Summer's Desire by Kathleen Ball

and avoided his stare. “A
walk would be just fine.” A lump formed in her throat and she wondered if she
should have grabbed some tissues. She followed him outside.
    Bright stars peeked out and the moon glowed. The
cooler air felt wonderful and the backdrop of the mountains made for a spectacular
view. They walked toward the open green pastures, side by side and the silence
made her feel awkward. Holden stopped finally and took her hand. “We need to
talk.”
    “Yes, you mentioned that.” This was it. He was going
to ask her to leave. She didn’t want to go but she’d known all along it was
inevitable.
    “Will you tell me about what was going on with the
sheriff?”
    The fact that he asked her instead of demanding that
she explain helped her to breathe easier. She cleared her throat and looked out
toward the mountains. “It’s a complicated story. I grew up on a small ranch. I
lived there until my parents died. My dad loved to fish and my mother often
went along. We don’t know what happened but they drowned and their bodies were found
on the bank of the lake.” She drew her hand from his and clasped both her hands
together. “Ranch life, my home, it was all an illusion. We didn’t really own
anything but the clothes on our backs. I never knew. By the time everything was
auctioned and sold, I barely settled all the debt. Paul Gallagher, a friend of my
dad’s, offered me a job and gave me a place to live. He became like a father to
me. I bartended at his Bar and Grill and he taught me how to cook.”
    She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, grateful
that Holden hadn’t interrupted. “I worked for him for three years. I made
enough money to pay my bills. I didn’t really date much. My schedule wasn’t the
best for a relationship. Then one day a cowboy named Brent walked into the bar.
He seemed nice enough. He never got fresh, never started a fight. We’d talk. I
dated him for exactly one month but he had me fooled. Even when we broke up, I
still thought of him as a nice man.”
    “Why’d you break up?”
    “My schedule. You know how it is. He had to be up
with the sun and that was when I was going to bed. It wasn’t a bad break up, it
just was. I saw him around town and we were fine. It was just the timing. Two
months ago near closing time he came in to say hi. I hadn’t a clue that he was
evil. He was the last one in the bar so I walked with him to the door, keys in
hand ready to lock up. He slapped me across the face so hard that I fell and he
grabbed the keys and locked the door.”
    “Summer, I’m so sorry.”
    “Please, Holden, don’t say anything or I won’t be
able to get the story out.”
    Holden nodded and quieted.
    “Paul came from behind the bar with a baseball bat
in his hands and Brent pulled a gun on him, taking the bat from Paul. He had a
hold on the back of my hair and I couldn’t get free. He made us stand against
the wall while he ripped the phones out. I tried to run for the stairs and he
pistol whipped me in the face. He used the bat to viciously beat Paul. The
screams became groans, then nothing. Blood was everywhere and I could see that
Paul was dead. He had me open the safe and the cash register. He wanted to know
where the rest of the money was. I told him we go to the bank every morning.”
    “You don’t have to tell me the rest.”
    “No, I want you to hear my side of the whole story.
He dragged me upstairs and hit me a few more times. The next thing I knew the sheriff
was there and I was pretty much naked. He didn’t even cover me while he waited
for the ambulance. Creeps me out to know he was looking at me. They never
caught Brent but the sheriff was sure that I was involved. You know why? This
is the kicker. I was involved because I wasn’t raped. I was only beaten.”
    Holden opened his big strong arms to her and she
gladly stepped into the comfort he offered. It had been so long since anyone
had believed her. He did believe her, didn’t he? The need to