Page 44 of Lay Down the Law

“Scoot.” Mrs. Thornsberry pushed the wheelchair toward the door. “Dig your riding boots out of your closet, and I’ll help you put them on. If your feet are swelled, you can wear your sneakers.”

“Really? Okay!”

When the little girl was out of earshot, the older woman turned to Erin. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen her so excited.”

“I hope I haven’t gotten her hopes up for no reason,” Erin said. “I don’t want her to be disappointed.”

“You mean if Nick doesn’t approve?”

She met the older woman’s gaze steadily. “He seems dead set against any activity that could be perceived as dangerous.”

“Nick’s a good man, Erin. He can be uncompromising, particularly when it comes to Stephanie. But he’s devoted. I’ve never seen a more committed, loving father than Nick. His entire life centers around that girl.”

“That’s never come into question—”

“Of course it hasn’t.”

“But he’s also a little…” Erin let her voice trail off, not sure how to put into words what she felt in her heart without sounding harsh, or appearing judgmental. She didn’t have children; didn’t know the first thing about raising them, either. Still, she’d had some experiences in her life that made her unable to ignore what she knew to be true.

“Overprotective?” Mrs. Thornsberry’s gaze turned knowing.

Erin nodded. “There are a lot of things Stephanie can still do that Nick refuses to consider. I think that’s where some of her frustration comes in.”

“You mean her skipping school?”

“I think she’s crying out for something she’s not getting.”

“Nick is a good father,” Mrs. Thornsberry said fiercely. Busying her hands by adjusting her apron, she turned to the counter. “Rita’s death was hard on this family. Stephanie nearly died that first night. Good heavens, Nick spent so much time at the hospital with her that first terrible week, he practically didn’t have time to grieve. But Rita’s death changed him. And not all the changes I’ve seen in him were good.”

“What changes?”

“He’s always been a very private man. He’s not vocal about his feelings—well, unless he’s angry. He isn’t good at reaching out. After Rita’s death, he just…shut down.”

“You mean emotionally?”

“That’s exactly what I mean. He was crazy about Rita. But she drove him nuts.” As if immersed in memories, Mrs. Thornsberry smiled. “Rita was a free spirit. A dare-devil, if you will. She never listened to anyone. Never followed the rules. She liked loud music. Liked to drive fast with the top down on her convertible. She was into skydiving—at night, of all times. Scuba diving—dove with sharks down in Florida a few years back. Good heavens, she even went bungee jumping once. She’d do anything that was fast or dangerous or both. Drove Nick crazy.”

Erin had an idea where the conversation was heading, and her heart did a long, slow roll under her ribs. “What happened?”

“Rita was out with Stephanie one night. Rita and Nick had quarreled earlier. He never told me that, but I heard them. As usual, Rita was driving too fast. She lost control of her car at the Logan Creek bridge. The car flipped and went down the embankment. The top was down on the convertible, so it offered no protection. I’d been working for them for a couple of years at the time. I’d just put in a casserole for dinner when the deputy called Nick.” Mrs. Thornsberry removed her bifocals and made a show of cleaning the lens with her apron. “Lord have mercy, what that man must have gone through.” The older woman shook her head. “He hasn’t been the same since.”

Erin remembered Nick’s account of the accident, and realized he’d left out most of the details. For the first time, his overprotective nature toward his daughter made perfect sense. “That’s the accident that put Stephanie in the wheelchair?”

Mrs. Thornsberry nodded. “He’d warned Rita about driving too fast, but she wouldn’t listen.”

“That must have been terrible for him.”

“This family has seen more than its share of tragedy. I suspect Nick is so protective around Steph because he’s afraid of losing her, the way he lost Rita. I keep telling myself he’ll come around and stop being so…so vigilant. But it’s been three years. He hasn’t moved on. Not with Stephanie.” The older woman looked at Erin. “Not with his own life.”

Erin knew immediately they were no longer talking about Stephanie, or Nick’s overprotective nature, but the fact that she and Nick had been caught in the throes of a passionate kiss the night of Stephanie’s birthday party. The memory made her cheeks flame.

“There hasn’t been anyone for him since the accident,” Mrs. Thornsberry said. “That’s a long time for a man to be alone.”

“We’re not involved,” Erin said quickly.

“He’s been…preoccupied since you came along. Nick isn’t frivolous when it comes to women.”

Translated, Mrs. Thornsberry was telling her that Nick didn’t kiss just any woman out in his driveway. Erin didn’t know what to say, didn’t want this woman getting the wrong idea about her and Nick. There wasn’t anything between them. Just that blasted, earth-shattering, mind-numbing kiss.