CHAPTER 9

In a glance, Charlotte took in the bathroom. With the basics, it was compact and clean, but the tub featured an Elvis Presley shower curtain and Elvis soaps were in a fancy Elvis dish on the vanity. Evidently, John's mother loved Elvis Presley. Could the residents of this town be any more bizarre?

She didn't care. She would be gone in a few hours. She opened a cabinet and took out a blue, fluffy towel. It wasn't an Elvis towel, which made her happy. She took off her filthy clothes while the tub filled and quickly sank her exhausted body into the soothing water. Heaven.

There was shampoo in a caddy hanging from the shower head. Though not her preferred brand, but it would do. She scrubbed her body and hair in an effort to remove any traces of that terrible night. She then relaxed in the tub, taking in the comfort. The dirt under her nails seemed permanent, much like the gardener's who tended their lawn in Austin. She gave up attempting to take it out. A manicure was at the top of her list when she returned to the comfort of her own home.

When the sheriff brought her things, she'd call Henry to make sure he was on his way. She would then call her mum to apologise. But she was still unsure of how she would adjust to her mother's new marriage. That can require some time. Getting her own house would be the first step. The action was long overdue. When her father fell ill, she had just started shopping for a condo. She was unable to leave after that. He'd needed her.

She noticed how exhausted she was when her eyes began to droop. She sat more upright. Not a good idea to nod off in the bathtub. She climbed out and patted her body dry after grabbing the towel. She was covered in mosquito bites and scratches that hurt and itched. The sheriff would pay for this.

Her throat released a ripple of laughter. In his cowboy boots, she was sure he was trembling. How many threats could she hurl at him in one day? He had big shoulders, she was sure it could take anything she dished out. She looked in the medicine cabinet over the sink for something to rub on the bites. Benadryl cream--- just what she needed.

She sat on the white and blue linoleum squares and rubbed cream on each bite. The stinging stopped almost immediately. She continued with the scratches and rope burns.

She couldn't seem to stop the images of the charming sheriff from running through her head. He reminded her of a mosquito bite that she couldn't stop rubbing at. She estimated that he was in his mid-thirties. Why was a man that age living with his mother? Was there a wife since he had a child? He hadn't mentioned one.

She remembered him saying he didn't have much as she leaned her head against the wall. What did that mean exactly? Did he have financial issues? And why did she care? She would depart this town in a few hours and record the experience under "lessons learned."

'When will you start accepting accountability for your deeds?'

Charlotte heaved a sigh. Today, her brother would be present. Henry would set the sheriff straight, and she eagerly anticipated it.

Henry was like a pit bull in a courtroom, fighting for his client's innocence. For her, he would fight even harder. John was in for a major shock.

But somewhere in the region of her functioning brain she knew the sheriff could stand toe to toe with anyone, including her brother.

John came back, and his mother was drinking coffee at the kitchen table. Becky had accompanied him because he wanted Ms. Lily to receive medical care.

"Hello, Becky," his mum said. "How about a cup of coffee?"

"Thanks Hae, I'd love one."

He inquired, a little uneasy at the silence, "Where is she?"

His mother jerked her thumb in the direction of the bathroom. "She is still in there."

"What? What the hell can she be doing this long?"

Hae gave a shrug. "Bathing, I suppose."

John headed for the bathroom, wondering if she'd managed to slip out the front door. Although he was very certain she wouldn't try anything, he could be wrong.

He knocked lightly on the door so as not to wake Alice."I have your things, Ms. Lily."

After a little period of silence, he heard movement. He was surprised to feel a wave of relief. But he was happy that she had kept her promise.

She stood there in nothing but a blue towel that made her eyes look even more blue when the door cracked open. Her hair hung in strands about her face and was damp. Above the towel, smooth skin with cream flecks protruded. Sleepy blue eyes returned his gaze. His lower abdomen and below were awakened by pure, basic, and exclusively male emotions. Her charm was unaffected even by the bites on her cheeks and neck.

Or his reaction to her.

Charlotte Lily was like the pinups he used to hang in his locker in high school ---pinups that Sarah had taken down. All those uncontrollable feelings melted away into what they were when he thought about his wife: an admiration of the female form.

He handed her the case. "Here are your belongings. Your wallet is in the office safe; I merely wanted to get rid of the temptation."

She frowned and took the case with one hand while holding the towel in the other. He felt her fingers glide across his as if he'd been baptized by fire. Baptized like a teenager who'd been touched by an attractive, sexy woman for the first time.

He turned away and went to get a cup of coffee in the kitchen. However, something more powerful might be preferable. He kept telling himself that all he was was sleep deprived.

And he missed Sarah.

When they'd first married, she'd worn nothing but a towel after her bath and he'd chase her to remove it. They would fall into bed while laughing. Those were amazing, lovely recollections that would live on in his thoughts forever.

And his heart.