Chapter 25
TWENTY-FIVE
brIAN
Ipinched the bridge of my nose trying to push off a growing headache. The two Bobs had agreed to move the argument inside, and we were now sitting in the mayor’s office with Amy behind the desk and the rest of us in chairs around it.
With Bob Lumley officially retired and his appointment of Amy as interim mayor, this was her first “official” meeting of sorts and it involved a couple of old men who couldn’t seem to let the past go.
The argument had devolved into bickering over something that’d happened before I was born, and I winced when my eyeroll made my head hurt worse. Amy saw it happen and gave me a sympathetic look before opening a desk drawer and sliding a bottle of ibuprofen to me.
I tossed two capsules in my mouth, then stood up, pushing my chair back hard enough it screeched across the wood floor, causing the arguing to grind to a halt.
I went over to the small fridge nestled under the credenza hoping there was water in there but prepared to dry swallow if I had to.
Relieved, I grabbed a bottle, twisted off the cap and drank down half the bottle before returning to my chair with a thump.
The Bobs were both staring at me in shock, so I took advantage of the silence to bring this argument to a close.
“So, if I’m tracking…” I waved my hand in their direction, “correctly, Bob Jackson rear-ended Bob McCall at the stop sign in front of the townhall and you’re claiming that both Jackson and the town is at fault somehow. Does that sound about right?”
Both men opened their mouths and started talking over each other. I heard something about the stop sign not being adequately visible and then there was something about McCall taking too long.
“Hold those thoughts right there.” I stood up and strode outside where both cars were parked in front of a very visible stop sign.
While I was there, I also checked the bumpers where they collided.
While there were some scratches on Jackson’s bumper, which was the newer of the two vehicles, McCall’s didn’t look any the worse for wear given how many miles he put on it driving on gravel roads around his ranch.
I snapped a few pics and returned to the mayor’s office. Tossing my phone down on the mayor’s desk, I pointed to the stop sign. “You’re going to tell me that this sign right here wasn’t visible? Is that the story you want to tell?”
Both men leaned over to look at the photo I pointed to but chose to keep peaceably quiet although Jackson was mumbling something about angle of visibility and the sun. I ignored him. I swiped to the next one, which showed Jackson’s, then McCall’s bumper.
“If you ask me, which I’m sure you were about to,” I started.
“With all the excitement and success of the rodeo, the two of you are in need a bit of a break. If I’m forced to turn this over to the city attorney, I think you’ll find she’ll take a dim view of these shenanigans and I don’t need to remind either of you that the law takes a dim view of false claims.”
“Shenanigans? I was hit from behind. I could have whiplash or worse. I’m not a young man anymore,” McCall complained, and Jackson laughed at him, which set the two arguing again.
I wondered at the merits of shooting my gun off inside a building to shut these two up when a piercing whistle stopped everything and we all turned to look at Amy, who was glaring at the Bobs.
Amy pointed to my phone, which was still on the desk.
“May I?” I nodded and she looked at the pictures.
“From what I can see, neither of your airbags were deployed, is that correct?” She looked from one to the other waiting for them to nod.
When McCall looked like he was about to say something more, she raised her hand to stop him.
“From what I recall from attending traffic school, the vehicle needs to be moving at least eight miles per hour for the airbags to deploy on impact. Does that sound about right, Sheriff?” Amy asked.
I grinned, knowing exactly where this was going. I wished I’d thought of it more than an hour ago. “That’s true but that also doesn’t mean there weren’t any injuries.” Admittedly, I was sure the majority of pain they were both dealing with had more to do with pride than the impact.
“All right. Then as interim mayor, which you both agreed to, I expect you both to present yourselves to Doc Murphy to get checked over for any potential—” she looked to me and I mouthed the answer “—soft tissue damage.” When they started to protest, she raised her hand again, silencing them.
“Meanwhile, someone from the sheriff’s office will write up the accident report and make sure both of your insurance companies are notified. ”
“Well, now, wait just a minute.”
“That’s not necessary, I can handle that myself.”
“Really, Amy, all of this feels extreme for a fender bender.”
“I agree with Bob.”
The Bobs put up an instant fuss and started backpedaling and she held up her hand again and they reluctantly quieted down. “How about this then. You can both stop by the sheriff’s office to pick up a copy of the report, which you will then file with your insurance companies yourselves.”
I lifted my hand and Amy looked to me. “Or, they could contact the auto department at Pop High and talk to the instructor, Dan Hayes. The students often take on projects, and you might be able to get both bumpers cleaned up before school lets out for the summer.” I reached for my phone, retrieved his contact info, and texted it to both Bobs.
“I sent you his details. School’s getting out soon, so you best hurry if you want to see if the students have time to help. ”
“In the meantime,” Amy said, “it’s already been a long day. You can ring Mr. Hayes on the way to Doc Murphy and I don’t want to see either of you back here until you’ve gotten a release from the doc. Got it?”
The Bobs mumbled their agreement and left the office faster than I’d ever seen them move.
I tipped my hat to Amy and got up to leave. Stopping in the doorway, I said, “You missed your calling, sis. You would’ve made a great high school principal.”
“Ugh.” She waved her hand at me and reached for the ibuprofen on her desk. “Don’t you have a crime to go solve or something?”
I laughed and left the cool interior to head back out onto the street. The Bobs had both left in their vehicles, since neither vehicle was undrivable. I shook my head at the absolute waste of time that had been—time which I could’ve been spending with Caitlin.
I headed back to the station, my mind churning with ways to make Caitlin feel more settled and welcome in town. I’d come up with one idea that I liked, but I’d need my mom’s help.
I checked in on Caitlin, who she said she was tired and going to take a nap for a few hours. So when I wrapped up at the station, I drove out to the family ranch instead of heading back to the house. I’d enlist my mom’s help and be home before Caitlin woke up.
When I became sheriff, I’d bought a house in town to be close to the station.
While the ranch was only about a twenty-minute drive, that commute could stretch out much longer if the weather was bad or the snowplow couldn’t get through, and in an emergency, those extra minutes could be a matter of life or death.
The ranch was Jake’s responsibility now.
I knew my brother felt pressure about being the one to carry on the legacy that both of us still associated with our dad and older brother, but Jake also loved the land and the horses, which made up the family’s primary income.
It was the right place for him, just as being sheriff was the right place for me.
“Mom?” I called as I opened the door to the sprawling ranch house.
“Brian, is that you?” she responded. “I’m in the kitchen.”
I could have guessed that by the smell of something spicy cooking, so I made my way to the large kitchen that had always been the heart of the home.
“I wasn’t expecting you. Do you want to join us for dinner?” She poured a glass of sweet tea and put it on the counter for me.
“Thanks, but I can’t stay long,” I said and reached for the tea. “I needed to talk to you, and then I want to get back to town.”
“That place keeps you busy.” My mom put cookies on a plate and placed them next to my drink.
“I don’t mind.” Nothing had come between me and Poplar Springs until Caitlin came back into my life.
Now, I felt curiously divided. I owed allegiance to both the town and to the family Caitlin and I were building.
I didn’t doubt my ability to handle both—I just needed to figure out the balance.
“I drove out to tell you that you’re going to be a grandma again. Caitlin’s pregnant.”
Six-year-old Henry was her only grandchild so far, and she loved the boy, but I could tell by the instant excitement on her face that my own child would be just as loved.
“That’s wonderful.” Mom stepped toward me to give me a hug.
“I’m so pleased for you both,” she said, swiping tears from her eyes.
“Oh, look at me. I don’t mean to cry, but they’re happy tears.
It’s just that our family shrunk after the accident, and now that Cal and Amy are getting married and you and Caitlin and a baby…
well…I’m just joyful. I hope you are, too. ”
“I’m thrilled about the baby,” I said honestly. I was counting down the days until I could hold our child. “Caitlin’s happy, too.” I’d been worried about that at first, but I wasn’t any longer.
“Is she doing all right?” Mom asked. “The beginning can be rough. It sure was for me, especially with you and Jake.”
“So far,” I said. I’d read up on the first trimester, so I was well versed in what symptoms to look out for.
Luckily, Caitlin hadn’t had most of the typical problems—not yet, anyway.
“And we’re working it out. I could use your help, though.
I’d like you to throw Caitlin a baby shower.
Poplar Springs hasn’t always been the happiest place for her, and I want to make her feel included and welcome here. ”
“I’d love to. I’ll get Amy to help me. She’s so good at organizing things.
And I saw the cutest party favors on Pinterest. I can make those, and the food is no problem.
” She gestured around her kitchen. “We’ll host it here on the ranch, but I’ll need a list of people to invite from Caitlin.
I can guess some. Aurora and Carly and—”
“Just not Caitlin’s mother,” I interrupted her.
“Are you sure about that?” she questioned after a few seconds of silence. “Not inviting the baby’s other grandmother will look odd.”
“I don’t care how it looks.” I wanted to be clear on this. “Hailey makes Caitlin uncomfortable and causes her stress. Caitlin doesn’t need that right now, and I want this to be a good experience for her.”
I’d heard about the verbal altercation with Josephine and Muriel and how Pastor Carter had stepped in. Even though her mother hadn’t attended the rodeo, she still managed to make things bad for Caitlin through her friends.
“If you think that’s best,” Mom said, but I caught the doubt in her voice and knew I had to be completely honest.
“I don’t want anything to happen that’ll make Caitlin decide she doesn’t want to stay here.”
“By ‘here’ you mean Poplar Springs.” She had always been perceptive. “You’re worried she’ll go back to Austin with the baby, aren’t you?”
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“And what will you do if that’s the choice she makes?” Damn, did my mom have to be such a straight shooter?
“I’m not sure,” I had to admit.
“If she has problems with her family being here, then that’s a powerful deterrent to her staying,” she said.
“I don’t have to remind you that her brother lived with us that year because it was so bad at home for him, and then joined the Army to guarantee he got away.
From what I observed, Caitlin’s experience might have been even worse.
Hailey and Dave were always proud of Ethan for making all-state, but I can’t recall them ever saying a word of praise about Caitlin, no matter how many wonderful things she did. ”
“She’s told me some, and it’s enough to know it caused her a lot of heartache.”
My mother leaned against the counter, studying me.
“I don’t know all the details either, but I remember so well that day she stood in the rain waiting for her parents to pick her up after the art competition, and they never did.
Her beautiful painting was ruined, and she was soaked to the skin.
She didn’t cry, though, when I gave her a ride home.
Any other girl would have, but she’s strong. ”
I understood what she was saying. Caitlin was strong enough to leave and raise a baby on her own if she felt that she needed to. I wanted to make sure it didn’t come to that.
“I’ll convince her to stay,” I said after a minute. “Poplar Springs is a great place to live and raise a family.”
“Of course it is, for you and me,” Mom said. “We’ve found nothing but support and love here. For Caitlin there might be too many unhappy memories to overcome.”
Her argument made sense, but I had to believe that the good memories we would make together would outweigh the negative ones, if she’d only give the town and me a chance.