Beautiful Trouble (Trouble, Tennessee 1)

Doc, forever reasonable, squatted in front of Markie. “Do you know for a fact that she’s safe?”

“For the next forty-eight hours? Yes, she’s safe.”

“Why only forty-eight?” Nicholas asked, suddenly panicked.

“According to the sheriff, her divorce will be final in two days. She’s staying with her in-laws until then.”

“Why is she with her in-laws exactly?” Harley asked.

“Beats me.” Markie shrugged. “Sheriff Morrison protects his sources.”

“No, he gives you just enough information to keep you coming back for more.” Harley walked away and reclaimed his pitchfork.

“Is that the truth?” Nicholas asked.

“I suppose it could be,” Markie said playfully. “We are very close friends.”

“How close?” Trevor asked, practically in Markie’s face.

“Close enough for me to persuade him, I suppose.” Markie’s voice was thick with Southernism.

“Then go work your magic,” Nicholas told him. “I don’t think she’s safe and if she’s hiding with her in-laws until her divorce is final, that should tell us all something. She needs to be here in Trouble.”

“That’s never gonna happen, sugar. Sable married when she was very young. She’s been separated for several years.” Markie stood. “Sheriff says she may be divorcing the man, but the family will never let her go. She might as well remarry her ex as soon as the ink is dry on her walkin’ papers.”

Chapter Five

“Before you even ask, I’ve already tried.” Draegan McCall kept his back to Harley and Mac as he signed off on some feed bills. He handed a copy to the Co-Op truck driver and said his farewells before he added, “He’s my witness. I had him wait while I made a call.”

“You discussed our private lives in front of an outsider?” Mac clenched his fists. “What gives you the right? You don’t even know the story.”

“The hell I don’t,” Draegan said, wheeling around to face them. “How’s this for knowledge? You, Harley, Doc, Nicholas, and Trevor picked up some—for the sake of conversation we’ll call her a liberal woman—and took her to an overpriced suite at the Clarabelle and fucked her all night long. The next night, Harley, Nicholas, and Trevor went back to the adjacent bar in hopes of seeing her again. Trevor and Harley left. Nicholas stayed. How you got in the mix of all of this, I’m not exactly sure, but you were there and—”

“We get the picture,” Harley bit out.

“Do you?” Draegan pushed away from his desk. “I don’t think you do. Because if you were seeing this through my eyes, you would’ve seen a married young woman looking to fuck around on her husband!”

“I knew she was married,” Mac said in a barely audible voice. “I just had that feeling.”

“She’s not married,” Harley said, seemingly certain.

He was probably still stuck on the fact that she had two ring fingers with faded areas proving she’d worn a ring on each hand.

“She’s married, Harley.” Draegan seemed sure. “And she’s married to a high-profile man with a powerful family, a family that can apparently cause us some trouble if we ignore our own bylaws and you fellas pursue her.”

“Where are you getting your information?” Mac crossed his arms. “Did Markie tell you all this or did you call the sheriff?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“It matters to me!” Mac screamed.

Draegan and Harley jumped. Harley’s eyes bugged.

“Wait a minute.” Draegan cocked his head and closed his eyes as if he needed a blinding second to further concentrate. When he refocused his attention on them, he asked, “Are you saying you care about this girl?”

Harley said, “She’s no girl, Draegan. She’s—”

“Twenty-one,” Draegan interrupted him, “But she’s legal and all. I get that. Guess being of age is all that matters to you guys now. Still doesn’t change the fact that she didn’t come to us. You went outside of Trouble looking for—well, trouble! Now it appears you’ve found it.”