Chapter 21
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“What are your intentions with my daughter?”
Nick had barely pulled away from the station when Kordell asked the question he’d hoped to avoid. He hoped he wouldn’t regret inviting Kate’s father to ride along today. His palms started to sweat, and it wasn’t from the heated steering wheel.
“Well sir, we started as friends, and it’s become more.”
“That’s what my daughter said. She came clean about the fake dating.”
“Sir, I—”
Kordell held up his hand. “She explained it was her idea because she didn’t want to disappoint her mother. She also emphasized that you’ve been a good friend.”
“I’d like to think we are. Kate’s been a tremendous help to my family since my dad’s heart attack.”
“Your dad mentioned as much. My daughter has always put others first. Right now, she needs to focus on her needs and concentrate on her business.”
“I agree.”
“My wife seems to think Kate’s not being honest about her feelings toward you.”
Nick suppressed a grin. Like any good cop, Kordell could read people; he must have known instantly how Nick felt about Kate. He might still change her mind, hoping to prove they weren’t just friends. What they needed was a place to talk privately.
“Tell me, Nick, are you in love with my daughter?”
Love. The one word Nick avoided at all costs. Even if he was in love with Kate, it wouldn’t be Kordell who was the first to know.
He was saved from answering when the driver ahead of him slid off the road and into the ditch. He flipped on his lights and pulled over. What had started as a few flakes of falling snow was now coming down in a fury. The roads were slick from the accumulation and freezing temperatures.
After making sure the driver, a college student on her way home for the holidays, was safe and hadn’t experienced a medical emergency, Nick called for a tow truck.
He settled the young woman into the back seat of his vehicle to stay warm.
The snowplows had been sent out and were now salting the roads.
If the wind kicked up any more, they’d be in for a blizzard.
The student left with the tow truck driver, and Nick checked in with Meg. While they were on the phone together, a call came in for a welfare check. Nick and Kordell, close to the address, headed toward the home of the town recluse.
“Tell me about the woman we are checking on,” Kordell said.
Thankfully, he hadn’t asked again about Kate.
“May Hanson is one of a kind. She’s a hermit, has her groceries delivered, doesn’t drive. Her daughter, Tory, graduated with my brother Cole. She left after high school and hasn’t been back. I suspect the daughter sends money, because May’s not on welfare. We’ve all looked out for her.”
Nick pulled off the highway and into the long gravel driveway. Set back from the road, the house was surrounded by a grove of pine trees. The driveway was plowed. He suspected Roman Reynolds had plowed after the last snowfall.
“This is a beautiful piece of land,” Kordell commented, slipping on his gloves as the house came into view.
Nick didn’t respond; a worry niggled at him as he parked by the front steps. He left his rig running as they approached the front door of the old farmhouse. The snow blanketed most of the junk in the yard.
A newspaper lay on the porch. Nick knocked on the heavy wood door and called out, “May, it’s Sheriff Nick Reid, ma’am.”
No response. Usually when he stopped by to check on her, he would hear rustling noises as she made her way to the door.
Kordell jiggled the knob. “It’s unlocked.”
Nick pushed the door open, but it only opened a few inches. He grimaced.
“Can you see anything, Sheriff?” Kordell asked.
“Nothing. Help me push.”
After pushing the door open enough to squeeze through the doorway, Kordell whistled. “She’s a hoarder?”
Nick nodded. “Yes. I’m sure you’ve seen some in your time.”
“I have. This isn’t the worst I’ve seen.”
“May, are you here? May Hanson! It’s the DCF police department,” Nick called out. He strained to hear something. Anything.
Kordell gestured toward piles of newspapers lining a hallway of sorts. “Let’s split up. I’ll go this way.”
“That will lead to the kitchen. I’ll head upstairs to the bedrooms,” Nick said.
He paused at the steps and glanced at the thermostat.
Fifty-eight degrees. He shuddered. He suspected the outcome would be grim.
Placing one foot on the bottom step, he pushed a few boxes aside.
With room for nothing more than his boot on each step, he walked carefully up the stairs.
Dread filled him when the smell hit him. He hated this part of his job.
He reached the first door on the right and found May peacefully laid out on the top of the bed in a black dress.
He held a finger under his nose and breathed through his mouth.
Had it been summer, the odor would have been worse.
He stepped from the room. He didn’t need to check for a pulse. “She’s up here,” he called.
Kordell sprinted up the stairs, expertly avoiding the debris.
“I’ve gotta call it in,” Nick said.
Kordell placed a hand on Nick’s shoulder and glanced into the room. “It’s almost like she knew.”
“Yep. That’s my thought too. Let’s clear these steps for the coroner.”
Nick called Meg and asked her to keep May’s passing quiet until he could contact her daughter. She supplied him with the phone number, and he headed outside to the porch to make the dreaded call.
It was hours before they wrapped up in the house.
The local coroner and funeral director removed May’s body while Nick and Kordell secured the house.
The key had been where May’s daughter remembered it being.
She asked Nick to keep the heat on. She took care of all her mother’s bills and would contact him when she arrived in town.
Kordell had cleared the vehicle of snow by the time Nick was ready to go. “I’ll drop you off at Kate’s,” Nick said. “I have some paperwork I need to take care of. Thanks for clearing off the cruiser.”
“No problem. Living in Florida has spoiled me.”
On the way into town, Kordell said, “I can tell you have feelings for my daughter. Don’t wait too long to tell her.”
“If you don’t mind me asking, how did you and Jill make it work? The divorce rate for officers is high and . . . well, it’s the reason I tend to avoid relationships.”
“I hear you, but it’s doable. I can’t say it’s been easy, but it’s been worth it. You’ll know when you’ve found the right one. I’m not saying it’s my daughter, but if it is, it can work.”
“Whatever our relationship ends up to be, I promise I won’t hurt her.”
Kordell nodded. “That’s all I ask.”
* * *
When Nick and Kordell pulled up to Kate’s back door, both women rushed outside. Nick hadn’t planned on stepping out of the vehicle, but he couldn’t avoid the pull Kate had on him.
She wrapped her arms around him. “Thank goodness you’re okay.”
“I tried to call,” Jill said to her husband.
Kate stepped back. “We heard there was a situation, and the roads are bad . . .”
She couldn’t complete her sentence. Nick took her hand. “You could have called my personal cell.”
“I did.”
He pulled the phone from his pocket. There it was, a missed call and text asking him if they were okay.
“Dad forgot his phone at home.”
Nick put a hand on Kate’s cheek and she closed her eyes.
“Let’s get inside, Jill. It’s been a long day,” Kordell said.
“I’m sorry I didn’t see your text,” Nick said. “We were called for a welfare check. It didn’t turn out well, and we were delayed. I need to file a report, so I’ll be at the office for a while.”
Kate glanced up at him, snowflakes dotting her eyelashes. “I told my parents I talked you into fake dating.”
He pulled her in close. She wrapped her arms around him.
“I’m glad you fessed up,” he said, “and just so you know, I enjoyed every moment of our fake relationship.” He rested his cheek on top of her head.
She stepped back. He missed her warmth. “Can I call you tonight?” he asked.
“I’d like that,” she said.
He placed a kiss on the top of her head and left for the station. Love. He had his answer. He was in love with Kate Davis. The pursuit was on.