Chapter Ten #2
"Oh, I didn't know their names. I haven't run into them in town, and I've never really known what their store was. All I've heard about them are rumors, and you know how Aspen Hollow likes its gossip."
"I sure do, and the rumors are probably true."
I arch my brow in question. Surely Jo doesn't believe in witches, right?
"I need to go get one of their tinctures if I want to ride Rogue to the north pasture fences." Jo glares at me. It's not anger but lust shining in her eyes.
I was anything but easy handing out her punishment this morning. I can't hide my prideful smile, which makes Jo’s eyes narrow, fire flashing through them.
Spinning on her heels, Jo tries to escape without saying goodbye, but I don't let her get far. I grab her hand and pull her towards me, slamming my mouth on hers.
Am I claiming her in the middle of my department? Fucking right I am, and I don't care who sees. Hell, I want them to see. Maybe those assholes in the drunk tank will think better about starting their shit and including my girl in it.
Jo tries to fight the kiss at first, but with one swipe of my tongue, her lips are parting and she's falling into me. I thread my hands in her wavy hair as my mouth devours hers. For once, she isn't fighting me for dominance but rather melting into me and letting me guide the kiss.
I pull away, and revel in the lust and longing I see on her face. "Text me when you get home, okay?"
A flash of annoyance flares in her eyes, which makes me smile down at her. "I don't need to check in with you, Beau Calhoun. I've been managin' on my own just fine up to this point in my life and will continue to do so with or without you."
"I know you will, Joey girl, but that doesn't mean I won't worry, even though I know you're a fucking badass. Please text me?" I shift gears and make it seem like I'm asking instead of demanding.
Jo's stony facade falters for a second before it slams back in place. "I suppose I can do that since you asked so nicely."
"Thanks." I give her another quick kiss before stepping back.
I watch her go, waiting to see if she'll look back. I'm just about to give up when Jo peeks over her shoulder. She smiles the brightest smile before blowing me a kiss, then disappears down the front stairs and up Main Street.
I head back towards my office to start figuring out what the hell happened last night and notice half of the guys are staring at me wide-eyed while the others are in complete disbelief.
Clapping my hands, I startle them all into motion. "Nothing to see here, fellas. Let's meet in five in the conference room and debrief about last night's events so we can get these guys out of here and back home."
"Maybe that kiss was nothin' to you, but every straight man in this county and the next one over has been trying to snag Jolene DuVall since she was a teen," my assistant chief, Davis, teases as he trails behind me on my way to my office.
"Oh, yeah? And what's stopped them?"
"You saw that fight last night, right? And I heard the hell she gave you a moment ago. You think Jo gives any of these yahoos the time of day?”
Pride fills me. Jolene hasn’t let just anyone into her bed, and for some unknown reason, she feels the same pull I do.
“Ha! That's rich.” Davis cracks up at his own question. “Hell, I'd be tempted to take a crack at her myself if I swung that way." Davis waggles his eyebrows at me as I glower at him.
He's been happily married to his husband since he came home from college.
It's mighty brave of him and speaks highly of our town that he's able to live his life openly.
I know we've come a long way and wholeheartedly agree that you should be able to love whomever you want, but that doesn't mean that everyone agrees, especially in the South. But Davis and his husband are impossible not to like after you’ve seen how happy they are together.
"Enough of your shit," I grouse as I grab my notebook off the desk and head towards the conference room. "Let's get this over with and these guys out of our hair."
Three long-ass hours later, we finally figure out what went down last night from what the dumbasses in the drunk tank told us.
It's no surprise that everything started over spilt beer and someone looking at the other's woman wrong.
I'm relieved that's all it was and that nobody was seriously injured, just a few broken bones and hurt pride after everything’s been said and done.
My officers handled the situation well, all things considered, especially since a lot of them are green.
Cleaning up my department was one of the first wrongs I was able to right when I moved to Aspen Hollow.
Not only do I enjoy showing up to work now, but I'm damn proud of what I've built with the help of Davis and the new recruits.
Their hearts are in the right place, and for the first time in decades, Aspen Hollow Police Department is free of crooked cops.
When I check my phone after our meeting, I can't stifle my laugh. Instead of texting me that she got home, Jo sent me a picture standing in her front door, flipping me off.
Davis glances at me, a question in his eyes, only to join in on my laughter when I show him Jo's picture.
"You sure you wanna take on Jo? You've got your hands full with that one."
"Damn right I wanna."
"It's your funeral." Davis shrugs and heads out of the station to do rounds.
Checking in with our receptionist, I make sure everything is squared away before I check on how the clean-up from the party is going. Imagine my surprise when I start down Main Street, not seeing even a scrap of hay or trash to let you know there was a party here the night before.
I'm still gawking at the sight when a hand slaps me on the shoulder, hard. I relax when I see it's Thatcher. My relief isn't long lived because he’s glowering back at me.
"Hey, is everything okay?"
"Not sure yet. You got time? I closed the store to get lunch." Thatcher is scowling, which makes my mind race with what could be wrong.
Surely Jo's okay, right? I would've heard if something had happened to her.
Or would I have? We haven't defined our relationship even though I already think of her as mine.
I know it might take longer to get my little prickly pear to agree, but I'm willing and determined to stick around until she does.
Thatcher strides through the door of his hardware store and double-checks that the Back after lunch sign is showing before he locks up. He moves past me without a word.
I'm starting to get pissed as my anxiety grows, but I’ll wear the mask I've mastered over the years of being a police officer until I find out what the fuck is going on.
We pass through Thatcher's apartment and only stop when we reach the balcony. It has a few chairs and an umbrella to block the glaring rays that are beating down today.
Thatcher sits down. I follow suit and give him all of my attention. It's killing me not to ask about Jo, but I'm not showing my hand yet. Hell, this probably doesn't even concern her.
"What are you doing?" Thatcher gruffs but doesn't give me any more.
"What do you mean? With what?"
"What are you doing here? Are you staying? Are you going? Because if this is just a stopover for you, you need to leave Jo the fuck alone."
I'm quiet as my mind processes what Thatcher's asking me. The last time we talked about my future here, it was undecided, so I can see why he's concerned. I know Jo and Thatch are more like siblings than cousins, so it only makes sense he's asking me this now.
Blowing out a breath, I release the tension building in me.
I’ll be as open and honest with my friend as I can be.
Leaning my forearms on the table, I look Thatch straight in the eyes as I dive in.
"I totally get your concern, especially since the last time we talked about this, I had no intention of staying here.
I was fixin' on training Davis and turning the town over to him.
But the longer I'm here, the more I feel like I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be.
"Forced to move from Aspen Hollow and into the city, then the suburbs, I've always felt like things were closing in on me. Being back in Aspen Hollow was fucking rough at first, but I finally feel like I can breathe for the first time in years.
"I wasn't sure I wanted to stay, with so many of my demons hiding in the shadows, but with every dirty cop we took down and each new deputy we brought into the department, being here got a little better. It was like, piece by piece, I was healing wounds I didn’t even realize were still open.
“Seeing how the community that had failed me rallied when I took over was healing in a way." I relax in my chair, letting my sincerity and vulnerability shine through even though it’s torture to do.
Relief floods Thatcher's system before he's glowering again.
"That's all good, and I'm glad you're finding some peace, but what are you doing with Jo?" He crosses his arms over his chest as he raises a brow at me.
"Fuck, Thatch. Where's this coming from? Weren't you the one saying we needed to meet not that long ago?"
Thatcher runs his hands down his face, his frustration apparent. "You can't fucking kiss her in the middle of the department and not expect the whole town to know about it. Yeah, I wanted y'all to meet, but that's it unless you're ready to take her on, demons and all."
"Of fucking course I am. It's not like I don't have demons of my own." I slam my palm on the table, my own frustrations simmering just below the surface.
"Not like hers," Thatcher mumbles so low, which makes me wonder if I heard him right.
"Listen.” I heave out a sigh. “I get where you're coming from and appreciate you looking out for Jolene.
I can't say for sure where things are heading with her, because you've met her, but I know where I would like them to go.
She's different from any person I've ever met, and I feel this pull to her.
"Obviously, I think she's fucking stunning, but that's not the only reason I want her.
She pushes me in a way nobody else has, and she doesn't let me hide behind my ego or the facade the rest of the world gets to see.
Fuck, I'm just getting to know her, but in the short time we’ve spent together, she's already made me feel more comfortable to be myself than anyone else in my life has.
"I can't say where our future is going, but I'm going to fight like hell for her to see how good we can be together. She's worth it." I drive my finger into the table to drill in my point about how serious I am.
"Damn straight she is." Thatch cracks the easy smile I'm so used to seeing, and I finally relax a bit. "You know she's hell on wheels, right?"
"Sure do." I smile as I imagine all the shit Jolene DuVall is going to put me through while I try to convince her that being with me is as right as a cold beer on a hot summer night.