Town Darling Part 11

Melanie turned to Casey and flashed a smile. "He's all yours, kitten." She brushed past Casey, purposely knocking her back a step, and headed for the main entrance.

Vaughn eyed Casey, who watched Melanie leave, and then looked at Tucker. "Can you handle this one? I can't deal with this right now."

Vaughn returned to his office and slammed the door. Casey and Tucker jumped to the sound. Jeannie didn't appear fazed. It was apparently a common response after Melanie's visits.

Jeannie eyed Casey and grinned at her. "The sheriff will see you now."

Casey snorted a laugh to Jeannie's pleasure in Vaughn's torment and entered the office without knocking. Vaughn sat in his chair with his head back and his eyes closed. Casey shut the door behind her and approached the desk.

"I don't know why I bother. No one listens to me," Vaughn remarked mostly to himself then sat forward, looked at Casey, and smirked. "Miss Remington, how may I help you?"

Casey casually sat in the chair before his desk. "Your girlfriend is a real b.i.t.c.h."

"Out."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have--" Casey attempted a weak smile. "Apparently my compa.s.sionate hormones were in the parts they took out."

Vaughn appeared to tense from the comment and his expression faded to a less hostile one. He shifted within his chair. "What can I do for you, Casey?"

Casey placed a leather bound journal on the desk before him. Vaughn uncertainly stared at it, opened the journal, and then looked at her with surprise.

"This is your mother's journal."

Casey shrugged. "And you asked to see it."

"I distinctly remember you saying no."

"You want me to trust you?" she demanded and leaned forward. "What's in that journal doesn't leave this office."

"You have my word," he replied and appeared curious. "Why the change of heart?"

"Grey says I have to play nice," she announced while grinning. "This is me playing nice."

He snorted a laugh. "Since when do you listen to your brother?"

"Since he threatened to tell Ruger," she replied then made a face. "It's difficult to explain."

"So Ruger's your kryptonite?" Vaughn asked with a grin. "Good to know."

Casey abruptly stood while smiling. "Grab your holster; I'm taking you to lunch."

Vaughn glared at her and became immediately suspicious. "Okay, now you're up to something."

"I was told to play nice, but that doesn't include begging," she remarked firmly. "Are you coming or not?"

He considered the comment only a moment then smiled and nodded. "Okay, I'll play along."

Vaughn placed the journal in his top desk drawer, locked it, and joined her.

Chapter Fifteen.

Casey and Vaughn walked along the sidewalk together while heading for the Boxcar Diner. It was a beautiful, warm afternoon and the smell of residential flowerbeds seemed to linger in the air. Casey inhaled the familiar scent. She didn't realize how much she missed that smell. It reminded her of her frequent rides into town even as a little girl. It almost seemed foreign walking alongside Sheriff Holt. They received several looks and old women were seen gossiping as they watched them. A few elderly women grinned at them as they pa.s.sed and appeared to give an approving nod. Casey found their behavior strange. Was it that big of a deal to see her on the sidewalk with Sheriff Holt? And about whom were they gossiping? Was it her; or was it Sheriff Holt? She cast a glance at Vaughn as they walked and took in an eyeful of him. He had a commanding presence--that was certain. He was always excessively straight and fairly mature even as a young deputy, but now, he seemed different. He'd reached a level of maturity she couldn't even comprehend.

An image of him busting down the kitchen door two years ago drifted through her thoughts. She didn't remember much about what happened, but she saw the look on his face. She saw how it changed just before he pulled the trigger. Those three seconds defined who he was and forever changed him, and there was no denying he had changed. She felt her heart skip a beat and attempted to concentrate on something else. She needed to push all thoughts of that night out of her mind. She didn't need to lose control of her emotions. No good ever came from allowing her emotions to get in the way. They approached the antique store just ahead of them. It was a welcomed relief. She'd be able to focus on something else. This 'playing nice' with Sheriff Holt wasn't going to end well, and she had Grey to thank for that. He wouldn't think it was such a great idea when she lost control of her emotions and flipped out. Diesel and Grey removed the boards from the door and windows while Ruger casually leaned against a parking meter and supervised. Ruger was an excellent supervisor. He hated getting his hands dirty and loved giving orders.

"What's the deal here?" Vaughn asked Casey.

"The 'Three Stooges' want to open the shop," Casey replied with a hint of humor.

She approached Ruger and affectionately clung to his arm. He smiled in response and patted her hand on his arm. She needed a moment to redirect her emotions. Ruger was her version of a security blanket. He was soft, cuddly, and great to cry on.

"I can't wait to get inside," Ruger announced with boyish antic.i.p.ation.

"There's quite a collection of antiques," she replied.

"Actually, I just want to clean," Ruger informed her while watching the other men work.

Casey smiled at him and shook her head. "You are so sweet--and demented."

Ruger hugged her affectionately. Casey absorbed as much of Ruger's positive energy as she could then pulled away as Grey approached them. He was out of breath and smiling as he eyed her and Sheriff Holt.

"What you doing, sister dear?"

"I'm taking the sheriff to lunch."

"Nice," Grey said while grinning. He was obviously pleased that she took his advice to play nice. "When you're finished, you can help with inventory."

"Yeah, sure," she replied simply and smirked. "Not happening." Casey linked onto Vaughn's arm, surprising him, and forced him toward the diner.

"At least bring us some sandwiches!" Grey called after her.

She was obviously ignoring him on purpose. As Grey turned, he nearly collided with Diesel, who wore a serious look on his face.

"Did you say there were sandwiches?"

The Boxcar Diner hadn't changed at all in two years. Even the menus looked exactly the same. Casey sat across from Vaughn in a booth by the window. It was the same booth she and her parents sat within for their last lunch together. She drifted out a moment and once again relived the past. She snapped out of her trance and realized Vaughn was sitting silently across from her. He watched her without comment. For a moment, his stare made her uncomfortable. She saw the fair flier on the table and picked it up. As she studied it, she again appeared distant.

"My father was going to announce his run for mayor at the fair," she said softly without looking up.

"I'm sure he would have won."

She suddenly looked at him and appeared surprised then smiled more naturally. "You think so?"

Vaughn shrugged. "Your father was well respected around town. This town is in desperate need of change," he informed her. "The mayor and I don't exactly see eye to eye."

"Because you and Melanie broke up?"

He immediately shifted and appeared tense. "I'd rather not talk about Melanie."

Melanie was a sore subject, and forcing him to discuss her would only result in another argument. Grey would be displeased if she didn't play nice. She at least needed to make it through lunch without punching Vaughn. Although the prospect of punching Melanie sounded more fulfilling at the moment.

"Fair enough," she replied. "How about we talk about the fair?" Casey casually opened the flier and pretended to be surprised by its contents. "Oh, look at that. Someone's being dunked next Sat.u.r.day night."

"It's tradition," he announced. "The sheriff and mayor always headline the dunking booth."

Casey offered a devious grin and felt particularly playful. "Hmm, someone is also placing himself on the bachelor auction block."

"That's Jeannie's doing. She hates me," he muttered with disgust. "I'm giving her the money to bid on me. Consider it my contribution."

Casey frowned and glared her disapproval. "You really know how to take the fun out of things."

"I have an image to maintain--and just a little bit of dignity," he added.

Something inside her suddenly snapped. Nice seemed to go out the window. "And Melanie having your baby wasn't part of that image?"

Vaughn appeared surprised and stared at her. "Where did you hear that?"

She casually shrugged. "That was last year's biggest scandal in this one less horse town."

"I don't want to talk about it," he snapped with irritation. "It's embarra.s.sing."

Casey felt her claws coming out. She could no longer help herself. "Sort of like the details of my attack?"

He looked at her and seemed puzzled by the hostility. "Those reports are confidential," he informed her.

"Really?" she scoffed. "So how did the entire town find out that the killer tried to rape me?"

Vaughn stared at her and appeared horrified by the comment. "What?" He suddenly shifted in his seat and leaned forward. "You never mentioned that to me."

"I didn't have to, you were there," she snapped hotly.

It was finally time to call him out. The gossip about her attack had enraged her beyond rational thinking, and she was finally bringing it out into the open.

Vaughn shook his head with an odd expression. "All I saw was a man standing over you with a knife," he reported sternly. His look suddenly hardened. "If I had known that, I would have shot him in the b.a.l.l.s."

Casey stared at him and was surprised by both his tone and that he hadn't actually known. That night was a blur between the pain and raw emotion, but she vaguely remembered him showing up a split second after the killer stabbed her. He hadn't seen the killer grabbing her pants. She was suddenly ashamed for loathing him for starting such a rumor, but then it dawned on her. She looked at Vaughn with horror.

"Then that means it had to be the killer who started the rumor," she gasped. "I can't believe I didn't think of that."

Vaughn shook his head and sank back in the booth with a defeated look. "There's no way to trace that rumor back to him now."

Casey was once again lost in her own world. She raced to find answers to old questions, but it was possible she'd never learn the truth, and it p.i.s.sed her off. Abby approached their table looking stunning in her expensive outfit. Vaughn immediately tensed to her presence. Apparently, he wasn't any happier to see Abby than he was to see Melanie. Casey snapped out of her daze long enough to realize that Mrs. Mayor was standing over their table.

She looked at Casey and smiled excitedly. "I can't believe I'm running into you twice in one day!"

Abby scooted into the booth alongside Vaughn. He frowned and reluctantly slid across the bench so she could join them.

"I saw your brother and some other guys opening up the shop," she announced. "That's wonderful that you're doing something with the place." She suddenly hesitated and wore a strange smile. "So, uh, who was that muscly guy at the shop?"

"A close friend, Diesel," Casey replied.

Diesel was good at attracting female attention, which apparently had no age limit.

"Just close friend, huh?" she teased. "Makes me wish I wasn't so happily married." Abby linked playfully onto Vaughn's arm. "And this is the one that got away. I really don't know why my Melanie let this one go."

"Abby--" Vaughn muttered.

"Melanie is the star attraction at the kissing booth," Abby boasted and patted Vaughn's arm. "I'm sure we can count on the sheriff to pay for a few smooches."

"Yeah, I don't think so," Vaughn remarked.

"He's such a Boy Scout. Isn't he adorable?" Abby fussed while playfully patting his shoulder.

Casey cast a glance at Vaughn and grinned. She thought it was adorable that he was so squeamish about Mrs. Mayor clinging to him. She almost felt sorry for him. Almost. The waitress brought their lunch. Abby took her cue and indicated their platters.

"I'll just let you two enjoy your lunch," she announced.

Abby kissed Vaughn on the cheek and left as quickly as she had arrived. Casey eyed the red lipstick print on his cheek and smirked. Vaughn caught her look and immediately wiped the lipstick from his cheek with his napkin.

The antique store looked as it had two years ago, except everything was covered in a thick layer of dust. Ruger happily cleaned items in the front room with a dust cloth while Grey and Diesel catalogued the contents of the store. They could be heard arguing as they worked. The antique bell above the front door dinged as the mayor entered. Ruger looked up from his dusty lamp and saw the mayor.

"I'm sorry, we're not open," Ruger announced.

"That's okay, I'm not shopping," Mayor Lance announced as he approached and extended his hand to Ruger. "Mayor Lance Ridgeway."

Ruger accepted his hand and shook it while smiling politely. "Ruger Quinn."

Grey and Diesel took time out from their bickering and approached the front. Grey studied Lance with more than a pa.s.sing interest.