“Attempted robbery,” he corrected. He didn’t talk about it. Not ever. It had happened to a different man, happened in the past, and he wanted it to stay there.
But he had pushed her last night. He hoped they had turned some kind of corner. “There were three of us. Me and two friends. One of them came up with the idea. I didn’t want to do it. I was afraid we’d end up in jail—which we did.”
“What happened?”
“We were always trying to find ways to prove ourselves, prove how tough we were. Our home lives sucked. All we had was each other. The guys wanted to rob the convenience store. I didn’t want to let them down, so I went along with it. Two of us went inside; the third guy, the driver, waited in the car. We were wearing ski masks and carrying pistols. We walked in, went up to the register, and demanded money. That’s when the owner pulled a shotgun out from under the counter. We had three choices. Kill him. Try to get his gun and maybe he’d kill one of us. Or surrender. We were kids. We didn’t want to kill poor old Mr. Lafferty andwe didn’t want to die, so we laid down our weapons. Lafferty called the sheriff and he hauled us off to jail.”
“That doesn’t sound like enough to hold a grudge for all these years. Who were the other two boys?”
He just shook his head.
Carly eyed him with speculation. “Those trips to Dallas where I was trying to keep busy while you were working? I decided to do a little more research, read more about you on the Net. I think I can guess who was with you that night.”
He went still, his heart slowing to a dull thud. “You think so?”
“Maybe. In high school, Beau Reese was one of your best friends. I saw that in an article I read. Beau’s hobby is driving race cars, a love he developed in his teens. I think Beau was driving the car that night.”
He didn’t say a word, which was an answer in itself.
“I wondered what the connection was between you and Sheriff Howler; while I was online, I read up on him, too. He’s been county sheriff for a long time so there’s a lot written about him and his family. Turns out he has a son almost the same age as you. I Googled his son. Your birthday’s in May. Kyle’s isn’t until July. That makes Howler’s kid a few months younger, same as Beau.”
He just sat there. Never in a million years would he have believed she would figure it out. “Don’t stop now. It’s just getting interesting.”
“It turns out Howler’s son went to Pleasant Hill High, graduated the same year you would have if you hadn’t been in prison. You and Beau, you both turned your lives around and became extremely successful, but Kyle became a drug addict. He’s been in and out of rehab for years. I think Kyle went into the convenience store with you the night of the robbery. I think the sheriff blames you for the way his son turned out.”
He leaned back, tried to pretend nonchalance. The information was out there for anyone to read. No one else had cared enough to put it all together. “Why ask me if you’ve already figured it out?”
“I know you’ve always kept silent about it. But Miguel is dead. I might be next. I guess I was hoping you’d trust me enough to explain what’s going on.”
He rose from his chair and walked around the desk. She seemed surprised when he pulled her up and into his arms.
“I’m glad you know,” he said. “I probably should be mad as hell that you’ve been digging around in my past, but all I feel is relief.”
She smiled at him softly. “Your secret is safe with me.”
He believed her. It occurred to him that he trusted her. He wasn’t exactly sure when that had happened, but it was a feeling he’d never had with a woman he was involved with before. They always wanted something from him. All of them but Carly.
“Howler blames me, but the truth is, it was Kyle’s idea. I think he wanted to show up his old man. Kyle never did anything good enough to please his dad. Beau and I felt sorry for him. Robbing the store was supposed to be some kind of payback, kind of a secret jab at the sheriff, a guy none of us liked.”
“You and Beau came out okay. If Kyle had been stronger, he could have learned from his mistakes, too.”
“I suppose that’s true.” Linc bent his head and softly kissed her. “I’m glad we talked, cleared the air. Secrets can be dangerous, especially with what’s been going on. Now go get dressed before I haul you back to bed. I’ve got a lot of things to do.”
Carly smiled. “So do I.” She hurried for the door and he watched her bottom moving sweetly beneath the soft cotton fabric of his T-shirt.
“Thanks for being honest,” Carly said over her shoulder as she ducked out and headed down the hall.
Linc’s body stirred as he watched her go. He was in trouble here. Big damn trouble. He just hoped it was a two-way street.
* * *
Carly sat at the desk in her office that Friday morning, while Frank Marino was on duty outside in the main room. Every so often, he went outside and prowled the yard, checking for any sign of trouble.
Carly didn’t think El Jefe or his men would show up at Drake Trucking, not when half a dozen burly truckers milled around, to say nothing of the mechanics and people who worked inside. Still, Linc had insistedMarino accompany her, which she didn’t really mind as long as the man stayed out of her hair.
Linc had reluctantly gone to Dallas, though he had promised to be back in Iron Springs before she closed the office for the night.
“I’ll pick you up,” he’d said when he’d phoned her at work. “If it looks like I’m going to be late, I’ll call.”
