Dare to Trust (The Dare 1)

“Marlena, it’s more than sexual, more than physical, and you know it. We’ve seen you looking at them and watching their every move and shaking like a leaf when they come too close. You obviously felt pretty damn comfortable with them last night to let them get as close to you as you did,” Mercedes said to her and raised one of her eyebrows at her in challenge.

“Yeah, well, I was unprepared for the triple attack. They can be pretty commanding and sexy when all three of them are in action,” she said, her cheeks reddening again. The girls laughed.

“That good, huh?” Adele asked and wiggled her eyebrows up and down in a silly way. Marlena laughed. Then she looked very serious again as she whispered to them.

“I won’t place them in danger. I won’t bring them into my mess from my past that will eventually rear its ugly head. They’ll hate me.”

Mercedes shook her head.

“No, honey, they won’t hate you, but they’ll be angry if you don’t tell them, if you don’t give them the chance to help you and instead one day you disappear. Then they’ll hate you, and Peter would have won no matter what the outcome.”

Marlena stared at her, tears filled her eyes, and the door to the diner chimed, indicating another customer had arrived. It was Sheriff Gordon.

She straightened her shoulders. “Well, back to work.”

They watched Marlena greet the Sheriff, who immediately looked at Alicia and tipped his hat at all of them. “Good afternoon, ladies,” he said. They all smiled and said hello.

“Alicia,” he said to her.

Mercedes had to hide her smile. It seemed the Sheriff had a thing for Alicia, but Alicia, too, was too shy, and too unwilling to trust a man. Hell, this was why they all got along so well. They were all burned by men. Their hearts ripped out and stomped on. It would take an army to get each of them to open up their hearts. Well, for Mercedes it could be three. But who was she kidding. The Dawn men weren’t her types at all.

The sheriff went to sit down by the counter and Marlena was her smiling, friendly self. But Mercedes worried about her.

“I’m worried. Marlena never mentioned that her ex could be looking for her, or that he tried to kill her and that’s how she sustained the burns on her hip bone,” Alicia said to her and Adele.

“I know. I was thinking the same thing. Hell, we all haven’t poured our guts out about what happened in our pasts to make us this hard and timid of men. But we explained enough that we can empathize and understand. Marlena likes Mike, Danny, and Jack. Her eyes light up when she talks about them, and whenever one of them is around. They could protect her. Mike is a deputy and this town is tight-knit,” Adele said.

“You’re not kidding. I swear, sometimes when I get into town and I’m walking around, it’s like men have their eyes on me, like they’re guarding me. Some guy was passing through town the other day and stopped to ask me directions, and before I could respond, Monroe Gordon appeared out of nowhere and spoke to the guy. Then when the guy drove off, Monroe gave me the third degree about getting too close to a vehicle I didn’t know, and how I could have been taken. It was like the third degree on safety.”

Mercedes and Adele chuckled.

“Honey, by the way the sheriff looks at you, and how his brother Monroe did that, I’m surprised you haven’t figured out that they like you and want to protect you,” Mercedes told her. Alicia looked stunned and downright shocked.

“Has Caldwell Gordon shown up out of the blue, too?” Adele asked her.

Alicia nibbled her bottom lip.

“Oh my God, I was looking at the number to call on the sign about the new storefronts going in on the edge of town. There’s a small one on the corner unit, and I was thinking that maybe I could start a business there. You know, maybe a consignment store where I can sell my stained-glass art, and others who make jewelry and things. Plus there’s Mia, who makes those gorgeous hats, Louise, who makes her scarves, and a bunch of others that I’ve met here in town. With more people passing through Chance, it could be great to advertise it as locally made items.”

“That would be awesome. Your stained-glass pieces are gorgeous, Alicia. You could do it,” Adele said, and Mercedes nodded her head in agreement. She knew that Alicia had wonderful ideas, but to actually have the nerve to take the chance and do it was completely different.

“Anyway, Caldwell pulled up along side my car in that sports car he has.”

“It’s a Porsche, Alicia. An expensive one,” Adele said.

“Well, he asked me if I was okay and what I was doing. I told him and he told me it was a great idea and that if I needed financial backing that he would be there. Or if I had questions on running a business since him and Monroe have numerous ones. It was so weird. I wondered why he would offer financial backing to a complete stranger,” Alicia said to them.

“You’re not a complete stranger. They’ve talked to you in town at some of the local events, and they seem to pop up to protect you or just watch over you when you least expect anyone to be around.”

“They’re too intimidating. Too wealthy and kind of demanding. You’ve seen the way the sheriff is,” Alicia whispered and looked toward him. He was talking to Marlena as Marlena placed his food onto the counter.

“He’s gorgeous and pretty damn sexy in that high position of authority. Is that what scares you about him, and his brothers?” Mercedes asked. She knew that Alicia’s ex was similar. He had been controlling and used her savings to invest in some business she wanted to do and it failed.

“Yes, all of the above. I don’t need that type of man in my life. Been there, done that.”

“Alicia, you’re attracted to that type. We all are. But it doesn’t mean they’ll be like your ex.”

“Adele, I hear you. I process it in my head, but my heart aches and my stomach feels queasy at the thought of trusting another man again, never mind more than one. No thank you. I’ll just try to focus on this store and whether I have the nerve to risk what I have saved. It took a year to make back some of the money I lost. I think we should worry about Marle