Page 6 of Outlawed

“Is he harassing you?”

“He wants money. He has no job now, and I refuse to pay for a lawyer for him. If I do that, I’m basically saying I support him beating women, and I don’t. I won’t. He’ll have to make do with a public defender.”

Riggs looks at me, likely trying to gauge how I feel. I was in this situation once, though the circumstances were vastly different. I could have had the best lawyer on the planet, and I still wouldn’t have walked away. The game was rigged from the start. The difference between Derek and me is that I was innocent. I shake my head to let him know I’m fine.

“I worry that the less help I offer, the angrier he becomes.”

“You think he’ll hurt you?”

“I’d prefer that to him hurting you, and that’s honestly where most of his anger is directed.”

“Why don’t you come and stay at the ranch too? At least until things die down.”

“It’s sweet of you to offer, but this is my home. It’s the first place I ever felt free. I won’t let him take that from me.”

“At least let me have my guy, David, come and update your security system.”

“She’s right, regardless of Derek, a woman living alone should always take precautions,” Riggs tells her.

“Okay. I can live with that. Can we change the subject now? I don’t want to talk about Derek anymore.”

“Sure. I’d ask how the lotion is working out for you, but I can see the results for myself. You look stunning. Don’t you think?” I ask Riggs.

He winks at Jackie. “If I weren’t so in love with Opie here, I’d be all over you.”

Jackie gets flustered, her cheeks going pink as she fans herself, but she really does look good. In the short time she’s been using my lotions, she looks ten years younger.

“I’ve been raving about it to all my friends.”

“That explains why it’s fast becoming one of my most popular items.”

She smiles, looking proud of herself. “Are you coming to the town meeting later?”

“I am. Sarah wants to go over the details of the festival. At least that’s what I’ve heard.”

“I’m sure that’s on the agenda, along with a million other things, as per usual.” She sighs—clearly not a fan of town meetings.

“Come sit in the back with us. Nobody will notice if you take a nap.”

She chuckles before taking a sip of her drink. “You always have the best ideas. Talking of ideas, Sarah said you are doing a burger stall as well as one for your lotions, and it inspired me to do a stall this year too. I’m thinking pies and tarts.”

“Sold,” Riggs tells her, making me laugh.

“You don’t think it’s silly?”

I shake my head, knowing full well it was her damn dead husband that put those ideas into her head. “No, I think it’s a great idea and so will Sarah.”

She takes a relieved breath, all the worry about Derek slipping from her face as she talks animatedly about the different flavor combos she’s going to concoct. As her happiness becomes infectious, a little more of the sadness that’s been my constant companion for the last few months slips away.

Chapter Three

After making our rounds to the rest of my customers, we end up on Main Street with an hour to kill before the meeting starts.

“You want to get something to eat while we wait?” Riggs asks, eying the diner. I shake my head, walking toward the side of the street where there are three empty shops in a row. I glance at the street lights as we pass, my eyes skimming over the missing persons posters plastered on them. I stop at the shop on the corner, the largest of the three.

Riggs walks over to stand beside me and looks up at the building before turning to me. “I can see the cogs turning. What are you thinking?”

“I’m thinking that when I came back, all I wanted to do was hide away on the ranch and leave the town to fend for itself.”