by Wendy Warren
“You kidding me? I’m almost eighty-five!”
“My bad. Belt,” Derek reminded him as he pulled back onto Ponderosa Avenue. Lucky thing he’d decided to make a quick sweep of the town before turning in for the night. “Wanna tell me what you think you’re doing out for a stroll at this time of night in the middle of a snowstorm?”
“I didn’t want to call 911.”
“Why would you need to do that?”
“I didn’t. That’s why I was walking.”
“Dude, help me out. Why didn’t you need to dial 911?”
“Oh! Roddy and his friends were getting really drunk. Music was so loud, I couldn’t sleep. So I go out to the living room to tell Roddy I can’t sleep, and Roddy is sleeping. I couldn’t wake him up, and his friends were all laughing and doing stuff to him.”
“What kind of stuff?”
Gilberto made a valiant effort not to laugh, but failed. “One of ’em was putting lipstick on him and another guy was taking pictures. But when they wanted to do some of that crap to me? I was outta there, man.”
Derek cut a glance over at the kid and nodded. “Did the right thing, buddy boy. But next time you might want to call me and have me come get you, instead of freezing half to death.”
“I don’t have your number.”
As Derek reached for his radio he said, “We’ll have to fix that, huh.” Then, thumb to the talk button, he called, “Russell, you out there?”
Static crackled as Russell responded, “I’m here, dog. What can I do ya for?”
“I need you to run over to check on Gilberto’s cousin.” He gave the address. “I got a report that Roddy is passed out on the couch, but just in case it’s more serious than that...”
“Ten-four. I’m leaving now.”
“Great. While you’re there, make sure Roddy knows Gilberto is with me, and see if the music needs to be turned down.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks. I’m out.” He snapped his radio into its holder and glanced at Gilberto. “Wanna make some rounds with me?”
“You mean like a deputy?” The boy’s obsidian eyes shone in the dark.
“Just like a deputy.”
“Hell, yeah!”
Given that he wanted to laugh, Derek directed toward his young passenger the sternest glance he could manage. “You mean heck yeah.”
“Right!”
“Good. When we’re done, we’ll head to my place. You can spend the night at my ranch.”
“That would be awesome! So, you live on a ranch? Do you have cows?”
“No. But I have several horses. You can help me feed them in the morning.”
Gilberto pumped his fists, not the least bit tired. “Yes!”
“You hungry?”
“Totally.”
“Figures.” He’d eaten plenty at dinner, but Derek remembered his own predilection for consuming as much as possible at that age. “Okay. Since it’s the weekend—and only because it’s the weekend—you can stay up late. I’ll make you an early breakfast when we get home.”
“Oh, man, this is turning out to be the best night ever.”
Smiling, Derek wagged his head. The kid was easy to please. He thought about what he’d started on Willa’s porch, about the fact that he was going to see her the next day, and about how much he enjoyed the company of the eleven-year-old beside him. He wasn’t thrilled about Roddy’s behavior, not one little bit. Nonetheless, he was inclined to agree: this was a pretty good night indeed.
Chapter Nine
“Is that Gilberto in the backseat of your truck?” Willa asked Derek as the grinning child hung out the window and waved at her. From where she and Derek stood on her front porch, she lifted a hand to wave back then shot a quizzical glance at the man beside her. Didn’t they have a dancing date right about now?
“Yeah. That’s him,” he confirmed. “There’s been a slight change of plans. A little more than slight.”
Willa’s face crumpled with disappointment and she instantly felt foolish. “Oh.” She strove to find a blithe recovery. “That’s okay. Really. Another time, then?”
He looked confused. “What? No, no, I want to spend the evening with you. I mean, if you still want to. But it’s going to be a group date...type...thing.” He dragged a hand through his hair. “The kid’s bunking with me for a couple of days.”
Along with surprise, Willa felt a frisson of alarm. “Is he in some kind of trouble?”
“No.” He took a moment to explain how he’d found Gilberto on the road. “You remember his cousin Roddy?”
“Who could forget?” Roddy’s belligerence at their meeting left a strong impression.
“He ended up in the hospital with a pretty serious case of alcohol poisoning. Some of the other party animals were booked with MIPs.”
“What’s that?”
“Minor in possession. Roddy was playing bartender and some of his patrons were underage. Needless to say, Roddy had a little visit by DHS this morning. The caseworker informed him that she decided to remove Gilberto from his custody temporarily until they can investigate Roddy’s ability to provide safe care. So, I’ve got the kid until further notice.”
Willa was instantly sympathetic. “He’s so lucky he has you. You stepped right up to the plate.”
Derek obviously wanted to shrug away her praise. “Yeah, well, we didn’t really have much choice. The closest DHS office is closed today, and I have a foster care certification. We’re going to play the next few days by ear.”
“Why are you certified to do foster care?”
“I have been since I started the job. Walt was certified and suggested I do it, too. Said you never know when you’re going to make a difference in someone’s life. I maintain the license every year, but I’ve never needed it before. Anyway, when I told Gilberto that I was supposed to have dinner with you, he came up with a pretty cool idea. Unfortunately, as much as I hate to say it, you might want to change out of that knock-out dress and into something more suited to the great outdoors.”
Willa swallowed her disappointment. On her lunch hour that day, she’d bought a sexy new dress just for the occasion. And the appreciative look currently in Derek’s eyes made it worth every penny of the exorbitant price she’d paid. Counting the seconds until he’d arrived, she’d even braved her front porch with her coat over her arm instead of snugly around her. “Why don’t you and Gilberto come in while I change?”
She caught the surprise that crossed his face before he turned and gestured to Gilberto.
“You might want to think ski gear,” he suggested as she opened her door.
“We’re going skiing?” No wonder he looked like an ad for the local Summit Lodge mountain resort, in a chocolate cable-knit sweater that gorgeously accented his tanned skin.
“Not skiing, exactly. But I think you’ll enjoy yourself. Gilberto and I put our heads together and...well, you’ll see. I would have called to tell you about the change in plans—I should have called you—but I didn’t want you to change your mind.”
“I wouldn’t have.”
The small, pleased quirk of Derek’s lips gave her goosebumps.
“You got a swing!” Gilberto’s voice rang from outside Willa’s front door. His face popped into view. “Can I swing on it?”
“Sure,” she laughed. Being around Gilberto had reintroduced her to the irrepressible energy of childhood. It had been a long time since she’d experienced it up close and personal. “Close the front door if you’re staying outside, though, okay?”
“Yep.”
He did as requested, and a moment later the creak of the thick chains holding the swing was audible as he sat. Willa shook her head. “I forgot that the simplest things are often the most entertaining when you’re young.”
Relief flooded her. Time with Derek was meant to be an escape. She wasn’t ready for questions that would jerk her back into the past.
“I’m going to change. It’ll just be a minute.” Heading to the bedroom, she rummaged through her dresser for a heavy sweater and her Lycra ski pants. She shimmied out of her dress and pantyhose and into a pair of pink long johns and heavy socks. Not quite the seductive effect she’d been shooting toward, but it would have to do. He was a rare man in this day and age, this sheriff of hers, putting the needs of a child who wasn’t even his above his own desires. He knew how to look at life in the long run.
In just a couple of minutes, she’d shed her earrings, pulled on her ski clothes and tamed the static electricity in her hair.
“So, will you take a rain check on the dancing?” Derek called from her living room.
Willa grinned at her reflection in the mirror and nearly didn’t recognize herself. The woman smiling back looked both excited and happy. “Of course.”
“And...” He drew out the word, an interesting note in his voice. “Will you wear that dress for me again?”
Laughter rose into her throat. She glanced at the clingy jade-colored wraparound she’d tossed onto her bed. “You like that dress, hmm?”
“Ohhhh, yeah.”
When, she wondered, was the last time she felt this good? “I’m almost done. Just tying my boots. Would you mind grabbing my ski jacket from the hall closet? Next to the front door.” When she came out of her bedroom, Derek helped her into her jacket. A pair of gloves, a hat and a scarf from a drawer in the entry credenza were the last touches. “Ready,” she finally announced.
“Not just yet.” Reaching for the ends of her scarf, Derek drew her close for a kiss that instantly had her blood boiling and wanting to shed her down jacket. “I can’t do that in front of the kid,” he murmured. “And I didn’t want to wait.”
“I like the way you think, Sheriff Neel.” Her voice emerged husky and flirtatious. Her heart began to thrum so hard, she could actually hear it and wondered if he could, too. Oh, how she wished they could stay here tonight.
As things were getting interesting, Gilberto pounded on the front door. “We should go now!”
“Gilberto is a little excited,” she observed wryly.
“Not as excited as I am,” Derek groaned, dropping one more kiss on her waiting lips. Gilberto tried the knob then rang the bell. “I’m glad that door was locked.”
Once they were all on the road, Gilberto regaled her with the tales of last evening. “I was a real deputy. I got to wear a badge. Right here.” He thrust his skinny chest between their seats and pointed to the spot just above his heart.
“Belt on,” Derek commanded.
“Okay, right! And then,” he continued as he dropped back into his seat, “we went home and ate breakfast in the middle of the night. And this morning I fed Derek’s horses. When you hold out a carrot, they eat it out of your hand. But they don’t bite you or nothing.”
“Anything,” Willa and Derek chimed.
“Okay. They just go like this.” He demonstrated. “Their lips are soft and fat and have sharp hairs.”
While Gilberto waxed on in the backseat, Derek reached over and took Willa’s hand. “They just go like this.” He brought her hand to his mouth and oh-so-gently nibbled the palm.
Pleasure filled her. Oh, good golly. “That’s how they do it, hmm?”
“Hey!” Gilberto called. “What are you guys doing?”
“Just showing Willa how the horse eats,” Derek said.
“Oh.” And Gilberto talked nonstop the rest of the way to the ranch.
* * *
Derek’s place was only about fifteen minutes south of Thunder Ridge, but the snow made the going a little slower. When they turned down his long driveway, Willa spotted a charming log home nestled in a grove of giant fir trees. To the left of the house stood a stable and paddock. Immediately behind Derek’s home was a snow-covered hill adorned with two rows of flaming tiki torches. The entire scene was a Thomas Kinkade painting come to life. Willa felt her pulse accelerate in a way it hadn’t since she was a child.
Unable to control her giddy grin, she glanced quickly between Gilberto and Derek. “What on earth is this?”
“It’s cosmic sledding,” Gilberto informed, looking mighty pleased.
“Or our version of cosmic sledding, anyway,” Derek said, returning her grin. “We don’t have the big slides and colored lights, but we did our best.”
As they pulled nearer the hill, Willa could see myriad trails had already been blazed between the torches and the snow between them was packed hard. Unbridled glee rose in her throat, making her voice squeaky. “We’re going sledding?”
“Yes.” Gilberto flung his seatbelt off. “We’re gonna let the horse pull us to the top of the hill, and then we’re gonna ride our sleds down. We already tried it out, and it’s pretty cool.”
Making eye contact with Willa, Derek arched a brow suggestively. “I can think of one or two things that might be better, but it is a total blast.”
Willa couldn’t stem the grin that felt as if it swallowed her entire face.
“We thought we’d sled for a bit and work up an appetite, before we head inside for some grub.”
“We made barbecued chickens,” Gilberto announced, opening the car door as Derek came to a stop in front of his house.
“I’m no chef like you,” Derek told her, “but I figured you probably like to have someone else do the cooking once in a while.”
“Is that what smells so wonderful?” Willa’s mouth began to water as they got out of the car. The scent of mesquite and barbecue sauce was unmistakable. “Are you cooking outdoors?”
“Yep. Treated myself to a Traeger grill last Christmas.”
She inhaled deeply. “Mmm. I smell sage. And rosemary.”
He chuckled. “You’re good. The chicken should be ready in about an hour. Till then, go with Gilberto to choose a sled, and I’ll harness Autumn.”
Once she and Gilberto had trudged to the bottom of the hill, Willa turned to take in the view of Derek’s spectacular property in the waning twilight. His log cabin had huge mountain-facing windows that extended from the first floor all the way up to the peak of the second floor. Indoor lamps cast pools of golden light through the glass and onto the snowpack below, and the entire forested countryside was awash in moonlight. Icicles clung to the eves spanning his rustic front porch, and smoke snaked from the river rock chimney. Willa could easily imagine enjoying this view with a cup of coffee first thing in the morning in one of the several rockers that flanked the living room windows.
Gilberto was already in the sled, making shooshing sounds as he pretended to be on a thrilling slide down the slopes. In response to the fun he was already having, Willa felt a rush of pure joy moments before guilt whomped her in the solar plexus with the force of a wrecking ball—not because she was at Derek’s or planning to go sledding, but because for a moment she’d felt only happiness and anticipation. She’d just taken a giant step into a future that was hers. Hers alone.
Steadying herself, she took one breath and then another, letting go of self-reproach, willing herself to stay in the moment.
“Everything okay?”
Lost in thought, she didn’t notice Derek had come up behind her. Guiding the horse he called Autumn, he looked as if he’d stepped off a poster for a movie Western. His gaze was watchful, concerned.
Autumn blew a noisy puff of air through her wide nostrils and shook her head till her bit jangled. Derek stroked the horse’s forelock, his big, gentle hands obviously welcomed by the mare.
I’m with you, sister. She didn’t want to crawl back to the cave in which she’d been living the past couple of years. It was a nicely adorned cave, with windows to the outside world, but now that she truly had moved beyond its walls, she knew she couldn’t retreat. Not yet, anyway, not while this man was standing right in front of her.
“Everything is fine.” Smiling brightly, she joined Derek in petting the horse’s broad forehead. “So this is Autumn,” she said. “Glad to make your acquaintance.” Derek had hitched a long toboggan to the horse’s traces. “You going to tow us up that hill, girl?”
“She’s ready if you’re ready.”
Willa was glad to see that his expression already had begun to relax. Rubbing her mitten-clad hands together, she nodded. “As I’ll ever be, I guess. It looks a little scary.”
“That’s what makes it exciting.” He stared at her, long and deep and mesmerizing. “I’m not going to let anything happen. To you or Gilberto. The thing about sledding is that to get a really good ride, you have to let go. Completely. Can you do that?”
She couldn’t look away. “I can try.”
“Good enough.”
After some brief instruction by Derek on safety, she and Gilberto clambered aboard the long wooden toboggan behind him. Holding onto their sleds by ropes, they rode up the substantial incline to the crest. Impossibly, the view was even more stunning at the top. The twin rows of tiki torches glinted, beckoning them with the promise of adventure.
“C’mon, Willa, let’s go,” Gilberto urged, thrashing off toward the starting gate, his Flexible Flyer sled bobbing along behind.
Willa glanced at Derek. “It’s a lot steeper than it looks from down there.” Shadows flickered across the snow.
“It’s not bad. Hang on tight, and you’ll be fine. You steer this thing with your feet.” He demonstrated on her sled as Gilberto took off down the hill on his, whooping with wild abandon. At her dubious expression, Derek laughed. “Come on, then. I’ll go with you the first time.” Tethering Autumn to a small tree, he positioned the sled, pulled Willa onto his lap and wrapped his arms around her waist. “You okay?”