ask you a couple of questions too, if you don’t mind?”
‘Not at all.” She sat down in the chair next to Christian’s hospital bed and took his hand in hers. Something this man had said was upsetting Christian, and while she couldn’t do anything to change that she could at least offer her support.
“Mr. Belz says he dropped you off around three AM at your shop. Did you happen to notice anyone following you on the way home, or see someone pull out behind Mr. Belz when he left?”
“No, I didn’t, but honestly, I was so sleepy that I wouldn’t have noticed much of anything.” She watched him make a note in his book, then it hit her. “Wait, why would you ask that? I thought it was an accident?”
The Detective and Christian shared a look. “I’m not so sure. There were a few things that didn’t look right to the responding officer, and I agree with his assessment. It looks like someone hit Mr. Belz on purpose.”
Sandy felt all the blood drain from her face. She looked at Christian, who was staring stonily at the wall behind the Detective’s head. “Someone tried to kill him? Why?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out. Even if Mr. Belz doesn’t like the idea.” Detective Mann closed his little notebook. “I’ll keep in touch.”
Sandy waited until the man was out of earshot, then turned and blurted out, “Is it possible, Christian?”
Sighing, Christian leaned his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. His head was a mess of dizziness. “I don’t see how, Sandy. I really don’t. I don’t have any real enemies here.”
She let the subject drop because it was obvious he was hurting. “Do you feel any better at all?”
“Some. That might be all the pain meds talking, though.” Christian looked at her, which took a moment because he was having trouble focusing. “Hey, you look worried. Don’t be. I’m going to be fine.”
“I know, I spoke with your doctor earlier, although I’m sure he wasn’t supposed to do that.” She smiled but it was weak and halfhearted. “It was scary, finding you like that and not being able to do anything.”
He pulled the hand he was holding up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. It was unusual for him to do something so—soft. She needed reassurance though, and he wasn’t going to ignore that. “I wish that it hadn’t been necessary, but I was a little scrambled at the time.”
Even with him flat on his back, that sweet kiss stirred her. “Do you have some family you want me to call?”
“There’s no one left. That’s why I left Alabama to find out what Texas was like.” Christian said the words matter-of-factly, as if it didn’t bother him that he was alone in the world.
It might not bother him, but it bothered her that he had no one to depend on. No one to call when he was upset or hurt or angry. She had her Daddy and Mariah. Who did he turn to when things were bad? “I’m sorry. It can’t be easy, being alone.”
He could see that there were tears in her eyes. For him. For the fact that he was alone in the world. “Sandy, sometimes it’s better to be alone than to be with people who don’t care if you live or die. My story, it isn’t pretty.”
“Tell me.”
CHAPTER SIX
“My Momma was a good woman once, or so I was told. By the time I was old enough to know good from bad, there was nothing much left for me or my sister that was good. My real Dad died when I was two. I don’t remember him at all. Momma was pregnant with my sister when he passed. He was on the side of the road, trying to fix a flat on the car when another car swerved too close and hit him. He died instantly.”
“After that, Momma went from man to man. I remember a constant stream of ‘Uncles’ that would stay a couple of months then move on. Then she met Rick and he decided to stay. Rick liked his whiskey and he liked to beat on my Momma when he was in
‘Not at all.” She sat down in the chair next to Christian’s hospital bed and took his hand in hers. Something this man had said was upsetting Christian, and while she couldn’t do anything to change that she could at least offer her support.
“Mr. Belz says he dropped you off around three AM at your shop. Did you happen to notice anyone following you on the way home, or see someone pull out behind Mr. Belz when he left?”
“No, I didn’t, but honestly, I was so sleepy that I wouldn’t have noticed much of anything.” She watched him make a note in his book, then it hit her. “Wait, why would you ask that? I thought it was an accident?”
The Detective and Christian shared a look. “I’m not so sure. There were a few things that didn’t look right to the responding officer, and I agree with his assessment. It looks like someone hit Mr. Belz on purpose.”
Sandy felt all the blood drain from her face. She looked at Christian, who was staring stonily at the wall behind the Detective’s head. “Someone tried to kill him? Why?”
“That’s what I’m going to find out. Even if Mr. Belz doesn’t like the idea.” Detective Mann closed his little notebook. “I’ll keep in touch.”
Sandy waited until the man was out of earshot, then turned and blurted out, “Is it possible, Christian?”
Sighing, Christian leaned his head back against the pillows and closed his eyes. His head was a mess of dizziness. “I don’t see how, Sandy. I really don’t. I don’t have any real enemies here.”
She let the subject drop because it was obvious he was hurting. “Do you feel any better at all?”
“Some. That might be all the pain meds talking, though.” Christian looked at her, which took a moment because he was having trouble focusing. “Hey, you look worried. Don’t be. I’m going to be fine.”
“I know, I spoke with your doctor earlier, although I’m sure he wasn’t supposed to do that.” She smiled but it was weak and halfhearted. “It was scary, finding you like that and not being able to do anything.”
He pulled the hand he was holding up to his lips and kissed her knuckles. It was unusual for him to do something so—soft. She needed reassurance though, and he wasn’t going to ignore that. “I wish that it hadn’t been necessary, but I was a little scrambled at the time.”
Even with him flat on his back, that sweet kiss stirred her. “Do you have some family you want me to call?”
“There’s no one left. That’s why I left Alabama to find out what Texas was like.” Christian said the words matter-of-factly, as if it didn’t bother him that he was alone in the world.
It might not bother him, but it bothered her that he had no one to depend on. No one to call when he was upset or hurt or angry. She had her Daddy and Mariah. Who did he turn to when things were bad? “I’m sorry. It can’t be easy, being alone.”
He could see that there were tears in her eyes. For him. For the fact that he was alone in the world. “Sandy, sometimes it’s better to be alone than to be with people who don’t care if you live or die. My story, it isn’t pretty.”
“Tell me.”
CHAPTER SIX
“My Momma was a good woman once, or so I was told. By the time I was old enough to know good from bad, there was nothing much left for me or my sister that was good. My real Dad died when I was two. I don’t remember him at all. Momma was pregnant with my sister when he passed. He was on the side of the road, trying to fix a flat on the car when another car swerved too close and hit him. He died instantly.”
“After that, Momma went from man to man. I remember a constant stream of ‘Uncles’ that would stay a couple of months then move on. Then she met Rick and he decided to stay. Rick liked his whiskey and he liked to beat on my Momma when he was in
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