Page 32 of More Than Anything

“No, ma’am. And you need to leave me alone,” Avery reminded her.

“Yeah. He ain’t done nothin’ to you, Lydia.”

“Shut up. None of your business,” she snapped at Roger.

“Hey, don’t talk to my friends that way,” Avery snapped back.

“Where’s your little girlfriend?” Avery stared at her. “You know, DanetteMoyers.”

“Danette’s your girlfriend?” Frankie asked, wide-eyed.

“Danette’s on a date tonight,” Avery answered her and watched her deflate. “Yeah. Danette can get a date and you can’t.”

“I can too.”

“Then why are you here on a Friday night tormenting me instead of being out with some hunk, letting him work at wooing you, buying you drinks and dinner and taking you dancing? Because you’re so damn ornery that no man wants to be around you!” Avery shouted back at her, sick and tired of her berating him. “That’s why you’re here! You’re bored and I’m your newest target.”

He watched her face change, something unknown working its way across her features, and a light went out behind her eyes. “Shut up. You don’t know anything about me,” she snarled.

“Yeah? Well, you don’t know anything about me either, and you haven’t bothered to try to find out anything about me. You don’t care that I’m a nice guy, or that I’ve had horrible things happen inmylife. All you care about is yourself.”

“I want that farm, AveryHolcomb. I don’t give a damn about you or your life; I just want my farm back.”

Avery shook his head and forced out from between gritted teeth, “It’s. Not. Your. Farm. Get that through your head, woman.”

Lydia leaned across the table and down into Avery’s face. “Never.”

He just laughed. “Nice cleavage.”

“Ohhhhh, Holcomb, you’re a real asshole, know that?” she barked and stormed off.

“What the hell was that about?” Roger asked, his eyes wide and eyebrows peaking.

“Just a huge misunderstanding,” Avery said, watching her go and hoping she stayed gone. “One huge misunderstanding.”

Saturday morning was quiet enough. The guys had finished and the kitchen looked amazing. It occurred to Avery that even though he was no interior decorator, he’d done a great job of picking out things and putting them together. Even Mike had said it was one of the best-looking jobs they’d ever done.

He’d finished feeding the cattle, had cleaned up the kitchen and started the dishwasher, and was getting ready to go upstairs and take a shower before going into town to pick up some groceries and other things when he heard a car door. Leaning back from his spot at the sink, he glanced out the front window, and there it was.

That white BMW.

Avery just reached across the countertop, picked up his phone, and hit a contact. “TuckerCounty Sheriff’s Department,” a voice said.

“Yes, this is AveryHolcomb out at the old Kinsey farm. My property’s posted and I’ve got a trespasser I’d like picked up out here, if you’d send someone out, please,” he told the woman on the phone.

“Yes, sir. A deputy is en route. He’ll be there in under five minutes.”

“Thanks, ma’am,” Avery said and hung up.

And at that very moment, she started banging on the door. “Avery? AveryHolcomb! I know you’re in there! Come out here right this instant!” Avery said nothing, but he moved quietly to the back door and made sure it was locked. “Avery! Open up! I know you’re here! Your truck’s here!”

Avery stood completely still and watched. Her shadow disappeared from beside the front door and he knew she was headed to the back, so he jetted up the stairs and stood on the landing at the top. Sure enough, the banging started on the back door. “AveryHolcomb! Open this door right now! I want to talk to you! Get your ass out here!” He could hear her mumbling something to herself, and then she started in again. “I want to talk to your scared ass! What’s wrong, a little girl got you scared? Didn’t like that slap I landed on your smartass face at the diner? Open the door!” she barked, pounding until he was afraid the glass would break.

She moved back to the front door and started up again, and Avery just stood and waited. Sure enough, in just a couple of minutes, he caught the wail of a siren in the distance and listened as it got closer and closer. Lydia kept screaming and banging, and he was pretty sure she hadn’t heard it yet.

But by the time it got close enough for her to hear it over her caterwauling, he’d started to laugh because she’d obviously figured out what was going on. “Are you serious?” she shrieked. “You called the cops? Are youthatafraid of me? Good god, Holcomb, you’re a shit, you know that? What a pussy! Get your ass out here and talk to me! I mean it! I won’t take no for an answer!”

Avery waited until he heard the cruiser pull up in the driveway before he finally went down and opened the door. The look on LydiaKinsey’s face was priceless. Flames were blasting out of her ears and her eyes were shooting death rays at him. “You called thecops?” she screamed.

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