Chapter Four
As the days passed, Cassie began to truly live her new life. No one knew about her past and it was like a weight lifted from her. Most days she even forgot about Carly until some odd thing would remind her that a year ago she’d been someone else.
Three days a week Cassie worked at the bookstore, spending her spare time making jewelry. She’d spoken with Dee and would begin to sell her stuff at the Sunday Market that coming weekend. The detailed work took time and attention and she found it really good physical therapy for her fine motor skills. She wouldn’t do surgery again, but she was able to hold the tools without shaking and manage all the finish work.
Her friendship with Penny had continued to deepen and damn if it didn’t feel good to have a girlfriend again. Terry had never allowed her to go out with friends, wanting all her free time to be spent with him. He was always jealous of friends and family. Over time she’d pushed them all away rather than get into continual fights with him over it. In any case, her friends had all been pretty smart cookies, they’d seen his behavior, commenting on it, and it was just easier to not have to deal with the embarrassment.
She’d even begun to see a therapist twice a week and found that talking about her time with Terry had started to help. Began to understand how it all happened and also that she wasn’t a bad person. Still the guilt and shame were hard to part with.
Petal began to be home to her. Her residents like an extended family. Cassie got to know her neighbors in the fourplex, most especially Matt Chase. She certainly had no plans to complain that because of Matt she saw Shane Chase nearly as often. It seemed like he was at Matt’s all the time. Truth was, she was beginning to like him too. He knew she was skittish and respected her space. He never rushed up on her or surprised her. For a big man, he was surprisingly gentle with her each time their paths crossed. There was something disarming about the way he treated her. Not so much like he felt sorry for her or pitied her but he was careful, respectful of her.
As a whole, every Chase family member she met she’d taken a liking to. Polly, as predicted, was impossible not to like. There was something irresistible about her. Maybe it was that Polly just sort of accepted Cassie, warts and nerves and all and didn’t seem to notice. It just felt so normal. And normal felt good.
* * *
Three weeks after Cassie had started at the store, she and Penny were closing up when Maggie came in.
“Hiya, Penny. Hey, Cassie, I saw you had some pretty flowers on your front porch. Looks nice. Kyle was impressed when we stopped over at Matt’s on the weekend.”
Cassie just smiled. It wasn’t like she could get a word in edgewise with Maggie Chase if she tried. But as it turned out, Maggie, like the rest of the Chase clan, was simply a nice person and fun to be around.
“It looked so forlorn, I wanted to make it more colorful. Just trying to make it a home, you know? What are you up to?”
“Well, I have an ulterior motive for being here. You and I haven’t really hung out much and I’m on my way to The Pumphouse for some beer and staring at some Chase brothers. Tonight is their pool game and really, we just gossip and watch tight butts in faded jeans. Sounds good doesn’t it? What do you say? You and Penny should come and hang out.”
How long had it been since she’d gone out with girlfriends for beer and burgers? And pool? “Pool?” Cassie grinned. “Really?” She loved pool.
Before marrying Terry, she’d played several times a week at the tavern near the medical school. After they’d gotten married, he’d bought a table for the house. Of course he couldn’t deal with losing so eventually she refused to play with him.
But as Brian was so fond of telling her, she had to start living her life again and who cared what Terry did or didn’t do? He was long gone.
“From that slightly scary look in your face I take it you play? Those boys play every Friday night. I’m sure they’d love for you to join them.”
“Shane would,” Penny said as she locked up the back door and came toward them.
Cassie blushed and Penny chuckled. “Come on, Cassie. Anyone with eyes can see how he looks at you. He’s smitten.”
“I uh. Well, he’s just being nice. And I think he suspects I’m up to no good. But yes, I love pool. Or I did. I haven’t played in a few years. I used to be pretty good.”
“Well then I think some beer, gossip and watching you play pool with some handsome boys is just the ticket.” Maggie grinned and they all headed out.
Liv and Dee were already waiting at a table near the doors when they arrived. Once seated, Cassie tried to pretend that she wasn’t watching every move Shane Chase made. The man was so big and bad but there wasn’t anything threatening about him despite that. She loved the color of his hair, sort of coffee brown with a hint of blond. He had a savage kind of handsome that she found herself thinking of during the day. Many times during the day.
Forcing herself to focus on the women at the table, she tried to put him out of her mind. She did not need any more men.
As if he felt her gaze on his skin, Shane turned and noticed her there with Maggie and the others. So tall and striking. She stood out every time he saw her. The woman was seriously beautiful.
“Oh for cripes sake! Just go over there already.” Kyle took his shot and rolled his eyes as he straightened. “You look like a starving man. It’s pathetic.”
“Yeah, the last time I saw that look you were wearing it.” Marc chuckled. “Go on, Shane.”
“I will, only because you three won’t shut up until I do. Bunch of old women.” He leaned his cue off to the side and headed toward their table.
“Hi, Cassie. Nice to see you here.”
Cassie looked up at him and smiled hesitantly. She’d lost most of her fear with him but there was still a shadow of it in her eyes. He wanted to wipe it away.
“Hi, Shane. How are you all tonight? Who’s winning?”
The sound of her voice, smoky sex and velvet seduction, stroked over his skin and made his gut tighten.
“Cassie here loves to play pool,” Maggie said with a grin.
Shane adored his meddling sister-in-law at that moment. “That so? Well, show me what you’ve got, then.” He held out his hand and Cassie scooted out of the booth, grabbing his forearm instead to help herself stand.
The shock of the cool, soft skin of her hand touching his arm shot through his body. As always, she seemed so many things at once. Strong and independent, yet vulnerable and scared. And he was seriously messed up if a woman’s hand on his arm made him cow eyed. He was so pathetic he wanted to kick his own ass.
He motioned toward the table in the back and she walked ahead of him. Which was fine with him. He had no problem at all watching the delectable sway of her denim-clad ass. And it was a mighty fine ass, round and high and juicy. Did she wear a thong? Boyshort-type panties would look nice too, just a nice little slice of her cheeks showing out the bottom. Okay that had to stop or he’d be embarrassed in about a minute or so.
“Cassie’s gonna play a game with us. She says she used to be pretty good. So let’s take it easy on her.” Shane cleared his throat and thought about the college football scores to get rid of the substantial hard-on she’d given him.
Rolling her eyes, she grabbed a cue and chalked the tip. All four men watched, rapt, as she blew off the excess. Annoyed, Shane elbowed Matt and glared daggers at Marc but both men just shrugged and Kyle laughed.
“Rack ’em up, boys.”
Oh, the way she said that made his heart stutter. Didn’t matter what she said, he was sure she’d sound drop dead sexy ordering a grilled cheese sandwich.
“Ante’s ten bucks,” Matt said with a wink.
Cassie snorted, pulled a ten out of her jeans and slapped it down on the side of the table.
“Ladies first,” Shane said, motioning for her to go ahead.
“You sure about that?” She stood, hand on her hip.
“Of course. Guests and ladies first.”
Cassie shrugged and took her first shot and proceeded to wipe the floor with them. Shot after shot, she’d call and sink it. She cleared the table without breaking a sweat.
Turning back to them, a sexy grin broke over her lips. Satisfied, she grabbed the money and tucked it into her pocket. “Thanks, boys. That was a very profitable few minutes.”
“You’re a pool shark!” Shane had been dumbfounded but now he found himself even more attracted by this mystery woman. Okay, so watching her bend over the table as she played helped a bit too.
“Nah, not anymore. See I could have played dumb and suckered you in until the pot was much bigger and then kicked your asses. But I played true from the first shot. I wasn’t even sure I could still play this well. I’m glad I still have it.” She smiled and Shane’s cock sprang from hard to impossibly hard.
“You guys underestimated me.” She patted her pocket. “The element of surprise, boys. Kept me in milk money.” Her laugh was honeyed sexual heat.
“Another game?” Shane wanted her there longer.
“I need to be getting home. I have to be up early to get all of my stock ready for the Sunday Market day after tomorrow. It was a pleasure taking your money, though. Enjoy the evening.” She waved back over her shoulder as she walked away.
“Totally devious.” He shook his head in wonder. “She’s the perfect woman.” Shane watched her go to the table and say her goodbyes to the women there. “I’m going to be sure she gets home okay.” Blindly, he shoved his cue at one of his brothers, heading toward the door that she’d just walked out of.
“Cassie.” He’d noticed how prone to spooking she was so he made sure to always make a lot of noise when he approached her.
She turned, a bit startled but relaxed when she saw it was him. “Hello, Shane. What’s wrong?” He looked good coming toward her. Handsome and masculine.
“I just thought I’d offer you a ride home. Police escort and everything.”
“Oh, that’s all right. I have my car just up in front of the bookstore.”
“I’ll walk you to it then.”
He didn’t give her much chance to run away when he fell into step next to her. The heat of his body rolled over her as they walked. The more she was around him, the less he scared her, but still, it was hard to not cringe when he walked so close to her. He just took the world for granted. Lived without fear of being assaulted or raped. Men his size could walk around any time without worry. She wished she knew what that felt like. For even just a few minutes.
He was patient as she unlocked her car but stopped her from getting in with a gentle hand at her shoulder. “Cassie, uh, would you like to get dinner sometime? Maybe go dancing?”
“I...well, I don’t know if I’m ready to date just yet.” Her words came out in a rush and the tenderness she brought out in him bloomed through his heart. Damn, what was it about this woman that got to him so deeply?
“Just yet? Are you with someone? I should have asked.” He knew she was divorced of course. Nothing stayed a secret very long in Petal. Hell, her landlord shared that tidbit innocently enough the first night she’d landed in Petal and Shane had done a background check as well.
“Not anymore. I’m divorced.”
He wasn’t sure what emotion was in her voice as she’d said it. Sadness? Did she miss the ex? Pain? Was she afraid? It was petty of him but he far preferred that she hated her ex than her still wanting him. “Oh, it’s still new. I’m sorry.”
He tried to stay as patient as possible, watching as she took a deep breath and licked her lips before deciding to answer him. “It’s not really new. I’m not pining away for him or anything. It’s...complicated.” Her voice trembled a bit at the end and he locked his knees to keep from moving to her.
The fear was there, unmistakable. “I know you’re afraid of something. You can trust me, you know. I want to help. You can share your story with me. I like you, Cassie.” His voice was soft and he had to grip the top of her car door to keep from reaching out to touch her.
Her big blue eyes looked up at him for long moments, wavering. But at the last minute she looked away for a split second and when she looked back, the moment had passed. “I’m...it’s not something I like to talk about. Anyway, I should be getting home.”
“Just come as my friend then. I won’t rush you. I want to get to know you. Unless you’re not attracted to me at all. In which case, I’ll back off anything other than just being friends.”
She sighed. “I’ll think about it.” She got into the car and then rolled down the window. “And any woman not attracted to you is blind or a damn fool.”
Before he could respond, she’d pulled out and was driving away, leaving him wearing a goofy grin.
* * *
He took those words as a sign along with her pool game. Later that night in his bed he stopped pretending he wasn’t totally gone for her and just accepted it. He’d never failed at pursuing a woman and he certainly didn’t plan to start. He wanted Cassie Gambol and not just for a few nights in his bed. At first it had been a mild crush, then an interest and now he’d developed a serious fascination with Cassie. She made him think about her in ways he’d never thought about a woman before.
The very specter of the feelings that had sent him running out on Maggie two years before seemed totally right and he realized he was ready for Cassie. The issue was that he had to make her ready for him.
He’d take it slow even if it killed him.
* * *
He made himself promise to not rush up on her as he walked toward Fourth Street the next morning.
She sat there, ebony hair glossy in the sunshine, pretty blue eyes shaded by sporty black sunglasses and he was drawn to her immediately.
He’d thought she was gorgeous as he caught sight of her but the smile she gave him once she’d recognized him made her a goddess.
“Mornin’, Cassie.” He stuck his hands in the front pockets of his shorts to keep from touching her.
“Good morning, Sheriff. What brings you out here on such a sweltering Sunday?”
She did. He’d tossed and turned and finally had to take matters into his own hands in the shower. The woman drove him to distraction, turned him on, electrified him with her presence and it drove him wild. That she apparently had no idea she affected him that way was even more irresistible.
“Oh just looking.” He motioned to her wares on the table. “You made all this?” Her creativity was impressive. He admired her skill and the craftsmanship of the things she’d made.
“I did. What do you think?” Her voice had gone soft and shy.
Reaching out, he fingered a pretty beaded necklace that she’d hung on some sort of stylized branch thing. “I think you’re amazingly talented. This is all beautiful. In fact, I think this would look good on Maggie, don’t you? And this for my momma?”
Her smile returned, brighter than before. “This amber color would go really well with Maggie’s hair, yes. I’ve seen her wear something similar to this before. But this—” she touched the necklace he’d indicated for his mother “—is too delicate for your mother. She’s much bigger than this necklace. Her jewelry should be bolder.”
“She’s barely five feet tall.” Shane chuckled.
“Ah yes, but your mother is ten feet tall in personality. That’s what I mean. Her hair is very...” Cassie chewed on her lip and he grinned, waiting to see what she’d say. “It’s so festive and her accessories are all very large.”
She looked over the things on the table and shook her head. “I don’t have anything that’s right for her.” Reaching down, she pulled out a plastic container and flipped it open, rustling through it for a few moments. “Aha!” She held up a pretty piece of glass swirled with blues of all hues and a thread of silver. “This. Let me make her something with it. I’ll let you know when I’ve finished it. If you don’t like it, no harm.”
“You’d do that for me?”
“Sure. I was thinking of having it hang vertically, I think it would draw out her neck.”
He smiled at her, not knowing what the hell she was talking about but it sounded good. And it gave him the chance to see her again. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you. Her birthday is next month. Can I buy that necklace there for Maggie now though?”
“Oh.” She blushed and he liked that the blush was for something innocent and sweet between them and not her usual shyness. “Sure. Thank you. Would you like me to wrap it up for her?”
He nodded, without words. He watched her graceful hands draw the necklace from where it was hanging and lay it in a box and then proceed to wrap it up so fancy he was sure he’d fuck it up by the time he got it to Kyle and Maggie’s.
She handed it to him and he paid her. He didn’t want to leave but people had come to her table and were browsing.
“Well, thank you again, Cassie. I’ll see you around.” She waved at him as he walked away.
Cassie watched him walk away, feeling giddy. Oh man, she had a crush on the sheriff. She wanted to put her head down and sigh wistfully. Wanted to write his name on her notebook and ask Maggie if Shane liked her.
This was bad. She couldn’t have a crush on the damned sheriff. She didn’t need the big goon, damn it. She—if and when she decided to ever date again—needed some nice, easygoing man about half a foot shorter. With like, a third the testosterone. Shane was a walking testosterone factory. He emanated masculinity. It disturbed and attracted her all at once. What she needed was a plumber, an accountant or a carpenter. She didn’t need law enforcement or men with god complexes.
That made her wince. She was being unfair and she knew it. Shane Chase had been very sweet to her and while he was obviously arrogant in some ways, he didn’t appear to have a god complex. Still, what the hell would she do with a man like him?
A smile crept back onto her face as she pondered the answers to that question.
* * *
Several days later, Shane walked into Paperbacks and More and held up a take-out bag when Cassie looked in his direction.
“Hi there, darlin’. Care to share a couple of sandwiches and some soft drinks with me?” This was just another step in the “get to know me” plan. He wanted to just sort of barge in and order her to come have lunch with him. It probably would have been how he’d have handled another woman. But this one needed special handling and he wasn’t sure where his patience was coming from but he was thankful for it nonetheless.
“I don’t know. I...”
Before Cassie could finish her sentence, Penny poked her head out of the back. “It’s lunchtime anyway. You came in early and worked late day before yesterday. Flex out the time. That’s a Honey Bear bag he’s holding. Best sandwiches in town. I’ll see you in an hour.”
Cassie’s mouth moved a few more times but Penny simply took over and pretty much pushed her into Shane. He’d have to thank her for that later on.
“I guess I can, yes. Thank you, Shane.”
“There’s a big ol’ shady spot near the fountain at City Hall that’s got our name on it.” He held out his arm and after a brief hesitation, Cassie took it.
“Shady sounds very good.”
They walked the few blocks to City Hall. He liked the way she felt next to him, her arm in his. Liked the way she fit against him even as she’d forget herself and lean a bit before pulling herself away.
Shane wasn’t a fool, he wanted her to himself so he’d chosen a time after the lunch rush and had scoped out the bench earlier that day.
“This is nice. Thank you very much. How much do I owe you?”
He snorted, handed her a soda and unwrapped her straw, poking it in the top of the lid. “Please. It’s not going to ding my retirement account to buy you a sandwich, a lemon bar and some soda.”
“A lemon bar?”
He grinned, liking the sound of eagerness in her voice. “You like them, huh? Me too. Turkey okay? It was the special today.” He handed her a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. While she unwrapped it, he flattened the bag between them and put a bag of potato chips there for them to share.
She toed off her shoes and dipped her feet into the cool water of the fountain, sighing. He wanted to groan aloud at the sight of her pretty red toenails.
“Uh oh. Are you gonna give me a ticket now?”
He nearly choked on his sandwich and looked up at her. “What?”
She gestured toward her feet. “You were staring at my feet in the water. I figured I was breaking the law somehow.”
He laughed, if she only knew just what he’d been thinking. “Nah. I like your toenail polish. It’s sexy. And if I didn’t have work boots on, my feet would be in there too.”
“This heat is spectacular. Thank goodness for the shade. I don’t know how you all deal with it.” She leaned her head back, her spine arched.
He coughed as the erotic carnival of delights returned to his head. “Uh, yeah, it’s bad but you’ll get used to it. How’s the sandwich?” Must not think of sex, must not think of sex...
“It’s as good as advertised. I didn’t realize how hungry I was. Really, thank you for thinking of me.” Her voice suddenly turned shy and he saw a delicate blush work up her neck.
“Well, it’s not hard. Thinking of you, that is. So uh, what did you do back in Los Angeles?” Jeez, the woman had the power to make him babble. Him, Shane Chase, a man thought of as smooth and cool, turned into a mass of babbling, lovesick fool. His brothers would have a field day.
She blinked at him a few times and he wasn’t sure if it was about his question or the comment about thinking about her.
“A little of this, a little of that. Nothing major really.”
He may be a small town cop but he was still a cop. He knew when someone wasn’t telling the whole truth and Cassie Gambol was not telling anywhere near the whole truth.
“Okay, if you say so. Do you have any family?”
“I have a brother.” She smiled.
“Ah, progress! Older or younger? Parents?”
“He’s older by three years. My mother died when I was twelve and my father nearly two years ago now.”
“I’m sorry. It must have been hard to grow up without a mother. And then to lose your father at a young age too.”
“It was, yes. But my brother was always there for me and my dad was a good man. He worked a lot but he was home every night for dinner. We survived as families do.”
“Did you grow up in LA then?”
“Born and raised. My father too and his father before him.”
He liked the way her voice changed when she talked about her family. There was a fondness there that appealed to him.
“Which high school did you go to?”
She snorted and balled up her wax paper as she finished the sandwich. “Where’s my lemon bar?”
He laughed and handed it to her. Her eyes lit up with greed as she pulled the plastic wrap free, amusing him. The way her eyes slid half closed and she moaned as she took a bite did other things to him entirely. He had to put his napkin over his lap to hide the ridge of his cock pressing against his zipper.
“That’s so good.”
“You have a sweet tooth to go with that sweet voice, huh?” His voice was hoarse.
“I love sweet things. My big failing.” She smiled sheepishly, avoiding the rest of his comment.
“You’re doing well being friends with Maggie then. She’s quite a hand in the baking department.”
“You seem very close to her. To all your family.”
“I have a great family. My parents are the best, they’ve supported me in everything I’ve ever done and Maggie is my family now too. She and Kyle are great together.” He leaned forward and drew the pad of this thumb over her bottom lip. Her eyes widened and he saw the pulse at the base of her throat flutter. “You had a bit of powdered sugar there.”
She brought her hand to her lips briefly and the moment between them stretched until she licked over the spot he’d just touched. The unwitting eroticism of it sent him reeling.
Clearing her throat she took a deep breath. “Uh thanks. That’s lovely. About your family I mean. Oh, I’m nearly done with your mother’s necklace. If you like, I can leave it at Matt’s for you in a few days. Or I can bring it to work on Friday and you can get it then. When is her birthday? I didn’t want to miss it.”
Impulsively, he took her hand and held it in his own for a few moments. She turned, her gaze locked with his. Relief rushed through him to see there was no fear in her eyes.
Bringing her hand to his mouth, he brushed his lips across her knuckles ever-so-softly and laid her hand back in her lap. Her taste tingled on his lips.
“Her birthday is Labor Day. So you have three weeks. And I’ll drop in the shop Friday. We can have lunch again.”
She bristled. “I don’t know. I told you before, I don’t know if I’m ready to do this yet.”
He turned to her, bending his knee between them. “Do I make you feel pressured?”
“No.”
“You said you didn’t have any feelings for your ex, right?”
She shuddered and he dug his fingers into his calf, wanting to demand she tell him about it. Instead he waited.
“No. God, no. Well, not any good ones. It’s just, I don’t know if I’m ready for a relationship or dating.”
“We’ll take it one step at a time. This is step one here, friendship. It’s going pretty well, don’t you think?”
She cocked her head and studied him carefully. “You’re running a game on me, aren’t you?”
“A game?” He fought a smile, liking her pluck. Sighing, she sat back.
“It’s just lunch. Look, you know I’m interested in you, there’s no pressure there at all. You know where I stand and I know you’re interested in me too. You’re the kind of woman who’d tell me to hit the road if I got too uppity.”
“I used to be.” Her voice was quiet, sad.
He paused a moment, not knowing how to approach and not wanting to put her off or make her upset. Aw, hell, he could only be who he was. “Cassie, you know you can tell me. You’ll feel better for sharing it. Not as the sheriff, tell me as your friend.”
She shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. But you’ve won this round, Shane. Lunch Friday would be nice.”
“Don’t think I don’t know you’re changing the subject. But as it got me what I wanted I’ll let it go. For now.” He winked and she snorted.
The rest of their lunch was quiet and comfortable as they finished dessert. Standing after he’d tossed the trash into a nearby can, he reached down and offered her a hand up.
This time, instead of avoiding his grasp, she took it and let him help her. But he didn’t let go and she didn’t insist so they walked the few short blocks back to the bookstore hand-in-hand.
“Thank you very much for lunch, Shane. Why don’t I deal with lunch Friday? I’ll bring us something.”
He grinned. “Nope. I got it. Friday is peach pie day at The Sands. We’ll go there if you don’t mind, sit in the air conditioned cool and have the special of the day while I pretend not to look at you a lot.”
Her hand went to her throat. “I don’t know what to say when you lay stuff like that on me. You’re really good.”
“Do I offend you?”
“No. It’s flattering.”
Quickly, he brushed a kiss across her forehead and stepped back. “Then my work here is done. For now. Go on back inside. I’ll see you Friday.” With that, he turned and headed down the sidewalk and she had to grab the door to keep from melting into a puddle.
“How was the sandwich?” Penny’s mouth twitched as she hid a smile. “Pretty good if you’re having trouble staying on the ground, I’d say.” A single eyebrow rose as Cassie floated back into the bookstore.
“I don’t know what to think about it. About him. He’s so...big. He takes up so much space. He’s overwhelming and charming and he knocks all good sense right out of my head every time he looks at me.”
“Well, Cassie, I think you need to ask yourself why it’s so necessary to think about it at all? I’ve grown up with Shane, he’s a good man. Up to this point he’s not always been so careful with women. He’s been the kind of man who flits from flower to flower if you know what I mean. But with you? He’s different. Not cautious so much as gentle. It’s clear he’s interested in you and he’s being patient and letting you set the pace. And if you’re going to dip a toe back in to the dating life, why not with a man like Shane? Let’s be honest here, he’s so hard and hot you just want to take a big bite.”
Cassie froze for a moment in surprise at Penny’s—for her—racy comment, and then laughed. “No kidding. But I don’t know. He’s so...big and in charge. I don’t know if I need any of that.”
Penny shrugged. “No doubt the man is one of those take charge kind of guys. Being in a relationship with Shane would take a lot of work. I think he’d want to protect his woman all the time.”
“Well, I already had a man who thought he knew what was best and that didn’t end very well at all.”
Penny reached out and squeezed Cassie’s shoulder. “I want you to know you can tell me how much you want whenever you’re ready. I get the sense it was very, very bad. But despite being a big, bossy man, Shane is not like that. He’s not the type to hurt a woman. I like seeing you with a carefree smile. Let him make you happy why don’t you? If it turns in a direction you’re uncomfortable with, you can always take a step back. You’re young, Cassie. Let yourself live.” With a final squeeze of Cassie’s shoulder, Penny went into the office again and Cassie went to finish putting the new releases out on the shelves.