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She nodded.
Don t you want a husband and a family?
Very much, she said. She ground her teeth together. But it seems just hopeless right now. She
looked up. That California developer is licking his lips over my ranch already. But I don t know if I
can be a good wife. Ted thinks so, but it s a terrible gamble. I know I have hang-ups.
They ll get worse, he said bluntly. I speak from experience. I ve tried many cases like yours
over the years. I ve seen the victims. I know the prognosis. It isn t pretty.
Her eyes were haunted and sad. I don t understand why he did it, she began.
It s a compulsion, he explained. They know it s wrong, but they can t stop. It isn t a matter of
will. He leaned forward. It s like addiction. You know, when men try to give up alcohol, but there s
something inside them that pushes them to start drinking again. It doesn t excuse it, he said
immediately. But I m told that even when they try to live a normal life, it s very difficult. It s one day
at a time.
He shook his head. I see the results of addiction all the time. Alcohol, sex, cards, you name it.
People destroy not only their own lives, but the lives of their families because they have a compulsion
they can t control.
It s a shame there isn t a drug you can give people to keep them from getting addicted, she
said absently.
He burst out laughing. Listen to you. A drug. Drugs are our biggest headache.
She flushed. Sorry. Wasn t thinking.
He gave her a compassionate smile. Talk to Ted, he said. He ll look out for you until our
unwanted visitor leaves. In fact, there s a vagrancy law on the books that could give him a reason to
make the man leave. Tell him I said so.
She smiled. I will. Thanks so much, Mr. Haynes.
She stood up. He did, too, and shook her hand.
If you need help, and you can t find Ted, you can call me, he said unexpectedly. He pulled out a
business card and handed it to her. My Jessica is just your age, he added quietly. Nothing like that
ever happened to her. But if it had, I d have a hard time remembering that my job is to uphold the
law.
Jessica is very nice.
Why, thank you, he chuckled. I think so, too.
They didn t discuss why he d raised Jessica alone. Her mother had run off with a visiting public-
relations man from Nevada and divorced Mr. Haynes. He d been left with an infant daughter that his
wife had no room for in her new and exciting life of travel and adventure. But he d done very well
raising her. Jessica was in medical school, studying to be a doctor. He was very proud of her.
Don t forget, he told Jillian on the way out. If you need me, you call.
She was very touched. Thanks, Mr. Haynes.
He shrugged. When I m not working, which isn t often even after hours, my social life is
playing World of Warcraft online. He smiled. I don t get out much. You won t bother me if you
call.
I ll remember.
She went out and closed the door, smiling at the young clerk on her way outside.
She ran headlong into Ted, who had bounded up the steps, wearing an expression that would
have stopped a charging bull.
What did he say to you? he demanded hotly. His black eyes were sparking with temper.
What& Mr. Haynes? she stammered, nodding toward the office she d just left.
Not him. That& He used some language that lifted both her eyebrows. Sorry, he said
abruptly. I heard what happened.
She let out a breath. He announced in the diner that he got put in prison because he wanted to
marry me and I didn t want him to kiss me, she said coldly. He s out on bond because of a
technicality, Mr. Haynes said.
I know. I phoned the prison board.
She tried to smile. Mr. Haynes says you can arrest him for vagrancy if he stays in town long
enough.
He didn t smile back. He got a job, he said angrily.
She had to lean against the wall for support. What?
He got a damned job in town! he snapped. Old Harrington at the feed store hired him on as a
day laborer, delivering supplies to ranchers.
She felt sick to her stomach. It meant that Davy Harris had no plans to leave soon. He was going
to stay. He was going to live in her town, be around all the time, gossip about her to anybody who
would listen. She felt hunted.
Ted saw that and grimaced. He drew her into his arms and held her gently, without passion. I ll
find a way to get him out of here, he said into her hair.
You can t break the law, she said miserably. She closed her eyes and felt the strong beat of his
heart under her ear. It gets worse. Smitty Jones, that man you arrested for bank robbery, got out, too,
didn t he?
He hesitated. Yes.
I guess it s our day for bad news, Ted, she groaned.
He hugged her, hard, and then let her go. I don t like the idea of your living alone out at the
ranch, he said curtly. It makes you a better target if he came here with plans for revenge. Which he
might have.
She bit her lower lip. I don t want to get married yet.
He let out an exasperated sigh. I don t have funds that I could use to get you police protection,
he said angrily. And even if I did, the man hasn t made any threats. He s just here.
I know, she said. And he s got a job, you said.
He nodded. I could have a word with the owner of the feed store, but that would be crossing the
line, big time. I can t tell a merchant who to hire, as much as I d like to, he added.
I know that. He d just find another job, anyway, if he s determined to stay here. She closed her
eyes on a grimace. He ll talk to everybody he meets, he ll say I had him put away for some frivolous
reason. She opened her eyes. Ted, he makes it all sound like I was just a prude that he shocked with
a marriage proposal. He can tell a lie and make it believeable.
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