough.” He searched my face. “You have to know that resisting you is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done, but I have to put your safety above my own needs.”

“I know.” Reluctantly, I stepped out of his arms and grabbed plates from the cabinet. “Perfect timing. Dinner’s ready, as simple as it is.”

I scooped up three plates and, since we didn’t have any dog food, a small one for Muffy. I put our two plates on the table and then picked up the third. “I’m going to take this out to Deputy Miller and check on Muffy. She wanted to stay out there with him.”

He gave me a soft smile. “Okay.”

Muffy was lying by the deputy’s feet, but she jumped up when I opened the front door. “I brought you some spaghetti. And there’s plenty more if you’re still hungry.”

Deputy Miller’s grin stretched from ear to ear. “Thank you, Rose.”

Muffy followed me inside and I went to the kitchen. Mason had gotten us glasses of water and was setting them on the table.

“I’ll bet Deputy Miller was thrilled to see you,” he said.

“I can’t let that poor boy starve. You should have seen the way he devoured the cookies I took him earlier.”

He gasped in fake shock. “You took him cookies and didn’t give me any? I’m feeling slighted.”

“Please,” I scoffed, sitting down. “You yourself told me that Henryetta’s single women were dropping so many baked goods off at your office that you could have had your own bake sale.”

“I didn’t ask for that.”

“And who knows how many free pieces of pie or cake you’ve gotten at Merilee’s. You get most of your meals there, which is why all the waitresses have a crush on you.”

His eyes widened. “No they don’t.”

I laughed, twirling spaghetti on my fork. “Hello, Mr. Henryetta’s Most Eligible Bachelor. For someone who’s so observant, in this instance you are so
not
.”

“You know I don’t encourage them, Rose.”

“I know, which is why they all think you’re gay now.”

“
What
?”

“Don’t worry. I’ll help straighten that out for you. If you live up to my expectations.”

His eyes lit up with a smirk. “Is that a
challenge
?”

“Take it as you will.” I tilted my head and gave him a saucy grin.

Before I realized what he was doing, he had grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of my chair and into his lap. His mouth found the nape of my neck, trailing kisses up to my ear. “I accept your challenge. If you intend to make my wait difficult, I can make it just as difficult for you.”

I laughed. “You play dirty.”

“You have
no
idea.”

Butterflies flapped in my stomach and I took a deep breath. “Then I call uncle because I don’t have the will power you do. If you keep this up, I’ll be begging you.”

With a groan, he pushed me off his lap.

We needed a neutral subject and the farm seemed like a safe one. “I don’t think I want to sell this place.”

He looked surprised.

“I’ve been thinking about it since this morning.”

“Well, you don’t need the money for the nursery anymore. The SBA has already deposited the money for the grant into your business account.”

Thinking about the grant reminded me of Joe. The memory of him begging me to take him back nearly brought me to tears.

Mason picked up on my mood, although not the reason for it. “It’s a big decision, and I know this place is bittersweet with all its reminders of the life you didn’t have, but I can’t help but notice the way you’ve been lighting up as you investigate the house. I can see how much you love it.”

“But it’s so far from Henryetta.”

“It feels remote, but it’s only twenty minutes to your nursery.” He stabbed several noodles with his fork. “Rose, I’m not telling you to move here,” he said after a moment. “But you feel unsafe in Henryetta and you said you can’t afford to move somewhere new. I just think it’s something you should consider.”

I’d add it to my ever growing list.

After we finished eating, Mason helped clean up and then disappeared into the office to continue going through his files. As I headed upstairs to make both beds, my cell phone began to ring. I dug it out of my pocket, gasping when I saw the name on the screen.

Joe.

Turning the ringer off, I sank onto the top step and stared at the still-vibrating phone. Part of me wanted to answer to find out why he was calling. But most of me wanted him to leave me alone. If I was moving toward a future with Mason, I needed Joe to remain in the past.

The phone stopped ringing, but I stared at it for several more minutes, taking several deep breaths to calm down.

It was only eight o’clock when I finished making the beds, and I wasn’t sure what to do with my time. I was too tired to dig up any more emotional hornet nests, but the TV didn’t work. At the risk of interrupting Mason, I went into the office to find a book to read.