Her Lawman Protector

by Patricia Johns

  He should stop. He knew that. This was crossing lines. If there were audio surveillance, he’d be in deep trouble.

  “I know. Evan has a type, too.” Liv rolled her eyes. “He likes his woman from magazines—”

  “Shut up, Liv,” Jack growled, and Liv’s eyes widened in surprise. He laughed softly. “It’s you. You’re womanly and soft in all the right places. I’ve been noticing you for years, but you were married to my colleague, and I’m not the kind of guy who crosses those lines. But you’re—” his voice deepened “—most definitely my type.”

  “I am?” Her voice sounded breathy.

  “Look at you...” He couldn’t help himself now. He’d opened that floodgate, and he wasn’t about to slam it shut again. He reached over and ran a finger down her cheek, then rested the pad of his thumb on her chin. His gaze moved down to her lips and stopped there.

  Liv didn’t say anything; he was desperately tempted to cover those soft lips with his— He swallowed, trying to pull his mind away from all the things he wanted to do with her right now. None of it was professional.

  “Jack...”

  Jack cleared his throat and dropped his hand. “Sorry.” He pushed himself to his feet, embarrassment flooding over him. He knew why he was here—so why did he let himself go there with her? She was the suspect!

  “I’ll chalk it up to candlelight,” Liv said.

  Jack turned back toward her, and even standing a few feet away from her didn’t change how his body responded to her. She was more than his type—she was the woman he’d been yearning after for years. Stupidly, of course. He’d never expected anything to come of it...

  “Let’s eat, okay?” she said, nudging the platter toward him.

  Just then the lights flickered and came back on. The smoke detector chirped, as did the microwave in the kitchen. The soft, confidence-inspiring ambiance evaporated, and Jack felt suddenly exposed.

  “Let’s eat,” Liv repeated, leaning over and blowing out the candles. “I don’t know about you, but I’m still starving.”

  Jack sank back into the couch next to her and reached for a piece of pepperoni and a cracker.

  “Yeah, me, too,” he said, and she leaned toward him, nudging him with her shoulder.

  “Jack?” she said. “I dare say we’re getting to be friends.”

  “Yeah.” He popped the food into his mouth so that he wouldn’t have to say anything else, but she was right. They were connecting on a more human level now, and if he weren’t the one responsible for proving her guilty, he would call her a friend.

  Heck, he’d probably careen right past friend and pull her into his arms.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  THE WOMAN WITH the stroller was hard to forget, and Liv found her gaze moving toward the store window repeatedly the next day. She’d convinced herself that the part where the woman looked like Serena was concocted in her own imagination. Maybe she was more jealous of her ex’s new wife than she wanted to admit. Whatever. And outside the store window she did see women with strollers—but they weren’t the one from last night. There was a pregnant woman pushing a twin stroller with two toddlers strapped in. There was a mom with a newborn in a rather expensive-looking stroller—but this woman was dark-haired... Not the same woman. Liv knew that, but she couldn’t help being a little jumpy all the same.

  It wasn’t just the memory of the strange woman out in the storm that clung to Liv, though. The whole evening had been...intense. Electricity must be the great civilizing influence, because without it everyone seemed to go a little feral. Jack included.

  He was more than good-looking—he was intoxicating. Jack was strong, rugged and the type of man who made a woman feel safe and protected. He was certainly a bad-guy deterrent, and he made her feel all sorts of things she didn’t want to be feeling at all, let alone for another cop.

  If it had stopped there, and he’d simply treated her like a civilian in need of protection, she might have been able to brush it all aside as a natural reaction to a stressful situation. But he’d said something that had been playing over in her mind all night long: It’s you. You’re womanly and soft in all the right places. I’ve been noticing you for years, but you were married to my colleague, and I’m not the kind of guy who crosses those lines. But you’re most definitely my type.

  She shivered again at the memory. For years, he’d said. He’d been noticing her across rooms, at precinct Christmas parties— When else would Jack have seen her? She’d spoken to him a few times at various parties and functions. She’d always found him polite and decent, like all of the cops her husband worked with. But she wasn’t the kind of person who looked outside of her marriage, either. It was strange to think that she was so physically desirable to him. She was used to the world catering to the size twos, not to the plus sizes. But in that man’s eyes, she was...definitely his type.

  The bell over the door tinkled, and Liv glanced up as Jack came back into the store. The workday was nearly over, and the light was growing dusky. He’d been out checking on something for another case, he’d said. But she’d missed him. Seeing him again, she felt her cheeks heat. She hated this—the awkwardness from last night still standing between them. She’d wanted him to open up, and had he ever!

  They hadn’t mentioned it again come morning. He’d silently eaten a bowl of cereal, and she’d whipped herself up an omelet. They’d simply gone about their morning routine, and then she’d come down to open the store for her official second day. Then Jack had become conveniently busy. So had she, for that matter.

  “Hi,” Jack said.

  There was a young mom in the kids’ section, sorting through some picture books. Her baby was in a wrap, strapped to her body. So they weren’t exactly alone.

  “Hi,” she said with a smile.

  “Closing up soon?” Jack asked.

  “No—well, I would ordinarily, but the Eagle’s Rest Chess Club is meeting here tonight.”

  “So soon?” Jack frowned.

  “Why not? They’ve been meeting in Nate’s basement all this time, and when I offered the store, they were kind of excited.”

  “Who’s Nate?” Jack perked up. “Old friend?”

  “Oh, he’s one of our local legends. He’s won some pretty big chess championships. He’s impossible to beat. I wouldn’t call him a friend. I don’t know him that well. But you know how life is in a place this size. Everyone at least knows of one another.”

  “Was he a friend of Evan’s?” Jack opened a small notebook and jotted down a note, then closed it.

  She frowned. “Jack—”

  “I’m being thorough,” he replied, cutting her off.

  She sighed. “Fine.”

  The woman approached the register to pay. She’d selected a few picture books and a couple of parenting tomes. Liv rang up her order.

  “You have a great selection,” the woman said with a smile. “And you’re walking distance from my place. It’s perfect, really.”

  “I’m glad,” Liv said. “Pass the word along—I need all the business I can get.”

  The woman smiled and accepted her bag. “I sure will. See you later.”

  The woman turned to leave, and Liv’s heart sped up a little bit. “Wait!” she called, and the customer turned back, looking mildly surprised.

  “Were you out in the storm last night?” Liv asked, the words coming out of her in a rush. “With a stroller?”

  “What?” The woman shook her head and took an instinctive step back. “No. I wasn’t.”

  “Sorry.” Liv forced a smile. “You looked a little familiar, is all. Have a great day.”

  The woman left the store, and Jack shot Liv a quizzical look.

  “Apparently I’m paranoid now,” Liv said with a sigh. She flicked the sign in the window to Closed and glanced outside. A streetlight popped on, then another one.

&
nbsp; “Are you sure you didn’t imagine that woman with the stroller?” Jack asked.

  “I know the difference between a rampant imagination and a real person standing in the rain,” she said. “I know it wasn’t Serena. It couldn’t have been. But someone was there.”

  “Okay.” He nodded, and Liv pressed the button to open the money drawer.

  “You don’t believe me, do you?” she asked, pulling out the bills and beginning to count.

  “No, I do. But I have to ask these things. Do things look different in the light of day? If they do, that’s not a problem. These things happen to the best of us. I just need you to think back on what you saw and tell me if you still think it was a real person out there.”

  Liv turned her attention to counting for a moment, jotted down a number, then looked over at Jack irritably.

  “I’m not prone to hysterics,” she said, turning to the coins next, but she was irritated. She was being stalked by someone who wanted her out of town, and if she’d just gotten a good look at this person, the least she could ask was for the police to believe her.

  “Okay, good.” Jack nodded.

  Liv did the math, took out her bank deposit and finished up the last of the closing-out procedure. Just as she was sealing the plastic deposit envelope, the door opened and the first few chess players came inside.

  “Come on in,” Liv called cheerily. “I’ve cleared out the center space. And if you wouldn’t mind pulling out the folding tables yourselves, it would help a lot.”

  Those tables and folding chairs were actually being stored for a cousin who’d bought them for her father’s seventieth birthday party and then had nowhere to keep them. They’d come in handier than Liv had ever imagined.

  Liv headed for the storage space where they were located, but she felt a hand on her arm, tugging her back. She looked at Jack, her eyebrows raised.

  “I got it,” Jack said, and moved past her to pull out the tables. Granted, he did it far more easily than she would have, but she was still annoyed with the man. He might find her beautiful, alluring, attractive—her words, not his—but he also thought she was imagining things from last night. And if she had to choose, she’d rather have him see her as intelligent, quick-witted, insightful. And levelheaded.

  Jack and the chess players set up the tables. The club had a few different chessboards, and they arranged them on the various tables. Liv went to lock the door and stood back, watching as they got settled and picked their opponents.

  “I don’t think you’re prone to hysterics,” Jack said as he ambled back to where she stood. He leaned against the counter next to her. “For the record.”

  “I’m not sure I believe you,” she retorted.

  Jack laughed softly. “I’m doing my job, Liv.”

  “Fine.” She could grudgingly give him that one.

  “Are you going to play tonight?” Jack asked, nudging her with the side of his muscled arm.

  “No, no...” She shook her head. “I’m the business owner here. I’m not part of the club. Besides, they’ve got an even number.”

  “And an extra board,” he pointed out.

  There was one extra table and chess set ready to go, and Liv looked over at it longingly. She was already thinking ahead to moves, countermoves, traps and checkmates. It had been a while since she’d had a decent opponent to play against.

  Liv glanced up at Jack. “Care to play?”

  “Sure.” He grinned back, and the confidence in that look made her stomach flip. What was with this man and his easy ability to make her swoon like a schoolgirl?

  “I have something to prove,” Liv said, leading the way to the table and pulling out one of the folding chairs. She picked up two pawns, rolled them in her hands, then held them out in her closed fists. “Pick one.”

  Jack tapped a hand, and she opened it to reveal a black pawn.

  “You’re black,” she said. “I’ll be white.”

  They both sat down, and for a moment, they were caught up in arranging their pieces.

  “What do you have to prove?” Jack asked, his voice a low rumble, that dark gaze flickering up toward her.

  “That if anyone is prone to hysterics, it’ll be you,” she replied with a small smile.

  “Trash talk?” He raised an eyebrow, and a slow grin spread over his face. “Liv Hylton, this is a whole new side to you. I think I like it.”

  * * *

  JACK WATCHED LIV as she set up her pieces. She moved methodically, almost reverently, and he had that slight sinking feeling he got when he was pitted against a stronger, heavier, faster officer in hand-to-hand combat training. Normally, Jack was the biggest guy in the room—he was used to that—but not always.

  Except this time, his opponent was stunningly beautiful, and he’d much rather take her on physically than strategically, at the moment. But he wasn’t going to let his attraction to her get in the way of putting a dirty cop behind bars where he belonged. And he wasn’t going to let her off, either, if she was involved.

  He’d opened up more than he’d planned to last night. And that was the part of this assignment he hated—walking that line to gain her trust. He felt like he was betraying her every step of the way.

  Jack glanced around at the other players. All of them were focused on their own boards—hovering over the pieces—except for Nate. Nate was watching them with a quizzical look on his face. Nate Lipton was one of the old-timers who’d been pressured to sell his property and had come to the police.

  “You say you don’t know Nate too well,” Jack said, keeping his voice quiet. “He’s sure interested in you.”

  “I’m pretty,” she said softly. “That happens a lot.”

  “You’re standing by that? Nothing more?”

  “Are you saying I’m not attractive enough to draw an eye?” She looked up at him, holding his gaze.

  “Not saying that at all... I think I proved that last night.”

  She looked back down at the board. If she did know what her ex-husband had done to Nate Lipton, blithely sitting in the same room with him would say a lot about her capabilities.

  “I also played chess with him a few times,” she said after a moment.

  “Who won?” Jack asked.

  “Him.” She smiled sweetly. “And I lose very graciously. I’m a pleasure to compete against.”

  Jack chuckled. Somehow, he doubted that. She liked to win to the point that she read chess strategy while she waited for pots to boil. But then, he shouldn’t underestimate the power of a beautiful woman over a lonely man. Wasn’t he in a similar situation right now?

  “I move first.” Liv moved a pawn with a decisive click as the piece hit the board.

  Jack moved his pawn, and she moved her knight, hopping over the row of pawns to put it front and center. He paused before making his next move.

  “But pretty or not, the old guy is the only one watching us,” he said.

  Liv made a move, then glanced in the direction of Nate thoughtfully. “Do you think he’s lonely?”

  “I thought you’d know that.” Jack lifted his rook, then realized if he moved, she would be lined up to take it. He put it back down.

  “He’s brilliant,” Liv said. “Absolutely brilliant. And I think he was married years ago, if I recall properly. I think there was a divorce, and now he’s on his own—that brilliant mind, and on his own...”

  “He’s got a chess club,” Jack pointed out, and chose a move that was safe from any of her ploys.

  “I suppose...” She looked the board over, then moved her own rook into a position that seemed random enough to him, but he had no doubt it was the first step in something victorious. She’d recognized that old Nate Lipton was vulnerable, at the very least. But he wasn’t quite so unprotected as she thought.

  “Are you worried about ending up brilliant and alone?�
� Jack asked, casting her a teasing smile.

  “Sometimes.”

  He sobered, because she wasn’t joking, and she met his gaze easily. She wouldn’t be alone in life unless she wanted it that way.

  “I thought you wanted to settle in here by yourself.”

  “I do. I’m getting over a nasty divorce. I need to be me again.” She moved another piece, then glanced toward old Nate, whose attention was back on his own game. “But some people can stand as warnings about your future, can’t they?”

  She might want to look to people who were in prison for her personal cautionary tales, Jack thought ruefully.

  “I’m more worried about bad guys,” he replied. He turned his attention back to the board. “And catching them.”

  “You’re evading,” she said.

  “Yup.” He shot her a grin, then made his move. “A little bit.”

  “Winning on a board makes me feel in control,” Liv said, moving her bishop. “But it’s not real life. It’s contained. The rules are simple. Winning is easy—it’s just a matter of outthinking your opponent.”

  Jack looked around the board. He’d have to sacrifice a piece, because he couldn’t move without putting himself in harm’s way. Outthinking her opponent... She took that for granted. Maybe her uncontested confidence would be her downfall yet. He chose a piece and made the move with more confidence than he felt.

  Liv didn’t take the pawn he expected her to. Instead she zipped across the board with her queen and captured his rook. He hadn’t seen that one coming.

  She raised those green eyes to meet his. “In the end, it’s only a game.”

  He considered the board again, looking for his options. He didn’t have too many. He made a move.

  “You can’t do that,” Liv said. “You’ll put yourself in check.”

  “Okay, then.” He chose another move. Liv moved her queen again, and this time, he saw his path. Two moves later, he had her king cornered. “Checkmate.”

  “My goodness, you just took over the board, didn’t you? Well...I learned something today. You are very good,” she said with a brilliant smile, her glittering green gaze locking onto his. “Good game, Jack.”