Wynona drained the rest of her drink and stood.She was steady on her feet, despite the alcohol she’d consumed.He didn’t believe for a second that she’d only had one beer at the bar.She walked out the door without another word.
His mother resented the decision he’d made to live with his father.Wade understood her point of view better now, but he couldn’t have done things differently.
Feeling melancholy, he checked on Mary once more before he made himself dinner.He’d known his father was a bad man, and a dirty cop.Discovering that he was also a woman-beater wasn’t pleasant.Wade had always been ashamed of his mother’s wild behavior.His father’s shady police work didn’t inspire admiration, either.Billy was the apple who hadn’t fallen far from the tree.
Basically, his entire family sucked.Maybe Wade should walk away and never look back.Some people cut ties from their parents.Instead of trying to save others, they saved themselves.Wade could do that.Maybe a clean break was the best remedy.
He took his plate to the living room and sat in a chair next to the couch.Mary was still sleeping soundly, dead to the world.She had one arm flung to the side and the other resting on her stomach.Some of her hair had been braided into a crown around her head.The rest fanned across her bare shoulders, its color rich against her pale skin.
Wade let his eyes drift down her body.She had a slender figure, more lean muscle than lush curves, but he liked what he saw.She looked soft in all the right places.Her dress, while modest in length and style, revealed a hint of cleavage.She had a freckle at the base of her throat, a sweet little spot that beckoned a kiss.
Chico growled suddenly, as if he could sense Wade’s inappropriate perusal.Wade stopped ogling Mary and offered the dog a scrap of meat.Chico trotted over and took it.The dog followed him into the kitchen after he was finished, tail wagging.
“Now we’re friends?”Wade asked.
The dog woofed in agreement.
Wade didn’t know if Chico was allowed to eat people food, so he didn’t push it.The dog was ancient, and nearly toothless.Wade washed his plate and put it away.Then he removed the pill bottle from his pocket, struck by a sudden realization.
The name on the label readM.Rose.
He swore under his breath, because his suspicions about her were correct.She was lying about herself.Her name wasn’t Mary Meadows.He doubted her real name was MeadowsorRose.Apparently, she liked flowery aliases, in addition to flowery soaps.Frowning, he returned the bottle to the drawer where he’d found it.He glanced around the room, which was small and sparsely furnished.A single four-pane window gave her a view of the dog run.He could also see the barn in the distance.
He considered searching the room for other clues to her identity.He decided against it, and not for any noble reason.Deep down, he didn’t want to know.If he found evidence of a crime, he’d have to take action—or ignore his duties as a law officer.Why borrow trouble?Her secrets could remain buried, like his.
He changed out of his work clothes, turned off the light, and lay down on the floor in the living room.His thoughts whirled with a maelstrom of emotions.His mother’s abuse allegations were at the forefront.Should he confront his father, and get his side of the story?Boyd Hendricks would probably deny it, regardless of the truth.
Instead of dwelling on that dark subject, he let his eyes wander over Mary.She was a slender shadow beside him, breathing gently.Mary Rose or Mary Meadows.What did it matter?The discovery of her alias hadn’t put a dent in his attraction to her.Maybe there was something broken inside him, twisted by his troubled childhood.Despite his best intentions, he was drawn to the wrong people.Instead of looking for a nice girl to date, he was at his mother’s house, lusting after a woman who might be a criminal.
He tore his gaze away, swallowing hard.He never should have kissed her.He’d crossed the line, and now he was paying the price.He’d been furious about Mary’s semiconscious state because hecaredabout her.He had to squash that feeling before it grew stronger.She was the wrong woman, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.
He told himself that walking away was the best course of action.He couldn’t have her.She wasn’t the type for a simple, no-strings affair.She was his mother’s caretaker, and clearly up to no good.He had to keep his distance before he got tangled up in her problems.He couldn’t afford to get emotionally involved.
Too late, his mind whispered.
Too late.
Chapter Twelve
Meredith awoke atmidnight, groggy and disoriented.
She wasn’t in her bedroom.
She sat up with a start.Her heart raced inside her chest as she studied her surroundings.Her head felt fuzzy, as if she’d been drinking.During her bar-hopping days, she’d slept in some strange places, but she hadn’t been drunk in years.Meredith touched her hair, which was still braided into a crown around her head.
Wynona had braided it.As Meredith remembered that detail, others fell into place.She’d gone into the Crazy Horse to find Wynona.She’d taken one of Wynona’s pain pills.It had been extremely effective.The car ride home was a total blur.
Her eyes adjusted to the dark, and she realized she was on the living room couch.Apparently, she’d slept next to Wade Hendricks last night.He was on the floor beside her, close enough to touch.Chico was curled up against him.She had no idea how she’d ended up here, but she knew nothing untoward had happened.Every stitch of her clothing was in place, and Wade wasn’t the kind of man who took advantage of inebriated women.Memories swirled at the edge of her consciousness.She had a faint suspicion that she’d made a pass at him.Which he’d rebuffed.
Ugh.How embarrassing.
She rose from the couch on unsteady legs.It wasn’t easy to find her footing in the dark, with a tiny dog and a large man sprawled before her.She tiptoed around Wade and almost stepped on Chico.The dog leaped across Wade’s midsection, claws scrabbling for purchase.Wade made a sound of protest and reached for the offending creature.He grasped Meredith’s ankle instead.Even half-asleep, he was quick as lightning.
So much for a smooth escape.
“Mary?”he mumbled.
“Yes?”
