Her Unexpected Hero

by Kyra Jacobs

  “But—”

  “Apologize.”

  He cast Maddie a dark look. “Sorry. For insinuating the obvious,” he added with a mumble.

  “Now, Maddie, you apologize to Miles.”

  She threw him an even darker look. “Sorry that I know the real story and you don’t.”

  Miles’s right brow arched. “Is that so?”

  “Yes.” She crossed her arms. “According to his grandfather, Cole is neither an axe murderer nor a thief. Well, not a thief for sure. Honestly, I didn’t ask about any murders.”

  “So if he didn’t steal and he didn’t kill anyone, why the heck is everyone saying he spent time in prison?”

  “Because he did,” she said, her gaze drifting back to the television screen. Had he been all over the news that day, too? Blasphemed for a misunderstood role in his mother’s crime? “His only fault, though, was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Cole was trying to stop his strung out mom from robbing a liquor store.”

  “Man, I’m sorry, Maddie.” Miles ran a hand through his hair. “I’ve been riding you about the guy for a while now. Guess I let the rumors and suspicion get to me, too.”

  “Yeah, well, now you know better.”

  “Thomas always believed in the boy, said he had a good heart. His mama, though, I remember her. She was something else altogether.” Ruby shook her head, frowning.

  “Guys, we’ve got to do something to help him. These rumors are getting out of hand. Much more, and those jerks might run him right out of town.”

  “Probably their intent,” said Miles.

  “Then help me.” Maddie threw him a pleading look. “Help him.”

  Miles took a bite of his sandwich and leaned back, assuming the classic Miles “analyzing the situation” pose. Ruby stopped with her napkin folding, brows drawn low in concentration as well. Maddie looked between the two of them, waiting for an idea to surface.

  “What happened?” Brent strode in with Kayla close behind. “The last time you all looked this serious, Uncle Albert had died.”

  “Small-mindedness is what happened.” Maddie flicked the TV back on. “Someone vandalized Cole’s shop, left him a nasty message in big red letters. Only they’ve got the story wrong. He was innocent, just didn’t have anyone in his corner to convince the jury. Now Little Miss Jensen on Channel 10 is having a heyday vilifying Cole who is ‘putting the town in unease.’”

  Kayla shot Miles a dirty look.

  “What?” he said. “It’s not like I told her to do that. Heck, we only went out on one date.”

  “Thank heavens for that,” Ruby mumbled.

  “So, do the police have any idea who’s behind this?”

  Maddie ran a hand over her hair. “No. And honestly? I don’t think they care. So far, they’ve chalked all the eggings up to rowdy teenagers. I half wonder if they aren’t all secretly hoping he packs his bags and leaves.”

  “Well, we can’t have that.” Kayla placed a hand on Maddie’s shoulder.

  “Wait a minute.” Ruby leaned forward, her gaze roving between them. “There’s more going on here than you’re both telling us. Ladies?”

  Maddie felt Kayla give her shoulder a gentle squeeze. What to do? Lie and say there was no more, and risk the Mastersons not doing all they could to help Cole, or admit her feelings—and put his job in jeopardy—and hope they would all pull together to save him from the town mob? She let out a long sigh.

  “I…”

  “You fell for him.”

  All eyes widened in surprise and shifted to Brent, who turned up his hands. “What? It was bound to happen. Seriously, was I the only one who saw this coming?”

  Miles faked a cough to cover up his laugh, and Maddie threw him a warning look. Stupid camera…

  “Fine, yes, it happened all right? Hard not to, with all you ridiculous lovebirds flitting about the place.”

  “Oh, whatever,” said Miles. “Wait—what about this other guy, the one you’re bringing to the gala?”

  She looked to the floor and shrugged. “It didn’t work out.”

  “Kissing coworkers and breaking hearts.” He shook his head. “It’s like I don’t even know you anymore.”

  Maddie swiped a folded napkin and chucked it at Miles, who easily dodged it, laughing. His grandmother shot him a warning look, and the mood at the table sobered once more. Maddie dropped onto a bar stool and looked to the others.

  “Needless to say, I’m worried about Cole. And maybe feeling a bit…protective of him. But no matter what happens between us, he deserves a fresh start here in Mount Pleasant.”

  “Who else knows about his past?” asked Brent.

  “I’m not sure. Heck, I didn’t even know it until Old Tom filled me in the other day. I mean, sure, it’s probably all public record, but you’d have to be looking to find that kind of dirt on someone.”

  “Like someone with a vengeance.” Kayla fell quiet for a moment, then looked to the family matriarch. “Ruby, do you think I could borrow Brent for the rest of the afternoon? I think I have an idea.”

  “Of course, dear. What is it you two plan to do?”

  Kayla looked from Brent to Maddie, determination in her eyes. “Some digital sightseeing.”

  …

  Cole heard his cell buzz from its place on his makeshift dresser and sighed. No doubt it was Maddie, checking up on him yet again. He didn’t have the heart to tell her it was a pay-as-you-go plan and she was eating up all his minutes. Heck, at this point, he didn’t have the heart to do much more than play the blues.

  Because that’s what he was living—the blues.

  How you holding up? her text read.

  Yep, checking on him again. Yesterday, the knowledge that she cared, that she was worried about him, would have warmed him from the inside out. But ever since finding that hate message plastered all over his shop this morning, he’d struggled to shake off the chill of rejection.

  He never should have signed that lease.

  I have dinner waiting over here for you. And dessert.

  His stomach growled in response, unhappy that he’d hid in his room most of the evening. With the inn’s business slowing down, though, Miles had asked to trim Cole’s hours to only Wednesday through Saturday. With only a few weeks left until they closed for the season, and with a nearly empty inn, even that might be a stretch.

  Which didn’t bode well for Cole’s wallet.

  Instead of mope in the living room or down in the shop, he’d holed up in his room. While he loved his grandfather, today wasn’t a good one for hearing the usual lecture about facing his past and moving on. Because it was growing abundantly clear that there was no moving on, not in a town like this. Trouble was, he didn’t know a town that wasn’t like this. Cole would be stuck working crap jobs the rest of his life, all thanks to his dear old mom.

  And Maddie deserved so much better.

  Frustrated at the quicksand he called life, Cole set his guitar on its stand, grabbed his jacket, and headed for the door.

  “I’m going out for a bit, Grandpa,” he called.

  Silence answered.

  Must be in bed already, Cole thought. Though, a quick glance at the microwave clock found it to be only eight. Worry clawed at him—it wasn’t like Old Tom not to answer. Cole checked his room, the bathroom, then looked out the small window at the end of the hall. Relief washed over him to see the delivery truck was gone. It’d kill him to find his grandfather…

  No, he wouldn’t let himself think like that. Old Tom was sharp as a porcupine’s quill and spry as a jack rabbit; his end was nowhere near in sight. Besides, he had a medical alert bracelet, caring neighbors, and a town full of friends—if his grandfather so much as hiccupped wrong, someone would know and rush to the rescue.

  What would that be like, Cole wondered as he made his way down their set of stairs, out to the sidewalk, and then up the flight leading to Maddie. To have friends and acquaintances who looked out for you instead of looked out because of you?<
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  Maddie opened the door nearly the second he knocked, and once she’d shouldered the damn thing open stepped out to pull him into a tight hug.

  “I’ve worried about you all day.”

  And there was his answer. At her touch, her voice, he nearly cried. How could he stick around, knowing the blight he was bound to bring to her reputation?

  Selfishly, he stayed, if only for tonight.

  “No need to worry,” he lied, voice thick with more emotion than he would have liked. “I’m a big boy.”

  “A big boy who’s had a hornet’s nest dropped on his head.” She drew back, fury clear on her face. “I about stormed downtown at lunch and clawed that reporter’s eyes out.”

  Cole chuckled and led her forward, then muscled the door shut behind them. “Remind me never to piss you off.”

  “I’m serious, Cole. Like you didn’t have enough going on with the graffiti? She’s all, ‘Look at me, I’m so cute and lalala,’ while this town’s dragging you through hell and back.”

  Yep, pretty much. “Not the first time, Madds. Fairly certain it won’t be the last.”

  “Well, we’re working to remedy that. In the meantime, come eat.”

  Not understanding but starved, he did as she ordered, savoring every bite of the meal and every story that she told. Cole remained quiet, shoveling food in—okay, he was more hungry than he’d realized—and nodding where appropriate. Full from the lasagna and melt-in-your-mouth garlic bread, he passed on the key lime pie. Maddie’s shoulders sank.

  “Maybe later,” he promised.

  She nodded, not meeting his eyes.

  Great, now he’d gone and upset her. Nothing like being the town outcast, bringing misery everywhere you go…

  “You wanna play cards or something?” she asked, her back to him as she stowed their untouched dessert away. “Watch some TV?”

  Cole slipped off his seat and took a new one on her tattered couch, then patted the space beside him. “Nope. I wanna sit here with my girl, listening to her musical voice as she tells me about her favorite childhood adventures.”

  She cast him a confused, wary look. “You feeling all right?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Because you’re the one with the musical voice.” She shook her head and took a seat at the opposite end of the couch, drawing a pillow onto her lap. “And my childhood had no adventures, which is why I turned out to be the sharp-tongued smarmy-pants I am today. Now lay down.”

  “I’m fine, really.”

  “Lay. Down. You look exhausted.”

  He was, mentally and physically, and so argued no more. When he cast her a questioning look, she ordered him to close his eyes and relax. Again, he did as he was told. Her fingers pressed gently above the bridge of his nose, slid up and over his brows, and came to rest at his temples. As she moved, the scents from tonight’s kitchen work stirred in the air around them.

  Garlic. Parmesan. Cloves. Something citrusy.

  Up, over, hold. Up, over, hold. The stress he’d been carrying in his shoulders began to slip away.

  “Tell me a story,” he whispered, fearful he’d fall asleep if the silence continued.

  “A story? Hmm. Once upon a time, there lived a fairy princess in a castle far, far away.”

  He lifted a brow and chanced a look at Maddie. She frowned and pushed his brow back into place. “My choice, so deal with it.”

  A smile tugged at his lips. She had that effect on him.

  “Close your eyes. I can’t focus with you looking at me like that.”

  “Like what?”

  Her mouth quirked at one corner. “Like that. Now quit.”

  “Fine.” He closed both eyes, then cracked one back open, just to goad her.

  “Cole…”

  He chuckled, allowing the open lid to drift shut. “Yes, ma’am. But I have to know—does this story have a happy ending?”

  “Of course,” she whispered, stroking his face even more gently than before. “Fairy tales always do.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Maddie woke to the sound of her alarm clock going off in the next room and a horrific kink in her neck. In her lap remained Cole, curled on his side so that he was facing her, his features relaxed and peaceful. They wouldn’t be, though, if that darned alarm blared much longer.

  She eased out from under him, careful not to let his head roll free from the pillow, and hurried off to silence the alarm. The kink in her neck intensified as she tried to straighten, and she bit back a cry. With a scowl she grabbed today’s clothes and headed for the shower, praying the hot water would help.

  If he’d eaten the pie, her bed is where they would have ended up, not the couch. Good thing Key lime kept for a few days, because she darned well intended to get him back into bed. After breaking her dry spell two nights ago, Maddie had no intention of returning to the land of abstinence, not while Cole was around. Her memory drifted back to their night together as she stood beneath the shower’s healing stream. No man had ever looked at her the way he did, admiring every curve and line to her body. And not in a mocking or patronizing way, either. What his eyes said was backed up by his actions, so gentle, so…thorough.

  She let out a long, appreciative sigh.

  But life was kicking his butt right now, so she understood why things had played out the way they did last night. He might not be used to having someone on his side, fighting for him, but Maddie was bound and determined to do exactly that. To bring him the peace and acceptance he deserved.

  To bring his smile back, the way he’d helped her rediscover hers. But how?

  She spent the breakfast shift recapping all she knew, searching for any hint as to who might be behind Cole’s persecution. There’d been a thief in their midst at the Checkerberry up until the cameras had gone in. Since then, nothing new had been taken. A fluke coincidence, maybe a klepto guest in their midst?

  Not likely. No one had stayed more than a week and the disappearing items had spanned several. So what changed? Did the thief taking the money get them what they wanted? Or had they shifted their attention to a new target?

  Heck yeah, they had: Cole’s shop. Ever since the thefts had stopped here, the eggings and vandalism had started there. But why? Who could possibly be that opposed to a new guitar shop in town? Or to Cole, for that matter?

  Her phone buzzed, and Maddie snatched it up, eager to try and get a read on his mood today. But the text waiting wasn’t from him, it was from Tyson.

  Hey, beautiful. Smoothies this afternoon?

  Shoot. With all of Cole’s drama, she’d forgotten about Tyson. Guilt rattled her, then rattled harder as memories of her night with Cole rushed in again. All these years with no boyfriend, and now she found herself juggling two guys at once.

  Sorry, have to work, she wrote back. I also need to figure out a way to let you down easy, buddy, but I’ll have to do that in person…

  A sad face emoji appeared on her screen. From a guy as big as a Mack truck. Amusing, if nothing else.

  I know, but hey it’s nearly laundry day.

  She grimaced. Would things get weird between them at the Quarter Clean-It? If that happened, she’d just have to switch days. Or maybe put her laundry into the machines and then go hide in her apartment across the street while waiting on the rinse cycle to finish…

  True. K, cu soon. Need to talk to u about something.

  Need to talk about what? Maddie responded Okay and tossed her phone aside before he did something cheesy like sent some kissy-faced graphic. She could do romance, but cutesy texts weren’t really her thing. Maybe it was good she was ending things with him now. Once a guy got on her nerves, it was hard to hold back the snark for long, and she hated to do that to the guy out of guilt if nothing else.

  “Hey, Maddie, got a minute?”

  She turned to see Kayla poking her head through the kitchen doors. “Sure, what’s up?”

  “Quick meeting in Ruby’s office. Shouldn’t take long.”

  “Oh?
” She wiped her hands on her apron and started forward with a frown. “Did something else go missing?”

  “Nope. More like something’s been found.”

  Ten minutes later, Maddie was squinting at the computer screen in Ruby’s office, trying to identify the graffiti artist who’d struck at the inn last night. She’d driven right past the gold letters plastered on the driveway side of the building, the color too close to the inn’s pale yellow to draw her attention in the dark this morning. But the others had arrived later, the words more pronounced in the daylight.

  “Bastard,” she grumbled, leaning forward and clicking to restart the video.

  Oh sure, the perp thought they were clever, parking at Hank Billings’s place next door and walking across the field that separated it from the inn. But what they hadn’t counted on was Kayla’s camera position, or the motion sensor lights Brent had installed on the porch.

  Unfortunately, the lights hadn’t triggered until after the spray painting had been done. Still, the camera had caught the retreating figure in full color, and now as Maddie watched the video play a second time, she recognized both the black hoodie with hot pink accents and the body shape who wore it.

  “Sarah,” she breathed.

  “What?” Miles leaned around her and grabbed the computer mouse to replay it for himself. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive,” said Maddie. “Too bad there’s no clear shot of her face, though. The police won’t do much without more proof.”

  “What about a search warrant?” Kayla asked. “If she took your things, Maddie, and Ruby’s photo album, they should be easy enough to find.”

  “Yeah, if they were at her apartment. But I doubt she’d be that stupid.” Maddie frowned. “I know she was mad about getting fired, but why retaliate against Cole? Why not me?”

  “He did take her job,” said Brent. “Though, how she knew about his rap sheet is beyond me.”

  “Sheridan Realty.” All eyes turned to Ruby, who looked to the ceiling shaking her head. “Her grandfather is Robert Sheridan, the owner. He brought her on part time after we let her go. Perhaps she was the one who pulled his background check and credit report.”