Kentuckygirl: It doesn’t matter how I feel about you.
Sharpshooter: It matters to me. You said I could ask anything.
Kentuckygirl: I didn’t think you would ask that.
Kentuckygirl: I love you. Is that what you wanted to hear?
Sharpshooter: Yes. I love you, Kentuckygirl.
Kentuckygirl: It doesn’t change anything. I’m still not ready to meet you.
Sharpshooter: It changes everything.
Holly stared down at her computer, feeling sick at the admission she had just made. She should have just signed off and disappeared into the abyss of the Internet, which she had told herself she would do ever since she had started talking to Greer.
Closing her laptop, she went to the kitchen to do the dishes she had left to do after Dustin and Logan had left. She hadn’t wanted to waste a minute of their time together, knowing the dishes would give her something to do later.
Hearing the doorbell, she dried her hands on the dishtowel before going to the front door. It was dark outside, so she looked through the peephole to see who it was then opened the door when she recognized the eye staring back at her.
“Are you trying to creep me out?”
“How did you recognize my eye?”
Holly moved to the side to let Greer come in. “You’re the only one who has shifty eyes.” Holly used humor to sidetrack him. She would recognize that particular shade of grey from ten feet, much less staring right back at her.
“I have shifty eyes?”
“Must be an occupational hazard.” Holly raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to explain why he was here so late.
“I thought Dustin and Logan were still here.”
“They just left.”
“We must have passed each other in the dark.”
“Guess so.” She waited, expecting him to leave.
Greer sniffed the air. “Is that hamburgers I smell.”
“It was.”
“Got any left?”
“No. I’d make you one, but Dustin cleaned me out.”
“That’s okay. I can go eat at the diner.”
“The diner closed an hour ago. King’s and the Pink Slipper are closed, too.”
“Rosie’s is still open. I’ll get on there. Go with me?”
“No thanks. I was about to go to bed.”
“It’s Friday night. You don’t have to get up early. Come on; Dustin can’t go; he’s got Logan. And Tate won’t leave Sutton sleeping alone. Come and keep me company. If you’re not hungry, I’ll buy you a beer.”
“I’ll go brush my hair and get my jacket.” Holly left him in the living room, going to her bedroom.
Pulling out her hair tie, she bushed out her hair then went to her closet to take out a jacket. She pulled the cream-colored jacket on over the faded jeans and dark blue top she was wearing. She had already changed out her work clothes when she had gotten home.
“I could stay with Logan, and you and Dustin could go out,” she said as she walked back into the living room.
Greer turned from staring out the sliding glass door that looked out over the pool. Going to the front door, he opened it. “He’s probably in bed. Let’s go.” He tugged her out the front door before she could change her mind, and she found herself in the front seat of his pickup truck, heading toward the bar not far from his home without really understanding how she had gotten there.
“I didn’t know Rosie’s served food. I thought Mick just served drinks.”
“You’re in store for a treat, then. Mick serves the best burgers in town.” Greer handled the truck expertly, pulling into the packed parking lot between a motorcycle and a car.
Holly wished she hadn’t let herself being talked into coming. She hadn’t expected so many people to be in the bar.
Several people she knew from around town waved at her as Greer guided her toward the bar.
“Is this okay? The tables are full. When one clears, I’ll grab it.”
“This is fine.” She slid onto a barstool, smiling at the large man behind the bar.
“First time I’ve seen you in here, Holly.”
“Hi, Mick.”
Holly had met Mick in church. She had heard serval snarky comments from a few of the parishioners, while he was one of the few who had make her feel welcome when she had begun going. She had always liked him.
“What can I get you?”
“We’ll take a couple of burgers and two beers. That sound good?” Greer asked.
“Yes.”
Holly looked around the bar. Seeing the large dance floor, she turned her head at a flash of movement. When she saw a woman giving a lap dance to a man sitting down, she narrowed her eyes on the man, recognizing him.
“That’s Rider.”
Greer swung the barstool around by his boot so he could see what she was staring at.
“Yep. He usually doesn’t hang out here on Friday nights.” Holly could see Greer’s lips curl contemptuously. “He’s with Curt and Justin.” Greer swung his barstool back around.
“You want to leave?” Holly started to slide down from her stool, but he brought his hand to her thigh, stopping her.
“No, they aren’t bothering me. They bothering you?”
“Can I ask you a question?” Holly began to broach what had been bothering her since he had rung her doorbell.
“Shoot.”
She gave him a sharp look at his answer. “Why did you ask me to come out with you tonight? Dustin never leaves his phone off or out of his reach. For some reason, he’s paranoid about it.”
He shrugged. “I figured it was time to bury the hatchet between us.”
“Why now?”
He leaned an arm on the bar as he turned to face her. “The thing I’ve had against you since day one was I’ve been worried you would take off with Logan. I don’t have to worry about that anymore with Mitch dead.”
“I could run off with any man if I want to.”
“Not from Kentucky. All the men in town know it would be a death sentence to mess with Logan.”
“You really think that every man in town is afraid of you?”
“Not just me. Dustin and Tate. I ain’t claiming it; it’s a fact.”
“Some—and I repeat, some—of the men might be afraid of you, but of Dustin? No one is afraid of Dustin.”
“Woman, you have blinders on where Dustin is concerned. He might not get into many fights, and he doesn’t have my and Tate’s temper, but he’s got one. You hurt a hair on Logan’s head, and the true Dustin will come out. He’s never had any issues with you, because you love Logan, so you’ve never seen his temper.”
Holly took a drink of her beer as Mick set their burgers down in front of them. She sank her teeth into the juicy burger. Greer was right; it was the best she’d had in town. She then picked up one of the chips that Mick had served with the burger, chewing it to keep from talking.
If Dustin or Tate ever found out she had catfished Greer, they would never let her near Logan again. She had held a grain of hope that if Greer did find out, he would forgive her. But she had known all along he wouldn’t. Then she had told herself that even if the rest of the Porters never talked to her again if they found out, she would always have Dustin on her side. From what Greer was saying, Dustin would be out for vengeance if Greer became angry enough to tell him.
She took another bite of her burger, choking it down as she tried to battle back the tears that kept coming to her eyes.
“You want another beer?”
“Sure.” Holly forced the bite down to finish her beer.
“Something wrong? Don’t you like the burger?” Mick asked when she looked up to take the other beer from him.
Holly gave Mick a wane smile. “Yes, it was delicious. A chip went down wrong, but I’m fine.”
“You need me to slap you on your back?” Greer offered.
“No!” Holly had been subjected to that maneuver a couple of times since she had lived with him.
She pushed her pl
ate away, unable to eat any more.
“Finished?” Greer asked, already sliding the plate toward him.
“You have no shame where food is concerned, do you?”
“Nope.”
She occupied herself by watching the others at the bar as Greer finished her meal, trying not to think. The crowd was thinning out, and one familiar face in particular stood out.
“Diane and Luke Baxter are here.”
“It’s a free country.”
Greer didn’t seem to mind that his ex-girlfriend was at the local bar with another man.
“You don’t care? You really broke up with her over a meatloaf?”
“Being a good cook is important to me.”
“It must be.”
Holly studied Greer’s reaction to seeing the woman he had thought of marrying snuggling with another man. She wondered what he thought of her meatloaf, trying to remember if he had asked for seconds.
Greer tossed his napkin down on his plate. “You ready to dance?”
“I don’t want to dance,” she refused. She hadn’t expected him to ask her to dance, or she would have worn two of her most supportive bras, Holly thought ironically to herself.
Greer stood up, putting his hands on her hips to raise her from the stool. “Sure, you do. Come on; I’ll take it easy on you until you loosen up. Let’s piss The Last Riders off.” Greer slammed his hand down on the bar. “Change that shit to some music I like.” Then Greer took her hand, leading her to the dance floor.
Holly couldn’t help giggling when the music went from rock to country. Greer gave her a big grin, while the men groaned, when Dolly Parton’s voice filled the air.
“Greer!” Rider groaned from next to them. He was dancing with a woman in a tight dress. The lights on the dance floor were dim, but Holly could have sworn the woman was naked under the thin dress.
She danced stiffly in front of Greer. When Rider mouthed the words “call me,” she wanted to walk off the dance floor. She had never enjoyed dancing, always worried that her breasts would bounce and knock her unconscious, or the men she danced with would creep her out by deliberately rubbing their chests against them until it was obvious what they were imagining.
The music was actually a mix. When “Way Down We Go” came on, the seductive beat of the music had the men moving nearer to their partners. Greer didn’t try to move closer to her, though. He wrapped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her head to his chest.
“Relax. I don’t bite.”
When the song ended, they danced to another song before going back to the bar, where Greer ordered her another beer.
“You don’t want one?” Holly questioned, taking a drink.
“Not if I’m driving you home.”
When she finished, he took her hand and led her back to the dance floor.
With familiarity, he curled his hands around her waist as they swayed back and forth. She felt as if he had sucked all the oxygen out of the room and was only giving her back tiny doses.
She looked up to see his hooded eyes staring down at hers.
Holly had to tell him now that he was being so nice to her, offering his friendship.
Licking her suddenly dry lips, she pulled slightly away from him, bracing herself for his reaction. “Greer …”
“What’s the matter, Kentuckygirl? Cat got your tongue?”
Holly stopped dancing, afraid she would pass out. “What did you say?” She silently prayed she had heard him wrong.
“You heard me.”
Holly saw the others on the dance floor were staring at them.
Greer’s eyes dared her to admit the truth.
“I’m ready to go home,” she said unsteadily.
When she stepped off the dance floor, she wanted to run, but she didn’t have a way home. Then she looked around and saw Mick. She almost sobbed in relief. She could catch a ride home with him after the bar closed.
She was only able to take one step before Greer caught her arm, practically lifting her off her feet to carry her outside, preventing her escape. She was too embarrassed to call out. To most of the people in the bar it seemed as if they had gotten carried away from the music and were leaving to make out.
When he opened the truck door, he stood there until she was inside, even buckling her seatbelt himself.
“Don’t try to get out before I can get in,” he warned.
“I won’t.” She numbly sat still as he climbed into the truck.
Shivering, Holly pulled her jacket closer around her. Every one of her messages floated through her mind on the ride back to the house. The one that embarrassed her the most was when she had confessed to loving him.
“How’d you find out?” She held on to her door as Greer turned the corner toward her house.
“I saw your computer sitting on the kitchen table. I was going to tell you good night.”
How could she have been so stupid? Imagine his surprise when he had opened her laptop and saw the very site they had talked on staring him in the face.
All she would have had to do was close the freaking browser.
From the glow of a streetlamp they passed underneath, she saw on Greer’s face that he was going to make her pay for that mistake.
16
Holly furtively unbuckled her seatbelt, holding it in place with one hand as her other one inched toward the door handle. When Greer braked in front of Mrs. Langley’s garage, she opened the truck door and released the belt so fast the metal clanked against the roof.
As soon as her feet hit the ground, she took off at a run. She then dug her house key out of her pocket before she was halfway up the sidewalk.
The sound of Greer’s truck door slamming closed had her giving a small scream of fright. She practically pounded the key into the lock before turning it and jerking the door open with all the strength she possessed.
Turning, she tried shutting the door, but Greer was already there, pushing on it.
“Let me in,” he growled from the other side.
“No. Go away!” she yelled, using her shoulder to close the door before he could get inside.
“Hell fucking no!”
Holly screeched when her feet started sliding along the floor.
Realizing the futility of what she was doing, she released the door and took off toward her bedroom. If she could make it, she could possibly lock him out long enough to call Dustin or Tate for help.
Running down the hallway, she heard the front door close and Greer’s boots following her. Skidding into the kitchen, she turned the corner that led to her bedroom. Hearing his curse, she knew the slick floor had almost claimed him as a victim, too.
She ran through the doorway of her bedroom, grabbing the door and starting to close it, only to see Greer behind her, blocking her with his hand on the door.
Panting, she took a step back as he came farther into the room, closing the door with a soft click.
She looked toward the bedroom door, but before she could make a move toward it, Greer grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall beside the door. His chest crushed her as he panted from running.
She jumped when he pounded the wall right beside her head with his fist.
“Don’t hit me!”
“Woman, you need an ass whipping, and you’re going to get it. But first, I want some answers.” Greer hit the wall again, and she cringed when she saw he had left a gaping hole in it.
“Let me call Tate or Rachel, and we can sit down and talk about this calmly.”
“You think they’re going to protect you from me?” From the pft sound he made, she reckoned they wouldn’t.
Staring up him fearfully, she then closed her eyes. When she felt him release her, she opened her eyes to see him standing in front of her.
“Start talking.” His grim face didn’t make it easy.
“Can I sit down?”
“No.”
A fire of rebellion had her no longer cowering against the wall. Straightening h
er jacket, she buried her nervous hands into the pockets, realizing her cell phone was in her pocket.
Greer’s eyes raked hers as if he could read her mind. “You’ll be buying a new one,” he warned.
“Remember when you killed Talon?”
“That scrawny rooster that kept pecking you and Logan every time you tried to feed the chickens?”
“Yes. One minute, I was feeding my chickens and trying to get that one off me, and the next, you were wringing his neck. I liked that rooster.”
“You hated that rooster.” He gave her a look that said he doubted her sanity.
“I didn’t. I didn’t like him pecking me, but I was dealing with it. He didn’t deserve to die over it.”
“Woman, that stringy ass wasn’t even good enough to eat. What does that have to do with you pretending to be someone else and contacting me to talk?”
“I’m trying to explain! Right after you killed him, you went inside to shower before you took Diane out. You didn’t care that I was crying. You just went on your merry way. The next day, Diamond and I were joking around during our lunch hour. She was trying to cheer me up. We were looking at the singles in our area, and your picture came up.”
“Why were you searching men in our area to cheer you up?”
“I don’t know. We were just bored, I guess.” Holly refused to give him the details that she had confided to her friend—that she had feelings for him, that it was the idea of him dating and becoming serious with Diane that had been the most upsetting.
“Go on.”
“Anyway, when your picture came up, Diamond clicked on it and messaged you.”
If his face hadn’t been frightening before, it was now.
“Has she been the one I’ve been talking to?”
“No! She just did it that first time. I was the one who answered. We always did it at lunch time, but gradually …” Holly took a small puff of air, trying to catch her breath. “Then I kind of started talking to you on my own. She didn’t even know I was still talking to you until a few weeks ago.”
“Why did you keep talking to me?”
“I don’t know.” She clenched her hands in her pockets.
“Don’t fucking lie to me.”
She glared at him. “Because on the computer, you’re half-decent to talk to. It’s only in person you’re mean.”