Freight Trained Page 9

  Abby was about to dig into a plate piled high with the best smelling barbecue ever when an identical plate landed on the table in front of her. She looked up in time to see Maggie taking a seat on the picnic bench opposite her. Abby scanned the surrounding area but didn't see Maggie's usual posse.

  Her bewilderment must have shown because as soon as Maggie got situated, she said, "They ditched me."

  She heard Cole chuckle beside her, and she elbowed him in the ribs before asking, "What do you mean, they ditched you, why?"

  Cole leaned in and whispered, "Because she never stops talking, and they all got headaches."

  Abby elbowed him again, but it was Maggie who spoke up. "I heard that. Just because you're sex on a stick I want to lick like a lollipop, don't think I won't poke you with my fork."

  She felt Cole stiffen at Maggie's remark, and it wasn't until Abby giggled in response that she felt him relax. Interesting. With the way he'd become so still, she'd thought he'd taken offense to what Maggie had said, but it seemed he was more concerned about her reaction to it. Did he think she was the jealously clingy type ready to go all she-woman at any girl that looked his way? She'd be a very busy woman if that were the case. In just the hour they'd been there, every woman they'd encountered, young and old, had given Cole an appreciative once over. Some, it was but a glance, others, it was a full out stare. And she was okay with that so long as none of them actually tried to lick him like a lollipop. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, the vision of trailing her tongue along his rippled abs to his chiseled chest filled her head, and she wondered what all that heated flesh would taste like.

  "Darlin', you don't stop squirming, I'm gonna give you something to really squirm about," Cole's whispered words floated across her ear as his hand trailed up her inner thigh.

  She stilled, not even daring to breathe and heard him chuckle.

  Maggie continued speaking as if she hadn't said anything outrageous. "Jamie Frendrick's German Shepherd had puppies. Now, they know I won't go and look at them because I'd want to take the whole litter home, and I don't think my landlady would appreciate that so in a sense, they ditched me." She took a large bite of her chicken before she mumbled, "I bet they're really cute though."

  Abby nodded in full agreement. German Shepherd puppies were pretty darn cute. She felt Cole's lips at her ear again right before he softly yet firmly commanded, "Eat."

  She turned to him, rolling her eyes before declaring, "Bossy."

  He didn't have to acknowledge her statement, his evil smirk said it all right before he kissed the tip of her nose.

  "Oh, my God! You guys are too cute."

  Abby chuckled when she heard Cole's low growl, clearly not liking being described as cute.

  She froze in the act of lifting a rib from her plate, ready to take a bite when she heard Maggie ask, "So are you guys like an item now?"

  She knew she must look like a doe caught in the beam of a headlight as she stared across the table. "Um..."

  Maggie had called her yesterday afternoon while she was still recovering from her hangover wanting the full scoop on what happened after Cole had carted her out of the bar. Not having any recollection of the previous evening and not wanting to share many details of the following morning, made it a very short and condensed story, which Maggie huffed about for five full minutes before launching into the tale of the rest of her night. Guess she and Cole were putting on enough of a show for her to fill in the blanks.

  Thankfully, after a tense few seconds, Cole came to her rescue. After wiping his mouth with a napkin, he said, "Yeah, something like that."

  Maggie beamed at them before taking another large bite of chicken.

  Pleased Maggie seemed content with that answer, Abby again lifted her rib to take a bite, and almost had it to her lips when a shadow fell across the table. She heard Cole rumble, "Sheriff," while she set her food back down on her plate. Cole's bossiness or not, she may never get a chance to eat.

  Abby squinted as she looked up. The sun brightly shining behind the Sheriff and the large brimmed hat he wore cast his face in shadows, making it hard for her to see his features clearly. He appeared in his mid-forties, light eyes, tanned skin. He nodded, "Cole, Maggie."

  "Sheriff," Maggie said, wiping a napkin over her mouth. Barbecue was messy business.

  "And you must be Ms. O'Neal." The Sheriff held out his hand, and Abby looked at her saucy fingers. She went searching for her napkin, but he waved away her worry. "Just wanted to stop, say hi, and introduce myself."

  Abby found her napkin and wiped her hands while talking. "Nice to meet you, Sheriff. Deputy Williams stopped by my place last night and did the same thing."

  "What?" She heard barked behind her as the Sheriff frowned, saying, "He did?"

  Cole caught her by the chin, gaining her attention. "After I dropped you off?"

  His eyes were intense as he waited for her answer. She tried shaking her head, but his hold was too firm. "Um... no, it was before I came to your house."

  Cole looked up at the sheriff and gave him a slight head nod that Abby was unsure the meaning of. "Well, I'll let you folks get back to your lunch. Have a good day."

  After the Sheriff had left, Abby turned to Cole. "What the heck was that all about?"

  "What?"

  "That cryptic head nod thing."

  Cole let out a sigh. "I don't like the fact of a man, deputy or not, stopping by the house of a single woman late at night."

  Abby frowned. Was he for real? "He stopped by to introduce himself, and it wasn't that late. Don't you think you're blowing things a little out of proportion?"

  "No."

  That was it? But before she could argue for a better explanation, Maggie's next words drew her attention.

  "That man is a shell of what he used to be, always had a joke to tell and a smile on his face."

  "What happened?" Abby asked. Cole wrapped his arm around her hip, scooting her closer.

  "His daughter happened." Maggie pushed her plate away as if the sight of the food made her sick. "She disappeared. It happened about six years ago back in high school, our senior year. Rachel and I were friends."

  "Disappeared?" Abby asked.

  Maggie nodded. "Most in the town think she ran off, but I knew her, and she wouldn't have done anything like that." She tossed her napkin on the table, and Abby realized she'd never seen Maggie angry before.

  "The Sheriff, I don't think he ever believed she ran off either, and he never stopped looking for her but the last few years, I think he's given up hope of ever finding her."

  Abby was quiet after lunch as they made their way down Main Street. She couldn't get the story of the poor sheriff and his daughter out of her head.

  She felt a squeeze from the arm Cole had around her waist, bringing her back to the present. "What are you thinking about?"

  "What story do you think is true? You think the sheriff's daughter ran away, or do you think she was abducted?"

  Cole shrugged. "Never talked about it with the sheriff. Figured it was a wound best left unopened. All I heard were the rumors. You've got to remember, I've only lived here for three years. According to the town, I'm still considered an outsider too." Removing the arm at her waist, he took a hold of her hand, tugging her down a side street. "Come on."

  "Where are we going?" He didn't answer as he led her down a residential street, stopping in front of a pale yellow, single-story house. "What are we doing here?"

  He gave her a smirk. "We're getting a puppy."

  "We? Don't you think it's a little early in our relationship to get us anything?"

  "Get used to it, Darli
n'. Any excuse I can get to keep you tied to me, I'm using it."

  She blinked up at him, noting the fierceness of his expression. Abby decided the man was crazy but as his lips found hers, she decided, crazy or not, she loved his kisses.

  * * * * *

  Cole slowly pulled his truck into his driveway, carefully braking so as not to jar his two passengers. He looked over and smiled at the picture Abby made. She was giggling while their new German Shepard puppy danced on her lap, attacking her ear. He couldn't remember the last time he'd smiled so much in one day, and it was all because of Abby. He knew he didn't deserve to be happy, unhappiness should be his penance for what he'd done, the lives he'd destroyed with his selfish actions, but he couldn't seem to free himself from her. One taste of her sweetness, one glimpse at what he'd been missing his whole life was enough to seal her fate. He planned to be selfish, once more, tie her to him in a way she couldn't escape and hope to God, he didn't destroy her, too.

  He looked at her now, the sunlight shining through the windshield, setting fire to the red highlights in her hair. The laughter dancing in her eyes, the rosy glow coating her cheeks, her full, succulent lips parted in delight. The darkness within him could destroy that happiness. One careless act, one selfish choice could extinguish her light that burned so bright, pulling her into his darkness.

  He gave her one last lingering look before getting out of his truck to grab their stuff from the back. They'd spent an hour at the feed store, purchasing enough puppy chow and dog paraphernalia to take care of a whole litter of pups. "Sit tight until I get this stuff in the house."

  He was back in a few minutes, helping her out of the truck while she clutched the rambunctious puppy as if she never planned to let go. "What should we name him?" he asked, steering her to the front door, his hand on her lower back.

  She looked up, and the puppy licked her neck. Was it wrong to be jealous of a fucking puppy? "I'm not sure. What did you have in mind?"

  He opened the front door, and she stepped inside heading straight for the couch. "I don't know, Spot, Fido?" he said, hoping to make her laugh.

  He wasn't disappointed. The sound of her sultry chuckle washed over him. How even her laugh could make his dick throb was beyond him. Her voice just did it for him, every time.

  "Those are absolutely horrible names." She looked back down at the puppy, rubbing him behind his ears. "You're not a Spot or a Fido, are you boy?"

  "Then what do you suggest?" he asked, leaning a hip against the couch and folding his arms across his chest.

  She snuggled the puppy to her chest, and his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth in puppy heaven. Again, fucking jealous of a dog. "I was thinking, Lucky."

  "Lucky, huh," he said, distractedly, his eyes still zeroed in on her cleavage being prominently displayed in the vee of her T-shirt. "And why's that?"

  "Well," she said, kissing the puppy on top of his head. "I've always wanted a dog. At first, my parents said I was too young, then my mom was mysteriously allergic even though she grew up on a farm surrounded by animals. It was always one excuse after another. At one point I was allowed a fish, no mess you see, but truly, how loving can a fish be? I ended up overfeeding it, killing it by accident. I was deemed irresponsible, yet another reason I didn't deserve a dog.

  "So, I feel very lucky to have this little guy and be warned, I will probably spoil him rotten, so he is very lucky to have me as a mommy." She gave the puppy one more kiss on the head before turning to smile at Cole. "I know I said thank you earlier, but I want to thank you again for fulfilling a childhood wish."

  As he watched her beautiful smile, he decided if he could he would give her the world to keep that smile on her face. He also decided while watching her beautiful smile, that he was the lucky one.

  Chapter Eleven

  Abby was awakened by the sound of crying. She debated a full minute, contemplating all the pros and cons of getting up and rescuing Lucky from the bathroom. She knew it was a bad habit to start, but Lucky was so little and scared in his new environment and needed some human contact.

  Surprisingly, it had been easier for her to persuade Cole into letting her keep the puppy overnight at her house than it had been letting her drive herself home. She pointed out that she needed her car for the morning and even promised to text him as soon as she got in the house and locked up. Not surprisingly, she saw him in her rear-view mirror, standing in the street, watching her until the slight bend in the road blocked him from view.

  When she poked her head through the bathroom door, she saw Lucky sitting on his bed in the corner, looking all kinds of pathetic. She squatted, holding out her hand. "Come here." Tongue lolling, he scampered over on his short, little legs, his Buddha-belly almost brushing the floor. She scooped him up and carried him into her room, mumbling, "You better not tell daddy I'm letting you do this."

  Holding Lucky in her arms, Abby was reminded of what Cole had said earlier, about wanting to keep her. She had a hard time believing his words had been genuine, although he had sounded very sincere. But what really puzzled her was why he wanted to wait to have sex. Now that she'd finally found someone she wanted to do it with, she kind of wanted to do it. And though she may be inexperienced in the art of seduction, she was pretty sure she'd been sending out all the right signals, so he had to know he had a green light. She was no expert on the subject, but he didn't seem the "three date rule" type.

  She laughed out loud at the very idea, and Lucky thought it his cue to start playing. "Oh, no you don't. It's time for all good puppies to lay down and go to sleep."

  She reached over the nightstand to clicked off the light and accidentally knocked over her ceramic German Shepherd figurine. She stared at it a moment after setting it upright, her heart swelling, wondering if Cole noticed such a tiny detail and bought her Lucky because of it. Sighing, she lay back down on her side, snuggling Lucky's warm, fuzzy body close to her chest. She needed to keep those kinds of thoughts out of her head and focus on what their relationship was really about. Sex. Maybe she would call Maggie and see if she had any good ideas on how to hurry things along. She closed her eyes and stroked the soft fur on Lucky's belly. It was nice having a friend to talk to. She hadn't known how lonely her solitary life had really been.

  Abby walked down the eerily quiet hall, the soft flap of her flip-flops, slapping on the polished concrete. In a little over a week, these halls would be teeming with students and no longer silent. She stopped in front of the door to her classroom and tested the knob. Abby hadn't even thought about needing a key and was relieved it was unlocked. She looked around. The room was bare of everything but the essentials—student desks, teacher's desk, and a dry-erase board that hung on the wall.

  Having been a substitute teacher, she hadn't collected much over the years she'd been working but did have a few things in the car to personalize her new room. She went to the teacher's desk and opened the drawers. Other than a few scattered pens, pencils, and paperclips they were empty.

  Movement from the corner of her eye had her turning her head. A man, medium height, medium build, and with nerdy, good looks stood in her open doorway. He smiled and held a hand up in a tentative wave, his other hand shoved in the front pocket of his khakis. "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you. I'm Chad Daniels. I teach science a few rooms down." He pointed down the hall with his thumb. "I saw your door open. You must be the new math teacher."

  Abby came out from behind her desk, hand outstretched. "Yes, Abigail O'Neal, but please call me Abby."

  Chad stepped away from the door to take her hand. "Nice to meet you, Abby." He issued a low chuckle. "I must say, you're a far cry from our last math teacher." At her questioning look, he gave her a shy smile. "Mrs. Clarkson, she was ninety if she was a day and smelled of mothballs. You're," he waved h
is hand up and down, "really pretty."

  Abby's brows rose in surprise, taken aback by his candor towards a coworker.

  His cheeks turned red and he stammered, "Wow, that was really inappropriate. I'm so sorry. My only excuse is I was taken off guard by your..." He held up a hand and with a nervous chuckle said, "Nope, that's what got me into this mess in the first place. Sorry, again, I get a little nervous around new people."

  Recognizing a kindred spirit and knowing exactly how he felt made her more comfortable in his presence. Wanting to put him at ease, she uncharacteristically started a conversation. "No need to apologize. I completely understand. I'm a little uncomfortable around new people myself." She gave him a smile and looking for an easy topic to converse about to break the ice, she asked, "How long have you worked here?"

  "Well, let's see." He rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "Going on about eight years now."

  That would most likely put him in his early thirties. A little older than she'd originally thought. He looked younger. His light-brown hair was cut short around his ears and neck. His pale skin was smooth, wrinkle free and unblemished except for a few freckles across the bridge of his nose. His clothes were neatly pressed, his shirt tucked tidily into his pants, the sleeves rolled precisely to his elbows, and she wondered if he had a wife at home that helped him look so put together.

  "Wow, you've been here a while. You must know all the good gossip, anything I should be warned about?"

  * * * * *

  He heard her laughter before he entered the room. His jaw hardened at the sight that greeted him. Fucking hell, he couldn't leave her alone for two minutes without some dick coming to sniff around. Abby leaned, ass against her desk, legs crossed at the ankles, hands waving animatedly as she talked. His eyes automatically did an eye sweep, noting hair piled in a bun atop her head, navy-blue vee-neck tee that showed just a hint of cleavage, dark-blue jeans, and flip-flops that had some sort of sparkly shit on them. Thank fuck, she wasn't in her sexy librarian outfit or he might not have been able to control the rage. As it was, his hands tightened into fists. He shoved them deep into his back pockets to hide his frustration, schooled his features of any deadly intent, and forced himself to turn his driven advance into a slow saunter as he made his way across the room.