Annie's Neighborhood (Harlequin Heartwarming)

by Fox, Roz Denny

  “Can he do that?” Sky asked in an undertone.

  The clerk heard him, and smiled. “He can file. But Judge Martin is the longest-serving judge in this county’s family court. And when she takes an interest in a case, I’ve never seen it revert.” She passed Sky’s attorney a card with information for their next appearance. After thanking her, the men walked out.

  Sky felt like jumping in the air and clicking his heels together.

  “I’m pleased to see that things finally broke your way, Sky,” his lawyer said. “I wish I could take credit, but we were scheduled to go in front of Judge Keating, who’s been sympathetic to Corrine. I got a call last evening saying he’d gone into the hospital for emergency gall bladder surgery. I expected I’d be calling you to say we were canceled. Instead, we were assigned to Judge Martin, who usually has the most packed schedule in this court. You must have acquired a good fairy somewhere.”

  Maybe it was the curb-appeal fairy. That thought ran through Sky’s head. Annie deserved praise. Her jab had kept him from an outburst in court matching that of Corrine’s lawyer—comments that went against Sparks, and made Sky wonder why the man seemed to lead the charge against him.

  “We’ll be in touch, Sky. I’ll follow up on this ruling with your ex. Between you and me, I don’t trust Sparks to relay the whole truth. He takes clients who can pay well for his services, and he doesn’t like to lose.”

  “Hmm. Corrine won’t be happy with today’s outcome. She and Sparks never cut me any slack even when they know I have résumés out to find a job in a safer town.”

  His lawyer nodded. “They’re determined to gain sole custody. But today was positive.”

  The men shook hands and went their separate ways. Sky had promised Koot that he’d rush straight back to the station after his court date. At the last minute, as he entered the city, Sky detoured onto Rose Arbor Street. Annie was the first person he wanted to share his good news with.

  He saw her painting the Dodds’ garage door some shade of green that also dotted the threadbare jeans she wore. Today her hair was pulled back and covered by a triangle scarf. Giving no thought to the possibility that his surprise visit might end up with him flat on his back—again―Sky got out of his cruiser. He ran up behind Annie, scooped her up, paintbrush and all, and with her feet dangling, he laughed like a maniac and danced her around.

  “Sky? Stop! What are you doing? I’m dripping paint all over your nice shirt.”

  “I took your advice and reined in my temper today. It paid off. A new judge granted me more visits with Zack every month. So I came to thank you,” he said, lowering her to the ground.

  Annie clung to his shoulders, her head still whirling. His hard body pressed against hers. His smile grabbed her. His smiles were usually a bit cynical, but the one today came from his heart and touched hers. She smiled in return, enjoying the delicious pressure from each of his fingertips splayed across her back. And when he loosened them and slid his hands up and down her spine, she felt tingles all the way to her toes.

  “I’m thrilled for you, Sky. Truly thrilled. But, uh, if you don’t let go of me, we’ll be the subject of gossip all over town.”

  “I don’t care.” He was extremely slow to release her. “Don’t give me that teacher look. I really don’t care.”

  Chapter Nine

  THROWN OFF GUARD by Sky’s admission, Annie swiped at the paint that had dripped on his white shirt. “Sorry, I made that worse. If you’re headed straight home, run that spot under cold water. It should wash out. But if you aren’t in a rush, I’ll give you a paint roller,” she said, teasing to cover the fact that she still felt the warm imprint of his hands on her back.

  “I have to get to work.” He’d stuck one arm of his sunglasses in the open collar of his shirt and now shook them out and put them on. “Are you still planning to check out the warehouse at two?”

  “Would three be okay instead? I got a late start here.” Bending, she laid her brush across the open can of paint. “I’ll walk you to your car and tell you what happened at the hardware store to make me late.” Annie matched his stride while succinctly relaying her exchange with Brian Townsend.

  Sky’s jaw tightened. “Darn it, Annie. So far most of what the gang’s doing is meant to scare you away from getting the residents to band against them. The Louisville cops think the shots into your house were a warning and I agree. The ricocheting bullet that hit Sadie was almost certainly accidental, which is why the dude they picked up hadn’t ditched the car. That’s not saying Stinger leaders aren’t capable of moving past scare tactics and into even more serious stuff.”

  “I’ll grant you I should have been more circumspect in wording that flyer, but I’m not giving in, Sky.” She waved a hand at the Dodd house. “Do you see how many helpers showed up this morning? Every day we’ve attracted twice the people we had the day before. Have you noticed that the porches on homes we’ve already painted now have outdoor furniture? Those home owners are starting to feel comfortable being outside again. It’s no longer just me. It’s a movement. The people here want to take back their town.”

  “Well, the gang leaders see you as the ringleader,” he said grimly. “I don’t like your plan to drive into Louisville for paint. Can’t the store deliver?”

  “I did ask about a delivery fee and on small orders it’s astronomical. It exceeds what it would cost in gas. And that’s why I bought a pickup, Sky—for chores like this.”

  He caught her hands as she waved them about. For a long moment he said nothing, but he rubbed his thumbs over her paint-splotched knuckles. Tugging her against him, he brought both her hands to his chest. “See if you can get someone to go to the paint store with you. Whatever you do, promise me you’ll vary your times and routes. It’ll confuse any tail they might put on you.”

  Annie smoothed out a few wrinkles in his shirt to hide the involuntary flexing of her fingers within his grasp. “I promise. I know you think I’m too impulsive.”

  “I don’t.” He gripped her hands harder.

  “Foolhardy, then,” she said, giving a twisted grin as she tried to tug free of his hold.

  “Not that, either.” He exerted enough pressure to carry her hands to within an inch of his lips. As if belatedly realizing what he was about to do, Sky dropped her hands and in one fluid motion reached around her and opened his car door. “You’re a rare woman, Annie,” he said, his voice low and solemn. He began to add something, then ducked into his cruiser and lifted a hand in farewell. “See you later.” Slamming his door, he revved the old engine and peeled out in a cloud of dust.

  Annie’s head spun as she tried to ignore the warm feelings that seemed to pool in her stomach. She didn’t want them, darn it. Shaking them off, she plunged back into her work until it was time to break for lunch. As she’d told her two new workers, she dashed out and returned with burgers and soft drinks all around. On her way back, she’d stopped at city hall to pick up the keys to the empty warehouse.

  “Hey, Roger,” she said, “I met your wife at the burger bar. She’s very nice.”

  “Loretta is better than I deserve,” he responded, pausing to dry his hands on his shirttail after he’d rinsed them off with the hose. His confession sparked a round of good-natured teasing among those who knew him. As the crew relaxed in the shade of a decades-old magnolia tree in the Dodds’ side yard, Annie explained the mission she was heading off to undertake later—looking at property for a teen center.

  Peggy Gilroy gestured with her still-wrapped burger. “I swear, Annie, if you don’t slow down you’ll keel over.”

  “There’s so much that needs doing, and I’m impatient,” Annie said. “Oh! No slowing down anytime soon.” Pointing to the street, she got up and dropped her unwrapped burger back in the bag. “Here comes the first set of our decorative iron. Peggy, some of it’s for your house, and the rest
is for mine and the Spurlocks’. If everyone likes how our homes look once the iron’s installed, I’ll have the shop continue measuring more of the finished houses.”

  She led Peggy off and left the other workers buzzing about the changes coming on Rose Arbor Street.

  “Missy phoned me while you were picking up paint, Annie. She was too sick to lift her head off the pillow, so that’s another indication she’s pregnant,” Peggy confided with a chuckle.

  “Why doesn’t she go see a doctor? Or at least take a home pregnancy test?” Annie asked as she signaled the truck driver to back into her driveway.

  “Mike’s parents are old-school, I gather. His folks don’t know she and Mike lived together before they got married. Missy’s afraid that a doctor will confirm she got pregnant before their wedding, and that Mike’s parents will be upset with them.”

  “That worry is probably making her symptoms worse. Why doesn’t she tell them to go jump in the lake? They should be ecstatic at the prospect of a grandchild.” Annie checked the bill of lading, signed for the delivery and talked to the ironworker about homes she might want done next. “Peggy, do you mind checking on Missy to see if she’s okay with the noise of drilling and hammering?”

  “She’ll be fine. She’s still so spooked about our break-ins, she’s too scared to leave the house. It’s a very generous thing you’re doing, paying for this iron grating. George is concerned that you’re out of a job and you’re running through your savings like water just to honor your grandmother’s wishes. But she’s already gone and you shouldn’t be putting your own livelihood at risk. He says—”

  “Tell George not to worry,” Annie broke in. “I launched this project out of love for Gran Ida, not out of guilt.”

  Mollified then, the older woman struck out for the Spurlock home. As Annie watched the men unload the iron, she chewed her lip anxiously. If friends like George and Peggy were speculating about the source of her funding, how long before people gossiped―and Stinger leaders did the math? Sky had said if and when they did, she’d be in even greater danger. She needed to circulate more rumors about deep discounts, or talk about how she’d applied for grants. That was true. In the evenings she had applied for grants that would help fund and staff a teen center.

  Workmen had fit Annie’s window grates by the time Peggy and a pale, bedraggled Missy emerged from the Spurlock house.

  “Oh, that’s going to look fabulous,” Peggy exclaimed.

  Missy simply threw her arms around Annie. “Mike was afraid the houses would end up looking like a row of jail cells. Take that, you burglars,” she said, making her friends laugh out loud.

  Peggy stayed for a while, then said, “I’m going back to paint. I can’t wait to finish Evie Dodd’s house so we can start on Jane Mickelson’s, which is the last one we’re doing on Rose Arbor since the Dawsons and those two others up the street opted out. Can you tell I’ve been bitten by your refurbishing bug?” She laughed again. “Oh, and I promised Davena I’d go with her to see some drapery fabric she found on sale.”

  “I may be back or I may not, Peggy. I’ll stick around until they finish putting up the iron, but don’t forget I’m inspecting a building for a possible teen center this afternoon. If the fabric’s a good deal, just charge it and I’ll pay you later, okay?”

  Nodding, Peggy strode off down the street. Missy turned to Annie. “I’m younger than either you or Peggy, but I don’t have a tenth of your energy.” The words were barely out when she covered her mouth with one hand and clutched her stomach with the other. She hurried back into her house, obviously to throw up. Annie watched Missy’s mad dash and felt sorry for her friend. She could only imagine what it would be like to be pregnant during the muggy heat of a Southern summer. For that matter, what it would feel like to have a tiny human growing inside you, regardless of the time of year.

  Annie reflected on all the babies she’d held, rocked or bounced on her knee during her tenure in L.A. Some were so adorable she recalled telling coworkers she wished she could take one home. Their usual response was to tell her to get a puppy. And they’d all laugh. Still, sometimes her biological clock ticktocked like crazy. She shook her head to clear it, trying not to think about a baby of her own. In these all-too-familiar fantasies, her baby’s father always stood off to one side, shrouded in mist. Life had taught Annie she could raise a child alone. Many mothers she’d met did fine. Gran Ida had. But not her. Annie always swore she wouldn’t. The absence of a father in her life had affected her more than she’d ever let on. It was why, in her old job, she’d worked the hardest to help single moms.

  The ironworkers drilled holes and set screws at a good clip, yet when the last piece was in place and they’d loaded their tools and left, Annie’s stomach growled, reminding her that she’d missed lunch. Still, she wanted to stand there for a few minutes, admiring the work that had just been done. Walking back to the sidewalk, she gauged the effect of this final touch on their three homes and smiled in satisfaction.

  A car screeched to a stop at the curb inches away from Annie, and she whirled around in concern.

  Sky threw open his door and bounded out to stand beside her. “Hey, you’re turning the old neighborhood into a little N’Awlins French Quarter with all that wrought-iron curlicue stuff.”

  “My thought was more a Spanish village,” she said, turning away from the houses and inspecting him from head to foot. He’d changed out of his paint-splotched white shirt into a crisp blue one, teamed with darker pants and a navy tie that denoted the official Briar Run police uniform. A badge pinned to his left shirt pocket gleamed like gold in the afternoon sun. A wide black belt bracketing his hips was weighed down with the tools of his trade All in all, he looked mighty fine to Annie. Solid. Manly. Appealing.

  But perhaps she was still in the grip of her recent daydream about babies and motherhood. Unless her real problem was a light-headedness due to hunger. Feeling slightly off-kilter, she wet her dry lips with her tongue. There was no doubt that, next to Sky, she appeared grungy in her rumpled, paint-spattered jeans and blouse. “It’s close to three,” she said to break the spell his sudden unsettling arrival had cast over her. “Did you stop here to beg off meeting me at the warehouse?”

  “I came to give you a lift.”

  “I can drive myself.”

  “I know you can. But if gang leaders do have someone keeping tabs on you, it’s better if I drive. They’ll figure I’m making a routine check of an empty building.”

  “Are you in the habit of taking regular citizens along on official checks of empty buildings?”

  “Do you get a charge out of being obstinate?”

  She cracked a smile at that. “Apparently.”

  “I’ll give you points for honesty.” He swept a hand toward his vehicle. “If you’re done here, we can go on over to the warehouse now.”

  “Let me get a notepad and tape measure.”

  “I have both in the car.”

  “I’m a mess. I’d planned to clean up first.”

  “An...nie!”

  “All right. All right. Neither of us has time to waste. All the same, I need to get my notebook and my bag out of the truck.” She retrieved them, locked her vehicle and rounded the back of his, then yanked open the passenger door. “Do you want me to sit in back so it looks like you’re taking me to the scene of a crime or something?”

  “Just get in,” he said, his nightstick hitting the console with a crack as he heaved himself into the driver’s seat.

  His tone said he’d reached the end of his patience. She climbed in—not meekly—but nevertheless withholding further comment.

  His car mobile phone crackled to life. “It’s Saunders checking in, Chief. Koot said you’re not available for an hour or so, but it’s a lazy day in town, so I’m going to grab a break at the burger bar, okay?”

  Sky depres
sed a button on the mike. “Roger that.” He clicked off and clipped the mike back in its holder.

  Annie leaned against the headrest. “I didn’t mean to sound stubborn back there. But the way you whipped up to the curb gave me a fright. I do appreciate you taking time from your busy day on my account, Sky.”

  “I didn’t see you standing there at first. I was too focused on the work you’ve done. The paint looked good, but that iron...bello!” He kissed the tips of his fingers and made an approving gesture.

  “So you like it?”

  “Oh, yeah.”

  “I wasn’t sure if you’d think I’d overdone things.”

  “If you can keep up the pace, you will turn this town around.”

  She angled toward him, raising her left knee. “So you actually believe that now?” She smiled. “But why would we slow the pace? I expect it to increase once people see what’s possible.”

  “This town has a lot of homes, Annie. You’ve painted how many...five or six?”

  “That’s in a few weeks. I painted my place alone―well, the first time, anyway. I had help painting over the graffiti. Two of us painted Gilroys’. Mike pretty much did his own. With every home after that, we’ve doubled our work force. At that rate I figure all the houses here could be painted in one year. Most could have wrought iron, too.”

  “Not if you go off on other tangents.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Like this.” Sky pulled up to a chain-link fence around an old single-story, redbrick building.

  “Oh, this is the warehouse! How lovely. Sky, it still has some landscaping in front. It’s absolutely perfect for a teen center.”

  “See? That’s what I meant about going off on other tangents. This teen center idea is bound to tempt gang activity. Besides, the time and energy you’ll spend here is time you’re not spending painting homes.”