ed, nodding politely to people he knew as they passed by.
Jessy leaned her head on his shoulder, knowing he brought her here to get her mind off of the situation with Jagger. He was missing and apparently no one knew where he was. Abel was sure he was heading this way and he assured Jessy and Lily he had it under control. He was not going to step foot into town without someone noticing him. Jessy wanted to believe it, but it wasn’t easy to just let go of her fear so easily.
Lily and Melanie were on a ride with some of the girls from work. Lily was smiling ear to ear and Jessy was glad she had given in and agreed to come. She was having a good time. As Abel said it wasn’t fair for them to be locked up in his parents’ house like prisoners.
“Want some cotton candy?” Lincoln asked. “Or should I show off and win you a stuffed animal?”
Jessy laughed, looking around at the red tents where the games were held. Stands of food were scattered around the huge park where the carnival was being held. It had been transformed into an exciting venue. Kids were beaming with excitement as they ran by them.
“I could go for some cotton candy,” she admitted. He steered her to one of the stands that sold all kinds of delicious snacks. He sighed when he eyed the long line, but he didn’t say anything like Jessy expected him to.
“Hey, buddy. This is the last place I expected to find you,” a voice said from behind them. They turned and Lincoln smiled, letting Jessy know he knew the man with short blond hair. The man was holding hands with a slim blonde woman.
“Jessy made me come,” Lincoln joked, shaking the man’s hand. “Matt, meet my girlfriend, Jessy. Jessy, this is my oldest pal, Matt.”
Matt smiled at Jessy. His blue eyes alight with amusement. “Nice to meet you, Jessy. I already heard so much about you. This is my girl Jocelyn. I was about to win her a prize. Something you can’t do with that bum elbow of yours.”
Lincoln chuckled and moved his elbow back and forth. “I was hurt. That’s the only reason you beat me at basketball last time we played. I’ll slaughter you now.”
Jocelyn and Jessy shook their heads as the two men traded insults back and forth until they moved up the line. Lincoln got Jessy a bag of cotton candy and a lemonade. They found a bench to sit and rest.
“Are they always like this?” Jessy asked Jocelyn. Jocelyn giggled and nodded yes. “They’ve known each other since high school.”
“Men,” Jessy told, her drinking the lemonade. They had been here over an hour and she was thirsty.
“You’re new in town?” Jocelyn asked with curiosity. Jessy nodded. “A few months now and I love it here. I was working at Kramer’s but now I’m trying to finish my accounting degree.”
“Awesome.” Jocelyn seemed like a nice person. “I work at the Brook Hollow Medical clinic. I work in the billing department. They are always looking for more employees.”
Jessy was happy to meet some of Lincoln’s friends. They made an arrangement to have dinner soon and it made Jessy feel like she could have a normal life in this quiet town.
“They were nice,” Jessy told Lincoln after the couple went to go on a ride. Lincoln refused to get on anything but the Ferris Wheel. They had already rode it tonight. Jessy didn’t mind, she wasn’t much for rides either.
“Matt and I went to high school together. He’s a good friend. He works for his dad’s construction company,” Lincoln told her, wrapping his arm around her waist and kissing her cheek. “Have we had enough excitement? I have another exciting adventure planned.”
She looked up at him and saw the heated look in his eyes. She pretended to yawn. “Mmm, I don’t know. All this walking around made me tired.”
“You love teasing me, minx.” He tickled her side. “You are in so much trouble when we get home.”
She liked the sound of that. He had finally moved all of his things into her rental house. She had been unsure if living together was the right thing to do, but so far she loved having him around and the nights were amazing. Even something simple as watching TV with his arms wrapped around her made her feel safe and secure. Two feelings she wasn’t used to having.
Her stomach tingled with enthusiasm. She forgot all about teasing him. “Let’s go home then. I love having you touching me. It’s the best feeling in the world.”
He leaned down and kissed her nose. “Now you’re talking, babe.”
He grabbed her hand and led her into the parking lot. “Shit, where did we park? There’s too many damn cars,” he grumbled grouchily, looking around in the dark. “I told Abel we needed more lights here. He’s always worried about the damn budget. If I trip over a rock I am making him pay my doctor bills.”
“Oh, you should go to a city council meeting and make a suggestion. Someone once told me that’s what they were for,” she said sweetly, remembering when she complained about the lack of lights on the stretch of road coming from Kramer’s.
She heard him mutter smartass under his breath. Jessy laughed and helped him scout for the car. She knew they parked by a tree but they all looked the same, especially in the dark.
“I found it,” he said proudly, looking at her. Jessy saw a shadow come up behind him. She gasped and opened her mouth to shout out a warning when the figure hit him over the head with an object. Lincoln dropped quickly to the gravel unconscious. Jessy screamed as loud as she could, hoping someone would hear them over the noise of the carnival. She was afraid her scream blended in with those screaming on the scary rides.
A hand went over her mouth and she struggled, but it was no use. “Shut up, Jessy.”
Her heart sank as she recognized Jagger’s voice in her ear. “You caused me a lot of problems, bitch. And I have a scar on my forehead, thanks to you hitting me.”
Jessy didn’t correct him. The man who hit Lincoln came up to them. He was holding a gun in his hand. He eyed Jessy with a lustful look. “Want me to get rid of the cop for good?”