Laurel…
She was gone.
Hayes turned, facing his cruiser, his weapon a heavy weight on his waist. And as he strode into the dark night, he knew Laurel’s innocent life wasn’t the only one stolen, but part of Maisie’s soul, along with his own, died that night too.
“Hayes.”
The warmth of Maisie’s hand sprawled on his chest brought him back to her. He turned his head again, catching the warm concern in her eyes. Christ, he wanted to believe that this time he’d get everything right, and tell her everything, explain what really happened and why he still struggled. His lips parted and yet, his hot sweat turned ice cold, the words he wanted to say refusing to leave his mouth. “But what if I do hurt you?” he barely managed.
Her hand lay against his heart. “It’s incredibly sweet that you’re worried about hurting me, but let’s focus on the present. We’re okay. This is good.” She leaned up a little, offering him everything with a single look. “So, tell me, Hayes, what do you want?”
His gaze roamed over her pouty lips, those eyes that pulled him out of the darkness. “You.” He moved then, sliding between her legs, putting his weight onto his arms, and dropped his mouth close to hers. “Again, and again, and again, and maybe even then, it won’t be enough.”
She brushed her lips against his. “Then show me.”
And he did. Again, and again, and again.
8
The next morning, the alarm woke Maisie up at eight, but she opted to enjoy the heat and strength of Hayes again before she got into the shower. He’d come in before she got out and kept her busy for another half an hour before they hit the road. They’d grabbed some breakfast burritos and coffee on the way, and she actually felt a little normal in the dream-like haze of the past few days. For months she’d wanted just this, to have something more than friendship with Hayes. And yet, even when she looked over at him, driving with the window down again, the wind in his hair, she could feel him holding back.
The truth was, she wasn’t sure he’d ever let go again. Not that she blamed him. He’d been through so much. Too much. Changed in ways that even Maisie wasn’t sure she’d ever understand. Hayes had seen Laurel that night. Found her in a way no husband should ever find his wife.
She turned her head, staring out at the trees passing by in a blur, the cars in the double-lane highway rushing past them as Hayes took it easy with the trailer behind his truck. She racked her brain to figure out how to shake him up a bit, loosen the dust on the way he’d been living. Find a way past those guards around him.
That’s when she saw it. First, a giant spinning Ferris wheel. Then the colorful looping roller coaster up ahead.
“Stop,” she exclaimed, pointing out the window. “Please, please can we go?”
Hayes glanced out the window then arched an eyebrow at her. “To the amusement park?”
“Yes!” She bounced in her seat, feeling like a kid begging for some candy. It had been years since she’d been to a decent amusement park. For days, she’d been on her best behavior, working hard. A little fun wouldn’t hurt anyone. And the truth was, sometimes she wondered if Hayes even remembered how to have fun. She knew for a fact he hadn’t been out on the town very much, other than when Beckett dragged him out to the bar for a drink.
Hayes tapped his finger on the steering wheel, his lips thinning. “I hate to sound like an old, crotchety, responsible person, but do we not have another festival to get to?”
“We do,” Maisie said slowly. “But Boulder is only an hour away. We’ve got all day to get there. The festival doesn’t start until seven tonight, so we’ve got time to blow. Come on. It’ll be fun.” She pressed her hands together on her chest. “Please, please, please.”
Hayes shook his head at her then hedged, “Clara can never know about this. I like my balls where they are.”
Maisie laughed. “Well, since I like your balls where they are too, I promise she’ll never know.”
The bright smile he gave her in response stayed with Maisie as they parked the truck. The sweet happiness in that smile stayed with her as Hayes paid for them to get inside the amusement park. The warmth that touched her only grew hotter when she sat next to Hayes as the clanking of the roller-coaster’s chain pulled them higher and higher until it began to slow at the top. Laughter and cheering surrounded them, loud music blasting across the blue sky.
She glanced sideways at Hayes when they reached the top and hung there for a second. His easy grin took her breath away.
“Hold on tight,” he said, his fingers twined with hers against the bar.
Something broken that lived deep in her chest began to heal, but then the car tipped forward. The wind rushed over her face as the car raced down the metal rails, her scream breaking through the silence as her stomach bottomed out. The whoosh of the air brakes forced her head back against the headrest. She burst out laughing and looked over at Hayes, finding his hair wind-blown, a wide smile on his face. The biggest smile she’d seen on him in a very long time.
Feeling like she got today totally right, she hurried out of the roller-coaster car when it pulled to a stop. “Come on,” she said, tugging him along. “We only have two hours. I need all the fun.”
This was what she could give Hayes that no one else could. She knew how to have fun. Live. Enjoy. Be free. She never needed any help with that. And to finally do something that she was amazing at, felt good.
Hayes smiled, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s do this.”
One hour quickly turned into two. They’d gone through a two-story haunted house painted in gloomy colors. She nearly threw up on the swinging pirate ship see-sawing back and forth against a blue sky. And they rode enough roller coasters that the ground felt a little wobbly as she walked toward a funhouse with a creepy clown entrance. She hurried forward, and over her shoulder, she said, “You get a kiss if you find me.”
With a chuckle, she rushed inside before he could answer, entering the maze of mirrors. Hands out, Maisie moved along the maze and bumped into more mirrors than she could count, until she was deep enough inside that he couldn’t find her too easily. She circled around, only seeing herself. Then she blinked and Hayes stood there, a smile on his face.
She gasped. “How the hell—”
His smile faded to something hotter. He had her up against wall in a millisecond and kissed her with a passion that weakened her knees and had her nearly climbing up his body.
“Get a room,” a laughing teenager yelled before he and his group took off running through the maze.
Hayes nipped her bottom lip then chuckled. “We were that stupid once.”
“I remember,” she said with a laugh. “How did you find me so fast?”
“I followed the floor,” he said, gesturing down to the worn hardwood. “This isn’t a complicated maze.”
She slowly shook her head. “The mirrors always make things so much more confusing. You and your logical brain amaze me.”
“Well, you and your creative brain amaze me too.” He dropped his chin, the slight scruffiness above his lip tickling hers as he gave her another soft kiss. “I hate to ruin the fun, but we have a schedule we need keep. We should probably get on our way.”
She sighed. “Yup, our last festival awaits.”
That statement hung in the air between them as they made their way out of the maze, passing the group of still-laughing teenagers. Maisie tried not to think about what would happen once they got home. Was sex still on the table? Or was this just fun while they were away? It didn’t feel like only fun, but it also didn’t feel like Hayes was offering up much beyond that either. They strode down the row of carnival games, passing by the floating duck game, when Hayes said, “Hold up.” He turned to the shooting gallery with pop-up targets, the giant stuffed animals hanging off the ceiling as prizes.
Maisie sidled up to him as he gave the attendant a five-dollar bill. He picked up the gun, took aim. One by one, the targets fell. Maisie had never seen Haye
s in action, but she remembered him in his police uniform back in the day. The whole cowboy thing suited him, but he also, with his eyes on the target, looked like a cop.
When the bells dinged to signal the end of the game, the attendant yelled, “We have a winner. Pick a prize.”
Hayes glanced back over his shoulder with a shit-eating grin. “Well?”
She studied the stuffed animals around her, trying to find the perfect one to remember this day. Then she found exactly what she was looking for. She pointed. “The bear, please.”
The attendant took down the huge bear that was half the size of Maisie and handed it to her. Without looking at them again, the attendant yelled out, “Winner. Winner. Winner. We got ourselves a winner here. Who’s next?”
Maisie hugged the bear tight as Hayes asked, “Why the bear?”
“Because it reminds me of you. Of this road trip.”
He arched an eyebrow. “I remind you of a bear. Do I want to know why?”
“Oh, it’s not so bad.” She began walking and he settled into stride with her. “You’re all broody and growly, but really, you’re all soft and snuggly on the inside.”
He snorted. “Please don’t repeat that ever.”
She laughed and slid her arm through his, inhaling the sweet goodness of the doughnuts sizzling in the vats of oil nearby. “I had no idea you could shoot like that.”
“I’m a cop—” He cleared his throat, averting his gaze. “Was a cop. Came with the training.”
She didn’t poke that topic. Hayes was an amazing police officer. He seemed born to protect others. She could tell he missed it, the longing was there is his eyes whenever they talked about his life as a police officer, but she didn’t press him on why he’d walked away from his job. She understood the need to let go of an old life to make sure you survived in the new one. They passed a tired toddler crying as his mother tended to the scrape on his knee on the way out the parking lot.
“Ma’am, can I help?” Hayes asked the woman.
She glanced up and gave him a lopsided smile. “I’m all right, but thanks for the offer.”
He nodded, striding forward down the rows of parked cars, like his reaction was no big deal.
But it was. To Maisie. She laid her head on his shoulder. “You’re sweet, you know that?”
“By offering to help her?” Hayes asked.
“Most people wouldn’t do that.” Hayes did because he was a public servant. He was born from generations of cops. She dropped a kiss onto his muscled bicep and told him the God’s honest truth. “I’m happy you’re in my life.”
He stopped walking then and pulled her against him, and set those warm whiskey-colored eyes on her. “And I’m happy you’re in mine.” He kissed her forehead before leveling her with the sweetest smile. “Thank you for today. It’s been a long time since…”
She leaned against him and filled in what he couldn’t say. “I had a lot of fun too.”
His tender smile was his only reply. He turned to walk away, when suddenly, his steps faltered.
“What?” she asked in question, glancing ahead.
She instantly realized the problem. A rush of heat swept over her, and not in a good way. She looked left then right, but only saw cars. She scanned the area again. And again. “Um, Hayes, where is the truck?”
He slowly turned to her, jaw set. “I have no fucking clue.”
Hayes swore he’d never step foot into a police station again. Because of Maisie, he’d seen the inside of two in the last two days. He took stock of her sitting in the hallway of the Boulder police department. She kept looking at the clock on the wall, twisting the ring on her finger. Today had been…amazing, the best he’d had in a long time. And Maisie was the reason. Something restless in him settled. Something that felt good, instead of painful. Something that told him it wasn’t wrong for him to smile.
Needing to be close, he reached over and took her delicate fingers into his, and she jerked her head toward him. “It’s going to be okay,” he told her.
She gave a quick nod and began fingering her necklace.
Unsure of how to fix this for her, Hayes brushed his thumb across the back of her palm, glancing out at the station. The sound of a crying baby came from the room across the hallway. To his left, officers discussed cases behind glass. To the right, cops were chatting and joking in the breakroom. The camaraderie was something he missed most. After Laurel’s murder, he’d shut everyone out. But this place, the smells of old coffee and stale air, felt familiar. Good. Almost like a missing part of Hayes was sitting in there.
Maisie nearly jumped out of her skin when Hayes’s cell phone rang. He reached for it in his pocket, looked at the screen. “It’s Beckett.”
Again, she nodded, not looking at him.
Hayes hit answer and lifted the phone to his ear. “Hey.”
“At least this time you’re not behind bars,” Beckett said by way of greeting.
Hayes snorted, stretching out his legs, keeping Maisie’s hand on his thigh. “Hilarious. Care to tell me how you know I’m at a police station?”
At that, Maisie’s gaze jerked to him. The remainder of the color left her face, leaving her ghostly white. He made a mental note to find some juice and maybe a chocolate bar after the call, to get her sugar up. He didn’t want her passing out or throwing up.
“Your dad called,” Beckett replied. “He put me on standby to come and get you guys, since he’s stuck at the station, figured you might need a ride.”
Hayes called his father on the way to the police station after the cops showed up at the amusement park. He explained the situation, desperate to get more eyes out there looking for his truck and the Three Chicks Brewery trailer. He appreciated his father’s kind sentiment. “Thanks for being on standby. We’re hanging tight for now. I’ll let you know if we need that ride.”
Beckett said, “Sounds good. It’s un-fucking-real that someone would take the truck at a beer festival. Pretty ballsy. The place had to be packed.”
Hayes shifted in his seat, his chest tightening as the guilt of their reality washed over him. “We were at an amusement park on the way to Boulder this morning. It happened there.”
A pause. Then Beckett chuckled. “Well, I’m glad to hear that Maisie is rubbing off on you. I don’t think I’ve seen you do anything spontaneous or fun in a long time.” Another hesitation, then Hayes chuckled lightly, acknowledging the truth in the statement, as Beckett added, “But, man, I’m sorry this happened. Shitty deal.”
“Yeah, thanks,” Hayes agreed.
Two male officers, with fresh steaming coffee cups walked by, the keys on their belts jingling, when Beckett asked, “How’s Maisie holding up?”
Hayes slid his gaze to her. Her knee bounced a mile a minute, the nail on her thumb bit down to nothing.
“Hanging in there.” He scrubbed at his face, rubbing his tired eyes. “I’m hoping this gets wrapped up soon. My dad made some calls to a few sheriffs. They’ve got units looking for my truck, and the detective working the case seems on top of it.”
“That’s good. What time do you have to get to Boulder for the festival?”
“Five, at the latest.” Hayes looked at the clock on the wall. They still had three hours to find the truck and the trailer. When Maisie’s knee began bouncing faster, he squeezed her hand tight, continuing to brush his thumb across her soft skin. “We’ve got time,” he said to reassure her.
Beckett’s heavy voice showed his doubts. “What chance do you really think you’ll make it to the festival?” When Hayes didn’t answer, Beckett snorted. “That bad, eh?”
“Yeah.” At this point, there was a fifty-fifty chance they’d find his truck in time, but Hayes knew the mind of a criminal. They wanted the beer. They’d likely stolen the truck and trailer simply for that. Clara and Amelia could always drive more beer up for the festival, if they found the trailer with the jockey box, but Hayes wasn’t sure they’d have the time to pull that off. And of course, there was
the other fifty percent chance that they wouldn’t find the truck at all.
Beckett asked, “They’ve got no leads whatsoever?”
“None that the detective working the case knows about, but from what I hear, this isn’t the first time a car has gone missing from the amusement park over the last few weeks.”
“Pricks,” Beckett muttered.
Hayes nearly responded when he noticed a man coming down the hallway. “Listen, I’ve got to run. I’ll reach out if we need that ride.”
“Good luck.”
The call ended, and Hayes nudged Maisie’s arm. “I suspect we’ve got news.”
She glanced to her left and stiffened enough that Hayes held her hand tighter.
Detective Stewart, an older gentleman who was likely not far off from retirement strode toward them. He was a fit guy, obviously lifted weights to keep in shape. His bushy salt-and-pepper beard matched the stylish cut of hair on his head. When they’d first been introduced, he’d worn a three-piece suit. Now his white dress shirt was rolled up at the sleeves. The firm set of his mouth wasn’t a good sign.
“We’ve found your truck and trailer,” the detective said, stopping next to Maisie.
She rose on shaky legs. Hayes followed suit, sliding an arm around her back, bringing her close, as she asked, “Where?”
Detective Stewart said, “In a rural area, about five miles from here.”
“Thank God,” Maisie breathed. “Can we go get it?”
The detective shifted on his feet as he lifted his phone and unlocked it. “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news on that front.”
He handed Maisie the phone. She narrowed her eyes on the screen, and Hayes leaned in, realizing exactly what he saw. Maisie, with an untrained eye for examining burnt metal, asked, “What exactly am I looking at?”
Detective Stewart said, “Your trailer, I’m afraid. That’s all that’s left of it.”
Maisie’s shoulders curled forward, caving into her chest.
Sassy Blonde: USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR Page 10