Page 61 of Sheltered by the Lawman

Deke assured him he would.

Although it weighed heavily on him that a young girl was dead, he also felt a sense of relief because his Monica wasn’t a killer. He had no reason not to believe that her memory was correct. Thinking of her living on the street, in the elements, with no roof over her head triggered sensations in him that he’d never known. Because he cared for her, he wanted to protect her. Keep her safe. He needed to help her figure out who she was, and make sure the man who killed the girl wasn’t wanting to take his Monica out too.

Cull made his way into the bathroom and when he came out, he spotted Deke heading toward the elevator. He was exchanging angry words with someone on his phone and limping.

****

Monica rolled the dough out on the floured surface. “Like this?”

“Perfect. You have the golden touch.” Beatrice clicked her tongue. “I know you’ve been a little quiet today. Would you want to talk about it?”

Looking at the Cade matriarch, Monica tried to smile, but she guessed it was a crooked attempt to say the least. “How did you know that Bo was the one? You know, the one.”

Beatrice wiped her hands down her white apron and laughed. “Honey, I didn’t at first. We argued all the time, but I guess the making up made it all worthwhile.” She winked and continued peeling the green apples. “My kids inherited the Cade stubborn streak. Good thing that I’ve grown a thick skin over the years.”

“They all seem like great, honorable men and Kiersten is a bright, intelligent woman. You must be proud.” Monica transferred the crust to the pie plate just as Beatrice had shown her how to do.

“Oh, they are all amazing, but rowdy as one can imagine. Now that most of them have settled down, I rest easier at night. They don’t take as many chances as they once did.” She laid her knife down. “Your feelings for my boy are obvious.”

Monica blinked. “It is?”

“Sweetie, I’ve lived over six decades and have seen a lot. Knowing when a youngin’ is in love isn’t hard to spot.” She smiled widely.

“I might have feelings, but—”

“But what?”

“I don’t know if we can get over all the obstacles between us.” Feeling moisture in her eyes, Monica blinked them back.

Beatrice laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Honey, what makes you think you have any control when it comes to love? You might as well face the facts that when two people fall for each other they’ve lost control of the reins. Anything in the way will be worked out.”

Monica wanted to put her faith in the woman’s words, after all she had been married for over forty years, had six kids and seemed wise beyond her years, but there was a river of doubt flowing through Monica. After waking up during the night and having a huge void filled in her memory, she thought all other memories would follow, but they hadn’t which left her disappointed. Then waking up remembering the argument between her and Cull had made her even more frustrated.

She couldn’t deny that she wanted him, and she believed he wanted her too. She was torn between being responsible and following her heart that was jerking her around. Now that she knew she wasn’t the Monica Warren that was wanted for questioning, it was a huge relief, so then why wasn’t she happy? Because it didn’t answer the complete question of who she was. If she lived on the street as she’d realized last night, then she jumped from one frying pan into another.

What if her entire memory came back and she suddenly didn’t have the same feelings for Cull? What if she had buried secrets? Then it seemed best to keep her feelings in check and her hands off the hunky lawman.

When she awoke she had expected to see Cull, but instead Kiersten was in the apartment kitchen making breakfast. Apparently, Cull had been called away for business and had asked his sister to babysit Monica. Although Kiersten didn’t say those words, it didn’t take a genius to figure it out.

“Oh darn! I forgot I must call Janie Sue today and tell her what to bring for the book club. You finish up that pie, sweetie, while I go make this call.” Beatrice hurried out of the kitchen.

She had just rolled out the second crust for the pie when she heard light footsteps behind her. “Beatrice, how does this look?”

“Amazing.”

At the sound of the familiar, husky voice she twirled. “Cull, I-I thought you were Beatrice.”

“Apparently so.” His amazing blue eyes skimmed her from head to toe before coming back up to hold her gaze. “You have a little something right here.”

She started to reach up to wipe her cheek, but he beat her to it. He swiped the pad of his thumb along the curve of her cheek, leaving a trail of blissful heat that swarmed other pink parts of her body. How could one man have so much control over her? To keep from falling, she grabbed ahold of the edge of the counter and held on for dear life. “About last ni—”

“Last night we—”

They both said the words simultaneously. He cleared his throat. “You go ahead.”

She sighed heavily.

Okay, here was her chance to clear the air. She’d thought about what she’d say to him and none of her brave words showed up on her tongue. “Why don’t you go first,” she offered.

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