Page 95 of Trailer Trash

“So we just tell people we’re seeing each other?” I asked.

He was quiet for a moment. “No. I think we need to keep this under wraps.”

While his answer wasn’t a total surprise, it still stung. I slowly sat up. “Because you’re ashamed of my past?”

“No,” was his harsh reply; then he relaxed and said, “God, no. Because once people know I care about you, you can be used as a weapon to get to me.”

I considered arguing with him, but he had a point. I’d seen that very thing happen with Rose and Skeeter.

We fell into silence for a few minutes.

“There’s one thing I’m still confused about,” Jed said. “How did Beasley get a DUI?”

“After we buried the body, we headed back to town. I’d handled everything just fine up until that point, but it all came crashing down on me. So I was almost to town when I started crying so hard I couldn’t see. I plowed through several mailboxes and hit a parked car. I was driving Branson’s car, so I freaked out. Beasley said he’d tell them he was driving and told me to leave town. Only, I hadn’t counted on him still being so drunk. I sure never thought he’d get fifteen years, but he already had a few DUI convictions.”

“He deserved every second of it,” Jed grunted. “Don’t you feel one ounce of guilt over it.”

I wasn’t so sure.

Chapter 24

It was wellafter lunchtime by the time Jed pulled into the Henryetta town square. He parked in a space on the side street next to the building that housed the RBW Landscaping office and left the engine idling. He’d offered to drop me off at the farmhouse, but I’d already missed two and a half days of work. Rose needed me.

“Why do I feel like I’m losin’ you?” I asked quietly. I couldn’t look at him when I said it. The whole ride home it had felt like the string tying us together was growing tauter, reaching a breaking point.

He tilted my head up to face him. “You’re not, Neely Kate.”

“But we’re keepin’ this a secret. How’s it gonna work?”

“I don’t know yet, but we’ll figure out a way.” A sexy grin spread across his face. “Besides, we’re both great at keeping secrets.”

My stomach cartwheeled. When he smiled like that, I practically melted.

Still, we were back home, and Jed was known for his extremely short-termrelationships. If I was reading this wrong, I needed to know before I got hurt. “Are you sure this isn’t your way of giving me the brush-off?” I asked. “Because I’m a big girl, and I can—”

His mouth was on mine, his tongue parting my lips. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. This was a kiss of promise and hope, not a goodbye.

He lifted his head with a warm smile. “We’ll make it work.”

I smiled back. “Yeah.”

Lifting a hand to my face, he brushed the hair off my cheek as he looked into my eyes. “If you need me for anything, call straightaway.”

“Okay.”

His smile faded. “I’m serious, Neely Kate. With Scooter missing . . . Skeeter’s not sure if he’s just wandered off or if it’s foul play. With the recent trouble around the necklace . . . just be careful, okay?” Worry filled his eyes.

“You’re in a lot more danger than I am,” I said. “You’re not only lookin’ for Scooter, but you’re at odds with his brother.”

“I can handle it.” He kissed me again, a leisurely kiss that quickly warmed into a raging inferno. He put his hands on my arms and pushed back. “We need to take this slow.”

I blinked. “What?”

“After . . . everything . . . I want you to know I want you for the right reasons.”

Part of me wanted to protest, but outside of high school, I couldn’t think of a single man I hadn’t slept with soon after getting involved. Maybe there was something to his idea. “Okay.”

A frown crossed his face. I wondered if he was upset with me for agreeing, but he pulled his phone out of his pocket and checked the screen. “I’m going to walk you to the office door.”

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