Page 16 of Claimed by the Lawman

She laughed and set a glass in front of him. “Belonged to Maryanne Weaver who lived here before. Remember her?”

“She always wore her silver hair in a bun and dressed in gray dresses. Her shoes squeaked when she walked.”

“Yes, that’s her.” She reached into a drawer and took out a book, placing it next to his glass. “This is Susy’s diary.”

He picked up the leather journal, running his finger over the worn and frayed edges that proved it had been read a hundred times. Opening it to the front page, he read… “Property of Susannah Posey.”

“Don’t lose it. Okay?” A sadness crawled over her features.

“Tyler…”

“I know. You can’t promise anything.” She picked at a paper towel. “I’m just appreciating that you are taking the time to read it. There are times I’ve questioned if I’m just wanting to find reasons which aren’t there to help me in believing she wouldn’t have taken her own life. My instincts tell me, though, that something isn’t right in this, but if you tell me I’m not seeing things right, I’ll trust you. Dad and Rogue have told me enough that I should learn to let go.”

Her expression was so soft he had to force breath into his lungs. “You’re doing what any sibling would do.” He set the diary back down and gulped down half the tea.

“Are you uptight?”

“No,” he said a little too loud and faster than intended.

She snickered and leaned forward. He could practically feel her warmth across the table. “I seem to make you edgy.”

~~**~~

“You’re wrong.”

Tyler smiled and eased back into the chair. “You can’t hide your frustration from me, Kace. You never could.”

“I’m not hiding anything except it’s a bit odd me sitting in your kitchen wearing only a towel.” The grooves in his forehead deepened when he frowned.

She didn’t mind one bit. A woman could get used to having Kace Cade sitting across from her at the dinner table. “Maybe we should talk.”

“We are talking.”

“About the past.” Although she hadn’t planned to bring up their history, she also didn’t want things to be awkward between them.

“There’s nothing to say.” He shifted and the chair creaked.

“I beg to differ. Why can’t we just air the dirty laundry so that we can at least be friends.”

He blew out a breath. “I’m over it,” he said a little too roughly.

“And so you say, but maybe I’m not.” She placed her palms on the table. “I called you after I left—”

“I know. It was the right decision that you left, Tyler. I get that. You look happy now. You’ve blossomed into a strong, confident woman. There’s not much else that needs saying outside of that.”

“I guess I just expected you to say, ‘I told you so’.” She looked down into her glass as if she were reading tea leaves. She wished she could read into her future because everything right now seemed murky. Her feelings she had for Kace especially.

“Now why would I go and do a thing like that?”

She shrugged. “Because my father told me I’d never make it as an actress and he certainly couldn’t wait to tell me ‘I told you so’.”

“Damn. I’m not you father and I truly did wish you happiness when you left Bohannan. You were good on stage.”

“I was good on stage?”

He cleared his throat. “Yeah, at the local theater. Those plays you’d perform in.”

“I should have listened. I mean, the first few years I landed amazing roles that helped me hone my acting skills, but I missed the invisible memo that my career was doomed. I wasted a lot of years playing parts that I hated, hoping I was just in a lull. You were right when you said I was running from bad reviews. Those are what convinced me that it was time to switch hats. So, here I am with no clue where I’m going and how I’ll get there.”

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