“Not at all, Evan. That was very sweet of you.”
She began to get up and he did the same thing.
“I appreciate the coffee. I owe you one.” She grabbed her bag off of the bench.
“You’re welcome, Ava.” He loved the sound of her name as it left his lips.
“Have a good day and maybe I’ll see you around again,” he told her.
“Sure thing, or maybe at Dixie Chix.” She began to walk away from him. He watched her, the way her hips swayed and the dress tapped against the back of her thighs. She had a gorgeous figure. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her and then she turned as if to check to see if he was watching her still, and when he smiled then waved, she smiled wide and lowered her head as she continued to walk toward the parking lot.
“That woman is perfect.” He imagined her belonging to him. Then the memories came crashing back. He was scared of getting hurt again.
But if he ever had a chance with a woman like Ava, he wouldn’t let her go and would make sure he did everything in his power to make her love him. He shook his head at his own thoughts. You didn’t learn your lesson after Chelsea. Women can’t be trusted. I’ll never give my heart to some woman again.
Chapter 3
Ava returned to the house after her procedure at the hospital. Her breast was sore, and she felt sick to her stomach, most likely from the anesthesia. She wanted to go up to her room to lie down, but as she pulled into the driveway, she saw BJ’s sheriff’s truck and knew that company was over. She would say hello then make an excuse to disappear for a few hours.
As she got out of the car, she bumped her arm against her breast and cringed from the pain. Dr. Nickles was probably right about the bruising and needing some painkillers. She was grateful that she wasn’t drowsy so she was able to drive herself to and from the appointment. Now, walking into the house and seeing Susanna made her feel guilty for not telling anyone about what was going on. She just didn’t want to put a damper on their happiness.
“Hey, where did you go so early this morning?” Susanna asked as she made a sandwich for BJ. He was sitting at the counter in his uniform, looking intimidating as usual.
“I had an appointment. Nothing big and I just wanted to get things started early.”
“Would you like a sandwich?” Susanna asked, and Ava felt a little queasy at the mention of food.
“No, thank you. I grabbed a quick bite in town.”
“I didn’t see you in town,” BJ said as he looked her over.
Damn, did that man know when someone was lying or what?
“You didn’t?” she replied then looked away and took a seat at the table. She figured it was best to face the questions instead of run away from them.
“Hey, are you feeling okay? You look a little pale,” Susanna said in that motherly tone that came so natural to her. Ava wondered when Susanna would start a family with her men. That thought brought tears to her eyes. Ava felt like an emotional mess right now.
“I guess I am feeling a little tired. Maybe I should go lie down for a while.” Ava stood up. She cringed from her achiness, and Susanna and BJ scrunched their eyebrows at her.
“What’s going on?” BJ asked firmly, and she was shocked by the tone of his question.
She stared at him a moment.
“Nothing, BJ. I’m fine. Thank you. I’ll see you later.” Ava turned and headed out of the kitchen.
* * * *
“Something is wrong,” Susanna said as she handed BJ his sandwich.
He stared at her and held her gaze.
“I agree. What do you think it is?” BJ asked.
“Not sure really. Could be anything, I guess. But she didn’t look well. Maybe she’s
coming down with something.”
“I saw her in town by the park, talking with Evan Banks. He got her coffee.”