Chapter 3
I should have gone home. I should have checked on Mom. God, I really should have checked on Mom and then went straight to bed. The 4 a.m. shift sucked. Instead, there I was reclining on my bike in the parking lot of the Well, making sure Allison made it home with a designated driver.
That should have been the only reason. I was a cop ensuring her safety, but no that was a lie. I knew Victoria didn’t get drunk. No, it was the bombshell of a widow who captivated my thoughts from the moment she nearly ran me over at the stop sign. Her eyes were piercingly green and tonight, in that dress? I was a goner.
Truth be told, I’d always been head over heels for Lucy. From the moment I met her at David’s and my first homecoming football game in middle school, she owned every ounce of my attention. It didn’t matter, though. David was more ambitious. Nothing scared him, not even beautiful women. He asked her out the following week and the rest was history.
You look like I need a drink. Fuck, I had meant to ask if I could get her a drink, but my eyes fell to the square neckline of that dress, and her delicate floral tattoo peeking out on her collarbone. David had been my best friend, despite their distance, we had kept in contact through the years, texting life updates and calling on the holidays. I shouldn’t be thinking about his widow’s breasts and how it would feel to reach out and…
Victoria exited the bar, dragging Allison with her. She was clearly sober and fed up with Ali whose limp body folded in on itself in the passenger seat of the Prius.
I should leave now. Victoria was safe. No one needed a designated driver…but what if Lucy had started really drinking? I would be drinking if I were her.
The decision was quick. I’d just pop in and check on them. It would take two minutes. If they were fine, then I’d leave.
As I walked through the door, Lucy and Mae were joining hands and grabbing the same microphone stand, singing loudly and off key. Light filled Lucy’s eyes, and her smile consumed her face. She was gorgeous as she forgot the world and allowed the music to overtake her.
That night, thoughts of that kiss, the one that never should have happened, consumed me as I watched her hips sway on the stage. Avoiding her after that was supposed to be easy, but now? Now, we were neighbors, she was single, and God was she breathtaking.
I could lie and say I stayed because it wasn’t clear if she was drunk or not, but really, I was captivated.
“Oh, you’re down bad,”
Vance commented from behind the bar, leaning on the counter, watching the women sing. “I thought you were over that crush of yours.”
“I was just making sure they didn’t need a DD.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, now glaring at Lucy as she screamed the lyrics, “God, what have you done?”
Vance laughed and poured a coke, handing it to me. “Sure. Have a drink and keep pretending you’re playing protector. She’s only had a sip of her drink. I don’t think tonight is about getting drunk for her.”
No, I didn’t get that impression either, but it would have been a good excuse for why I hung around.
Lucy skipped back to the bar, dark hair bouncing and a slight glisten of sweat shining. Out of breath, she leaned against the black granite. “Can I have a cherry sprite and pay my tab please?”
She glanced over and threw a hand to her hip. “Garrett, I’m getting Déjà vu.”
I floundered trying to find a reason for why I was back, but it was Vance who saved the day.
“I called him. There was a couple getting rowdy.”
He shrugged and handed her the drink, taking her card. “You two were great up there.”
Lucy laughed, a breathy and beautiful sound. She rolled her eyes. “Don’t lie. It’s unbecoming. I’m a tone-deaf mess, but it was fun. Mae is going to hang around for a bit, but I’m headed out. See you around boys.”
She finished her Sprite, retrieved her card from Vance, and made her way outside.
“Wow, you’re so smooth.”
Vance rolled his eyes.
“The last thing she needs is a man ogling her, especially her dead husband’s best friend.”
I glared at the coke in my hand. The carbonation trickled up the glass, popping as it reached the top. “And if you’re going to be so hard on me, when are you and Mae going to admit there’s something going on?”
Vance glared as he pointed a finger at me. “That is pure speculation, but if we were to date, it would always be secret. Her parents would murder me in my sleep.”
I chuckled and tapped the bar twice before returning to my motorcycle. Vance wasn’t lying. Mae was Whispering Springs royalty. Her parents owned half the town while her dad is a bulldog of a lawyer in Denver. In their eyes, Vance was entirely beneath Mae.
I was lost in my thoughts as I climbed onto my bike. That was until the window of the car next to me rolled down and dammit if it wasn’t Lucy. “You stalking me, Officer?”
“Not today, Daze.”
I climbed on my bike, throwing on my helmet before I found another reason to keep talking to her.
“Goodnight, Garrett,”
She called as she took off.
God, one of these days talking to her was going to have to get easier. She just, those curves! Becoming a mom just elevated her beauty. I could stare at her all day, run my hands along her waist, kiss… No, no. I needed to stop. Blaring my music to drown my thoughts, I made my way to my parent’s.
My dad sat on the front porch, absently smoking his pipe and rocking in the rickety chair that somehow had survived the last thirty-seven years.
I pulled into the drive and headed up the brick walkway. “Shouldn’t you be in bed, Pops?”
Dad chuckled, staring up at the stars. “Could say the same to you, son. Your mom had a rough night. She just fell asleep.”
I flexed my hands, listening to the leather gloves stretching with the movement. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here to help. I’ll be early tomorrow.”
Dad halted his rocking and removed the pipe from his lips. “You may come for dinner, but you aren’t our keeper, Garrett. You deserve your own life. If I had needed help, I would have called.”
I swallowed and took a seat on the top step of the porch, leaning back against the banister. “I know, Dad. This is just.”
I shucked off my helmet and raked my hands through my hair. “I don’t know what to do here. I don’t know how to help, but I want to.”
“You visiting every day is help enough son. She may not remember us, but at least she knows she has people who care for her.”
Nodding, I rested my head against the wooden beam behind me and watched as the moths swarmed the porch light. “I miss her.”
Dad leaned forward, propping his elbows on his knees and waited for my full attention. “She is still here, son. Talk to her as if she’s a friend, she still has much to give.”
“Yes, sir.”
I looked at him and sighed. “I’m sorry. How are you?”
“Fit as a fiddle.”
Dad grunted with a curt nod and sat back in his chair, resuming his rocking. He’d aged after Mom was diagnosed. His hair was more salt now than salt and pepper. The lines on his forehead had deepened, yet he still managed to find the silver linings around him. He was wearing his house cardigan and a grey button up beneath it, all while rocking the plaid pajama bottoms I got him for Christmas last year.
“As always, right?”
I chuckled, shaking my head as I stood to head home. “Call me if you need anything, okay?”
“Don’t tell me what to do.”
Dad winked. “Come by for dinner tomorrow. I’m making lasagna.”
“I’ll be there.”
I put my helmet back on and straddled my bike.
“And buy a sensible car, why don’t you? No woman your age is going to settle down with a man who only owns a motorcycle!”
“What if I’m not looking for a woman?”
I teased. My years of friends with benefits and no strings attached, after my ex-wife, probably didn’t count in Dad’s eyes. It wasn’t the motorcycle that scared women. It was the random schedule of being a county sheriff. It was my inability to commit to anyone who had shown interest. No one was her.
“I would love a grandkid or two before I go, Garrett!”
“Maybe grandad’s farm will make up for the motorcycle in this imaginary woman’s mind.”
Probably not. It just meant more of my time was needed.
“Not everyone wants a horse, boy! You should have sold that farm after your grandpa passed and bought a real vehicle.”
“The right one will want the farm, Dad. Plus, I have a tractor. There’s a song out there that hints at women finding that kind of thing sexy.”
With that I started my motorcycle and went home to my dog and horses.
Nothing felt sexy about cleaning the stalls at damn near midnight, but the excited greeting from Charlie, my half blind rescue German Shepherd, made coming home worth it. The poor thing had been training to be part of the K-9 unit when another dog attacked and damaged his left eye beyond repair. Taking him in was a no brainer.
Herman, the playful menace to society Appaloosa, nibbled on my jacket as I filled the feed bucket.
“Yes, yes, I see you.”
I chuckled as I patted his nose and stepped back. “We will go for a walk tomorrow, okay?”
Herman nodded his head in my hands as if he understood. Smiling, I pressed my forehead to Herman’s while stroking his face. “Who needs women when there are horses, right?”
The horse huffed and turned away to eat his late-night dinner.
“I’m going to pretend that was a yes, Herman.”
I laughed and called Charlie as I headed inside.
Man, and dog, we happily made our way to bed where Charlie jumped up and curled next to my feet. It wasn’t really being alone when I had the farm, was it?
***
My 3 a.m. alarm could eat glass. Groaning, I rolled over and silenced my phone.
“Come on Charlie.”
Throwing on my sweatpants and old boots, Charlie and I made our way to the stables.
The horses, Herman, Flash, and Brenda, peeked their heads out of the stalls chuffing and whinnying as they saw us open the door.
“You all ready for breakfast?”
I filled their buckets with feed and water, being sure to rub each of their noses as I walked by. Charlie stayed on my heels as I worked my way through the three horses.
With a deep breath of crisp autumn air, I headed back inside, getting dressed and mentally prepared for the shift. I had training with this year’s teachers today. Whispering Springs was a small town of two thousand people. We didn’t have enough staff to dedicate to a full-time school resource officer, so local PD and I worked in shifts.
I turned the horses out into the field before climbing into my truck. Despite what my dad thought, I did, in fact, have a proper vehicle. He just hated my motorcycle and took every chance he had to make his opinions known.
I made it to the station by 3:50. Dammit, we really needed a twenty-four-hour coffee shop in town. My eyes threatened to close as I reached for my office door.
“Mornin’ boss!”
Dylan called from the kitchen.
Don’t groan out loud. Do not groan out loud. Thank God I was facing away from him. Dylan was the embodiment of walking sunshine mixed with disturber of the peace. His energy never changed, regardless of the time of day. I fought to keep my groan internal, and my irritation hidden.
“Good morning, Dylan.”
If men skipped, that would be how I’d describe how Dylan came to stand outside my door, grinning behind his mug.
I lost the fight to groaning out loud and glared at the man child in front of me. “Why did I hire you?”
“Because you have the hots for my sister and want in on Gran’s good graces.”
Dylan beamed with that statement and took a long drink from his mug.
I glared at him before turning my attention to the twenty new emails from yesterday. “I am not entertaining that comment, Dylan. Please, go find anywhere else to be. Certainly, someone is breaking the law somewhere. Go find them.”
“I’m on dispatch today.”
Dylan shrugged as he leaned against my door frame. “I could try and assist the paramedics on Mrs. Abernathy who forgot to take her insulin, but with my luck, I’d give her an epi and we’d have an entirely different emergency.”
I dropped my head to my desk. “Dylan, for the love of God and everything holy, what do I have to pay you to leave my office?”
“I want you to delay the announcement of me passing the academy. Now that Lu is home, I want to tell everyone at family dinner on Sunday.”
Waving my hands in surrender, I agreed. “Done. Now, please give me an hour and two cups of coffee before socializing any more this morning.”
“Right, I forwarded you the invitation to do a community safety event at the elementary school. Allison reached out last night to let me know we might want to attend.”
That peaked my attention. “Did she now?”
“Now who has the obnoxious tone?”
Dylan rolled his eyes and pushed off the door frame. “She simply forwarded the event proposal.”
A smile crept across his face as he fidgeted with the handle on my door. “And asked to meet for coffee this week.”
“Didn’t you just go on a date with that Chad guy?”
I shouldn’t have asked. I should have buried myself in the mound of paperwork on my desk. This was the problem with Dylan. He could hook you into any conversation and keep you enthralled for hours with stupid statements just when you thought the conversation was over.
“Hmmm, Chad.”
Dylan smiled as he stared at the ceiling. “Now, that was a good time, but not a long time. Chad graduated the Academy with me and is moving south. There was no future there.”
Don’t engage. Don’t ask. “And there is with Allison?” Dammit.
He shrugged, finishing his coffee. “We won’t know unless I check it out. I’ll get you that first cup of coffee, bossman.”
“Can I fire you?”
That should have been an inside thought.
“Sure, but then Lu would hate your guts, and you’d never get a chance to confess your undying love.”
Dylan laughed as he crossed the hallway to the kitchen and filled a mug with liquid energy.
“You and Vance need a new hobby that doesn’t involve gossip.”
Dylan handed over the World’s Best Boss mug with a smirk. “Vance didn’t stick around to tell me much last night. He and Mae were otherwise preoccupied.”
“Alright. You’ve conned me into conversation enough for this morning. Be gone from my office.”
I took a sip of the coffee, lifted the cup in Dylan’s direction and said, “Thanks.”
“No prob, bossman.”
Dylan wiggled his fingers as he left my office.
Rubbing my eyes, I sighed and dove into the files scattered across my desk.
I was knees deep in a domestic violence case when my alarm to leave for the school training went off. I was thankful I’d had the foresight to leave time to run through The Morning Brew first.
I didn’t have the mental stamina to verbalize to Dylan that I was leaving. I simply waved goodbye and exited the station.
Victoria was behind the counter at The Morning Brew slinging espresso shots and taking orders like the boss that she was.
“Morning Sheriff, the usual?”
She blew a fly away curl out of her eyes while she poured the espresso shot into a plastic cup.
“Yes, please.”
I waited by the counter while she finished the order before mine, just as the door chimed, announcing a new customer. Turning, I found Lucy with her son in a baby carrier on her chest. She had her hair pulled into a loose bun that threatened to fall out if she made any sudden movement. Her youngest daughter was singing a Disney song I couldn’t place while her oldest glared at the little girl.
With a smirk I caught Lucy’s gaze and asked, “You stalking me, Daze?”
She chuckled and a bright blush painted her cheeks as she shook her head. “Not today, Sheriff.”
The little girl at her side bounded in front of her, throwing her hands to her hips. “Why are you everywhere?"
“Kaley,”
Lucy admonished, giving her daughter a dirty look. Those warm eyes sparkled with amusement, but she held true to being the responsible adult.
I chuckled as I crouched down to be eye level with Kaley and said, “It’s my job to be everywhere in Whispering Springs. I’ve got to protect everyone here and I can’t do that if I sit in my office all day.”
Kaley considered this and nodded. “Makes sense.”
“You are such an embarrassment.”
The oldest sister rolled her eyes and left the group to find a seat.
“Eve, if you don’t order your drink, I am getting you an apple juice like Kaley,”
Lucy called to the growing hurricane sitting in the corner booth.
Eve grumbled and made her way back to the line.
“Garrett!”
Victoria called out, placing my dark chocolate mocha on the counter.
“Thanks, V.”
I placed a twenty by the register. “Put what’s left towards their order, okay?”
Victoria nodded and gave a lousy salute. “You got it, boss.”
Lucy was about to object, but her son chose that moment to throw his toy clear across the room. Kaley laughed and Eve sighed, going to retrieve the stuffed animal.
“You need the caffeine as much as I do, Daze. Have a great day.”
I hold her flustered gaze for a moment too long. Her eyes searched mine, those freckled cheeks flushed. I fought the urge to reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear.
Dylan was right. I wanted his sister. I wanted Lucy with every ounce of my being.