CHAPTER 2

The courthouse was close to John's office and the jail. The two late nineteenth-century structures were united by a covered walkway. The two buildings remained mostly unchanged despite modifications, having existed for years.

He stopped the car and stepped outside to unlock the back door. For a brief while, he believed Ms. Lily would not budge. She slid out and was led into his office without another word. She no longer appeared to be fighting. He hoped that meant she understood how critical her circumstance was.

To get to the jail, they passed through the chamber and along the hallway. Her high heels tapping against the concrete floor resounded in the empty room. The delicate rustle of her gown as she entered the cubicle after he unfastened the cuffs irritated him for some reason. She jumped as the steel bars slammed shut, her eyes brimming with fire.

"You fool. Your hide will be mine to keep."

"So you keep telling me."

Her cheeks reddened. "I need my phone."

"Hey, fancy lady", Tosin called from the next cell, his bearded face pressed between the bars to get a closer look. "Ya got a guy?"

"Tosin, chill out," said John. "And do not disturb the woman. She is not considering you or marriage".

Tosin was in for "drunk and disorderly". In the woods near the Brazos River, he lived alone. He visited the city occasionally in search of a wife. Tosin was not well known for taking baths, and it is likely that he did not even have a toothbrush. Women veered away as they spotted him. Then Tosin would become drunk and act out violently, accosting women, and John would always have to lock him away to restore order for the residents of Horseshoe.

The adjacent cell contained the rough-and-tumble Marcus brothers. A three-bedroom trailer tucked away in the woods housed the two families with a total of eight children. They couldn't do honest labor. After John shut down their chop company, they switched to producing and selling marijuana. John had a gut feeling the court would punish them this time.

"John, that's not fair." Richard remarked. "She is invisible to us."

"Yeah Sheriff, that is discriminatin' or somethin'." Trae needed to express his ideas. "When they come to post your bail, I'll let your wives know about your complaints."

"Ah, come on, Sheriff. You know Lydia's as mean as a wasp."

"Trae, perhaps you ought to keep that in mind before you start staring at other women, " John retorted. "Now, calm down." He walked out before he lost all his patience.

Arthur gave him a wide-eyed look. "That's a woman, Sheriff" he said, pointing to the cell.

"Notice that, did you? John sat at his desk, attempting to look away from Arthur's expression of surprise.

"But there are no facilities for women here."

"There is now" He swung for a pen. "What did you discover regarding the license number?"

"It's on your desk." Arthur pointed to the documents. "I heard you drive up, so I decided against calling."

John looked over the data. Austin, Texas resident Charlotte Lily had the vehicle's registration. It wasn't stolen, and Ms. Lily didn't have any unpaid fines, outstanding warrants, or previous convictions. So what transpired today for Ms. Lily to violate the law?

Arthur jerked his thumb in the direction of the jail. "Is Charlotte Lily there?" His voice was a whisper, as if he didn't want anyone to hear him.

"Yes?"

"What did she do?"

John explained what had occurred on the highway to his deputy while he completed the paperwork.

"She attempted to buy you off?" Arthur's eyes widened even further.

"That's pretty much it." John took out the $100 cash from his pocket.

"Oh my god, that's a lot of cash. The last time I saw one of those was when I graduated from high school. It was a gift from my grandfather."

As John fingered the bill, a slight whiff of gardenias lingered. He handed the bill to Arthur while scowling. "Label it for evidence. On Wednesday, when he returns from vacation, the judge will decide on her fate. I'll set her bail in the meantime."

Whenever the judge was away, John took over establishing bail since Horseshoe had a population under 2,000.

Arthur slanted his head towards the jail. "But, there are some unpleasant people back there, Sheriff."

"I know." He looked at his pen. But what was he to do? He didn't feel good leaving Charlotte Lily imprisoned with Tosin and the Marcus boys. He couldn't give her a pass just because she was a woman because she had breached the law. But he had to take action.

"Check to see if you can hang some blankets from the bars to give her some privacy. The boys won't stare at her anymore because of that. Please remove her bag and luggage from my car first, though." John sat back and pulled Ms. Lily's keys from his pocket as he reached for his own. Arthur was given the keys to the police car.

Swiftly catching them, Arthur looked backwards. "She certainly has good looks, doesn't she?" Like Bubba, the deputy had a keen interest, but John was not going to pique it.

He set Ms. Lily's keys aside and kept completing the paperwork.

After a brief pause, Arthur enquired, "What's she wearing? It resembles a ballgown or something like that."

John repeated without looking up, "Please get the items out of my car."

Like John, Arthur was born and raised in Horseshoe. Arthur was muscular and lean at five foot ten, thanks to his morning workouts in the school gym. He took his job seriously, but John did everything in his power to curb his tendency to spread rumours. It was, nonetheless, typical of a little town. Very few secrets existed.

Arthur dashed for the entrance and shortly emerged carrying Ms. Lily's belongings. Standing there, he was restless.

"Blankets, Arthur," demanded John.

"Oh, yes." The deputy hurried to a chamber in the back.

To make sure Ms. Lily didn't own a weapon, John unlocked her case. Silky, feminine objects drew the eye. His nose was overwhelmed with a bold, alluring aroma, making him want to slam the lid shut. It made him think of Sarah. The clothes, not the fragrance. Underwear that he had enjoyed taking off... He tightly shut his eyes to obliterate the memories.

It did not help. He carried Sarah's memory in his heart. And it hurt. Hurt for her. Hurt for them.

He swiftly looked through Ms. Lily's luggage and questioned why she required so many cosmetics. He gathered up her belongings and headed to her cell after being satisfied. On their cots, the other convicts were sleeping. He opened the steel bars with his key and entered.

Her face was heated, and her eyes were mutinous as she sat on the edge of a bed.

He set her bag and case down next to her." "You are free to call anybody you want on your cell phone. or make use of our phone."

"Am I required to express gratitude?"

The blue fire in her eyes drew his attention. "An 'I'm sorry' would be good"

"What for?"

"Are you unaware of what transpired this afternoon?"

Her arms were crossed over her breasts. "I'm sure you're going to educate me," she said.

He took a breath in. "For the record, you were driving too fast and nearly hit a person. When I signalled for you to stop, you did not respond to the siren. And you attempted to influence a sheriff. Even though most of us in this area are country bumpkins, most of us know how to follow the law. Most of us also respect it."

She lowered her head and kept quiet. This surprised him. He anticipated fireworks. He said, "Do you want to tell me why you did those things?" in response to her demeanour.

Her face took on a look of raging rage as her head sprang up. "Get to hell."

Now he had the fireworks. This woman didn't want assistance. He had tried, at least. "In case you wish to change clothes, my deputy will spread out some blankets to provide you some privacy. A deputy will walk you to the restroom down the hall whenever you need to use it. On Wednesday, the judge will be present for your hearing. I've set your bail."

"Wednesday!" Her eyes had a worried border. He was finally able to reach her.

She jumped from the cot and grabbed his arm before he could react. "Wednesday! You must be kidding, right? I can't wait until then to be abandoned in this hellhole. That is insane. You are insane."

A longing she had forgotten about shot up his arm and into his body as her fingers pressed into his skin. He needed to escape from her.

"You fool, you smug country bumpkin. This will cost you. You'll---"

The sound of him opening the cell door, exiting, then slamming it shut echoed like a gunshot within the confines of the concrete walls. He had a fleeting regret when he saw the dread—a terror veiled in rage and fear in her eyes. But all his efforts, he was unable to communicate with her.

She'd broken the law. She now had to pay.

Charlotte grabbed her phone and punched her brother's number. She would show the high and mighty sheriff. He'd regret the day he ever put her in handcuffs.

The strange man in the cell across the aisle scowled at her while keeping his face pushed against the bars. Her skin began to feel very cold. He resembled a beggar rummaging through trash cans on a dirt road, she thought. With a loud sound, he licked his lips. Oh my God. She turned away, willing Henry to pick up.

She mutely murmured, "Pick up, pick up."

She eventually heard his voice."Where the hell are you?"

Evidently, his caller ID displayed her name. "Please assist me."

"Lily, you've called the wrong person. I'm not doing anything for you because you didn't attend Mom's wedding. Mom was terribly worried and blaming herself for your terrible behaviour."

A glimmer of hope pierced her chest. "She didn't marry him?"

"Oh, so that was the purpose of this little ruse." He nodded his head, much like he did in court, and she almost saw it. If anyone could get her out of this problem, it would be him because he was a fantastic defense lawyer. "You believed your mother would be so upset about your disappearance that she would call off the wedding?"

She inhaled deeply. "Henry I tried so hard to watch her marry another man, but I just couldn't."

"Mom has a right to a life. We should all move on now that Dad has been gone for five years, especially you."

Lily bit her lip. Henry couldn't comprehend. Nobody did. Losing her father, who had been her idol and greatest friend, had destroyed all of her preconceived notions about love and life. How Henry and her mother could move on with such ease baffled her.

She did, however, need to make amends with her mother. "I want to speak with Mom."

"No, you can't."

"Why not?"

"Lily, I won't allow you annoy her. She is joyful and preparing to leave for her honeymoon. I'll reassure her that you're okay so she won't worry. Also, I'll say it again, don't call her on her mobile. Let her enjoy herself."

Lily began to protest like she always does, but when she turned around, she noticed that man leering at her once more. It put her dreadful condition right in the heart of her chaotic life. She needed to leave immediately.

"Henry, I need your assistance."

"You already mentioned that. What is happening?"

Remembering how she had arrived warmed her cheeks once again as she said, "I'm.. I'm in jail." Oh, the stiff-necked sheriff.

"For what?"

"Speeding"

Her sibling sighed. "Lily, they don't lock people up for speeding"

"Well..." She tightly closed her eyes because she didn't know how to explain the following part to her brother and didn't want to admit it. But Henry was the only one who truly knew her.

"You know I've been upset ever since Mom started dating Lewis Thompson six months ago," she added.

"That is no big secret."

"I couldn't believe she was serious." Lily's voice shook, and she prayed Henry could tell she wasn't trying to hurt her mother.

"How many times did I tell you that she was?"

"I know. I was in denial. Dad cannot be replaced by anyone. No one."

"So, damn it, why did you consent to participate in the wedding?"

"I didn't want to lose my mother, but... but i couldn't go through with it. I sat in my bedroom, decked out in my bridesmaid dress, staring at dad's picture. I immediately realized I couldn't attend the wedding at that time. It would be a dishonour to him, so I ran for the garage, where there was freedom and fresh air.

"Very responsible, Lily."

"I intended to call Mom."

"Why didn't you?"

She cringed, aware that what she was about to say would sound terrible. She did say it, though. "Instead, I contacted Brielle, who advised me that I needed some fun, alcohol, and hot boys because the sorority sisters were throwing a large party in Dallas. I thought that sounded fantastic at the time..."

"Again, a really mature act."

"Stop being so snarky."

"...that way I could ignore what Mom was doing." She took a quick breath. "It wasn't easy. I started crying as I was driving and found it difficult to stop. I was doing something that was bad, but I was unable to stop it. I therefore inserted an earphone to block off my conscience."

"I nearly feel bad for you."

"Please, Henry"

"So, what happened?"

She mentally replayed the event while she looked for the appropriate words. The Sheriff of this stop-in-the-road town certainly wasn't in her plans. Since she hadn't heard the siren, she assumed he was pursuing the vehicle and wanted her out of the way when he beckoned for her to come over. She hadn't known she was going that fast, and his large, negative attitude had annoyed her.

"Lily, are you there?"

"Yes," she mumbled, unable to believe she had been so foolish.

"What did you do?"

She summoned the last of her courage. "I tried giving the cop, sheriff, or whoever he is, money to let me go."

"You did what?" Surprise erupted over the phone. The rebuke that was about to break out was nearly audible to her.

"Why in the hell would you do that?"

"Brielle told me she never gets tickets because she flirts with the cop and show some cleavage. If it didn't work, money always worked. Cops are on a tight budget and need extra cash."

Oh, why on earth had she even considered Giselle's tricks? Even her cleavage went unnoticed by the sheriff. And it turned out that the sheriff of Nowhere, Texas, was trustworthy.

"And you paid that airhead any attention? You keep getting into trouble because of her."

"Stop being so judgmental, and let's get me out of here."

"Where are you?"

"I don't know, somewhere between Austin and Dallas," she replied. What had that snotty sheriff called it?

"Lily, I need a name." His surprise changed to annoyance. "Did you not pay attention? Or even do you care? You just anticipate that I will stop everything, locate you, and address your minor issue. Typical Lily."

He made her sound selfish and spoiled. She might eventually have to acknowledge it to be true, but not right now. "Horse something. Yes that's it"

On the phone, there was a protracted pause. "Well, Lily why don't you settle in? I'm not running to your rescue after what you did to Mom. It's time for you to mature and begin to occasionally consider those other than yourself. Give me a call when that happens. Also, while doing so, you might check out the town's name."

"You wouldn't dare---"

She knew he would because of the abrupt silence on the line. She wanted to hurl the phone. She calmly fell onto the uneven cot and began counting slowly.

One. Henry was coming.

Two. Whatever the name of the town was, Henry would not abandon her there.

Three. She slammed the phone onto the cot.

She was unable to ask the sheriff the name of the town because of her pride. She could see him seated at his desk and writing something despite having a very limited view of the bare office from where she was standing. He had taken off his Stetson hat. A wayward lock of dark hair had fallen across his forehead. His broad shoulders were covered by a khaki shirt. His insignia blinked at her like a warning light when sunlight passing through a window caught it.

All of it she realized a little too late. He was an unflappable, simple lawman, resembling a cross between Jimmy Stewart and Clint Eastwood. She thought he was boring and bullying, even if other women would find that attractive.

She shifted back to take a seat on the bottom bunk beds, she wondered if the sheet was clean. The lumpy mattress, pillow, and filthy brown blanket were on the steel bed. Across the soiled concrete floor, a roach darted. She shuffled while jerking up her legs. She needed to leave immediately. Fast.

She would make that haughty sheriff pay.

She wasn't being held captive by him.

Henry was coming. He always did.