by Beth Andrews
Good, he thought as he passed A Word In Hand, the local bookstore. He didn’t need that kind of distraction. He hadn’t wanted it since Nicole died.
He experienced a twinge of regret but pushed it aside. His attraction to Kelsey was simply because of his recent dry spell.
He snorted as he crossed Kennedy Street. Dry spell? Seven months wasn’t a dry spell. Seven months without the pleasure of a warm, sweet smelling woman was a damn drought.
Obviously his celibacy had affected his brain. Why else would he want a woman who was the exact opposite of what he needed? Not that he ever planned on needing another woman. Needing Nicole, loving her only to lose her had almost destroyed him and Emma. He couldn’t take the chance of them getting hurt again.
Emma was happy and well-adjusted, even if she had been making noises lately about wanting a mother. He’d do anything to make his daughter happy.
Anything but that.
Because to get Emma a mother meant he’d have to get himself a wife. He could never replace Nicole, so why bother trying?
Kelsey intrigued him, that was all. But no more. He needed to stop thinking about her. Stop wanting her. He’d concentrate on solving Shannon’s murder, and that would be a hell of a lot easier to do without his inappropriate attraction to the prime suspect’s sister.
At the next corner, Jack scanned for traffic before crossing the street, and jerked to a stop so suddenly, if he were a cartoon character he would’ve left grooves in the sidewalk.
He blinked. Kelsey, wearing jeans and a white shirt with huge sparkly red lips on the front, was storming toward him. He slowed to a walk to catch his breath. Sweat rolled off his forehead and stung his eyes but he ignored it.
Pulling his T-shirt out from where he’d stuck it in his waist-band, he wiped the sweat off his chest and face and tugged it on.
“What are you doing here?” he asked gruffly.
She waved a crumpled newspaper under his nose. “What the hell is this?”
He raised his eyebrows. Took the paper from her. “Looks like a copy of yesterday’s Serenity Springs Gazette.”
She crossed her arms. “That’s not yesterday’s edition of the rag you call a newspaper. It’s today’s.”
“The Gazette doesn’t come out on Sundays.”
“It did today. And I’ll tell you something else, I’m going to make sure Dillon sues, not only the paper, but the Serenity Springs Police Department. Maybe even the town itself.”
His stomach dropped. What the hell had Dora printed? He tried to smile, cool and detached. “I’m sure whatever’s been reported is—”
“See for yourself.”
It was thinner than usual, only four pages, but Kelsey was right. It was a special Sunday edition of the Gazette. Jack glanced at the front page, and cursed softly. He quickly skimmed the article, his mood worsening with each word he read.
Dora had crossed the line this time. Bad enough she’d written a one-sided piece about Ward and his past murder conviction, she’d also printed information about the ongoing investigation that Jack hadn’t wanted the public to know yet.
“Well?” Kelsey demanded.
He raised his head. “I didn’t write this,” he managed through clenched teeth.
“No, but you’re directly responsible for it.”
“How do you figure that?”
The breeze picked up, cooling his skin and mussing Kelsey’s hair. “It’s your case,” she said. “Your information.”
“I gave a statement, pure and simple. And this—” he waved the paper “—wasn’t it.”
His statement sure as hell hadn’t included the fact that several items, including a beer bottle, had been sent to the state lab for DNA testing. Or that the mud found on the living-room carpet had been sent to the lab as well.
And he never mentioned that his department had yet to find the murder weapon.
“Then you have a leak in your department. They’ve essentially tried and convicted Dillon in that article. You might as well put out an open call for vigilantes to grab their ropes and hunt him down.”
He folded the paper. Handed it back to her. “A bit dramatic, don’t you think?”
“No.” She snatched the paper out of his hands. “This is defamation of character.”
“You think I’m happy about this? I’m trying to build a case here. Do you really think I wanted that information made public?”
“What I think, is that you’ll do anything to pin this murder on my brother.”
When she’d accused him of the exact same thing yesterday, he’d managed to let it roll off his back. Now, red-hot anger pumped through his veins. He had the mayor and entire city council riding his ass to make an official arrest. He also had the state police making noises about taking over the investigation, and now the details about the murder being splashed across the Gazette’s front page.
Damn it. He had enough going on at the moment, he didn’t need crap from Kelsey, too.
He took a menacing step forward, only slightly mollified when her eyes widened and she backed up.
“If you have a problem with what’s been reported, I suggest you write a letter to the editor,” he said coolly. “But don’t you ever again, even so much as hint that I would knowingly, willingly send an innocent person to jail or try to railroad someone for a crime they didn’t commit.”
KELSEY SWALLOWED. Oh, my. A pissed off Jack was…impressive. His eyes were hooded, his mouth a hard line.
Okay, maybe it would be more impressive if her stomach wasn’t cramped with nerves. But with all that intense anger directed at her, she couldn’t help but take a step back. Or glance around for a means of escape.But, she wasn’t really afraid of Jack. More like, cautious. She’d been around men who enjoyed inflicting pain on women, men like her stepfather who only felt powerful and strong when they were beating on someone weaker than themselves. Glenn had hid behind his badge, used his position as a cop to keep from having to pay for all the times he terrorized her family.
Until Dillon had stopped him forever.
And though Jack had the badge, and the ability to crush her like a bug, she didn’t believe he’d actually hurt her.
But that didn’t mean she was dumb enough to push her luck.
“Look, I’m sorry, all right? I’m just…” She slapped the folded paper against her thigh. “I’m freaked out about all of this. First I read that piece of garbage article, then I went to see Dillon and—”
She stopped abruptly and snapped her mouth shut.
“He what?” Jack asked as he towered over her. He smelled like fresh air and clean sweat. Not a bad combination all in all. “He brushed you off again?”
“Not exactly.”
His gaze shifted to somewhere beyond her right shoulder before he met her eyes. “But you did talk to him this morning?”
She squinted up at him. It was an age-old dilemma. Truth or lie? While she tried to be as honest as possible nowadays, she had no problem with lying when the situation called for it. But, since Jack could easily find out the truth on his own, she didn’t have much choice.
“He wasn’t at his apartment.” Jack cursed and took off down the sidewalk toward Sweet Suggestions. “He could be anywhere,” Kelsey called as she chased after him.
He turned into the alleyway beside the bakery. “Such as?”
“Well, he could be working.”
“It’s Sunday.”
“Maybe he went out for breakfast. Or he ran out to pick up some milk. There’s no reason to go ballistic.”
“Since your brother was already in prison,” Jack said as he took the steps that led up to Dillon’s apartment two at a time, “and more than likely not eager to go back, he’s a flight risk.”
“So what are you going to do?” she asked from behind him. “Follow his every move? It’s a waste of your time. My brother is innocent.”
He pounded on the door. “Until that’s proven, I’ll just keep an eye on him.”
“Will you s
top that?” She pushed her way between him and the door. “He’s not home.”
He looked down at her, the expression on his face one of a very frustrated male. “You’re in my way.”
She crossed her arms. “Good.”
He jammed his fingers through his short hair. “What are you doing back here, anyway? I thought you’d left.”
Her heart stuttered. He’d thought about her? “How’d you know I’d left?”
“Small town, remember? Word gets around.”
“I had to take care of a few things.”
He continued to stare at her. The blue of his eyes against his golden skin and the day’s worth of dark stubble on his face made him look all the more sexy. All the more dangerous.
Yeah, right. As if she hadn’t already figured out he was dangerous. And not just because he wanted to send her brother to prison. Not even because he was a cop and she couldn’t trust him.
Any man who kissed like he did was dangerous.
“What are you hoping to accomplish?” he asked.
“I’m here for my brother. To make sure he doesn’t go to prison for a crime he didn’t commit.”
“You mean, unlike the last time he went to prison? When he killed your stepfather?”
She narrowed her eyes. “Low blow, Sheriff.”
His gaze dropped to her mouth. The air between them seemed to heat and thicken.
Jack broke the spell with a low curse. He stepped back. “You listen to me and listen good. I have a job to do and people to protect and I won’t apologize for it. I sure as hell won’t let you or anyone else get in my way. I’ll do my job and you can bet your sweet ass I’ll do it fairly. But if I find enough evidence to link your brother to Shannon’s murder, I will haul him in. Then I’ll do everything in my power to make sure he spends the rest of his life in prison.”
It wasn’t the tone of his voice, or even his words that made her believe he would do just that. It was the determination in his eyes.
“Well, now that I know where you stand, let me fill you in on where I stand.” She dropped her arms. “I’m not going anywhere. I will do everything in my power to make sure my brother is cleared. And if that means I have to get in your way, then so be it.”
“Don’t mess with me, Kelsey,” he warned softly, and a shiver crept up her spine. “Or this investigation.”
Jack turned and stomped down the stairs. Kelsey exhaled heavily, leaned back against the door, and hoped like hell she knew what she was doing by taking on the likes of Jack Martin.
THE TENSION IN KELSEY’S shoulders eased when she walked into the apartment above The Summit and saw Dillon working at the far end of the small kitchen. Thank God. As soon as Jack left Dillon’s apartment, she’d jumped in her car to search for her brother. Luckily, her first instinct had been on target.
His back to Kelsey, Dillon screwed large pieces of off-white drywall to the studded walls. Allie stood next to him, her hands on her hips, a frown on her beautiful face. When the drywall was attached, Dillon bent down to pick more screws out of a bucket at his feet.“Quit being so stubborn,” Allie said, tucking her long, dark hair behind her ear. “I want to help.”
Before Dillon could respond, Kelsey asked, “Help what?” Allie and Dillon turned simultaneously to face her.
When neither one of them said anything, Kelsey walked farther into the room. “What’s going on?”
While Dillon remained silent, Allie rolled her eyes. “I’m an attorney. Or was, before I quit my job to run this place.” She wrinkled her nose. “Technically, I guess I still am an attorney. I mean, I passed the bar—not this bar, the legal bar—and just because I’m not—”
“Allie,” Dillon interrupted with a hint of humor in his voice, his lips turned up at the corners.
Kelsey blinked. The fondness in Dillon’s expression as he looked at Allie made Kelsey feel odd. She could remember when he used to look at her with the same mixture of exasperation and affection.
Damn it, all she wanted was her brother back in her life, the way they used to be before she’d royally messed up. Was that too much to ask for?
“Anyway,” Allie continued. “I’m still an attorney, just not a practicing one. But I can change that if you need my help,” she said, turning to face Dillon.
“I appreciate the offer, but I don’t want you involved.” He crossed to the corner of the room and pulled a piece of drywall off the pile. “Besides, I don’t need a lawyer.”
“Why aren’t you doing anything to help your cause?” Kelsey asked, unable to keep the frustration out of her voice.
“Whatever happens, happens. I can’t control it.”
“You might not be able to control it, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit around and let you take the fall for something you didn’t do.”
He leaned the drywall against the wall. “You really have no say in the matter.”
Allie laid her hand on Dillon’s arm. Either in silent support or a reprimand, Kelsey wasn’t sure which. Either way, the easy familiarity between Allie and Dillon—and the fact that Dillon didn’t seem to hate Allie’s guts—upset her.
“If Allie’s willing to help, I think you should consider her offer.”
He grunted as he lifted the drywall into place. “Not interested.”
At his indifferent tone she forgot all about remaining calm. “Well, maybe you should be interested,” Kelsey said over the high-pitched whine of the drill. “Seeing as how you were publicly found guilty in the newspaper today—”
“They can’t convict me because of a newspaper article.”
“—and now the cops think you’ve run off. They’ve probably already put out an APB or whatever it is they put out when someone’s missing. Which means you’re three-quarters of the way to being totally screwed.”
Dillon stopped drilling and sent her a narrow look over his shoulder. “What the hell are you talking about?”
Damn. Her and her big mouth. She shrugged and attempted to look less guilty than she felt. Not easy.
“I went by your apartment earlier and you weren’t there,” she admitted.
“And?”
“And…I sort of ran into the chief of police and sort of told him you weren’t home.”
His jaw twitched as if he were gritting his teeth. “And now Chief Martin thinks I’ve left town?”
“Something like that,” she muttered.
“You never cease to amaze me.”
Somehow she didn’t think he meant that as a compliment. “Yeah, well. I try.” Kelsey stuck her hands in her front pockets. “The way Jack freaked out—”
“Jack?” Dillon’s expression hardened. “What’s this? You cozying up to a cop?”
Her face warmed. “The way he acted, gave me the impression you were more than just a person of interest in this case.”
“No kidding.” He turned back to his work and screwed another screw into the drywall. “I’m more of a prime suspect. Which is why I don’t want Allie involved. Not only is her brother investigating me, but she’s trying to get a business up and running. I don’t want to risk her reputation being tarnished. And I don’t want you involved, either.”
“Too late,” Kelsey said.
Dillon spun around. “Why are you even still here?”
She fought the urge to touch him, to lay her hand on his arm like Allie had done, to connect with him on some small level.
“You know why.” She spoke the words softly, honestly. And hoped he’d finally give her a second chance. “You saved my life—”
“I killed a man,” he stated flatly. “I don’t want you to repay me for that.”
When he turned his back on Kelsey again, Allie stepped between them. She glanced at Dillon’s rigid back. “I uh, heard about you getting the boot at The Bee Hive, Kelsey.”
That revelation made Dillon whirl to face her again. Jeez, at this rate the guy was one fast spin away from whiplash.
Kelsey fidgeted, realized she was fidgeting and forced herself t
o stand still. “News sure travels fast here.”
“No doubt about that,” Allie said.
“It’s no big deal.”
“You were kicked out of the B and B?” Dillon asked. “It’s a sign you need to get out of this town. It’ll only get worse. No one in town is going to rent you a room. Not if they know you’re connected to me.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“How? By sleeping in your car?”
She hesitated. “I could…stay with you.”
His mouth thinned. “No.”
“She can crash up here,” Allie said quickly. She smiled at Kelsey. “If you don’t mind the mess or living above a bar.”
And wouldn’t that go over well with the sexy police chief? “Thanks for the offer—”
“Yeah,” Dillon said darkly. “Thanks a lot.”
Allie grinned. Patted Dillon’s cheek. “No problem.”
“But I’m not sure that would be a good idea,” Kelsey hedged.
Allie tilted her head to the side. “Why not?”
“Your brother’s not too happy with me at the moment.” She remembered how angry Jack had been when he’d told her to stay out of his way. “I don’t want to make things worse than they are.”
Dillon groaned. “Don’t tell me you’ve only been in town less than three days and you’ve already pissed off the police chief?”
“It didn’t take much. He’s pretty easy to piss off.”
“Are we talking about the same guy?” Allie asked. “My big brother, Jack Martin? The poster boy for the strong and silent type?”
Kelsey shrugged and nudged the box of screws with her toe. “It must just be me, then.” Which was disappointing, but not surprising.
“When will you learn you can’t go around antagonizing people?” Dillon asked, his voice laced with frustration. “Especially people in certain positions.”
“Jack would never use his position as police chief for his own personal gain,” Allie said, defending her brother.
Kelsey wanted to agree, but kept her opinion to herself when she saw that Dillon obviously didn’t share the same thought. They both knew what happened when cops abused their power and connections. It was part of the reason Dillon had been found guilty of manslaughter instead of being let go for killing Glenn out of self-defense.