A Creed in Stone Creek - Linda Lael Miller [74]
“Call you later?” Steven asked, shoving a hand through his hair.
Melissa could still feel the silken texture of that hair between her fingers. “Okay,” she said. “Thanks for—” Heat surged into her face. “Thanks for supper.”
He grinned. “Thanks for coming,” he said mildly.
Another blush followed the first one, winding up at Melissa’s hairline, where she could feel it throbbing in time with her heartbeat. She was damned if she’d say, You’re welcome. “Okay,” she repeated, heading for her car as the dog frolicked toward his master.
Melissa jumped into her car, started the engine and drove away. Fast. Her face didn’t cool down until she was almost at the town limits.
After that, she thought about how conspicuous her car was. If she’d been driving a normal subcompact, or some kind of sedan, she might have a chance of going unnoticed. In a bright red replica of an MG Roadster—not so much.
Melissa straightened her spine. Breathed in the fresh morning air, and tried to think sensibly. She’d had a relationship with Dan, after all, and the whole town knew it. Why was she so worried that news of her night with Steven Creed would get around?
She bit her lower lip. It definitely wasn’t about shame or embarrassment—that much she was sure of. So what, then?
It didn’t take her long to figure it out. Her time with Steven was precious and, therefore, private. She needed a while to process all that had happened, to make some kind of sense of things.
Good luck with that, she thought.
She was especially careful to stay within the speed limit as she cruised through town, because all she needed right then was for an early-rising Tom Parker to pull her over and give her a ticket.
At home, she parked the car in her tiny detached garage instead of leaving it at the curb or in the driveway, feeling grateful that none of the neighbors seemed to be stirring yet. She made a dash for the back door, keys in hand, and ducked inside like some fugitive two steps ahead of the law.
This morning, she was determined, would be like any other morning.
She got into shorts and a sports bra and a tank top, pulled on some socks and her running shoes, left again by way of the front door, pausing on the porch to lock up before slipping her ribbon-strung key over her neck.
The cuts and bruises from yesterday’s fall hadn’t been magically healed, but they didn’t hurt the way they did before, either, so she warmed up as usual and jogged through the gate and down the sidewalk, following her favorite route.
Running always straightened out any tangles in Melissa’s brain, and this run was no exception.
Mentally, she reviewed the situation. Fact: she’d slept with Steven Creed. Fact: she’d enjoyed the experience, and she wasn’t one bit sorry. Fact: she’d better watch out, if she didn’t want her heart smashed to bits all over again.
She dried a stray tear with the back of one hand and picked up her pace.
She jogged along Main Street, not stopping in for a bottle of deliciously cold water as she passed the Sunflower Café after lapping the town park three times, then headed for home.
All was quiet at Ashley’s but, hey, she thought, with a small smile, it was early. The ancient ones were probably still snoozing away in their various beds, but who knew what they’d be up to after a hearty breakfast.
Minutes later, cooling down in her side yard, Melissa heard the phone ringing inside, and the tone seemed oddly urgent. She unlocked the door and hurried inside,
“Hello?” she sputtered. Not her usual way of answering.
“Hello,” Tom responded. “Any chance you can come in early today?”
A prickle danced up Melissa’s spine and then back down again. “I guess. Why?”
Tom was quiet for a moment. “It’s the Carter kid— Nathan,” he finally went on. “One of my deputies ran him in last night for loitering—mainly so the boy would have someplace to sleep. This morning, Carter’s claiming that Pete knocked him around, and he’s got a shiner to prove it. Says he wants to press charges.”
Melissa released a long sigh. Deputy Pete Ferguson, a solid citizen