and whining.
Hank escorted her out of the office and through the store to the
patrol car parked out front.
Any customers who had been in the store when the girl had run
out with her hands full of the leather jacket must have stayed, telling
any other customers who came in what was going on in the manager’s
office.
One little, blue-haired lady said to a friend, “What a shame such a
nice-looking girl is a thief!”
“That’s right, hang your head. You should be ashamed,” the
lady’s friend said. As Brenda Sanderson was walked down the main
aisle of the store, everyone seemed to have something to say.
“Off to jail with you, missy!”
“Shame, shame!”
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123
“Oooh! She had a potty mouth! Did you hear all that cussing at
poor, sweet Ash?” one other little lady said to her husband.
“We don’t cotton to folks stealing in Divine.”
“I guess she knows now, doesn’t she?”
It probably wasn’t the most politically correct thing to do, but
Divine was filled with people who looked after each other. It didn’t
happen often, but it made petty thieves think twice about stealing
from the local businesses. Stigall’s was not known as an easy mark
for small-time criminals.
Ash came to stand beside her, his arms crossed over his chest.
They watched Miss Sanderson as she was escorted red faced from the
store.
“Her daddy will come and pay her fine and make it right with the
judge, escort her home, and then two weeks from now she’ll be off in
her big, pink dually again. She’s pulled this before. Spoiled rotten,
does it for the thrills, knowing daddy will take care of it if she gets
caught.”
“So that means she’s not likely to hang around?” Juliana stood
beside him, wishing this was the moment when she could ask for all
the details about what had happened the night before, but there were
too many listening ears.
“Damn, I hope not! I balled Donna out for telling Brenda where I
was and set Donna straight about my status since she obviously hasn’t
talked to mom in a while. She says to tell you she’s ‘super sorry.’ Her
words, not mine.”
“Where is she?”
“At the moment, she’s in Fairbanks, Alaska. She’s a travel writer,
doing a piece on a local winter festival. She loves to travel.”
One of her employees chose that moment to approach Juliana with
questions about a work assignment. She answered the question then
turned back to Ash, who was waiting quietly.
124
Heather Rainier
“I guess I’d better get back to work,” he said as she walked with
him to the side door. She wrapped her arms around him and snuggled
close.
“I wish I’d known last night what I know now. I would’ve gotten
more sleep than I did.”
“I knew she was making a fuss already, and I needed to get to the
ranch. It was a bad deal all around, but I should’ve taken the time to
give you a few details. I didn’t know how bad it was going to get. I’m
sorry darlin’. Did she tell you what a rat bastard I am?” he asked with
a devilish smile.
“Oh yes, in vivid, Technicolor detail. I thought about telling her
what a heinous bitch I am so she would know we were perfect for
each other. I don’t think she likes me.” Juliana didn’t think it was
possible to care less.
“No, she’s not known for her ability to cultivate female friends.
I’m sorry she’s a part of my past. Men think with their ‘small’ brains
sometimes.”
Juliana laughed and gave him a kiss. He left, promising to bring
her supper when she told him she’d be there until closing. She noticed
that he didn’t pass judgment or say anything negative. He just gave
her a sexy smile and blew her a kiss.
* * * *
“So, did you get in at least a few licks in the smackdown?” Doctor
Guthrie asked with a snicker as she came in the exam room door with
Juliana’s chart.
Juliana gave her a lop-sided grin and said, “Yeah, I gave that
glass-topped coffee table what-for right before I crushed it.”
“Oooh, ouch! Let’s take a look at you.”
Emma Guthrie parted her paper gown and examined the long line
of sutures on her back. “Well, they did good work. You’ll have a light
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125
scar here, but you won’t look like Frankenstein or anything. Let me
see your finger.”
Doctor Guthrie sat on her stool and examined the stitches that
sealed the deep cut on her finger, and then she removed a tool from
the tray beside the exam table and set to work removing them.