How Little We Know - M J Marlow (top 10 novels .TXT) 📗

a small town, Robbie. Everyone knows everything about everyone else.And sometimes, they even tell you the truth when you ask about it.” “Warning noted, cousin,” Robert nodded. “So this Evans character is still pursuing her?” “He’s practically groveling to convince her to marry him,” Braden replied, looking amused. “He sends her flowers, gifts, notes; anything a man determined to win a wife would do. She has returned every last one of them.” “So why won’t she marry him?” “She’s thinking straight.” He shook his head. “As she puts it ‘only a woman with a dead brain would want an Evans as a husband’.” “He’s the kind of man who doesn’t take ‘no’ for an answer?” Robert asked his cousin, his blood iced over from hearing the tale. “He’s an Evans, Robbie,” Braden shook his head. “No one says ‘no’ to an Evans. This is their town.” “I can see now why she is leery of men,” Robert nodded. “She sounds like a remarkable young woman.” “None more so,” Braden nodded. They arrived at the Widow Marvin’s homeand Robert shook his head. The original white picket fence around the cottage motif, he smiled. The silver haired woman who came out with a shotgun in her hands was not exactly what he had expected. She was wearing a mackinawand black rubber boots over her nightgownand big pink curlers in her hair. This woman doesn’t miss anything, Robert thought. “Now Peggy, I’ve told you to leave that shotgun inside. You can’t scare imps with a shotgun.” “Well your fancy imp trap isn’t doing a lick of good,” the Widow complained. She looked over his shoulder at Robert. “Who’s this handsome feller, a new deputy?” “No, Peggy,” Braden shook his head. “This is my cousin, Robert MacGregor. He’s taking over as Sheriff. You remember me telling you about it?” “Well if he’s better at catching imps than you are,” the Widow sniffed, “I guess I can stand him.” “Let me give it a shot,” Robert smiled at the womanand saw her beam at him. He offered her his arm. “If you’ll show me where these imps have been traipsing, Mrs. Marvin?” Peggy showed him to her gardenand he was impressed. It was a showplaceand he could see why she was worried about people or animals walking through it. He looked around the fenceand saw a small break in the boards; just big enough for a child to crawl through. He saw the evidence of hands pulling someone throughand shoe prints. He got out the tape measureand measured them. Then he saw an ID braceletand read the name. He shook his head as he turned it over to Braden. It seemed bad behavior had moved into the next generation of Evans’ family members. “Your imps will be gone by tomorrow, Mrs. Marvin,” Braden told her with conviction. “I’ll see to it personally.” “Thank you, Sheriff,” she nodded to Braden. “You, too, you handsome man!” Peggy beamed up at Robert, totally lost.” “You’re welcome, ma’am.” Robert tipped his hat to her. “Part of the job.” He followed Braden out to the carand did not say a word until they were well away. Braden looked over at himand frownedand shook his head. Obviously this boy had been making a nuisance of himself. “That’s Bobby,” he scowled. “Eric Evans’ boy. He’s inand out of trouble all the time. Mother worked herself into an early graveand the Father lets the kid run wild.” “Sean’s brother?” Robert asked. “Identical twins,” Braden stated. “Sean is bad, but Eric is a real piece of work. He’s pushing Mary to marry him so his son will have a mother again. Since she practically raised the boy, he thinks she is the natural choice.” “That family is warped,” Robert frowned. “Those two go right to the top of my list.” “Very good, Sheriff MacGregor,” Braden smiled. “I think you’re going to fit in here after all.” “Was there a doubt?” They got back to the office at two that afternoonand Robert’s mind was reeling with the namesand particulars of every one of the 250 people in town. They had stayed home to make certain they met the new man, he assumed. He joined Braden in their part of the stationand they were going over situations he needed to be aware of when Braden hissed. He looked up as the front door banged openand frowned. “Good Lord! He would show up today!” Robert watched as a tall, square-jawed, broad-chested man with golden hairand ice blue eyes walked inand went past the gate to stand beside Mary’s desk. The moustached man fairly bristled with menace. Robert started outand Braden held him back, shaking his head. “Just sit backand watch her.” “Eric,” Mary sighed as she looked up to see her brother-in-law standing there. “What a ‘pleasant’ surprise.” “Today’s the day you promised us an answer, Mary,” Eric Evans snapped at her. “What’s it going to be?” “What were those choices again?” Mary asked as she rose to her feet. “Marry Sean or marry you?” she smiled sweetly as she slid out her pistoland put it to the underside of his jaw, making him swallow hard. “Let me add my choice to that list – youand your brother leave me alone, Eric Evans, or I blow your brains out!” She backed upand inclined her head towards the door. “Now get the hell out of my work placeand don’t let me see you again unless you’re sober!” “This isn’t the end of the matter, Mary,” Eric snarled at her but went towards the door. “We mean to have our family landsand properties back one way or the other.” “Your mother left it all to me,” Mary reminded him needlessly, “in memory of the child Sean fathered.” “What are you going to do with it all, Mary?” Eric snapped. He stepped closerand she cocked the gun. “My kidand I are not going to beg you for the funds we need to keep food on the table!” “Why don’t you ask me,” Mary replied tightly, “from the 50 foot distance set by the restraining order?And as far as Bobby is concerned his needs are being met through the trustee I hired to make certain that happened.” Eric stomped outand Mary heard the Sheriff’s door openand looked up at Braden as he put his hand on hersand made her lower the hammerand put the gun back in its holster. “You showed a remarkable restraint, Mary,” he said softly as he squeezed her shoulder. “I would have put a bullet between his eyes.” “He may be a poor excuse for a man, Matthew,” Mary replied, “but he is all the family Bobby has left. I won’t leave the boy without a father.” She sank down in her chair with a sigh of frustration. “He’s drinking again, Sheriff. I could smell it on his breath.” She looked at Robertand he saw her hesitation. She decided to include him. “That pleasant person was my would-be brother-in-law, Eric Evans. As you probably heard, he is not happy with the idea of my inheriting the family estate.” “His mother had the right to leave it to whoever she wished,” Robert replied. He thought about it. “Constantly low on funds, is he?” “He’s lazier than Thug,” Mary nodded as she rubbed the dog with her foot. “His mother left everything to me so Seanand Eric were left stranded. Sean works hard for his living, but Eric’s poor wife was holding two jobs to make ends meet until she died a few months back.” “And you’re taking care of his kid?” Robert looked at herand didn’t know whether to respect her or shake her. “Why?” “Because no child deserves to be left without,” Mary replied. “Bobby is allowed to visit me since I helped raise him, but I won’t go near that house.” She looked at the clock. “Time for me to head home. You’re on your own gentlemen.” Robert watched as she put her gun back in her lockerand left the station. The lazy dog remained exactly where it was for several moments. But when it finally got through his brain that Mary was gone, he stirred. He slobbered all over Robert’s hand until the man opened the doorand ran after hismistress, baying at the top of his lungs. “So, cousin,” Braden smiled as they went back to the desk. “Welcome to Evansville.” Mary got home after a day filled with minor irritationsand a very large headache. Eric had been at the diner with his two friends when she had gone to lunchand smirked at her the whole time she ate with Sue Ellen. Sean had called her seven times on the phone after his brother’s visit to the stationand told her he was going to make her do as he said. She sighed as she saw his pickup parked down the block. This is all I need, she thought as he came striding towards her. “You’re not allowed this near the house or me, Sean,” she told him bluntly. “Go away.” “Not until we get things straight between us, Mary,” Sean snapped. He grabbed her left armand shoved something on her ring finger. “We’ll set the date…” “You can go to hell, Sean,” Mary snappedand threw the ring in his face. “I will NOT, I repeat NOT marry you!” “I’d reconsider that if I were you, Mary,” Sean went quite still. He ran his hand through his thick gold hair. “Mary, I’m afraid Eric is going to hurt you. I can’t protect you unless you let me.” His hand moved up to her cheekand the look in his eyes was one she remembered. “Please, Mary,” he begged her. “I don’t want to see you hurt.” “That’s really funny coming from you, Sean,” Mary snapped at him. “You’ve done nothing but hurt me since we were kids together.” “It wasn’t all bad, Mary,” Sean reminded her as he pulled her closer. “I can recall a few very special moments we had together.” He kissed herand, for a moment she felt all the old attraction rising up. Then she recoveredand she pushed him awayand slapped him across the face. He let her go without any further argument as he saw her angry eyesand she watched as he sauntered back to his pickup. Her aunt called from the kitchenand she went in to see the redhead, still looking as young as Mary ever remembered just laying out supper. “Eric Evans has been bragging all over town,” Lillian said worriedly, “that you are going to be an Evans’ bride by the end of the month, Mary.” “It’s never going to happen, Lil,” Mary told her auntand saw her relax. Her aunt ran the local beauty parlor but the lack of gray in her hair was courtesy of good genetics, not a dye bottle as some of the cattier women in town suggested. She put her head in her handsand tried to still the shaking she could feel coming on her. “I saw you with Sean, Mary,” Lillian told her bluntly. “That was one hell of a kiss.” She looked at her niece sharply. “You sure you don’t still have feelings for that man?” “I don’t want to have feelings for him, Lil,” Mary frowned. “Why did Maxine have to leave everything to me?” “She loved you, Mary,” Lillian replied. “When she married your father after she divorced Seth Evans, she saw you as her child as much as those two sons of hers. It would have pleased her no end to see youand one of them together.” Mary nodded. She had adored Maxine Evans. Her second mother had given her all the loveand attention her own could not because of her illness. When she had died in a car accident last year, it had nearly broken Mary’s heart. “Has Eric pulled the ‘motherless child’ card yet?” Lillian asked as she sat downand made Mary look at her. “Be better for all concerned if Bobby came to you.” “The courts would