“Secrets keep people sick.”
“You’re the expert on that, aren’t you?”
She crossed her arms over her chest, saying nothing.
“The truth doesn’t always set people free, Meadows.Some secrets need to stay buried.”
Mary took the hint and dropped the subject.Wade drove on in silence, a tension headache forming behind his eyes.The weight of Billy’s death, and everything that had come after, settled heavily on him.Wade turned on the radio to prohibit further conversation.The dial was set to country-western stations.Wade wasn’t picky about music, so he barely paid attention to the background noise.He was more focused on his unsettled thoughts.It occurred to him that Mary had revealed the bare-bones details of her past in order to gethimtalking about Billy.Wade had used the same strategy himself, during police interrogations.He should have seen it coming and avoided it.Now he was in a tricky situation with his mother.Would Mary repeat what he’d said about Billy?He needed to be ready, just in case.
He also needed an action plan for Mary.He still wanted her, against all good judgment, and his resolve was weakening every day.He knew he shouldn’t pursue her, but keeping his distance was impossible.They couldn’t avoid each other in the same house.Her scent lingered in the hallways even when she wasn’t there.He couldn’t stop fantasizing about taking her to bed.If she gave him any encouragement, he would pounce.
On the radio, the opening notes of a popular song rang out.Wade recognized it as “Poison Rose” by Tripp Gilley.The lyrics described a woman with hazel eyes, skin like rose petals, and heart full of thorns.
Mary switched it off abruptly.
“You don’t like that song?”
“No.”
Wade glanced at her pale face and the pinched corners of her mouth.“Are you having cramps again?”
She seemed offended by the question.“I’m fine.”
They didn’t speak for the rest of the drive home.As soon as they arrived, she hopped out with Daisy.The pair visited King in the dog run, as if to soothe any worries he might have, before heading inside the house.
Wade retreated into the barn, feeling surly.He stripped out of his uniform and donned a pair of shorts.Although he was tired, he wasn’t relaxed enough to sleep.His previous apartment complex had included a basketball court and gym, which he missed dearly.He picked up his dumbbells and settled into the only chair available, a metal barstool.He started some quick reps in hopes of erasing Mary from his mind.
She knocked on the barn door a moment later.
Wade smothered a groan.How was he supposed to ignore her, and keep his distance, when she insisted on seeking him out?
“Come in,” he grunted.
She slipped inside the door and stayed there, near the threshold.She held a wad of cash in one hand.He noted every detail of her appearance, from her loose hair and soft mouth to her scuffed boots and sturdy jeans.The effect was unintentionally sexy.No-frills workwear on an exquisite female form.
He didn’t stop lifting weights.“I don’t want your money.”
“Too bad.”
“Does my mother pay you minimum wage and no benefits?”
“None of your business.”
She stood quietly while he completed some more reps.It was rude of him to disregard her presence and continue the exercises, but he didn’t care.This was his space, and he needed to relieve some tension.He wasn’t going to take the money from her hand.If she didn’t like it, she could leave.
She didn’t leave.She watched him strain and heave in rhythmic motions.Sweat broke out on his skin and his heart thundered in his chest.His gaze locked on hers in an unspoken challenge.He could lift the dumbbells for a long time, though they were heavy.Her attention strayed to his torso, which only encouraged him to pump harder.
She ran out of patience before he ran out of energy, but it was a close match.She stepped forward to place the money on the table.He set the weights down and rose to his feet.Her refusal to let him cover the vet bill annoyed him.
She stood her ground with a defiant expression.He drew in several ragged breaths, struck by her stubbornness, her bravery, and her unfiltered beauty.Her eyes reminded him of a dark forest, quiet and deep and guarded.
She didn’t back away as he approached her.He grabbed the pile of cash, noting the mix of small and large bills.He wondered if this was all she had.The sight of it both angered him and humbled him.It reminded him of the obstacles she’d overcome to arrive at this moment.
She was a hardscrabble woman, and he admired that.He admired her strength, her loyalty to his mother, and even the way she took care of her pain-in-the-ass dogs.He admired everything about her.He studied the faint scar beneath her full lower lip, his blood thickening with desire.Her money felt dirty in his hand.He wanted a different kind of exchange with her, one that would satisfy them both.
Wade didn’t try to make a move, however.She might rebuff his advances, regardless of the attraction between them.There was something special about her, something real and true.The urge to reach out to her, to protect and comfort her, was overwhelming.
“What are you doing Saturday?”he asked.
