She was mid-sip and choked on the trickle of beer that managed to make it into her mouth. “What?”
“I’m razzing you. I know what this is, but I figured that we could get to know each other while we’re here. Nothing wrong with two new people in town becoming friends.”
Relief flooded her, followed by a weird sense of disappointment. “I’d like that. Now tell me why you’re in Aspen Cove.”
He leaned back against the spindles of her antique chair. When they didn’t splinter, she thanked the spirits who’d made the pieces so durable and strong.
“Law enforcement is tough and dangerous. The last time I ended up in a gun battle was the last. While crime has no address, I don’t think hardcore criminals have found their way to Aspen Cove.”
She leaned in. “Have you ever been shot?”
He pulled up the sleeve of his T-shirt to show an angry-looking red scar near his shoulder. “I took one here. Luckily, it only grazed bone and muscle. It was a wake-up call, though. I love serving and protecting, and I don’t have a problem putting myself in the line of fire to save someone, but Denver didn’t pay me enough to die.”
She reached forward to skim her fingers over the almost-healed wound. “Did it hurt bad?”
He leaned forward so she could reach more easily. The raised scar was soft and velvety. His skin was warm—almost hot.
“The only way I can think to describe it is being burned from the inside out. It felt like getting stabbed with a red-hot poker.”
“I can’t imagine. The most dangerous part of my job is not killing Red. I’ve only gone as far as lobbing a muffin at his head.”
He stroked his chin, where his finely trimmed beard framed his features. “What’s with you two?”
“We dated, and it went badly, but …” Dated was a stretch. She’d crushed on him for a long time. All it took was a little music and a glass of wine for her to cave in to her baser needs and a second’s afterthought for him to pull away. The truth hurt. Her heart felt pierced by a flaming blade.
“Are you done with him or trying to win him back?”
She almost felt ashamed to sit here with Merrick, who was obviously one of the good guys. “You know how it goes. You can think with your head or your heart.”
“Which one is talking to you these days?” He picked at the softened label and pulled it off in one piece.
“I stopped listening to my heart long ago. I’m certain I’ve got faulty wiring. Right now, I’m using my head, and it keeps telling me not to give up. I’ve got a lot of time invested in this relationship. It’s kind of like saving a bunch of money and then tossing it away.”
“I can see that, but at some point, you have to be honest with yourself. Some investments aren’t good long term. You get in and get out and move on. The dividend is what you take away. Let’s go back to my job. At what point is the risk no longer worth the reward?”
“That is something I’ll have to decide.”
“Only you can. Until then, I’m happy to eat your pizza and drink your beer.”
The timer went off, and Deanna brought their dinner and plates to the table. “Thank you, Merrick. I probably should apologize for accosting you in the Corner Store, and thank you for not arresting me for sexual assault.”
He grabbed a slice and set it on the plate. “Though it was a surprise at first, I quickly became a willing accomplice. If Red can’t appreciate the level of perfection in your kisses, he’s an idiot.”
“Perfection?” Her insides heated at his words. She loved to kiss and thought she was decent at it, but perfection? “You enjoyed our lip-lock?”
He pulled his lower lip between his teeth in the most seductive way. If this weren’t a pretend date, she would have gladly offered him another sample, but he wasn’t who she wanted. She wanted Red.
“I definitely enjoyed it, but I understand where you’re coming from.”
“Ah,” she said. “You have some unrequited love situation you want to tell me about?”
He laughed. It was a full rolling belly laugh that came from his soul.
“Nope, I generally get what I want too. However, according to my mother, I’m getting on in years, and if I don’t find a wife, I’m sure she’ll order me one.”
“Her grandmother’s biological clock is ticking, huh? Thankfully, my sister Demi, the youngest of my siblings, gave my mother a granddaughter a few years ago. Otherwise, I’m sure Mom would be selling me off to the highest bidder.” She covered her mouth to suppress a giggle. “Scratch that, she’d probably pay someone to marry me and give her a grandchild.”
He lifted his bottle of beer again. “Let’s toast to meddling mothers and friends who know what that feels like.”
With a click of their bottles, they drank and enjoyed their pizza.
The next hour was spent talking, and after a dessert of gooey caramel brownies, she walked Merrick to the door to say goodbye.
“I had a nice time,” he leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.
“Me too. Thank you for being a good sport.”
He tapped his chest. “Protect and serve. That’s what I do.”
She giggled. “You went above and beyond the call of duty.”
He took a step back. “Happy to help, but … can I say one thing?”
She nodded. “Yes.”
“You deserve more.”
As she closed the door, she wondered if he was right.
Chapter Four
The next morning Merrick stood in front of the mirror shaving. He wasn’t feeling particularly rested as his thoughts went to Deanna all night long. Was it the initial kiss that short-wired his brain, or was it his protective mechanisms that made him want to shield her from hurt? Either way, he had to let it go. She wasn’t the girl for him. She was head and heart set on Red, and it wouldn’t serve him well to fall for a woman who could never give herself fully. In his mind, a person deserved to be loved completely or not at all.
His phone, sitting on the bathroom counter, lit up and vibrated itself off the edge, toppling toward the floor. He caught it mid-fall.
“Hello, Mom.” She was the only one who called him before his shift. Elsa Buchanan was one of those women who never seemed to sleep. Maybe it was a habit that came from being a single mom. She was up before the kids and went to bed after them.
“Hello, sweetheart. How’s my boy today?”
Funny how at thirty-five, she still considered him her boy. “I’m good, just getting ready to go to work.”
“How is Aspen Cove?” Silence filled the phone for a long second. “Are you enjoying your life there thus far?”
“Still adjusting, but all is good.” He left the bathroom and walked to the kitchen where his coffeepot was finishing its brew cycle. “You should come for a visit sometime.”
“That’s why I’m calling. I thought maybe on your next day off, I could come up and have lunch with you.”
His mother’s love made him warm from the inside out. She was always so attentive and put her kids first in all things. “That would be great. Are you sure you only want to come for lunch? I have an extra room you can sleep in if you want to stay a day or two.”
“While that sounds lovely, I have work as well. With school back in session, there’s too much stuff to get done and too few hours to finish it in. Are you off Saturday?”
As it turned out, he was. His mother had this sixth sense about him and time. “As a matter of fact, I am. We rotate shifts, so everyone gets at least one weekend day a month, and this Saturday is mine.”
“That’s perfect. Do you mind if I bring a friend?”
The warning bells went off. “Would this friend happen to be a new teacher who is single?” His mother was relentless in the matchmaking department. As the librarian for a Denver elementary school, Mom met all the eligible teachers. She considered women in a field that catered to children’s education and well-being the best pool for wives since they were kid-centric.
“Sandra is a lov
ely woman. She’s still in her childbearing prime at twenty-nine and looking for a solid man to build a life with.”
“Mom, while I appreciate your zealous nature, don’t you think the logistics of a three-hour commute for dates would be a nightmare?”
“Well, it’s not ideal, but there are plenty of smaller towns closer to Denver that you could have looked into. Take Elizabeth, or Franktown, or Parker for that matter.”
He let out an exaggerated sigh. “I did, and I chose Aspen Cove.”
“Are there any women there? It couldn’t hurt to meet Sandra. She’s quite pretty, and she cooks a mean brownie.”
At the mention of brownies, he thought about Deanna and the caramel turtle deliciousness she served him last night. While she didn’t make them herself, she had excellent taste in sweets.
The only way his mom wasn’t bringing Sandra was if he already had a girlfriend.
“Listen, Mom, come up for lunch but don’t bring Sandra.”
“Why not?” He heard the frustration in her voice. “You know, Merrick, you’re not getting any younger. Love will never find you if you don’t open your heart and mind to the idea that you’re lovable.”
He burst out laughing. “I know I’m lovable. That’s not the issue.” He had to get to work and needed an out that wouldn’t create an hour-long lecture from his mother. The problem with librarians was they were readers, and readers liked words. His mother could be quite talkative when she wanted to get her point across.
“Then what’s the problem?”
“I have a girlfriend, and I’m fairly certain she wouldn’t be happy if you tried to set me up with someone else.”
He pulled the phone from his ear when his mother squealed. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
His mind raced to come up with something believable. “It’s all very new.”
“What’s her name?”
“Deanna,” he blurted.
He hated to lie to her. He prided himself on being an honest and trustworthy man, but if he didn’t give his mom a name, he’d be in a relationship with Sandra. And while she was probably a lovely woman, he wasn’t ready or willing to trade in his life again for a new location and experience. He rather liked the laid-back pace of small-town living. Aspen Cove fit him like a comfortable pair of shoes.
“I can’t wait to meet her on Saturday.”
“Well, I’ll have to see if she’s available.”
His mother snorted. “Why wouldn’t she be? It’s Saturday, and any woman with her eye on my boy will want to meet his mother. You know what they say …”
“What do they say, Mom?”
“How a man treats his mother is how he’ll treat his wife.”
“Don’t reserve the church yet. We just started seeing each other.”
“We’ll see,” his mother said with a trill that could only mean trouble. “See you Saturday. Can’t wait to meet your girl.”
She hung up before he could say another word.
He poured himself a cup of coffee and walked into the living room. Looking at his house, he realized his life was as compartmentalized as his home. Baxter tried to persuade him to tear down the walls to his kitchen to open things up. Was his home a metaphor for his life? Everything had its own little space. He boxed up his relationships and didn’t let them intersect with his family life. It wasn’t as if he hadn’t dated, but the first few times he brought girls home to meet Mom, she had them married and producing grandchildren in record time. Then his last long-term relationship ended because she couldn’t handle the risks inherent to him being a cop.
He moved farther into the living room, convinced that divided spaces were safer for everyone. But how could he keep Deanna in her space while temporarily wanting her in his?
He finished his coffee and left for work.
When he arrived at the sheriff’s office, he found his boss, Aiden Cooper, sitting at his desk, scrubbing the word “Daddy” from the top.
“Marking her territory?”
Aiden chuckled. “No, just Kellyn trying to teach her brother how to spell.” He sprayed the desktop once more and gave it a final swipe. “Could be worse. She could have started with some unsavory words she’s been picking up from school like butthead and asshole.”
“Out of the mouths of babes.” Merrick sat in the chair in front of Aiden’s desk. “Do you have anything you need me to do?”
Aiden shook his head. “Not really. Paperwork is caught up. The only exciting thing that happened since yesterday was that Mrs. Brown’s cat went missing, but he was easy to find, seeing as how she’d dressed him in a clown costume. He was hiding out behind the bakery. I’d hide too if I had to wear some of the outfits she puts him in.”
Merrick had caught a glimpse or two of the poor animal. Last week he found him skulking around the alley wearing a fish head hat. That gave new meaning to catfish.
“Mrs. Brown needs to find a man. At least she hasn’t set her sights on you yet. Poor Mark got a lot of attention when he became the deputy. She asked for him by name. Then again, I heard you have a girlfriend, and as fast as gossip travels through town, maybe Mrs. Brown has heard the rumors too. What’s this about you and Deanna?”
“Just a rumor. Nothing is going on with her. She was trying to make that guy Red jealous, so she asked me over to dinner.”
“Do you like her?”
“It doesn’t matter if I do or not. She has set her sights on someone else. I’m always a day late and a dollar short.”
Aiden eyed him for a second. “They say that nice guys always finish last, but that’s not a bad thing. Taking your time with someone means you get to know them. Marina held me off with a ten-foot pole for the longest time. In the end, I finished, and it sure doesn’t feel like last place to me.”
Merrick had seen how in love his boss was with Marina and vice versa. He’d heard little bits of their story and knew they’d run the gauntlet to be together.
“It’s not like that for us. I find her attractive. I mean, come on, have you seen her? But, I’m not investing my time into a relationship with someone who wants someone else.”
“Maybe she only thinks she wants him. Spend some time with her. There’s got to be a reason you two can get together that’s not a date.”
Merrick shook his head. It was as if the universe was conspiring against him. “There is one.” A growl escaped his throat before he could swallow it. “My mother is coming to town, and if I don’t look like I’m with someone, she’ll bring me a bride. Maybe hanging out with Deanna can serve us both. I can make that idiot jealous, and she can keep my matchmaking mother at bay.”
“Be careful,” Aiden warned. “You might just fall for her.”
Merrick rose from the chair. “Unlikely. She’s not meant for me, but she’s too good for that guy.” He walked to the door. “I’m going to make the rounds.” By that, he meant he was heading to Deanna’s to negotiate.
Chapter Five
He traded his truck for the marked cruiser. He wasn’t going anywhere in a professional capacity, but he was on shift, and if needed, he’d be ready.
He drove down Main Street, which was always quiet unless the weekend tourists got a little rowdy. So far, he’d only had issues with the groupies. Who knew women could be such trouble? At least now he didn’t have to rescue Alex. There weren’t many women sneaking into his place since he fell in love with Mercy.
He wound his way through streets like Hyacinth and Jasmine until he came to Daisy Lane. The street seemed fitting for a woman like Deanna. In some ways, she reminded him of a daisy with her golden hair and brown eyes.
Outside her worn bungalow, he took several breaths. He wasn’t generally the nervous type, but he’d never propositioned a woman in this way. Sure, he’d done plenty of propositioning in his days, but it never started with “Hey, babe. Let’s say you and I fake a relationship. I’ll help you get that good for nothing idiot back if you help me avoid my mother’s matchmaking attempts by being my fake girlfriend.�
� Nope, this was a first.
He walked several steps toward her entry and then turned around and headed back to his cruiser, thinking how insane the situation was. He did this several times, talking himself into the ruse and out of it. Nothing good ever came out of deceit in his experience, but he wasn’t ready to let his mother hitch his wagon to some teacher’s star.
As he started his fourth trek to her front door, it opened. Standing in front of him was Deanna, dressed in shorts and a T-shirt that said All I need is mascara and caffeine.
“You coming in, or do you have a step count to meet before you knock?”
A poodle bolted past her and raced toward him. Merrick wasn’t sure if he was in for a greeting or an ankle nipping. The night before, the poodle kept his distance, but he was vigilant. He watched every move Merrick made.
“You got coffee?” He bent over and picked up the dog. When he stood, he was greeted by a shocked expression. “What?”
Deanna shook her head. “Sherman doesn’t warm up to new people easily. I’m surprised, is all.”
“All people or some people?” He hugged the dog to his chest and nuzzled his chin into the curly coat of fur. Sherman rose above his trimmed beard and licked his face.
“He doesn’t like Red.” She waved him forward and stood to the side of the door so he could enter.
“I once heard that dogs and babies were good judges of character.”
She led him into the kitchen, where she took two mugs from the cupboard and poured them both a cup of coffee. “I was always told you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.”
He gave Sherman a final pet and put him on the floor. “Not true. A book cover can tell you everything about what’s inside, and if it doesn’t, then you’ve been duped.”
“Bibliophile?”
He took the coffee she offered. “I’d rather read the book than see the movie.”
One Hundred Mistakes: An Aspen Cove Romance Book 16 Page 3