Stone Temptation [Texas Stallions 3] (6 page)

“Thank you, James.” She handed him the paperwork. “I’m Gracie Myles.”

His head snapped up, and he drew his brows together sharply, a deep, fierce glare etched in his eyes. A sudden shiver charged up her spine. She wasn’t sure why he was staring at her like he was preparing to hit her, but he was. Maybe he remembered who she was.

Damn
, she hoped that wasn’t it.

Startled a moment by his cold stare, she hesitantly asked, “Is something wrong?”

“No,” he snapped. “Please have a seat. The sheriff will be with you in a moment.”

“Thanks,” she muttered. Stepping away from the counter, she took a seat.

Nails digging into her clammy palms, she glanced up to watch James step into the sheriff’s office and close the door. Trampled by her racing thoughts, she feared her chance of landing the clerical position had just vanished. James’s reaction to her surely was an indication of that. His unfriendly stare twisted at her, reminding her of the way people had once mocked her for the way she earned a living.

Licking her dry lips, she wondered if she’d ever get away from people looking at her with such loathing and disgust.

Stone didn’t look at me like that. No, he gazed at me with lust and longing. If he’d known I was once a whore, he most likely wouldn’t have treated me so kindly.

Squeezing the straps of her purse in her hands, she wondered if sticking around was worth it. Then she remembered the man who’d threatened to rape and beat her if her brother didn’t make good on his drug payments. That kept her ass firmly glued to the chair, even if that meant hearing the words,
Sorry. You’re just not what we’re looking for
.

* * * *

“Holy shit! I figured out who she is,” James snapped, tossing the paperwork onto Clay’s desk. “She’s the sister of the asshole who got me thrown in jail for drug possession.” 

Clay snatched up the papers. “Are you sure?”

He glared at Clay, his pulse racing with trepidation. How could he ever forget all those horrible months? “Yes, I’m sure. First it was the way she looked that tripped me up, but when she said her name, Gracie Myles, I knew.” 

“Okay,” Clay said, drawing out the word, and leaned back in his chair to read her application. He flipped through the pages quickly. “She’s been a caregiver to her siblings.” 

“Yes, her delinquent fucking brothers.” The words sprung from his mouth like a raging inferno, vengeful and suffocating. He never swore. His mother had raised him to speak intelligently, but the passions that sparked inside him erased his verbal intellect.

Clay stood, palms flat on his desk. “James, you need to calm down.”

“Calm down? Clay, her damn brother stashed his drugs in my bag, made me go through a grueling interrogations process and feel like some common criminal.” He whipped his hand through his hair. “I lost my scholarship because of him. My life was shit for a long time.” He hung his head. “My parents never looked at me the same.”

“The charges were dropped,” Clay reminded him.

His gaze shot up to meet his. “But the damage was already done, and my parents spent so much of their savings fighting for me.”

“What are you asking me to do then? Did you want me to decline her based on her brother’s mistakes?”

James sighed, hard and fast. He wasn’t a dick, but he wouldn’t be thrilled to work with her either. Maybe he’d get lucky and her background check would come back unacceptable. If she was anything like her brother, she’d be out of his life in no time.

“Do what you’ve got to do, Clay. You’re the boss,” he said, flinging his office door open and fleeing toward the back of the station, getting as far away from Gracie Myles as he could get.

* * * *

“Come in, Ms. Myles, and have a seat,” Sheriff Garrett said, pointing to the chair directly across from his desk. “I understand you’re from Houston.”

Gracie’s belly churned with nervous energy. “Yes, I’ve lived there all my life…until now that is.”

Clay studied her. “What brings you to Temptation? Our little town is certainly a drastic change from the big city.”

“Yes, I suppose it is,” she said smiling shyly.

He held her gaze for a long moment until she answered his question in more detail. He clearly had experience drawing information out of people.

“I came here hoping to find a fresh start. I have four younger brothers, and both my parents are dead, so—”

“Dead?” He scowled. “That’s odd. Your background check still lists both your parents as living.”

She wanted to die. Her mind immediately drew a blank. She didn’t know what to tell him, and then she told him the only thing she could. The truth. “My parents are dead to me, Sheriff.”

“I see,” he said quietly.

Her blood thickened in her veins as her nerves churned like acid in her belly. She quivered waiting for the next round of questions.

“You were arrested for prostitution?”

Gasping, Gracie’s gut dropped to the floor, and utter shame washed over her. Her hands began to shake as she feared the outcome of their conversation. Now that he knew what she was, surely he wouldn’t want anything to do with her. Her life had been screwed from the moment of her birth, and trying to find a way to change the path once set in front of her was perhaps impossible.

“Sheriff, that piece of paper you’re holding tells you what I was and what I had to do to survive an unhealthy family environment, but it’s not who I am.” She stiffened her spine, digging deep for all the courage she had inside. Sharing the story of her family life was something she never did because the memory hurt so damn much. “I moved to Temptation to get my life together.” Locking on to his gaze, she confessed, “If you give me a chance, Sheriff, I’ll show you that I’m a hard worker and a fast learner. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty. I’ll sweep floors if that’s what I need to do.”

“I’ve learned that there were some narcotics-related issues as well.”

“Not with me,” she quickly corrected. “I’ve never done drugs. Sadly, I can’t say the same for my brothers.” Her heart sank in her chest. “Sheriff, I really am trying to start over. Any family I had is long gone. No one knows I’m even here. I’m trying to forget that part of my life. It was never who I was or what I wanted.”

Clay leaned back in his chair and eyed her for what felt like an eternity, and then he said, “Ms. Myles, I’m going to have you take a basic math and reading test. If you pass, I’ll give you an opportunity to prove yourself.”

She sucked in a sharp breath, her heart beating so hard from excitement she thought it might spring from her chest at any moment.

He held up his hand, stopping her from speaking. “You need to be aware that this is a probationary period. You are to show up on time for every shift, work all your hours, and prove that you truly want this job. I will not risk hiring someone I cannot trust or rely on one hundred percent of the time. There will be no exceptions.”

His words were harsh but fair. “Oh, I will, Sheriff Garrett. I promise.” Eagerly, she asked, “When can I take the skills test?”

Clay reached in his drawer and pulled out a sheet of paper. “How does now sound?”

Her tummy did a funny little flip. “Great.”
 

Handing her the paper and a pencil, he directed her to a desk where she could take the test. The problems were not difficult at all. Basic math and comprehension questions, nothing she couldn’t handle.

Twenty-five minutes later, she finished and returned to the sheriff’s office, handing him her test. Without hesitating, he took the paperwork from her. “Please, have a seat,” he gestured toward the chair across from his desk.

She sat.

Red pen in hand, he began scoring it. Quickly he reviewed her work. She couldn’t watch as he graded her, fearing she had embarrassed herself thinking she was smarter than she was. Her breath caught in her throat as he placed the pen down on his desk.

Clay rose and extended his hand to her. “Congratulations, Ms. Myles, you passed the test. Your first shift will begin Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. sharp.”

Practically jumping out of her chair, she said, “Thank you so much, Sheriff. You won’t regret this.”

Then Clay froze, and his once soft and pleasant expression faded from his face. Now, as she studied him, he looked as though he’d been kicked in the balls and was prepared to unleash hell on the person that did it.

Following his stare, she finally came to see who had drawn his attention so vehemently. Stone McGraw had made his appearance just in time for her to leave.

Turning back to Clay, she stood and extended her hand. “I look forward to working with you, Sheriff.”

Shaking her hand, he said, “We’ll see you on Monday.”

Exiting Clay’s office, she slowed her pace as she stepped past Stone and whispered, “Good luck.” By the tumultuous expression on Clay’s face, he was going to need it.

Clay’s eyes widened as he stared at the unexpected vision from long ago. Never in a million years had he ever imagined he’d see his childhood friend again. Flashes from a distant past flooded his mind, images of what had transpired between them so vivid they had his jaw tightening and flexing under the pressure of his grinding teeth.

“Stone McGraw,” Clay announced gruffly, stepping from his office and heading toward the front counter where Delilah and James now stood. “What the hell are you doing here?”

Stone arched a black brow, and his dark gaze lowered momentarily as if searching for the inner strength to say what was on his mind. Then, he said clearly, “I’ve come to see you, Garrett.”

“Why?” he snapped.

Casting a quick glance to the people around them, Stone cleared his throat. “Can we talk in private?”

Clay eyed him curiously, tossing a look to both Delilah and James, who stared at him with unease. Neither knew Stone, and with good reason. Clay never mentioned him, and right now he really didn’t want to speak with him either. He had nothing to say to the man who had filled his young life with more misery than he cared to remember.

Truth be told, he hadn’t considered the events that had occurred between them so very long ago. He had too much to live for in the present.

Clay inhaled a chest full of air and released it. “Follow me,” he said, spinning on his heels in the direction of his office. Rounding his desk, he stood with his palms pressed firmly to the walnut-colored furniture. “Please tell me you haven’t come all this way to reminisce about the deeds of young men.”

Stone closed the door and moved to stand on the other side of Clay’s desk, folding his arms over his chest. “I didn’t come here to fight. I came here to apologize.”

Clay snickered. “Apologize? What exactly are you apologizing for?” The idea of the arrogant Stone McGraw apologizing for anything left him speechless. Perhaps miracles really did happen. Or he needed money.

Stone pressed his lips together tightly and then said, “For being a serious asshole to the one person who was my best friend and the only person who stood by me when everyone else shit on me.”

Clay eyed him for a long moment. That was not what he thought Stone was about to say. It shocked him, but not enough to give a shit. “You should have thought about that when we were teenagers.”

Stone raised his hands as if pushing back air. “I know,” he said sadly, his voice raw with emotions.

Clay stood to his full height and crossed his arms over his chest, one hand coming up to scratch his chin. “Should I feel bad for you, Stone? Should I give a rat’s ass that you now have regrets for what you did?” Clay dropped down into his chair and kicked his feet up onto the desk. The first wave of tension had passed, and now it was just a conversation between men, strangers with familiar faces. “The only thing I feel right now is confused as to why you are standing in my office after almost fourteen years.” He scanned over Stone’s posture, a very military posture, and freshly shaven head. “I figured out that you joined the Marines. I had always assumed you’d never leave.”

Stone flashed a shy grin, and a flicker of pain shined deep within his eyes. “I would’ve enjoyed a lifelong career as a soldier, but unfortunately that was not my destiny.” He rolled up his sleeve and showed the burn scars that covered his right forearm and bicep. The burn scars traced up his neck and onto the right side of his face. “My men and I were ambushed.” He swallowed hard.

“That’s unfortunate,” Clay said, locking eyes with Stone. His heart thumped heavily in his chest, but he refused to show an ounce of sentiment. “I still don’t get why you are now standing in my office. You could’ve saved yourself the bus fare and simply put it in a letter.” Clay was not about to make this easy on him, nor was he about to feel sorry for a man who had disappeared from his life like the night disappears from the day. Stone had been his friend, but that friendship had been easily dismissed.

Stone’s arms dropped to his sides. “I know what I did was a big mistake. I should’ve told you what was going on in my life, but—”

“But what?” Clay spit out.

Licking his lips, he said, “I couldn’t tell you that I was jealous of you, that I wished I’d had your life.”

Clay’s lips curled up. “What?”

Stone’s hands flung to his hips, his posture slowly losing its stiffness. His shoulders slouched forward. “Come on, Clay, you know better than anyone how great your life was growing up. Your family had money, while mine had nothing. You had girls falling all over you, while I had none. The only girls who wanted me were the kinds of girls you didn’t bring home or marry.”