Chapter 21
Pulling one of my favorite dresses out of my closet, I handed it to Amber. “You have to wear this. It’s perfect for you.”
“You’d let me borrow it? It’s gorgeous!” Amber held it up to her body and twirled.
“Put it on,” Joy urged from where she was lounging on my bed. “You don’t happen to have one of those for me, do you Mags?”
“I only worked in a fashion boutique for five years.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Of course there’s one for you.”
Her wide smile was all the reward I needed. And when I helped choose a dress for her, and she looked just as perfect in it as I’d expected, she announced we were going to have the best night ever.
But secretly, I had doubts about how good a Friday night in Green Valley could be. I was used to spending my weekends watching indie rock bands play in hip venues. Would I be able to enjoy an evening at the Green Valley Community Center, followed by drinks at a place called Genie’s Country Western Bar?
I mean, we were definitely going to be subjected to a lot of country music. And I was also worried because several of my customers had raved about the coleslaw that would apparently be part of the buffet at the community center, kindly advising me to get there early before it ran out.
It seemed like a bad sign that the highlight of our night out might be a salad.
“What are you going to wear, Mags?” Amber asked, browsing through my closet.
“The little black dress.” I pulled it out. “It’s a classic.”
“Beautiful!” Joy grabbed my shoulders, studying my face. “You have such great hair. I’ll style it for you. Cy’s coming tonight, right? You have to look perfect.”
“I hope he’ll show,” I said. “He sounded reluctant.”
“Does he know about your campaign to fix his reputation?”
I shook my head. “I haven’t told him.”
“Most of the town must be on Team Cy by now,” said Amber. “It seems like you’ve spoken to just about everyone.” She turned to Joy. “Will you do my hair too?”
“Of course! Tonight you’re finally going to move Wren past the friend zone. You have to look fabulous.”
I grinned. It felt great to be hanging out with friends. And by the time Amber, Joy, and I arrived at the bustling community center, we looked like three fashionable New Yorkers in my best designer outfits. But we sure didn’t walk into a venue like any I was used to.
The community center was actually an old school, complete with classrooms. Instead of being dimly lit, the lights were bright. Rather than a well-stocked bar, bristling with bottles, there was a buffet table with food. And it wasn’t the rhythmic thumping of a drum beat or electric guitar sounds that drifted from one of the classrooms, but the distinctive twang of a banjo, fiddle, and other acoustic instruments. And a male singer was crooning. Yep, that had to be the sound of bluegrass.
In all honesty, I hadn’t listened to much bluegrass before. In my head, it had been lumped together with other country music, just with more emphasis on fiddles and banjos, and a picking-at-the-strings sound. But I’d enjoyed the songs Cy had played. And against expectations, the music coming from the classroom made me want to start tapping my feet.
Maybe I liked bluegrass?
The realization was disturbing. I was also slightly disturbed by how many of the people in the crowded room I knew. Some of them smiled and waved at me. Julianne MacIntyre, a retired librarian who regularly stopped into the bakery for chocolate brownies, rushed over to complement the three of us on our dresses. I found myself chatting with her, and with Mr. McClure, the fire chief, and wondering how I could possibly be having a good time.
Could it be that I actually fit in here?
Once, the suggestion would have had me scoffing into my Negroni.
Now, it was . . . kind of nice?
Who even was I?
“Would you excuse us, Mr. McClure?” Joy linked her arm with mine, then Amber’s. “We need to talk to someone.” She tugged us both away. “There’s Wren,” she explained in a low tone. “Over in the corner, see?” Pulling her arm free from Amber, she gave her a gentle shove. “Go and say hello.”
“But I don’t...” Amber clamped her mouth shut midsentence as Wren turned and saw her.
Wren blinked, doing a double take. “Amber?” Her gaze traveled down Amber’s body before she jerked it back to her eyes. “Wow. You look beautiful.”
“Thanks, Wren.” Amber’s cheeks flushed, but she walked over to the other woman. “You look nice too.”
Joy nudged me. “Look how sweet they are together,” she whispered.
The dazed way Wren was staring at Amber made me smile. “Let’s give them some privacy,” I suggested to Joy.
“We can spy on them from the other side of the room,” she agreed, leading the way.
But I’d barely taken a few steps before I spotted Cy through the crowd. He was talking to a distinguished-looking older man and a handsome younger man, neither of whom I knew.
“Joy.” I caught her arm to stop her. “There’s Cy. Who’s he talking to?”
That’s Sheriff James, and his son, Jackson, who’s a deputy. Jackson doesn’t come into the bakery because he has a strict diet, and I think Sheriff James must be too busy.” Her eyes widened. “Look, the sheriff is shaking Cy’s hand. And now Jackson is too.”
I shot her a quizzical sideways look. “That’s good?”
“Very good.” She nodded emphatically. “The sheriff and his family are well respected. People will notice how friendly they are with Cy.”
Cy turned his head and saw me. A slow smile spread over his face, and my heart flipped in my chest. I smiled back at him. He was wearing a long-sleeved shirt and fitted jeans, both of which looked spectacular on his burly body. His hair still went well past his collar, but he was easily the best-looking man in the room.
“I remember you mentioning how you weren’t a fan of beards,” Joy remarked.
“Maybe not. But I don’t mind his.” All I could think about was how amazing it had felt brushing against the bare skin of my thighs. And how it was rough when he kissed me, but in a good way. A way that sent little shivers of wanting straight into my core.
“Because you like what’s underneath.” She wagged her eyebrows at me. “And by underneath, I’m not talking about his face. I’m talking about under his clothes.”
“Subtle,” I told her with a laugh, my gaze still on Cy as he walked toward us.
After our big talk, he’d tapped the brakes on any more physical intimacy. He’d kissed me goodbye when I left his house the last few nights, but our kisses had been brief, and all our clothes had stayed on. Though I appreciated him giving me space, my sexual frustration was driving me crazy.
Still, the last thing I wanted was to hurt him, or myself. We were from different worlds, and I’d be going back to mine soon enough. So, though I was desperate for more than a few brief kisses, I intended to respect his boundaries, be honest with him, and let him decide what he was comfortable with.
She gave a theatrical sigh. “You’re as smitten as Amber is. And I feel like a third wheel. I’ll go and find someone else to talk to.”
“Don’t.” I linked my arm through hers. “It’s our girls’ night. I won’t run off with him, I promise.”
“Hey,” said Cy, his voice a low rumble. His gaze was soft on my face as though he wanted to kiss me. My heart fluttered. I wanted to kiss him back. But he turned to Joy and gave her a polite nod. “Hello, Joy.”
“Cy.” She smiled back at him, extracting her arm from mine. “I’m going to see if Cletus is playing his banjo tonight. I’ll catch you two lovebirds later, okay?” She headed off in the direction of the classroom the bluegrass music was coming from.
“You look beautiful, Mags.” Cy moved closer. Now I had his sole focus, my skin was getting a pleasurable goose-bumpy feeling. And when he ran his gentle fingers over my arm, I wished we were somewhere private. “Are you having a good night so far?”
“Strangely enough, I am. But Joy and Amber want to go to a country and western bar later, so I’m expecting things to get worse.”
“Genie’s?”
I nodded. “Is there only one bar in town?”
“There’s the Wooden Plank and the Dragon. But both of those places can get rough, especially the Dragon. There’s also the Pink Pony, if you’re in the mood to watch women take their clothes off.” His voice deepened, and his gaze went to my lips.
“Are you in that kind of mood?” I asked it in a flirty way, wishing we could be alone together.
He was still gently touching my arm, and his fingers were pleasantly rough on my skin. My nipples were hard, and probably visible through the dress I was wearing. I would have glanced down to check, only I couldn’t tear my gaze from his eyes. I loved how light they were. They were mesmerizing. Like the clearest water in the Arctic, only instead of feeling cold, my skin caught fire everywhere he looked.
He bent his head so his mouth was close to my ear. “Only if the woman is you.” His warm breath on my earlobe sent pleasurable shivers down my spine. And when he pulled back, his gaze was so full of heat, I had to swallow to moisten my suddenly dry mouth. I was all but overwhelmed by a rush of wanting to be alone with him. But I couldn’t ditch Amber and Joy. That wouldn’t be fair.
“Would you like to come to the bar with us?” I asked.
Cy blinked as though he was coming back to himself. “No, thanks.” He took a small step back from me, looking around. “I never thought I’d come back here. Most of these people used to cross the street to avoid me.”
“They don’t look hostile.” I scanned the room, ready to glare at anyone who so much as glanced at Cy the wrong way. But everyone was clustered in small groups, talking. I couldn’t see anyone looking in our direction.
Cy’s forehead creased. “It’s strange. One or two folks stopped me on my way in, but it wasn’t so they could tell me to leave or accuse me of anything. They stopped me to say hello.” He turned his perplexed frown to me. “How is it that they’re suddenly being friendly?”
I widened my eyes innocently, giving a shrug. “Maybe your family name doesn’t matter as much as you thought.”
“I don’t get it.” He scanned the room again, his brow still furrowed. “Anyway, it isn’t as bad here as I expected, but I can’t stick around. Gemma wanted to come but I told her she had to stay home.” He grimaced. “She may never speak to me again.”
“Why didn’t you bring her?”
“It’d be a bad time for folks to realize we’re related. She’s making friends at school, and I don’t want anything to mess with that.”
“Being seen with you won’t ruin her reputation. Next week, you should bring her.”
He nodded, flicking his gaze around for a third time. It broke my heart to see him so wary, and made me even more glad I’d spoken to so many people about him.
“Do you have to leave so quickly?” I asked.
“You’re having fun with your friends. Enjoy yourself, and I’ll see you when you come for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Okay.” I had to admit, it was nice to hang out with other women. Even though I was longing to be with Cy tonight, I liked Joy and Amber a lot too. And it felt like I’d known them a lot longer than just a couple of weeks.
Putting both hands on Cy’s cheeks, I pulled his face down to mine for a kiss. He kissed me back, but it was tentative and brief. Being here clearly made him uncomfortable. And it wasn’t fair to try to keep him here if he wasn’t ready for it.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said.
“Count on it.” He gave me a look that was so hot and wistful, it made my cheeks heat. Then he turned and strode for the door.
After he’d gone, I checked that Amber and Wren were still talking, then went to find Joy in the classroom where a group of musicians were playing. Chairs had been arranged in rows for the audience, and Joy was sitting in the front.
I slid onto a chair next to Joy and she shot me a smile.
“Where’s Cy?” she asked.
“He decided not to stay. But I think my plan is working. He said people were being friendlier.”
“That’s great.” As the song ended, her gaze went back to the band, and she clapped enthusiastically.
When they started playing the next song, I had to admit the band was good. And I recognized most of the musicians, as well as the people who were watching them play. Cletus was playing the banjo, and he was married to Jennifer, the bakery owner. And the man playing the French horn was the bakery’s bread maker. He gave Joy and me a friendly smile when we caught his eye.
In fact, there were more people in the room I recognized than people I didn’t. Funny how when I’d arrived, I’d felt so alone. Now I was practically a local.
Joy and I watched the band’s entire set, then some different musicians played. They were playing something with a fast beat, and some of the crowd had started dancing, when I happened to look around, wondering where Amber and Wren might be.
A man came in through the door at the back of the room. He was wearing a leather jacket and black jeans, and his bleached white hair was very short. His face was familiar, but he wasn’t from around here. No, he didn’t belong in Green Valley.
My heart stopped.
I stared at him for a long moment in total disbelief. Surely it couldn’t be?
Spike, the scary drug dealer.
It was definitely him. I’d met Spike in New York, when he first came looking for his money. He’d turned up at my apartment, and I’d been so scared by our brief meeting, I’d made the snap decision to escape to Carla’s place.
And now Spike was here. He’d come after me. And he was clearly looking for me, his cold eyes scanning the room.
I slid all the way off my chair. Easily done, seeing as my bones had dissolved into jelly. Crouching underneath my seat, I tried to control the frantic pounding of my heart.
“Mags?” Joy stared at me with wide eyes. “What are you doing?”
“Don’t bend down,” I hissed. “And don’t look down! Just act normal, okay?”
“What? Why?”
Squirming sideways, I peeked up between the seats. I could just see Spike’s bleached, cropped hair. He was still looking around, and I held my breath. My heart was beating so loudly, it was a miracle he couldn’t hear it. Thank goodness there was quite a crowd in this room, all gathered to listen to the band.
After a few moments, Spike turned and went back out of the room. I let out a relieved breath, but stayed where I was for the duration of a few more long, torturous minutes.
Finally, I risked standing up. There was no sign of bleached hair.
“I’m so sorry, Joy, I have to go,” I told her.
“What? Why?
I hesitated a moment, then shook my head. I hadn’t told anyone but Cy about Spike, and now wasn’t the time for an explanation. Besides, I didn’t want to drag Joy into it. Spike had already threatened my sister. The last thing I’d want would be for Joy to get hurt because of me.
“Sorry, Joy, I don’t have time to explain now. Please apologize to Amber for me, and I’ll call you tomorrow, okay?”
Without waiting for her reply, I rushed for the door. Hugging the wall, I checked through the doorway. No sign of Spike. The crowd was densely packed, especially near the buffet table. Heart thumping, I slipped out through the main doors and ran desperately for my pickup.