by Lacey Baker
“Too many for two cruisers. I’ll use my truck to transport the rest. Let’s just get them out of my restaurant now!”
It took Parker, Preston, Kyle, and Jonah about a half hour to subdue, handcuff, and threaten the Redlings, the town council members, and the gossip queens of Sweetland. They’d decided to separate the quarreling parties, so the Redlings were led out of the restaurant entrance door by Jonah and Preston, while Kyle wrangled up the two town council members who hadn’t backed down when he’d told them to, Jeannie being one of them, and Parker secured his favorites, Louisa and Marabelle.
He hadn’t cuffed the two women, but damn, he wished he’d muzzled them. They traveled through the house heading to the front door, the two women still complaining and arguing to the point Parker wanted to strangle both of them. It was when they made it into the living room, Kyle and Jeannie coming up right behind him, that Parker’s patience finally broke.
Louisa had been walking in front, Marabelle in the center, dressed in her floral creation of the day, and Parker bringing up the rear. Louisa turned and bumped her expansive body into Marabelle’s. Parker had been alert enough to take a step back, yelling, “Whoa!” as a warning to Kyle and Jeannie, who were behind him. “Where do you think you’re going?” he asked.
“You can’t put me out of this place!” Louisa began yelling. “It’s a historical monument, and as a citizen of this town I have a right to be here.”
Parker sighed. “It’s my property and I’m putting you out. If you keep running your mouth, it’ll be a permanent ban.”
“I’m not afraid of you, Parker Cantrell. If Mary Janet were alive, she’d be embarrassed to the tips of her toes at the way you’ve been behaving since you came back here!” Louisa continued on this new tirade.
“Isn’t it enough you’ve got that gal locked up somewhere in this house? She’s having your baby and you’re running around here like you’re the law, getting people killed or almost blown up! That poor baseball player’s probably going to sue our town after you hit him and then had him arrested, of all the stupid things! I won’t stand for this treatment from you! I just won’t!”
Louisa had barreled past Marabelle until the other woman was pressed against the sofa table by the wall, knocking over one of the lamps. Parker was sure Quinn would have a fit over that.
“That’s about enough from you, Louisa,” Kyle interjected. He’d moved around the threesome, sending Jeannie out onto the front porch, where Jonah had come to see what was going on. The other town council member watched with interest as he was escorted out as well. Kyle immediately went to Louisa, taking one of her hands.
“I can cuff you and arrest you for disturbing the peace, if that’s what you want, Louisa,” he told her.
“Why, you should be cuffing this reprobate and looking for Drew. He’s probably got her handcuffed somewhere. You know those city folk like all those sordid sex games.”
To that comment from Louisa, even Marabelle gasped.
Parker took a step forward, his fists clenching at his side, temples throbbing. “Mrs. Kirk, I’d advise you to shut your mouth and get out of my house right now!”
“Not until I know that gal is all right. Her poor mother’s about to lose her mind and nobody seems to care but me! Now Kyle, I want you to turn me loose so I can look for Drewcilla.”
“Not turning you loose until we get to the station, Louisa. You’re under arrest,” Kyle told her.
“Wait.”
They all turned to the female voice, Parker shaking his head as he saw her approach.
“I want to say something to her first,” Drew stated, walking all the way into the living room.
“What are you doing out here?” Parker asked as he moved to her side.
She held up a hand. “I’m fine. But this has been brewing for a while. She’s not going to stop until somebody stops her.”
Drew talked to Parker but kept her gaze on Louisa.
“Look at her, heavy with child like she’s gonna pop any day now,” Louisa said with a smirk. “Absolutely shameful. He won’t marry you, you know. Just plans to keep you locked away until you have that baby, then it’s over for you. Wise up now and get out while you can.”
Marabelle’s gaze had softened as she looked at Drew in her very pregnant state.
“Whatever Parker and I do is our business, Mrs. Kirk. Do you understand what that means? It means that you don’t have a say, that your opinion does not count in this relationship or even in this house,” Drew pointed out.
“Now, the other people in this town might be afraid of you. They might let you snicker behind their backs and spread your vicious rumors. But I’m here right now to tell you that it will stop as far as I and my family are concerned. If you so much as utter our names, I’ll slap you with a gag and harassment order. Do I make myself clear?”
Drew had spoken in a clear and concise tone. She’d stood with her back ramrod straight, her stomach protruding through the knee-length nightgown she wore. Her hair was pulled back into a semineat ponytail, flat in the back from lying down. The only show of emotion was the flush of heat at her cheeks.
And Parker had never loved her more.
He wrapped his arm around her waist, looking to the shocked, speechless Louisa and the stunned and now nervous Marabelle with a large measure of pride.
“I’ll put these two in my car. You can take the town council members in,” Kyle told Parker.
“No. No. I’ll go home if it’s all the same to you,” Marabelle started. “Parker, give my apologies to Michelle and the rest of the family.”
He’d never seen Marabelle move so fast as she hustled to get out the front door. She hadn’t even spared Louisa a backward glance. As for Louisa, she still held her frown, too stubborn to know when she’d been beaten. Kyle shrugged, slipping the temporary cuffs around her wrists.
“Off we go,” he stated, turning and giving a tip of his police hat to Parker and Drew.
When they were alone, Parker immediately pulled Drew into his arms. “I should shake you for getting out of that bed and coming out here,” he told her.
“You were making so much noise there was no way I could get an ounce of rest. Besides, I’d heard enough from Louisa Kirk to last me a lifetime. I’m not about to continue on living in Sweetland with her commenting on everything I do from blinking an eye to squatting in town hall and giving birth. The woman’s a menace.”
Now she was flaring with emotion, her eyes dancing, lips thinning. Lips that Parker leaned in instantly to kiss.
“I love you,” he told her.
She melted against him instantly. “I’m beginning to like the sound of that.”
“Good, because I’m going to keep telling you, but only if you get yourself back into that bed.”
“Join me?”
He rubbed his hands up and down her back, smile and arousal spreading quickly. “I’ve never heard a better invitation,” he told her. “But I’ve gotta take these people down to the police station.”
When Drew looked as if she were about to frown, he added, “But I’ll be right back. Wait for me?”
She touched a finger to his jaw, then his bottom lip. “I don’t have much of a choice, now, do I?”
“No. You don’t,” he told her, and then watched her walk back into the bedroom.
With a groan of anticipated pleasure, Parker finally turned away from Drew’s swaying backside and headed out the front door to take care of the town council members as quickly as possible. He had something scrumptious waiting for him upon his return.
* * *
Granger Kirk left the police station with his face fixed in a scowl. He’d come to claim his wife after Kyle had called him to say he was going to charge Louisa formally if Granger didn’t pick her up and keep her on a tight leash for the next thirty days. Granger hadn’t looked happy when he’d walked into the station. The only change in emotion Parker had noted was when he’d seen his wife sitting in the temporary cell, looking as if
she were about to explode. Granger had almost cracked a smile.
“This station hasn’t seen this much action in thirty years,” Kyle told Parker when they sat alone in his office.
Parker frowned. “I apologize for bringing my baggage down here with me. But I talked to Ryan last night and that’s all finished. With Witherspoon and now his key men in custody, Ryan doubts there’ll be any more ordered hits. He filed his final report on Friday and now all that’s left is to await the trial.”
Kyle nodded. “I gotta hand it to you Cantrell boys, you make a mess, you clean it up. I’m talking about Preston and those kidnappers and Quinn with Nikki’s legal woes. You’re a good bunch,” he finished.
“I think I should say thank you,” Parker commented wryly.
To that, Kyle chuckled heartily.
“I’ve got a proposition for you, Parker.”
Parker sat back in the chair, not sure what to expect from the sheriff, who was looking at him with a bit of a gleam in his eye.
“I’m thinking of retiring next year. Or rather Esterine has declared that both of us will be retiring next year.” He ended with another of his deep-gutted chuckles. “I guess it’s time, we’ve been doing this for too long. In the last couple of months I’ve realized that.”
Parker lifted a brow. “You mean since me and my brothers returned to Sweetland you’ve had an influx of crime and figure now it’s too much for you.”
“Whoa, hold on there, son. You’re getting ahead of yourself,” Kyle told him. He leaned forward, thick elbows planted on the desk. “I’ve been a cop for more than forty years. I’ve worked in this town all my life, but I’ve seen some things in and around Sweetland. I can handle my town just fine.”
Kyle sighed then, and Parker continued to watch him steadily.
“When I met Esterine I thought, Man, the heavens have sure smiled on me. Didn’t think I was worth a plug nickel until Esterine gave me her heart. Then we had Carl and I thought, This is the best life possible. At home I had the sweetest, prettiest wife and a growing boy to carry on my legacy, and at work I had had the sweetest, prettiest receptionist and eventually a young man wearing the uniform just as I had.
“But things change, Parker. You know that. Some things just run their course, and Esterine and I feel like running the police station has run its course for us.”
Parker nodded. “I understand, Sheriff. I understand more than you know.”
Kyle nodded. “I talked to Sergeant Mertz on Friday.” He let that sentence hang in the air while Parker frowned.
“Seems like being a cop in the big city has run its course for you, also,” Kyle continued.
Parker hadn’t told anyone that he’d resigned. He’d planned on telling Drew first, then the rest of his family, but he hadn’t found the right moment yet. Something told him that moment was coming soon.
“It was time,” he said to Kyle. “Nothing was going to be the same after this investigation. They thought I was a cop killer, were investigating me and getting ready to seek an indictment for my arrest. Had the FBI not gotten involved, I would probably be incarcerated right now. I don’t begin to know how to work there again.”
“Yeah, I can see that. For the record, Mertz said he had his doubts about the evidence against you,” Kyle offered.
Parker shrugged. “Not strong enough doubts. Look, I’m not holding a grudge, life’s too short for that. I guess I’m just moving on.”
“Which brings me to why I came to see you this evening in the first place. Sure, I wanted a piece of Michelle’s custard pie, but I wanted to talk to you about something.”
“And you ended up handcuffing a bunch of your residents. I think I could probably get Michelle to send you a slice of pie,” Parker said with a smile, glad they were no longer talking about his resignation.
“Well now, that would be good except Esterine’s sort of got this thing about desserts lately. Said they look better on someone else.”
They both laughed at that.
“I want you to take over as sheriff of Sweetland, Parker,” Kyle said after sobering. “And before you ask, you’ve got more experience than Jonah and Carl. Jonah’s a good cop, he’s got good instincts and truly cares about the people of this town and their safety. Carl, on the other hand, well, Carl has his own path to walk, I guess.”
“And you don’t think that path’s one day going to lead him to become sheriff?”
Kyle shook his head. “No. It won’t. Carl’s not a leader. He’s not a follower, either, just wants to go his own way, do his own thing. You and I know that doesn’t work out in the long haul.”
“You’re right about that,” Parker admitted, enjoying for a moment the feeling of his past reputation taking a backseat to his present actions.
“He told his mother he’s thinking about moving to L.A. I’m thinking about wishing him well,” Kyle continued. “I may be old, but I’m not stupid enough to demand he be what I want him to be.”
“That sounds smart.”
“Oh, it is,” Kyle said, poking his chest out. “And if you’re lucky, when your baby grows up you’ll make a smart decision like this, too. Not every child is the same, and no matter what you want for their lives, at some point they’re gonna have to go their own way. Makes sense that parents just love and support them.”
“I’m hope I’m as smart a father as you are,” Parker said, and realized that he meant it.
Most fathers wanted their sons to either follow in their footsteps or be what they planned for them; not a lot of dads could step back and say, Do what you want. But Kyle was going to do that for Carl because, Parker suspected, he knew deep down that Carl would come back to Sweetland just as they all seemed to do.
Chapter 24
December
The Cantrell family had just finished cleaning up after one wedding when another was about to take place. It was eleven thirty-seven on New Year’s Eve, and this time, the already married Quinn and the spring groom-to-be, Preston, were helping Parker get into his tuxedo. They were in Parker’s rooms at the inn, with Mr. Sylvester sitting in a recliner across from the brothers.
“I can’t believe she said yes,” Preston said, handing Parker his jacket.
“What?” Parker asked in surprise. “Why wouldn’t she say yes?”
“Because you were slow as molasses figuring out you should have been marrying her from the start,” Mr. Sylvester chimed in.
The brothers looked fondly at the older man, marveling at how much his health had seemed to improve over the last couple of weeks. Quinn had finally convinced Mr. Sylvester to come into the office for a physical. It was then that they found out he was anemic and had been suffering from extreme fatigue as a result. With Michelle changing a few things in his diet, adding plenty of iron-rich foods, and Quinn prescribing a multivitamin as well as an iron supplement, Mr. Sylvester had perked right up. Not that his talking and advice giving had suffered one moment from his ailment.
“I wasn’t that slow,” Parker told him.
“You did sort of take your time,” Quinn added, moving close to help straighten the bow tie Parker had just completed. “I mean, once you decided to bring her to the inn to stay and then quit your job, you would have thought the proposal would have been next.”
“I like to do things in my own time,” Parker replied, thinking back to the conversation he’d had with Kyle months ago about men walking their own path.
“So you proposed on Christmas Eve instead, making everyone have to go into mad rush mode to get this thing set up for you two,” Preston told him.
“Not to mention keeping me and my lovely wife from going on our honeymoon,” Quinn added.
“Come on, you can’t blame that one on me. The ice storm grounded all planes at BWI, you weren’t going to get to Aspen anyway. So actually having the wedding tonight is accommodating your first-thing-tomorrow-morning flight time,” Parker told his big brother with a smile.
“Whatever you say, man,” Quinn said with a laugh
.
“Well, come on, you don’t want to keep that gal waiting any longer,” Mr. Sylvester told them as he stood and reached for his cane.
Michelle came in at that moment, carrying boutonnieres and going around to pin them on the lapels of each man there.
“I’m sick of wearing monkey suits and flowers already, and I’m not even up to bat yet,” Preston commented when she’d finished.
“That’s your nerves talking. You and Heaven are a great couple and your wedding will be perfect just like Nikki and Quinn’s was and just like Parker and Drew’s will be once he gets his butt out there,” Michelle quipped.
That made her move to him next, pinning on his boutonniere and then looking up at him. “Never thought you’d get married,” she whispered, tears welling in her eyes.
“Don’t do that,” Parker warned. “I won’t make it out there if you cry, Michelle.”
She shook her head. “I’m not going to cry,” she vowed. “I’m just so happy for the three of you, happy that you found your way back home and you found someone to share your lives with.”
Parker touched his sister’s cheek. “You’re gonna find that same thing, Michelle. If any of us are meant to be married and starting a family, it’s you.”
“Oh no, bite your tongue. I’m the last one that needs to be tied down to a man and children. How would I manage all of you and another family?”
With that, Michelle moved to Quinn and then finally to Mr. Sylvester, who escorted her out of the room and to the living room.
Fifteen minutes later, Parker stood at the base of the steps, the thick oak stairway on which banister he’d slid down more times than he could remember. He waited patiently as the CD playing the theme song from one of Drew’s favorite movies, A Love Affair, was started. About thirty seconds into the song, Drew appeared at the top of the stairs. Standing right beside her was Lorrayna, smiling through misty eyes.
The two women walked down the stairs, Lorrayna holding on to Drew’s arm while Drew used the railing to keep her steady. She’d fussed only a little about the gown Delia had found for her to wear at the last minute. It was ecru—that’s the color she’d told Parker the day after Christmas, after she and the other females of the family had been locked in their room for hours. The neck was scooped, sleeves short, and the soft material flared out from just beneath her breasts to fall to the floor. She looked ethereal, a vision in motherly glory. Parker was speechless.