Free Someone to Watch Over Me by Jerrie Alexander Page B

good thing. ’Cause I never stopped loving you.”
    He cupped her cheek with his hand, lowered his head and pressed his lips against hers. Tender and touching, his mouth made promises without words.
    “Please don’t leave. Stay and let’s fight Ray together.”
    Her insides liquefied. Life wouldn’t be cruel enough to separate them twice. Peace wrapped around her, stealing her voice. All she could do was nod.
    “And don’t be afraid of what we’re feeling. If problems come up, we’ll handle them.”
    She nodded again, knowing she should answer, to respond and say he was right. A huge lump had formed in her throat. He loved her too. Nothing, ab-so-lute-ly nothing, else mattered. Once they healed the damage her father had caused, and Cash turned loose of his hate, she could see trust in his eyes too.
    Cash slipped his arm around her waist, and together they went back outside. For the first time, she noticed how beautiful the day had turned out. Blue skies, the hot Texas sun, and a slight breeze, who could ask for more?
    Then she spotted his pickup with the doors wide open. The snake wrangler who’d caught that rattler deserved a pat on the back. No way could she get in that truck again.
    “You are trading in that pickup, aren’t you?”
    “First thing tomorrow.”
    ****
    Cash leaned forward, keeping a watchful eye on Stacey. Busy night, but so far, she’d stayed in his line of sight. He shifted, making sure the Sig Sauer under his shirt stayed hidden. He wasn’t worried about breaking the law by bringing a weapon into the bar. Her safety came first.
    For a minute in the hallway, Cash had questioned his hearing. Stacey saying I love you could only be compared to being struck by lightning. His years of discontent had vanished.
    Other than to his mother, Cash had never uttered those words. Yet, they’d rolled off his tongue with no effort, leaving him in complete peace.
    He’d tried to convince Stacey not to go to work. The argument had ended when she’d agreed to him being sequestered in the far corner. The spot he’d selected gave him optimum observation capabilities and a straight line to her work station. He could be at her side in seconds.
    The night progressed slowly. She made a mad dash to the ladies room, which brought a smile to his face and took him back to the night he’d seen her for the first time in years. When she returned, she wiggled her fingers and held up an empty tray. That was her way of saying she and Jonathan had to restock. Cash hated her being out of sight, but he gritted his teeth and ten minutes of hell later, she returned carrying sliced lemons and limes while Jonathan wheeled in cases of beer.
    When the overhead lights flashed last call, Cash breathed a sigh of relief. Stacey would start cleaning the minute the crowd cleared out. He stood, straightened his shirt, and headed for her station.
    “Hello, gorgeous.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead.
    She smiled, but her nerves were strung tight. Faint circles under her eyes hinted she hadn’t been sleeping well. How long could they keep this up?
    “Back at ya.” She hoisted an empty tray on top of another. “Be right back. I gotta take these to Jonathan.”
    Cash sensed someone walk up behind him. Spinning on his heels, he almost cold-cocked Brady. “Don’t sneak up on me,” Cash growled.
    “Sorry,” Brady said, backing up a step. “I’m glad you’re here. I have to talk to Stacey, and she’s not going to like what I have to say.”
    “What’s that?”
    “Everybody in town’s heard about her apartment being trashed. The buzz around the pool tables this afternoon was the rattler in your truck.” Brady scrubbed a hand across his chin. “I don’t need that kind of trouble.”
    Cash regretted not accidently decking the man when he’d had the chance. “You’re firing her?”
    “What am I supposed to do? Hire armed guards in case the next surprise is a sack full of copperheads released in here?”
    “You’re being