Chapter 17
MADDISON
“ S he’s got some nerve showing her face here.” Eleanor crosses her arms over her chest as she watches the new sheriff like a hawk.
“She seems nice enough,” I point out, trying to ease some of the tension that’s built among the three women who Isabel refers to as the Clearwater Creek coven.
“Nice? How is turning up at our dance, and taking all the limelight, nice?” Jean asks and when Isabel drops her head so they can’t see her laughing, it almost sets me off too.
“Well, I for one think we should give her a chance.” A girl with long, blonde hair and a really pretty face injects herself into the conversation. “I’m Taylor, my brothers work for Jace,” she greets me warmly.
“Pleased to meet you, and thanks for the clothes you sent.” I smile back at her.
“No worries, it’s important to make newcomers to our town feel welcome.” She turns to look at the three judgemental women who are still focused on every move Riley Hale makes.
“This town doesn’t need a sheriff, anyway.” Eleanor puts her nose in the air, the same way she did when she saw my pumpkin patch. She was most put out when I joined the decoration committee, she wasn’t happy at all that I wanted to replace her annual garland with the pumpkin patch but people's reactions to it as they posed for photographs have proved her wrong.
“I don’t know about that, Eleanor, didn’t Billy McGee disappear a few weeks ago?” Taylor calls her out and I already know I’m going to like this girl.
“Billy’s always disappearing, another of his wives probably caught up with him,” Daphne sniggers at Jean while Eleanor shakes her head, looking displeased.
“Why are we even talking about that old fool anyway?” She takes a sip of her punch as her cheeks flush pink.
“I agree with Taylor, we should give her a chance, and get to know her.” Isabel decides to make a stand, though I can see how nervous she is about it by the way her hands shake as she refills her glass.
“Don’t you think you’ve had enough of that, sweetpea?” Eli sweeps in from nowhere and takes it from her. It gives me a chill because it reminds me of the way Adam used to be with me. Anytime we went somewhere, I felt like a performing monkey – don’t drink too much, keep a smile on my face, talk to the right wives – seeing Isabel get steered toward the group of well-dressed women and their husbands makes me feel really sorry for her.
“I’ll bet she’s in the family way,” Daphne whispers over the rim of her punch glass, and I breathe a sigh of relief when I see that all eyes are directed at Isabel.
“Or her husbands an ass.” The words just slip out of my mouth and when all three women look at me accusingly, Taylor breaks out in a fit of giggles.
“Kyle and Tyler said I’d like you.” She’s still laughing as she struts off to join the dance floor.
“I don’t even know why the Gendry wives have come.” Jean gets back to gossiping, her eyes glaring at the women who Isabel’s being forced to talk to.
“Being nosey, I’ll bet.” Daphne almost makes me choke with the irony of her response.
“Who are the Gendry wives?” I ask, taking the glass of punch that Carter hands me before he dashes off to join Tayor. I guess I’ll have to make it look as if I’m drinking or these vultures will be on to me.
“You haven’t heard of the Gendrys?” Eleanor looks shocked.
“No.” I shake my head
“So, the Gendrys were the original settlers in Clearwater Creek. They mined all the gold from it and became a very rich family. As time went on they dwindled out due to a lack of sons, far as records show, a Gendry hasn’t lived in town for over a hundred years, and Jean here checked twice,” Daphne explains. “Then seven years ago, a huge golf resort and spa just popped up about thirty miles from here. We all thought it a little strange to have one so far from the city until the holiday cabins started going up too. Soon the Gendrys were getting permission for cinema complexes and fast food joints.”
“It seemed like they were building their own civilization,” Eleanor interrupts Daphne, and it earns her a sharp look.
“The town couldn’t do anything to stop it, the Gendrys owned all the land within a twenty-mile radius, and now they’re looking to build a road. One that cuts off our town from any passers-through. If they get that permission, a lot of the businesses in Clearwater Creek won’t survive.”
“So you can see why them coming here is inappropriate.” Eleanor refills her glass.
“Has anyone tried sitting down and talking with them?” I ask. “Maybe, if you explained how important passers-through are, they could re-route the road.”
“They’re never gonna re-route that road. Not when it’s planned to come right through the center of this ranch.” Jean shakes her head.
“Through the ranch?” Now I’m really confused. “Why would coming through here be so important?”
“You better ask your new beau.” Eleanor looks to the door as Jace and Sawyer return from outside. I can tell from the look on Jace’s face that something’s not right, and when he heads across to Eli, interrupting him from the story he’s telling, I watch as he takes him to the corner and explains something that makes the mayor look worried.
“Come on, come have some fun.” Taylor grabs my arm and drags me onto the dancefloor. “You are welcome.” She looks back at the three older women as she twirls me under her arm.
“They mean well, I guess they’re just stuck in their ways.” They remind me of my mother’s friends, and scarily what I might have become if I’d gone through with that wedding. Taylor gets distracted by Carter and when I feel a pair of hands snatch my hips and start swaying them to the music, I smile real wide. I knew Jace would come around eventually. He seems to get a kick out of making me happy, his need to take care of me is something I could definitely get used to. I have to admit I thought getting him on the dance floor would be more of a challenge, but I guess the fact I’m having his baby gave me a head start. His hand curls around the front of my thighs and when I look down and realize there are no tattoos on them, I gasp in shock and spin around.
“Howdy, little lady.” A guy I’ve never seen before is standing where Jace should be, wearing a black Stetson and wearing a suit.
I feel the makeshift dance floor shake under my feet as Jace storms toward us, grabbing the guy by the back of his shirt, spinning him around, and greeting him with his fist. Whoever the guy is, looks dazed as everyone around us stops dancing and watches Jace grab him by the scruff of his neck and drag him outside.
“Keep on playing,” Sawyer tells the band. “As you were folks.” He rushes to follow Jace out and when I go to follow too, Grayson stands in my way.
“I wouldn’t go out there if I were you.”
“Move.” I go to shove him out of my path but he’s as solid as a house.
“Jace will want you to stay in here,” he tells me calmly.
Two other men wearing suits, dash out the door, and Grayson nods his head to Kyle and Tyler so they follow after them.
“Oh no, you don’t.” Carter wraps his arms around Taylor’s waist to hold her back.
“If there’s a brawl, you’re far better off having me than my brothers.” She stamps on his foot and races for the door, I look over my shoulder to Isabel and I notice the Gendry wives all looking horrified.
“Who was that guy?” I look between Grayson and Carter and when neither of them answers me, I growl in frustration and attempt to push past. Grayson holds me by my shoulders as he looks at the women.
“You might wanna tell your husbands to get a better handle on their brother,” he warns them.
Jace, Sawyer, Kyle, and Tyler return ten minutes later, followed by the new sheriff who makes her way over to the Gendry wives and politely tells them they should join their husbands outside, and leave.
Everyone seems to have left, either to watch the fight or to go home, and when Eleanor’s son, Hayden, steps inside and walks over to his new boss, she doesn’t look impressed.
“I was expecting you to help me break up the fight, not join it,” I hear her hiss at him.
“Sorry, I’m off duty.” He tries using his boyish charm to get him off the hook and it seems to work because she shakes her head and smiles.
“You okay?” I rush over to Jace, whose knuckles are torn open and dripping with blood.
“I’ll go get the clean-up box.” Grayson rolls his eyes and saunters off.
“Jace, what happened?” I crouch down in front of the bale he’s sitting on.
“You know how it goes, pretty girl, he touched ya.” He manages a smile as he slides some of my hair behind my ear.
“I thought he was you,” I tell him, feeling awful for allowing myself to be touched for so long. “Then when I saw his hand and realized–”
“I saw how scared you looked, that fucker’s lucky he’s still breathin’.” He reaches forward and presses a kiss on my forehead.
“The Gendrys aren’t pressing any charges,” the new sheriff interrupts us.
“I should think not, that piece of shit had his hands all over my girl.”Jace looks up at her.
“Are you okay?” She turns her attention to me.
“He didn’t hurt me, he was just dancing.”
“It wasn’t you he was trying to hurt.” Sawyer raises his eyebrows and when Riley notices that he’s joined the conversation, her eyes turn to slits.
“Just stay out of trouble,” she warns everyone before heading for the door, herself.
“What's the story with you and the Gendrys? Jean sai?—”
“Don’t be listening to the shit Jean tells ya.” Jace shakes his head and goes to stand up.
“Stay right there.” I look over my shoulder and when I see Grayson coming with the First Aid box I take it from his hands. “I’m taking care of these knuckles before we go anywhere.” I study his open flesh and although it makes me feel a little queasy, I’m not having anyone else do it.
“I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you.” Jace smiles at me until I start dabbing his wounds with the alcohol.
“You did,” I tell him.