CHAPTER EIGHT
Holly woke the next day disoriented. It took her a second to remember where she was and why. She climbed out of bed and took a quick shower.
The blessed scent of coffee met her at the door, and she followed her nose to the kitchen. Cole sat rigid, hands gripping a mug while Jen chatted away. His eyes locked on Holly’s as if she were a life preserver and he was drowning.
“Good morning,” Holly said. “Ready for a day on the mountain?”
“I was just tellin’ Cole here how I plan to breed Maisy. Explainin’ how we go about inseminating cows.”
Holly fought back a grin. That would explain the look of desperation. Cole remained stoically silent, sipping his coffee, and probably mentally planning his escape if needed.
“You can’t wear that to work,” Holly said.
He looked down. “What? Why not?”
“Cotton kills,” she said, pointing to his jeans. “And those tennis shoes might be great for traipsing around city sidewalks, but they’ll be worthless on the trails.”
“I didn’t bring my overalls and cowboy boots,” he said then quickly turned to Jen. “No offense.”
She waved a hand. “Don’t knock it till you try it.”
“We’ll stop by Tess’s and get you fixed up.”
“Tess’s?”
“She owns an outdoor store. The Outdoor Outpost.”
“You want I rustle up some breakfast?” Jen asked in a heavy backwoods accent.
Cole’s cheeks reddened. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m a little out of my element.”
Jen laughed. “I’m just teasin’ ya.”
“No thanks, Jen. We’ll grab breakfast at the diner. See you tonight.”
They rinsed their coffee mugs and headed out to the truck.
“I gotta make a quick stop home for my uniform,” Holly said, hip-checking him away from the driver’s door. “I also need to test my ankle. Make sure I can drive.”
Cole grunted but walked around to the passenger side. “That’s fine. I wanna check out your place anyway. We should go by there at least once a day to see if Edwardo has shown up.”
“Thanks for reminding me about that .”
Holly turned onto the main road, drove the quarter mile to her driveway, and approached slowly. No cars in the driveway. Nothing seemed amiss from the outside.
Cole pulled a gun from an ankle holster and checked it. Holly was no stranger to guns but also didn’t carry one on the daily. “I’m going in first,” he said, opening the door before Holly had the truck in park.
“Oh. Kay,” she said to an empty cab. “Guess I’ll wait here.”
Cole took a lap around the house and came back to the truck. Holly dangled the keys out the window, holding the house key separate so he’d know which one to use.
He grabbed them without saying anything and disappeared into the house. A minute later, he came to the front door and waved her in.
“There’s a chunk of empty space in the closet and on the bookshelf, like maybe some of your stuff’s missing,” he said. “But no one’s here now.”
“Someone’s stuff is missing, but it isn’t mine.”
“Whaddya mean?”
“My wannabe fiancé. Either he came and took it, or my girlfriends used it for a bonfire.”
“I didn’t see any evidence of a fire.”
“Don’t care one way or the other. Just glad it’s gone.”
She went to the bedroom and changed into her uniform. When she came out, he was looking at the photos on her wall—a lot of nature shots and some of Holly and her friends.
“What’s this one?” Cole asked, pointing to a canvas painting.
“It’s me.” Holly laughed. “Can’t you tell?”
Cole’s eyebrows shot up. “Uh.”
“Faith painted it.”
“Hope that’s not her day job,” Cole said.
“No. She cuts hair. Thankfully, she’s much better at that. Come on. I don’t have to be in until noon, but we should get going.”
Holly drove into town and parked on Main Street. “Let’s get you some clothes. Then we’ll eat.”
“I’m just along for the ride,” Cole muttered.
They passed a man on the sidewalk, who offered a cheery hello. Cole did a double-take.
“Yes. He’s talking to you,” Holly said. “Why you so jumpy?”
“I’m not used to unprovoked conversation.”
“Better get used to it.”
Tess was with a customer when they entered, but Holly knew what she wanted and where everything was. She led Cole to the men’s section.
“Pick your size in these.” She pointed to a rack of tech pants. “What’s your shirt size?”
“Large. I guess,” he said, thumbing through the pants.
She walked to another rack and picked out a shirt. Tess approached and offered help, raising an eyebrow at the shirt in Holly’s hand.
“I just want to make sure he’s bear-proof.” Holly winked. The shirt was fluorescent orange and meant for hunting. He’d picked out some pants, and she passed him the shirt on his way to the dressing room.
“Bear-proof?” Cole said.
Holly and Tess nodded solemnly. “You’ll need a hat and coat too,” Tess said. “It gets cold in the evening.”
Cole changed and came out of the dressing room. He looked dubiously at the bright yellow hat and coat Holly held. “You want me to wear that?”
“Unless you’d rather get eaten by bears,” Holly said matter-of-factly.
Cole put on the jacket and cap. “I look like an idiot.”
A man walked by and snickered. “What are you girls doing to the poor guy?”
“I knew it!” In one swoop, Cole slipped out of the coat, grabbed the back of the shirt, and pulled it over his head, throwing both into a heap at his feet. “Get me some real clothes,” he demanded.
Holly and Tess stood, mouths agape, wide eyes glued to Cole’s naked torso. A smattering of golden-blond hair covered a firm, broad chest. It was the kind of chest that could easily dull the shine off her newly minted no-more-men promise.
“Gulp.” Holly snapped her mouth shut and smacked Tess on the arm. “You heard the man. Get him some clothes.” They both scrambled to find something to cover him up. That prank had backfired.
Holly threw him a moisture-wicking T-shirt—in a subdued tan—and Tess quickly found a button-up nylon shirt in plain brown. He scowled at them before grabbing the clothes and returning to the dressing room.
“Holy camoly,” Tess whispered.
“Yeah,” Holly agreed, breathless.
From the dressing room, Cole called out. “Pants? Thirty-four, thirty-six.”
“The pants you’re wearing are fine.”
He grunted his reply, and after some shuffling noises, reemerged. “Not funny.”
“It was a little funny,” Holly said, biting a smile. “Let’s find some shoes.”
The three of them went to the back, and Cole tried on a pair of hiking boots Tess recommended.
“Where am I gonna put my gun?” he asked. “I can’t wear an ankle holster with these high-top boots.”
“You can wear it on your hip for all anyone around here cares.” Tess laughed when his brows shot to his forehead.
“You’re not in Kansas anymore,” Holly said.
“No doubt. From New York City straight to Mayberry.”
They headed to Karla’s Kitchen for breakfast. The smell of eggs and grease was a warm welcome home.
“Holly, darlin’,” Edna said, seating them in a booth by the window. “How you doin’?” Her tone sagged heavy with worry.
“I’m fine,” Holly said, knowing she would have to deal with the pity looks for a while. Jilted bride was a big story in a small town.
“Gettin’ right back on that horse, I see,” Edna said, giving Cole a head-to-toe glance. “Love it.”
“It’s not like that.”
“’Course not,” Edna said with a wink. “Sit. I’ll get the coffee.”
“Do you know everyone in this town?” Cole asked, sliding in across the booth from her.
“More or less.” Holly shrugged. “Lived here all my life.”
“What are you going to tell people about why I’m here?”
“Beats me. The truth, I guess. You and me comin’ in here together will be all over town by nightfall anyway.”
“I don’t know if that’s a good idea,” Cole said. “We don’t know who we can trust.”
“A, it’s not up to us.” She held up a finger. “We’ve been seen together, so stopping it now is impossible. And B, we can trust every one.”
“I’ll think about it.” He picked up a menu.
“You don’t understand.” She chuckled. “While you’re ‘thinking about it,’ news is already spreading. Fast.”
“Hm. Well, I guess it would be good to have extra eyes on the lookout for a stranger. Especially if he comes around asking for you.”
“You really think he’ll trek all the way up here just to threaten me?”
“Holly, if he comes all this way, it won’t be just to talk. This is serious business.”
Edna returned with a coffee carafe and filled their cups. “Know what ya want, honey?”
“Lumberjack omelet with a side of flapjacks,” Holly said.
“Dang.” Cole looked up from the menu. “That’s a ton of food.”
“I’m a growing girl.” Holly smiled. “We walk a lot. You’ll need fuel.”
“Guess I’ll have the same,” Cole said to Edna, who scribbled the orders on a small notepad and took their menus.
Already tired of the side-eyed whispers floating in her direction, Holly decided to nip the gossip in the bud. “Edna, will you do me a favor?”
“Name it, sugar.”
“This is Officer Cole Robinson from the NYPD. I witnessed something pretty serious, and we have reason to believe a really bad guy might come to town looking for me. That’s why Cole is here. Can you just let everyone know to keep an eye out?”
“Hispanic male. Mid-thirties. Short, cropped dark hair. And this ponytail thing on his chin that he wears in a braid. Ugly, but conspicuous. His name is Edwardo Cruz,” Cole added. “If you give me an email, I’ll have a picture sent over.”
“We’ll do whatever we can to keep you safe, sweetie pie.” Edna took two steps to the front counter, grabbed a business card, and returned. “Email’s on there, honey. I’ll get his picture printed up and spread the word,” she said before leaving to put in their order.
“That should set the record straight,” Holly said.
“Honey, sweetie pie, sugar?” Cole whispered. “Think she does that on purpose to make us want dessert?”
“I don’t know, but it’s working. They make the best coconut cream pie here. Remind me to ask for a slice to-go.”
“Good thing you can’t get cavities from words.”
Holly smiled. It fell immediately when Arthur approached the table. He was her dad’s best friend. “Oh, crap,” she muttered into her coffee.
“Holly, may I have a word?” Arthur glanced at Cole. “In private.”
“Um, sure.” Holly stood. “How about we go over here?” She pointed to an empty table in the corner and walked to it but didn’t sit. Hopefully, this conversation would be short enough not to warrant getting comfortable.
“I visited your dad this week,” Arthur said. “He asked about you.”
“Oh,” Holly said, unable to muster anything else.
“He said you haven’t been to see him or even written.” The indignation in his voice was hard to miss. “Didn’t even know you were engaged.”
Holly picked at a cuticle. “Well, that didn’t work out, so…”
“Do you plan to visit? I know he’d appreciate it.”
“Aren’t you mad at him? Don’t you feel betrayed that he lied to you all those years?” She knew she was projecting her own feelings, but as her dad’s best friend, he’d also been affected.
“I was. And yes. Half the town still treats me like I must have known. Just like they treated your mother and how I’m sure they treat you.”
“So, how’d you get over it?”
“People are complicated,” he said. “I got out of my own head and realized I had nothing to do with your dad’s decisions. He didn’t do it to hurt me. Or you.”
“Why did he do it?”
“I don’t know for sure,” Arthur said. “But I do know he grew up terribly poor. His father gambled like there was no tomorrow, and his mom worked a lot to compensate for the losses. That left your dad to basically raise himself. With no one to teach him right from wrong, he mingled around in a morally gray area. As an adult, willing to do anything to provide for his family, he probably thought the ends justified the means.”
“Hm. I suppose,” Holly said. A few times, she’d tried to put herself in her dad’s shoes, but never done so successfully enough to understand how he justified bilking people out of their hard-earned money. “I’ll get out there one of these days.”
Grateful he hadn’t said what he wanted to say in front of Cole, she mumbled her goodbye and returned to the table.
“Everything okay?” Cole asked.
“Yup.” No way she was getting into all that with him.
He studied her, and she wondered if he would push, but he let it go.
“That Holly’s new husband?” Mr. Huckabee yelled from a few tables over.
“Seriously?” Holly whispered. “Not now.”
“No, Ralph. Holly didn’t get married,” Edna explained. “That’s her friend from New York City.”
Cole cocked an eyebrow. “Why are they yelling?”
“Mr. Huckabee is very hard of hearing. He must be the only person in town who hasn’t heard about what happened.”
At top volume, Edna explained that Holly hadn’t gotten married and that her friend was a cop. Well, that was one not-so-subtle way to inform the whole diner at once.
“His name’s Bob?”
“No. I said cop ,” Edna’s voice raised in frustration.
“She married a cop?”
“Please make it stop.” Holly felt her cheeks flush. Could things get any more embarrassing? “My life is a train wreck. Whatever they’re paying you, it’s not enough.”
“They’re not paying me at all!” Cole exclaimed.
“What?” Holly’s head snapped up. “Why not? What are you doing here then?”
“It’s a long story.”
“I’m not goin’ anywhere. Not until I’ve eaten anyway.”
He took a breath and cleared his throat. “We need someone to watch out for you, but the DA’s office won’t pay for it until we arrest Cruz and they’re guaranteed a case. And, because you left town, there’s technically nothing the NYPD can do. I was just about to start a month-long vacation, so the LT thought it would be a good idea for me to do it.”
“Well, that’s not fair.”
“I mean, I’m getting normal vacation pay. And I really want to nail Cruz. He killed my old partner, and I want justice. It’s personal for me.”
“Geez. I’m so sorry.”
The food came and stopped all conversation. Holly drenched the pancakes in syrup and devoured each sweet bite. “I didn’t realize how hungry I was,” she said around a mouthful of eggs.
“I’ve known you all of five seconds and have never seen anyone pack away food like you do.”
“One of my many gifts.” She winked. “Are you always this judgy?”
“Not judging.” He shrugged. “Just observing.”
She sighed. “How are you not going to get in my way? Having you tag along is gonna really cramp my style. I understand why y’all think it’s necessary, but I can fend for myself.”
“Oh, really. So, what’s your plan if Edwardo shows up?”
“Well, I haven’t actually made a plan. I’m just saying…”
“Look. I don’t want to be here anymore than you want me here. Let’s just make the best of it, okay?”
“Fine.” She finished breakfast with a final swig of coffee and waved a hand to get Edna’s attention.
“One check or two?” Edna yelled from where she stood at the bar.
Holly held up two fingers.
Edna approached and handed each of them a little green slip of handwritten paper. They simultaneously pulled out twenty-dollar bills and left them on the table.
“You want change?” Holly asked Cole.
“No,” he said, shaking his head. “Anyone over sixty doing this job deserves a big tip.”
“That’s exactly what I say.”
“Y’all have a great day. And don’t you worry, sugar. We’ll keep an eye out for this scoundrel after you. Call the sheriff right away if we see him.”
“Appreciate it, Edna. Thanks,” Cole said.