They hadn’t even really talked. He wasn’t ready to call them a lost cause quite yet.
He’d taken the last bite of his breakfast sandwich and was staring out the window at a mostly empty Main Street when a voice surprised him, coming from his right. “You look like hell, man.”
Jacob turned his head and blinked at Ken Harley. He was wearing his sheriff uniform today, and he’d been sitting at a table across the restaurant until just now. “Oh. Yeah. Hey, Ken.”
“Your grandpa that bad?”
“He’s pretty bad. Just a matter of days now.”
“Sorry to hear that. I guess it’s rough, even though you’ve been gone for so long.”
“Yeah.” Jacob experienced a little stab of guilt. His sleepless nights weren’t only caused by grief over his dying grandfather, but he could hardly explain to a virtual stranger that he was heartsick for more than one reason.
“I heard you might get back together with Ria Phillips.”
Jacob blinked again. Several times. “Where did you hear that?”
Ken shrugged one shoulder. “No idea. Just around. That’s what people are saying.”
“I don’t know why they’re saying it.”
“Guess it looked like you might still be into her, but folks could be imagining things. They do in small towns like this.” Ken had a laid-back way of conversing that took all the pressure off. Like there were no real stakes in what he was saying. Like he was just along for the ride. There was a resting intelligence in his eyes that belied this hands-off approach to the world, so Jacob figured it wasn’t real. It had probably served him well as sheriff, encouraging confessions that never would have been spilled if the conversation had felt more serious.
“Yeah.”
“But they’re not always wrong. Guess Ria has been looking under the weather.”
Jacob sat up straight with a tense jerk. “She has?”
“I guess. Folks think she’s down about you.” Ken leaned a little closer, and the knowing intelligence that always seemed to be at rest flared up so suddenly and so intensely it was genuinely shocking. “We all love her round here. She took it hard when you left before. So if you’re thinking of a repeat performance, you’d best be headin’ back north just as soon as you can.”
The threat was mild, but it was real. It was very clear that Jacob wasn’t wanted around here if he was just going to break Ria’s heart again.
It took a moment before he could speak around the tension in his throat. “That’s... that’s not what’s happening. It’s different this time.”
“Okay.” Ken was laid-back again in an instant, leaning over the counter to wave the waitress over for more coffee. “Glad to hear it. Give my best to your grandpa.”
Maybe it was the significant conversation with Ken. Or maybe it was the idea that Ria had been “under the weather” the past few days. But Jacob’s resolve to wait until Ria gave him a signal she wanted to talk went right out the window the instant he saw her walking down the sidewalk across the street.
She had her hair in a ponytail, the long, dark length of it bouncing as she walked. She wore jean capris and a simple white T-shirt. She was beautiful and familiar and looked tired even from the distance.
Jacob put a twenty-dollar bill on the counter and went after her.
RIA HADN’T BEEN HAVING a good week, and the fact that Jacob had called her every single day since Saturday was only making it worse.
It would have been a lot easier if he’d been a jerk about it. If he’d just screwed her and dropped her, it would have been easier to deal with, but that wasn’t what had happened.
He’d been just as emotionally invested in the sex as she was. She wasn’t fool enough to think he hadn’t cared about it.
But he’d cared about it before too. He’d cared about her. And he’d still hurt her more than anyone ever had.
On Wednesday, she was determined to pull herself out of her slump and get back to her characteristic positive attitude. As she walked the few blocks into work that morning, she was telling herself everything was fine. She’d made a little slipup on Saturday, but it wasn’t the end of the world.
People slept with people they shouldn’t all the time. It didn’t have to be life-changing. World-shaking. It just was. There had always been a spark between her and Jacob, and it had flared up again on Saturday.
It was over now.
Jacob Worth wasn’t in control of her heart.
She was.
“Ria! Ria, wait up.”
She knew who the voice belonged to as it called from across the street near Anna’s. She froze. Waited. Didn’t turn around until Jacob had caught up with her.
Then she steeled herself and said coolly, “I told you I wanted—”
“I know. I know. I’m sorry. But there were a few things I needed to check on.” He looked a little paler than he had last week. There were dark smudges under his eyes. His gaze was searching her face almost desperately.
She frowned. “What things?”
“Well, for one, we didn’t... we didn’t use protection. And if there was a consequence to that mistake, then I’d like to know about it.”
“Oh. Oh!” She relaxed as she realized what he was worried about. “Oh, we’re fine with that. My period started last night. So we’re okay.”
Because she was watching, she saw this process on his face. Relief. Understanding. Then something like... concern? “That’s good then. But I was told you were under the weather the past few days. Are you okay?”
She groaned and glared over in the direction of Anna’s, where whoever had been gossiping about her was probably still having breakfast. “I’m just fine. I still feel kind of weird about Saturday, but I’m not going into an emotional decline over a little sex. Believe it or not, your dick isn’t some all-powerful force, bringing joy and despair to all women everywhere the moment you pull
