“Come an’ get it,” I called out the door to Asher, a big grin on my face as I summoned the man in for the hearty meal I’d made. And he took the summons serious, wipin’ away the sweat from his brow with a cloth and immediately stoppin’ what he was doin’ to march on in to me.
“Hope I didn’t wake you this morning,” he said with a smile, lookin’ so darned good in that tight top and jeans as he sa
t himself down to the table in a hurry.
“Not even a little,” I said, putting the ham and bacon and eggs in front of him, orange juice and water to either side. I was spoiling him, even had the good jam out for his toast, trying to make amends for Marcus’ boneheaded behaviour.
“I hope you got to sleep easy after...” I trailed off.
“Don’t worry about it, hun,” he said with a dismissive wave as he was already in the process of bringing some bacon to his mouth. He was ravenous, and it brought a familiar feeling back to the house, one that’d been missing ever since pa died. “I just hope I didn’t hit the guy too hard, he wasn’t a big guy after all.”
“Yea, his stupid jacket made him look like a brute,” I said as I sat across from him, leaning in on my elbows. I’d dressed a bit nicer, my newest pair of shorts and a tank top that showed off the cusps of my breasts but not in a slutty way. My blonde hair was pulled back in a ponytail and though I didn’t have much by way of lipstick, I’d slapped on what little I had.
Asher gave a chuckle to my statement, and I realized the humour in thinking of Marcus as a brute myself, so we laughed together as we ate the meal.
“You’re a mighty fine cook, Shelby,” he remarked to me appreciatively, and as he peered over the table I could see a special somethin’ glitter in his deep, dark eyes. It weren’t just politeness that motivated him and made him wanna stay.
At least, I dared to hope. I didn’t get a lot of excitement ‘round here, nor a lot of men I was interested in. I wanted to believe I was more than just a good cook and a pretty face.
“Thanks, Asher,” I said and I went to tuck some hair behind my ear out of instinct, forgetting I had it pinned back.
“Never got to eat like this back in the city,” he said, devouring the eggs and toast, leavin’ not a morsel behind on his plate. He had a real man’s hunger, that was for sure.
“Not even when you lived at home?” I asked, and he gave a chuckle.
“Nah. We ate like paupers growin’ up. Oatmeal and toast. Noodles with or without sauce. That kinda thing. Even if you were to prepare it well and not burn it up, it was never anything you’d care to savour. Not like this.”
“I don’t know how you ate like that and ended up with all those muscles,” I said without thinking, and scrambled to come up with something to hide my admiring tone. “I mean, you’d figure you’d look more like Marcus, eatin’ like that, is all I’m sayin’.”
Asher smiled and shook his head, repressin’ a laugh, I could tell.
“Well maybe once upon a time, I did look like scrawny ol’ Marcus,” he said, lookin’ at me still with those beautiful, dark eyes. “But that was long ago. And I built myself up into someone stronger. Tougher. Life’s a little different in the city, you don’t have the kind of peace and security you do out here in the country.”
“Is that why you’re so worried about the Sheriff?” The words popped out of my mouth unbidden.
Silence hung in the air for just a moment, but he shook his head as he looked down at his food, cutting his last fried egg in half with his fork before eating it.
“No,” was all he said to me, simple and direct.
I pushed around some of my bacon, regretting asking. He clearly wasn’t going to talk about it.
“I’m gonna head into town later, then go to Marcus’, see if I can’t clear this up none,” I said, trying to get rid of the strange feeling in the air.
But the moment I stood up, I froze. And the look of alarm on my face made it impossible to hide my concern from Asher. It was only a moment and he was standin’ up, lookin’ out the window with me to the sight of the sheriff's truck comin’ up the lane.
“Dammit,” Asher cursed beneath his breath, wiping his hands off on a napkin I’d put there for him.
“What do I do?” I asked immediately, shaking my head. Asher wouldn’t know. I’d known Hank since I was a kid, surely I could figure something out.
I moved away from the table, toward the front door, still barefooted and feeling a bit groggy.
Asher stayed back as I headed out to greet the sheriff, his pickup coming to a halt and the man casually getting out. He wasn’t even in his forties, but with his uniform and his black hair prematurely greying, Hank looked like an authority figure despite his youthful, athletic figure.
“Howdy Hank,” I managed to say.
“Mornin’ Shelby, sorry to drop on by like this unannounced. But I was in the neighbourhood,” undoubtedly he was, of course. Since Marcus’ farm wasn’t far up the road.
“Gorgeous day,” I said, and I felt a pit in my stomach, twisting and growing hard. I didn’t know what I was doin’, I wanted to protect Asher, but didn’t want to get Marcus in trouble neither. It was a tough spot, and I didn’t have any experience bein’ on the other side of the law. I’d always been the good girl, the boring one.