Rayleen’s words created an unwelcome image in Jenny’s mind: her body pressed against the hood of his sheriff’s truck, him too close behind her, his hands running down her sides, then back up to cup her breasts.
“Good night, Rayleen,” she said quickly. She’d already cleaned the bar and locked up the liquor. The last two tables needed clearing and wiping, and she felt guilty passing those by, but Rayleen liked to get the last few things every night. It gave her a reason to hang out until closing.
Jenny clicked the lock button on the door before she closed it behind her. The least she could do was be sure Rayleen wasn’t robbed because Jenny had been careless. The woman only needed to walk across the parking lot to get to the little house where she lived, but Jenny still worried about her. Not in the off season when it was mostly locals, but during ski season, a lot of temporary workers came through, and Jackson felt less like a small town.
Walking through the lot, lost in worry, Jenny almost screamed when she heard a car door open just a few feet away. Her heart leaped into her throat, then slammed into a rapid beat as she backpedaled, but as the man stepped out of the truck, she realized it was Nate.
“Oh!” she gasped, her breath puffing out on a cloud in the icy air. “You scared me half to death!”
“I’m sorry.” He held up both hands as if he were approaching someone unstable. “I’m unarmed.”
His forearms looked more than strong enough to make his bare hands into lethal weapons, but she kept that thought to herself. At which point her brain came fully back online and reminded her of who he was and what had happened earlier.
Her receding panic was quickly replaced by mortification. She had no idea what her face looked like twisted between these two awful emotions, but it was bad enough to stop a seasoned cop in his tracks. He even took a step back, though his shadow stretched out to touch the toes of her shoes. Strangely, that imagined contact made her feel uncomfortable, so she took a step back, as well.
“Sorry,” he said again. “I just wanted to be sure you were okay.”
“Me?”
“Yes. Your ex seemed a little aggressive tonight. I was worried.”
“Ellis?” she squeaked in shock.
“Yes,” he said flatly, “Ellis.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to worry about Ellis. He’s just…Ellis.”
“Well, I’ve never arrested him, so I guess that’s a positive sign.”
“Oh, he doesn’t live here. He’s from Idaho. He’s just visiting. Or something.”
Nate cleared his throat and took a step toward her. “Visiting you?”
“No!” she answered so loudly that she made her own nerves jump in shock. “I saw him once a couple of months ago, and then he showed up tonight. It’s been over for ten years.”
“Ten years,” he repeated, taking one more step. Now his shadow slid over her feet and all the way up to her thighs. She watched it shift over the curve of her legs and bit back a shiver. She couldn’t feel it, but she wanted to so badly that it almost felt like a touch.
“You were just a baby,” he said.
“Are you trying to flatter me? You know my birth date. I was eighteen.”
“Exactly. Just a kid.”
“Amazing that they let teenagers walk around free like actual humans, much less get a marriage license, isn’t it?”
His teeth flashed in the darkness as if he was smiling. She wished he were the one facing the light. Then she’d be able to read him and he couldn’t see the mixed-up emotions flashing over her face.
“Are you—” he seemed to hesitate, his voice growing softer “—involved with anyone right now? Married or—”
“What?” she interrupted. “No, I’m not married! Or involved. Or anything.”
“Okay. Good. Me, neither.”
Me, neither. He could only mean one thing by that, and her suspicion was confirmed when he took one more step. Now his shadow slipped up her body all the way to her breasts. Better than that, she could reach out and touch him if she wanted to.
“I’m sorry about earlier,” she said.
“You kind of checked out on me.”