Page 67 of Harrison Hyde and the Runaway Bride

“How?” Maria asked again.

“The way you look at each other. The way he kissed you. That wasn’t amaybe we’ll do it somedaykiss, that was awe done it and we’re fixin’ to do it againkiss. Plus, his eyes when he looks at you. Holy cow, Maria Michele.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not goin’ anywhere.”

“What do you mean, it’s not goin’ anywhere? You had sex.”

“That was on me. He was tryin’ to avoid it.”

Willow looked her way, hat tipped back, eyebrows arched high. “Why?”

“He told me from the get-go that he could never live in Texas, and I told him I couldn’t live anywhere else. He didn’t think it would be fair to take things any further.” She shrugged one shoulder. “So, I jumped him on the jet.”

Willow’s laugh gusted full force, and the van veered a little. “Dayum, girl. I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“It’s funny, isn’t it? I was never all that eager for Billy Bob. It was more like I was doin’ him a favor.”

Willow’s smile died. She swore a long streak under her breath then said, “You were gonna marry a man you slept with as a favor?”

“I thought it was me. I thought I just wasn’t… you know, into it. Turns out, I just wasn’t into him.”

“But you’re into Harry.”

“I’msointo Harry.”

They were driving away from town, out beyond the street lights.

“And it’s not, like, a rebound thing? After your weddin’ blew up?” Willow asked.

“I blew my weddin’ up, and it surprised me, but I was relieved after. I’d been dreadin’ it, and denyin’ I was dreadin’ it, even to myself. It was like I balled up my dread and shoved itinto the back of my gut someplace. And when I left that church, it just exploded out of me.”

“And all over Harry.”

“Kind of. I ran him down on the Oxbow Trail.” She laughed softly. “Poor Harry. What he must’ve been thinkin’.”

They took the right onto the long, straight stretch of North Brand Lane. Willow said, “The fella that shot Harry was a local. Worked for Beckett Oil goin’ on twenty years. Only things on his record were a few drunk and disorderlies and a speedin’ ticket just last week. Nothin’ to indicate why he’d want to shoot somebody he didn’t know.”

“Hired gun,” Maria said. “Somebody paid him to go after Harry, and maybe the jerks who stole his car, and stalked his family were paid, too. But why? They stole the prototypes and made the patent disappear. They ruined the demonstration with the investors. What else could they want?”

“They stole the invention and are trying to kill the inventors,” Willow said. “What does that tell you?”

Maria lifted her brows. “They’re not tryin' to take credit for it, just like I said in the beginnin’. But they’re not tryin’ to profit from it, either. They’re trying to stop it. Anything else of interest while we were away?” she asked to drown out the awful feeling in her stomach.

“There was a fire at the EV dealership on Main St.,” Willow said. “Fire Chief Alex says someone set it.”

“Jeeze,” Maria said. “Never a dull moment around here, is there?”

“Not lately.”

Ahead of them, Bubba’s taillights vanished around a curve, just as a deer sprang out in front of them. The impact sent the animal airborne and the van skidding sideways. Willow yelled “hang on,” and brought them to a stop in a cloud of red dust on the side of the road. “Holy mother, you okay, Maria?”

“I’m good, you?”

“Better’n him,” she said nodding.

Maria followed her gaze to the deer, lying on its side and trying to raise its head. “Well, he picked the right person to hit him.” She reached into the back for her large medical case and got out of the van.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

---