by Pamela Tracy
* * *
LEANN OPENED THE door to a too-silent house. Peaches whined, no doubt wondering where the boys were.
“They’re with their father,” Leann told the dog, her stomach clenching. She’d made the right decision. Too often she’d been called to various houses where the divorced parents couldn’t work together. She wanted, prayed about, better things for her sons.
And she could hope that maybe Ryan had changed, grown up, settled down. Even more, she hoped she could swallow away the fear that came from knowing there’d now be another woman in her sons’ lives. She’d been so worried about sharing them with Ryan, and now there was Melanie.
Melanie who wanted to spend time with the boys. Leann sat down on the couch. Peaches immediately put his head in her lap.
Time with her boys.
The worry about money had been so pressing that she’d pushed aside the need for time. Besides, she did a pretty good job. She always made it to school concerts, PTA meetings, and she took them to Russell’s, of course.
Would she have time to do all that if she became detective.
Lucas’s words came back to her. “I didn’t get to chaperone much. I was working.”
Time to rethink the budget.
Rethink priorities.
Leann took a quick shower, changed into jeans and a nice shirt and then headed out to her car. She was halfway to Gary’s, picking him up for their visit with Russell, when she realized she was running early. And she bet, just bet, Oscar had called his brother, so there’d be questions.
She parked her vehicle behind Gary’s and stepped out. The wide-open space, the swaying trees, the old cabin calmed her down. She loved it out here. Goober and Wilma ran up to her. She’d have to scold Gary again and remind him about the danger of letting dogs run loose out in the wilderness.
“Gary!”
She headed for the camper he called home. Country music played and she could hear some sort of echo. The door was open, so she stuck her head in and then backed out quickly. Gary was in the shower, singing to Garth Brooks, and not doing a bad job of it.
Goober walked with her to one of the chairs around the fire ring. She stroked the dog’s head and watched as Wilma investigated a tree line. Finally, feeling more content, she took out her phone to check messages. She had sixteen. The first was from her sister, Gail. Ray indeed had a new job, working on the historic train that ran the old route from Sarasota Falls to Santa Fe. Things were great. The majority of messages, however, were from friends and neighbors letting her know that Ryan was back in town. A few mentioned the blonde woman with him, but none seemed aware that she was his wife. Two had seen her in the park with Ryan and wanted to know if she was all right.
The last text was from her mother suggesting a Saturday night dinner for Ryan and Leann.
Closing her eyes, Leann leaned back and hoped that she never, never, would be that clueless when it came to knowing what was really going on in her children’s lives.
Since Leann didn’t want another text about how she’d blown it, she decided to hold off on informing her mother about the new Mrs. Bailey.
“You look nice.”
Leann opened her eyes to jeans, an unbuttoned blue cambric shirt and tan abs that made her want to reach out and touch. “So do you.”
He pulled the closest chair up next to her, usurping Goober, who merely moved to the other side, and took one of her hands in his. “I hear you had a visitor.”
“Oscar called you.”
“And it took everything I had not to rush into town.”
“My meeting with Ryan would have been over before you got there.”
“How did it go?”
“Pretty good, actually. We agreed that he could watch the boys tonight. I met his wife, who seems too sweet to believe and especially too sweet to be with him—though he was definitely not acting like the man I married. No, that’s not right,” she said and stopped herself, “he wasn’t acting like the man I divorced.”
“He changed.”
“We both did,” Leann admitted. “We married so young and for all the wrong reasons.”
“You loved him.”
“In my own way, yes.” She sat up straight, wishing she could undo the past and knowing she’d do the same thing again anyway because she couldn’t imagine a life without Tim and Aaron.
“We were young, I was pregnant, and both sets of parents basically pointed to the altar and said, ‘Go.’”
Gary smiled. “So you went.”
“And if I admit it,” Leann said, “I ran to the altar. I wanted away from my parents. I wanted to breath, laugh, love. I wanted to re-create my friend Patsy’s family, but I didn’t know how and neither did Ryan.”
“Your home life was that bad?”
“It was sterile. That’s the best word for it. My father was always working, and when he was home, we had to be quiet. Made no sense, because he was always in the study and unlikely to hear us if we dared laugh or knock over a lamp.”
“And your mother?”
“Mostly gone. Why am I telling you all this?” Leann extracted her hand from his, checked her watch and started to get up.
His hand on her knee stopped her. He took both hands this time and said, “You’re telling me because of everything happening now, and because I’m listening.”
She shook her head. “It’s a mess. I’m a mess.”
“You’re the most put-together woman I’ve ever met, and I’ve met plenty.”
Leann was sure he had. As if reading her thoughts, he shook his head. “I mean in the military, and just wait until you meet my sister and mother. Picture Aunt Bianca times two. There, I made you smile.”
“I’m going to text Ryan. See how they’re doing.”
Leann’s fingers danced across her phone, texting Ryan, thinking that now she’d need to get Tim a phone so she could text him instead. Then, she settled back again.
“Tell me a good memory about your childhood,” Gary suggested.
“No.”
“Come on. You know about my father. He just walked out on us one day, never even sent a text that he was alive let alone sent financial support. And now we’ve this half brother who’s appeared out of nowhere.”
“You’re awfully collected yourself for a man about to clear up some family mysteries,” Leann observed.
“I’ve decided it is what it is. My family will deal with it, together.”
“Together. I like that part.” Leann couldn’t help but compare her family who didn’t do anything together. “Oscar’s all the time talking about your mom and uncles. You were surrounded by family. Plus, you had Bianca.”
“I’m realizing how lucky I was—am,” Gary said.
He scooted his chair even closer, leaning forward, looking into her eyes. “I want to know anything and everything about you. Which shoe you put on first. What you have for breakfast. Why you still wear a wristwatch. And about your childhood.”
It would take only the most minute movement to kiss him. But, she couldn’t.
At least that’s what she told herself. Her real fear was that if she kissed him, she’d want more. That she’d want forever.
Could she handle forever?
* * *
HE WATCHED HER WITHDRAW, happy that this time, instead of getting up and walking away from him, she only settled back in the chair.
“I put on my right shoe first, I usually have a Pop-Tart, I find glancing at my watch quicker than getting out my cell phone, and I grew up here in Sarasota Falls. End of story.”
“No one’s story is that brief.” He smiled, hoping it would encourage her to continue.
“Mine is.”
“Share one good memory about your family. Just one.”
“Then you’ll leave it be and we can go to Russell’s for dinner?”
“For now, and don’t worry, I won’t tell your sons about the mistake you made when you were fourteen.”
“What?”
He laughed. “Everyone sneaks out a window and tries to meet up with friends when they’re fourteen.”
“Except my kids won’t because I’ll nail their windows shut,” she mused.
“A story about your family,” he prodded.
She finally came up with one. “When I was about eight, my brother and I put my little sister’s beloved Winnie-the-Pooh stuffed animal in a chair and dared Gail to save him.”
“So, the preamble to your future profession was kidnapping?”
She grinned.
“And you remember that?”
“Both my boys now have the same bear.”
“Go on with your story,” he urged.
“You have to realize how much Gail loved her Winnie-the-Pooh, which, of course, meant Clark and I were forever taking it. This time, though, we went overboard.”
Gary chuckled.
“My brother, Clark, guarded one side and I the other. Gail threw a fit and was trying to get Winnie. We, of course, maintained our ground.”
“And this is one of your cherished memories?”
“I’m not done yet.”
“Go on.”
“Clarissa must have heard us because she came running into the room, slid like a professional baseball player aiming for home plate and hit the chair we had Winnie in. The chair fell, Winnie landed in Clarissa’s arms and, when we chased Clarissa, she bested us at every turn.”
Gary nodded, liking how animated Leann was getting as the story continued.
“Clark started laughing so hard that he forgot all about Gail, who walked right up to us and vowed to get Clark and me one day. Then, she ran and kissed Clarissa and pulled Winnie into her arms.”
Although he’d heard the name before, Gary had to ask, “Who’s Clarissa?”
“Our housekeeper.”
“Where were your parents?”
Leann blinked, the last hint of joy seeping from her face, but a half grin remained. “They were out of town.”
“Oh.”
“If they’d have been in town, for one, we’d never had been playing in the living room, and two, we wouldn’t have involved Gail in the game. It took her longer to learn how to be invisible when it came to our parents.”
No kid should ever have to be invisible. Leann, her sons, they’d never be invisible with Gary.
“Maybe someday we can play keep-away.”
“Sure,” she said easily. “I play it all the time with my boys, in the living room. We use the Winnie-the-Pooh from Aaron’s childhood. And no one gets upset.”
“That’s nice that you got him a Winnie-the-Pooh.”
“I didn’t.” Leann smiled. “Gail made good on her promise and gave it to him on his third birthday. He fell in love with it instantly. I’ll never be allowed to forget taking her bear.”
“Your boys are lucky to have you. I’m lucky to have you.”
He moved closer, kissed her forehead, then the tip of her nose.
She whispered his name. Angling her lips to his, surely she was wanting him to kiss her more.
Just then her phone pinged. Spell broken, she pulled out her cell, checked it and then held up a photo for him to see: the boys smiling over pizza.
She scooted her chair back and stood. “We’d better get going.”
“I agree. You do know, it’s okay to be fashionably late.”
“But—”
“Let’s walk.”
“But—”
“Nothing is as soothing as the outdoors. It’s not even a fifteen-minute hike.”
She glanced back at his truck and then at him. He held out his hand, and she took it, fingers entwining with his.
She might be shorter but she kept up with him, easily stepping past rocks and dodging tree limbs. A few times Goober pressed against Leann, just sure she would stray off the path.
Walking behind her when the path narrowed, he marveled at how her hair glistened as the setting sun shimmered red orange. Her parents might be a piece of work, but they’d created someone beautiful.
“Turn left here,” he advised.
She argued, “This isn’t the path.”
“No, it will take about five minutes longer, but it’s neat.”
“It’s going to be dark soon.”
“I have a flashlight.”
“Are you always this prepared?”
“I wasn’t prepared for you.”
“What?” She turned, and this time he didn’t kiss her on the forehead. He kissed her full on the mouth, until she nestled closer in his arms and kissed him back. This is what he wanted. Her. Forever.
The kiss didn’t last nearly long enough. Up ahead Wilma found something worth barking at. Leann stepped out of the embrace, eyes hooded, smiled at him and took back his hand.
“Russell told me,” Gary shared, “that these trails were made by his family as they walked sheep to pasture.”
“There’s a pasture?”
Gary frowned. “I should have asked him that. It must be farther along.”
“How much of the land have you explored?”
“Not as much as I want to. I’m thinking about asking Aunt Bianca to sell me this place.”
“Wow,” Leann said, “This means you’re staying.”
“I’ve found everything I want here.”
She didn’t respond, which worried him a bit, but he knew she had trust issues, and he also knew—although he couldn’t seem to stop himself—that the day her ex-husband returned wasn’t the day to press for answers in this department. He changed subjects.
“William Benedict sent me twenty dollars, Goober’s veterinarian history and a one-sentence note telling me that he’s not returning for the dog.”
Leann’s feet stilled on the mud-colored New Mexico soil. “You’ve had Goober how long now? Over a month?”
Gary nodded.
“You do realize Benedict never intended on reclaiming Goober.”
“I figured that out, but how did you know?”
“After I left your aunt’s place, I tracked him down.”
“What?”
Leann nodded. “I’m a cop. It’s what I do. I went to the Station Diner. Benedict was there. He said your commanding officer was worried that you were having a bit of trouble adjusting to civilian life.”
Gary stopped. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
“In all honesty, that was only the second time I met you, and at that point I had no clue you’d be somebody I’d wind up being with every day. And, until this moment, I forgot. I’ve had other things on my mind.” She started listing. “Trudy, Jace, Brian, my sister and brother-in-law, the break-in at Russell’s, a promotion now lost, Chief Riley’s accident, my ex-husband’s return, Oscar being gone—”
“Okay, okay, I get it.”
“Obviously,” she continued, “I didn’t believe it was important. Though, I do remember thinking back then that you were having trouble adjusting to civilian life.”
“No way.” One corner of Gary’s mouth turned up. “Wait, did you just say, ‘a promotion now lost’? You mean you’ve heard something? Oscar hasn’t said a word.”
“No, he wouldn’t. And maybe lost isn’t right. I just see the writing on the wall. And, truthfully, with Ryan back, I’m not sure I want to be working longer hours.”
“But, this is what you wanted most.”
“I had been wanting it. It’s just that I’m wanting something else now.”
“That’s a quick turnaround.”
“Sometimes when it comes to meeting the needs of family, a quick turnaround is the only way.”
“You really believe you weren’t meeting the ne
eds of your boys?”
“No, I was. But I want to keep meeting them. And be happy.”
He nodded, tugged on her sleeve and drew her to him.
“We weren’t fighting,” she protested. “I’m not angry.”
“I don’t care. I still want to make up.” His lips covered hers. She slipped into his arms, her skin tingling.
He didn’t even notice that Goober gave a brief woof and then trotted toward the lights just ahead at Russell’s cabin.
Some chaperone she was.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
LEANN CLAIMED A second hamburger and settled back. Kissing had obviously made her hungry. Russell and Trudy sat at the picnic table. Trudy was draped with a blanket and still looking painfully thin, but the manic look in her eyes was gone and Leann watched as Lydia and Russell did their magic on the young girl. Every once in a while Russell would point at something and Trudy would nod. Lydia was handing Trudy food to try, wanting to know if it was good.
Great way to get a teenager who didn’t want to eat, to eat.
If not for Gary sitting all tense by her side, she’d be enjoying tonight. She loved happy endings and it looked like Trudy, at least, would be getting one.
Russell was the busiest Blackgoat, intent on everyone getting along, but he had too many people to corral.
What amazed Leann the most was Jace’s reaction to her. She, truthfully, barely remembered him. He’d been her brother’s age but not one of her brother’s friends. Yet, Jace moved away every time she came near.
Brian looked much the same, expression-wise, walk-wise and tough-wise. Now, though, he’d showered, dressed in what had to be Russell’s clothes and constantly reminded Trudy to stay under the blanket or eat more. With a whole lot of love and three good meals a day, Trudy could make a full recovery.
It was unsettling to see the two sides of Brian Blackgoat. He’d stolen and hurt someone. Yet, it all tied back to Trudy. He’d become an instant father without any guidelines or help. Leann couldn’t remember her father telling her to stay under a blanket or eat more. It had always been Clarissa or one of the other staff.