Page 25 of Legacy of Lies
“That’s right. That was after high school, right?”
What the hell, Mr. Twenty Questions?
“But you came back after college? Even with the trouble you’d had earlier ...” When his voice trailed off, two patches of red tinted his hard cheekbones. “Son of a bitch, I stuck my foot in my mouth, didn’t I? Look, never mind. Forget I asked anything. Damn it, here I get all mad at you for prying and look who’s the Nosy Nellie now?” The repentant half-smiling guy across from her made her heart flop over.
Sara ducked her head and put her hand to her temple, blocking her words from prying ears. “It was hard enough growing up here where everyone knew my family’s dirty laundry and my mistakes. When I came back, it was important to project a solid, respectable life.” She snorted a tiny laugh. “Little good that did, with the whole Hank thing.”
Garrison frowned. “I’ve been out of the loop, obviously. I knew your aunt and uncle raised you, and so what? But what kind of trouble did you get into?”
“You were wrapped up in rodeo and off at college then. Shelby and Kerr were a grade ahead of me and probably know a lot more.” She systematically shredded the napkin on the table. “I never had a father, and my mother left me here when I was around Zach’s age, when we moved here. Or rather, she dropped me off here. I never saw her again, but I kept hoping she’d come back and get me. Years later, when I found out about her death, I gave up and kind of rebelled.”
“How?”
Was that ... sincerity in his eyes? Like he truly cared about what she had to say. Like he wasn’t judging her. Long may Garrison’s acceptance last. She resisted the urge to cross herself.
“Um, I shoplifted a few times in high school. Stupid stuff.”
“Why?”
She sniffed. “Thehead shrinkssaid I was acting out because of abandonment issues. But what do they know, right?” She continued to deconstruct the napkin into tiny pieces.
“Yeah, about what I said yesterday about the counselor. That was stupid and—”
Holding her hand up, she said, “It’s okay.” When he opened his mouth, she added, “Please. Let it go.”
After mock wiping his brow, his expression softened. “So I’m having dinner with a hardened criminal?”
“One petty theft away from wearing an orange jumpsuit. Or so I’ve been told.”
He nodded and folded his hands on the table. “What about your family here?”
The neat pile of paper continued to grow. “Staying with my aunt and uncle was safer than living hand to mouth and dealing with the never-ending line of Mom’s mean boyfriends. Problem was, most everyone in town here knew how messed up Mom was.”
“Why did you return to Copper River later on, if you wanted a fresh start?”
“No choice, unless I want to be in debt for the rest of my natural life. I’m working here through a program with the county department of education. To combat a shortage of teachers, they paid up front for my college. In return, I owe them four years of teaching, and then I’m footloose and fancy-free. That is, if I can keep my job. God, if I lose this teaching job, I’m on the hook for the full four years of college. Immediately.”
He tapped her arm, startling her into halting her shredding activity. His crooked smile turned her to boneless goo. “Hey. It’ll be fine.”
She folded her hands in front of the paper pile. “Sure.”
“So how was it, coming back to Copper River?”
“While I was in college, my aunt and uncle died in a car accident. So it wasn’t the homecoming I’d hoped for. But I have some friends here, and dating Hank was nice for a while.”
“Really?” The gold in his eyes turned to crystals of yellow ice.
“Yes, seriously. Believe it or not, he started out as a fairly decent guy. Last year, around this time, something changed. Like a switch flipped.”
“Did he hurt you?” White lines formed at the corners of his mouth.
When was the last time a man truly cared about her well-being? Damn it if her ovaries didn’t do a tiny tap dance in response to his protective tone.
“No, nothing physical. I initiated the breakup, but he got pretty mean.” Although she aimed for a casual, couldn’t-care-less tone, her voice broke. “He said I came from nothing, I’d amount to nothing, and I am worth nothing. End of story.”
Garrison grasped both of her hands in his strong, steady grip and squeezed. Warmth and unexpected pleasure flowed up her arms.
“Look at me,” he commanded, and she complied. “Hank’s wrong. You and I both know it.”
