Adam's Thorn (17 page)

Concerned, he’d scoped the place
out but there was no sign of a disturbance.  It bothered him, though, because
as he tested the doorhandle he remembered that she’d walked into her house the
previous night without having to unlock the door.

Barbie was a city girl, she’d have
locked the front door before going to Ali’s.

Without hesitation, he’d phoned Henry
from the local painting contractors and was informed that she’d called him the
night before to say she was leaving town and would contact them when she
returned.  Peeron Carpenting told him identical.

So Barbie had skipped town.

Oddly, he found himself keeping an
eye out for her when he drove around.  Was it sick to actually miss her, even a
little bit?  Miss her flashing eyes, her little stuck-up nose when she saw him,
that full figure swaying down the street in her bright ballet flats or sandals,
the pretty, gauzy dresses and blonde hair that was either jauntily confined in
a ponytail, or a messy, very sexy bun.

Sexy? Whoa, settle down.  What
the hell…?

Dragging his thoughts form that disturbing
notion, he glanced again at Lori. 

She didn’t look up from the fuel
gun.

Considering the few odd occurrences
that Barbie had seen at the house, he’d gone out there a few times to check
that nothing odd was happening.

It had been a week so far and she
hadn’t turned up.

Even though he’d already asked, he
caved in.  “Are you sure you don’t know when Barbie will be back?”

Without looking up, Lori shook her
head.

“Where she was going?”

Lori shook her head again.

 “Reckon she was going back to the
city?”

“Maybe.”

Jesus, it was like pulling teeth,
just like when he’d first asked her the very morning he’d driven out to the
Declan house and found it deserted.  “I’m just concerned about the house.”

“Mmmm?”

“With the noises and things that
she saw and heard.”

“Mmm.”

“You sure she never said
anything?”

Another shake of the head.

Tipping his head back, Adam
studied the veranda roof high above them.  Unless Barbie’s life was in danger
or he pulled police rank, Lori wasn’t saying a word.  Ali was exactly the
same.  He’d always liked that about them, but right now it was damned
frustrating.  He really couldn’t tell if they were keeping their mouths shut or
really didn’t know.

The gun clicked off several times
as Lori ensured the fuel tank was as full as it could get.  Straightening, she
hooked the gun back on the fuel bowser.  “Okay.”

He slid her a glance.

She smiled serenely at him as she
screwed the fuel cap on and snapped the little door shut before walking towards
the service station office.

With a sigh, he straightened and
followed.  He’d even tried pumping Matt for information, but his friend denied
knowing anything.  What Adam couldn’t deny was seeing a gleam in Matt’s eyes. 
That didn’t bode well, it meant his friend was thinking something that Adam
probably wouldn’t like.  It alarmed him even more when Matt said nothing
further.

He figured out why when Ghost met
him in the supermarket and there was the same gleam in
his
eyes when he
asked if Adam had found his missing felon.

Bastard.

The Mackay sisters might not
gossip, but their fiancées sure liked to beat their gums.

Handing over the fuel card, he
waited while Lori entered it in the system.

Shaun sat in his usual spot in the
armchair in the corner behind the counter, an opened newspaper hiding most of
him from sight except for the top part of his bald head.

“Shaun,” Adam said.

“Adam,” Shaun replied, without
lowering the paper.

“Nice day outside.”

“Sunny.”

Man of few words.  Adam couldn’t
help but grin at Lori, who smiled and handed his fuel card back to him.

Walking through the door that
separated the service station office from the little café, he greeted Tracey,
the waitress.

“Afternoon, Officer Hottie,” she
greeted him.

“If Brandon gave you another
speeding fine, I’m not getting you out of it,” he responded dryly.

“Why would you think that?”

“It’s the only time you call me
‘Officer Hottie’.”

“That is so untrue.”  She dimpled
at him.

“Being cute won’t get you
anywhere.”

“Damn.  I guess I’ll have to pay
the speeding fine, huh?”

“Absolutely.”

She sighed.  “It was worth a
shot.”

He raised one eyebrow.

“What’ll it be, Officer
Unhelpful?”

His gaze ran over the menu.  “One beef
salad roll, one chicken salad roll, two containers of hot chips, a banana
milkshake, and an iced coffee, please.”

“Carton or fresh iced coffee?”

“Really?  You need to ask that
after all this time?”

She rolled her eyes.  “Cream or
ice cream?”

“Ice cream in, cream on top.”

“One artery clogger coming up.”

It wasn’t long before his and Brandon’s
lunch was ready.  Tracey packed it all into a shallow box and handed it to
him.  After paying, he picked up the box and walked to the door.

He was just reaching for the
handle when Lori walked through from the service station office.  “Hey, Adam,
guess who just turned up?  It’s - ”

He had no idea what she was going
to say next, because the front door swung wide open at that exact second and
knocked the box up out of his hand.  The whole lot tipped over him before he
could step back, banana milkshake, iced coffee, and hot chips.  The salad rolls
slipped away in their plastic wrap to bounce on the floor.

“Oh shit!”  A familiar voice
exclaimed.

Arms outstretched, the mess
dripping down the front of his uniform, Adam looked disbelievingly into Barbie’s
startled face.  Her mouth was open in astonished horror, her eyes wide.

 “Guess you know now.”  Lori
turned on her heel and walked out the door as the bell form the fuel bowsers
tingled to announce another customer.

“I’m so sorry.”  Hurrying to a
nearby table, Barbie grabbed a handful of paper napkins and tried to brush his
shirt down.

She plucked a chip out that had
gotten stuck around a button, pulled another that lay abandoned on his utility
belt, and chewed her bottom lip as she slowly stopped brushing the soaking mess
of coffee and milkshake form his shirt.  The cold, sticky mess had just spread
further.

The whole time Adam just stood,
noting her genuine concern as she tried to tidy him up, feeling the tips of her
fingers press against his shirt as she plucked away a chip and attempted to
clean the mess.

His gaze dropped to her lips,
those soft, pink, lush lips, the bottom one caught between her small white
teeth as she surveyed the mess.

It said a lot for his state of
mind that he actually felt her touch, had the weird urge to want to feel the
tips of her fingers against his bare skin, wanted -
what the hell was wrong
with him?  Had he suffered a stroke or something without realising it?

Holding the soggy napkins, Barbie
stepped back and cleared her throat.  “Um…I don’t think that’s helped.”

Disturbed by his own wayward
thoughts, Adam frowned irritably.  “You’re back.”

“I just got here.”  She shifted to
the side as Tracey approached with a mop and bucket. “I’m so sorry, Tracey. 
I’ll help clean up.”

“It was an accident,” Tracey
replied.  “Don’t stress.”

Dropping to her knees, Barbie
started to gather up the spilled food and cups, placing them in the box.  “I
should have looked where I was going.”

“Adam’s kind of hard to miss.” 
Tracey nudged his leg.  “Move your big boots.”

Realising that he’d just been standing
there dripping on the floor while watching Barbie like a hawk watching a bunny,
Adam shook his head to clear his addled senses and started to kneel down to
help.

Tracey stopped him with one hand
raised.  “You go and change, and by the time you get back I’ll have another
order ready.”

Barbie didn’t look up, her face
averted as she busied herself gathering up the spilled items.

Straightening, he backed away,
though his gaze stayed on Barbie.  When she didn’t acknowledge him, his lips
tightened.  Fine.  Regardless of her words she was obviously still carrying a
chip on that shoulder. 
Fine.

“Thanks, Tracey. I’ll be back
soon.”  He nodded curtly to her and walked out of the café.

Scowling, he got into the patrol
car, started it and drove home, his hands gripping the steering wheel,
annoyance flowing through him.  Looked like Barbie could spout nice words, but
her inner feelings obviously were a little different.

Once home, he tossed his shirt and
pants into a bucket to soak, had a quick shower to rid him of the sticky mess,
and dressed in a fresh uniform.

The shower hadn’t done anything to
cool his annoyance, not to admit his disappointment in the realisation that
Barbie would rather ignore him than look him in the eye.  Getting back into the
patrol car, he returned to the café.  Entering, he strode across to the counter
for his order, pulling his wallet from his pocket as he did so.

“No need to pay.” Tracey slid the
box of freshly made food across the counter.

Adam shook his head.  “You know I
don’t accept-”

“Don’t get your panties in a
knot.  This was paid for by Barbie.”

That had his head snapping up. 
“What?”

“Barbie.  She paid for the
order.”  Tracey smiled at him.  “Nice of her, hey?  She felt so bad, insisted
on paying.”

“Yes,” Lori said behind him. “Bit
hard to apologise properly when the local cop is scowling at you.”

Adam glanced over his shoulder. 
“I didn’t-”

“You did.”  Tracey nodded in
agreement.  “Kind of hard to miss.  Big cop, big mess, big scowl.”

This was the problem of working in
a town full of people you’d grown up with - no respect.  “I was just a little surprised.”

“And she wasn’t?” Tracey asked
sarcastically.

Annoyed all over again, now at
himself and feeling just a little foolish to boot, Adam withdrew his bank
card.  “She’s not paying. Now-”

“I think I hear the phone
ringing.”  Tracey walked into the back of the café.

Fine, he’d get Lori to take the
card.  Proffering it, he turned to her, only to be taken by surprise when she simply
shook her head slowly, rolled her eyes, turned and walked back into the service
station office.

Huffing out a breath, Adam put the
card back in his wallet and shoved the wallet back into his pocket.  Picking up
the box, he left the café. 
Damn stubborn females.  Typical behaviour,
backing each other up whether right or wrong.

Getting into the patrol car, he
placed the box on the passenger seat and looked at it.  Why had Barbie paid for
the meal?  Just because she felt guilty?  Well, now he felt bad.  It had been an
accident, pure and simple, she didn’t have to pay for it.  He’d just have to front
her up, give her the money back, and tell her not to be so stupid.

Yeah, like that wasn’t going to
offend her.

Dropping his head back against the
headrest, Adam pinched the bridge of his nose.  Barbie Declan was back in town
for less than an hour and already she was doing his head in.  Talk about a
thorn in his side.

Maybe he should think this through
before he went off half-cocked, something he never did normally.  Or ever, come
to think of it.  Until Barbie had come to town, pricked him, and then all sorts
of weird things started knocking around inside his head.

Christ, was this how Matt had felt
when he’d been chasing Lori?

Abruptly, Adam snapped upright in
the seat. 
What the hell?
  He certainly wasn’t chasing Barbie, far from
it.  She’d destroyed his relationship in the past, he sure as hell wasn’t
looking to start one with her now.

Barbie Declan, of all women.

Shit no
.

Starting the car, he pulled out
onto the highway and headed back to the police station, his forehead creased in
a  scowl.  He’d eat, recharge his batteries, get his head screwed on straight,
clear his mind, then go and see her, tell her it was an accident.

Be all polite and shit.

His gaze slid down to the yellow
slip of paper holding her phone number that sat on the console.

Yeah, and police business.  Make
her take the damned slip of paper, make sure she was okay out at the old
house.  He had a duty to protect the townsfolk, and right now she was a part of
that.

Ah ha!
  That had to be it. 
That had to be the answer.  The tension in his brow eased a little.  For
however short a period, she was a part of his town, under his protection, and
he’d been confusing everything, thinking his concern for her was alarmingly out
of place.

Scoffing to himself, he pulled up
behind the police station and took the box from the passenger seat, locking the
car securely before heading inside.  Yeah, that was the answer.

He was over-analysing everything. 
Of course he’d be concerned for a woman living alone with strange happenings at
her home.  It was only natural.  It was just that it was happening to Barbie
Declan with whom he shared history.

You’re confusing everything,
you idiot
. 
Get a grip, be the cop.

More settled, he nodded to
himself, his scowl disappearing as he entered the back offices.  Now he was
focussed, centred.  Sorted.

Brandon walked in from the front. 
“Man, I am starving.  You went to get the food ages ago.  What happened?”

“Slight diversion.  Stop
bellyaching and eat.”

Brandon popped a chip into his
mouth while unwrapping the chicken salad roll.  “The diversion happen to be caused
by a certain busty blonde?’

Not surprised that word had
travelled, especially when it concerned him and Barbie, Adam sucked up some
cold coffee, savouring the icy creaminess.