The Outsider Series: The Complete Omnibus Collection

Chapter 14

Chapter 14

It had been a long, stressful night. By the time Diana had hopped off the old crate to get the rest of the groceries, Andy’s truck was speeding toward the highway. Jed grabbed the remaining bags and shoved his truck door closed.

She didn’t know what to say, and instead of his making it easier on her, and just asking what he needed to know, Jed carried the bags into the house, leaping up and darting inside. Diana shuffled her feet, unsure of what to do, when Jed reappeared and said, “I left the last of the groceries on the table for you. The girl working said she was pretty sure this was everything you’d picked out.” That was all he said before he strode to the barn and began unloading hay from a covered trailer parked there.

Diana didn’t know what to make of Jed. He confused her. She needed time to think—to plan. So she put the groceries away, made herself a salad, and still Jed never came in. Giving up, she washed her plate, putting it away in one of his newer pine cabinets. Half the kitchen was renovated quite nicely with a newer gas range, oversized refrigerator, lots of cupboards, and a center island. Attention had been paid to detail, and Diana could see Jed was chipping away at each room, turning a rundown old shack into a comfortable masterpiece. The sun was setting, and Diana still hadn’t seen Jed, so she showered, washing away the dust of the day, and was wandering back to her small cabin, wearing her thin robe, with the setting sun nearly blinding her when she almost walked into Jed. He was leaning against her cabin, obviously waiting for her. The light, tattered, cowboy hat always on his head shadowed his eyes, so she couldn’t quite see him. She supposed it was his way of hiding, but then, she’d know all about that. Hiding was what she’d done all her life.

“Do you want me to leave?” She said it with all the confidence she could muster.

“I want to know what the hell that was about. And why my cousin’s got a hard-on for you. What’s did he mean about the drugs, your mother, you a drug dealer?”

Diana drew a breath, a little confused. After all, living in a small town, she had found that gossip was constantly rehashed and nothing ever forgotten. How could he not know now who she was?

“No, Jed, I’m not a drug dealer. But my mother was. When I was just a kid I lived here. My mama rented a house from Todd, and later became his plaything. Faye, was my mother. She liked to party, get around. Lost count the number of parties that went on while I tried to sleep. She always had men over, Todd too. Never knew who’d be passed out naked on the sofa when I went down in the morning to get ready for school. I know Faye did something to Todd, and pretty sure was payback for something she felt slighted for, and pretty sure it was something to do with drugs. I just don’t know the details, and it was bad enough that Andy and Todd threw us out and burned the house down, with what we owned in it.” The towel wrapped around her wet hair began to slip, and Diana pulled it off. Her hair hung in a twisted and tangled mess down her back.

Jed never moved, but he crossed his arms across his wide chest, one booted foot crossed over the other. He looked relaxed but still dangerous, and Diana couldn’t make out what he was thinking.

“Look, I need to know if I should be worried that you’ll toss everything of mine out on a whim. Because if this is where it’s headed, I’d just as soon pack and leave on my own than to be treated the way I was then. I didn’t deserve to be treated that cruelly as a kid, and I wouldn’t appreciate it now.”

“Answer me this. Do you still see your mother? She part of your life?”

Diana didn’t miss the fact he didn’t answer her. “The night we left, mama drove us to Portland. She pulled into bar at the edge of town. She told me to stay put, and left me and Louisa in her jeep. Said she needed to make some money. She stuffed a few bags of m*******a in her purse and went inside. I fell asleep and was woken by a cop. Mama apparently tried to sell to an undercover cop. She was arrested and got 10 years, she deserved it. Louisa died eight days later after she’d had a seizure at the police station, she didn’t deserve that. I was adopted. I’ve not seen or heard from mother since. Nor do I want to, ever.”

Jed sighed. “That’s a hard story, Diana, and no way a kid should ever have to live that way.”

“You never answered me, Jed. And just so that I’m clear, I’m not my mother. I don’t do drugs, I don’t lie, I don’t steal, and I don’t cheat. And I’m not a w***e. And I expect to be treated fairly. And just so you know, I have trust issues. Anything else you want to know?”

“Nobody tells me what to do on my land. This is my place—whatever issues my cousin has with you stay off this land. I won’t throw you out. And you won’t be threatened here again. But I can’t help wondering why you’d come to a place where you’re not wanted. What is it you’re really doing back here?” He stepped closer. He was bigger than Andy, and, she had no doubt, far more dangerous. Lying in wait like a viper ready to strike, he’d bide his time, and with no warning, he’d lash out. What Diana feared was that she didn’t know how far she could trust him, or whether he’d jerk the rug right from under her.

“I’m here for justice,” she said.