“You’re a grown woman, and they’re grown men. What you do is your business. But let me just warn you that you shouldn’t keep any information about New York from them. They’ll find out sooner or later, and keeping secrets from those you love can damage a relationship meant to last.”
“Love? I hardly know them and I can handle this myself.”
“Whatever, New York.” Marie glanced at the clock on the wall and met Ron by the door right before he was about to knock.
“You best get a move on it if you’re planning on working today. Camp is going to start in a week. The day after Fourth of July and tomorrow you start cooking for the Cantrells.”
“I’m not cooking for them!” Stacy stated as she stood from her seat and hurried across the room.
“I gave my word that you would be there to cook for them tomorrow night. The pay is real good, too, so don’t pass this up.”
“Morning, Stacy. How are you doing today?”
Stacy smiled and said good morning to Ron as she eyed Marie as if wanting to reprimand her but chose not to.
Marie chuckled then walked out of the cottage.
* * * *
Max was driving down the side streets of town when he noticed Gutry and another guy leaning against the side of a pickup truck. There were numerous items in the bed of the truck from what Max could see. Max didn’t care for Gutry one bit. Not when he was working for the family on the Triple C and definitely not after the way he went after Stacy. The thought of that man touching Stacy made him angry. Gutry had always drank too much, screwed around with women and got into trouble in a town outside of Pearl and wasn’t reliable. Charlie and Ben had felt bad for Gutry because he was a loner and begged for work. The Cantrell’s were good people that tried to help others the best they could. It was why Max decided to follow his father’s footsteps in becoming a lawman. It’s why Max decided to follow their other dad’s footsteps and help on the ranch. The Triple C was a family business and the town of Pearl was established by the Cantrell name decades ago.
Max looked back toward Gutry and the other guy. Gutry caught Max’s gaze and gave Max a dirty look before he tapped his friend’s shoulder. Max noticed that the friend was looking inside the bed of the truck. His deputy instincts warned him that they could have been looking to steal something. But right now, they were walking away from the truck and around the corner.
Max wondered what Gutry and his friend were up to. There had been a few robberies around town. Maybe Gutry and the other guy should be on the list of suspects? Max pulled the patrol car over behind the pickup truck. He would go inside the convenient store to see if Mr. Wilkins knew the guy that was with Gutry. That would be a start. Then later on maybe he could go see Stacy. He thought about her immediately after seeing Gutry. He just didn’t like the way Gutry paid so much attention to Stacy when she went to town.
* * * *
After talking with Investigator Pellot from New York, Stacy began to paint her living room. She decided to start there and make her way toward the bedrooms. The kitchen would be painted next, and by the time she made it to her bedroom, the smell of paint wouldn’t be so bad in the living room and she could sleep there until her bedroom was finished. As she painted the trim in the top corner of the ceiling, she thought about her conversation with Investigator Pellot. He had been very concerned over the incident with Millie and had decided to have her watched for a few days to ensure that the creepy guy wouldn’t return. Pellot had his suspicions about who the man might be that threatened Millie. He also stated that they found another young woman whom Weiner had harassed and attempted to sexually assault from five years ago. If she pressed charges, then there would be two of them to help build a case against Barry Weiner. Investigator Pellot also expressed concern over Stacy’s well-being. He warned her to stay alert to any new strangers in town or hanging around the streets. She was to call if Barry Weiner contacted her. If anyone or anything appeared suspicious, then she should call her boyfriend, the deputy. She hadn’t expected him to say anything like that, and she immediately told Pellot that the deputy was not her boyfriend. He continued to explain how Deputy Cantrell told him that he would watch over her and protect her. She couldn’t even begin to imagine what the investigator might have assumed from Max’s statement. Then again, she really didn’t care. She focused on painting the ceiling to the living room. She had already spent a good hour or so taping the ceiling and the molding. As she began to paint, she realized that the light-beige color added warmth and sophistication to the room and she hoped a feeling of welcoming and comfort. She already knew what furniture she would purchase once she budgeted out her money. She didn’t want to spend too much until she was certain that she had a job lined up. That thought brought on more thoughts of Max and Eric. How could she possibly work for them and cook for them and their cousins? She wasn’t even sure how to react when she saw them next. Part of her missed them terribly, and part of her was angry at Max for invading her privacy and telling the investigator that she was his girlfriend. The sound of her cell phone ringing interrupted her thoughts. She quickly reached back into her back pocket to answer the call.
“Hello,” she stated.
“Ah, I’ve missed your voice.”
Stacy jumped and knocked over the can of paint. It fell to the floor as she nearly lost her balance and fell, too.
“What do you want?” she asked Barry as she pulled the half-empty gallon of paint off of the drop cloth she had lain down to catch any spills. Now she would have to hit the hardware store again.
?
?There’s no need to be snippy, Stacy. After all, I’ve tried very hard to locate you,” Barry responded. She had to keep her cool and act like it was no big deal that he called her. She had the damn number changed and everything. What the hell.
“There was no need to contact me. I’ve got nothing to say to you, and I don’t ever want to see you again.”
“Well, the choice really isn’t yours, sweetheart. You see, you’ve become kind of an obsession of mine. For some odd reason, I can’t get you out of my head. I think about you all the time.”
“Maybe you should talk to someone about that? Perhaps the police?” she replied, trying her hardest to act tough, but the reality of his madness was becoming apparent. He really sounded crazy.
He chuckled at her retort then continued.
“I really want to see you. I think if I do, then I’ll be able to get you out of my head. I want you, Stacy. I want you by my side in work and of course in pleasure. You do know how big and strong I am? When I hold your petite, sexy body in my arms, you’ll know you’re loved and cherished. Won’t you let me take care of you?”
“Absolutely not! Are you insane or something? Didn’t I tell you no back at Mercer Enterprises? I mean, I broke your freaking nose for ripping my blouse and trying to rape me.”
“Oh, I wasn’t going to rape you, sweetheart. I just couldn’t resist that voluptuous body of yours. You are built perfectly for me. You’re exactly what I would order off of a menu if one existed that sold women.”
Stacy was mortified beyond belief. This man was a sicko.
“Please don’t call me again. I don’t want anything to do with you. I’m hanging up now.”