Firefly Run (8 page)

"Well, duty calls," she said. "You be sure to come in to get something pretty for your girlfriend before you leave."

Reed knew fishing when he heard it and had grown adept at avoiding a direct answer. "I’ll be sure to stop by."

He also detected a little extra sway in her hips, presumably for his benefit, as she crossed the road.

"Wonder if she wants fries with that shake," Shelly said from the post office steps. The cattiness in Shelly’s voice surprised him.

"Bad blood between you two?"

"No. I just think it’s kinda pitiful that Marianne virtually attacked the only single man in town under the age of sixty."

"I wouldn’t say she attacked me, more like invited me to browse her merchandise."

"Lord." Shelly jerked her car door open and tossed her mail in the back seat. As he slid into his seat, she pointed toward the post office. "Be sure to wave at Ina. She’s the latest member of your fan club."

He offered a halfhearted wave to the older lady craning her neck inside.

Shelly threw the car into gear and headed toward home at a faster clip than when she’d arrived.

"Is something wrong?" he asked.

"Not unless you mind being a minor celebrity."

"What?" She wasn’t making any sense.

"Word that an honest to goodness Texas lawman is staying at Firefly Run has spread faster than a wildfire during a drought. You’d think you were Wyatt Earp or something."

"I don’t think Texas was Wyatt’s neck of the woods."

"Smart aleck."

He didn’t goad her further, just sat back and wondered why her knuckles had turned white on the steering wheel and her back sat ramrod straight. Shelly was a champion slumper. She only sat straight when she was peeved.

She’d been fine when she went into the post office. Had Ina said something to turn her mood south? Her comment about Marianne came back to him. He glanced over at her profile. Was she jealous?

Even considering such a thing scared him almost beyond reason. His chest tightened until it was painful to breathe. When Shelly parked back in front of her office, he nearly bolted out of the car and back to his previous carpentry task.

If Shelly was jealous and he was daydreaming about kissing her, they were treading on fragile ground. Somehow, he had to figure out a way to protect her without spending time alone with her. When he smashed yet another finger, he scorched the air with curses. He glanced back toward the office, but she was in the office and out of his view.

Reed closed his eyes and rubbed them with his thumb and forefinger. As long as no one was hurt, the sooner Eddie made a wrong move that would send him back to prison, the better for everyone involved.

****

Her fit of frustration propelled Shelly through the rest of the day. Only when she closed up the office later than normal did she stop to sink down on the front steps. That’s when the memory of her strange behavior caught up with her.

What had she been thinking, snapping and pouting like a jealous girlfriend?

She’d introduced Reed around town to avoid gossip and to take her mind off the disturbing phone call, but she’d only succeeded in stirring up a bevy of female interest. By the time she’d stopped at the post office, Ina had received three calls informing her that Shelly was driving around town with the best looking man Bobcat Ridge had seen since 1978 when Burt Reynolds had come to town for a little R and R. Personally, she thought Reed had ol’ Burt beat by a long shot, but that was beside the point.

To be honest, all the clucking over Reed had amused her when it was coming from middle-aged mothers and grannies who’d last dated in the 1950s. But when she’d looked out to see big-haired, big-boobed Marianne making goo goo eyes at Reed, jealousy had awakened in her like a long-slumbering dragon. She’d actually been ready to breathe fire when she’d hit the front door of the post office. But somewhere between there and her car, she’d slugged that dragon, if not knocking him out at least making him groggy.

Now, as she watched the sun sink below the tree line, she wondered why she’d been jealous. Sure, Reed was an attractive man, but he was Reed. She couldn’t actually be attracted to him, could she?

No. It was merely protective instinct, that’s all. Though she liked Marianne, it didn’t take a genius to figure out she was on the prowl for husband number two. And Reed standing across the street from her shop must have seemed like a gift from the marriage fairies.

She let her head drop forward in her palms. If she wasn’t worrying about her parents, she was fearing turning around to find Eddie Victor’s cold eyes staring at her. When she tried to push both worries from her mind, it seemed to migrate to Reed and her strange, jittery reaction to him. What she wouldn’t give to go back to the days when all she had to worry about was getting the cabins cleaned in time for the next guests.

Replaying their trip into Bobcat Ridge, Shelly remembered the mail she’d tossed in the back seat. She retrieved the stack of envelopes and advertising circulars and headed for her cabin. Reed stood talking to the guests staying in the cabin farthest from the office. Not up to sitting across the table from him, she hurried inside, slapped together a turkey and bacon sandwich, and made for his cabin with the sandwich and a family-size bag of chips.

She ducked inside, placed the meal in his fridge, and rushed back out the door.

"Where you going in such a hurry?" Reed asked from his perch at the bottom of the steps.

How had he moved that fast?

"Home. I left you some food inside."

"Thanks."

Shelly glanced down the line of cabins to where her guests’ children were chasing a butterfly through the meadow.

"What were you talking to them about?"

"Not Eddie Victor, if that’s what you’re worried about."

"Good. I don’t want you scaring anyone off just yet. There’s still no indication that Eddie’s even coming this direction." Except for a spooky phone call, her mind whispered. No, that was just a coincidence, something she wouldn’t have thought twice about if it were not for Eddie’s release and Reed’s concern.

"And there’s no indication he isn’t."

Her shoulders slumped. "I know." She paused and scanned her surroundings. "But I can’t close up shop based on a maybe. What if he disappears and no one knows where he is? The waiting could go on forever. We’d lose the business. What would we do then? I can’t hide the rest of my life."

Reed didn’t answer. Maybe he didn’t have one. She moved toward the steps.

"Don’t go." Reed startled her, sending her nerves into a tailspin. "You look dead on your feet. We can share whatever you took in there." He raised an eyebrow. "I might even be persuaded to split the chocolate pound cake with you."

Her stomach grumbled in response, making him smile. Nothing but tall, lean man with a sexy Texas drawl. Good Lord, why hadn’t she ever noticed how gorgeous he was?

Because you were in love with Troy.

A twinge of guilt dampened the moment, but she accompanied Reed inside. She told herself it was for the chocolate cake, not the opportunity to stare at Reed a few more minutes. Or the fact that chocolate and a sexy man might just be enough to make her forget her more serious concerns.

Reed halved the sandwich and ripped open the bag of chips before seating himself at the table. Shelly stood rooted to the floor, wondering whether she should join him or bolt. Considering Reed would likely chase her if she ran out suddenly, she sat in the chair opposite him.

"So, what did you talk to the Shafers about?" she asked again.

"Just the basics. Where you from? What do you do for a living? That kind of stuff. I think the little boy is a bit in awe of me."

"Because you’re a cop?"

"Because I’m a Texas cop," he said before taking a bite of sandwich.

She rolled her eyes. This was the Reed she knew—bragging, smiling from ear to ear. "That reaction seems to be running rampant around here."

"Nothing wrong with that. And you’re cool by association."

She threw a potato chip at him. "I see you’ve acquired modesty since I last saw you."

"Modesty’s way overrated."

Shelly gradually relaxed as they ate and talked about the various citizens of Bobcat Ridge. She was glad the grim, determined, unyielding man Reed had been when he arrived had softened a bit. It was almost like old times—except for the large hole where Troy had always been.

"You talk to your mom anymore today?" Reed asked.

"Yeah, a couple of times. Still no change, but they did get a little encouragement from one of the tests."

"That’s good."

"Yeah. So, how are your parents?"

"Fine. Doing a lot of traveling, so I don’t see them as often as I used to. I saw Grace a couple of weeks ago. She said they’re adding twenty acres to the preserve."

"That’s great. I really need to call her." She hadn’t called Grace or any of her other friends at the Sally Morrison Wildlife Preserve in a long time, she didn’t even know how long. And they’d been a big part of her life at her first naturalist job out of college. It just seemed that the longer she waited, the harder it got to call. And everything from her life in Texas seemed tainted with bad memories. Even the preserve, which she’d loved with a passion, held memories of Troy. She’d been leading a tour he’d brought his young niece on when she met him. She still remembered how the sight of him had taken her breath away.

But maybe now that she’d had time away and she was dealing okay with Reed, she could begin to rekindle those ties.

"I’ve been really bad at keeping in touch. I haven’t even talked to Troy’s parents in a couple of months. It always feels like we’re tiptoeing around something, you know?"

"Yeah. I feel the same way. I go by once in a while, but I don’t stay long. They seem to be getting along okay, but there’s something about the way Troy’s mom looks at me, like she’s seeing him."

Shelly sighed. "I guess everyone gets through grief at a different pace."

Reed rose abruptly and cleared the table. "Want to watch a movie?" he asked as he nodded toward the video collection provided for guests beneath the TV. He’d had enough talk of Troy, and she wasn’t going to push him.

"I should go home. I’m tired."

"Shelly, you live about thirty seconds from here. It’s not like you have to drive."

She relented and followed him to the couch. He selected a copy of
Legends of the Fall
.

"This okay?" he asked.

"Brad Pitt with long hair? Any day."

"Too bad there’s not a Woody Allen movie."

"You like Woody Allen?" she asked in disbelief.

"No, but at least you wouldn’t drool over him."

When Reed sat beside her, she realized the couch was more of a loveseat. Those tangled hints of interest and confusion blossomed again, making her acutely aware of his warmth next to her. But she couldn’t move to the chair without looking suspicious.

Instead, she sat with her back rigid and her legs pressed tightly together so her thigh didn’t brush his. But as the movie progressed, her eyes grew droopy and she relaxed. Her leg leaned against Reed’s, but she was too tired to move it. Maybe she’d rest, just a little.

****

Reed let the movie play on, though he was no longer following the story. His entire body was tensed to the point of popping like a rubber band pulled too tight. First, Shelly had finally relaxed enough that her leg leaned against his. Then, she’d fallen asleep, and her head had slipped to rest on his shoulder. As if that wasn’t enough, she now snuggled against him searching for warmth or a more comfortable position.

When she moaned in her sleep, he bit his lip. Was she dreaming she was in Troy’s arms again? A flash of jealousy flooded his already warm body, and he hated himself for it. He’d never truly coveted Shelly while Troy was alive, but it still seemed like a stab in the back for him to hold her, his best friend’s widow, and think of doing more.

He desperately needed to disentangle himself but didn’t want to wake her. She needed to rest more than he needed to be comfortable.

Reed tried to concentrate on the movie dialogue, but he only caught snippets before his mind turned back toward the woman beside him. Soft but hard, strong but vulnerable, Shelly Myers was a study in contrasts. The uncomfortable sensation that Troy was staring a hole in the top of his head from his seat in Heaven warred with his desire to wrap his arm around Shelly and pull her closer. Lord, he probably needed some serious and expensive therapy.

He closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. When he’d headed for Tennessee as fast as the airliner could carry him, he’d never imagined this happening, this attraction that was tearing him up inside. Shelly shouldn’t have to worry about protecting herself from her protector.

When the movie ended, Reed let the credits roll, hoping the sweeping music would wake Shelly. When it didn’t, he used the remote to eject the DVD and started flipping channels. Shelly stirred against him, causing him to freeze. He knew the moment she woke and realized where she was. She stiffened, sat still for a moment, then pulled away from him with as much dignity as she could garner with her hair mussed on one side and the imprint of his shirt creases on her cheek.

"I’m sorry," she said. "I didn’t mean to fall asleep."

"Sometimes you can’t help it." As soon as she broke contact, he missed the feel of her, wrong as it might be. It took more willpower than he thought he possessed not to pull her back and kiss her with all the suppressed emotion threatening to burst from him. He swallowed hard when she licked her dry lips.

"Let me walk you back to your cabin."

She didn’t argue, though if it was out of concern about going out into the night alone or because she was still embarrassed, he didn’t know.

"Reed, do you honestly think Eddie would come all this way and endanger his new freedom just for revenge against me?"

"Yes."

"Why? It doesn’t make sense."

"Criminals rarely do."

Despite her nap on his couch, Shelly looked drained as she nodded then went inside her cabin.Only when he heard her lock the door did he retrace his steps to his own cabin.