“Shane.” She wanted to be glad to see him, but she wasn’t sure why he was here or where he stood about what happened. He was part of Pete’s family, and they blamed Rory. Hated Rory. Had done all in their power to put her away for good. One had even pushed for the death penalty.
“I told Cade and Ronnie I’d better not catch them here harassing you again.”
As much as she appreciated what he’d done, she was confused. “Did someone call you?” She had no close neighbors, but she supposed someone driving by could have noticed the drama.
“No.” He shook his head, stared at the floor a moment. “I heard you were coming home today, and I figured it would be best if I drove by occasionally while I’m on duty. You’re right inside the city limits, out of my jurisdiction, but I figured just seeing an official vehicle would help ward off troublemakers.”
She nodded slowly. “Thank you.” She shrugged then. “I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but I guess I’m trying to figure out why you would care.”
He met her gaze then. “I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past two years, and I think what happened to you is wrong. Plain wrong. Back then…” He looked away a moment. “It was all too fresh. Everyone was too hurt…too angry to think straight. And I was still in training. But two-plus years is long enough to realize that maybe things weren’t the way they seemed. And I’ve had some experience on the job.” He shrugged. “I see things a little different now.”
Hope swelled in her chest. “Does anyone else in the family feel the way you do?”
He exhaled a big breath. “Not that I know of. Sorry. They still see things the way they did back then. Around town the talk is mixed. Some folks believe what the jury decided was right. Others think you were telling the truth. But those folks don’tspeak up to just anyone. You know how it is. The Harris family owns everything around here. If you take a side that’s not theirs, then you could lose a job or have a loan recalled.”
Which basically meant nothing had changed in this town. No surprise there. It was a small town, and when one family owned or had a big stake in the places that provided jobs or loaned money, it was difficult to speak your mind.
“Well, I guess they’ll get another chance to make me look like the monster they believe I am.” What could she do? Nothing except fight through the legal system that had failed her from the beginning. She had no other options.
Shane reached out and gave her arm a squeeze. “You’re no monster. Anyone who knows you is aware of that.”
She almost snorted out loud. Where were all those people when she needed them? No need to go there. She knew how things worked around here. Honestly, if she’d had any other option when she was released, she would have gone as far away from here as possible.
But she had nothing. No home if not for her aunt’s generosity. No money in the bank except for the same. No job or possibilities of one. Nothing. Not to mention she had to be on hand for the new investigation.
The radio attached to Shane’s shoulder sounded off. He responded, then flashed her a smile. “I gotta go.” He reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. He offered it to her. “This is my cell number. Call me if you need me.” He shrugged again. “If there’s any trouble, I’ll come as fast as I can.”
She accepted the paper. “Thank you, Shane.”
“Good to see you,” he said before taking off.
Rory watched him drive away. She wanted to feel like this was a good sign. Maybe an indication that at least some attitudestoward her had changed. But that required trust, and she just couldn’t go there yet.
A black sedan slowed and made the turn into her driveway. The car parked, and the driver’s side door opened.
This was most likely Chance Rader, the Colby Agency investigator. She sure hoped so. She was ready to get the initial meeting over and move forward with whatever plan he had developed.
When the man emerged from the driver’s door, she recognized him. Tall, broad-shouldered, dark hair with a classically handsome face. None of which mattered as far as his credentials were concerned. But she had eyes, and his description was his description. She waved, pushed a smile into place.
He waved back. “I finally made it,” he called to her. “Traffic was backed up on 565. Slowed me down.”
“That’s Huntsville. Always a traffic jam somewhere.” She hugged her arms around herself. Though Austin had brought her jeans and a nice pullover for changing into when they left the prison, she still felt the smell and the aura of the place clinging to her skin. Maybe she should have gotten in the shower as soon as she arrived home, but she hadn’t wanted to have Austin waiting around with her shut up in the bathroom, and then being outside had been too tempting.
Chance Rader grabbed a bag, like a canvas-style briefcase, from the front passenger seat, then started in her direction. He didn’t speak again until he had climbed the steps up to the porch. He thrust out his free hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you in person.”
Rory shook his hand, managed another smile. “Nice to meet you.”
His palm was rougher than she’d expected. A little callused. As if he worked with wood or spent a lot of time in a garden. Notthe smooth palm of someone who spent all his time in an office shuffling paper and absorbed in conference calls.
“Come in.” She turned back to the door and walked into her house. Sounded strange to call itherhouse. Really, it would always be Lulu’s home. He paused just inside the door, glanced around. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked. “Water? A soft drink?”
“I’m good. Thanks.” He closed the door.
“You want to sit in here,” she gestured to the sofa and chair that stood in the center of the small living room, “or at the kitchen table?”
He held up his briefcase. “The table would work better, I think.”
“Sure.”
