Living in Shadow

by Georgia Florey-Evans

  Hardy took a deep breath. “Listen, I’m sorrier than I can ever say. I didn’t mean to bring trouble with me. But you’re asking for too much. I can’t--I won’t put my family at risk for anything. Like you said, I gave up everything in part, to keep them safe, and I just won’t throw that away.”

  “Then we’ll compromise.” Mitch sat forward in his chair and tented his fingers on the table in front of him. “Come to work for me as a consultant. We’ll make sure you stay off the radar, even though it’s clear somebody knows who you really are. I’ll even arrange for you to have a gun, for your own safety. Just help me fix this.” He looked accusingly at Hardy. “You just admitted you brought this trouble with you. Stay at least long enough to help me fix it.”

  “I can’t.” Did the man not understand what he was asking Hardy to do?

  Shades came down over Mitch’s eyes, and all traces of friendliness were gone. “Then I have no choice but to hold you here for suspicion of criminal conspiracy. I’ll come up with more charges as they’re needed. You’re sticking around Shadow one way or another, Mr. Davis.”

  Anger took hold of Hardy, but years of retaining a calm demeanor in trying situations kicked in. ”You forget who you’re dealing with. I can have the FSA here with one call. I’m leaving town first thing in the morning.”

  The sheriff didn’t hesitate. “You forget where you’re at. This is a small town in a small county. We have one of the snoopiest reporters in the state. All it would take is one little phone call. Karl King would dedicate the entire front page of the paper to an article about a hero like Harding Davis living under our noses for six months. And he wouldn’t be shy about letting big city papers—like Chicago—have his article. I believe that would make it difficult for you to remain in the area, no matter what name you used.”

  Hardy stood up so abruptly his chair toppled over backward. “Are you threatening me?”

  The door behind Mitch swung open, and a young deputy stood there with his hand on his gun. “You okay, Sheriff?”

  Mitch held up his hand as he stood. “Everything is fine, Hank. Mr. Harding needs a few minutes.” He turned his attention back to Hardy. “For the record, Harding, I don’t make threats. I keep promises. And I promised the people in this county to do my best to keep it a safe place to live. I’ve told you what I need from you to make that happen.”

  He turned and followed the deputy out the door, closing it softly behind them.

  Hardy’s first instinct was to pick up the chair and throw it as hard as he could. What was he going to do? Landon wasn’t heartless; he wouldn’t put Hardy’s family in danger by revealing he was alive. Should Hardy call his bluff?

  But, what if the sheriff were desperate enough to follow through? Even the slightest hint that Harding Davis was alive would ruin everything. He’d be out in Boise, Idaho before he could sneeze, and his family would be in more danger than ever. Not even Elliott would be able to keep them safe.

  The small-town sheriff had him caught between third base and home plate. Because it all came down to one thing. What would Harding Davis do to protect his family? The answer was easy. Anything he had to.

  “You’d better be able to keep me off the radar.” Because if the sheriff didn’t, matters would quickly become worse than they were—for everybody.

  Chapter 26

  Pure rage filled him as he read the newspaper article again. This was not part of the plan and therefore intolerable.

  He nearly picked up the phone and threw it through the plate glass window when it rang.

  “Hello,” he bit out.

  “Roscoe’s dead.” The person who was extremely fond of himself sounded frightened. He was probably afraid he’d shoot the messenger.

  “I read the paper.” He took a deep breath. “Not that it matters, but what happened?”

  “I’m not sure myself,” James admitted. “It looks like Roscoe and Brockman got into an argument about something. Harv said he didn’t even know Brockman had his gun on him until he pulled it and shot Roscoe.”

  “Explain to me why he was shot in the back of his head. The paper calls it execution style.” There was no way the story he’d just been told was the truth.

  “Would you like to hear my idea of what happened?”

  “Much more than the cockamamie story those worthless men made up.”

  “I think Roscoe got to mouthing off about the money again. He thought since he was the one we made initial contact with, he should get a bigger share of the pay-off. I think he spoke out one too many times, and the other two took him out, plain and simple. They probably figured it would make their statement for Davis more effective to leave a dead body there, and if they could fool us, then no foul.”

  He made an immediate decision. “Tell them an anonymous tip will find its way to the sheriff’s office if anything like this happens again. Remind our employees there is no proof linking them to us, so we have nothing to lose.”

  “Okay.”

  “Just remember what you’re there to do, and don’t disappoint me.” James should know by now; disappointments were not tolerated.

  Chapter 27

  Haley lifted the end of her small sofa and shoved the vacuum cleaner head under the front leg. She couldn’t remember the last time she expended this much energy on housecleaning, and she still felt like an overcharged battery.

  It was Saturday, so Beau Harding—or whatever his name was—had left Shadow this morning. It wasn’t like she hadn’t known he would. And it wasn’t like there was any reason for her to care what he did, anyway. But she did! Was the interest he’d shown in her an act? Had she totally misread the situation?

  She shouldn’t even be thinking about the man. For one thing, she still didn’t know who he really was. For another, he had been brought into the station for Mitch to “talk to” on the very same day a robbery and homicide occurred. For all Haley knew, he was the prime suspect.

  No. The man who’d teased her about fondling poison oak, and then been considerate enough to help make sure she didn’t suffer the consequences of her ignorant actions, simply wasn’t capable of crimes like burglary or murder. For some reason, she was sure the man she’d seen that day was the real Beau Harding, no matter what he called himself.

  The doorbell brought her out of her reverie. She quickly shut off the vacuum and headed for the door. Before she opened it, she tightened her ponytail and hoped she didn’t have dust on her nose.

  She wondered if she was hallucinating when she discovered Beau Harding.

  He smiled. “HI.”

  Haley was struck speechless for a minute. Then she sputtered. “I thought you were leaving town this morning. Did Luke suffer a relapse?”

  “No.” His smile didn’t dim. “Can I come in?”

  Where were her manners? “Please.” She backed up so he could walk through the door. “I’ve just been cleaning.” There were signs of her efforts all over the room, from the dusting spray and rag she’d left on the table, to the small stepladder she climbed on to clean ceiling fan blades.

  His amused gaze scanned the room before settling on her face. “I can see that.”

  “I thought you were leaving this morning,” she repeated, completely taken aback by his presence.

  “Things changed.” His smile faded. “Can we sit down and talk? Or if you’d rather, we can go for a walk or something.”

  “You want to talk to me.” Was this man bipolar or something? “What about?”

  Troubled gray eyes looked into hers. “I’m sorry about our date. I know I hurt you, and I wanted to explain.”

  “Mighty fond of yourself, aren’t you?” Haley mentally stiffened her spine. “What makes you think anything you say or do could hurt me?”

  “I saw it in your eyes.” As if of its own volition, his right hand rose and gently traced her cheekbone. “You have the most expressive eyes I’ve ever seen.”

  Haley’s first instinct was to lean her face against Hardy’s hand, but thankfully, ration
al thought took over.

  She stepped back, out of his reach. “Why don’t you say whatever you feel is necessary? I have a lot of work to do.”

  “I need to tell you why I broke our date.” Apparently, Hardy wasn’t going away until he had his say. “Please, just sit down with me for a few minutes and let me explain. Then, if you want me to leave, I won’t bother you again.”

  What should she do? Haley had never felt drawn to a man like she did the one in front of her. Maybe she owed it to herself to at least listen.

  “Okay.” She walked over and sat on the chair, indicating he could sit on the sofa.

  Once they were sitting and facing each other, Hardy suddenly appeared to be searching for words. Haley waited patiently until he finally spoke.

  “I have never reacted to a woman like this.” Her heart sped up in response to his calm, firm voice. “I want—No. I feel a need to get to know you better.” He looked into her eyes as if willing her to believe him. “So, I asked you out.”

  “And then what?” If Haley hadn’t remembered she was an adult in the nick of time, she would have chucked the can of dusting spray at him. “You just decide you don’t want to get to know me better? You see me at work, and what? I look hideous sitting at the dispatch station? Did I have on a color that didn’t go with my complexion? Maybe you didn’t like—”

  “Stop.” Hardy’s command halted her harangue. “There is nothing wrong with you. It’s me. I couldn’t take you out because of who I am.”

  “And who might that be?” She was on her way to being good and angry.

  He looked steadily into her eyes. “I’m Beau Harding. I—”

  “I know that’s not your real name.” Haley's voice rose as she sprang to her feet. “Look, whatever-your-name-is, you don’t have to explain. You’re a man passing through town who I’ll never see again. Except for a mutual attraction I can’t explain, there is no reason for either of us to remember the other.”

  Hardy stood up and stepped over to her. “Do you think I want to be merely passing through? Do you think I want to have secrets I can’t tell you?” His eyes were full of pain and frustration. “I’m going to be in town longer than I thought. I know I should stay as far away from you as possible, but here I am anyway. Tell me you don’t feel the same way I do, and I’ll leave and never darken your door again.”

  “I don’t . . . ” Haley had never been a liar. She covered her face with her hands and turned away from him. After she had regained control of her emotions, she turned back and lowered her hands to look into his eyes. “I feel it, too, but I have to be strong and stay away from you. I don’t think I can start a relationship when there’s no way it will last. We don’t have any chance at all of that happening.”

  He seemed to consider her words before he spoke. “Then, what about being friends? We won’t date. We’ll just be friends. Then, when this is over, and I leave, we’ll say goodbye and have fond memories of friendship.”

  She came to her feet, forcing him to step back. “When what is all over?”

  Hardy's brows lowered for a moment before he appeared to come to a decision. “You’ll know anyway. My exact role won’t be public knowledge, but I’m helping the sheriff with these cases he’s dealing with.”

  “But why would you—?” Then she knew. “I was right. You are a police officer.”

  “I was.” He reached out and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. “That’s all I can tell you . . . for your own good. You’ll have to trust me on that.”

  Haley’s mind whirled with the implications of what she was learning. “You’re a police officer pretending to be a farmer. Are you in witness protection?”

  His hands tightened slightly on her shoulders. “Please, Haley. Don’t ask me questions I can’t answer.”

  He’d just answered her question. Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “Then you can’t help Mitch. People will talk, and then Karl King might find out and put it in the paper. Whoever is after you will find you. You can’t do it.”

  “Listen, Haley, it started out not being my choice,” His gaze didn't move. “But I thought about it, and the sheriff is right. I owe it to everybody here to help fix this.” He let his hands slide down her arms and take hold of hers. “And it looks like it’s my fault in the first place.”

  “How can it be your fault?” She was growing more confused by the second. “Please, Har—I don’t want to call you Hardy. Can I at least know your first name? I won’t use it in front of anybody.”

  He smiled gently. “I won’t tell you my first name, but you can call me Beau. That’s what my family calls me.”

  “Beau is your real name?” That surprised her.

  What looked like relief was in his eyes. “Part of it.”

  She readjusted her thoughts from his name back to what they’d been talking about. “It can’t be your fault. Please…Beau…explain it to me. It won’t go any further.”

  “I was undercover for a very long time, and then I had to die. Some dangerous people would love to get their hands on me if they knew I was still alive." Silver eyes seemed to search hers. “I’m certain it's not them, but it could be somebody else I’ve made angry in the past.” He tightened his fingers around her hands. “And I’ve made a lot of people angry.”

  “Somebody is doing all of this…robbing…killing…to get to you?” She leaned closer to him. “I don’t understand.”

  “Neither do I,” he admitted. “That’s why I’m sticking around to help the sheriff sort this out.” He dropped her hands and backed away from her. “I understand if we can’t even be friends. It may not be a good idea to be my friend right now.”

  Everything shifted in Haley’s mind and became apparent. “You need me—a friend. You can talk about it, and your secrets will be safe with me.” And she would pray every day that God would protect her heart from becoming involved in their relationship.

  Hardy looked uncertain for a moment before a small smile appeared on his face. “Thank you.”

  Haley shoved back her wayward thoughts and smiled as brightly as she could. “As your friend, I’m inviting you to come to church with me in the morning.”

  His smile immediately disappeared. “I don’t really go to church.”

  Her heart sank as she frowned. “You’re not a Christian? Or do you just not like to attend church?”

  “I believe in God.” Hardy looked as though the words were being wrenched from him. “But I’m pretty mad at Him right now, and I don’t see that getting better anytime soon.”

  Haley may not know why Hardy was angry with God, but she was familiar with the emotion.

  “I was mad at God, too, Beau,” she admitted. “I blamed him when my parents died. They were all I had. I didn’t think he really loved me because he took them away from me.”

  “How did they die?” Hardy took her hands in his again.

  A shaky laugh emerged from Haley’s throat. “I was eighteen, fresh out of high school. Mom and Dad took me to a beach in South Carolina for my graduation present, one last family vacation before I went away to college.” She could still hear her mom’s laughing protests as her dad sang horribly with the radio during the long drive there. “We had been at the beach for four days. It was our last day there. Mom wanted to go swimming one more time before we left.” Tears came unbidden to her eyes.

  “You don’t have to tell me.” Hardy spoke gently.

  She shook her head. “I want to. We went into the ocean—not really swimming, more like standing and being buffeted by waves. The tide was out so we could walk clear to the end of the pier.” The memory Haley was envisioning now was one she would never forget, no matter how hard she tried. “Mom got caught in what they called a rip current. Dad was close enough he tried to get her. They were both pulled under. I tried to go help, but a lifeguard stopped me. The lifeguards tried, but the current was too strong. They both drowned.”

  “I’m sorry, Haley.”

  A smile broke through her tears. �
��It’s okay. Because even though they were taken before I wanted them to be, I know where they’re at, and Who they’re with. I’ll be with them again someday, too. It took me a long time to realize that, but I did. And whatever you’re mad at God about, if you let him, he’ll help you accept it.” She framed his face in her hands. “You just have to let him.”

  Hardy reached up and wiped an errant tear from her face. “I’m glad you found peace, but my situation is different. I don’t think there’s anything anybody could say or do to make me accept what happened.”

  “God isn’t just anybody.” She could see pain underlying the anger he was sharing with her. Whatever happened had deeply hurt this man, and he needed to let God help him heal. “Please just come to church with me tomorrow. You can sit and watch. You don’t have to sing or pray or anything.”

  He gave her a measured look. “I’ll think about it. That’s the best I can do.”

  She smiled brightly. “And I’ll pray about it. Church starts at ten. I go to the one across from the park. Do you know which one I mean?”

  “Yes. But don’t hold your breath waiting for me to get there.”

  “I’ll save you a seat.” Her eyes twinkled as she gave him a quick hug. “Now, I hate to run you off, but I have to get my housework finished.”

  A few minutes later, after Hardy had left, Haley sat down on a chair. What was she opening herself up to by being Beau Harding’s friend?

  First of all, even though she now knew he was a police officer in some kind of witness protection program, she still had no idea what his real name or situation was. Second, he had no intention of staying longer than it took to help Mitch catch the people responsible for the crime wave in Shadow. Third, she was very drawn to the man romantically, making it dangerous to establish any kind of a relationship with him. And finally, he was struggling with his faith.