Fire and Rain, Season 2, Episode 5 (Rising Storm) by R.K. Lilley Page B

Patrick Murphy. She lifted an imperious brow at him. She couldn’t forget for a second just who he was related to. His brother Dillon had unfairly and unlawfully run her daddy out of town.
    Still, Patrick was always pleasant to her; in fact he was one of the few people in town that was actually nice. “That was for Marcus. Ugh! He pisses me the hell off.”
    “Brothers do that sometimes. All of them do. Trust me. Even the good ones.”
    “Well, my brother is never on my side, no matter how much I’ve been wronged. Do you know how frustrating that is?
    “I don’t. But it sounds rough. Hey, are you in a big hurry? I was about to grab some lunch. Would you like to join me?”
    Her eyes narrowed on him suspiciously. “What, like as a date?”
    He didn’t seem at all offended that she obviously found that idea distasteful. His smile was rueful but still friendly. “No. Like as a friend. Do you have a problem with the idea of being my friend?”
    She was still wary. “Your family doesn’t like me.”
    “My family likes you fine. Your dad, not so much, but that has nothing to do with you.”
    “Yes, it does. If you have a problem with him, you have a problem with me.”
    He cocked his head to the side, studying her curiously, but not in a way she took exception to. He wasn’t judgmental like everyone else in this podunk town. He was actually one of the few people that still treated her like a person. “You’re close with your father, aren’t you?”
    “Yes. I always have been. He’s the only person who thinks I’m perfect just the way I am.”
    “I can see where that would be nice.”
    “Your family loves you. Isn’t it the same way with your parents?”
    “Oh yeah, they love me, I love them. I have a great family. But nobody thinks I’m perfect. When I’m wrong about something, or just being an ass, there’s always someone in my family that will let me know.”
    She glared. “I see what you did there. You’re saying I’m wrong and that I’m being an ass.”
    “I didn’t say that. I was referring to myself and the fact that nobody thinks I’m perfect. Let’s go grab some food.”
    “Fine,” she agreed. If they were going to talk all day anyway, they may as well eat.
    Lunch was nice. She unloaded on him, venting it all out, and he listened to her, letting her know his opinion, which wasn’t always the same as hers, but he managed to get his point across without making her feel stupid or coming across as judgmental. She liked that about him. It made her feel comfortable. Comfortable enough to eventually ask him in a small voice. “If my dad was as awful as they say, I’d know it, right?”
    He sent her a look that could only be described as sympathetic. It would have bothered her if not for the fact that he was starting to grow on her. “Somewhere deep down, you would definitely know it.”
    She wasn’t sure how to take that answer, so she finished her food in silence.
    When Patrick insisted on paying for lunch, she asked him saucily, “Are you sure this wasn’t a date? Don’t friends go dutch treat?”
    That made him laugh, and she realized that she liked making him laugh. Maybe he was kind of her friend.
    It had been a pleasant outing, but as they went their separate ways, she felt more conflicted than ever.
    Unlike almost everyone else she knew, Patrick never openly condemned her father or tried to make her feel bad for taking Hector’s side.
    Somehow that was more effective at making her question herself. The quiet way he’d scrutinized her as she defended her daddy had been disorienting. She’d found her excuses ringing hollow when she analyzed them herself.
    Why did Hector always need an excuse?
    She’d been so defensive for so long that it just came second nature for her to make excuses for him, but why did it always come to that?
    What if you’re wrong about him? A small, niggling voice in her head spoke up, and not for the first time. That voice had started out quiet but was