CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was after eleven o’clock by the time Cole arrived home. The brief nap he’d taken at Farmer Jen’s seemed like ages ago, and the cab ride to the airport only added to his weariness.
Within minutes, he’d figured out why Holly had been so cagey about Rudy Ryder. He’d apparently missed his calling to be a comedian. Passengers turned to victims in the back of his taxi, as there was no escape from his one-man act. So, rather than catching a nap, Cole listened to terrible jokes and pity-laughed his way through the ninety-minute trip.
As soon as he opened the door to his apartment, he sensed something was off. Quickly and quietly, he retrieved his gun from his suitcase and tiptoed through the rooms, clearing them one by one. He pushed open his bedroom door and found someone sleeping in his bed.
“Freeze,” he commanded. The person wasn’t moving, but he couldn’t think of what else to yell.
“Cole. It’s me,” the groggy voice of his sister Stephanie said.
“Steph?” Cole laid the gun on the dresser. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“Mom said you were out of town.” Steph sat up and shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d mind.”
His sisters used his place like a cheap hotel. Whenever they were out late in the city and didn’t want to schlep home to Brooklyn, they’d call and crash with him. “I don’t, but you should have called or texted. I almost shot you!”
“Well, thanks for not.”
“Why aren’t you in the guest room?” Since he never had guests, his sisters had taken over the furnishing and decorating of the second bedroom. It was basically “their” room for when they shacked up with him.
“We need to get a new bed for in there,” Steph said. “Yours is much more comfortable.”
“Well, Goldilocks, time’s up. I’m exhausted and plan to sleep in my bed. Beat it.”
Stephanie stood and stretched. “That’s fair,” she said, yawning. “See you in the morning.”
Cole fell into bed and was unconscious until several hours later, when the smell of coffee roused him. Stephanie hummed in the kitchen, and soon, the aroma of bacon wafted in with the coffee. There was no resisting that one-two combo.
He rolled out of bed and into the kitchen. “This is the best part of you guys staying over.”
“Oh, you mean the bacon? I only made enough for one,” Steph teased.
He shot her a look, and she laughed.
“New Hampshire didn’t turn you into a morning person, I see.”
He grumbled as he poured himself a cup of coffee. “I spent the night in a glorified lean-to, surrounded by bears and coyotes. We had snakes and spiders for roommates. I didn’t sleep a wink.”
“Understandable. Who’s we? The lady you went to protect. What’s she like? Is she single? Is she pretty?”
Cole couldn’t keep up with Steph when he was in top form. Handling her in his half-baked state was too much. “I’m un-caffeinated and under-rested. You’re gonna have to slow down.”
“Is. She. Pretty? Do. You. Like. Her?”
“Oh, you’re hilarious. What makes you say any of that? How do you know she’s not sixty and married?”
“I talk to Mark sometimes,” she said nonchalantly.
“Mark, my partner?” He raised an eyebrow.
“Sometimes.” This time it was more defensive.
“Mark’s married.”
“It’s not like that.” She passed him a plate of bacon and eggs.
He sipped his coffee, still a little slow on the uptake. “Wait. Are you checking up on me?”
She ignored the question. “I texted Mom that you’re home. She wants to know when you’re coming over?”
“I’ve got a lot—”
“Tonight? Great. In fact, why don’t you clean up, get dressed, and come back with me now?”
She smiled sweetly, and he shook his head. Arguing with her would be fruitless. Plus, it had been a while. He was past due for a visit. “Fine. But I’m finishing my coffee and eating bacon first.”
An hour later, he and Steph caught the R train and rode it to Brooklyn. At the Bay Ridge station, they split up. Steph wanted to stop by her place first and promised she’d be over soon. Cole took a cab to his childhood home.
“Honey,” his mom greeted, wrapping her arms around his waist, too short for any other kind of hug. “It’s been too long. Come on in and get some lemonade. It’s gonna be a hot one.”
His dad came out from the den. “Son.”
“Hey, Dad.” Cole and his father had a complicated relationship. Growing up, they’d been the best of friends, his dad always loving and supportive. But Megan’s murder had affected him greatly. Turned him cynical and gruff. Ten-year-old Cole had been so confused by the change. Twenty-nine-year-old Cole understood his father had never really gotten over the death of his oldest daughter and cut him slack because of it.
His mom was another story. Always happy and optimistic, sincere and affectionate. Kind of like Holly when he thought about it.
“Tell us about New Hampshire,” his mom said, handing him a glass of lemonade and leading the way to the back porch.
“I only went to the one city. But picture The Andy Griffith Show . Real small-town, down-home vibe. Streets done up for the Fourth of July. Everyone knows everyone. You would love it, Mom.”
“Sounds very picturesque,” she said. “And the girl?”
“She’s a witness to a murder. The guy came after her while I was there. Almost shot her in the middle of a parade.”
His mom gasped. “What happened?”
“I chased him off, and he left town. We have him in custody now.”
His sisters arrived within the hour. Steph and his other sister, Tracy, were roommates and lived within a stone’s throw. Per usual, he took the verbal abuse from them all afternoon. The conversation turned to Holly on more than one occasion.
“Why do you keep asking about Holly?” he finally asked. “She’s just an assignment for work.”
“Uh-huh,” Tracy said. “You get this little twinkle in your eye when you talk about her. We’re just trying to gauge how serious this is.”
“How serious what is?”
“Your feelings for this girl,” Steph said. “Infatuation? Lust? Love…?”
“What? I don’t have any feelings for her. Other than I’m grateful she’s willing to testify against Cruz. I want that bastard to rot in prison, and she’s our best—well, only—hope of putting him there.”
“Something’s different with you,” Tracy said. “Did country living turn you soft? Or is it that you’ve found a girl you really like?”
“Soft? I chased off bears. And yes, that’s plural. As in, more than one bear.”
“I would’ve run for my life,” Steph said.
“Stephanie,” Cole said, pausing dramatically. “You never run from a bear.” That reminded him of Holly’s sassy attitude, and he smiled.
“Why not?”
“They’ll catch and eat you.” Cole made claws with his fingers and mimicked running after her. “I also started a fire with my bare hands, hiked all over hell and back. Oh, and we saved two kids from drowning in a lake.”
“You and Holly?” Tracy asked. Cole nodded.
“You were only gone a week,” Steph said. “Geez.”
“Tell me about it. I also fed a donkey, drove a twenty-year-old pickup, and danced at a hoedown.” He didn’t mention the fireworks against a quiet black sky, the best apple pie he’d ever tasted, or the kissing. Definitely wasn’t going there.
“Sounds like you were pretty far out of your element,” his mom said.
“You have no idea.”
“Sounds like you and this woman make a good team,” his dad said.
“Yeah it does,” Steph said, waggling her eyebrows.
“This. This is why I hate coming out here,” Cole said. “The third degree. I feel like I’m in the box at work getting interrogated.”
“Oh, honey.” His mother grabbed his hand. “You don’t mean that.”
“Sorry, Mom,” Cole said, instantly contrite. “You know I don’t. I couldn’t stay away from your brownies even if I wanted to.” To prove his point, he shoved one into his mouth. The gesture brought Holly to mind. Again. What was happening to him?
Cole stayed until late and promised not to be a stranger before hugging his family goodbye. They knew he still had two weeks off, so there would be no excuses for a while.
He was still short on sleep and anticipated crashing hard. What he got instead were thoughts of Holly running through his mind and keeping him up half the night. He blamed his sisters. He didn’t have feelings for Holly. He didn’t have a “look” when he talked about her. They were full of crap. Except for one little thing.
He’d spent a week glued to her hip. And had gotten so used to her being by his side, he found himself constantly turning to say something to her. And feeling a strange pang when she wasn’t there. Like maybe he wanted her to be there.
He shook it off and tried to count sheep. But the sheep morphed into Holly—laughing with her friends, chasing off giant wild animals, running without hesitation to save a drowning boy, dancing amongst the patio lights in the town square. And of course, the kiss of a lifetime in the cabin.
Thank goodness his sisters hadn’t dragged that nugget out of him. He’d have never heard the end of things. Perhaps the last few days had changed him. A little. But that wasn’t necessarily because of Holly. It could just be that he’d needed a vacation. Either way, it was back to city life. He’d already arranged to ride with the detectives again later that week. Things would return to normal then.