Stony Creek Hero [Stony Creek 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (19 page)

“Ben, what is the problem out here? Oh my, Lizzie! What is wrong? Julia, quick, get them into exam three please! Stop making that face. She isn’t bleeding! Is she, Ben?” Billie rushed out, at first annoyed with his yelling, but the feeling quickly turned to concern when she spied her friend being carried like a burlap bag. Also odd was the smiles on the faces of the entire populace of her waiting room and her office manager and yenta, who was afraid of blood, all waiting as though a juicy piece of gossip was about to fall into their laps.

Julia ushered them all into the exam room as Ben placed his cargo on the table with loving tenderness that contradicted his transport of her person.

“Lizzie, are you hurt? I thought Ben brought you back into town this morning. Were you hurt from yesterday? Ben never said a thing! Where is the pain? Hey, since when do you wear workout clothes to the restaurant? Why are you laughing?” Billie rambled out her questions, perplexed by the lack of obvious injury.

“I am not hurt at all and to tell you the truth, I have no idea why this Neanderthal made me come in here, other than I am always happy to see you. As for the clothes, well, um, my clothes from yesterday were a bit damaged,” Lizzie offered sheepishly with hug.

They both turned to Ben, waiting silently for some sort of answer.

“This is an emergency! Stop fooling around, girls,” Ben ground out.

With a sigh, signaling a skill with patience that was probably well earned, Billie just crossed her arms over her silk shirt and waited patiently. “Ben, what is the emergency that is so important that I had to interrupt my exam and rush you in here ahead of five scheduled patients?”

“Laugh all you want but we need birth control for Lizzie, stat!” Ben looked annoyed at her lack of concern.

Lizzie’s gasp, Julia’s laugh, and Billie’s shocked expression all were thrown in Ben’s direction at once.

“Excuse me, kids, I have a phone call to make,” Julia said through her laughter as she ran out of the room unapologetically in her rush to spread the gossip.

“Kill me now.” Lizzie hung her head in her hands.

Billie just shook her own and looked at Ben like he was going crazy, prompting his very male response of, “What?”

Lizzie sat on the end of her gauzy white bench, enjoying the peace that was her sensual sanctuary.
“Do I choose the pale yellow or the soft green? Which looks less like, ‘yes, I had the best sex of my life with your son’?” Lizzie muttered to herself as she gazed into the mirror, trying on the two dresses again.

Billie had convinced her that she had to have both dresses when they went shopping after her emergency birth control procedure. She was never going to hear the end of it or live down her humiliation at Ben’s now well-known enthusiasm for loving on her, immediately, without protection. Ugh, who cared really? Her mind had been bombarded with salacious images of their entwined bodies since her rescue by his very capable hands. It was just another detail of their relationship that was making the rounds everywhere from Braxton’s Feed and Seed to the Ladies Guild meeting. Julia had been very generous in not only providing a blow-by-blow detailed account of the actual event but also returning to Lizzie and sharing each and every response to her story. Well, at least everyone knew that they were practicing safe sex, right? She hardly qualified as the town’s slut, her very long drought period being a previous hot topic. Lizzie figured that most people would turn the other way and be happy that she was enjoying Ben’s attentions. Well, for as long as they were going to last. That part made her insides clench. She was falling and falling hard without anyone or anything to catch her. Ben was not known for his ability to maintain a monogamous relationship so if she wanted to protect her heart, she was going to have to try to shield herself just a bit while enjoying his “talents.” Yes, she could do that right?

“Who the heck are you trying to kid, girlie?” Lizzie asked her own image. Was she trying to convince herself that she could maintain an emotional distance? Now she was pathetically attempting to lie to herself. Oh well, she would just have to digest all this confusion later because right now she had a dress to decide on. Lizzie focused on the soft green as it had delicate spaghetti straps and soft cotton ruching around the bodice, giving it a more innocent air. The filmy material showcased her gently curved figure without revealing too much and hung at a ladylike position to just above her knees. Four-inch gold jeweled sandals that Billie insisted that she couldn’t live without finished her ensemble. Oh well, here goes nothing, Lizzie thought. Hopefully Lillian and Florence would still love her even if she had to go back to being just a family friend. She left her gorgeous, thick hair down so it accented her femininity and couldn’t help but admire that she really was morphing into a much more confident woman. The outside of her was really looking like a mature, empowered woman, while the inside was still a work in progress but advancing nonetheless. She stood a little taller and recalled the events of yesterday, Saturday, when she had a defining moment that normally would have thrown her.

* * * *

She had been just locking up early to meet up with Billie to go shopping for clothing that she could ill afford as it was but apparently Billie felt that she was going to have to pull her “protection” prescription if she did not comply. She waited on a bench, bathing in the warm sunshine while patiently waiting or her friend to lock up her office as well. Billie had really been unwell for the last several weeks but refused to see it as anything that she needed to get checked out on by someone else. Physicians make the worst patients, Lizzie thought ruefully. An old-model black Lincoln suddenly pulled up in front of where she was sitting, much to her dismay. She watched cautiously as Theodore Davis rolled himself out of the vehicle and proceeded to walk in her direction. Lizzie turned her head away and tried to look much occupied with counting the cracks on the bench next to her leg.

“Good afternoon, Lizzie,” Theodore’s voice grated out.

“Good afternoon to you, Mr. Davis.” Lizzie left it at that, still not turning her head to acknowledge the man or that he had obviously stopped and gotten out with the sole intent to converse with her

He stood over her as she sat, trying to pull his pudgy frame into an intimidating stance. He wasn’t dressed for the warm Wyoming summer and his shirt was stuck to him with sweat marks everywhere, furthering Lizzie’s sense of disgust. Funny though, she thought, if Ben’s shirt was stuck to him, it would only make her want to rip it off and lick him clean. Perspective was definitely an interesting thing.

“I understand that you have made payment on your partnership with Ben Powell, eh? I offered you the same opportunity you know. Now it is going to cost you more, sweet thing,” Theodore said in a threatening manner.

She could actually feel his intrusive and disgusting gaze move over her figure, almost in a predatory manner that made her skin crawl.

“I beg your pardon.” Lizzie finally swung herself in his direction. “What did you say to me? I didn’t make any sort of ‘payment,’ as you so revoltingly put it, Mr. Davis. I think you are disgusting in your implication and I think you have been forewarned by my partner not to approach me anymore whether it is concerning a professional or private issue. Anything you have to say to me either way can now go directly through Ben. I am sure he would have a definitive opinion on your offer.”

Her comment garnered a dirty look from the sweating, pasty-looking man in front of her. “Well, Ms. High and Mighty Carmichael, we will see how haughty you are when he leaves you in the lurch. The man isn’t exactly known for hanging around after he has had a sample of the goods, you know. I will be open to negotiations, after all I am a generous man, but you won’t find my offer as kind to you as it was before. I am going to demand more, interest, I would call it. You will come to me on your knees, both figuratively and literally. Then we will see.”

Another voice filled with authority and barely controlled rage interrupted Theodore Davis’s egotistical declaration.

“You had best back it up two feet, sir, and take a deep breath of reality because the day that you just described only exists in your delusional fantasy land. Now please remove yourself from our presences, immediately or I will personally call Sly Mulligan to handle you. I would not dirty my hands,” Billie bravely ground out as she gave a death stare to the overweight banker. Hands on her couture-covered hips, in four-inch black patent-leather heels, her friend looked formidable and furious.

“Damn cocky bitch. Since you came to this town, you have got all the women thinking that they got something that I am sure they don’t have. That would be brains, Doc. I doubt the sheriff is going to come running over here just because we are having a conversation. It’s called freedom of speech and all, Dr. Rothman. I never liked you except for possibly a good fuck.” Theodore finished with a new level of crude to his thoughts.

Lizzie stared in amazement as Billie started to look bored with his retort. “Is that all you have got in there, Mr. Davis? You are going to have to do better than that if you are thinking to upset Lizzie or myself. Good luck with that, Mr. Davis. Now please, use the sense that god gave you and go away before someone sees you. I may not scare you or Lizzie either for that matter but I am sure you wouldn’t care for a very angry version of any Powell man that sees this situation. Would you, Mr. Davis? I can only imagine what would happen if they lost their tempers.”

“Are you actually daring to threaten me, Dr. Rothman?” Theodore stammered as if shocked that someone, especially a woman would.

“Of course not, Mr. Davis, it’s just this heat here in Wyoming during the summer months. It makes me so cranky and I say things that might be misconstrued. However, you shouldn’t let that bother you, freedom of speech and all,” Billie finished with a syrupy-sweet smile displayed.

Her comments had the desired effects and he glanced around in a cautionary manner. “Stupid bitches, you will see what happens when I am crossed.”

“Go away, Mr. Davis, and speak with Ben the next time you have a need to address me please,” Lizzie finished like the lady she was.

Both women stood their ground as they watched his car peel away. Only when they could barely see it in the distance did they let their breaths out and burst into nervous laughter. Lizzie leaned over and enveloped Billie in a long, tight hug communicating her fear and insecurity without using words.

“Well, we showed him.” Billie laughed out.

“You were spectacular! I was trying to think of what to say back to that pathetic little excuse of a man but I could have never topped your speech! You are Super Billie!” Lizzie gushed.

“Shoot, Lizzie, what are we going to do when the boys really do find out about this? I don’t think that they are just going to forgive and forget.” Billie chewed on her lip worriedly and now looked somewhat pale.

“Well, how about the policy of if they don’t ask, then we won’t tell? Seems like a pretty good idea to me,” Lizzie offered to Billie.

They both looked at each other and nodded laughingly in silent approval. Hopefully, none of the gossips of the town had witnessed the scene, but that might just be more than they could hope for. Lizzie figured that they would cross that bridge when they came to it. For the moment she was feeling pretty darned proud of her new “not going to take any more abuse” attitude. For the first time, in perhaps forever, she felt strong. She didn’t have anyone other than her dear friend at her side and she herself had been the one not to shy away in fear. She felt like she had evolved into a better version of herself.

Casting a loving eye in her friend’s direction, she noticed that Billie was no longer pale at all. Nope, now she was a lovely shade of green. With that thought, she helped her over to the alley between the buildings and held Billie’s hair back as she lost what Lizzie presumed to be her lunch. Super Billie indeed. This would make a fitting end to their comic strip, she laughed to herself.

* * * *

The den in the main house on Rugged Hill Ranch was overrun with enough specimens of hunky male flesh that they could fill two calendars if they chose to. Apparently the theme of the evening was yelling at the game on the television that also looked to be the size of a drive-in movie screen. Lizzie heard the raised voices even from where she parked Billie’s Range Rover, that she was forcibly loaned, as her car was on its way to becoming a man-made reef for the wildlife that inhabited the creek. Taking a deep breath, Lizzie exited the SUV and smoothed her sweaty palms on the sides of her new dress. She knew she looked good, different but in a good way. Billie had assured her of it and her mirror didn’t lie. That fortification went a long way to bolstering her confidence.

Every woman in Stony Creek wanted to be invited to the Powells’ Sunday dinners. Not just invited, however, but rather invited by one of the younger Powell men. Lizzie herself had daydreamed of that very thing but now being faced with the reality, she found herself mentally stumbling with more than a little bit of apprehension. Billie was here, so she definitely had backup. Ben had practically ordered her here, so she doubted that he had cooled off from the unforgettable rescue and aftermath or the moments of passion after her humiliating forced doctor’s appointment, or even the Friday evening at The Pump where he practically made love to her on the dance floor. It was that last one that scared her the most because he had backed off and left her in his parents’ care. She didn’t know what to make of it. Well, perhaps tonight she would get some answers.