Selena's Savior [Appledale 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) Read online

  He drove her back to Ed’s house at the end of the night. They talked about their favorite songs and books on the way home. She wasn’t surprised he read mysteries and he snorted with disdain when she told him she spent many hours reading romance novels on her time off.

  He insisted on walking her to the porch. Ed had left the porch light on. He grabbed ahold of her hand as they walked and she found it so sweet and charming.

  “I hope he is not peeking out the window,” Harrison stated.

  “I had fun, Harrison.” She was glad now that she had taken a chance and gone out with him. She felt a little closer to him now. “I can honestly say that was the best date I ever had.”

  “Me too.” His voice was soft and she felt her heart thumping wildly. Was he going to kiss her? She certainly hoped so. He leaned down and touched her lips lightly with his. She put her hand on his chest and opened her mouth up to let him in. She wanted to know how it felt to be sincerely kissed because someone really liked her and not because they thought it would lead into sex. She felt her body tremble and heat up inside. His tongue explored her mouth and she felt her knees getting weaker with every passing second. She clung to his shoulders and felt the hard muscle underneath his shirt. His hands roamed under her sweater and she couldn’t prevent the shivers that traveled through her body.

  After a few minutes he let her go and she was glad he seemed just as effected by the kiss as she was. His eyes were softer than she had ever seen them before. It took him a few minutes to speak and when he did his voice was husky and deep.

  “That was hot,” he said and she giggled.

  “It sure was.”

  “I should be the one thanking you for taking a chance.” He caressed her lips with his thumb. He looked like he was as reluctant to end the date as she was. “I’ll call you.”

  She unlocked the door and went in. Thank god Ed was asleep. She didn’t feel up to talking yet. She was pretty sure she floated to the guest room she was sleeping in.

  Chapter 10

  “Selena, phone call for you,” Tracy yelled out from the front desk. “Line one.”

  “Thanks.” Selena walked over to the phone on the wall. She had been prepping one of the rooms for the next patient and didn’t have time to talk. The only reason she was picking it up was because she was hoping it was Harrison. Their date yesterday had been terrific and the kiss at the end of the night had been hot, steaming hot. She had thought about him for most of the night. Her palms were sweaty and she wiped them on her pants leg before picking up the phone.

  “Hello?” She couldn’t help that her voice came out in such a husky drawl.

  “Well, sounds like you missed me too.” Instead of hearing Harrison’s voice over the telephone line it was Dave’s smug-sounding voice.

  “What do you want, Dave? Save everyone the hassle of finding you and turn yourself in.” She wanted to yell but she didn’t want to get her boss mad at her. The nerve of him calling her at work.

  “Now that wouldn’t be any fun. I’m enjoying making you sweat. At least your mom doesn’t tease men the way you do. I’ll be seeing you soon and we have a lot of making up to do.”

  “Is that a threat?” Selena asked, trying not to sound scared. She was but she would not give him that satisfaction. That’s what he wanted.

  “No, a promise,” he said firmly.

  The line went dead and it took her a few seconds to realize her hands were shaking. She hung up the phone and peeked out the door. Tracy was busy with a patient and Dr. Anderson was still in his office. She picked the phone up again and dialed the sheriff’s station. She quickly reported the call to Helen, the receptionist. She told her she was at work and couldn’t talk long.

  How dare Dave try to put the blame on her? She had never flirted with him in any way. He was a sadist pig and she hoped the sheriff and his men caught him soon. Living with this mess was causing her some serious stomachaches.

  The rest of the day passed by quickly and she didn’t bother taking a lunch break. Walking the six blocks to the diner made her feel like she would be having to look over her shoulder every minute. She sat in the break room and drank coffee instead. The break room was quiet with everyone gone and she really needed to gather herself together before she talked with the sheriff after work.

  Just as she was ready to clock out that evening, Harrison came into the clinic. He looked at Selena but before she could greet him Tracy pounced on him. Her smile was wide and welcoming, her ponytail swinging back and forth as she practically jumped for joy.

  “Well, handsome, did you come to see me?” Tracy asked right away, practically drooling. “You haven’t called me in a long time, you naughty boy. I forgive you though.”

  Selena rolled her eyes and ignored the pang of jealousy that hit her. She went to grab her purse and car keys. She should have known Harrison was just a player. She had the worst luck with men. She could hear Tracy giggling at whatever Harrison was saying to her.

  She walked back out into the waiting room intending to walk by Harrison and Tracy. She did not want to see them flirting. Anyway she was out of sorts from Dave’s call earlier. She just wanted to get home and maybe lose herself in a game of chess with Ed.

  “Wait, Selena. I came to talk to you.” Harrison grabbed her arm as she walked by. She looked up at him knowing he would see the hurt in her eyes. She wasn’t sophisticated enough to hide it. She pulled out of his grip and gave him a good glare.

  Tracy looked at Selena with disbelief then glared at both of them. “This has to be business, because surely you wouldn’t date the town whore. Oh wait, that is your mom right?”

  “That is enough, Tracy.” Harrison’s voice was cold and hard. Tracy flinched and folded her arms over her chest and glared at Selena as if it was her fault.

  “I didn’t mean to get in the way of your flirting, deputy. I was stopping at the station to talk with the sheriff,” Selena informed him coldly, ignoring Tracy’s remark. It wasn’t like she had never heard those words before.

  She held her head up and walked out of the clinic. Her car was parked close by. She was just about to open her car door when she felt someone behind her.

  “Selena, wait.” His voice was serious and hard. She hated herself for listening. She sighed and tuned toward him. She put her hand on her hip.

  “What is it, Harrison? I have had a rotten day.”

  “I didn’t come here to flirt. I forgot Tracy even worked here. I dated her once when I met her at Thorn’s,” he explained. “That was so long ago, when I first got here.”

  She ignored the explanation. “Is this about the phone call?”

  “Yes, partly. I know Dr. Anderson keeps recordings of the call logs. I also wanted to see you again. I had a good time yesterday.”

  Selena opened her car door and threw her purse it in. The disappointment she was feeling was lodged in her chest. She blinked back the tears. She would not cry. She spent half her life crying over things she could not change. “I did too, Harrison, but I think you are out of my league. My mom was right about one thing. I am a throwback from another age that somehow got stuck in these so-called modern times. I don’t get into one-night stands and that seems to be your specialty.”

  She looked at him with all the regret showing in her eyes. “I like you but I am not into playing games. I couldn’t handle it if you made me fall for you and it’s only a game to you. I don’t want to be another Tracy in your life. Someone you have sex with then forget about.”

  She was already falling for the deputy but she didn’t say that out loud. “I’m going to talk to the sheriff. You can talk to Tracy about the phone call. Good-bye, Harrison.”

  * * * *

  Harrison watched her drive away with a frown on his face. Damn it, how had this gone so wrong? He really did want to see her. He hadn’t stopped thinking of her all night. The kiss they shared last night had kept him hard for a long time. The feel of her soft body against his had driven him crazy. He loved the way she blushe
d and the shy looks she gave him. She wanted him too but she was too unsure of herself to say anything about it. He had spent most of the night wishing she was lying next to him. That was a first for him. He had sex and moved on. He desired her but he also wanted to talk to her, to know her feelings and thoughts.

  He sighed with frustration and went back inside. He felt bad that she saw him as such a shallow guy. Maybe he had been into one-night stands but it had started getting old. He had not been with a woman in months. He really felt more for Selena after one date than he had ever felt for anyone.

  He went back inside. Tracy was sitting behind the counter glaring at him. Tracy wasn’t as friendly since he told her he wouldn’t be calling her ever again. “I need the call logs for today.”

  “You would rather date that little mouse than go out with me? Oh wait, I forgot what a slut her and her mother are.” Tracy scoffed, ignoring his request.

  Harrison’s eyes narrowed with anger. He leaned in and looked into Tracy’s eyes so she would know he was serious. He had never called her because he knew right away she was spoiled and selfish. She rolled her chair back and her eyes got wide.

  “Selena is nothing like Della Mae, and if you would get your prejudiced head out of your ass you would know that. She has worked here for years. Have you ever seen any men sniffing around?”

  Tracy shrugged, her cheeks tuning red. Her mouth thinned in irritation. “I don’t know what she does after work hours.”

  “Exactly,” he said in a hard, cold voice. Was this the kind of treatment she received from these people and she stood by thinking she deserved it? “If I hear you spreading one rumor about her I will come down hard on you, Tracy. Do I make myself clear? Forget the call log. I’ll have Sheriff Clark come and get it himself. After I explain to Dr. Anderson what a bitch you are.”

  Tracy looked like she wanted to say more, instead she shrugged her shoulders. “I’ll get your call logs for you. Good luck with your little boring mouse.”

  She turned the computer on and printed a printout for him. She handed it to him and he walked away. His gut was churning and he had to sit in the car for a minute before driving away. What a dumbass he had been when he first moved here. He dated plenty of women who he thought weren’t serious about him. He should’ve remembered that when you lived in a small town everything you did came back and bit you in the ass.

  By the time he got to the station Selena was no longer there. He was disappointed but maybe it was better this way. With his luck she would slap him if he tried talking to her.

  He handed the printout to Ethan, feeling dejected. He sat slumped in his chair and looked at Ethan. They had once served together in the military and had become good friends. Ethan was such a hard-ass. It was hard to believe he had a wife and son he doted on. Once he would have said he didn’t envy Ethan in being settled down. Lately though he had been starting to see things in a different perspective. “What did Selena have to say?”

  Ethan gave him a curious look. “I thought you went by the clinic to see her?”

  Harrison explained about Tracy and Selena’s reaction. Ethan winced in sympathy. “Shit. That was bad luck, bro. Women are emotional creatures. I’m sure she will come around after she calms down. According to Liz she is really into you.”

  That made him feel better because his feelings for Selena were real. In the past he had pursued women with the express purpose of getting them into bed. With Selena it felt like more. He liked talking to her. When her eyes lit with joy or he made her smile his chest puffed up with pride that he had taken away the sad, lonely look. She was a strong woman to handle so much strife in her life and yet not be a bitter, cold person. She was kind and generous.

  “Yeah?” He sat up looking at Ethan. “I never thought I would say this but I really like Selena. She is such a strong willed woman and I admire her for not taking the easy road. She is fucking beautiful and she could snap her fingers and have men lining up giving her things. Instead she hides who she is under baggy clothes and staying out of the limelight. She does nice things for people and no one does anything nice for her. I want to be the one who takes care of her and protects her. I want to make her happy.”

  Harrison leaned back in his chair and sighed. “How ridiculous is that? We had one date. I shouldn’t be feeling this way so soon.”

  Ethan looked thoughtful. “There is nothing ridiculous about it, Harrison. I went to a Halloween party and danced once with Liz. Right then and there my heart decided she was the one. It was my brain who messed everything up. I almost lost the best thing that happened to me because of my doubts and fears.”

  “Yeah but in the end you got her.” Harrison had heard the story from Ethan before.

  Ethan smiled, picking up the framed picture he had of Liz holding a newborn baby on his desk. “So will you. Don’t give up. Now let’s get this asshole harassing her so you can concentrate on letting Selena know you like her. I like her, by the way. I heard a few drunks mention her name before and I am ashamed I never bothered to see if they were true or not. Now that she has been going to class I see the real Selena. She hides under baggy clothes and shyness because she has been harshly and unfairly judged.”

  Harrison agreed, determined to put an end to the judging. People were going to have to go through him if they wanted to hurt her and he had a thick skin thanks to his upbringing.

  He put his mind back to work. Later he would call her and explain a few things to Selena Monroe. He was not the type to ever give up.

  Chapter 11

  After Dave’s phone call Ed insisted on taking her to and from work. She thought it might be too tiring for him but Ed claimed he didn’t mind. Since he spent so much time at Ally’s Diner he had become friends with Ally’s cook, Henry Jones. The two men often had coffee and pie and would chitchat about the good old days.

  “Besides, if I see Dave I have good ole Daisy right here.” He patted his old shotgun he always carried.

  Selena had laughed that he named his rifle but had agreed to his wishes.

  She was sitting at the diner eating chicken soup and talking with Lacy. Lacy already knew what happened between Harrison and her at the clinic.

  “Of course he has dated plenty of women but I also know he never had a relationship with any of them. I also know he is really smitten with you,” Lacy informed her.

  Selena shrugged. “I guess I am letting my fears and doubts cloud my judgment. I really like him and that is scary, Lacy. I spent my whole life dealing with hurts inflicted on me by others. But they never had my heart. What if I let him in and he hurts me? That will destroy me.”

  Lacy gave her a sympathetic look. “I know it’s hard, Selena. When I got here two years ago I went out with Ryan and I really opened up my heart to him and he rejected me.”

  Selena gasped. That was hard to believe. The love between the couple was so tangible you could feel it.

  “He felt guilty because he had just broken up with someone and they were hurting.” Lacy explained. “When he came back and apologized, asking for a second chance, I was scared. Like you said no one wants to get hurt, right?”

  Selena nodded, glad Lacy understood.

  “I took a risk in letting him back in my life and now I have everything with him. What if I had said no to him? Life is too short to live with regrets about what could have been. If you have the opportunity for building something great then take it.”

  Selena sighed. “I hate when you make so much sense. I wanted to wallow in self-pity for a bit more.”

  Lacy laughed and looked up when the bell over the door rang. “Speak of the devil, or should I say devils?”

  Selena looked behind her and spotted Harrison and Ryan walking in. Ryan kissed his wife on the cheek before sitting at a table.

  “Feed me, wife. I am starving,” he said.

  Lacy rolled her eyes. “Your mom had Henry make pulled pork just for you.”

  Henry waved from the kitchen and Ryan put two thumbs up in the air. A few mi
nutes later Ryan’s mother Ally came out with two sandwiches.

  “How are my boys?” Ally asked. She was a petite woman with blonde hair. She had a friendly smile and she waved Selena over. Selena stood and went to the table.

  “Ed was in here earlier and he ordered some pulled pork for dinner. Would you like some of my homemade potato salad too?”

  Selena smelled the appealing aroma of the pork. “Smells fantastic, Mrs. Clark. Yes, potato salad would be nice. I can pay for it now before I head back to work.”

  Ally waved her away. “No, it is all taken care of. I’m sorry for what you’re going through, Selena. I know my son will find this Dave and put him in jail where he belongs. He doesn’t tolerate that kind of behavior in Appledale.”

  Lacy patted her husband’s shoulder. “You bet he will. My husband never gives up, Selena.”

  “So no pressure?” Ryan joked before digging into his food.

  Harrison pulled out a chair and asked Selena to finish her lunch with them. Lacy arched her eyebrow and Selena remembered the conversation she just had. Taking chances was scary but could be so worth it too. And if it didn’t work out at least she could say she gave it her all. She nodded and grabbed her salad. She sat next to Harrison and Lacy beamed at her.

  She walked away to wait on the other customers since Stella had clocked out already. Ally went back into the kitchen. Selena felt a little awkward and didn’t know what to say.