Count on Me (Petal, Georgia) (11 page)

“But what about once they’re proven guilty? What then about the people who keep trying to free them?”

Oh.
No.
No fucking wet-behind-the-ears near-stranger was going to lecture her about what she’d spent fifteen years learning. He never knew her father.

The table went still.

“We talking about me in particular, Garrett?” Years in the courtroom had given her pretty excellent control. She wasn’t going to lose it there in her grandparents’ home, but she did let her feelings flash in her gaze—just briefly—and was satisfied when he flinched. She’d eat this little punk for breakfast.

“No. Of course he isn’t.” Mindy elbowed Garrett.

“Why pretend she’s not making a mess?” Garrett asked. “She’s back a few weeks and already she’s starting fights all over town.”

“I’m losing track of your point, Garrett. Is it that I’m a defense attorney? Or that I believe in the innocence of my father or that some piece of trash got in my face when I didn’t even know he existed until that very moment? Or really how any of it is your business in any way.”

“You can’t come back here and tear this family down more than your father already did.”

“This is not appropriate dinner-table conversation,” her grandmother said severely.

“She needs to be taken in hand, Abigail. She’s wearing her welcome thin already. If you two feel like you can’t say it, I will.”

Caroline spoke before anyone else could. “Let me make myself really clear. I’ve known you for about ten minutes. I don’t need your advice and I certainly don’t need your censure.”

“You need to be told.”

Caroline smirked. “You need to gain about twenty years worth of experience and wisdom before you’d be ready to even imagine yourself capable of doing that for me.”

“Garrett, that’s enough.” Mindy’s distress was clear in her voice, which is why Caroline kept her swear words to herself.

“I agree. Garrett, this is my house and I’m telling you to stop this immediately, young man.” Her grandfather had his serious face on and even her grandmother calmed down when he used it.

“I apologize, James. You know I love your family. I just hate to see it get torn apart.” He shot her a look. This little shit had no idea what he was poking with his stick. But she wasn’t going to do this at her grandparents’ kitchen table like an animal. Not if she could help it.

Petal was small enough they’d cross paths again when he wouldn’t be able to count on her manners. And then he’d understand just who he thought he could push around. And he’d know how very wrong he was.

She let him see all of that in her gaze, and when he blinked and shifted away from her, she knew she’d gotten her point across.

Caroline finished up, and after helping her grandmother clear and clean the dishes and get the area tidied, she kissed her grandmother’s cheek. “I’m going to go now.”

Abigail sighed. “He thought he was protecting us.”

Well and that it was
us
and didn’t include
her
was part of the problem.

“We’ll have to agree to disagree about that. But I’m tired and I’m done for today. It was nice to see you though, and you know how much I love your roast chicken.”

Shep rolled into the room as she dried her hands and moved to grab her bag.

“You’re leaving already?”

“I’ve been here three hours. It’s time for me to go.”

“Let me walk you out.” He cast a glare at Garrett as they passed through the living room.

Caroline paused to kiss her grandfather. “I’ll see you soon.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“I said the same thing. Guess she can’t feel comfortable in her own grandparents’ home because some people have bad manners.” Shep looked pointedly in Garrett’s direction.

Caroline rolled her eyes. “I’ll see you later, Mindy. Call me if you want to get together this week sometime for a movie or something.”

Her sister got up, clearly caught between Caroline and Garrett. Whatever. There’s no way she’d have ever tolerated any man talking to her sister that way, but they were different people.

“You don’t have to go.”

Caroline hugged Mindy. “Yes, I do. I’ll talk to you soon.”

Garrett got up but she turned her back on him. If he thought for even one second that she would pretend he hadn’t been unconscionably rude, he had another thing coming.

Shep walked her out.

“He’s a jerk. You don’t have to go because of that crap he said.”

“Yes he is. But he’s Mindy’s boyfriend and that was Grandma and Grandpa’s house. I’m a grown-ass woman, and I’m not getting into a slap fight with a dumbass like I’m in middle school. I know what I am, Shep. I know what I believe and I am not ashamed of it. My beliefs don’t do a damned thing to you, or your grandparents or Mindy. Especially not to Garrett Moseby.”

He licked his lips but didn’t speak like she thought he wanted to. Instead he leaned in and hugged her tight. “I’m so glad you’re back here for good. I missed you and it’s nice to have you around.”

She grinned. “Ditto. You too. I mean you call me if you get some free time. I know you have school, but after school one day this week or next, let me take you out for pizza or something. Away from here.”

“You got a deal. Love you, Caroline.”

That softened her annoyance at Garrett.

Shep waggled his brows. “You can tell me about Royal Watson when you take me to pizza.”

“How’d you know? Jeez this town and gossip.”

Shep laughed. “Just wait until you two do it. I bet I’ll know within eight hours.”

“Ew. No you won’t because he’s not the type to talk about that stuff.”

She hugged him one last time before getting into the car. “Behave and don’t forget to call me.”

She drove away, but she was smiling. She’d take that as a partial win.

Chapter Nine

Royal, true to his words to Caroline two days before, had slept in late and done nothing more taxing than shuffling to his kitchen to turn on the coffeemaker and make himself an egg sandwich.

The day before had been a long one. From five to just past midnight when he stumbled to bed. But as he looked out over his land, he saw new things growing, freshly turned earth in some spots, covered beds elsewhere.

His world, and he was making it work.

Once the coffee was ready, he headed to his living room. Spike curled around his feet when Royal situated himself on the lounge chair to watch some stuff he had waiting on his DVR. He glanced at the clock as he sipped his coffee. Brunch with her grandparents should take a few hours. It was noon so perhaps he’d see her by four or so.

He hoped.

They’d left each other under some weird circumstances, but he couldn’t get the sound of her saying she wanted to be the only woman in the room when they fucked out of his head. He’d heard
fuck
over and over and over in her voice.

Caroline was like no one else, and he liked that a lot.

What he liked most though, which surprised him so much, was the way she was also vulnerable and soft at times. Her confidence blew him away. Made him hot. She barreled into the room, her energy attracted attention. Not just his. It wasn’t that she was pretty, though she sure was. It wasn’t her body, which was also stunning. She was just one of those people who seemed to have her own gravity and people moved around her.

He enjoyed that. Enjoyed being with her and having her choose him to focus on instead of all the other stuff she could. Admired her focus.

But it was the way she reacted over Anne that he found himself marveling over.

It wasn’t the jealous thing. Though, truth be told who didn’t like it when someone got a little jealous over an ex? Anne was gorgeous in her own right and they were close. The other women he’d gone out with hadn’t really said much about it. Anne came with the Royal package. She was one of his chosen family. Though he didn’t love her in a romantic sense anymore, he’d always love her. Always have her in his heart because she was someone in his life. Had been part of his life history for longer than she hadn’t been.

He’d expected a woman like Caroline to at the very least pretend she wasn’t bothered. That she was up front about her discomfort, while being rational about whether or not she had a right to be, fascinated him. She was a big girl. A woman in charge of her shit, and damn if that wasn’t incredibly attractive.

In the meantime he had to figure out how to deal with the Anne situation. Her text had been about the scene with Benji at the Tonk. She’d heard about it from Beth and wanted to know the details. It had been a text like thousands of others they sent back and forth, but it felt differently in some ways because if he was correct, Anne was jealous of Caroline too.

Maybe a year ago he’d have given it a different kind of thought. He might have gone to Anne and said, hey do you see? This is a woman I can see myself with a year from now. Two, five. This is the kind of woman a man can build a life with. He might have given Anne the chance to come to her goddamn senses and marry him.

But that had passed. He could finally say—and mean—he was over her. Yes, she was important to him and always would be. But he didn’t ache for her. Didn’t dream about a life together or kids with her. He’d let go, and it felt normal after a lot of heartache.

Caroline consumed his thoughts. It had been a short period of time and he was smart enough to take it slow. But after years of fruitless love with a woman who couldn’t ever give him what he truly wanted, feeling so intensely for someone else was liberating. Exciting.

He watched a movie and fast-forwarded through a football game, pausing at the highlights before Anne came in.

“Yo,” she called out.

“Hey.”

She handed him a cup. “Brought coffee.”

“You’re awesome.” He lifted his cup in her direction.

Spike defected, abandoning Royal for Anne, hopping up into her lap and butting her hand until she laughed, scratching behind his ears. “You’re so easy.”

“What brings you out here today?” Sundays were usually days the entire Murphy clan congregated to eat and hang out. Sometimes with huge swaths of Chases.

“You didn’t call me back yesterday.”

“I didn’t call anyone yesterday. I’m tired as hell after yesterday.”

“Ah. So I wanted to get the scoop on the scene at the Tonk. Where’s your girlfriend?”

He didn’t argue with her tossed-out word. She’d meant it to needle him, but he found he liked it enough to roll it around his head and smile at the thought. “She’ll be over later. She’s having brunch with her grandparents.”

“I heard she started some shit over at the Tonk. That’s a record, your what, first date, and you’re already having to punch people to defend her?”

“Now come on, did you hear
that
or did you hear what actually happened?”

“Stop being like that.”

“Like what?”

“Making excuses with a lovesick smirk. Don’t get all gone for this girl. She’s not one of us. She’s not your type.”

“She’s not? Please explain how you’re so sure about that.”

“She’s got shoes that cost more than the chair you’re sitting in. Her grandparents drive a new car and go to church with Edward and Polly. She’s an outsider and she’s bringing a suitcase of trouble straight into town.”

“Your sister is married to a Chase. She probably goes to church with them too.”

She waved it away.

“You jealous, Anne?” He softened his tone and she narrowed her gaze.

“I’m trying to protect you from heartache! She’s not your type. She’s just slumming.”

He put a hand up. “Whoa. Look, I get it. You’re protective and I appreciate that. But you don’t know Caroline. And I’m insulted on so many levels I can’t decide where to start so I’m just going to skip it because you and I both know you’re full of shit.”

Anne frowned. “She’s a lawyer and you’re a farmer.”

“I totally am. And she respects what I do, as it happens. And she didn’t start that shit at the Tonk. Benji did. Benji was out of line, just like Dolly and half those girls are when they talk shit about you and your siblings because you’re Murphys. I didn’t stand for that then and I won’t take it now. No one deserves to get judged for what their parents do and you know that. Hell, if you gave her half a chance you’d actually like her.”

“Christ, Royal, you’re a lovesick idiot. I’m trying to help you.”

“I don’t need your help, Anne. I’m dating someone. I like her. She likes me.” He shrugged.

“She comes back here after being gone for years.”

“Is that illegal now? She was a kid! Jesus.
After her mother was murdered,
Caroline, at sixteen, went to live with her uncle. You act like she went on TV and denounced Petal as not good enough for her. You of all people ought to understand what it means to be marked by what your parents have done.”

“She’s defending a murderer! People are going to start thinking you’re like her if you keep on this way.”

“I’m not so sure he was really a murderer. I’ve read up a little. Some of the stuff she’s written, some articles about it and her struggle to prove his innocence. But in any case, I can make my own mind up. If people judge me for what someone else thinks, that’s their problem.”