Valentine's in Cherry Hills

by Paige Sleuth

  CJ’s eyes darted around the room. “I’ve gotta get out of here,” he muttered, more to himself than to anyone else.

  He scrambled to his feet. Kat scooted away from him, wincing as glass dug into her palms. She ignored the pain, well aware that CJ was a much bigger threat than a few cuts. After all, the man was still armed.

  “Police. Drop the weapon.”

  Kat’s heart stopped beating, hope sparking at the sound of the familiar male voice. When she twisted her head to see Andrew standing not ten feet away, the rush of relief that surged through her made her woozy. If she’d had the strength for it, she would have rushed across the room and thrown herself in his arms.

  CJ had a different reaction. His face went white, and the gun slid down his fingers, landing soundlessly on the carpet.

  The uniformed officer with Andrew crossed the room in three long strides. CJ hung his head as the policeman jerked his arms behind his back and snapped handcuffs around his wrists.

  Kat exhaled. It was over.

  Andrew walked over to Melody, who was sitting cross-legged in the corner, Remy in her lap. Melody still looked to be in shock, but Kat swore the feline smirked.

  Kat’s eyes met Andrew’s briefly. He flashed her the slightest of smiles, but it was enough for her to catch a glimpse of his dimples.

  She grinned back. It might not be the most romantic Valentine’s weekend ever, but she couldn’t think of one with a happier ending.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  “So you were helping Melody—Casey, I mean—hide out from CJ all along?” Kat asked Andrew when they were sitting on her living room couch the next afternoon.

  “Kind of,” Andrew said. “I knew about her situation anyway. A friend on the Seattle force told me what was going on. Casey had tried to get away from CJ before, without success. Finally she realized if she ever hoped to truly break free from him, she would need to start over somewhere else, somewhere where he couldn’t find her.”

  Kat’s heart grew heavy. Even after looking into CJ’s soulless eyes, she didn’t think she fully grasped all that he was capable of. Casey, on the other hand, had been forced to endure his cruelty firsthand for far too long.

  “How come Casey didn’t have him arrested?” Kat asked.

  “She started to press charges against him several times. But he always scared her out of going through with it. ”

  Kat stroked Matty in her lap, grateful for the feline’s soothing presence. “How did Sheila get involved?”

  “As Casey’s cousin, she knew what was going on. And she got to know my friend on the Seattle force after he was sent to Casey’s house to respond to a domestic disturbance call. She asked for his help, but my friend could only do so much in a professional capacity.”

  Kat stared into Andrew’s eyes, needing the reminder that there were good men in this world. “So he put her in touch with you.”

  “Not right away. He called me up first. I knew about the two vacant apartments across from you, so my cop friend passed the word on to Sheila. She didn’t contact me directly until after the leases were signed.”

  “Is her last name really Smith?”

  Andrew chuckled. “That I can’t answer. But my guess is no.”

  Kat shifted slightly, prompting Matty to dig her claws into her knee. “So, what was Sheila doing in your car on Friday?”

  “She thought she spotted CJ outside the Food Mart. I hurried over there, but we couldn’t find him. So she asked if I would wait around for a few minutes. I think she was hoping he’d show up again.”

  “And what were you doing later that evening? When you told me you were on patrol. Were you with Sheila?”

  Andrew nodded slowly. “I was. She couldn’t shake the sense that CJ was in Cherry Hills, so we drove around looking for him. I thought she had most likely seen somebody else at the Food Mart and was just being paranoid.” He grimaced. “I know better now.”

  “Why weren’t you answering your phone?”

  “I was driving.”

  Kat supposed that was a valid enough reason. Andrew always had been a stickler for following rules, and he had yet to install hands-free technology in his car. “And you couldn’t tell me all this yesterday because . . . ?”

  He set his palm on her knee. “For one thing, it wasn’t my place to tell you. For another, the more people who knew about Casey’s situation, the greater the risk that word would get out to the wrong person. You know how gossip travels in small towns.”

  Kat did know that. And as miffed as she was about being kept in the dark, she could see Andrew’s point.

  Andrew brushed a piece of hair off her forehead, his touch igniting the nerve endings under her skin. “If I had known you were in danger, I would have done things differently,” he said, his voice low and husky.

  Kat’s stomach flip-flopped as his eyes darkened with emotion. She wanted to assure him she was okay, but her mouth had gone dry. Besides, although she knew she would be fine in the long run, at the moment she was still shaken by yesterday’s encounter with CJ. She didn’t think she had ever been that close to someone so willing to hurt a person he claimed to love.

  A light knock on Kat’s apartment door interrupted their moment. Andrew coughed and pulled away. Kat tried not to feel too bereft as she stood up, relocating Matty to her vacated seat.

  Looking through the peephole, Kat was surprised to see her new neighbor standing outside.

  She opened the door. “Hi, Sheila.”

  Sheila smiled. “Hi.”

  Kat swept her arm toward the living room. “Would you like to come in?”

  Sheila backed up when her eyes landed on Tom, who had spotted their visitor and was rapidly approaching. “I’d better stay out here. I have severe cat allergies.”

  Understanding dawned. After learning about the link between Casey and Sheila, Kat had been trying to figure out why the two hadn’t shared an apartment. Now she knew. Sheila’s allergies also explained why she had brushed by her and Lucy on Friday. With Matty and Tom out in the corridor, she had likely been anxious to retreat into the safety of her fur-free apartment.

  Tom was gaining ground. Kat stepped into the hall and swung the door shut without a second to spare. Inside the apartment, the big cat wailed.

  Sheila grinned. “Poor thing.”

  “He’s fine,” Kat assured her. “In fact, I bet he’s already recovered. Andrew is probably giving him a belly rub as I speak.”

  “Andrew’s here?” Sheila glanced at the door, then folded her hands in front of her. “He’s a good guy.”

  Kat’s heart swelled with affection. “Yeah, he is.”

  “Maybe you can thank him for me. If he hadn’t shown up when I was out shopping for furniture . . .”

  “I’m just glad Larry came to in time to phone him.”

  “Me, too.”

  Kat leaned against her door. “You know, I think Remy saw CJ when he came back the second time.”

  Sheila’s eyebrows rose. “He did?”

  “He was looking out the window and meowing right before CJ showed up. He must have been trying to warn us.”

  Sheila bobbed her head. “Casey and Remy always have had a special bond. They look out for each other.”

  Thinking about her own connection with Matty and Tom, Kat smiled. She was happy Casey had at least one loving creature in her life.

  “What are you and Casey going to do now?” she asked Sheila.

  “I don’t know. Casey doesn’t feel safe here, so we’ll be moving on. Where to, I don’t know yet.”

  “Is she worried CJ will get out of jail and come back for her?” Just the prospect made Kat shudder.

  Sheila sighed. “After what she’s been through, I don’t think she’ll ever stop worrying about that.”

  Kat’s heart ached for the young woman. She couldn’t imagine what Casey’s life must have been like for the past two years.

  “But,” Sheila continued, her voice more upbeat, “she won’t be dropping the charges th
is time, that’s for sure. She knows the only way she’ll ever be free is to start sticking up for herself. And I’m going to help her however I can.”

  “She’s lucky to have you,” Kat said.

  “What are cousins for?” Sheila crossed the hallway to her own unit. “Anyway, I didn’t mean to interrupt your time with Andrew. I just came by to thank you.”

  “You’re welcome. And if there’s anything I can do for you or Casey, all you have to do is ask.”

  “Thanks. Take care.”

  “You, too.”

  Sheila disappeared into her apartment. Although Casey might not have had much luck in love, she certainly had hit the jackpot when it came to extended family.

  Kat let herself back inside her own unit. Tom scrambled out of Andrew’s lap and raced over to reprimand her with a series of terse meows.

  She patted his head. “Sorry, Tommy, but Sheila’s allergic to you. That’s why she was in such a rush to get away from you on Friday. But I’m sure she’d love you if she had the chance to get to know you.”

  Tom seemed mollified by the explanation. He pressed his nose into her palm as though to communicate that all was forgiven. Then he turned around and wandered toward the kitchen. Evidently, all that angst over not getting to meet the new neighbor had left him famished.

  “What did Sheila have to say?” Andrew asked as Kat headed back over to the couch.

  “She wanted me to thank you for helping Casey.”

  Kat lifted Matty up and reclaimed her seat. The tortoiseshell didn’t look happy about being manhandled, but she did deign to lie on Kat’s lap. Kat figured she was probably too lazy to find another napping spot.

  “You don’t think they’ll let CJ out, do you?” she asked Andrew. The idea of Casey spending the rest of her life on the run made her ill.

  Andrew rubbed her shoulder. “I hope not, but it’s not up to me.”

  Kat shivered at the memory of CJ’s menacing eyes boring into Casey’s. “I can’t imagine not being safe being yourself.”

  “Unfortunately, love has a dark side. Partner violence is responsible for more female homicides than anything else, which isn’t so surprising when you stop to consider that women are far more likely to be harmed by a significant other than a stranger.”

  She snorted. “Gee, aren’t you a fount of knowledge. I’m surprised Cupid didn’t put you on the payroll for Valentine’s Day.”

  Andrew froze. “Oh, no. It’s Valentine’s today, isn’t it?”

  “You forgot,” Kat said, more amused than disappointed. Now that she knew the real reason why Andrew had been with Sheila, she didn’t think anything could dampen her spirits today.

  “After dealing with the CJ situation all day yesterday, yeah, I did. But we can still go out to dinner tonight.”

  Kat slugged him playfully in the shoulder. “After what you put me through these past couple days, you’d better be taking me someplace fancy.”

  Andrew regarded her for a silent moment before saying, “You didn’t really think I had something going on with Sheila, did you?”

  “How could I not? Lucy spies the two of you together, and then you refuse to talk about her.”

  “I couldn’t talk about her.”

  “I know that now, but I didn’t then. And once I got it in my head that you might be seeing her, I couldn’t shake it.”

  Andrew set his hands on Kat’s shoulders and rotated her around to face him. “I would never cheat on you.”

  The heat from his palms warmed her whole body. “I’m glad to hear it.”

  “You don’t need to worry about other women. I love you, not them.”

  Kat’s blood pressure spiked. Had he just told her he loved her? Yes, she thought, as her body seemed to float off the couch. He had. It was the first time he had made such a declaration, and as the words sank in, she couldn’t prevent the huge smile that broke out across her face.

  She laughed and flung herself at him. Matty let out an anguished wail before scrambling out of Kat’s lap. The tortoiseshell jumped down to the floor and stalked off, tossing the humans a disgusted look over her shoulder.

  Kat trailed kisses down Andrew’s cheek. “I love you, too.”

  He hugged her close. “I take it this means I’m forgiven for forgetting about Valentine’s Day.”

  She snuggled next to his chest. “You’re forgiven for Valentine’s, for not telling me about Sheila, for all of it. But you still owe me a nice dinner.”

  “Deal.”

  Andrew pulled his head back, his eyes locking with hers. All the air left her lungs when he bent forward to kiss her.

  Kat sighed as she melted into him. Love might have a dark side, but there was no doubt in her mind it had a bright side, too. And, between Andrew, Matty, and Tom, she had so much light in her life that her future looked quite bright indeed.

  NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR

  Thank you for visiting Cherry Hills, home of Kat, Matty, and Tom! If you enjoyed their story, please consider leaving a book review on your favorite online retailer and/or review site. Also join my readers’ group so you’ll be one of the first to know when their next adventure is published.

  Please keep reading for an excerpt from Book Sixteen of the Cozy Cat Caper Mystery series, Drowned in Cherry Hills. Thank you!

  DROWNED IN CHERRY HILLS

  Katherine Harper pulled into the parking lot of Brawn New You, the gym her boyfriend Andrew Milhone had persuaded her to join last month as a late New Year’s resolution. She had missed her normal aerobics class, thanks to her cat Matty’s decision to aim for Kat’s gym bag when throwing up her most recent hairball. Kat had spent a good twenty minutes emptying out the bag and scrubbing it clean before tossing everything into a canvas tote and heading out.

  She didn’t know what time it was, but her growling stomach suggested it might be close to noon. She couldn’t be sure without checking a clock. Her appetite never failed to flare when she thought about the series of squats, steps, and kicks that made up a typical aerobics class. It was as though her body was already gearing up to compensate for the expenditure of so many calories. It didn’t help that she had to inhale the aroma of fresh doughnuts during her trek from the car to the door. Kat was fairly certain the owner of the doughnut shop next door had set up his ventilation system so the kitchen exhaust pumped directly into the Brawn New You parking lot.

  Judging by the cars in the lot, a decent number of people were exercising this morning. Even so, the number of gymgoers grew smaller with every passing day. Kat could tell by how it became increasingly easy to find a parking slot by the door. She’d read somewhere that it took six weeks for a new activity to become habit. In a few days it would be March, and she would probably have her pick of premium spots.

  The possibility of her becoming Brawn New You’s next casualty lingered in the back of Kat’s mind as she entered the building, signed in at the front desk, and speed-walked down the empty corridor. Although she’d made it to the six-week mark, she still found herself thinking about quitting on an almost daily basis. If it weren’t for the promise of those post-workout doughnuts, she almost assuredly would have already turned in her membership card.

  She was so lost in thought, she rammed right into someone as she turned the corner leading to the locker rooms.

  “Oomph,” she grunted. She blinked a few times before focusing on the tall, leotard-clad brunette who looked equally stunned by their collision. “Sorry, Diana. My mind was elsewhere.” She had to raise her voice to be heard above the high-energy music the owner piped through the building to keep his clients motivated to move.

  Diana rubbed her nose, which was what must have smacked into Kat’s forehead. “It’s all right.”

  Kat examined Diana’s face as she shrugged out of her coat. “Did I hurt you?”

  “Nah. You mostly just gave me a shock.”

  “Are you just getting here?” Kat often saw Diana on Saturday mornings, but, like Kat, she didn’t seem to be locked into a strict s
chedule.

  “Leaving.” She grinned. “I’m on my way to get one of those doughnuts we’re addicted to.”

  Kat’s stomach grumbled just thinking about it.

  Diana propped her shoulder against the wall and nodded at the door to the women’s locker room, which had a sign reading ‘Closed for Cleaning’ taped to it. “I’m just waiting to get in so I can clean up before taking off.”

  Diana reached down to pick up an orange key that Kat recognized as belonging to one of the Brawn New You lockers. She must have dropped it when Kat had plowed into her. When Diana straightened back up, she tossed her towel over one shoulder.

  The gesture reminded Kat of her own towel that she’d forgotten to pack after cleaning up Matty’s mess, and she groaned. Now she’d have to run home to get it. That would be one more delay before she could head over to the bakery for one of their to-die-for doughnuts oozing sweet strawberry jelly.

  Diana cocked her head. “What’s wrong?”

  “I left my towel at home,” Kat told her. “Matty coughed up a hairball on my gym bag this morning, which is throwing off my routine.”

  Diana giggled, sounding much younger than her thirty-something years. “Your Matty sounds like a trip.”

  Kat’s mouth curved up. “She is.”

  “I wish I could get a cat.”

  “Why don’t you?”

  “With my hectic schedule?” Diana scoffed.

  “Well, Furry Friends Foster Families is always in need of foster parents. If you’re not ready to adopt permanently, the program is very rewarding with only a minimal commitment.”

  “I’ve been meaning to look into that.” Diana bit her lip. “Ellie keeps telling me I should.”

  “Is Ellie here today?” Kat asked.

  Diana bobbed her head. The gesture looked stiff, and some of the light in her eyes had dimmed. Kat knew the two were friends, but maybe they’d had a tiff. She didn’t know Diana well enough to ask.

  Diana took a step back, her dark mood seeming to clear as quickly as it had appeared. “I’m sure somebody here has a towel you can borrow,” she said. “Let’s go find one of the trainers. They must keep extras around.”