You Belong to Me (Brook Hollow 1)

The sheriff nodded. “Ok, take pictures of the footprints and cigarette butts.”

He looked at the girls with a lingering concern. “I’ll have my men drive by here often tonight. Unless you have relatives or friends to stay with.”

Jessy shook her head. “We’re new in town and don’t know anyone yet. We’ll be okay. I always check every night to sure the windows are locked up tight.”

He gave her a curious look and she tried to smile. “We’re from the city and used to being cautious. Crime is common in New York.”

“By the way, my name is Sheriff Ramirez.” He shook Jessy’s hand and patted Lily gently on her shoulder. “Keep your porch light and back light on okay. Don’t hesitate to call if you hear any noises. I won’t tolerate this kind of immature behavior in my town.” His voice was hard and confident.

Jessy thanked him and walked him out. He seemed much nicer than Lincoln. She locked up the front door. She went into the kitchen and shoved a chair under the doorknob as an extra precaution.

“Why didn’t you tell him about Jagger?” Lily asked looking nervous and scared.

“I don’t know if we can trust him yet.” Jessy explained. “Remember we reported Jagger to the police in New York and Jagger knew about it the very next day. He added two thousand dollars to dad’s debt. Obviously he has cops on his payroll. What if he is in town and already bribed the sheriff or one of his men?”

“I’m scared, Jessy.” Lily cried. “I want this over. Jagger almost raped you. And I am sure he is

not happy I hit him. The look in his eyes always made me shake with fear. Sometimes I hate dad for leaving us with his shit.”

Jessy hugged her sister tightly trying not to remember the overwhelming fear that Jagger would take her virginity by raping her. It had been her worst nightmare but Lily had saved her life. Jessy was determined to not let Jagger anywhere near Lily. He would kill Lily for hitting him. Leaving had been the best decision. She would do whatever it took to protect her sister.

Jessy understood the frustration her sister was feeling. They had done nothing wrong so why should they have to pay for their father’s mistakes. If her mom had survived her cancer would he have been a better man? Jessy didn’t know the answers but what could they do besides deal with it. It was the way she had learned to live her life.

“Me, too, Lily, but all we can do is move forward. I won’t let anything happen to you.”

Jessy grabbed the bat. She turned off the TV in the living room, leaving one small lamp on. They always left the drapes closed.

“Let’s sleep in my room tonight, Lily,” Jessy suggested. It would be safer for them to both be in the same room just in case Jagger had found them.

Lily followed Jessy to her room and sat on the edge of the bed. She slipped her sandals off but left them by the bed. “Why didn’t you tell me about this jerk bothering you, Jessy? Maybe you should look for a different job altogether.”

Jessy shrugged her shoulder. She doubted it was Gary, but if it was it would prove Jagger was still clueless about their whereabouts. “Gary drank way too much that night, but normally he is harmless. I can’t see him peeping into our window. He is a huge playboy with plenty of women falling for his cheesy lines.”

“Let’s see what the sheriff finds out, then we’ll discuss if we should stay or pick up and disappear.” Jessy put the bat by her side of the bed. As they got ready for bed she couldn’t help but feel an ache to her heart at the thought of never seeing Lincoln again. She didn’t know why it mattered so much. He made it clear he had no interest besides a physical desire he probably felt with plenty of women. Why did it hurt?

“The sheriff was a lot nicer than Lincoln, huh?” Jessy mentioned casually.

Lily chuckled as she got into the bed. “I think you are obsessed with Lincoln, Sis.”

“Am not,” Jessy lied.

Chapter Four

Lincoln sat around his parents’ dining room table half listening to the conversation going on around him. His mom insisted they all show up for Sunday dinner, no excuses. Lincoln was tired from lack of sleep. He wanted to lie in bed all day, but he couldn’t hurt his mother’s feelings.

He had gone to the bar with a few buddies hoping to see Jessy and apologize for his rude behavior. He had no right to blame the kiss on her. He couldn’t resist her for one more second. He dreamed of that kiss and wanted to repeat it over and over. It scared him but the pull he felt was hard to resist.

He had been disappointed to find out she took the night off. It caused him to drink too much. He thought he heard Jessy’s name or was he imagining it? He couldn’t stop obsessing about her after that steamy kiss. He had worked with a hardon all night long and it had been uncomfortable as hell. He didn’t want to be her enemy. Maybe he could just be her friend and see how things unfolded. Maybe then he’d get over his obsession with her. What made her different from other women? He dated plenty of sexy women before, but none of them stayed on his mind, or kept him in a constant state of arousal.

“What happened to Jessy?” He looked up from his food. His brother had a smirk on his face.

“What’s wrong, little brother? Have a hangover?” Abel smirked.

Lincoln would have thrown up his middle finger at him but his mother would have a fit. He had to satisfy himself with a glare of fury at Abel. His sister Melanie was sitting next to Abel, giving them both an amused look. She was used to their bickering and often joined in just for the heck of it.

“Someone was being a peeping tom at Lily and her sister’s house last night,” Melanie said wide eyed. “Is that creepy or what? She came into work today and told us the whole story. It freaked me out. Can you imagine how she and her sister felt?”

“A peeping tom in this town?” His mother, Delores, looked shocked. “What is this world coming to? I hope you are doing something about this, Abel.”