AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Just this. You never talk to the sheriff again. You never come near her again. You see her walking down the sidewalk, you go the other way.”
“And if I don’t?”
“You’ll wish you did.”
“She’s brought you this low, huh? Has you making threats on her behalf. I used to respect you, but she’s turned you into a pussy. Got no respect for pussies.”
What he wanted to do was put his fist through the man’s face, but that was what Mason wanted. Then he could file assault charges. Tristan wasn’t about to play into the asswipe’s hands. “You might want to seriously consider relocating, but if you aren’t smart enough to see that, consider this the only warning you’ll get. Stay the fuck away from her.”
“It’s a free country, meaning I’m free to walk down any sidewalk I want.” He opened the car door and gave Tristan a mocking salute, knowing he’d achieved his goal. “Been nice talking to you.”
Tristan’s breaths came in harsh waves as the car disappeared. It had been by sheer force of will that he hadn’t decked Mason, and truthfully, he regretted he hadn’t. He was also angry at himself for playing into Mason’s hands. The man had set out to embarrass Skye in front of everyone in the Kitchen, and he had. She’d be the center of gossip now, something that would humiliate her.
“Well, that was enlightening.”
He squeezed his eyes shut at hearing Miss Mabel’s voice. Just perfect. The icing on the freaking cake. He took another deep breath, then faced her. She stood in the alcove to the stairs going up to the loft.
“Miss Mabel, you’re looking lovely tonight as usual.” How much had she heard?
“Cut the bullshit, Tristan. What was that about?”
He almost laughed at her cursing. Anytime she heard someone curse, she banged them across the leg with her cane. “Just a misunderstanding.”
“Humph. Sounded a bit more than that. Mason’s always been a self-centered boy, too lazy to work for what he thinks he deserves.”
Tristan blinked at her spot-on assessment.
She chuckled. “You think I don’t know what goes on in my town?”
“No, ma’am. I’m pretty sure nothing gets past you.”
“Exactly. Like this thing you have going on with our sheriff...carry on.” With that, she walked away, the echo of her cane tapping along the sidewalk filling the air.
Tristan shook his head. It felt like his and Skye’s relationship had been blessed by the queen or something. He’d left Skye alone too long with all those curious eyes on her, so he strode back to the Kitchen.
She was gone.
Where was she? From Katie he’d learned that she’d left with Old Man Earl. She wasn’t at home, at her old apartment, at her office, wasn’t anywhere. He’d gone home first, thinking that was where she’d have Earl take her. Parker said he hadn’t seen her, and her stuff was still in the guest room. That was a relief. She hadn’t packed up and cleared out.
He’d left as soon as he determined she wasn’t there. “You got any suggestions where to look next, Fuzz?” Unfortunately, Fuzz didn’t. Out of desperation, he headed for Earl’s place. Earl would tell him where he took her.
But Earl refused to say where Skye was. How many times had he sat with the old man in his jail cell and listened to him cry? How many times had he loaded Earl and his goat in his car and driven him to Beam Me Up to get his riding mower? Enough that you’d think Earl would feel some loyalty.
Apparently not.
He tried again. “I just want to talk to her, make sure she’s okay.”
“I reckon she don’t want to talk to you. Not after you left her all by herself and everybody looking at her like that.”
That was a shot straight to his gut. “I wanted to warn Mason to leave her alone.” A poor excuse for leaving her to the thing she feared the most, people whispering about her.
Earl waved a hand as if shooing away a fly. “Who cares about Mr. Mason? You shoulda cared about her instead.”
Regret landed heavy inside him. Earl was right; he should have stayed with her and not gone chasing after Mason. He hadn’t accomplished a thing by doing that other than lose Skye. Fuzz gave a yelp, then took off for Earl’s barn. That was a happy bark, and Tristan assumed he’d picked up Billy’s scent. Except there was Billy, coming out the open door of Earl’s house. He hopped down the porch steps, then took off for the barn.
Suspicion eased into his mind. “Who’s in the barn, Earl?”
“Ain’t nobody in there.”
