by Geri Foster
"Let him stew for a while." The pain in his jaw flared at the reminder, causing him to place his palm on his chin, trying to move the joint back and forth. "Damn idiot almost knocked me on my ass."
She left only to be replaced by his lead deputy, and good friend, David Matthew. "Heard no bodies were taken to the morgue from the accident on the freeway."
His mind in a fog, he motioned for David to come in and close the door. The man pulled up a chair and sat down, asking, "What's up?"
"Rachel Snyder is in town."
David gripped the arms of his chair, his brown eyes wide with curiosity. "You're shitting me."
Wearily, he shook his head. "No, I saw her right before Tyler and I got the call from dispatch about the accident. I stopped at Fred’s for coffee and she was there with Kendall."
Shaking his head from the news, David leaned back, propped his elbows and gripped his hands. "What are you going to do?"
"Nothing. She's not breaking the law." With a little luck, maybe his voice didn’t sound as strained as he felt. "She's free to come and go as she pleases."
"Yeah, but the Feds think she and her mother are living it up on that stolen money."
"I checked that out myself. Rachel and her mother left for Dallas practically penniless. To support them, Rachel took two jobs until her mom could get her head straight and was able to find a job."
"They stayed in Dallas?"
"Yeah, and for a time they lived in some questionable neighborhoods."
As usual for his deputy, David grinned, which, according to the ladies in town, made his handsome face even more irresistible. "You've been keeping an eye on her, haven't you?"
"Yes. I also checked in regularly with my friend Billy Baldwin with the FBI who kept them under surveillance for years."
"Nothing ever showed up?"
Lucas stroked his aching chin. "Nothing. They didn't have a dime to their names. Lived with her mom’s sister for the first year. Didn't even own a car."
"That's tough anywhere in Texas."
"Yeah. There were times I'm sure if they could get their hands on ten dollars, they would've jumped at it."
"Then what happened to the two hundred and fifty thousand dollars Jim Snyder supposedly stole?"
A pent-up breath forced its way out of his mouth, as if he’d held it captive. The money had been at the forefront of the investigation. After the conviction, most of the residents of Rainwater figured Jim stole the money and hid it. If true, it hadn't been discovered yet and Rachel and her mom weren't benefiting from the cash.
"I don't know and neither does anyone else. It just disappeared."
David nodded and tapped his foot. "Good thing the bank was insured."
“True, but Jim Snyder is behind bars still claiming his innocence."
"You never did tell me what you thought about all that."
Lucas didn’t know what to say. No matter his personal interest in the case, he was a lawman first and he had to follow the facts. "He had his day in court and lost. That settles it for me."
So why does it gnaw at me every single day?
"What are you going to do about Rachel? You plan on seeing her?"
He smiled then, thinking of her sitting in Fred’s Donut House. She still looked beautiful, she still had that look like no other woman, and she still made his heart, and his testosterone, stand up and come alive. "I'm not sure. I’d like to see her later today if she'll let me. I'm assuming she's staying at her grandma Mercy’s out by the lake. I'll be lucky if, when I show up at the door, Mercy doesn't shoot me."
"I still remember when you escorted her dad out of court and off to prison. Standing on the courthouse steps, she pretty much let the whole world know what she thought of you and them."
“After the trial, Billy convinced his boss to let me escort Jim Snyder to prison. I felt it only decent since the guy means the world to me. Grandma Mercy didn’t quite see it that way. To her I sent her son-in-law to prison.”
“I think Rachel and her mother felt the same way.”
"I can only hope that time has given Rachel a better perspective."
David chuckled as he came to his feet. "Don't count on it."
Chapter 3
Rachel left Kendall and got into her car. After three blocks of the screaming PA system giving her a headache, she turned right on Lakeside and headed for Grandma Mercy’s house. Glancing at the familiar surroundings, a smothering sense of sadness gripped her so tight she could barely breathe.
Had her dad not taken the head accountant job at the bank, they'd all be celebrating Grandma's birthday together. Instead, he sat alone in a cold jail cell with nothing but rats, roaches, and regrets to keep him company. How were they to know their lives would turn out this way? Who’d believe her dad would be falsely accused of embezzling from a bank that he had been a customer of his whole life and then worked for? He'd never bring shame to his family, especially like that.
Going around a curve, she spotted the old, familiar, two-story house ahead. Stopping and putting the car in park, she allowed all her childhood memories to wash over her, even as her heart felt like a wrung-out rag. Such happy times, and not only as a young kid. At the front door was the first place Lucas had kissed her and, the house sat at such an angle, she could see the long dock behind it. The same dock where Lucas had awakened the woman in her.
Letting out a sigh and hoping her heart would settle down, she remembered how much she'd wanted Lucas that night. His kisses, hot and demanding, had traced a scorching line of fire down her neck. She couldn’t get close enough to him that evening. She had craved him being deep inside her and, after months of restraint, they took the plunge. She couldn’t believe how incredible he made her feel.
No man had touched her like that since.
Shoving her thoughts aside, she straightened her shoulders and drove to the house she'd loved all her life. The house she shared with her parents was only two blocks away, but it was here she called home. As when she was a kid, the place welcomed her like an old friend.
This would be a birthday she'd never forget...one way or another.
Pouring over paperwork all morning had Lucas ready to finish up and escape the office. Telling Margaret not to expect him back after lunch, he finally shoved his way out the glass door. As the cool breeze hit him, he wondered if they were going to get any precipitation with the cold temperatures. If so, that could be bad news for motorists. Nothing like ice to up the accident rate.
Though car wrecks were an important consideration, they didn’t occupy his mind. Nope, that went to Rachel. Her being so close had him totally unnerved and anxious to see her again. Crossing the street, he opened the door to the Hair Pin Beauty Salon as Faith Matthews was on her way out. Ever the gentleman, he tipped his hat and held the door, smiling.
Not surprising, she scowled like the whole world could take a flying flip and she wouldn’t care. Stopping in front of him, her white cap of hair curly and short, she demanded, "Are you getting a haircut?"
"No, I'm just stopping by to visit with Kendall for a moment."
"Why aren't you out catching criminals?” Her scowl deepened as her shrill voice rose higher and louder than an opera singer. “That's what we pay you for." She turned and let her eyes roam over the downtown area. "And tell that cheap Mayor the Decorating Committee needs more money this year."
He followed her gaze. "I'll mention it."
Her gaze sharpened when she turned back to him. "I hope the Council lets loose of the purse strings. They keep them tighter than a virgin's—"
Lucas cleared his throat loudly, “Ah, yes ma’am.”
"The damn Christmas decorations are older than I am."
He had long ago trained his features to be placid and neutral when talking to the residents who asked for the impossible, and he did so now. "I'll see what I can do."
He doubted they even had decorations that far back. Faith was eighty-seven, fit as a fiddle and more opinionated than a politician. She wa
s also Rachel's grandmother's sister. There were three Canfield sisters. Faith was the eldest, then Hope, or Mrs. McCall as she expected to be called. She was the middle child at eighty-five. Then there was Rachel's grandmother, Mercy, who would be celebrating her eightieth birthday soon. He only knew that because, when the Senior Center celebrated a birthday, they always made sure he came so they could discuss finding him a wife. His grandma, Clare, was friends with the Canfield sisters, so it wasn't uncommon to find all the women together, stirring up mischief.
He stepped into the beauty shop and found Kendall sweeping up a sprinkle of silver hair from the tile floor. She looked up and grinned. "What brings you in, Lucas?"
"You know damn well why I'm here."
She stilled, her eyes growing wide with concern. "Listen, I didn't know she was coming, I swear. If I had, I would've told you."
He threw his Stetson down in a chair. "She just popped in out of the blue, huh?"
"From what I got out of her, Grandma Mercy put her foot down and told her and her mom that if they planned to spend her birthday with her, they'd better get their asses to Rainwater cause it ain't happening anywhere else."
He blew out a troubling breath and raked his fingers through his thick hair. "Wonder why she did that after all this time?"
"Damned if I know. And judging by the way Rachel looked, and her showing up like that, she probably debated on being a no show."
"You think she'd miss her grandma's birthday?"
Kendall’s brows shot up like a jack in the box. "To keep from running into you, I'm sure she would."
That remark made him feel like some kind of monster to be run from, but resignation quickly set in. "I guess it's safe to say she still hates me."
"Oh, yeah, buddy. There's no dispute there."
He picked up his hat and sat in the barber chair, avoiding the large mirror. He didn't need to see his injured face. Instead, he spun the chair around and faced Kendall. "I plan to talk to her before she leaves."
She put the broom away and stared at him. "You might not like what you hear."
"Just the same. I'm going to have my say."
"What? That you were just doing your job? No harm done? Tell her how young you both were? That's not going to work, Lucas. I tried telling her all that already. You broke her heart."
He already didn't like himself for how it all went down, he didn't need Kendall grinding it in. For years he'd regretted what had happened. Even tried to call Rachel, but she wanted nothing to do with him and refused to take his calls.
Propping his elbows on the arm of the chair, he rested his cheek on his palm and tightened his mouth. "So, how long do I have to suffer? Forever?"
Kendall shook her head. She obviously didn’t have the answer. "You two star-crossed lovers. I don't know what to do with you."
He lowered his gaze. "She’d be my wife right now if Jim Snyder hadn't been convicted of cheating the bank out of their money."
Kendall jammed her hands on her hips. "Have you ever for one minute considered what you could have done to prevent that? Or at least to make it less of a blow to them?"
A million times.
He stabbed her with a questioning glare, "What could I have done? The jury found him guilty. That’s how the law works. He had his day in court and it didn’t work in his favor."
"I don't have those answers, but if you want her to even look at you again, you better consider what you can do to help now."
What the hell was she talking about?
He got this weird sensation in his chest like his lungs were over inflated and his heart was being squeezed for space. Did she expect him to find proof that Jim Snyder wasn't guilty? That was a hard nut to crack. Just about everyone in town believed Jim did it.
He loved Rachel with all his heart, and he had all these years, but by now she must have made peace with the fact that what was done was done. Yes, he imagined the idea would be difficult, but she had to face reality.
"What can I do? I wouldn’t even know where to start. I like Jim Snyder. I love the man like a father, but he was found guilty by a jury of his peers. He’s now serving out a prison term set down by a judge."
She just shook her head. "Tell me, would you feel the same way if it was your daddy?”
No way in hell would his dad do anything like that and he refused to believe he would. Deep down inside he knew Jim Snyder didn’t break the law either but, being the Sheriff of Rainwater, he couldn’t go around declaring that a man convicted of a crime was innocent without proof.
So, he told her what she didn’t want to hear but was the truth. “I guess I’d have to accept it, just like I have with Jim.”
“Rachel will never believe her dad is guilty."
"But that’s what the judge decided," he reiterated, firmly.
"Then where is the money, Lucas? You and I both know there have been difficult times. In the last eight years, if there was cash hidden somewhere, Rachel and her mom would've used it."
That was a good question. And if he could have figured it out back then, Jim wouldn’t be sitting in prison right now. But it was too late for that. It hurt him that Rachel had had to sacrifice so much. He knew she'd worked her butt off to help her mom because she became a basket case after they locked Jim up.
He'd heard through Kendall though, that Rachel managed to go to an online college to get her degree. It had been difficult, and Jim Snyder wasn't the type of man to put his family through unnecessary hardships, which only reaffirmed what he believed already—that he didn’t steal the money.
He had to remind himself, again, that it wasn’t his place to fight this. So, he said the only thing he could, and that was to repeat what was brought up in court, "What if Jim hid the money somewhere and is waiting until he gets out of the slammer?"
Kendal propped the handle of the broom against the wall then turned around and punched him on the arm. "For crying out loud. How can you say something so mean? Jim wouldn't do that." She shook both her fists like a two-year-old throwing a fit. "And where would he hide it? The FBI tore their home apart piece by piece." She pointed at him. "You saw it when they were done. Nothing survived."
"I know, I know,” he rubbed his shoulder. Kendall wasn’t a delicate little flower. She carried quite a punch. “The money wasn't in the house or the general area."
"So, Super Sheriff, where is it?"
"I don't know,” his words came out too quick and too sharp, frustration nearly choking him. “I wasn’t privy to all the details."
Kendall folded her arms and nibbled on her bottom lip. "My parents asked Jim about it. My dad and him are good friends. He goes to see him once a month. If Jim had any money, I think he would've told my dad, that way he could help Rachel and Shirley."
"I see him every other Thursday, myself, just to see if he needs anything."
A look of surprise crossed Kendall's face, her words coming out in a whisper, "What does he say?"
"He doesn’t want anything. Says to help Rachel and Shirley if I can."
"Does he know you and Rachel broke up?"
He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut. "I told him, pretty soon after it happened. He seemed so sad. Kept calling me son, telling me none of it was my fault, and encouraged me to make up with her because she needed me. After a while he stopped trying to get us back together though."
Kendall scoffed. "That doesn't sound like a crook to me."
He opened his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. It didn't to him either, but his job was to uphold the law and not to go around trying to get convicted felons out of prison. That was for lawyers to do.
Standing, he put on his hat. "You want to go to Gert's Diner for a hamburger?"
"You buying?"
"Don't I always?"
"No. There was the time you made me buy you breakfast."
"Yeah, but that was also the morning you shot Bobby Joe in the foot. I figured you owed me that much for not locking you up."
"Oh, okay. Let's go
, but I'm going to try to recruit you into helping me and Rachel."
Turning, he glared at her. "Don't do anything that might get you two locked up." He pointed a threatening finger. "I mean it, if you break the law, I won’t show any mercy."
"Yeah you will, cause you're still in love with her. You want to be the guy who locked up her dad and her?"
Chapter 4
Rachel left her suitcase in the car while she stepped from her vehicle, walking up to the house and knocking on her grandma's door. Not waiting for her to answer, she twisted the knob, stepped inside and called out, "Grandma, you here?"
"Yes, I am," Grandma Mercy called, coming around the corner from the kitchen. Rachel was instantly enclosed in two strong arms, with a warm kiss on the cheek, before her grandma took her by the arms and held her out to look her over. Her face stormy, Grandma Mercy declared, "You're still too skinny."
She laughed. The Canfield sisters came from hefty stock. All three were over five nine and built like the hardworking women they were. Thank God they were all active and healthy.
"I'm never going to be big enough for you, Grandma."
"No, you won't. Don't know where you get all that puniness from. Must be your dad's side. Us Canfield women are known for our strong physiques and healthy constitutions."
Moving into the warmth of the house, Rachel inhaled deeply. Cinnamon, vanilla and coffee filled the air. "Snickerdoodles," she sighed contently, her shoulders lowering of their own accord. "My favorite."
"Sure, they are. Why do you think I made them?"
"Is Mom on the way?"
"She called a few minutes ago. Said she'd be here before dinner and told me to chill the wine. So, I put a bottle in the fridge." Her grandma looked down. "Well, where is your luggage? You did bring clothes, didn't you?"
"Of course, I did. I'll be right back."
She darted out the door to her car, popped the trunk then dragged her two suitcases out. She hadn't spent a lot of time deciding what to wear, but after running into Lucas she wished she had. How did that man manage to get better looking? Maybe even a little taller, definitely broader in the shoulders and leaner in the hips. He still had that sexy swagger she loved so much. However, she'd willingly bite off her tongue before admitting how much he turned her on.