Chapter 1 #2
She thumbed towards the door while her other hand swept back a loose strand of her white hair.
‘Used to be a sergeant. Now retired, but he still volunteers his services at Bridge House.’ She looked him over again.
‘That’s the name of the police station here, not that it’s much of one anymore.
Not since they built that new big place in Summerford, our nearest town.
Our police station is more of a hub now, but does the job, not that we get much crime around these parts.
’ She turned sharply. ‘So, Officer Beck, do you need help bringing in your bags?’
The only thing he needed was food. ‘Do you really expect me to stay here?’
‘Ooh, you didn’t strike me as the snooty type.’
Rocco raised his eyebrows. ‘Snooty type? This place is unfurnished. Not to mention dusty. Anyone would complain. Surely you would know that, seeing as you run a B&B, which by the way didn’t look much like a castle to me.’
‘Who said it was a castle?’
‘Cookie Castle B&B said.’
She laughed, then cleared her hoarse throat. ‘That’s my name.’
‘Oh. Well, Miss, Mrs, erm, Castle—’
‘Cookie.’
‘Do you really expect me to be happy about the state of this place?’
Cookie shrugged as she headed for the door. ‘Grateful for a roof, perhaps.’
Responding used to be his strong point, but as he stood in the empty cabin, all words were lost to him.
She swung open the door, letting the icy chill make the cabin colder. ‘Seeing how you’re new, and Butterbrook welcomes all, how about you stay at the B&B until we can get this place shipshape. I’ll give you a discount.’
He had to laugh, as she made it sound as though she were doing him a favour. To be fair, it was a generous offer, but one that should have been offered from the start. ‘Do you have food?’
She quirked an eyebrow. ‘Step this way, Officer Beck.’
‘You really don’t need to call me that,’ he said, but she ignored him, marching off in front.
The snow smacked him in the face, but not half as much as Cookie’s shell of a cabin had. He was glad to enter the toasty B&B.
‘You go through there,’ said Cookie, giving him a hefty shove towards opened double doors. ‘Make yourself at home while I sort you a room.’
He watched her plod up the wide stairway lined with a hardy beige carpet, then removed his coat on entering the dining room, which filled him with warmth immediately. Now why couldn’t his cabin look as rustic and homely?
‘Oh, hello,’ said a woman, around his age, pushing her way through another door.
She was a sight for sore eyes, but he told himself not to stare, even though the brown teddy bears on her pyjamas were amusing. ‘Hello,’ he replied, keeping his expression neutral.
‘I didn’t know we had any guests.’ Her grey-blue eyes widened in shock. ‘Oh, please don’t tell me your car broke down in the storm?’
She had the sweetest face even when looking concerned, but once again he told himself not to concentrate on that or the way her dark bob curled onto her rosy cheeks.
‘No. I’m supposed to be renting a cabin out back, but it wasn’t ready, so the woman who owns this place said I can use one of the rooms until the cabin is… liveable.’
‘Cookie. She’s my aunt. You must be the new police officer.’
He figured he’d get used to everyone knowing his business soon enough. He gave a slight nod. ‘Yes, Rocco Beck.’ He held out a hand, which she shook.
‘Iris Castle. I help my aunt run this place.’
He smiled warmly. ‘It looks nice, from what I’ve seen so far.’
Iris looked confused. ‘But the cabin was what exactly?’
‘Dusty, unfurnished, cold.’
She went to speak, but Cookie returned, waggling a key, which she slammed into Rocco’s hand.
‘All sorted,’ Cookie told him. ‘You can have room 1.’
Iris turned to her aunt. ‘I thought—’
‘He needs feeding, love. Poor man’s cold and tired. Sort him some grub.’ Cookie shoved her towards the door to the kitchen. ‘Sit yourself down. Beans on toast do you, Officer Beck?’ she asked as she left.
‘Yep, thanks,’ he called out.
‘Aunt Cookie, what’s going on?’ asked Iris, grabbing her white dressing gown from the back of a chair to slip on before popping some bread in the toaster. ‘I thought Vern sorted the cabin.’
‘He had to leave early. You know that.’
‘Yes, but it was furnished when he left. And clean.’
Cookie shrugged. ‘There’s no point looking at me like that. How am I to know what Vern did or didn’t do. Anyway, the nice constable is staying here with us for a bit. That’s okay, isn’t it?’
‘Of course. We could hardly leave him in a dirty, empty cabin, could we?’
‘My thoughts exactly. Right, I’m off to bed.’
Iris checked the star-shaped clock on the wall above the fridge. ‘It’s not even nine yet.’
‘I’m getting old, you know. Does crazy things to my body.’
‘What, like makes you have an early night?’
Cookie smiled, then left.
‘Hmm,’ grumbled Iris, wondering if her aunt had been up to mischief in the cabin, as she was sure she saw Vern lug a mattress in just two days ago.
A soft tapping hit the kitchen door. ‘Erm, hello.’ Rocco’s head peered around the frame first. ‘I’m just going to nip to my room to use the loo. Won’t be a sec.’
Iris pointed him in the direction of the downstairs toilet. ‘There’s one just there, if you want to use that.’ She waited until he left, then set about heating some baked beans to go with his toast, thinking him rather handsome.
There was no point swooning over some fella she’d just laid eyes on, as she had no luck when it came to her love life, and he probably wasn’t single anyway.
Surely not with those muscles. Nope, being self-partnered was the way to go.
It had worked quite well all of last year, and she had quite the skip in her step, so no falling for the newbie. Disruptions not allowed.
Rocco was back, rubbing his hands together as though cold. ‘The hot water was a godsend.’
Iris gestured at the kitchen table. ‘Here, sit down. You can eat this, then have a hot soak in the bath if you like. Your room has an en suite.’ She handed over the food, then set about making him a cup of tea.
‘Breakfast is served between seven and nine each morning, but please don’t worry if you miss out. I’ll still feed you.’
Rocco was already tucking in as though starved. ‘Thanks,’ he mumbled through his food. ‘Appreciate that.’
‘You’re welcome. Least I could do after the mix-up with the cabin.’
Big brown eyes rolled her way. ‘It definitely wasn’t what I had imagined.’
Iris pulled out a mug from the cream cupboard above the kettle. ‘We don’t normally make a bad first impression.’ She turned, flashing him her warmest smile. ‘We can do better.’
He was quick to finish his food, and the cup of tea didn’t last long either, and she had to wonder if it was her company he was hurrying to get away from.
Her phone buzzed, drawing attention, which was needed, as she caught herself staring at him for way too long.
‘Excuse me, it’s my sister.’ She turned to the large sink.
‘Norma, are you staying put for the night?’ Norma told her it was for the best, thanks to the freak snowstorm, and Iris didn’t blame her.
‘Everything all right?’ mouthed Rocco.
Iris told Norma she would see her in the morning, then nodded at Rocco when her call was finished.
‘It’s okay. My sister has a tearoom in the village, and she was doing some evening baking when the snowstorm hit without warning.
She’ll sleep there tonight. My other little sister is already upstairs, as she came here after work for dinner, so at least I know they’re both safe. ’
‘Are you waiting for me to go to my room so you can lock up for the night?’ His gaze was on her nightwear.
‘No rush. It’s still early. Besides, I was just going to read for a bit.’
There was silence for a moment before he stood and shrugged on his coat. ‘I’ll grab my bags and head to my room. I’m looking forward to that bath.’
Iris followed him to the front door. ‘I’ll get my coat and help.’
‘No, please. You’re in your jammies.’ His smile widened, revealing a dimple in his right cheek, and she just knew he was grinning at the teddy-bear print, which she happened to think a rather cute choice of nightwear.
She watched him sprint outside, the white blur of snow swallowing him for a while, and she was glad he had turned down her offer of help, as it looked fierce out there.
He laughed on his return as the evidence of the blizzard fell from his coat to the doormat. ‘I’ll put my bags in my room, then come back down and wash up my bits before I settle down for the night.’
‘Don’t be daft. Guests don’t do that. You head up, and I’ll see you in the morning.’
‘Thanks for everything, Iris.’
Ooh, her name sounded good on his tongue. ‘Goodnight, Rocco.’
He stopped on the stairs and bobbed his head, causing a strand of dark hair to hit his right eyebrow. ‘Goodnight.’
She waited until he was out of sight, then made her way to the kitchen. What a tough welcome to Butterbrook for the new constable. Still, she was sure the charm of her village would soon make him feel at home. She was certain some of the single women would.