The Sheriff of Wickham Falls

by Rochelle Alers

  * * *

  Natalia stood next to Seth admiring their handiwork. They’d completed painting the kitchen in less than two hours. The bluish-gray color was the perfect complement for the stainless-steel appliances. “You did a very nice job, Seth.”

  Attractive lines fanned out around his eyes when he smiled. “So did you,” he countered. “And I’m willing to bet that this isn’t your first painting project.”

  Folding her arms under her breasts, Natalia nodded. “The year I turned thirteen, I asked my mother if I could paint my bedroom and she said okay as long as it wasn’t black. One year it was fluorescent pink, and another year it was lavender. I was in the pink and purple phase for a while until I left for college. It was only after I graduated medical school that Mom told me since I was a doctor, I’d forfeited the room and she was going to paint it with a color of her choice. My mother liked oyster-white walls, which I’ve always found much too sterile. Although Mom tells everyone she’s a very modern woman in reality, she’s very conservative.”

  “There’s something to be said for conservatism.”

  Natalia glanced up at Seth. “You’re a conservative?”

  He angled his head. “I’m more of a traditionalist middle-of-the-road guy.”

  “Is that another way of saying you’re old-school?”

  “Not as much old-school as I am a conventional person. Give me the rules and tell me the law and I will follow them without question.”

  “So, if you were to stop me for speeding, I’d never be able to talk you out of giving me a citation even if I told you I was going to a medical emergency.”

  “That would be the exception because if it’s a 911 call, I’d escort you to see your patient.”

  Natalia knew without question that Seth was inflexible when it came to bending the rules, and she wondered if it was the reason why he wasn’t married or had a girlfriend. That it was his way or the highway.

  “Well, let’s hope I don’t have too many medical emergencies,” she said in a quiet voice.

  “Are you going to alternate hours with Dr. Franklin?” Seth asked.

  “Not initially. We’ll work together for a couple of months until we’re able to establish a routine where we may be able to have at least two late nights to see patients. Speaking of patients, let me look at your thumb again.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “It can’t be okay if you’re massaging it,” Natalia said accusingly.

  * * *

  Seth let go of his left hand. He hadn’t realized he was manipulating his thumb to ease some of the tightness in the digit. Some of the swelling had gone down, but now it appeared to have stiffened. “I hit it pretty hard so it’s going to take a few days before I stop favoring it.”

  Natalia reached for his hand, cradling it in her much smaller one. “Do you want me to spray it again?”

  He snatched his hand away. “No! I’ll ice it again when I get home.”

  “You can apply a warm compress after you ice it again.”

  Seth smiled. “I’ll do that. I’m going to clean up here—”

  “Please don’t,” Natalia, said, cutting him off. “You’ve done enough. I’ll clean up everything. And dinner tonight is my treat.”

  Seth shook his head. “No, it’s not. I never allow a woman to pick up the check when we go out together.”

  “I’m not your date, Seth.”

  “Whether you are or are not my date is irrelevant. I still won’t let you pay for my meal.”

  “What if we go dutch?”

  Not wishing to engage in a verbal confrontation, something he’d done much too often with some women in his past, he forced a smile that did not reach his eyes. “It’s almost three o’clock now, and I’d like to pick you up at six. Is that too early?”

  “Oh... I mean no. It’s not too early.”

  “If that’s the case, then I’ll see you later.”

  Turning on his heel, Seth walked out of the kitchen. It had been less than twelve hours since he met his new neighbor, and there was something about her that intrigued him. He was more than curious about the woman driving a top-of-the-line luxury SUV bearing Pennsylvania plates, and why she was renting a house in The Falls. Seth knew he could easily find out more about his new neighbor by entering her vehicle’s license plate number into a national database accessible to law enforcement but that would be the same as snooping. After all, she wasn’t a suspect or a person of interest in a case he was investigating. And he hoped, after sharing a meal with Natalia, she would answer some of the questions that had him wondering why she had come to The Falls.

  * * *

  Natalia dipped the sable brush into the compact with loose powder that was specially blended to match her complexion, and tapped it lightly against the lid to shake off the surplus before she drew it over her face. Peering into the mirror over the bathroom sink, she stared at her handiwork. Although it had been a while since she’d applied foundation, eye shadow, mascara and lipstick, it was apparent she hadn’t lost her touch. A moisturizer and occasionally lip gloss were the only allowances she made for makeup when working at the hospital, and the last time she made up her face was New Year’s Eve when she’d accompanied her ex to a party hosted by one of the partners at his law firm.

  What had begun as a festive evening ended with them glaring at each other after Daryl accused her of flirting with one of his colleagues. The incident foreshadowed the end of what had become a fragile relationship when she vowed never to attend another social soiree with him unless he apologized for his rude behavior. She waited weeks, and then a month, for him to express regret, but when he didn’t Natalia knew it was time to end their engagement. However, Daryl beat her to it when he moved out and took off with her ring and her dog.

  Now she was preparing to go out with her neighbor. The major difference was that it wasn’t what Natalia deemed a traditional date. However, she had admit to herself that she did find Seth Collier very, very attractive, but even that wasn’t enough for her to think of him as anything other than someone who lived next door. She found it ironic that she’d lived in the condo for eight years and had never socialized with any of the other residents in her building. Although they would occasionally greet one another with a nod or perfunctory greeting, she didn’t know any of their names. Picking up a wide-tooth comb, she ran it through the strands of her short hair and then using her fingers, fluffed them to achieve greater height. Preparing to resign from her position at the hospital, closing on the sale of the condo to her sister and brother-in-law, and then packing the personal items she planned to ship to Wickham Falls hadn’t left time for her to visit her favorite Philly salon for a trim. Fortunately, time was no longer an issue for Natalia with her working shorter hours and she had to decide whether to let her hair grow out or keep it short and virtually maintenance-free.

  The ring of the doorbell startled her as she hurriedly washed her hands and left the bathroom to answer the door. The clock on the living room fireplace mantelpiece chimed the hour. It was exactly six o’clock. Seth said he would pick her up at six and arriving at the appointed time revealed he was a man of his word.

  She unlocked the inner door to find Seth standing on the porch staring at her with an expression she interpreted as temporary shock. She unlatched the storm door and held it open. He’d changed into black slacks with a white untucked shirt open at the neck and spit-shined black boots. Much to her disappointment the stubble from his lean, strong jaw was missing. Natalia wasn’t a big fan of facial hair, but somehow she liked it on Seth.

  “Please, come in. I just have to get my jacket and purse.”

  “That’s all right. I’ll wait here for you.”

  * * *

  Seth had told Natalia he would wait on the porch for her because it would give him time to recover from staring at her slender body in a pair of body-hugging black stretc
h slacks, high-heeled booties and a black-and-white striped silk blouse.

  When Natalia opened the door, Seth felt as if someone had hit him in the chest, causing him to lose his breath, when he stared at her. He couldn’t believe the transformation. She’d gone from a fresh-faced ingenue to a seductress with smoky eye shadow and a raspberry mouth that made him want to taste her lush lips to see if they were as sweet as they appeared. It had been a while since he’d slept with a woman, but that still did not explain his reaction to a woman who unknowingly had him wanting to spend time with her.

  And there were a few questions he wanted her to answer for him: why had she chosen to practice medicine in Wickham Falls and not some other town? Who or what was the reason for her leaving a cosmopolitan city like Philadelphia to live in a town where more than half the populous were at or below the poverty line, and at the same time census numbers were steadily decreasing?

  A smile parted his lips when she returned wearing a loose-fitting black peplum jacket. Her big-city sophistication was definitely on display, and he wondered how long it would take for her to conform to a more relaxed style of dress. Jeans, boots or running shoes were the norm for most residents. Even the local church had eased dress code restrictions where women attended services in slacks, and some of the teenage girls had attempted to push the envelope when they showed up in shorts and tank tops.

  The scent of Natalia’s perfume wafted to his nostrils when she closed and then locked the doors. “You look very nice,” Seth complimented.

  Natalia’s demurely lowered her eyes. “Thank you.”

  Cradling her elbow, he led her down off the porch and over to his driveway where he’d parked the Dodge Charger. Seth opened the passenger-side door and waited until Natalia was seated and belted in before he rounded the car to sit behind the wheel. He didn’t get to drive the powerful muscle car as often as he liked. He had driven it to Savannah and back, but most times he drove his late father’s Ram Pickup to and from the station house to keep it from sitting too long. Even though the sixteen-year-old vehicle had more than a hundred thousand miles on the odometer it still handled like new. His father had claimed the great loves in his life were his wife and children, and then his pickup, which he worked on tirelessly to keep it in tip-top condition.

  “How far is the Wolf Den from here?” Natalia asked when they stopped at the railroad crossing. The gates were down, bells were ringing and red lights were flashing indicating an oncoming train.

  Seth shifted into Park, and then stared at Natalia’s delicate profile as she looked out the windshield. “It’s on the edge of town between The Falls and Mineral Springs.”

  She turned to meet his eyes. “Why isn’t it located downtown like the other businesses?”

  “During Prohibition, the Gibson brothers decided they’d had enough of being miners and pooled their meager savings to buy some land off the beaten track to set up a still to sell moonshine. And to stay one step ahead of the revenuers they built the restaurant as a front for their illegal activities.”

  “Were they ever caught and prosecuted?”

  Seth smiled. “No. There was no way folks were going to snitch on them because it would cut off their supply of some of the best hooch in the county. Once Prohibition was repealed, the Gibsons wanted to move the restaurant into town, but several town council members retaliated and passed a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol within the business district. They’d assumed it was their way of punishing them for breaking the law, but it backfired. The Den became even more popular among those folks because they had a place where they could drink openly and eat some of the best barbecue food in Johnson County.”

  “What about Ruthie’s?”

  “Ruthie’s is a family style, all-you-can-eat buffet restaurant. Their busiest times are weekends when kids are out of school and also when families gather there following church services.”

  A slight frown furrowed Natalia’s smooth forehead. “Are you saying Sunday dinners are passé?”

  “It is with some families.”

  “When I grew up we had a tradition that the first Sunday in each month the extended family would get together. We’d rotate homes. One Sunday it would be our house, and then it would be one of my aunts. My grandmothers would compete with each other as to who could come up with the best desserts. Most times it was a draw because whatever they made was spectacular.”

  Seth chuckled. “Everyone brags about their grandmother’s cooking. You’ll discover that during our Fourth of July bake-off competition. Around here, holidays are cause for the entire town to turn out and celebrate. We have the upcoming Memorial Day parade and picnic.”

  “Mr. Grand at the hardware store was bending my ear about the parade,” Natalia said, smiling.

  “It’s a big deal in The Falls because of so many active military and former veterans.”

  “Like you?”

  Seth nodded. “Yes, like me. I suppose you noticed the American and US Marine Corps flags attached to the porch.”

  “That and the Semper Fidelis decal on the bumper of this car,” she said, laughing softly. “Is it true once a marine, always a marine?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “What other holidays do you celebrate big-time?”

  “The Fourth of July. We combine that with three nights of carnival rides, games and food contests. Labor Day is a little low-key with family cookouts. Then the whole town also turns out to celebrate Halloween. There are games and a photo gallery where parents can pose in costume with their children. After sunset, there are tailgate parties, hayrides and bonfires with folks taking turns reading ghost stories. It’s the perfect segue to our Fall Frolic, Thanksgiving and then Christmas. Once most of the mines closed and kids were leaving to join the military or find employment elsewhere, those who couldn’t or didn’t want to leave The Falls look forward to the town-wide get-togethers.”

  “It must have been fun growing up here with all of the holiday celebrations.”

  “It was and still is,” Seth confirmed. “The adults have as much fun as their children.”

  * * *

  Natalia stared at the passing cars of the freight train, some of them carrying hazardous materials, and remembered the excitement in Johnnie Lee Grand’s voice when he talked nonstop about the upcoming parade and wondered if Seth would become a participant.

  “How many people leave and come back?” she asked.

  She realized she was asking way too many questions, but it served as a foil not to think about the man sitting inches from her. There was something about Seth that made it impossible for her to ignore him. She found his overall virility, soothing drawling voice and smiling light brown eyes fascinating.

  Resting an arm over the back of her seat, Seth exhaled an audible sigh. “Not too many. There was a time when my father was drafted to serve in Vietnam that most of the boys who survived came back to work in the mines like their fathers, grandfathers and generations of men before them. Then after the mines closed, most of those who went into the military didn’t bother to come back because there were no jobs for them. The members of the town council have repeatedly voted down allowing chains to set up here because although it would provide employment opportunities, the downside is it would also put local shopkeepers out of business.”

  Natalia turned slightly to give Seth a long, penetrating stare. “What made your dad come back?”

  “A pretty girl who was in college studying to become a schoolteacher caught his eye. My father had just begun dating my mother when his number came up. He wanted to marry her before being shipped out, but she refused, saying she didn’t want to be a young war widow. She told him if and when he came back she would marry him. He made it through the war physically unscathed except for occasional flashbacks which plagued him for years. He married my mother and because he was good at fixing things, he started up a home repair business. Dad could
glance at a diagram of something and put it together without looking at it again.”

  “So, your father was never a coal miner?”

  “No. But my grandfather and his father before him were. Grandpa used to say all of us were different colors when we went down in the mines, but at the end of the day when we came out, we were all the same color from the coal dust.”

  “And it was the same when they were diagnosed with black lung,” Natalia whispered.

  “You’re right about that. Mining was both a blessing and a curse. It provided men with money to take care of their wives and children, but it also destroyed entire families when fathers, grandfathers, sons, brothers and uncles were killed or injured because of unsafe conditions. If you travel throughout the state you’ll see memorials erected to honor those who lost their lives in mine disasters.”

  Natalia remembered television coverage of a mining disaster in West Virginia when she was in her last year of medical school. Experts reported it was preventable because the owners had neglected to install safety systems. The mines may have closed in and around Wickham Falls, but mining for coal, copper, silver, iron, lead, diamonds, gemstones and other minerals was still in operation in the States and all over the world.

  “Why did you come back?”

  “Initially I’d planned to make the military my career, but after eighteen years, I came back to be with my mother after my father passed away. My father had retired and my sisters who were living in Georgia were begging them to move closer to their grandchildren. Mom would’ve gone years ago, but Dad didn’t want to leave his buddies who got together every week to play cards and trade war stories. Four months after I became a civilian, the sheriff approached me to join the department as a deputy because he knew I’d been military police. Once I was sworn in, Mom told me she was moving to Savannah, so I utilized my GI bill and bought the house from her. She moved into a townhome several blocks from my younger sister.”

  Natalia smiled. “So, you’re one of the rare ones who left and came back to stay.”