A Reason to Kill (Reason #2) (22 page)

“I suppose it’s possible,” Maxine muttered while she watched her son, “But, I don’t think so.”

“Well, it looks like he knows how she feels now. Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

“You’re still determined to leave aren’t you? You won’t even consider the possibility that you could be right for my son?” Maxine inquired sounding cross.

I looked out the window and watched Max put his hand on her shoulder and lean in, his face gentle as he spoke. Then he lifted his hand, ran it down her hair, a small smile on his face before he turned and walked away. Annie crossed her arms over her stomach, holding back her tears as she watched him climb in his truck, then she turned and headed in the opposite direction. He’d been gentle with her, comforting, and that made me think about how he was with me.

With me, he’d been flirty, bossy, arrogant, giving, sexually compatible, and I’d been . . . a pain in his ass according to him. Why was he even interested in me when he could have a woman like Annie, a woman who could handle the winters in Alaska and sling beer without tripping? Why me? It seemed like all we’d done is fight since we met. He’s right; I was a pain in his ass.

I looked back at Maxine and saw another strong woman. One who could throw an axe with pinpoint accuracy and I knew I’d fall short of what Max needed in his life. We fought, had nothing in common, not to mention the whole Annie thing was unsettling at best and, I was a pain in his ass.

“It would never work, Maxine, there are too many cons between us,” I answered truthfully as Marscha placed our food on the table.

Maxine gruffed, shook her head, and then rolled her eyes at in disgust. Aunt Jess squeezed my leg for support as I picked up a French fry and tried to forget about Max and Annie. Then Maxine, a mini version of Max, which meant she didn’t let things go, snapped, “My son deserves who he wants. If that’s you, then I’m gonna make sure it happens.”

“Maxine—” I got out before she raised her hand and pulled out a pen and paper.

“You say there are too many cons then let’s list the pros and cons,” she argued.

“The pros and cons of what?”

“Of Max, of course! We’ll list why you should or shouldn’t give it a go with him and then we’ll see which list wins out.”

“Maxine—”

“Just humor an old woman,” she snapped.

“Fine, fine, I’ll list, Jeez,” I mumbled.

I sat there a moment and thought about what she wanted. All of Max’s finer points kept swirling in my head so I tried to come up with his less than stellar qualities.

“Sometime before I die would be nice,” she sighed.

“Okay, um, he’s smart, has a good work ethic, good teeth and hair,” I spit out.

“You make him sound like a prized poodle,” Jess chuckled. “Write down, he’s hot and makes love to her under the stars,” she added.

“Would you stop repeating that?”

“I sell sex toys for a living and you’re worried I know my son has sex?”

“Just . . . you know what, never mind. Put down he’s arrogant, bossy and hauls me around without my permission, but he can be incredibly flirty which is nice. Oh, and his sense of loyalty to this town goes in the plus column as well.”

“Still waiting for a negative,” she chuckled, “at this rate you should just go ahead and marry him.”

“I gave you negatives. Bossy, arrogant, hauls me around.”

“I see those as positives. He’s arrogant because he’s good at what he does and he knows it, which keeps the company in the black and people employed. He’s bossy because he’s responsible for keeping those he employs safe while keeping the company in the black, so his bossy is needed. I figure he hauls you around because he cares and doesn’t want you to get hurt, so
that
falls under the pros. Sorry, Mia, but so far you’ve given me nothin’ that says you should run screaming from my son.”

“Oh, come on, he has faults.”

“Not in my book,” she laughed.

“Fine, then list all the reasons I won’t work with him.”

“Okay, that’s fair, what would those be?”

“Annie, I’m not convinced it’s over between them and I’m afraid to risk my heart.”

“I think you’re wrong, but it’s your list.”

“Just write it down. Okay, let’s see . . . I can’t throw an axe.”

“Positive in his eyes,” she mumbled with a grin.

“We’d fight all the time because I wouldn’t put up with him bossing me around.”

“That goes under foreplay, so it’s a positive.”

“Maxine everything can’t be a positive,” I snapped.

“When the person is your soul mate, then everything is a positive.”

“What?”

“Don’t you know what a soul mate is?”

“Of course, in principle, but that doesn’t exist.”

“Oh, yeah, it does. When you’re with your soul mate, you feel like you’ve come home. You know it when you meet them and none of the crap I’m writing down matters. It is what it is and you can’t stop the pull of a soul mate.”

“Well, I don’t believe in that so stop putting everything in the pro columns,” I begged as my heart slammed in my chest. There are no such things as soul mates. If there were such a thing, divorce rates would be non-existent. However, her comment about feeling as if you’ve come home left me a little rattled, if I was honest.

“Fine, I’ll put it on both sides,” she sighed.

“Thank you, now, where was I?”

Life in Trails End ran through my head and then it hit me, “I’m clumsy, and I’ll end up falling off a mountain leaving him wifeless with ten kids

“Ten?”

“Of course, he has potent written all over him. I’ll be knocked up every time I have a viable egg.”

“Okay, ten kids goes on the con side.”

“And don’t forget to add I’m not a big fan of flying. I’d have to fly back and forth for my job and I’m the world’s worst flyer.”

“Is that it? Nothin’ more you want to add to the list?”

“I think I’ve covered, oh, wait, add in Wet Max, Naked Max and I have a feeling Sweaty Max onto the pro side.”

Maxine smiled at that, then finished writing out the list and held it up. Scanning both sides my heart started beating faster.

“That’s not possible,” I exclaimed.

“It’s your list.”

“I didn’t say he was great in bed?”

He was, I just wasn’t telling her that.

“It was implied by the ten kids comment,” she explained.

“What about the “he would kill for me” on the pro side?”

“I know my boy and if he falls in love with you he’d kill to keep you safe. You needed to know that before you make a rash decision.”

That, though alarming, was kinda nice and gave me a warm squishy feeling inside. I didn’t think anyone, besides my parent, would ever love me enough that they’d kill to protect me. Of course, thinking about my parents made me think about kids, which in turn made me think of those ten babies I’d produce from his fertile loins. A vision of a dark headed Mini Max’s running around a yard made my chest ache, and I instantly could see why a person would have a reason to kill.

“Well, what’s the verdict? You gonna give my son a chance to change your mind or are you gonna run scared of a little competition?

I looked at the list, thought about those ten babies, remembered the hot springs, the feeling of being home, and sighed. Unfortunately, I also thought about Max holding Annie and the sadness on his face when she cried, so I sighed again. I wasn’t ready to make a decision wasn’t prepared to examine my heart, not today. But Maxine kept her eyes on my face staring me down like a dog begging for food.

Needing more time, I was about to tell this to Maxine when Stetson walked into the diner. When he saw us sitting in the back, his face pinched in anger and he marched to our booth looking fit to be tied. Jaw ticking, he put both hands on the table as he leaned down and held my eyes.

“You got friends in high places?”

“Sorry?” I asked, confused.

“My phone’s been ringing off the hook. Friends, let’s call them, tellin’ me to drop my witch-hunt of one Mia Roberts,” he growled.

“Really?” I was shocked. I had no friends in high places, low places maybe, but definitely not high.

“Much as it pains me, you, Ms. Roberts, are cleared as a suspect and are now free to leave Trails End. Do me a favor, pack your shit and get the hell out of my town,” he barked, then turned to Jess and then Maxine, scowling at them both as he left.

“Holy shit,” Jess laughed

“Oh, my God,” I whispered. “Who do you think called?”

“My guess, Max called Jack, Jack called his friend in the FBI and they put the screws to him,” Maxine answered.

“Who’s Jack?” Jess asked.

“My nephew, he’s a sheriff in Colorado. There aren’t many who would say no to him. Family trait, I believe.”

“Well, that puts an end to our door-to-door sales. Do you want to stay a few more days, see how you feel about Max or go?” Jess asked.

Both women’s eyes pinned me with a questioning look and then it hit me I could actually leave. I opened my mouth to say something and then shut it. Leaving meant saying goodbye and for the first time since coming here five days earlier, I wasn’t sure what I wanted.

With less enthusiasm than I thought I would have, I coughed to clear my throat and then looked between both women replying, “I think, um, I think tomorrow morning would be soon enough don’t you?”

Thirteen

Booboo

My dad used to say he could see the beauty and ugliness in the world through my expressions. I’m an open book, for better or worse, I’ve never been one to hide how I feel. That hasn’t changed. However, right now, I wished I could summon an air of indifference.

Jess being Jess, and knowing me as well as my parents, sat on the bed and watched me pack all while I tried to convince myself I was doing the right thing, the smart thing.

I’d only known him five days; you don’t turn your life upside down for a man you’d only met five days before. And, honestly, if I’d heard about one of my friends contemplating something like this I'd have had an intervention. That’s how crazy the notion was. Yet, here I stand, folding and unfolding, stuffing and un-stuffing my bag trying to act as if I wasn’t thinking just that.

“You could stay a few more days, spend more time with him just to be sure,” Jess told me as if she’d been reading my mind.

“No, it’s better this way, I’ll just pack and leave before I get in too deep. Besides, I’m not entirely sure things are over with Annie. I couldn’t have sex with a man for years and not feel something for him and I really don’t think men can either. A one night stand, sure, but two years? I'm not risking my heart just to have him wake up one day and realize he’s with the wrong woman, Jess.”

“I’m sure he does have feelings for her, Mia. He wouldn’t have kept going back if he disliked her. But, sweetie, he wouldn’t have ended it with her if he didn’t see something in you that appealed to him more. Just think of it as he was killing time till the right one came along.”

“But what does that say about him that he can throw her aside so easily, Jess?”

“Honey, what does it say about
you
that he
could
throw her aside so easily?”

“That he’s impulsive and acts before thinking?”

“That man? He doesn’t strike me as a man who does anything without thinking it through.”

She was right, of course, but I couldn’t shake this doubt. Exhausted just thinking about it, I sat on the bed and looked at my hands. Jess had a way of turning my words against me just when I thought I had my mind sorted. I looked at her and saw a beautiful, vibrant woman, one that any man would be lucky to have and not for the first time I wondered why she never married.

“Why didn’t you ever get married?”

Jess, usually quick to reply with a smart-ass comeback, hesitated. Her eyes drifted to the right and she seemed lost in thought as she played with her gold necklace. Then I saw a shadow of what looked like regret pass over her face.

“Jess?”

Jess drew in a deep breath, turned her eyes back to me, and they were glistening with unshed tears. So I took her hand.

“Tell me,” I implored.

Then she shocked the shit out of me.

“When I was twenty I did fall in love.”

“Really?”

“He was a regular guy, not a musician like I was used to. We met when I stayed home one summer. I’d gone with some friends down the coast for a day at the beach and he was there with his friends. He called, and we got together, and then kept getting together. When it was time for him to go back to school, I ended it.”

“But you were in love with him?”

“Yeah, and he said he was in love with me. But, I couldn’t see it working between us. He wanted normal and I didn’t do normal, so I ended it. But I’ve never forgotten him.”

“So you never married because all this time you’ve been in love with a man you gave up?”

Nodding, she shrugged and then chuckled, “I didn’t know it then, but I walked away from the love of my life. Mia, be absolutely sure when you leave tomorrow you aren’t walking away from a man you’ll never be able to forget. A lifetime is a long time to live with regret.”