“Sex doesn’t qualify as one.”
“We had more than just sex,
and you know it.”
“We might have in the
beginning, but now it’s purely sex. Have you noticed that in the past few weeks
we hardly ever saw each other?”
“Excuse me, but aren’t you
the one who was busy with your job the last couple of times when I called?
You’re the one who kept putting me off.” Cole stepped closer to me. I could
smell the sweet scent of his after-shave. “Let’s quit fighting, Jesse. I want
you in my life.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.
I could feel my emotions
rising. I wanted him. I wanted to feel the way he made me feel, but I knew this
wouldn’t last. Our time had come and gone. I wanted more than he was willing to
give.
“Stop,” I said, stepping
back. “It won’t work, Cole. I need a man who’s going to be by my side all the
time, not someone who’ll be there at his convenience. You can’t give me what I
need. I see that now. It’s over.”
“That’s a load of crap,
Jesse. There’s someone else, isn’t there? Tell me who it is. I know it’s
Billy!” He grabbed me by the arm; his grip firm.
“Let go of my arm, Cole.
You’re hurting me.”
He stepped back and said,
“I’m sorry, Jesse. I don’t know what came over me. I guess I’m just afraid that
I’m losing you.”
“After that little display,
I don’t think I can handle your anger.”
“It’s just as much your
fault as it is mine. I wouldn’t have grabbed you if you hadn’t made me so mad.”
“You’re full of...”
“Shut up, both of you,”
Billy shouted. He walked back into the room. “We need to figure out what to do
about this situation.”
Cole and I quit arguing and
looked at Billy. He was pacing the floor and running his hand through his
loose, long locks of hair.
“We have to come up with a
plan. We need more time.”
“More time for what?” I
asked, putting my thoughts of Cole aside. “The cops want my butt.”
“Remember what the chief
said? The only way to prove you’re innocent is to find the one who’s guilty.
That’s what we have to do.”
“Why should I have to prove
that I’m innocent? I thought it was their job to prove guilt, not the other way
around.”
“Wake up, girl,” Billy
said, looking at me in bewilderment. “Smell the coffee.”
Chapter 8
B y the time it got dark outside, we had come up with a
plan. Cole would take me in for questioning while Billy followed us in his
truck. An attorney friend of Billy’s, Russell Shank, agreed to meet us at the
police station. He would be my lawyer, if I needed one, thus keeping me fromrunning off at the mouth. I called Mom to make sure everyone was all right
and to check on the flood situation. The eight inches of snow was melting at an
alarming rate. The freeze at night that normally occurs in the mountains this
time of year didn’t appear to be happening. It was still forty-two degrees
outside. That meant, if the temperature didn’t drop soon and stop the thaw, the South River would overflow, flooding everyone in its path. The ground at the top
of the mountain, made soft from the melting snow, would turn into mud slides.
Everyone would be in trouble.
“Don’t worry,” Mom assured
me. “The wind is blowing like crazy, and the temperature has dropped down to
thirty-eight degrees. We’re going to be fine. You just do what you have to do
and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her calmness disturbed me,
but I didn’t have time to analyze the situation. She appeared to have herself
together. That gave me one less thing to worry about. We had stuff to do. Once
we got the house locked up and my Jeep put in the garage, the three of us
headed out to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department back in Stanardsville.
The roads were almost
clear. The only signs left of the last snowfall were patches here and there.
However, the closer we got to Stanardsville, the stronger the winds became, and
the more snow we saw. As I stepped out
“We had more than just sex,
and you know it.”
“We might have in the
beginning, but now it’s purely sex. Have you noticed that in the past few weeks
we hardly ever saw each other?”
“Excuse me, but aren’t you
the one who was busy with your job the last couple of times when I called?
You’re the one who kept putting me off.” Cole stepped closer to me. I could
smell the sweet scent of his after-shave. “Let’s quit fighting, Jesse. I want
you in my life.” He leaned over and pressed his lips to mine.
I could feel my emotions
rising. I wanted him. I wanted to feel the way he made me feel, but I knew this
wouldn’t last. Our time had come and gone. I wanted more than he was willing to
give.
“Stop,” I said, stepping
back. “It won’t work, Cole. I need a man who’s going to be by my side all the
time, not someone who’ll be there at his convenience. You can’t give me what I
need. I see that now. It’s over.”
“That’s a load of crap,
Jesse. There’s someone else, isn’t there? Tell me who it is. I know it’s
Billy!” He grabbed me by the arm; his grip firm.
“Let go of my arm, Cole.
You’re hurting me.”
He stepped back and said,
“I’m sorry, Jesse. I don’t know what came over me. I guess I’m just afraid that
I’m losing you.”
“After that little display,
I don’t think I can handle your anger.”
“It’s just as much your
fault as it is mine. I wouldn’t have grabbed you if you hadn’t made me so mad.”
“You’re full of...”
“Shut up, both of you,”
Billy shouted. He walked back into the room. “We need to figure out what to do
about this situation.”
Cole and I quit arguing and
looked at Billy. He was pacing the floor and running his hand through his
loose, long locks of hair.
“We have to come up with a
plan. We need more time.”
“More time for what?” I
asked, putting my thoughts of Cole aside. “The cops want my butt.”
“Remember what the chief
said? The only way to prove you’re innocent is to find the one who’s guilty.
That’s what we have to do.”
“Why should I have to prove
that I’m innocent? I thought it was their job to prove guilt, not the other way
around.”
“Wake up, girl,” Billy
said, looking at me in bewilderment. “Smell the coffee.”
Chapter 8
B y the time it got dark outside, we had come up with a
plan. Cole would take me in for questioning while Billy followed us in his
truck. An attorney friend of Billy’s, Russell Shank, agreed to meet us at the
police station. He would be my lawyer, if I needed one, thus keeping me fromrunning off at the mouth. I called Mom to make sure everyone was all right
and to check on the flood situation. The eight inches of snow was melting at an
alarming rate. The freeze at night that normally occurs in the mountains this
time of year didn’t appear to be happening. It was still forty-two degrees
outside. That meant, if the temperature didn’t drop soon and stop the thaw, the South River would overflow, flooding everyone in its path. The ground at the top
of the mountain, made soft from the melting snow, would turn into mud slides.
Everyone would be in trouble.
“Don’t worry,” Mom assured
me. “The wind is blowing like crazy, and the temperature has dropped down to
thirty-eight degrees. We’re going to be fine. You just do what you have to do
and we’ll see you tomorrow.”
Her calmness disturbed me,
but I didn’t have time to analyze the situation. She appeared to have herself
together. That gave me one less thing to worry about. We had stuff to do. Once
we got the house locked up and my Jeep put in the garage, the three of us
headed out to the Greene County Sheriff’s Department back in Stanardsville.
The roads were almost
clear. The only signs left of the last snowfall were patches here and there.
However, the closer we got to Stanardsville, the stronger the winds became, and
the more snow we saw. As I stepped out
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