Brooke’s response was overpowered by the increasing buzz in my ears. I needed to leave; I couldn’t stay here with these people any longer. My breath came in short, shallow spurts. I couldn’t keep the fake smile on my face a second longer. My vision narrowed on my hands, noticing how much they looked like my mom’s right this moment, which made me miss her all of a sudden. She would know what to do, the right words to say.
“I got you, darlin’.” A baritone voice rose above the buzzing as a strong warm arm wrapped around my shoulders and guided me out a hidden side door. “Keep breathing for me.” I followed my savior without question, not glancing up until we were seated on the hard iron bench in the carport outside. I honestly didn’t care who had rescued me at that moment; I was just grateful to be outside and in the open.
Finally, when I was able to take full breaths again, I took the time to peer up and see who, out of all the “friends” in that room, had taken the time to notice my distress. Deep emerald eyes stared down at me beneath the brim of a tan Stetson hat. Those eyes crinkled at the corners as he smiled at me. A face I didn’t recognize but felt myself falling into.
“Thank you.” My voice came out on a sigh. I shook my head and scooted over a bit so that our bodies were no longer touching. “I’m sorry. I don’t recognize you.”
“I came with a friend. The name’s Brian.” He tipped his head and held out his hand in greeting.
“Genni,” I replied as his calloused fingers enveloped mine. A zing of attraction shot straight to my core, and I jerked back as if burnt. My girlie bits should not be tingling at my grandmother’s funeral.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Genni.” His Texan drawl sounded like honey to my ears.
“Who are you here with? Did you know my gran?” I wanted to keep him talking just to hear that voice again.
“I’m in town visitin’ an old friend. You probably know him since he’s the sheriff now. Jason Whatley.”
“Jason?” My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. “How do you know him?”
“We met years ago when he was in college. He came to work on my family’s ranch for a summer, and we hit it off. Stayed in touch ever since. I needed a break from the family, so I decided to visit.”
“Oh, well, that’s nice.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say. For the first time in my life, I found myself tongue-tied. “I didn’t know Jason had become sheriff. Last I knew, he was a deputy, or that’s what Gran had told me.” I stared at the hearse sitting in front of us, realizing that Gran’s body would be riding in the back of it tomorrow morning.
“Yeah, he was voted in durin’ the last election. Probably helped that he ran unopposed.” Brian’s laugh was deep and full and touched my innermost places. It felt wrong to have this deep of an attraction to a man while Gran lay cold and unmoving just inside those doors.
The silence between us became awkward. My body was responding to this man in a way that was totally inappropriate at a funeral home. I stood and walked back into the visitation room, leaving him alone and without a goodbye. I knew it was rude and that I should apologize, but I needed to get away before I gave in to my body’s craving to be closer to him. As I came through the door, I ran into Jason, and he caught my arms as I stumbled.
“Hey, you okay, Genni?” He steadied me and quickly dropped his hands. He was in his uniform, complete with a radio mic at his shoulder, gun holster on his hip, and shiny silver star on the breast pocket of his tan shirt.
“Yeah, thanks. I’m fine.” I tried to smile as I took a step around him to move farther inside. Jason and I had gone to school together, and I’d made the mistake of agreeing to date him. I quickly found out he was an overbearing jerk and control freak. When I wouldn’t go out with him again, he got pissed, and things became awkward between us.
“You sure?” He moved a step closer, trying to close the distance I had just created.
I sighed in frustration. Everyone had been asking me that since I had arrived. “You want the truth? No, I’m not fine. My gran is dead. The last living relative who gave two shits about me is now gone. I traveled back to this flea-bitten town to say goodbye to her, only to have everyone judge me the moment I stepped foot onto Main Street. I have stood in this room for the last two hours accepting their fake condolences with a fake smile on my face, and I just want to go back to Gran’s house, cry myself to sleep, and forget that she’s gone, even if it’s just for the night.” I blew out an exasperated breath.
Jason’s eyes rounded in shock for a millisecond before he nodded his head and grabbed my elbow. “Come with me.” He turned me to escort me back out the door I had just come in.
I dug my feet in to stop. “Wait, where are you taking me?” I tried to wrench my arm from his grasp to no avail. Rather than make a bigger scene, I chose to follow him.
“Away from here. You, young lady, need to learn some manners, but given the stress of today, we will let that pass.” He nodded for Brian to follow as we continued past the hearse.
“What? I need to learn manners?!” I couldn’t believe my ears. “Who do you think you are, Jason? We aren’t in high school anymore, and you aren’t my boyfriend.”
“No, I am not, but I am the one who is here and knows what you need.”
“Jason, maybe you should slow on down. It’s been a stressful day for Genni, and this may not be what she needs.” Brian’s twang reverberated through my body as he talked to Jason like I wasn’t even there.
I finally stomped my feet and stopped walking. Jason tried jerking on my arm again to get me moving but lost his grip. I yanked myself free, placed my hands on my hips, and glared at him. “NO! You both will stop discussing me as if I’m not here.” I glanced between them. “Now, tell me what the fuck you are talking about.”
“Girl, I should take you over my knee right here.” Jason huffed.
“The last person who had the right to do that is lying in a coffin, in a room filled with people who are more interested in finding gossip about me than paying their respects to the deceased.” I waved my arms, tears spilling over my eyelashes as I continued my rant. “Now, there’s not a soul left who has ANY right to correct me, let alone someone who thought he was king of the town in high school and now has let his position,” I jabbed the silver star on his chest, “go to his head once again.”
Jason’s hands balled at his side, and the vein in his forehead bulged and throbbed with his pulse. His eyebrows lowered, and his nostrils flared with each breath. I knew that look. It appeared back in high school and was one of the reasons I had broken up with him. He had never hit me, but I didn’t stay with him long enough to find out if he would.
“Genevieve, why don’t you go back inside? Jason and I need to have ourselves a little chat.” Brian’s eyes were focused on Jason as he spoke.
I dried my tears, glancing between the men, realizing that there was something more than simple friendship between them. I didn’t have time to dig deeper and, honestly, didn’t want to. I took the opportunity to escape their overwhelming masculine pheromones.
The townspeople in the visitation room had thinned out while I had been gone. I scanned the room, not sure what I was searching for. A tall, slightly overweight man with a receding hairline approached me.