Carol Ericson - Circumstantial Memories

Did she lose her social skills along with her memory? She had no right to poke and prod at Ryder. Her fingers danced along the grooves between his knuckles. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to judge you. I just know that with two larger-than-life figures like Ralph and Rod McClintock looming over my shoulder, I’d feel like I had to prove something.”

The grin returned and his fist flattened out beneath her hand. “Touchy subject, but then you never did mince words. Are you sure you don’t want dessert?”

“I’m good. I’m anxious to get home to Shelby.”

“I don’t blame you.”

“D-do you have children? Here I’m assuming you’re not married.”

Ryder slid out of the booth and turned to get his hat from the rack on the side of the booth. “I’ve never been married and I don’t have kids.”

She caught the sigh of relief before it escaped from her lips. Although Ryder’s unmarried state pleased her, she’d never seen a bachelor handle a little girl like Ryder handled Shelby. He’d make a great dad someday.

They left the restaurant and strolled along the sidewalk back to the medical building that housed Dr. Brody’s office.

“I hope Dr. Brody was right and it was okay to leave the truck in the parking lot.” Ryder quickened his pace as they drew closer to the parking garage.

“It should be fine.”

Forgoing the elevator, they climbed the steps to the second floor of the parking structure and banged through the metal door. Just a few cars remained in spaces on the far end of the lot, Ryder’s truck among them.

“What the hell?” Ryder stiffened beside her and then covered the distance to his truck with his long stride while she hurried behind him.

“What’s wrong?”

“My tire’s flat.” Ryder crouched behind the truck and swore. “Both of my back tires are flat.”

A spiral of fear zinged up Julia’s spine as her gaze darted between the two tires. Both of them had ragged gashes along the inside and outside. “Ryder, someone slashed your tires.”

He pushed off the bumper and circled to the front of the truck. “They did a number on the front tires too and smeared my windshield.”

Julia leaned around him to peer at the windshield and then clutched her stomach. Someone didn’t just smear the windshield. Someone had left a message: Leave or die.

Julia swayed against Ryder, and he caught her. “What’s wrong?”

Then he saw the words on his windshield and hot anger thudded in his veins. Did Julia’s stalker follow them here? Was this some kind of warning for him?

“It’s him, isn’t it?”

She spoke the words against his chest, and he felt her warm breath through his shirt. He held her close, his gaze tracking through the parking garage. The coward hit and then ran.

“This message is for you, Ryder.” A tremble rolled through her body. “He must’ve seen us together. He’s going to come after you now.”

“I hope he does.” He smoothed his hands down her back, soothing away the ripples of fear. “Because he owes me a new set of tires. Underwear, tires, this guy’s going to rack up a big bill by the time he’s through with his juvenile games.”

“Do you think that’s all it is?”

Maybe yes, maybe no, but he didn’t want to frighten Julia any further. She’d been through enough today with memories of Jeremy’s death galloping through her head.

Ryder didn’t fear for his own safety, but if this guy was crazy enough to follow them to Durango, slash a set of expensive tires and write a warning on his windshield, he posed a grave threat to Julia. And possibly to Shelby.

“We’ll let the cops figure it out.” He slid his cell phone out of his pocket and called the Durango Sheriff’s Department. They’d have to tell the cops back home about this incident. He wished his brother, Rafe, would hurry up and get out of the academy. He’d feel a helluva lot better with Rafe on this case than Zack Ballard.

A deputy from the Durango Sheriff’s Department showed up, dusted for prints and shrugged it off as malicious vandalism. Even when they told him about the break-in at Julia’s house, he lifted a shoulder and snapped his notebook shut. “Nothing much I can do about that here, folks. Even if the sheriffs in Silverhill get a print from your house, we got nothing here.”

Ryder called a tow truck and he and Julia stood outside the tire shop, which accepted the truck and then closed for the night.

“Taxi?” Ryder scuffed the toe of his boot on the sidewalk.

“That would cost a fortune. Too bad the Silverhill-Durango Railroad doesn’t run on weeknights.”

“Rental car? I think my insurance will cover that.”

Julia brushed a wisp of hair from her eyes, her shoulders sagging for a brief moment before she forced her lips into a smile. “Sure. I guess we can call information on my cell phone for the nearest rental car place. I didn’t see any on the way to and from dinner, but then I wasn’t looking.”

Ryder shoved his hand in his pocket, his gaze tracking over Julia’s disheveled hair and the dark smudge on her chin where she’d touched her face after running her fingers along one mangled tire. They’d have to find a rental car company, make the long drive back, and then Julia would pick up Shelby from the Stokers and get her to bed. He had no doubt she’d manage it all, but why should she have to?

Clasping her shoulders, he said, “Why don’t we just find a place for tonight? The tires will be ready tomorrow morning, and Shelby can stay with Clem and Millie.”

“I-I think I’d like that. I’m exhausted.”

“Will Shelby be okay? Seems like the Stokers treat her like an adopted granddaughter.”

“They do. You know I took their last name. We’ve been Julia and Shelby Stoker for over three years now.” Her bottom lip quivered.

His gut clenched. She should be Shelby McClintock, just like his grandmother. He expelled a breath and ran the pad of his thumb across the dirt on Julia’s chin. “ Shelby will be okay.”

Smiling, Julia blinked her eyes. “Of course she will. The Stokers’ granddaughter, Meg, is visiting for a few weeks, so the girls can have a sleepover.”

She scooped her cell phone out of her purse and explained to the Stokers about Ryder’s flat tires. He noticed she didn’t mention the warning on the windshield.

“It’s all set.” She snapped her cell phone shut. “ Shelby ’s thrilled to have a sleepover with Meg.” She waved the phone. “Do we need this to find a hotel?”

“Nope, I saw one near the restaurant. Nothing fancy, but it’ll do.” He gripped her elbow and propelled her down the sidewalk.

“Good, if it’s near the restaurant, we can stop in at the pharmacy in Dr. Brody’s office building to pick up a few essentials, at least some toothpaste and a couple of toothbrushes.”

When they got to the pharmacy, they wandered through the shelves picking up toothpaste, toothbrushes, dental floss and a comb. While Julia thumbed through a magazine, Ryder hesitated in front of the rack of condoms.

Was he insane? Julia wasn’t ready for that. Maybe she never would be.

She dropped the magazine and spun around, her gaze flicking to the shelf in front of him. “Are you ready?”

With heat rising from his chest, he spun around and grabbed a bag of chocolate-covered peanuts. “Just picking up a few snacks in case they have a movie channel.”

Raising her brows, she snapped up a bag of jelly beans. “Just gotta make sure we use that floss.”

They paid for their odd assortment of items and Ryder swung the door open for Julia, nearly colliding with Dr. Brody barreling through the door. Ryder dropped the plastic bag, and a toothbrush spilled onto the ground.