Chapter 10 Michael
MICHAEL
The bell above the door of the police station rang, announcing to everyone that I was here. Heads perked up, and I noticed more than one person start to make their way toward me when Bea cleared her throat, scowling at the lot of them.
As soon as they were all back in their chairs, she turned to me with a devious smile. “Mr. Michael Parker. How good of you to come in for a visit.”
“Wasn’t so much a visit as a response to a demand.”
“Yes, I heard about the incident at your house. Very interesting, that woman of yours. When’s the wedding?”
Leaning on the counter, I grinned at the woman I had known since I was a kid. “Bea, you’re not fooling anyone. I know you too well.”
“Too well for what?” she blinked innocently.
“There are only so many people in this town who would spearhead a baby shower for us.”
“What does a baby shower have to do with the wedding?”
“Well, first of all, you want to know to make sure it doesn’t interfere with the baby shower date.”
She pursed her lips at me. “I know nothing—”
“And second, you have the ear of almost everyone in this town, which makes you the logical person to get out the needed information. I bet you even have a registry going.”
Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “My, my. Little Michael Parker has grown up into quite the inquisitive man.”
“So, I’m right.”
“I’m not saying a word.”
“Well, while you’re not saying a word, keep in mind that we won’t know for a while yet what the sex of the baby is.”
“I wasn’t born yesterday.”
“No, but I’m sure you’ll have that information as soon as we do.”
She laughed at that. “Possibly beforehand.”
“Why? Are you planning on being the technician at the ultrasound?”
Grabbing a stack of papers, she tucked them into her arm. “Did I happen to mention that my granddaughter is a diagnostic medical sonographer?”
“I’m assuming in layman’s terms, that means she’s an ultrasound technician.”
“You would be right.” She jerked her head to the side. “The sheriff is waiting for you.”
“Yeah, I bet he is,” I muttered under my breath.
Mav was sitting behind his desk, completely ignoring me as I knocked on the door. Striding inside, I took a seat and waited for him to say something. It took a good five minutes of me sighing and grunting in irritation before he finally acknowledged me.
“Oh, hey, Michael.”
“What do you want?” I grumbled.
“Oh, just thought I’d check on you. See if you were doing okay after the other day.”
“You mean when my wife tackled you through a window? Yeah, I’m fine.”
“Good, good,” he nodded.
“Anything else?”
“Well,” he winced as he shifted in his chair. “I’m doing pretty good. Thanks for asking.”
“I figured.”
“I mean, I’ve got more stitches than I’d like.”
“That happens when you fall through a window. I would know.”
“And I ruined that shirt.”
“I’ll buy you a new one.”
He winced again. “And the job is really taking its toll on me. Can’t really claim I was injured on the job, so no paid time off.”
I rolled my eyes. “And?”
“Well, I’m down a person in the field. I like to get out there every morning, you know? Walk the town, be a good presence for everyone.”
“Sure,” I nodded, already knowing where this was going.
“Yep,” he sighed. “Looks like I might be laid up for a while. That’s a long time to go without someone walking around town.”
“I’m sure the town will survive. Was there anything else?”
“Of course, we’ve already got someone who would be more than qualified to take on such a role.”
“I know. His name is Remi.”
“Ah, he’s a good kid—”
“He’s a few years younger than us. Hardly a kid.”
“But he’s busy with his patrol. Not sure he has the time to add anything to his plate.”
I chuckled at that. “Let’s get down to the real reason I’m here.
It’s not because you’re injured. I know this because I had a much deeper wound than you and I was still functioning within a day.
And it’s not because of Remi. This town may have a large number of people, but most of them live outside of town, and since you don’t patrol the roads outside the city limits, that doesn’t leave you with a huge area to cover. ”
His eyes twinkled with mirth. “What’s your point?”
“My point is, it’s not gonna work on me.”
“What’s that?”
“Guilt. I’m not the one who shoved you through the window, and I sure as shit won’t take a job on the force just because a girl hurt you.”
“That girl is your baby momma.”
I cringed at the term.
“I could have pressed charges.”
“And I could have let her push you through another window,” I countered.
“Well,” he said, leaning forward to steeple his hands on the desk. “What do you say we call it square. You come work for the department, and I won’t hold a grudge against your wife for trying to kill me.”
“Sorry, not interested.”
I shoved to my feet and walked away, but he called after me.
“Come on! What’s it gonna take?”
“A hell of a lot more,” I laughed.
“We need you, Mikey! This whole town is relying on you!”
Sighing, I turned around and stared at my old friend. “I’m not sure I have any interest in working under any kind of government organization again.”
“Hey, we’re not the military. We even have these snazzy uniforms,” he grinned, waggling his eyebrows at me.
“They’re beige.”
“Right, well, we can’t all have the coolest uniforms.”
“I’m about to have a baby.”
“All the more reason to join us now. Job security.”
“I just got to town.”
“A town you know like the back of your hand.”
“There’s work to do on the ranch,” I added.
“And as much as you love that ranch, you can’t shoot people without permission to do it.”
I rolled my eyes at him, walking back to the desk. “Alright, what’s it gonna take for you to stop asking me?”
“What’s it gonna take for you to say yes?”
Now, that was an interesting turn of events. “I don’t want to work nights.”
“Done.”
“And I want a good coffee machine in here. Not that crap one that you’ve had since the Stone Age.”
“I can do that.”
“And I want my own car.”
His eyebrows raised at that. “You get your own vehicle, and the department will cover mileage.”
It wasn’t perfect, but it was better than nothing. But there was one last thing. “I don’t want to take the damn tests.”
Smirking, Mav leaned forward and shuffled some paperwork across the desk to me. “I know a guy. It’s already taken care of.” He shoved a book across to me. “But you still have to read this. Can’t carry a weapon until I’ve tested you and I’m assured you know the laws.”
Taking the book from him, I flipped through the pages. “I’ll be in touch.”
As I turned to go, I heard a low chuckle that instantly pissed me off.
“I was sure it was gonna take a lot more convincing than that.”
Rolling my eyes, I got out of there before he could talk me into anything else.
He was right, it hadn’t taken much. Maybe that was because some of what he said was true.
But the other part of me knew that I had to do something.
Hanging around the ranch all day wouldn’t work now that there wasn’t really any ranching to do.
I figured while I was in town, I’d see how Lizzy was doing. I’d half expected her to be jumping all over me since the moment I arrived in town, but I’d hardly seen her.
Her car was already at the bar, which wasn’t a surprise. That girl loved this bar and did most of the work to get it in shape all on her own. You’d have never known she owned a bar from her sweet demeanor, but then again, Lizzy wasn’t like anyone else I knew. She was a walking contradiction.
She was already hustling around when I walked through the door, arguing with her cook, Roy.
“I don’t care if pubs in Ireland do it. We aren’t in Ireland. We’re in Montana, and I’m not putting them on the menu!”
Roy stormed into the kitchen, leaving Lizzy alone in the front.
“Problems, sis?”
Turning, she beamed up at me, rushing around the bar to jump into my arms. “Hey, Mike! I was wondering when you were going to stop in.”
“You could have come to see me.”
“And interrupt what I’m sure was a fun lecture from Daddy? No thanks.”
“Why? Is he hassling you again?”
She rolled her eyes as she started flipping the chairs off the tables to prepare for the lunch shift. “Oh, you know how it is. A woman shouldn’t be running a bar, especially not alone.”
“Looks like you’re doing pretty well for yourself. The bar looks great.”
Smiling, she looked around with a happy sigh. “I am. The bar is doing amazing, and I’m in the black. Can’t say a bad thing about it.”
“And your house?”
“What about my house?”
I started helping her prepare for the shift. “I mean, can you afford everything? How’s money?”
“Geez, you’re just as bad as Daddy. I’m fine. The bar’s fine. The employees are being paid.”
“Yes, but are you being paid?”
“You’re so nosy.”
“It’s a simple yes or no question.”
Sighing, she stopped and glared at me, though there was absolutely zero heat behind it. “Yes, Father, I’m getting paid. I have enough money, and my electricity is still on. Oh, and I have groceries in the fridge.”
“Hey, I’m just making sure my baby sister is doing okay.”
“Well, I am. If you want to worry about anyone, worry about Krista.”
That instantly got my back up. “Why? What’s wrong with Krista?”
“You mean, other than being under Daddy’s thumb every second of the day?”
“I thought she enjoyed working at the ranch.”
“Yeah, when it was a ranch. I tried offering her a job here, but she didn’t want to work with me.” Frowning, she shook her head. “I don’t know why.”
I had an idea, but I’d never say it out loud. Krista and Lizzy were like oil and water. They got along fine as long as they weren’t working together.
“Is she looking for something else?”
She shrugged. “Not sure. You’d have to ask her, but don’t tell her I said anything. She won’t speak to me for a month. The last time I pissed her off, she pissed in my beer.”
My eyes shot up in surprise. “Really?”
“Yes. I mean, she told me about it first, but still…”
“Remind me not to make her mad. I don’t remember her being quite so vindictive.”