Her Husband’s Partner

by Jeanie London

  Because he wanted someone to care about him?

  Throwing his arm over his face, Scott tried to block out his thoughts. But the trouble wasn’t something he could shut out by closing his eyes.

  Had he envied Mike? The loving wife. The cute kids. The whole crazy package including extended Italian family. Or was it that seeing Mike’s life up close and personal had been working him over subconsciously, making him rethink choices he’d made long ago? He dated his fair share of women, but always kept it simple. He didn’t get involved. Scott had reasons for handling life the way he did.

  He came from bad blood. While he’d grown far from his roots, he didn’t trust himself. Couldn’t. Any man who could covet a friend’s wife… While Scott would never act on his feelings, the fact that he felt the way he did proved him untrustworthy.

  And maybe that was the real trouble. Riley wasn’t married anymore. She was just a woman. And one he cared about.

  So much more than he should.

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  RILEY FINALLY GOT Jake to school, and he’d pulled through when she’d needed him to tough out the situation. Not only had he been worried about Camille, but he’d known Riley was upset. She hadn’t said a word, but he’d known.

  So, her tough little guy had given her an extra big squeezy hug before getting out of the minivan. He hadn’t uttered one word of complaint. It was as if the separation anxiety he’d felt last week had never been.

  Riley never failed to be amazed by how many emotions she could feel at once. Pride that her son had found his courage. Gut-wrenching worry about her darling girl at home. Appreciation that Scott had blown in to save the day.

  And guilt, guilt, guilt for leaving.

  She had no clue whether or not Camille was finally asleep or if her head was still throbbing hard enough to make her tummy sick. Riley hadn’t hung around long enough to know whether her daughter had managed to keep the medicine down. If not, Scott was likely now holding the bucket, treated to a gritty reality of parenthood no serial single man should have to face.

  Serial single.

  The phrase popped into her head from nowhere, maybe some unmemorable article or bit of research. But it described Scott. She recalled her conversation with Caroline, but couldn’t reconcile the Scott she knew with a man who had trouble committing—not given the relationships he had in his life. He was a solid, loyal man who was in for the long haul. That much he’d proven over and over again. His dedication to the PPD. To the kids at Renaissance. In his friendship with Mike and his continuing and evolving friendship with her.

  Then again, Riley reminded herself, Scott had always been a closed book. She couldn’t assume anything about him or about life. She’d learned that firsthand. She’d never imagined choosing a press conference over her sick child, yet here she was. The past two years had been nothing if not an exercise in recognizing that life wasn’t obliged to follow her plans.

  But despite the unexpected start to the morning, she managed to make the press conference. Of course, she had to bypass municipal parking for a place on a side street, but she scooted through the door seconds before the executive director took his place in front of the podium.

  Then she put everything from her head and worked.

  The executive director—former director, now that the man had surprised everyone by resigning his appointment—fielded too many questions about the charges of contractual corruption. But Riley lucked out and was called upon several times. And she got answers that would enable her to pull together an article that should make Max happy.

  She slipped out a side door as the press conference wound down, hoping to avoid both the departing rush and a parking ticket on her windshield. What she found was a puddle of glass on the ground behind her minivan.

  For an instant she stood there, unable to do anything but stare at the wreckage of her back window in disbelief. Who would break into a white minivan that looked like a giant refrigerator on wheels?

  There was nothing of any value inside that would attract a thief…. Except her work bag, which contained everything she hadn’t taken inside the conference center. And since all she’d needed was her handheld recorder that left her laptop and camera. If the alarm had sounded, it had long since stopped. Obviously no one had bothered to call the police.

  She stared at the broken back window, wondering if she should scream now or save the meltdown until later.

  Every shred of her wanted to hop inside the van and head home, but after checking inside to find—no surprise here—her work bag missing, she had to call the police and report the incident. Not that she thought they stood any hope of retrieving her equipment, but she would need the incident report for the insurance company.

  Reaching for her cell, she snapped it open and scrolled through her contacts.

  “Poughkeepsie Police Department nonemergency line,” the perfunctory voice answered on the first ring.

  Riley explained the situation, still trying to understand this turn of events. All her work…research for the articles she was working on. Had she backed up everything to her briefcase on the Herald’s server last night? She couldn’t remember. If not, how much would she lose? And what about the photos she’d taken of the kids’ first day at school? Were they still on the memory stick?

  How could she have been so careless?

  The answer to that question wasn’t hard to figure—she was doing too much and not giving her best to anything. Riley was trying to decide how best to fix that problem when a unit arrived to take her report. Janet DiBenedetto.

  “I couldn’t believe it when I heard your name.” Janet gave Riley a quick hug. “You okay?”

  “Fine. Just not my week, I guess.” Not her two years by the looks of it. “I left my daughter at home sick.”

  Janet smiled, a mom herself. “Don’t worry. We’ll make this quick.”

  And she did. Riley was on the road within ten minutes, a copy of the report on the passenger seat beside her and Janet’s promise to question some people in the area to see if anyone had seen anything.

  Riley didn’t have much hope, and as the sounds of traffic echoed with the rush of wind through the smashed back window, she reminded herself that the situation could have been a lot worse. She and the kids could have been in the car. She had everything in the world to be thankful for.

  Two beautiful, healthy kids. A home. A job. A wonderful family. Scott, who hadn’t jumped ship but had been making an effort to segue into her life as a single parent. A caring person like Janet, who went out of her way to help out.

  Riley had no business feeling as if the whole world was against her because of a broken window and stolen electronic equipment. If she hadn’t taken the time to back up her work, she had nobody to blame but herself. She knew better. And she still had her handheld recorder. She could write today’s article if she pulled research from other news services.

  She’d managed to talk herself into a better frame of mind by the time she pulled into the driveway to find Scott waiting for her, the cell phone cradled against his shoulder, looking sleep ruffled with his dark hair listing to one side.

  He snapped the phone shut as she parked the van. Then he was there, opening the door. “You okay?”

  “Janet called.”

  He only nodded, glancing at the broken window, the worry in his gaze at odds with the pillow creases on his cheek.

  “You got some sleep,” she said softly.

  Running long fingers through his hair, he made the whole glossy mess stand up even more. “Camille had me make a nest. Mistake. The minute I sat, I was down for the count. But she’s okay. Still sleeping.”

  Riley could see her sweet little girl, even in the throes of a debilitating headache, turning the moment into a game.

  A nest.

  Riley wasn’t sure what it was about Camille wanting Scott to have a nest that unglued her, but suddenly, tears prickled at her lids. The distress she’d been staving off in degrees all day formed like a wave fro
m so deep inside. But she wasn’t going to cry, refused to give in to the urge. She might be overwhelmed and having the run of luck from hell, but she was blessed. Blessed.

  She inhaled raggedly, waved her hands as if she could physically fight off the tears.

  Who cared about a stupid back window, anyway?

  But her struggle must have been evident because for one stricken instant, Scott, a man with no clue what to do for a woman on the verge of melting down, stared at her. A small part of her mind, a rational part that managed to stand back from the encroaching tidal wave, chided her for being so weak. She had no right to burden him with her weakness.

  But as quickly as Riley recognized that, as fast as she decided she would absolutely not burden this poor man any more today, he had her wrapped in his arms, cradling her against his warm, hard chest.

  “It’s okay, Riley,” he crooned in a low voice.

  He stroked her hair, and she felt the uncertainty of his touch. A friend. He wanted to comfort her, and the feel of his strong embrace was exactly what she needed to fight back. She melted against him, powerless to resist his solid strength, though she had no right to depend on him.

  But in his arms, Riley wasn’t thinking about right and wrong. She was thinking about him.

  Slowly the emotion subsided, the anxiety quieted, smothered by her conflict over burdening Scott. But if he felt burdened, he certainly didn’t show it. He held her close, creating a warm shelter with his embrace as one hand lightly stroked her back, as if he wasn’t entirely convinced that touching her was the right thing to do.

  But standing in his arms felt right. More right than she could have imagined. She was so aware of the unfamiliar feel of his hard body against hers. And she was so aware. Of how tall he was, taller than even Mike had been. Her heels brought her just high enough for him to rest his cheek easily on the top of her head. Her face rested on his shoulder, and she could feel the warmth of him radiating against her skin, feel the steady rise and fall of his chest.

  Riley should step out of his arms, offer him a smiling thanks to transition through this intimate moment. She should cut the guy some slack so they could segue back to normal again.

  But she didn’t move, didn’t speak, didn’t want to do anything to ruin this moment, a moment where she felt as if she wasn’t all alone for the first time in such a long time.

  Reality finally intruded. The sound of a passing car. A horse neighing in the distance. Worry about Camille. And Jake. How was he surviving the day? Guilt because she was being so weak and selfish, because Scott had been working all night, and she’d sucked him into her chaos. The guy had only meant to cruise past the house to check on them.

  “Thank you,” she finally said. “You’ve been really sweet.”

  He chuckled, a throaty sound that rumbled deep in his chest. “I’m not so sweet. Nests are…comfortable.”

  That was even sweeter. “I’m beginning to think I should never have come back.”

  She tried to smile, but he must have known it was an act. Hooking a finger beneath her chin, he tipped her face up until she met his gaze. Those dark eyes were so still, so serious, a caress. “No,” he crooned, still comforting her. “Everything will be all right. Trust me.”

  She did trust him. Too much. He’d been Mike’s friend. While he was bridging the distance he’d always kept between them, he was still just a friend. She needed to keep that straight in her head.

  She managed a small smile this time, one she hoped would reassure him. But Riley didn’t trust herself to reply. Not when she wanted to tell him how much she appreciated his friendship, how much she liked the caring and strong man she was getting to know. Not when one simple admission would cross the boundaries of friendship and change things between them.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  “DIDN’T YOU BLOW OUT of here about seven this morning?” Chief Levering asked. “What are you doing back?”

  Scott lifted his head from the files scattered over the desk in front of him. Sleep hadn’t been possible after leaving Riley’s, so he’d headed to the precinct to burn off his surplus energy. “Looking over some recent B and E’s and auto thefts.”

  The chief’s eyebrows rose halfway up his forehead. “You don’t have enough on your desk keeping you busy already?”

  “You’re kidding, right? That’s why I’m here on my day off.”

  Scott braced himself for the reprimand he knew would come. An ongoing argument about too much time at the station and not enough living a life outside of work. An ongoing, old argument.

  The chief surprised him. Glancing down at the files, he frowned and said, “You’re worried about Riley?”

  “Something’s not right.”

  “Any ideas?”

  Scott shoved the files away from him, disgusted. “Nothing but this knot in my gut.”

  Pulling the door to Scott’s office shut, the chief dragged a chair around the side of the desk, then lowered himself so slowly Scott expected to hear creaking joints.

  “You need something?” Scott asked.

  “I’m a longtime fan of your gut, so why don’t you pass a few of those folders this way?”

  The chief was full of surprises today. “Don’t you have somewhere to be? Busy police chief and all that.”

  “Got all kinds of time to burn today. Go figure. Now pass me some of those reports.”

  Scott shoved over a stack with the warning: “I have no clue what I’m looking for.”

  “Me, either. I’ll fit right in.”

  Scott opened the next folder and scanned the details of the report. The chief did the same. They worked in silence for about five minutes.

  “I wasn’t okay with the break-in,” Scott said suddenly, interrupting the quiet.

  “No?” The chief didn’t bother looking up. He didn’t sound surprised, either.

  “The window of opportunity was too narrow. It’s not like Riley’s routine is written in stone. The kids haven’t settled into school yet. Brian, either. That means the perp had to be watching her closely.”

  “Not if he saw school-aged kids at the house. Doesn’t take much of a leap since district elementary schools all start at the same time.”

  “He would have had to know they didn’t take a bus.”

  “True.” The chief inserted a report back in its sleeve, then reached for another. “Did you consider that it might have been random? The perp lucked out and came across the house when it was empty, took a chance, then got spooked. It’s a nice place. It would be attractive to someone looking for fast cash.”

  “No way,” Scott scoffed. “The perp went through all that trouble to break a window where he wouldn’t be easily seen. He could have gotten in but took off before we got there.” Scott shook his head decidedly. “He knew we were on the way.”

  “Okay. I buy that. Most kids looking for drug cash aren’t so prepared.”

  Scott snorted. He didn’t have to point out that most kids looking for drug cash usually kicked in the front door and stuffed whatever they got their hands on in grocery bags.

  “Okay, so you got a perp who avoided our silent alarm,” the chief said. “Did I mention I’m glad you talked me into keeping the place hardwired to the precinct?”

  “You’re welcome.” Scott skimmed through another report, looking for any similarity to the attempted break-in at Riley’s. “So, the question is—what was the perp looking for?”

  “What’d he get from the car again?”

  “Laptop and camera.”

  “Purse?”

  Scott shook his head.

  “He didn’t need her identification, so he obviously knew who he was going after. Didn’t take any money or credit cards?”

  “No. Janet said it looked like he went in the back and didn’t bother with anything else. Probably was long gone before her car alarm stopped blaring.” Scott leaned back in the chair and met the chief’s gaze. “That’s what’s bugging me. Riley said she normally keeps her laptop bag up front with he
r. She pushes it under the passenger seat, and there’s usually so much of the kids’ stuff around that she hides whatever’s left sticking out. But she parked on the street this morning because she was running late. That’s the only reason she moved her equipment into the back. It’s the only place in the van where it’s really hidden.”

  “And the only way the perp would have known that is if he watched her put it there.”

  “You got it.” That knot in Scott’s stomach clenched like a fist.

  The chief frowned. “You don’t expect to find anything in these reports.”

  “No. But I didn’t want to overlook anything before I start interrogating Riley. She’s pretty shaken up already.”

  “The break-ins?”

  He shrugged, feigning a casualness he didn’t feel, but he wasn’t going into details with the chief. Not when they would force him to think about this morning, when he’d been trying all day to stop thinking about it. What had gotten into him? He’d crossed all the lines by touching her. She might think he wanted to console her, but he was a selfish bastard who’d wanted to touch her and hadn’t been able to resist. Now that Mike wasn’t around, Scott was chafing at the boundaries he’d set.

  “Not entirely,” he admitted. “But you know Riley. Truth is she’s got her hands full with the kids and work. It was tough enough coming back to town without all this added aggravation.”

  The chief let the folder he held fall to the desk and sank back in the chair. It was one of those moments where he looked the part of aging police chief who’d been worn down by his years on the force and the constant demands.

  “Let’s come up with something.” He massaged his temples. “Unless you’ve got some ideas you haven’t shared with me yet.”

  Suddenly Scott knew exactly why the chief had sat down in the first place. He knew better than anyone how Scott worked and had wanted to give him someone he felt comfortable to bounce ideas with. So much for thinking he’d been keeping anything from the chief about his work with Kevin.

  “You weren’t just burning time.” Not a question.