Grayson

Chapter Ten

"I need to go out to the farm." Grayson said as he and Callie walked out of the hotel the next morning. The air was already warmer than it had been the day before and Callie was happy that springtime was finally really making its way to western Missouri.

"I need to go get some work done at Annie's. Trina Phillips is getting married in three days and I still don't have her dress ready." Callie replied. Grayson looked back in his memory and found an image of Trina Phillips.

"She's getting married?" he asked raising his eyebrow. He remembered her as being a short, squat woman who greatly resembled a troll in both build and looks. Callie nodded.

"Yes she is. To the bankers son, Scott Schmidt." Callie saw Grayson get a far off look in his eye and then he nodded.

"Short guy, skinny, bushy red hair, freckles and really big glasses."

"He had a growth spurt after you left." Callie replied. "Now he's tall and skinny with bushy red hair, freckles and really big glasses." Grayson laughed loudly and it was the best sound Callie had ever heard and it cleared away every painful line and shadow from his face.

"God, I missed you, Callie. You always could make me laugh." He wrapped his arms tight around her and hugged her close.

"It is just ridiculous that sheriff Potter lets that cold blooded murderer walk the same streets as the rest of us." An older woman, that Callie recognized as Miss Rena the organ player at the church, spat as she walked past them. Callie felt her temper flare.

"Good thing Jesus forgives, Miss Rena, because I think that being a judgmental hypocrite is a sin." She said pulling away from Grayson and sticking her hands on her hips. Miss Rena turned and looked at her.

"Yes, dear, it is a good thing that Jesus forgives because I am sure there is some kind of sin in a woman spending the night in the bed with a cold blooded brother killer and playing whore."

"Wait just one damn minute now." Grayson growled stepping forward and pointing one large finger at the older woman. "You can think what you want about me, Miss Rena, but I will not put up with anybody calling Callie a whore." Miss Rena looked at his finger pointed at her nose and sneered.

"What are you going to do, Grayson? Kill me too?"

"I might." Grayson replied in a cold whisper. Miss Rena's face paled and she suddenly looked very ill. She turned quickly and walked away as fast as her old legs could carry her, nearly falling off the boardwalk in her haste. Callie turned to Grayson and shook her head.

"You really should not have told her you might kill her. That's really not going to help your reputation." Grayson snorted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I couldn't really care less about what these people think of me, Callie." he said matter of factly. "And there is no way I am gonna let somebody call you a whore without putting the fear of God into them for it." Callie sighed and laid her hand on his cheek.

"You do care what people think but you are pretty good at acting like you don't." she replied. Grayson was about to argue but she laid her finger on his lips. "What am I going to do with you, Gray?"

"If you were smart then you would forget about me and find somebody else that you could be with without turning more than half the town against you." he replied after grabbing her wrist gently and moving her finger away from his mouth. Callie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest while cocking her hip to the side.

"Unlike you, I really don't care what these people think about you and I being together. I have been waiting on you to come back for five years and listening to their judgments. As far as I am concerned it's none of their business."