made her nervous, but she was careful to conceal her worries from Butch.
“Quite a haul,” he teased as they separated the various denominations of coins.
She laughed. “Yes, it is. We should buy you a new coat.”
His high cheekbones flushed. “You need a raincoat,” he protested. “I can’t wear nice coats doing the work I do. It gets messy when you work with animals.”
She smiled at him, liking the way his eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled back. “I have a raincoat,” she protested.
“One you bought at that thrift shop,” he muttered.
“Hey, don’t knock thrift shops,” she returned. “Most of the stuff they have is barely worn at all. It’s got a hood and it’s warm.” She searched his dark eyes. “Butch, I don’t need fancy things anymore. I like it here, just being a normal woman.”
“Truly?” he asked. “I haven’t said much about it, but that fur jacket you wear is real, and the clothes you were wearing that first night didn’t come off a rack.” He didn’t add that he’d been suspicious of her. She could have been a thief, for all he knew. In fact, that was still a possibility. She didn’t act like a rich woman might. And, too, there was that gaudy fake diamond ring she wore. Maybe she thought it would give her the appearance of wealth, even more than her clothes.
“No, they didn’t,” she confessed. She thought about what she wanted to tell him. He wasn’t wealthy. She didn’t want him to be intimidated by the life she’d left. “I had a small savings account that my father left me,” she prevaricated. “It was my birthday, so I splurged.”
“Your mother had money, though.” He was probing. Curious.
She sighed. “Well, not really,” she lied. “She had a nice little nest egg that my father left, some stocks and bonds and certificates of deposit. Too, there was the house in Aspen.” She didn’t mention the others her mother owned. “It was free and clear. Plus she owned a good amount of land that she inherited. But it was all tied up, you know, and it wasn’t easy to get to any of it. Darrin wanted it all. He’d have sold it to buy drugs. I’m sure he still does want it, but I have her will. He can’t get to it unless he finds me.” She shivered delicately. “I’d honestly rather be locked up than have to face him.” Her eyes were troubled. “He’s very dangerous. In fact, he served time for assault. But Mama didn’t find that out until it was too late to do her any good.”
“We should get a daily paper, one from Aspen, just to see if there’s any news about her death,” he added.
She almost panicked. She didn’t want him to know how wealthy her mother had been, what her estate was worth. It would change things, between her and Butch. He was a proud man. He wouldn’t even let her buy him a cup of coffee. It would be a disaster if he learned anything about her real background.
She’d tell him someday, she thought, but not right away. She was having fun, learning about him, being with him, having a real relationship with another human being. Her mother had been distant, barely affectionate. There hadn’t been anyone else in her young life who was affectionate, except her father, and Agnes, who had truly been a surrogate mother. But that was long ago. She’d become standoffish like her mother, she’d become used to never touching or being touched. Well, except for unwanted touches from various men her mother brought home.
“I’m sorry,” he said after a minute. “I know you’re missing your mother.”
“It’s okay,” she said. “It’s getting easier, as time goes by. But I don’t know what I’d have done if you hadn’t taken me in, Butch,” she added with a warm, affectionate smile.
He shrugged. “I didn’t mind. It gets lonely here. Not so much, now,” he added, and he returned the smile. “I have somebody to share the chores,” he teased.
She laughed. “True.”
“You weren’t really looking for a cousin, were you, that night?” he asked abruptly.
She shook her head. “I was afraid to go into town. I looked on a map. Benton is really small. I didn’t want to just show up there, a stranger that people might ask questions about. I was traumatized to boot.” She sighed. “I saw the cabin from the road and it looked, well, welcoming. I guess that sounds odd. But I knew