”“I’ll be back one day Sheriff, I got a reason to come back. I’ll look you up.”“You better look me up Tom, I’m thinkin’ of getting’ ...utta’ the peace keeping business and maybe start up a small spread of my own. I been saving all I could for years and with what I got the other day off your horse, I just about got enough to make a go of it.”“Sheriff, did you ever go out to the Croom place? She’s a right handsome woman now that she’s got her self back to her wits again. She has two good kids and. ” And I looked down at the table again, waiting for the accusations, waiting for him to get up and leave.Instead, he drew my hand to his mouth and kissed it. “Janet, I don’t know what the trouble is, but we have always been there for each other, since the first day I joined Lush. Since that moment when my first story was rejected. I was ready to quit, to crawl back into my self-loathing. Yet, you picked me out of the mental gutter, brushed me off, hugged me, and told me I mattered.“From that. Let me deal with him I am far stronger than he ever was."An unbelieving smirk came to Sam's lips as he could only stare at Mellos a moment. Leaning forward Sam whispered to Mellos, "We'll see won't we Mellos."Mellos returned Sam's smirk with one of her own. "No, I know I am stronger. I hurt you last time, don't deny it, though you have a hard head, so are my fists." You will not deny me Mellos. You will never be stronger than I am. You think that because you are over eighty percent healed you. I remember him going to the bathroom, listening to him on the phone with his wife, telling her he had to go out of town - last minute business trip - and him coming back to find me naked on the couch."I have to go to work," I said."What am I going to do all day?" Go to work?" I called out of that. I thought we could take the day."I pushed off the covers and got up. 7:00. He pinched my ass."Hey!" Sorry, honey."I wished he wouldn't call me that."I have to get moving," I said."They can get by.