“Remember what you said about hitting a woman.”
“I can’t make any promises.”
He just laughs and waves me out as he grabs his keys and heads for his car.
I rip my door open and sit in my seat for a minute, my hands clenched on the steering wheel and my heart pounding wildly. “I can’t lose her,” I mutter under my breath.
Whipping out of the lot, I hit the sirens and within seconds, I’m standing in front of the grocery store, anger still pouring off of me in waves.
Slamming my car door closed, I stalk up to the door and rip it open. Stomping across the small store, I ignore everyone smiling at me, especially the harpy at the register.
“Margaret Skank. You’re under arrest.”
Her face goes even paler than normal and then she forces out a laugh, her eyes darting right and left. “Ha-ha. You have such a good sense of humor, Sheriff.”
“I’m not kidding.”
“For what?” She snaps, her beak nose rising in the air.
“Harassment and threatening a citizen.”
“What!”She screeches, her face going red.
“You were overheard threatening Fiona Marcus.”
Her arms cross over her bony chest and she huffs. “I did not. I just told her that she…well, she might be better off finding someplace else to live. So many bad memories around here.”
The sanctimonious look on her face makes me want to punch a wall. “I heard that you threatened to make sure I wasn’t reelected. I heard you told her that with shitty parents like hers, she wasn’t good enough for me and she was taking me down with her.”
Her mouth opens and closes like a bass on the line. “No-no. I would never.”
I glance around at everybody in the store and growl at the faces staring at us. “Anybody else got something to say?”
Nobody says a damn thing and I step up to the counter, leaning over it to snap. “That girl has gone through nothing but bad with the shitty parents she had. She still turned out to bea beautiful, sweet woman who didn’t deserve what she had to deal with. She was abused by a drunk asshole who used her and her mother left her here with him like she was garbage.” I stare up and down at her, watching her shrink into herself. “She’s worth more than you for damn sure. Your parents spoiled you and treated you like a princess but your daddy drank himself to death and your mama screwed around on him every weekend while he was doing it. And nobody in this town ever made you feel like shit because they weren’t perfect. That was them. You’re not them. But you’re worse.”
My eyes cut her to ribbons and I turn to glare at the rest of them. “You all think you’re so perfect. But every one of you has some skeleton in your family’s closet. Some of you have your own. And nobody treats you like you’re contagious.” Pacing back and forth I throw my hands up in the air. “Fiona was a child born to two worthless people but that doesn’t make her worth less than you are. If y’all want to vote me out at the next election, you go ahead. I’ll leave this place and take my wife with me to somewhere where fools like y’all don’t treat her like she’s poison. She’s beautiful, smart, sweet and giving. She’s treated everyone of you well at the diner. Never turns you away even when you treat her like shit. Well, that ends now.”
“She’s mine. Take it or leave it. Vote for me or don’t. No job means more to me than Fee does. She’s my heart, my soul. I can’t live without her. One way or another I’m going to convince her that we belong together. And y’all can deal with it or not. I don’t give a shit about any of you. Only her. So vote for somebody else. I don’t care. Just don’t you dare ever talk to my future wife like she’s less than the beautiful soul that I see. Cause I’ll arrest you without even thinking about it. And I’ll make sure it sticks next time.”
Clapping brings my head around and I flush when I see Curt standing in the door with half of my deputies, all clapping and grinning.
He glares at Margaret. “I know what you get up to on Thursday nights, Margaret. Don’t make me out you in front of the entire town.”
She goes pale and shakes her head wildly.
But I barely glance at her because stepping out from behind Curt is my beautiful girl.
“Fee?” I breathe, shuddering at the tears rolling down her cheeks. “Oh, don’t cry, Fee. You’re breaking my heart.”
She just cries harder and races across the room, throwing herself into my arms. “Nobody’s ever stood up for me like that. Or at all,” she whispers in my ears, her soft peppermint scent dancing all around me. Hugging her tight, I lose myself in her embrace, lifting her up until I’m cradling her against my chest bridal-style.
“You’re gonna hurt yourself, Grady.”
“The only thing that could ever hurt me is if you left me. I love you, Fee. I will always love you. I can’t live without you. So if you leave, I’m following. I’ll stalk you. I’ll kidnap you. I’ll do whatever it takes until you finally realize that I’m not going anywhere. I’m yours. You’re mine. Forever.”
She shivers and throws herself at me, choking and whimpering. “I love you too, Grady O’Hurley. You’re the best man I’ve ever met and I don’t deserve you. You’re too good for me but I just don’t know if I’m strong enough to leave you.”
I lift her delicate chin and kiss her gently, softly, tasting the salt of her tears on my tongue. “I’m not good enough for you, angel baby. You’re so sweet and smart. You’re a survivor. You’ve had to deal with a lot with your family but you’ve never given up. Not until now and I refuse to be the reason you give up. Not when it will kill me to watch you go.”
