"I heard gunfire. I thought you'd been shot."
"No, one of Carson's bodyguards tried to stop the sheriff from taking him into custody. He's not dead, but he won't be walking for a while. He has a gunshot in each leg, one from Sheriff Riley and one from Deputy Yancy."
"And Carson?"
"He's in custody, Lex. He won't hurt you again."
Lex sagged against Tony, knowing the man would hold him up. "I'm really starting to like Cade Creek. Do you think now you can show it to me now?"
Tony grinned. "How about I show you my place first?"
Lex smiled back, his heart filling, not with relief, because he'd already felt that when he saw Tony unharmed. No, his heart was filling with dreams of the future, dreams he'd never thought possible until now. "Take me home, Tony."
Epilogue
Lex picked up phone. "Garza Motorcycle and Auto Repair. How can I help you today?"
"This is Donnell Blaecleah," said the man on the phone. "My truck is making a weird noise. Can Tony fit me in today to take a look at it?"
"We have an opening at three. Would that be sufficient?"
"That would be perfect, thank you."
"You're welcome. You have a good day, Mr. Blaecleah, and we'll see you at three."
"You, too, Lex."
Lex smiled as he hung up the phone. He made a quick notation in the log about the appointment then went back to working on the website he'd been setting up for Tony. He knew most of his business was word of mouth as it was for most of the businesses in Cade Creek, but it never hurt to advertise a little.
He'd only been here for about two months, but he was still a bit surprised at how much he enjoyed helping Tony expand his business. He didn't even mind working behind the counter, although he wasn't thrilled with some of the car parts that came into the shop. Nasty greasy things.
Lex wasn't sure if this was what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but between his work here in the shop and helping Happy organize his committee, he was pretty satisfied right now.
Tony had a lot to do with that. The man never missed a moment to tell Lex how much he was loved and adored, and that was worth more than any boredom he'd ever had. Going back to work in the city wasn't an option.
Carson had been sent to a loony-bin for the criminally insane somewhere outside of Washington, D.C., compliments of his father. Lex doubted the man would ever truly pay for all of the things he’d done, but at least he wasn’t doing them to anyone else.
Lex agreed to it simply because he didn’t want to deal with the media circus. Having worked for someone in the public eye, he knew how nasty that could get and he’d much rather skip that zoo all together.
Still, getting his stuff back along with a hefty check from Carson's father meant that not only would he not have to work for many years to come if his chose not to, but everything he owned was already packed up. Moving to Cade Creek had been a breeze.
Moving in with Tony had been a dream come true.
Speak of the devil. Lex glanced up when the door to the shop opened then smiled. "Little early for a lunch break, isn't it, boss?"
Tony chuckled as he walked over to stand on the other side of the counter. He was wiping his hands off on an office rag.
Lex shuddered.
"Can you call Dixie and let her know her car is ready? She's all tuned up, and I even got rid of that tic she was hearing in the tires."
Lex nodded and made a note to call the woman. "Mr. Blaecleah called to say his truck is running rough. He'll be in at three to have you take a look at it."
Tony glanced at the clock on the wall behind Lex. "That's four hours from now. However will I fill the time?"
Lex's breath caught at the heated look the man gave him. He jumped up from his chair when Tony began to walk around the counter. He quickly put up his hands. "You just stay over there." He wasn't wearing a suit exactly, but his shirt was still silk. "Tony, I'm serious. You're covered in…stuff." Gross stuff. "Don't touch me."
Tony kept coming.
