He picked up the phone and got her damned voicemail again. He checked his watch. To hell with it, time to take charge of the mission. Keys in hand, he locked the trailer door, waved good-bye to the framing crew who were nearly finished and climbed in his truck.
He drove to her house and pulled in the driveway. She usually parked there, so she wasn’t home yet. He waited. About a half hour later, Marla’s car slowed down at her driveway, but instead of pulling in alongside him, she swerved and kept going.
“Shit!” Dwayne backed out and followed her. She wouldn’t drive around trying to avoid him for long because she’d eventually worry about her mutt and head home. All he had to do was follow her until she gave up the chase. What a soap opera!
Several minutes later, he pulled up alongside her at a stop sign and angled the truck so she couldn’t move forward. He hopped out and stalked to her car and twirled an unwind gesture with his finger.
When she sat there stubbornly ignoring him he shouted, “Lower the window, Marla.”
She stared straight ahead, her knuckles white on the steering wheel.
“Lower the goddamned window!” His angry voice raised the eyebrows of a man sitting on his front porch. He rose and went inside the house.
“Do you want to get me arrested? That guy is probably calling the cops right now.” He straightened. Arms akimbo, he looked skyward and rolled his eyes.
He heard purr of the window sliding down. He leaned forward and saw a tear slide from the corner of her eye. “Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. Please get out of the car.”
Mute, she shook her head.
“Please, sweetheart. Don’t make me beg.” He would if he had to, but he sure as hell would rather avoid it.
“You should be begging me, you colossal jerk!” She reached for the door and unlocked it.
He pulled it open. “Get out, honey, please.”
The second her feet hit the pavement he crushed her in his arms. How had he lived so many years without the sensation of her body against his, the brush of his lips on her hair?
She held herself stiff for a few seconds then slowly melted into him and placed her arms around his waist. Tears pooled in his eyes. What a fool he was to come so close to losing her.
A black and white Sheriff’s vehicle with lights flashing pulled up behind them. The deputy spoke into his radio, set it on the dash next to the Dash-Cam, and stepped out.
“What seems to be the problem, folks?” He approached slowly, his hand resting lightly on his holster.
Dwayne cleared his throat and swiped the heel of his hand across his eyes. “We uh, everything’s fine, officer.” He patted Marla’s back. “Isn’t it, honey?”
“Ma’am?”
Marla turned her head to face the officer then rested it on Dwayne’s chest. “Um…we…”
“Ma’am, I won’t leave until I’m sure you’re all right. Is there anyone else in your car?”
“No.” She took a shuddering breath. “We, uh, we argued. I’m okay.”
The deputy stepped forward. “I’ll need to see your I.D. please, both of you.”
Dwayne reached in his back pocket for his wallet. Marla leaned through her open car door and retrieved her purse from the passenger seat. They found their licenses and handed them over.
He scanned Marla’s license into a hand-held device and held it out to her. Holding Dwayne’s in his hand he squinted. His forehead wrinkled.
Dwayne wondered what was so puzzling. “Is there something wrong, officer? Is it expired?”
“No, sir, but I think you were in my sophomore class. Are you related to Dylan Dempsey?”
Dwayne smiled with relief. “He’s my big brother.”
“How come you didn’t come back in junior year?”
“I moved to Wyoming to live with my mother until I joined the Marines.”
The deputy grinned, held out his arm and pointed to a USMC fouled-anchor tattoo above the inside of his right wrist. “Semper Fi.”
Chuckling, the two men bumped fists.
The officer introduced himself, “Bob Wallace.”
“Yeah, Bob, you were on the tennis team, right?”
“Right.”
Marla interrupted them. “We’re blocking traffic and attracting attention. Can we…uh?”
Her cheeks flamed bright pink. She’d never looked more beautiful to him.
Bob grinned and tilted his head at Dwayne’s truck. “Big D Construction. I’ll see you around, and it would probably be a good idea to take your lover’s spat home.” He touched the bill of his cap. “Ma’am.”
Marla glared at Dwayne. “I’m so embarrassed. You make me crazy, Dempsey.”
“I know the feeling, Danaher.” He pulled her close and kissed her. “Go straight home. I’ll follow you.”
“Look who’s giving orders now.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Were they closing in on the end of July already? One day with Dwayne led to a night with Dwayne then led to another day. How had she spent all her time before?
Edwin Plimpton called her while they were having dinner. She looked at the screen and groaned. “Hello, Edwin.”
Dwayne rolled his eyes and took bite of his steak.
“May I call you later? I’m in the middle of dinner. How do you know I’m not home? You’re there? Edwin, please don’t come to my house without calling first.” She paused. “Because it’s rude, that’s why.” She sighed. “Yes, I’m at a restaurant. Yes, I’m with the same man. Call me tomorrow around noon. Yes, we do need to talk. Good-bye.”
“Persistent little pipsqueak, isn’t he?”
She jabbed a finger at him. “That’s not nice. He’s a decent man. I never thought we had a real relationship, but apparently he did. It’s sad, really.”
“Sorry. I shouldn’t gloat, but it feels so good.”
She smiled reluctantly. “What am I going to do with you?”
“I can come up with a couple of suggestions.”
Sawing away at her chicken, she said, “You have a one-track mind.” And wasn’t it wonderful?
“I like to call it keeping the successful completion
