Chapter 3
Rae felt reenergized after her break outside with Bear. It didn’t feel like she’d been on her feet for hours.
Every now and then she would glance in Bear’s direction. Not too long after their talk outside, he’d left his seat and she hadn’t seen him again. Colt had stayed and talked with people around him, but no one sat on the stool Bear had previously occupied.
She’d been disappointed he’d left, but at least she’d see him tomorrow.
A couple of hours later Bear returned, and she’d realized she was smiling again.
Rae had tried not to look in his direction all night, but she’d failed in that regard, repeatedly.
During one of the moments she forced herself not to glance at him, she grabbed a bar towel and wiped down the bar top. She shouldn’t feel so excited about a coffee date when starting a relationship was a bad idea. Especially since she’d be moving to Albuquerque once the trial was over.
She wiped away a spill on the bar top. Marlee kept encouraging her to stay in King Creek, but it wasn’t far enough away.
The thought of moving sobered her some, but she pushed it away. Meeting Bear was a bright spot in the gray her world had become since she’d killed a man.
Her throat tightened and she couldn’t get rid of the feelings of doubt and pain that encased her again. She refused to look in Bear’s direction, in case he saw how she felt written all over her face.
Why couldn’t she enjoy something as simple as a relationship?
For one, her plans all along had been to flee to another state when the trial was over. And two, she didn’t need to burden anyone else with what she was going through—Bear certainly didn’t deserve that. There was an even bigger reason. What if she was convicted and she went to jail?
Then there was a big fat reason: she’d killed someone. What man would want to be around a woman who had taken someone’s life?
Steve sure hadn’t. He’d dumped her not long after it had happened and had gone so far as to imply that she had encouraged the man that led up to the “incident.”
Tears threatened behind her eyes. She faced away from the bar and stared at the shelves of liquor bottles around a large mirror as she swallowed hard.
What she needed was to go forward with her plans and start a new life, get away from the haters and online bullies. She’d closed down all of her social media accounts, but there were still the newspapers and constant recognition that had driven her away from her home and her career. Who wanted to buy a house from a murderer?
She held her hand to her belly. It hadn’t been murder—it had been self-defense. Everything would be fine, as long as the jury didn’t find her guilty.
Yes, a new start was everything.
“Bartender.” A man’s voice jerked her out of her thoughts, and she whirled to face the person currently leering at her.
Bill. She couldn’t deal with him if he was going to treat her like he had earlier. She couldn’t—wouldn’t—put up with it.
She forced a smile and walked to the end of the bar where he stood.
His gaze dropped to her breasts. “Hey, sugar.”
“Up here.”
He raised his head, his eyes meeting hers. “Huh?”
“My eyes are right here.” She pointed to them and spoke as calmly as possible. “I don’t see with my breasts.”
He gave her a grin that was meant to be sexy. “Who says?”
She wanted to punch him. She wasn’t in an emotionally stable place to deal with this crap. Of course, she should have thought of that before she decided to take a job tending bar.
“What can I get you, Bill?” It amazed her how she managed to keep calm as out of control as her emotions were right now. “Like I told you before, other people are here for drinks, too.”
He leaned one forearm on the bar. “What do you say to pizza at Louie’s tomorrow night, just you and me.”
“Even if I wasn’t working tomorrow night, I would say no.” Restrained anger edged her voice. “As a matter of fact, you could be the last man on earth and I’d still tell you to go have pizza by yourself.”
Bill laughed. “We’ll see.”
Could anyone believe this guy?
“Last chance.” Clenching her jaw made it hard to get the words out. “Do you want to order or not?”
“Gimme a Bud.” He grinned at her. “Add an order of fries with the works.”
She gave a single nod and turned away to take care of his order.
When she took him his beer, she refused to meet his gaze and slammed the Budweiser down in front of him. It was a wonder she didn’t slosh it over the edge of the bar top and onto his lap.
After taking care of a couple who’d ordered a Crown and Coke and an import, she finally glanced at Bear. He was watching her with something like concern. Clearly, he’d seen she was upset, even though she’d tried not to show it. She wasn’t surprised he’d be intuitive like that.
She moved to him and did her best to smile at him and Colt. “Anything I can get you two?”
Bear shook his head. “I’ve had enough for tonight.”
“Same here.” Colt checked the clock over the bar. “Looks like it’s about time for the bar to close.”
Surprised, she glanced at the clock, too. “I didn’t realize it was so late.” She’d missed it if Jane or Patty had shouted last call. Relief flowed through her. Thank goodness this day would soon be over.
When she looked back at Bear, he was studying her. “Are you okay, Rae?”
She took a deep breath then exhaled. “Just tired. It’s been a long day.”
“If you need me to have a word with Bill, let me know,” Bear said quietly. “I might be able to talk some sense into him.”
Rae wanted to laugh. “You can’t talk sense into a man like Bill. They don’t know how to shut it off.”
“I can have a conversation with him,” Bear said.
Rae shook her head. “It’s fine. If it comes down to it, I’ll take care of him.”
The last man who’d harassed her in a bar had ended up dead, so maybe those weren’t the best words to use.
She tried again. “I’ll be fine, Bear.”
He gave a slow nod. “Just the same, I’ll walk you to your car when you get off work.”
She sighed and offered him a smile. “Okay.” She glanced at the clock. “But it’ll be fifteen to thirty minutes after the bar closes before I can get out of here.”
“I can wait,” he said.
“Thank you.” Rae left to take care of other patrons. Since the bar was closing soon, she would be cleaning up rather than making drinks.
Rae stopped wiping down the bar when she heard Patty calling her name. Rae hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to Patty because they’d been going non-stop since the woman arrived.
She turned and faced Patty, whose mascara dotted her skin under her eyes like punctuation marks. Her lipstick was crooked, and her skin weathered like old parchment. She looked as if she’d smoked for decades and had a hard life.
“Been a while since you’ve tended bar, hasn’t it,” Patty said like a statement, not a question. “It shows.”
Rae’s skin prickled at the way the tall woman looked down at her like she was a beetle she wanted to squish with her fist.
“It’s been a few years,” Rae said.
Patty snorted. “Looks like it’s been longer than that.”
Rae’s skin burned. She didn’t need this belittlement from Patty, but she would have to sit here and take it, regardless. She needed this job.
“Is there something in particular that I need to work on?” Rae asked as calmly as she could.
“Everything.” Patty pointed to the bar top. “Get that cleaned up so we can get out of here.”
Rae bristled. As far as she knew, she didn’t answer to anyone but Mickey. Still, she turned away and started working on spots like she could carve into the wood with the rag.
“You’ve done great today.” Jane stood beside Rae as she set down a stack of tickets. “For a first day, you rocked it.” She jerked her thumb over her shoulder in Bill’s direction. The man was downing a final swallow of beer. “And you survived that hick.”
Rae smiled at the kindness Jane showed her, unlike Patty’s treatment. “I appreciate your help with my questions. You made it easier for me.” She looked at the almost empty tables. “You’re good at your job.”
Jane shrugged. “It’s nice working for Mickey.” She leaned in close and spoke so only Rae could hear. “Don’t let Patty get to you. She’s like that to everyone.”
“Honestly, that’s a relief.” Rae relaxed her shoulders. “According to her I did a terrible job.”
Jane patted her shoulder. “Patty is another one who can’t shut it off.”
Feeling slightly better, Rae glanced in Bear’s direction to see he and Colt no longer sat at the end of the bar. They’d probably gone outside. Maybe Colt was leaving, and Bear had walked him out.
Mickey returned and helped close up the bar.
“I didn’t get a chance to check in on you tonight,” Mickey said as he helped her put chairs on a table. “But I hear from Jane that you handled everything that came your way. Good job.”
She’d seen Patty talking with Mickey, too, and had been afraid the woman would make her look bad. The relief she felt at his praise was like a weight off her shoulders. “Thanks.”
“Go on home now.” He waved his hand to the door and raised his voice. “Go on now, all of you.”
Jane had grabbed her purse from the back room and was now walking through the bar. “You don’t have to tell me twice, boss.”
Rae hadn’t brought a purse, had just stuffed her jeans’ pockets with her keys, driver’s license, cash, a credit card, and a tube of lipstick.
She said good night to Mickey and gave him a little wave. Patty still stood near the door to the kitchen and the back room. Rae called out to her. “Night, Patty.”
Patty gave a nod, a sour look on her face.
“Come on, Rae.” Jane gave a nod toward the entrance. “It’s been a hell of a night.”
“It’s been one heck of a day,” Rae said.
The cooler evening air brushed her skin as they left the bar and stepped onto the wide porch. Bear stood to her right, his shoulder hitched up against the weathered wood post that helped hold up the roof over the porch.
Her heart thudded a little faster when she saw him. The man was so dang good-looking, from his Stetson all the way to his cowboy boots. Every lickable inch of him was sexy.
When their gazes met, she smiled. “Thanks for waiting, Bear.”
Jane stopped at the edge of the porch. “How long have you two known each other?”
Bear looked at his watch. “Nine hours, twenty-nine minutes, and eight seconds.”
Jane burst out laughing. “Have a good night, you two.” She waved and jogged down the steps to the parking lot.
Rae’s cheeks warmed. As much as she’d like to find out what a good night was with Bear, that certainly wasn’t happening—at least not tonight, if ever.
“I moved my truck closer to your car.” Bear gave a nod in the direction of where she’d parked.
At first, she wondered how he’d known which car was hers, then she remembered he’d seen it when he’d taken Arthur from the passenger side. There probably weren’t many little sportscars like hers around King Creek.
They walked side-by-side to her car. Bear stuffed his hands into his front pockets like he wasn’t sure what to do with them.
She could think of lots of things.
Inwardly, she groaned. She didn’t know what was getting into her. She hadn’t even looked at a man twice over the past year, since that awful night.
She breathed in slowly, deeply, then exhaled. Another time, another world.
“How are you doing after your first night on the job?” Bear asked.
She glanced up at him. He was so big and tall he made her feel even more petite than she already was. His hugs would have to be the best thing ever.
“Not bad.” She smiled. “I’m tired and looking forward to a good night’s sleep.” She cocked her head. “How do you think Arthur is doing?”
“I went home and checked on him a couple of hours ago,” Bear said. He’s doing pretty good, as well as can be expected.”
“That’s where you went,” she said without thinking first.
“So, you noticed?” he said with a grin.
Rae laughed, not minding the warmth in her cheeks. After all, it was dark. “Sort of.”
He grinned. “Good enough.”
They reached her car and came to a stop beside the driver’s side door. “I’m looking forward to tomorrow,” he said.
She pulled her keys out of her pocket and smiled at him. “I am, too.”
He looked suddenly shy again, and she felt equally shy.
She hit the unlock button on her remote and heard the sound of the door lock disengaging. Before she could reach for the door handle, Bear opened the car door for her.
“Thanks,” she said as she got in.
Bear closed the door behind her and waited while she buzzed down the window.
“See you at ten,” he said.
Rae smiled. “See you, Bear.”
She buzzed up the window, put the car in gear, and headed toward the parking lot exit. She glanced at her rearview mirror and saw him watching her drive away.
The range of emotions she felt was enough to make anyone crazy.
She kept her breathing even and allowed herself to think of Bear. He was so sweet and thoughtful and a gentleman. What a great combination in a man. That and the sexy package he came with was more than enticing.
But not only was her situation bad, she also didn’t plan on being here long.
Now, she wished she could. But she had to make a new start, had to get away from a town where people would recognize her and question what she’d done. Even if the jury declared her innocent, the stigma would still be attached to her.
In Albuquerque, she could get her real estate license and start all over, building up a list of clients. She could buy a nice house with a pool and make it her home, even more so than the one she’d sold.
She hated to leave behind her sister and her nieces in Coyote Lake City, but Carrie understood her need to get away and start a new life. The kids would miss her, almost as much as she would miss them. She wouldn’t be as close to Marlee, so that wasn’t so great, either.
Rae and Carrie’s parents had passed away when they were teenagers, which was back when her family lived in Albuquerque. Their dad had owned the pet shop before he died from the surgery complication. Their mom had been a nurse and less than a year later contracted a virus that had killed her.
Rae and Carrie had been devastated and had become even closer, needing each other more than ever when they’d gone to live with their maternal grandmother in Coyote Lake City. Their grandmother had been a cold, hard woman, so the sisters had relied on each other for comfort and to make it in their new home.
Almost fourteen years later, and Rae was facing a trial with the possibility of going to prison. She shuddered. She didn’t think she could survive prison.
She glanced at the clock on her dashboard and saw that it was almost one a.m.
When she reached Marlee’s cottage-style home in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of King Creek, Rae parked and locked up her car before going through the gate and striding up to the postage stamp-sized porch. She used the key Marlee had given her and unlocked the door. She winced at the loud squeak it made, hoping she hadn’t woken her cousin.
Marlee was a few years older than Rae, but they’d become close over the years, getting together as often as they could with the miles separating them.
A light was on by Marlee’s chair. Her cousin happened to be in the chair, working on one of her crazy quilts.
Marlee looked up from her quilting. “Hi, Rae.”
“What are you doing up so late?” Rae plopped on the chair closest to Marlee. “Aren’t you usually in bed by now?”
Her cousin set down her hoop, stretched her arms, and yawned. “Sometimes, when I’m working on a quilt block that I’m really excited about, I can’t stop.”
Rae craned her neck. “Can I see?”
Marlee passed her the hoop with the portion of the crazy quilt she was working on.
Rae traced her fingers over the embroidered square that consisted of various velvets, brocades, satin, and silk pieces with embroidered seams and lace and crystal embellishments. “It’s a work of art.” She shook her head in amazement. “I can’t imagine putting in the time it would take to do something so incredible.”
Marlee smiled. “Thanks.”
“Aren’t quilts something older ladies do?” Rae smiled and teased her cousin. “You know, things Red Hat ladies work on.” She pointed at her cousin. “You, on the other hand, like to dance, jog, play sports, and have a wild time with the girls. Somehow crazy quilting doesn’t fit my preconceived notions of a crazy girl like you.”
“You just said it,” Marlee grinned. “A crazy girl who happens to like crazy quilting because it’s just plain crazy.”
“Ahhh.” Rae laughed. “Now it makes sense.”
“Why don’t you give it a try while you’re here?” Marlee took the hoop that Rae passed back to her. “You might enjoy it like I do.”
Rae held up her hands. “I have zero talent for needlework.”
“I thought the same thing about myself at first.” Marlee smiled. “You don’t know if you don’t try.”
“You never know.” Rae pulled her hair back away from her face. “I need to cut my hair so that I look even more different.”
“That shade of red probably makes you look different enough.” Marlee studied her. “It’s such an odd shade, but it does look good on you. Almost as good as your normal blonde.”
Rae thought about Bear, and wondered if he liked her hair color, or if he thought it was odd. “I saw Bear McLeod at the bar tonight. He said the dog that lady hit is doing well.”
“That’s great.” Marlee slipped her quilting paraphernalia into a large basket and closed the lid. She focused on Rae. “He’s cute, isn’t he?”
Rae’s face went warm. “Yes.”
Marlee’s eyes widened. “You like him.”
“Of course, I like him.” Rae cheeks burned. “He’s a nice guy.”
Marlee laughed. “If you could only see how red your face is.”
Rae groaned and buried her face in her hands. She raised her head. “I screwed up, Marlee.”
Her cousin looked puzzled. “In what way?”
“Bear asked me out for coffee in the morning and I said yes.”
Marlee brightened. “That’s awesome.”
Rae shook her head. “No, that’s terrible.”
Now Marlee looked confused again. “Say what?”
“I shouldn’t start a relationship with any man.” Rae’s throat constricted. “What if I end up going to prison?”
Marlee narrowed her gaze. “You are not going to prison. The man followed you to the houseboat and tried to rape you. He even said he was going to kill you for rejecting him at the bar.”
Tears threatened behind her eyes. “Haters on social media say I dressed like a slut and a tease and asked for it.”
Anger churned across Marlee’s normally calm features. “Don’t listen to them. That’s why you deleted all of your social media accounts. You did, didn’t you?”
Rae sighed. “Every last one of them. Even Pinterest.”
“Pinterest?” Marlee raised an eyebrow. “I couldn’t live without Pinterest.”
Rae smiled a little at her cousin’s gentle teasing. “Okay, so maybe that was going farther than I needed to. But I got rid of everything.”
“I’m glad you took that step.” Marlee leaned forward in her chair, her forearms braced on her thighs. “You got away from Coyote Lake City, so you won’t be spotted, and you won’t see the newspapers.”
“And you’re kind enough to not watch news while I’m around,” Rae said.
Marlee waved away the comment. “That’s no hardship. I hate the way the newscasters sensationalize everything. I get my news from a reliable, factual source online. So, I keep up to date without getting bogged down.”
Marlee scooted to the edge of her seat. “About Bear McLeod.”
“Should I cancel the date?” Rae asked.
Her cousin shook her head. “I don’t think so. But if you do pursue a relationship with him, you need to give serious consideration to staying in King Creek and not moving to New Mexico.”
Rae churned the thought over in her mind. “I don’t know if I can do that. I need a fresh start, Marlee. I need to be able to sell a house without someone recognizing me or my name and saying, ‘Hey, aren’t you that woman who killed a man?’”
Marlee didn’t respond for a moment. “Listen to your heart and take care not to break Bear’s in the process.”
Rae sighed. “I should cancel the date.”
“I didn’t say that.”
“I did.” Rae rubbed her palms on her jeans. “But then, what could it hurt meeting him for coffee? It’s not like it’s a real date.”
“Good.” Marlee’s smile faltered a little. “You have an appointment with your attorney Monday, don’t you?”
Rae’s stomach churned at the thought. “In the afternoon. The trial starts in less than three months.”
With a soft smile, Marlee said. “Everything is going to be okay, Rae. I know it.”
Rae smiled at her sweet cousin. “Thank you.”
Marlee got up from her chair. “On a brighter note, I’m glad you’re going to get together with Bear. He’s a good man, and you can trust him.”
Rae stood, too. “I think you’re right on both accounts.”
“Are you up for jogging with me early in the morning?” Marlee asked. “I’m planning on going a couple of miles outside of town and back.”
“Too early for me after a late night.” Rae groaned. “My other excuse is I’m dead on my feet after my first day of working at the bar.”
“Great excuses—this time.” Marlee hugged Rae. “Good night, cousin.”
“Sleep well,” Rae said and followed Marlee upstairs.
Rae went to the guest room and took off the crazy quilt Marlee had made and set it aside before she sat on the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. Tomorrow was a new day and she had a coffee date with Bear. Despite everything, she smiled, looking forward to seeing the big man with the big heart.