Chapter 3

At Jackson’s General Store, Allison settled into her corner of the stuffy office. The air conditioning Murray had installed last year didn’t quite extend to the back room, and she had to be content with switching on a small desk fan and letting its feeble breeze blow away the morning’s distress. After two unwelcome surprises, she definitely needed a few moments to gather her wits before tackling the store’s payroll. While the ancient computer booted up, she rested her elbows on the desk, her forehead in the heels of her hands, and tried to let her mind go blank. It didn’t. Instead, in full color, she could still see the man who had changed her life forever ten years ago by leaving her to deal as best she could. And now he was back.

Her jaw clenched. Just what I need.

“Murray wants to see you up front when you get a chance and—hey, are you okay?”

She glanced up to see Sylvia standing in the doorway. A frown of concern creased her co-worker’s narrow face.

“Yeah, just not handling the heat too well.” She pushed away from the desk. “What’s Murray want?”

“Not sure, hon, but you ought to talk to him about getting some air pumped in back here. You shouldn’t have to work in a sweatshop.”

The fact Murray Jackson had spent any money at all on a computer and air conditioning was a miracle, and she doubted he’d take to the idea of spending more. Pop had called him thrifty. Allison called him a penny pincher. But he’d helped her out when she needed it, offering her this job after Jason’s accident. He and his wife, Thelma, were strong shoulders to lean on when the going got tough. So the man was a little tight. He’d been generous the first Christmas after Jason died, when she thought she’d not be able to give her small daughter any gifts. With his extended girth, fake beard, and toys in a sack, he’d made a fine Santa.

Sylvia knew nothing of this, and Allison would never let on Murray Jackson was really a softie at heart. Let her believe the grouchy boss act. It helped keep Sylvia in line.

“Sure you feel all right? If I knew how to use the computer, I’d be glad to help you out.”

I’m sure you would, she thought, but simply nodded. Before leaving the office, she minimized the document and switched off the monitor. She found Murray filling the wild bird feed bins. He puffed while getting the last of the cracked corn out of the sack. Without actually offering to help, she just lifted another bag and dumped it in one of the bins.

“You shouldn’t be doing that,” her boss scolded.

“Neither should you.” She opened the sunflower seeds and emptied them into the next bin.

“I didn’t hire you to do the heavy work around here.”

Allison thought of the fifty-pound bags of horse feed she regularly hauled in the barn. “Maybe you should hire somebody else to do it then.” She eyed the heavy-set man, noting the sweat beading on his brow. If he didn’t watch out, he’d be sharing a hospital room with Doc. She finished with the birdseed and leaned back against one of the bins. “Sylvia said you wanted to see me. What’s up?”

He hitched up his pants beneath his belly and ran a hand through his grizzled hair. “I’m taking off this afternoon to go see Matthew. Then the missus and me are meeting Kate and Rich for dinner. It’s Kate’s birthday, and she wants us to come and see the room she’s fixed for the baby.”

Murray and Thelma’s only daughter married Rich two years ago, and they were expecting their first child any day now.

“And?” With Murray, there was always an “and.”

“I need you to close up the store for me tonight. Sylvia’s here ‘til six, so you’ll only have two hours by yourself. Think you can handle it?”

Of course she could handle it, but it would mean another trip into town when she really needed to get some rest before Lizzie’s show.

Oh well, I’ll just have to catch up on sleep next week.

Yeah right.

“Okay, but I need to pick up Lizzie from the library and go home and take care of the horses before Sylvia leaves.”

She didn’t want to come right out and ask it but wondered if Murray trusted the brassy blonde. She certainly didn’t, being almost certain the woman had helped herself to a few items in the store since being hired last winter.

“You go on home then when you’re done in the office. I’ll call Thelma and let her know. She’s just so darned excited about this baby. You’d think nobody ever had a grandkid before.”

“That’s what grandmas are for,” Allison teased and went back to her cubbyhole corner.

In spite of the stuffiness and crazy thoughts about the morning running through her head, she managed to get the payroll done and had just shut the computer down when Murray stopped back in the office.

“Thelma says to thank you for helping out,” he said gruffly. “She says for you and Lizzie to come for dinner sometime.”

She didn’t mind accepting their invitation. At Thelma and Murray’s dinner there wouldn’t be any eligible men invited.

Closing the office door behind her, she followed him to the front of the store, where she told Sylvia to expect her back by six.

“I take it you’re not going out to Farmer’s Country Club to hear the new band tonight?” Her co-worker checked her lipstick in a small compact. “Pete says they’re pretty good. We’re going, and we can save you a spot at our table.”

“Thanks, but it’s a little hard to get a babysitter at such short notice. Anyway, Lizzie is showing this weekend, and we need to get our rest.”

“Well, if you change your mind, let me know when you get back. Pete could probably dig up one of his friends. We could make it a foursome.”

“Dig up” being the operative words, she thought, escaping into the afternoon’s heat. Any friend of Sylvia’s boyfriend was not someone she wanted to meet.

****

Allison tidied the candy shelf for the third time and checked the clock. Ten more minutes and she could lock the door and turn over the Open sign to Closed. There hadn’t been a customer in the store in the last half-hour, but she wouldn’t deny Murray any last second sale.

Lizzie sat in the back room, listening to music and reading one of the books she’d checked out of the library earlier that day. Sometimes, she worried the girl was too much of a loner. Miss Smarty Pants made straight A’s in school and had a few riding friends, but she never went to the slumber parties other girls her age seemed to enjoy. She preferred to hang out at the barn and enjoyed her weekly trips to the library. Her daughter was a happy child, as far as Allison could tell, but it concerned her that she might end up just like herself—more at home with horses than with people and with a social life that really stunk. She would have to make a more concerted effort this summer to get them involved in a few activities that didn’t include horses.

Another check of the clock showed three minutes to eight. Allison headed for the door, but jumped when it suddenly opened. A painful jolt of apprehension gripped her stomach and set her heart to thumping when Duane and Darren Potter—two men she least wanted to see while alone with Lizzie—walked into the store. Truthfully, she never wanted to meet up with them again, but in a town as small as Silver Creek, it was bound to happen sooner or later.

Only why did it have to be now?

Refusing to let the two brothers intimidate her, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “Store is closing, guys. You’ll have to hurry.” She continued on to the door, closed it behind them, and turned over the sign.

For a chilling second, Duane brushed his arm against her, and she caught the nauseating smell of liquor and stale cigarette smoke clinging to his clothes. Instinctively, she stepped away, but not before she heard the crude, “Bitch,” muttered beneath his breath.

Allison straightened her back and strode to the register. She would not let them rile her, not here, not with Lizzie sitting in the back room.

Please, just stay put until the sleaze balls leave.

They meandered over to the grocery section and took their time picking up a six pack of beer and a couple bags of chips. She kept an eye on them while pretending to busy herself with something behind the counter.

The two men were a few years older than Shane and less than stellar members of the community. As kids, they’d always been in trouble and had ended up dropping out of school. They’d done some prison time for their involvement in a dog-fighting ring and now ran a small car repair shop. They’d never made much of a go of it and didn’t seem to care. In the last few years, they’d turned even more strange and reclusive. Survivalist types, Murray called them. Allison had some other names—poachers and animal-abusers being the top two.

They brought their purchases to the register. She had rung them all up and put the items in a bag when Darren pointed a greasy finger to the shelf behind the counter.

“Give us a couple cans of chew.”

She suppressed a shudder and tossed the rounds of tobacco into their bag. A filthy habit, and, by the looks of their teeth, one they’d had for a long time. It wasn’t the only thing about the Potters that gave her the creeps but more what she knew about them.

Allison caught the sly smirk Duane slid her way and stared back in defiance. The crude comment he had muttered under his breath made her skin crawl, but she refused to let him see her anger…or her fear.

She reached for the money he handed to her, only to have him pull it back.

“Hey, Darren, you wanted some chocolate bars, too, didn’t you?” When his brother didn’t answer, he gave him a nudge. “Hey, quit gapin’, you idiot. Get your candy.”

“Think I’d rather look at a real pretty girl, even if she is a…”

Angry tears burning behind her eyes, she reached over the counter, grabbed two candy bars and slammed them down. “Will that be all?” she ground out.

“Now don’t go gettin’ all testy, Allison.” Duane held the money out again. “You know it makes you look ornery, and anyway, what happened to the sweet little woman Jason married?”

“She died when he did,” she snapped and snatched the money from his hand.

She had just given Duane his change when Lizzie wandered out of the back room.

“Hey, Mom, isn’t it time to go yet? I’m really tired—” She yawned and stretched but stopped short when she saw the Potter brothers.

Her gaze darted from the men to her, and the flicker of fear Allison saw in her daughter’s eyes sent her pulse racing.

“Hey, squirt, how’s it goin’?” Darren asked.

“Don’t call me that!”

To Allison’s surprise, Lizzie’s chin jutted out, and she glared at Darren.

“Aww, we don’t mean no harm.” He started toward her, holding out one of the chocolate bars. “Here, have some candy.”

“Not from you I don’t want any.” Lizzie backed away.

“Now you’re actin’ just like your mom. Think you’re better than us?”

Just as Allison was about to fly over the counter and come between the brothers and her daughter, the door opened, and Shane stepped into the store. She gripped the counter edge and bit her lip. He halted when he saw the Potters but said nothing, though a hard expression stole over his face.

“Hi, Doc!” Slipping past Darren and the candy he offered, Lizzie scooted up to Shane’s side. “My mom is just getting ready to close up.”

“Yeah, I noticed the sign but saw you were still in here. Is there a problem?”

At his presence, a sigh of relief escaped Allison. “No problem.” She bagged the candy and held it out to Duane, leveling her gaze at the leader of the two. “They were just leaving.”

He gave his brother a shove to take the bag, and they shuffled toward the door. Shane stepped aside to let them by. When they stopped in front of him, Lizzie reached up to grab his hand.

“Didn’t know you was back in town, McBride,” Duane spoke. “Plannin’ on stayin’?”

“For a while.”

Narrowed eyes studied him up and down, as if taking an assessment. “Been a long time.”

Shane just nodded. For an endless few seconds, tension crackled between them. Then Darren and Duane left the store, and Allison let out a sigh that shook her whole body. She had to clasp her hands behind her to stop their trembling. Damn. She hated that she let those two scumbags rattle her so much.

“Would you…p-please lock the door for me?” She tried to keep her voice even, but it trembled a bit.

When he turned the deadbolt, Lizzie, still clinging to his hand, spoke up, “Boy, I’m sure glad you came in when you did. Those guys give me the creeps, and Mom doesn’t like them—”

“Never mind, Lizzie.” Allison got a hold of herself and turned to cashing out the register. “Go get your things together so we can head for home.”

“Will you stay ‘til we leave?” Lizzie peered up at Shane for reassurance.

“Sure, Shortstuff. Now, go do what your mom said.”

While her daughter went to gather her things, Allison put the cash from the till into a bag and carried it to the small safe, glad she didn’t have to take it to the bank tonight. Shane followed her to the back of the store and waited as she locked the office.

When Lizzie joined them, she struggled to slip her backpack over her shoulders. Before she could help, Shane gave her a hand. Her daughter glanced up in surprise and then grinned, showing her crooked front tooth, then seemed to think a moment.

“Hey, guess what? My pony and me are in a horse show on Sunday. You could come to see us, if you want.”

“I’m sure Dr. McBride has things he’d rather do on Sunday,” Allison admonished, and then the thoughts ran through her mind. Was he married? Did he have a family? Had they come to Michigan with him?

“Fact is, I’ll be at the show. I’m the check-in vet.”

Of course you are. Allison turned away and rolled her eyes in exasperation.

They waited by the back door while she checked the front of the store again and turned off the lights; all the while Lizzie chattered on to Shane.

“Then you can see me and Cayenne. He’s my pony. He’s getting kind of old, but he still wins lots of ribbons. I’m showing him in Western pleasure, halter, and showmanship.”

“Then you’ll be pretty busy, but I’ll stop by and watch,” he promised.

Once they were outside, Allison breathed in deeply to steady nerves left raw by a day full of the unexpected. The night air cooled her face and calmed the tension still coiled in the pit of her stomach. She couldn’t wait to get home and crawl between the sheets of her bed, put her head on the pillow, and—

“Uh-oh. Looks like we’ve got a problem, Mom.”

Digging in her shoulder bag for her keys, Allison stopped in her tracks, not certain she could take one more thing. “What’s wrong now?”

Shane stood beside her aging SUV parked on the street. Staring down at the front tire, he shook his head. “Hope you have a spare, because this one’s flatter than flat.”

She sagged against the side of her vehicle. “I won’t ask. I won’t ask,” she murmured, half to herself.

“Ask what?” Lizzie stared at the offending tire.

“What else can go wrong today?” Shane supplied.

Allison saw him watching her, concern darkening his gaze. Did he have a clue the first thing to go wrong was his showing up at her barn? Yet, she was thankful he’d been there while the Potter brothers were around. And right now…

“You okay?” he asked.

“I don’t have a spare tire.” She tried to muster a shrug and couldn’t even do that. “I had a flat this past winter and never got it fixed. You’re looking at the spare.”

He glanced down at the deflated tire and then at Lizzie, who still held his hand. “Well then, how about I take you ladies home, and in the morning, I’ll call Ray’s Tire Service, see if he can come up with one for you.”

Allison shoved herself away from the vehicle. Jason had bought it second-hand for her shortly before he died, and it needed a lot more than just a new tire. She’d been lucky to put brakes on it only last month.

“You don’t have to do this,” she barely whispered.

Shane shifted his weight to pull the truck keys from his snug jeans pocket. “Yeah, I do.”

They didn’t talk much on the drive from town. When he stopped his truck in front of her house, Allison quickly stepped out. She started to thank him and drag Lizzie away when she instinctively turned toward the barn and the sound she thought she heard.

Please no. Not again.

She desperately needed to get some sleep tonight, but she’d never catch a wink if she didn’t look in on the horses first.

“I have to check on the barn, Lizzie. You go on in the house.” She handed her the key.

“But I don’t like to go in alone, Mom. I’m coming with you.” Her daughter yawned wide and rubbed her eyes.

Normally, Lizzie wouldn’t think twice about being alone, but maybe the events of the last few nights had disturbed her, too. Certainly, the appearance of the Potter brothers tonight hadn’t helped matters.

Gypsy had risen from the porch, wagging her tail. When she saw Shane, she came down the steps to nuzzle his hand in greeting.

“Honey, here’s Gypsy. She’ll go in with you.” She tried to reassure her daughter.

“How about you and I go do a barn-check, old girl?” He motioned for the collie to follow him to the barn. “Lizzie, you take your mom inside. I think you’ve both had a long day.”

As much as Allison wanted to argue, she was just too tired. She herded Lizzie toward the kitchen door but stopped to toss a glance over her shoulder. On the path to the barn, Gypsy trotted alongside Shane, as if it were the most ordinary thing for her to do. The dog never made friends this easily, but then, maybe her sixth sense told her this man was different. Perhaps she knew.

She shook the crazy thought away, and while Lizzie went upstairs to put on her pajamas, she filled the teakettle and put it on to boil. A hot cup of chamomile tea would hopefully help her relax before crawling into bed.

Please let it be a peaceful night.

****

Shane walked down the center aisle of the barn, stopping at each stall to make sure every horse was settled for the night. He spent an extra few minutes with the buckskin Pride, checking the gash that had brought him here early this morning.

The horse was fine; they all were fine. Too bad he couldn’t say the same for himself. One day back in Silver Creek and every emotion he’d ever experienced here had hit him square in the chest. Obligation, jealousy, passion, and now a new one that had assailed him when a child put her hand trustingly in his. Protectiveness, strong and pure.

Strange, but from the moment Lizzie had squinted her blue eyes at him, he’d felt a bond of some sort. A tie, as if he’d always known this girl.

Well, she was Allison’s daughter, and at one time he and Allison had shared a bond as strong as the old oak tree that shaded the yard in front of the farmhouse. Had shared a passion, too, as hot as a late July night.

How could she have forgotten and married Jason?

He supposed the same way he had caught a bus to take him a long way away from Silver Creek.

Glancing around the barn one more time, he called to Gypsy, shut off the lights, and closed the door tight behind him.

Going straight home to Doc Brewster’s place was probably a good idea, but he needed to tell Allison she could rest easy tonight. Something about her today told him that was important.

He went up to the kitchen door and tapped his knuckles against the wood. When she opened it, he noticed she’d loosened her hair from its ponytail. The color of golden wheat, it fell around her shoulders, and once again he could not help remembering the sweetness of running his fingers through those silken strands.

He swallowed hard. “It’s…fine. The barn…is fine,” he managed to say.

Gypsy pushed her way past him, shoving him a step closer to Allison. He put out a hand to brace himself on the doorframe and found hers already there. For a second, their fingers touched, and a tightening in his chest…and elsewhere…accompanied the beads of sweat popping out on his upper lip.

Her eyes widened with surprise, as if the zing between them had affected her, too, then she pulled her hand away and retreated into the room, now using both hands to clutch a mug of something steaming.

“Is Lizzie okay?” He stepped back to regain his balance.

“She’s…getting ready for bed.”

“Then if you’re all okay, I’ll say goodnight.”

“Wait, Doc! I have to show you something.”

When he would have escaped, Lizzie’s voice stopped him. She clattered down the stairs and into the kitchen. Pink pajamas and bunny slippers made her the picture of innocence, and once again the need to protect rose up, a wave of emotion so strong it nearly sent him reeling.

“See, it’s new.” She showed him the western hat she carried so lovingly. “Mom bought it for my birthday. I’m going to wear it in the show Sunday. Isn’t it great?” She held the cream-colored Stetson up to him.

“You’ll look beautiful, Lizzie, and I’ll be there to see you and Cayenne,” he promised. “Now, you better get some rest.”

“Mom said I could have a snack first. Can I have some of Aunt Ronnie’s cookies? Do you want some, Doc? They’re Snickerdoodles.”

“Thanks anyway. I’ve got some early calls to make tomorrow, and I need to visit Doc Brewster in the hospital, so I think I’ll say goodnight.” He needed to leave while he still had some sense left in his head.