by Lisa Carter
“She resigned her job, packed her stuff and is headed off-Shore.”
Charlie’s heart raced. “But—”
“Got a text from her. I called her back. She told me in no uncertain terms she was driving to the mainland, then California or Paris—she wasn’t exactly forthcoming with the info. And she hung up. She won’t answer the rest of my calls. I’d go after her, but Honey and the baby are being released—”
“Where was she when you talked to her?” Fear and panic exploded in Charlie’s skull.
“Driving out of Kiptohanock. She’s probably on 13 by now and headed south to the bridge. I’m not sure what you can do, but if anyone can convince her to stay, it’ll be you.” Sawyer heaved a sigh. “Beats me, but—for some reason I’m totally unable to fathom—my otherwise brilliant sister seems to be in love with you. No accounting for taste, I guess, huh?”
Whereas before Charlie would’ve bristled, he now knew Sawyer Kole well enough to catch the wry amusement in his voice.
“You wouldn’t mind then, if Evy and me—”
“Deputy Pruitt, if you return my only sister to the Kiptohanock fold, I’ll gladly dance at your wedding.” Sawyer sniffed. “After I teach you how to do a proper two-step, of course. Can’t have you disgracing the Kole family name.”
And in his words, Sawyer not only offered him an olive branch but also bestowed his cowboy blessing.
Evy and Honey had been right about the ex-Coastie. He was a good guy. A great guy. A man worth knowing. No matter how things worked out with Evy, Charlie would consider it an honor to be Sawyer’s friend.
Sawyer blew out a breath. “I’m not sure what you can do to stop her—”
“You leave it to me.” Charlie’s mouth flattened. “I’ve got this.”
Sawyer laughed. “Somehow I had a feeling you would. Go do your thing, Deputy. Bring back Cotton.”
“Roger that.” Charlie clicked off and palmed the wheel. Tires screeching, he wheeled out of the gas station and headed south on 13.
He reached for the mic and put in a call to the station. Charlie wasn’t about to allow the best person outside of God who ever happened to him to get away. Not on his watch.
Dispatch put Charlie through to his boss. Charlie got right to the point of what he needed.
“I realize this request is highly unusual, sir. Unorthodox. And if it means resigning my position and losing my career, I understand.”
“She means that much to you, does she, Pruitt?”
“Yessir. She does.”
The sheriff laughed. “Been there, son. While I can’t allocate taxpayer dollars in the pursuit of love, I can authorize law enforcement to be on the lookout for someone Deputy Pruitt needs to question.” His boss chuckled, his voice gravelly. “I’m assuming that once apprehended, you do have questions for the suspect. Or at least, one all-important question, Deputy?”
Charlie gripped the wheel as the intersection at the town of Painter blurred past his window. “I do indeed, sir. And I’d be much obliged for any help you could spare.”
“Got her number, by chance?”
Charlie smiled. “Emblazoned on my brain.” He rattled off Evy’s license plate number. “Thank you, sir.”
“No problem. Bring back the girl, Deputy.”
As Charlie sped past Nassawadox, the unofficial BOLO went out over the radio to his brothers in blue on the two-county peninsula to locate the pretty blonde librarian. Minutes later, his hope was rewarded when good friend Thad Walters responded.
“Vehicle spotted. Outside the Cackle and Crow in Cheriton. Stop and detain? Please advise. Standing by.”
Charlie’s heart thumped. Last exit before the bridge. She must’ve stopped for breakfast before heading over the seventeen-mile bridge and tunnel expanse. He had a bad feeling that if they didn’t catch her this side of the mainland, he’d never see her again.
He picked up the mic. “Be advised.” He released the button. Charlie set his jaw. He pressed down the button again. “Do not attempt to apprehend. I repeat, do not apprehend. Delay, yes, Trooper Walters.”
Thad laughed. “Advise. Is suspect dangerous?”
He flushed. So much for pride. Everyone with a scanner in a two-county radius was no doubt following this development play-by-play.
Charles Everett Pruitt the Third would once again be the laughingstock of the Delmarva Peninsula. But he’d do so and more for a do-over with Evy.
“Be advised suspect is dangerous.” He took a breath. “But only to my heart. Suspect must be approached with caution.”
“Roger that. Will delay till you arrive and then she’s all yours, Deputy Pruitt.”
Charlie blew past Exmore.
Oh, how he hoped so.
Chapter Seventeen
After a sleepless night, fatigue caught up with Evy. Facing a long drive over the choppy waters of the Chesapeake Bay, she figured she’d better stop for caffeine while she had the chance.
Plus—despite the fiasco with Charlie—she wasn’t eager to put the Shore behind her quite yet. Which made her what?
“A glutton for punishment.”
“Excuse me, cupcake?” The waitress’s blue-green eyes reminded Evy of the Kiptohanock harbor. “What did you say?”
Evy shook her head. Time to put the past where it belonged, in the past. Including what had been the most wonderful few months of her life.
“Which just shows you how stupid I am.”
The waitress paused in the act of pouring coffee into Evy’s to-go cup. “Man trouble, sweetie?”
“Idiot trouble. And I’m not talking only about him.”
The waitress nodded with the hard-won wisdom of experience.
Maybe all waitresses by occupational necessity were also psychotherapists. Perhaps Evy should’ve talked to Dixie before hightailing it out of town.
As Evy paid for the coffee, bells jingled at the front door of the Cackle and Crow. Her gaze flitted to the mirror behind the counter to the tall uniformed figure filling the doorway.
Her heart seized until the deputy removed his trooper hat. Not Charlie. But she recognized the officer. Thad something. They’d met at Riverside Hospital. A friend of Charlie’s.
Thad’s eyes flicked to the waitress and back to Evy. “Ma’am. Good to see you again.”
She nodded. “Officer.”
“Your usual cuppa joe and a muffin, Thad?” The waitress lifted the glass lid of the cake stand.
The state trooper’s lips curved up, but it was Evy who remained locked in his crosshairs. “You know what I like, Violet.”
Evy took a step to leave.
Hands resting on his gun belt, Thad sidestepped and blocked her exit. “Fancy seeing you in Northampton County this morning, Miss Shaw.”
“Yes, well...” She stepped left.
So did Thad. She frowned.
He gave her a supercilious smile. “Going somewhere so soon?”
She supposed some girls went for the broad-shouldered man in uniform. But she wasn’t most girls. Only man, uniform or in jeans, she went for was Charlie Pruitt.
And that had turned out so well for her. The sooner she got off this peninsula the better.
“If you’ll excuse me...”
Legs widening to hip stance, Thad once again effectively cut off her escape. “What’s your hurry? I’d love some company on my break.”
“I don’t think so.” She fluttered her hand. “Places to go. People to see.”
“That’s a shame. Taking a trip over the bridge?”
“Yes, I am.”
“A word to the wise, Miss Shaw.” He took the white paper bag from the waitress. “Thanks, Violet.”
“What word would that be, Officer?”
He fished a five-dollar bill
out of his pocket and slid it over the countertop toward Violet. “Rush hour.”
Backed against the stool, Evy glared. “That’s not a word. That’s a phrase. What’re you talking about?”
“I stand corrected.” He smirked. “I forgot you were that book gal from the Kiptohanock library. But rush hour is something you don’t want to get caught in. Not stuck on the bridge with Shore folks headed to jobs in Virginia Beach, or sidelined by Tidewater residents commuting to Norfolk, either. Trust me. Gridlock on the interstate isn’t pretty.”
Balancing her coffee, she crossed her arms. “I’ll take that under advisement, Officer. But I must be on my way.”
“How much gas have you got in that Mini Cooper of yours?”
“About a quarter of—” She narrowed her eyes. “How do you know what I drive?”
“Mini Coopers kind of stand out on the Shore. Hospital parking lot, remember?”
Something wasn’t right. Until Charlie, men hadn’t taken an interest in Evy Shaw. Thad wasn’t exactly making a play for her, but something was off.
“No gas station between the bridge and Virginia Beach. If you get trapped in one of those traffic jams, you could be stuck on the highway for an hour or more.”
“I appreciate the warning, Officer.”
“Thad.”
“What? Oh, Thad. But why the sudden—”
“Part of the job, ma’am. I’m here to serve and protect.”
She curled her lip. “So I’ve been told. Thanks for the tip. I’ll stop for gas before I go through the toll plaza.”
Evy faked to the left. Then dodged right. And managed to scoot past his hulking frame.
She dashed for the door and flung it open with wild abandon. The bells jangled behind her as she fled toward her car. She felt a whoosh of air.
Officer Thad inserted himself between Evy and her vehicle. She stopped midstep and tottered in her heels. He smiled.
Her breath came in short spurts. “What are—Why—?”
“Can’t be too careful. I thought I’d check your tire pressure before you head out on your long trip.”
She suppressed the desire to groan.
Thad kept up a running monologue about the joys of the Delmarva Peninsula. The fishing. The beaches. The down-home friendliness of the locals.
After checking the tires, he insisted she get behind the wheel so he could check turn signals and rear lights. One step closer toward her goal of driving off-Shore forever, she complied and cranked the engine.
The safety check dragged on as Thad waxed eloquent about the supposed superiority of the Cape Charles, Northampton County library versus, say, the Kiptohanock, Accomack County library.
Which riled her. She wasted another twenty minutes defending Kiptohanock and the entire county of Accomack.
By this point, Thad leaned against her idling car, his snack bag resting on the hood.
She squirmed in her seat. “If that’s all, Officer? Thanks so much for your helpfulness, but now I really must be—”
“My niece is having trouble finding books to enjoy. As a book specialist, Miss Shaw, could you make any recommendations?”
She gawked at him through the half-open window. “Books?”
“That’s what you do, isn’t it?”
“Yes.” She gritted her teeth. “That’s what I do.”
What was the trooper’s deal?
“Okay...” She let her breath trickle out slowly from between her lips. “How old is your niece?”
Thad fidgeted. “Eighteen months.”
Her mouth fell open. “Eighteen months? She can’t read yet unless...” She reached for the gearshift. “Unless she’s a child prodigy.”
“She is real smart.” Thad chuckled. “Takes after her uncle.”
These Shore people were insane. And annoying.
“Goodbye, Officer.” She raised the window and shifted into Reverse. “I’ll be leaving now.”
Just in time, Thad grabbed the paper bag before it slid to the ground.
With a backhanded wave, she eased out of the parking space. What was up with that guy? In the rearview mirror, she spotted Thad speaking into his shoulder mic.
Clicking her seat belt in place—before the trooper stopped her on a safety violation—she pulled onto 13. Time to put the Delmarva Peninsula and perfidious law enforcement officials like SuperDeputy behind her. She dutifully stopped for gas per Thad’s timely warning and then headed toward the bridge.
Minutes from the toll plaza, she detected the whine of a police siren. Her eyes flashed to the mirror. The swirling blue light of a police cruiser advanced. Her foot automatically lightened on the accelerator. Her gaze cut left and right. Was the siren meant for her?
What had she done? Her speed was within the posted limits. Maybe the officer was after someone else. But the patrol car kept pace, hugging her bumper. Ignoring the other, slowing vehicles.
If this was Thad again... She rapped the wheel.
Surrendering to the inevitable, she veered off the highway and came to a standstill on a parallel secondary road. The cruiser nosed in behind her Mini Cooper.
Great. Just great. She’d have a ticket to remember her heartbreak here as well. Her shoulders slumped. The cruiser’s door opened and closed. Footsteps crunched over gravel.
She fumbled through her purse for her driver’s license. A shadow fell across the window. Blocking the bright morning sunshine.
Hitting a button, she rolled the window halfway down. She took one glance. Fury consumed her.
“And here I had hoped never to lay eyes on you again, Charlie Pruitt.”
* * *
Not the response Charlie had been hoping for. Thad had delayed Evy for as long as he could. Charlie only did catch her vehicle this side of the bridge.
He squared his shoulders. “I wanted to say again that I realize I made a mistake in not telling you the truth from the beginning.”
Evy’s hands white-knuckled the wheel.
“I was wrong to deceive you. Especially when my gut was telling me to trust you.”
She stared straight ahead out the windshield. Her lips flat, she refused to look at him.
“Evy...” His stomach churned. “Please know how sorry I am. I never wanted to hurt you.”
She strangled the wheel. Probably what she’d like to do to him if she could get her hands around his throat. “Save it for someone who cares, Deputy.” She reached for the gearshift.
Emptiness consumed him. She wasn’t ready to listen. He had to do something fast or lose her forever. He wasn’t ready to give up on her, or them, yet. Not by a long shot.
“Turn off the ignition, and keep your hands where I can see them.”
Her eyes jerked to his. “What?”
“Don’t make me repeat myself, Miss Shaw.”
He steeled himself against the rapid blinking in those azure-blue eyes of hers. He gave her the hard, intimidating look he’d honed in the academy. A look he saved for offenders. It didn’t seem to faze Evy.
Quivering with outrage, she removed her hand from the gearshift. With a flick of her wrist, she turned off the engine.
“There,” she grunted. “Satisfied now, Deputy?”
Mouth thinning, he removed the pad from his jacket.
Evy’s eyes enlarged. “You’re writing me a ticket? But—”
He withdrew a pen from his pocket. “No buts.”
“But I haven’t done anything,” she growled.
He started writing.
Evy’s gaze darted to the reflection of his vehicle in the mirror. “You have no jurisdiction, Deputy. I’m in Northampton County.”
He kept writing.
“You have no right to detain me.”
He didn’t bother
to answer. Only the scratching of his pen on the paper broke the silence.
“What are you charging me with?” She throttled the wheel. “I wasn’t speeding.”
He bent over the pad, concentrating on getting the wording right.
“I know for a fact, all you care about is the law.”
He lifted his head at the sneer in her voice.
“And my lights and turn signals are in perfect working order.”
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to exit your vehicle now, Miss Shaw.”
Her mouth dropped. “You—I... How dare you, Charles Pruitt?”
“Ma’am...”
Her face went fuchsia, almost apoplectic.
Charlie clicked the end of the ballpoint and reinserted it into his uniform pocket. He reached for the door handle at the same moment she shoved it open. He hopscotched backward to avoid being knocked down.
Lunging out of the driver’s side, she slammed the car door behind her for good measure. The Mini Cooper rocked. With a flourish, he tore the ticket from the pad and handed it to her.
Teetering in her trademark heels, she snatched the paper from him. He bit back a sigh. She had the loveliest ankles of any woman he’d ever known.
“Read it for yourself.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Since I know how much you love to read.”
If looks were lethal, he figured he might be lying on the pavement right now—officer down. She glanced at the paper in her hand. She frowned.
He inserted a finger between his neck and the collar of his uniform and tugged. He gulped. She crushed the ticket in her fist and shook it in his face.
The resemblance between the mulish ex-Coastie and Evy was extraordinary. He didn’t know why he hadn’t seen it immediately. The blue laser glare she threw his way could have reduced a lesser man to cinders.
But Evy Shaw hadn’t met stubborn until she’d dealt with Charlie Pruitt.
He placed his hands on either side of his gun belt. “Read it out loud, if you please, Miss Shaw. Don’t make me go all Five-0 on you.”
* * *
Evy’s hair blew across her cheek in the breeze blowing off the water. Her eyes shifted to Fisherman’s Island beyond the toll plaza. So close and yet so far. Fuming, she brushed the strand of hair out of her face.