Finding Forever (Smoky Mountain Lawmen Book 1) by Ashley Quinn Page A

quite set yet.
    All
of a sudden Ben jerked his mouth from hers and stepped back.
    Breathing
hard, Gemma locked her knees to stay upright.  She stared at him, both confused
as to why he’d stopped and appalled that she wanted to drag him down to the
couch and strip him naked.  She’d never been so hot for a man so fast.  She’d
never been so hot for a man period.
    “We
can’t do this,” Ben said, voice rough.
    Knowing
he was right, didn’t make the words hurt less and Gemma had to turn away to
keep the tears at bay. 
    “You’re
right,” she whispered.  “Good luck with your case.  Good night.”  Gemma made a
hasty escape to her bedroom before she did something really silly.  Like beg
him to join her.
     

Chapter 8
     
    Gemma
walked to the parking lot, weary after a long day.  There had been something in
the air today; riders and horses alike had been ornery.  But she was done and
she was going to go home and soak in the tub.  She rifled through her bag in search
of her keys coming up empty.  Had she left them in her desk ?
    Her
shoulders slumped in defeat as she remembered exactly where her keys were.  She
glanced over at the empty parking spot where she had parked her Jeep this
morning.  Stacy had her car.  In the craziness of the day, Gemma forgot that
she had handed over her car keys this morning to her colleague so that Stacy
could attend her night class in Asheville while her car was in the shop. 
    And
she had also completely forgotten to call Tristan so he could pick her up.
    Well,
no time like the present.  Gemma pulled out her cell phone and dialed her
brother.
    “Hey. 
Can you come get me?” she said, when he picked up.
    She
could hear the frown in his voice.  “What’s wrong with your car?”
    “I
lent it to Stacy and forgot.  It’s been a hell of a day, Tris.”
    “I’m
tied up at the moment and will be for a while.  Is there anyone there that can
give you a ride?”
    “No. 
I walked out with Mona and she locked up.  And before you ask, she didn’t
notice I was without a car, because we parked on opposite sides of the
building.”
    A
long sigh came across the line.  “Give me a few minutes to work something out. 
Someone will be there soon to get you.”
    Gemma
thanked him and hung up.  She leaned against the side of the building and
settled in to wait for her ride.  Knowing her brother she was going to be
escorted home in the back of a police car. 
    When
her phone rang several minutes later, she expected to see Tristan’s smiling
face pop up on the caller id, so the unfamiliar number that came up was a
surprise.
    “Hello?”
    “Gemma! 
Oh, thank God!  This is Marcie Trent.  I didn’t know who else to call.  The
therapist’s office is closed and Caleb’s really not doing well at the moment. 
I need help.”
    Gemma
could hear the desperation in the older woman’s voice and rushed to reassure
her.  “I’m waiting on a ride right now, but I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
    “Thank
you, Gemma,” Marcie whispered.
    Gemma
hung up, her heart in her throat.  It ached for that poor family.  She willed
her ride to show up sooner rather than later and couldn’t despair the fact that
it was Ben pulling into the lot to pick her up.
    She
raced toward his SUV and was pulling open the door almost before he’d come to a
complete stop.
    “What’s
wrong?” he demanded as she jumped inside.
    “Marcie
called.  Caleb’s having a hard time and she needs some help.”
    She
clicked her seat belt in place as Ben swung the car around and pulled out of
the parking lot without a word. 
    “Thank
you,” she said softly, several minutes into their drive.  She looked over at
him.  “Not just for picking me up, but for understanding.”
    He
reached over and covered her hand with his.  “Anytime, Gemma.”  He glanced her
way for a long second before turning his eyes back to the road.  “I mean that. 
Anytime.”
    Gemma
turned her hand over in his and