It was nine o’clock and the business district was waking up. Shopkeepers were sweeping and then hosing down sidewalks in front of their businesses. Natalia realized it would take her a while to get used to a lifestyle that seemed to move much slower than she was used to. She’d had to drive to a restaurant off the interstate for breakfast, because Ruthie’s, the local eating establishment, did not open to the public until eleven.
She walked into Grand Hardware and saw a man who looked like a department store Santa Claus without the red suit. His bright blue eyes sparkled like polished blue topaz when he smiled.
“Good morning, ma’am. How can I help you this morning?”
Natalia returned his friendly smile with one of her own. “I need two gallons of high-quality latex, semigloss paint, several brushes and some rollers with extension poles, a pan and liners, tape and drop cloths.”
The rotund middle-aged man with snow-white hair and a matching mustache and beard patted his belly over a bibbed apron. “What color are you looking for?”
The kitchen was a stark-white, a shade she found much too sterile. “Let me see your paint samples.” It took her less than five minutes to select a color labeled Harbor Mist. It was a pale blue-gray, a shade that would complement the stainless-steel appliances and bleached pine cabinetry. “Do have paint that can cover stains?”
“That means you need one with a primer. It will eliminate you applying more than one coat.”
Forty minutes after walking into the hardware store, Natalia had selected everything she needed to give the kitchen a new coat of paint, while Johnnie Lee Grand talked nonstop about the preparations for the town’s upcoming Memorial Day parade until he left her to wait on another customer.
She loaded her purchases in the cargo area of her SUV, and then drove down the street to the supermarket. An hour later, the shopping cart was nearly overflowing with items to stock the pantry and the refrigerator-freezer. Natalia generously tipped the young man who bagged and stacked the bags neatly in her vehicle. She was more than impressed with the selection of fresh meat and poultry in the butcher department. She could not remember the last time she would have structured her work hours where she would be able to come home and prepare dinner for herself. Natalia rarely ate fast food, and the hospital’s cafeteria menu, although deemed nutritious, rarely varied from day to day.
The downtown area was bustling with activity when she left the supermarket and headed back to the house. It was May 1, and while winter was just loosening it brutal grip on Philadelphia, spring was in full bloom in southeastern West Virginia. The daytime temperature was in the low seventies, trees had put forth their leaves as did flowering plants their colorful yield. The cacophony of bird chatter as they flitted from branch to branch had become music to Natalia’s ears.
I think I’m really going to like living in Wickham Falls, she mused as she maneuvered into the driveway to the house on Stewart Avenue. Most of the homes along the street sat on one-square-acre parcels that were larger than those in other areas of the town. And of all of the houses on the avenue, the one she occupied was the smallest.
She’d just exited the SUV when she saw her neighbor sitting on his porch. “How’s the thumb?”
He rose and leaned over the porch railing. “It’s still swollen, so I’m taking your advice and icing it.”
Natalia smiled. “That’s good.”
“Do you need help unloading your car?”
She shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“I think you do,” he countered when she set several bags on the ground.
“I’m really good here.” Her protestations were ignored when he came down off the porch and stood next to her.
“Why don’t you go and open the door and I’ll bring everything in?”
Natalia tilted her head and stared up at the man with balanced features and large golden-brown laughing eyes. Stubble on his strong, square jaw enhanced his overt virility. She had viewed more naked men than she could count since entering medical school, yet there was something about her neighbor’s physique that reminded her of the perfection of the male human body. And it was obvious he worked out because she couldn’t detect an ounce of fat on his torso under the white T-shirt.
“It’s all right, Mr.—”
“Collier,” he said, interrupting her. “The name is Seth Collier. And yours? Because as neighbors I shouldn’t have to refer to you as Dr. Hawkins.”
“It’s Natalia. I can take the bags. I don’t want you to reinjure your thumb.”
Seth smiled, exhibiting perfectly aligned white teeth. “And if I do, then you can tend to me again.”
Natalia returned his smile. “If I treat you again, then I’ll have to send you a bill.”
“That’s okay because I do have medical insurance. Now, please go and unlock your door so I can bring in your groceries.” He peered in one of the bags. “You need to put your perishables in the fridge before they go bad.”
“Okay.”
She walked up the porch to her house and unlocked the screen door, and then the inner door. Seth had brought in four bags, setting them on the floor in the living room, when she walked past him to bring in more.
“What are you painting?” he asked when he placed the paint cans next to the bag with the brushes and rollers.
“The kitchen.”
Seth crossed muscular arms over his chest. “Who’s going to do the painting?”
“I am.” Natalia picked up the bags with the dairy products and headed for the kitchen.
Seth followed, carrying two bags in each hand. “That’s not a small job.”
She smiled at him over her shoulder. “I know. It should take me a couple of days before I finish. I didn’t have to buy a ladder because I found one in the utility closet near the back door.”
“You could finish a lot sooner if I help you.”
Natalia gave Seth a lingering stare. She did not find him off-putting or even threatening, but she wasn’t used to strangers offering their services within hours of her meeting them. “Don’t you have a job, Mr. Collier?”
“It’s Seth, and yes, I have a job. Right now I’m on vacation, so I’m trying to be neighborly and also appreciative for you treating my hand. If you hadn’t, then I would’ve had to wait for Dr. Franklin to open his office before he could see me, or drive six miles to the county hospital and spend half the morning in the ER. You’re new to The Falls, and I want to let you know that folks here always help out their neighbors.”
She nodded. “You’re right. I am new here, so it’s going to take a while before I get used to your way of doing things. And how can I repay you if I allow you to help me?”
A hint of a smile tilted the corners of Seth’s firm mouth. “I’d like a home-cooked meal.”
A laugh slipped through Natalia’s parted lips. “You want me to cook for you?” Seth nodded. “How do you know if I can put together a palatable meal?”
His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “You didn’t buy all of this fresh food just to look at it. Otherwise you would’ve selected prepackaged meals.”
“What about your wife or your girlfriend, Seth? Do they cook for you?”
“No, because I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend. My cooking skills are passable, and when I don’t cook for myself, then I’ll occasionally eat at Ruthie’s or the Wolf Den. I’m certain you passed Ruthie’s on your way to the supermarket, while the Wolf Den is a sports bar located between here and Mineral Springs.”
Natalia began emptying the bag with milk, butter, eggs, yogurt and cheese. She could not begin to imagine why a man who looked like Seth wasn’t married or involved with a woman.
“What exactly do you do when you’re not on vacation?”
“I’m a deputy.”
She blinked slowly. “You’re a US deputy marshal?”
“No. I’m Wickham F
alls’ deputy sheriff. And what brings you to The Falls?”
Natalia opened the French door refrigerator and then moved several open boxes of baking soda to the back before she stored the perishables on shelves and in drawers. “I’m here to assist Dr. Franklin.”
Seth applauded. “Well, it’s about time he hired someone to help him out. Folks have been known to spend hours in his office waiting for him to see them just for a follow-up visit.”
“That’s because he’s very thorough,” Natalia said in defense of her new boss. She’d watched him examine one of his patients who had come in complaining of back pain.
“Thorough and very, very slow,” Seth countered. “When do you want to start painting?” he asked.
“Today,” she confirmed.
“If we work together I’m certain we can finish today.”
Natalia wanted to tell Seth that she still had to unpack boxes, but didn’t want to appear ungrateful. “If I’m going to spend the entire afternoon painting, then I can’t cook for you.”
“That’s not a problem. I’ll take you to the Wolf Den tonight and you can cook for me tomorrow.”
Natalia did not want to believe her neighbor had mentioned taking her out to eat as if it was something they’d done before. And she hoped he didn’t think of it as a date, because she wasn’t ready to date any man, even one as attractive as her next-door neighbor. “You’re really on this kick for me to cook for you.”
“I told you it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent home-cooked meal.”
Despite his obvious arrogance, Natalia did not want to believe she had hit the jackpot when it came to a neighbor. Not only was he tall, dark and deliciously handsome, but he was also willing to donate his time to help her paint. “Do you usually moonlight as a painter in your spare time?”
Throwing back his head, Seth laughed loudly. “Not quite. My dad was a local handyman.” He held up his left hand when Natalia opened her mouth. “Don’t say it,” he warned softly.
“Don’t say what?” she said as she struggled not to smile.
“You were going to mention my hitting my hand instead of the nail.”
“That’s called an accident,” she said, rather than tease him about his mishap with the hammer. “Give me about twenty minutes to put everything away and for me to change my clothes, and then we can begin painting. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”
Her eyes met Seth’s. The magnetism coming off him in waves held her captive until Natalia dropped her gaze. She could feel pinpoints of heat stinging her face and she was grateful for her darker complexion to conceal what would’ve been an obvious blush. And she also prayed he hadn’t caught her staring at him like a starstruck groupie coming face-to-face with her idol.
Seth gave her a mock salute. “I’ll see you later.”
Natalia exhaled an audible breath of relief when Seth walked out of the kitchen. She had relocated to Wickham Falls to become a small-town doctor, and had no intention of falling under the spell of her sexy neighbor.
Chapter Two
Seth wasn’t certain why he had volunteered to help Natalia paint the kitchen because he knew her treating his hand had little to do with it. However, he did appreciate her concern, which told him she hadn’t hesitated when she believed he’d seriously injured himself. And he had been truthful when he told her that folks living in Wickham Falls looked out for one another.
He’d spent the first eighteen years of his life in The Falls and the next eighteen serving his country as a marine. Now, at thirty-eight, he was back to stay. Unlike some kids who couldn’t wait to grow up to leave, it had been different with Seth. Perhaps it had something to do with reconnecting with his parents and sisters, because each time he was granted leave it was to come back to his hometown.
He walked into his house and descended the staircase to the basement. In the two years since his honorable discharge, Seth spent most of his spare time working on the house where he had grown up. He had updated the kitchen and finished the basement. He’d also had a company put on a new roof and replace worn shingles with vinyl siding.
Seth knew he had disappointed his late father when after graduating high school he refused to join Adam Collier’s general contracting business. But, the elder Collier understood his son’s wish to embark on a military career because of the stories he’d told Seth about serving in Vietnam, as well as Seth’s grandfather fighting in Korea.
Seth opened the door to a storeroom and selected an extension pole for a paint roller, a pan and several pan liners, a pair of safety glasses and a package of respirators to prevent the inhaling of paint fumes. He checked the shelves and made a mental note to restock several items the next time he went to Grand Hardware. Like most residents in The Falls, Seth made a concerted effort to shop locally, although he could save a lot more money by shopping in the stores off the interstate.
Ten years ago, members on the town council embarked on a shop locally campaign to sustain the viability of the independent stores in the business district. Every couple of years, they voted down proposals to allow national chains or franchises in Wickham Falls, much to the delight of local business owners.
Gathering what he needed for the painting project, Seth returned to the first story. The throbbing in his left thumb was an indication he had to ice it again. He retrieved an ice pack from the freezer and placed it over his hand. He’d hoped the swelling would disappear before he was scheduled to return to work. The sheriff, an ex-marine drill sergeant, who was noticeably out of shape himself, expected all of his deputies to be physically and mentally fit to perform their duties.
After icing his thumb, Seth exchanged his jeans and T-shirt for a pair of painter bib overalls, a long-sleeved cotton polo and paint-spattered running shoes, then covered his head with a tattered baseball cap. He felt as comfortable in what he deemed work clothes as he had in his military police and deputy sheriff uniform.
* * *
Natalia had emptied the bags and stored her groceries in the refrigerator-freezer, on shelves in the miniscule pantry, and had changed out of her blouse and jeans and into a pair of shorts she should’ve discarded last summer and an oversize white T-shirt. A pair of flip-flops had replaced the ballet flats. She debated whether to cover her short hair with a hat or a bandanna, and then decided on the latter.
Affecting a short, natural wash-and-go hairstyle had been advantageous when working double, and on occasion triple, shifts at the hospital. Then she would shower in the doctors’ lounge, grab at least four hours of sleep, then go back on duty. She had been so sleep-deprived, Natalia knew she would never catch up on the hours she’d lost. She was looking forward to assisting Dr. Franklin, because not only would it be a different environment but she would be able to develop a relationship with her patients.
Natalia left the bedroom and walked into the kitchen, smiling when she saw Seth standing on the ladder and putting blue tape around the windows, cabinets and along the ceiling. He’d removed the stools at the breakfast island and covered the countertops and the round oaken table and four chairs in the eat-in kitchen with drop cloths. The radio positioned under a row of overhead cabinets was tuned to a station playing soft jazz.
“I didn’t hear you come in,” she said. Seth had entered the house so quietly that Natalia hadn’t detected his presence.
Seth glanced at her over his shoulder. “That’s a warning that you should keep at least one of the doors locked whenever you’re home alone, because you don’t want someone to walk in on you. Nowadays you have to take every precaution to protect yourself.”
“Wickham Falls is so small that I thought there wouldn’t be a lot of crime here.”
He climbed down off of the ladder. “We don’t have much when compared to larger towns or cities but there is crime here.”
“What about opiates?” Natalia asked.
Turning slowly, he
gave her a direct stare. “Did Dr. Franklin tell you about our drug problem?”
Natalia shook her head. “He didn’t have to. It’s become an epidemic that’s affecting large and small cities and towns throughout the country. Even the so-called affluent neighborhoods aren’t exempt.”
“Amen,” Seth confirmed under his breath. He opened a gallon of paint, attached the pour spout and slowly drizzled paint from the can into the pan with a liner, then repeated the action with the second one. “I brought over an extra pan for the paint, so we can both use rollers.”
Natalia glanced around the kitchen. “How long do you think it’s going to take us to finish painting this?”
“Probably about two to three hours.”
“What I don’t understand is the walls in the other rooms are spotless, while the kitchen is a mess.”
The house’s pristine condition and updated appliances, along with a washer and dryer in the unfinished basement, were the reasons Natalia had decided to rent it. When she’d questioned the realtor why the home had remained vacant for a year, the woman said interested tenants complained that the rent, which included a two-month security fee, was out of their price range, but for Natalia it was less than what she’d once paid for her mortgage and maintenance on her condo.
“I’m willing to bet that Chandler’s nephews are the culprits,” Seth said.
“Mrs. Riley at the realty company told me that my absentee landlord is a confirmed bachelor and lived alone.”
“He is and does, but every once in a while, his sister would drop off her twin boys and that’s when chaos erupted. Chandler and his sister were raised by a single mother. They were never allowed to have friends over because Mrs. Evans said she didn’t want them tracking dirt inside. Chandler is also a neat freak, but he’s also a very indulgent uncle when it comes to his nephews.”
Although she was curious to know more about her landlord and her neighbor, Natalia decided not to question Seth further because she wanted them to finish their painting project. Picking up a disposable respirator, she put it on and then protected her hands with a pair of rubber gloves.
The Sheriff of Wickham Falls Page 2