They chatted on the drive back to Appledale. Lacy was enjoying his company so much that she didn’t want the date to end yet. Ryan seemed to be enjoying himself, too. She had never seen him smile so much. She found out he was thirty and was elected sheriff two years ago, and he couldn’t imagine doing anything else. The town was mostly quiet, he told her, but every once in a while they had small crimes. Mostly they were around to help people in trouble. She liked that he enjoyed helping others. It showed his honorable character and in her opinion that was hard to find. She had certainly never found it in any of her past boyfriends. She told him she was twenty-five and never lived anywhere but Detroit but she really liked Appledale and how different it was from city life. When they got to town it was still early, so Ryan asked her if she wanted to go by his place and get something to eat. Lacy hoped he was reluctant for their time together to end.
“My mom is at bingo with friends but she’ll be home soon so your virtue is safe—this time.” He winked playfully.
Lacy laughed and agreed. “Behave, Sheriff.”
He drove down a long winding road that led to a beautiful log-cabin-style house with a wraparound porch, surrounded by trees. There was a porch swing, which Lacy thought was romantic, and lots of flowers. Ally was quite the gardener.
Lacy gasped. “Oh, Ryan, I’ve never seen anything so beautiful. Did you grow up here?”
He nodded. “I was lucky. It holds good memories of my dad. He passed away three years ago and my mom refuses to sell it. I didn’t want my mom to be alone so I still live here, too.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. My mom died last year. I know it’s hard to lose a parent.” She frowned. He opened the door for her and led her up the porch stairs, keeping his hand at her back and guiding her inside his home.
Inside was a large living room filled with big but comfortable-looking furniture. A huge fireplace was a focal point of the room. It had a homey, lived-in feel and she loved it. She had always lived in small, affordable apartments since it had been just her and her mom, and this looked like something she had only seen on TV. The kitchen was open to the living room with big windows overlooking the backyard and woods behind the house. There was a long island with barstools in the middle of the kitchen. He took out all the fixings for roast beef sandwiches along with chips and iced tea. She couldn’t remember the last time she had enjoyed herself so much on a date. If she wasn’t careful, she could fall hard for Ryan Clark and end up another brokenhearted waitress.
She helped him clean up after they ate and knew the time had come to get serious and talk with him. Hopefully he wouldn’t hate her by the time she was done telling him her story because she really liked him and wanted to get to know him more. “Ryan, can we talk about something for a minute?” she asked nervously.
Ryan couldn’t imagine what she needed to talk about but he nodded and led her to the living room. He sat next to her on the couch and held her hands. Lacy’s hands were cold and she looked scared to death.
“Despite all the bad things I’m sure Stella and my mom told you about me, I promise not to ravish you.” He tried teasing her, rubbing her hands to warm them up.
“Oh, Ryan, you’re not a bad person, but I am.” With that she burst into tears which surprised him. He hadn’t been expecting that.
He gave her tissues and tried to comfort her. She took a deep breath to calm herself down. She told Ryan about Chico and what she had seen him do and how they chased her but she managed to get away. In her terrified state of mind she had panicked and hopped on a bus that ended up in Appledale. He listened to her story quietly, without interrupting or judging her.
When she finished her story, she looked at him, afraid to see his reaction. “Do you hate me now?” she whispered, drying up her eyes with the tissues.
He put his arms around her and pulled her shivering body close. “Never, Lacy! Who wouldn’t be terrified seeing someone shot like that? I’m so glad you got away from them.” He soothingly rubbed her back with his hands. She could easily have been caught and killed and he would never have met her. He thanked God she had gotten away and was here with him now. She felt so small and fragile in his arms. He could feel her body shaking from the fear of retelling the story. She brought out all his protective instincts. “Are you telling me this because you want to report it to the police?” He hoped so, because he had a duty to report it even if she didn’t want to.
Lacy sniffed and nodded. She was a little embarrassed at her breakdown, but Ryan’s arms around her felt so good. His body was so warm and hard. “I feel so guilty that I haven’t been able to sleep. I had no idea what to do or who to turn to so I ran in fear. I know it was the wrong thing to do. I should have gone straight to the police even if they didn’t believe me. The victim deserved that much at least,” she said, crying.
“Did you know the victim?” Ryan asked, his hands running through her soft hair soothingly.
Lacy shook her head. “Only Chico and his boys because I had to put up with them every day when I got home from work. I think he was from another gang but I’m not sure.”
When Lacy told him how they harassed her every day, he wanted to go over there and personally make sure they would never harass another person again. He hated bullies and Chico sounded like one.
“You’re not alone now, Lacy. You have me and I promise to help you.” He tilted her chin up and lowered his lips to hers. He had to taste her lips. He could taste her tears. Her lips were soft and warm. She opened her mouth to let his tongue in. She moaned when he explored her mouth softly with an aching tenderness that went right to her soul. Ryan didn’t want to scare her off by being aggressive. His hands lowered to her waist and went under her blouse and up her back, and he felt her body quiver. Her skin was silky and soft and he wanted to explore all of it. He felt her hands shyly reach to his hair and she pulled him closer to her. It felt so right to have Lacy in his arms. He had been attracted to her at first sight but tonight he also discovered he liked Lacy, too, and that was rare. He had been attracted to Emma but it didn’t take him long to discover her unpleasant personality.
They were so into each other they didn’t even hear the front door open or Ally loudly clearing her throat. They jumped apart guiltily and saw her standing there with a big grin on her face. Ally was happy to see Lacy there with her son. Ryan never brought his dates home.
Lacy could feel her cheeks heating up with embarrassment at seeing Ally standing there smiling at them. She was still breathing hard and didn’t know what to say at being caught making out on a couch like high school kids.
Ryan smiled at his mom, not embarrassed at all, then stood up and pulled Lacy up by her hand, then put his arms around her shoulders, squeezing them encouragingly. “The best date. I’m taking Lacy home, Mom, be back in a few minutes.”
He drove her home and walked her to her door. Lacy turned to say good night, but Ryan grabbed her shoulders, leaned down, and kissed her. He plunged his tongue right into her mouth this time. It wasn’t sweet and gentle. It was a hot, possessive kiss that went on and on. He explored her mouth with his tongue, and her body quivered. She kissed him back eagerly. Ryan let her go and she was left speechless, her eyes glazed over with passion. He grinned smugly. “We’ll talk tomorrow, darlin’.” He walked away, whistling.
Ryan arrived home in a good mood and went upstairs to his bedroom still smiling. His ringing cell phone startled him out of his blissful thoughts of Lacy. He answered it and groaned when he heard Emma’s voice.
“Where have you been all night?” she whined loudl
y. “I called the station and no one would tell me where you were.”
He was getting tired of these late night phone calls from her. She always sounded drunk. “Perhaps because it’s none of your business anymore, Emma. You need to move on with your life and leave me alone.”
“How can you tell me to move on when you know I still love you? I refuse to believe you don’t love me anymore!” she cried.
It would be cruel to say he had never told her he loved her in the first place, so he stayed silent. She had pursued him, not the other way around.