Chapter 5 Rendezvous #3
While they strolled to the rear porch of Hawk’s cabin, Bear brought him up to date about everything he could think of concerning the investigation.
“I’ll schedule a sit-down with the police soon, but not at the expense of being pulled off my patrol.
Although our missing-college-girls theory may have been blown out of the water last night, whatever is going on feels aimed at the Dakotas. I’ve gotta see this through, Hawk.”
Hawk jogged ahead of him up the porch steps to open the back door of the cabin for them. “What can I do to help?”
Bear smirked. “Any chance you’ll use your councilman influence to get me a haircut before church this morning?” He was in need of a proper trim, since he wouldn’t be wearing his ball cap inside the church building.
Hawk smirked back. “No offense, but that’s exactly what I was hoping you’d ask.”
Bear chuckled. “I look that bad, eh?”
“No judgment.” Hawk led him to the kitchen where Annalee was preparing bacon and eggs.
She was a smoking hot blonde who didn’t look much older than her teenage daughter. She spun their way when they entered the room, not bothering to muffle her squeal of elation.
“Running Bear!” She almost dropped her spatula as she gaped at him. “What happened to your hair?”
“Just Bear.” He knew he smelled awful and looked like the slime found under a rock — by design, of course.
He always sludged up his appearance while skulking through the wilderness.
“Before you ask, I’m in the middle of a midlife crisis.
New name. New hair. I could use some help with the last item. ”
“I’ll say!” Annalee was already pulling out a kitchen chair and fluffing the blue-and-white checkered cushion.
“My hair salon will be in session as soon as you finish showering.” She wasn’t a beautician by trade, but cutting and styling hair for free was one of the many ways she served their tribe.
She also gardened, landscaped, painted houses, and helped coach a girls’ soccer team.
Hands down, Hawk was married to an angel.
Technically, they were still newlyweds, since they’d been married a little less than a year. They were juggling a newborn baby, too.
He glanced around in search of a swing or bassinet. “Where’s Junior?”
“Out,” Hawk informed him dryly. “He has at least a dozen self-appointed aunts, grandmothers, and spare nannies. They line up at the door, begging to push his stroller around the park each morning.”
“It takes a village, eh?” Though Bear was disappointed he would miss seeing Hawk Junior, he wasn’t surprised that the handsome, eagle-eyed future councilman had already stolen the hearts of his people.
When he was ready to leave the cabin, they offered him a ride to church, which he graciously turned down.
He preferred to be alone when he caught up with April.
Plus, they’d already done enough for him.
Thanks to them, he was clean, well-fed, wearing a pair of faded jeans beneath a lightweight navy blazer, and sporting a respectable haircut.
It was shaved close on the sides and a little longer on top.
When he entered the church building, his new look caused no small amount of rubbernecking. However, he didn’t miss the longer, heavier mane of hair he’d worn most of his life. It was noticeably cooler in the warm spring temperatures that would soon fester into summer heat.
Friends waylaid him right and left, shaking his hand and making small talk.
Most of them knew nothing about the trouble his family was going through, or the danger they might be in, and he preferred to keep it that way.
He mainly wanted to make a showing and give the appearance of normalcy for anyone who might ask around about him.
It was best to keep one’s enemies on their toes.
He had no trouble picking April out of the crowd. She’d selected a spot on a pew against the far left wall, near the back of the church. No surprise there, since she didn’t attend church regularly. He small-talked and mingle-walked his way in her direction and finally arrived.
She was wearing a solid white pantsuit this morning. It was chic and sophisticated, just like her.
She started to rise, but he motioned for her to remain seated, sliding onto the pew beside her. “Good morning, Doc.” The sharp and sudden urge to lean in and kiss her caught him off guard. Though she wasn’t his to kiss, it would’ve felt so good. So right.
But only in my dreams. And apparently in his daydreams now.
The color rose on her classic cheekbones. “I thought we agreed to drop the titles.”
He was only teasing her, and she knew it. Instead of bickering about it, he leaned back in the pew, looping an arm loosely around the back of it to bring their heads closer. “Thanks for meeting me here. How’s the chaperoning going from way over here?”
April gave him a laughing look. “Kaya’s under strict orders not to take so much as a pit stop without her bodyguard’s consent. You should’ve seen the steam come out of her ears when I introduced her to her new handler.”
He almost laughed. “You rustled up a bodyguard for the kid?” His indebtedness to April continued to mount.
“I did.” She sounded as if she had mixed feelings about it. “Bo is on loan to us from Lonestar Security for as long as we need him.”
He coughed to hide his amusement. “I was wondering. It looks like someone rained on her parade, and now I know. Nice going, April. Her uncle approves!” His niece was standing on the opposite side of the building with a circle of friends.
Her bodyguard was hovering nearby, getting thunderously jealous looks from the tall, wiry guy on the other side of her.
He looked vaguely familiar to Bear, though Bear couldn’t say why. He hoped he had it figured out by the time Kaya brought him over for introductions.
“Thanks. I’m trying,” April sighed. “I’m thinking I should’ve pitched the idea of a bodyguard to her a little better before springing Bo on her. I’m afraid I don’t have much experience mentoring college students. I’m accustomed to being a one-woman band.”
“I like one-woman bands.” Bear hadn’t intended to flirt with her. It just slipped out. He quickly added. “I’m a bit of a lone ranger myself, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“No! Really?” Her eyes, which had widened with confusion, relaxed into their normal, confident expression. “I like lone rangers. The one sitting beside me, at any rate.”
It was his turn to be confused. Was she flirting with him? It wasn’t likely, but he grasped the far-out sliver of hope she’d tossed his way and took a risk he hadn’t planned on taking this morning. “Enough to let me take you out to dinner when this is all over?”
Her lips parted in surprise.
“Dinner won’t be nearly enough,” he added to fill the silence before it got awkward. “I’ll never be able to repay you for what you’ve already done, much less for what you’re preparing to do.”
“I’m not so sure about that.” Her blooming cheeks were at odds with her composed voice. “You gave me an open tab for your wilderness adventures, remember? One I intend to use as frequently as my work schedule will allow.”
All he heard was that he would see her again. Often. He had zero complaints about that and told her so with his eyes.
She was still smiling when Pastor Josh Chavez stepped onto the platform to welcome those gathered for the Sunday morning service.
He was young and charismatic, exactly what their aging, set-in-their-ways council leadership needed.
Josh brought a fresh perspective and a much-needed shot of energy to their community, which showed in the recent rise in church attendance.
The other thing Bear liked about Josh was that he was dating Miley.
The young minister was solid nephew-in-law material and had his heart set on marrying Miley after she graduated from college.
She was taking some bookkeeping and financial management courses to help expand her stepfather’s side business as a craftsman.
Together, she and Hawk designed everything from rawhide saddles to leather wallets and drink coasters.
An ensemble of singers joined Josh on the stage. Together, they led the congregation in a few classic hymns — old songs that spoke to a person’s soul and never went out of style. They ended with a more contemporary worship chorus about trusting the Lord. It was titled Believe.
When it ended, April leaned closer to Bear and whispered, “For what it’s worth, I believe in God.”
“So does the devil,” he shot back before thinking it through. Though she meant well, her statement was a pet peeve of his. Believing wasn’t enough. Living a life obedient to the teachings of Christ was what it actually took to be a Christian.
He immediately wished he hadn’t spoken, not wanting to come across as judgmental or mean-spirited.
However, the damage had been done. She adopted a troubled look and stared straight ahead.
While he contemplated how best to apologize for his callousness after the service, she listened to Pastor Josh’s message with a wrinkle in the middle of her forehead.
At the end of his message, she accepted the young minister’s invitation to bow her head and be led in a prayer of salvation.
Bear was so stunned that he didn’t know what to say when it was over. Josh gave a prayer of dismissal, and everyone around them stood and started filing out of the sanctuary.
April didn’t move. She simply sat there, wearing a hard-to-read expression and a smile that didn’t quite match it.
Bear finally cleared his throat, unable to bear another moment of awkward silence between them. “I didn’t mean—”