“Either you were or you weren’t,” she said, raising her voice. “If there hadn’t been a raid, Irv wouldn’t have gotten shot.”
“If he hadn’t been in Lefty’s back room, he wouldn’t have gotten shot.”
“You’re blaming him?”
“No. All I’m saying is that he was at the wrong place at the wrong time, and so was I.”
“Oh, were you? If Irv hadn’t been shot, would you have arrested him?”
“Wasn’t up to me. I didn’t arrest anybody. I hauled your father-in-law out of there, carried him to his truck, and drove him home.”
“For which I’ve thanked you. Now I want you to leave.”
“It wasn’t my doing, Laurel.”
“Don’t use my name!”
“I got railroaded into taking part, Laurel. Sheriff Amos—”
“I don’t care.”
“Sounds like you do. Sounds like you care one hell of a lot.”
“Will you just go?”
“What difference does it make to you if I was official or not?”
“None. Absolutely none. You…your…nothing you do is any of my business. Or didn’t I make that clear to you not three minutes ago?”
He leaned forward and said with emphasis, “It was an eventful three minutes.”
True. With desire spreading through her like warm syrup, all sorts of events had taken place in intimate places. To cover her mortification, she went on the offensive. “Why did you keep that badge concealed? It makes me wonder what else you’re hiding.”
“Yeah? Then that makes two of us. Because I don’t think it was the kiss that has got you coming apart.”
Anger and fear were potent emotions. In the throes of either, one could speak ill-advisedly. In the grips of both, one would be foolish to say anything at all. She’d gone far beyond that, but if she didn’t stop now, she could dig herself in much deeper.
Drawing herself up to her full height, she said, “You prevented Irv’s condition from getting much worse. Possibly you even saved his life. Thank you. But I want you to leave now and, from now on, stay away from us. Away from me.”
He remained as he was just looking at her, then bent over and scooped the badge up off the floor. “Thanks for the pie.” He turned and disappeared around the corner into the kitchen. The back door was soundly pulled shut.
Laurel walked backward over to the table, groping blindly for her chair, and when she located it, landed hard in the seat. She squeezed her eyes shut and covered her mouth with her hand. Her lips were still damp from his kiss. She could taste him. Her breasts felt heavy, full, tingly. She didn’t know whether to scream with fury, wring her hands with anxiety, or weep because she could never be near him again.
“Miss Laurel?”
She started. Corrine was standing only a few feet away, looking at her with uncertainty. “Did he leave me here?”
Laurel laid her forehead on the table and hiccupped a sob tinged with hysteria. “So it would seem.”
Thirty-One
“…and like a damn fool, I believed every word out of his lyin’ mouth and ran off with him.” Corrine finished a slice of bacon and licked the grease off her fingers. “It was romantic and excitin’ and all. I kept tellin’ myself that Mama and Daddy wouldn’t miss me, that they’d be glad to have one less mouth to feed. There’s eleven of us kids. I’m second oldest.
“Anyhow, on the night Jack and me had set, I snuck out of the house and walked to the crossroads where he was waitin’. We hit the open road, laughin’ and carryin’ on, waitin’ to see where destiny would take us. It took us to Lefty’s. You gonna finish that?”
The sudden question, asked out of context, roused Laurel from her woolgathering. “Pardon?”
“You gonna eat what’s left of your breakfast?”