Look-Alike Lawman

by Glynna Kaye

  “If it wasn’t for that pride of yours, you wouldn’t be living in Fort Worth right now barely scratching by. You’d be living with your folks until you get yourself back on your feet. But no, you have to keep up the pretense that Duke was without faults and that you don’t need anyone else.”

  “Of course I need other people. I appreciate all you’ve done for me. I hope someday to make it up to you. I owe you so much.”

  “Being appreciative is one thing. Thinking you owe me anything for being a friend is that pride of yours again.” Billie Jean sighed. “Look, I gotta start lunch for Roy and the boys. Talk to you later.”

  Grayson had spoken of her pride, too. What is it he’d said? Something along the lines of not letting it prevent her from going home where she belonged.

  But pride was a good thing, wasn’t it? Not the haughty, pompous type, but the kind that was evidence of self-respect, a mark of personal dignity. Weren’t people always saying “you should be proud of yourself” or “take pride in your work”? Why, then, was her pride a target to be shot down?

  Well, pride or no pride, she didn’t intend to stay in his sister’s apartment if Grayson was seeing someone else—or up to something of a darker nature.

  Already a plan was formulating. She’d get to the bottom of that guilty look and make him come clean.

  Chapter Fourteen

  This was a bad idea.

  Elise drove through the attractive, well-established neighborhood of two-story townhouses. Full-grown trees. Curbside flower pots. Like most residential areas featuring condos and apartments, there were quite a few cars parked along the length of the quiet street.

  The muscles in her upper arms tightened. Grayson’s SUV in the driveway confirmed the number he’d scrawled on the back of the business card he’d given Cory. So what was the “prior commitment”?

  “Is this Officer Grayson’s house, Mom?” Cory started to unbuckle his seatbelt.

  “Hang on. I need to find a place to park.” She needed a few minutes to get her head cleared, too. Calm her breathing. For the millionth time since she’d set out, she asked herself what she hoped to gain from this. But the more she thought about his reaction to her request to spend time with Cory, the more she was sure he was hiding something.

  A few minutes later, she snagged a plastic-wrapped plate from the backseat. Homemade cookies to give her an excuse for showing up. With Cory at her side, she approached a small covered porch, noting the rocked yard and neatly trimmed bushes. Potted petunias on the doorstep.

  Before she could stop him, Cory ran up and repeatedly rang the doorbell. To her relief, even after a full minute, Grayson hadn’t come to the door. Maybe he wasn’t home after all, but had gone off with someone. She could leave the cookies on his doorstep and slip away. Or take them with her, leaving him none the wiser as to her ill-thought-out visit.

  “It doesn’t look like—”

  The air sucked out of Elise’s lungs as the door opened. An attractive blonde in a Dallas Cowboys T-shirt and capris swept a curious gaze over them. Oh. No. It was a date.

  “Chocolate chips!” The woman gave a squeal and placed her hand to her heart as if in a swoon. Then she held open the screen door. “You sweet things. Come on in, y’all.”

  A wave of heat flooded through Elise as she placed a hand on Cory’s shoulder to keep him from darting through the open door.

  “What’s this about chocolate chips?” a familiar male voice rumbled and she wished herself on another planet. Or at least as far as Austin.

  Before she could catch her breath, Grayson appeared behind the woman. For a blinding moment his gaze locked with Elise’s, his dismay more than evident.

  The blonde looked up at him, accusation glinting in her eyes. If ever a man looked guilty, this one did, which made her feel even worse about showing up on his doorstep.

  “Officer Grayson! We brought you cookies.”

  “Hey there, Cory. This is a surprise. Come on in.”

  Elise took a step back. “No, no, we—”

  But Cory had already squeezed between Grayson and the woman and into the house.

  “Cory! I’m sorry. I— Cory and I baked cookies after church, and we thought you might like some.” She held them out as if presenting a peace offering, hoping her expression conveyed to Grayson her regret for invading his personal space.

  “I’ll take custody of those if you don’t mind.” The woman reached for the plate. “Get yourself on in here, honey.”

  Grayson, appearing uncomfortable, motioned toward the home’s interior. “Yeah, come on in. Bearers of cookies are always welcome.”

  She’d retrieve Cory and make her escape.

  Gray ushered her into the adjoining living room before closing the door behind her. Trapped.

  From the back of the condo, the voice of a television sports announcer reached her ears. Cory had apparently already disappeared in that direction.

  “Your manners are atrocious, Gray.” The woman jabbed him none too gently in the ribs with her elbow, then turned to Elise with an exasperated look as if to say “men!”

  “Hi, I’m Pam Cavert.”

  “Elise Lopez.”

  “Good to meet you. How do you know Gray?”

  Direct and to the point. “He met my son when speaking at a school career day and, um—” She didn’t want to tell this stranger Cory had behavior problems and he’d come to the rescue. Or that she and Gray had gotten, well, kissing-close.

  “Cory and I hit it off,” Grayson clarified, looking to Elise for confirmation. “I signed on to mentor him.”

  “Oh, really?” Pam’s eyes narrowed with a speculative gleam, one now tinged with more amusement than Elise would have felt if a strange woman had shown up on her boyfriend’s doorstep, claiming a connection he’d told her nothing about. “I didn’t know you were into helping guide little kids.”

  “Which shows you, Pam, you don’t know as much about me as you think you do.” He folded his arms, a smug smile tugging his lips. “Pam is a police officer in my division. Prides herself on her intuition and observational skills. Looks like she fell short this time.”

  A roar of shouts from the back of the house startled Elise and she looked to the pair in alarm.

  Pam laughed, waving for Elise to follow. “Cowboys must have scored against the Arizona Cardinals. Come meet the gang.”

  The gang?

  Elise glanced at a sheepish-looking Grayson, but he merely motioned for her to precede him.

  When they entered a family room at the rear of the house—a massive widescreen TV its dominant decorative feature—she halted, her mouth going desert dry. Pam waded into a sea of men and women to set the cookies on a coffee table amidst chips, dips, popcorn and a tray of sub sandwiches.

  And there was Cory smack in the middle of the room, a sandwich in his hand.

  “Half time, babe!” a stocky, dark-haired man reported to Pam as he stood to stretch. Then he snatched up a chocolate chip cookie. “Cowboys twelve, Cards six.”

  Pam fist-punched the air, then clapped her hands for attention. “Hey, y’all. You’ve met Cory. This is his mom, Elise Lopez. Looks like Grayson here’s been holding out on us.”

  A roomful of curious faces turned toward Elise. A few women clapped. One guy wolf-whistled. There must have been over a dozen guests, mostly males, crammed into the space. She took a step back and bumped into Grayson who steadied her, apparently aware of the impact the fit, clean-cut crew had on her.

  “So he’s not taken a vow of celibacy after all,” one big guy joked, wiping his brow as if in relief. Others quickly joined in with their own good-natured wisecracks.

  “I don’t know where Gray found ya, sweetheart, but I’d say you’re worth the wait.”

  “You sure you want to hang out with this bozo? I
could tell you a few stories...”

  “Hey, Pam, how’d Gray slip this past you?”

  With a laugh, Pam quickly pointed out the people in the room, giving them names Elise knew she’d never remember.

  She was too numb.

  The roaring in her ears too loud.

  From the moment she’d stepped across the threshold, she knew without a doubt she’d come upon her personal equivalent of a viper pit.

  A den of cops.

  * * *

  It was clear she’d stayed only because of Cory.

  Warmly embraced by Grayson’s friends, the boy’s face glowed when he’d realized most present were police officers.

  Now, having followed the pair back to his sister’s place, ensuring they safely reached their destination in the dark, Gray kicked himself for not telling her about the football gathering. Sure, she’d have turned down his invitation, but at least she wouldn’t have been thrown into their midst unprepared. How was he to know, though, that she’d show up on his doorstep?

  Naturally, his pals assumed she was his special lady. With one look at the beautiful Elise, no one would have bought a “just friends” denial, so he hadn’t tried to correct their misconception.

  Come to think of it, she hadn’t, either.

  “Elise?”

  He turned to her as Cory dashed out the high-rise’s elevator door and down the hall leading to the apartment. Her eyes met his in silent question.

  “Thanks for the cookies.”

  A faint smile brightened her features. “Did you even get any? I don’t know when I’ve seen so many human vacuums with such capacity.”

  “I managed to snag one. Good, too.” He raked a hand through his hair. “I, uh, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the cop thing. I know it was uncomfortable for you.”

  She stepped out of the elevator and he joined her. “Duke often packed our place with a bunch of football fanatics. It brought back memories.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Cory loved it. Everyone was so nice when he announced he was the son of Duke Lopez.”

  “Yeah, they’re a great bunch.”

  Side by side, they started down the hall.

  “I’m going to put Cory straight to bed. School night. Would you like to come in? Say good-night to him?”

  She probably thought he owed her that much, with Cory practically bouncing off the walls with excitement after hours in the midst of Gray’s law-enforcement friends. Helping get him calmed down was the least he could do.

  “Sure.”

  Once inside he lingered in the living room, listening to Cory’s enthusiastic tones and Elise’s quiet murmurings as she prepared him for bed. A quick bath. Teeth brushing.

  “Officer Grayson?” Cory appeared at his side, smelling of bath soap and toothpaste. The little guy hiked up the waistband of his baggy pajama bottoms as Gray crouched next to him.

  “Yeah, bud?”

  Cory’s smile stretched wide. “You have cool friends.”

  “Yeah, I do.”

  “They even know who my dad is. That he’s a hero.”

  “Policemen are like that, Cory. Kind of like family.”

  The boy leaned into him for an unexpected hug, then drew back, his eyes solemn. “Can I come to your house again? I’ll tell Mom to bring cookies.”

  Gray stood and carefully lifted him into his arms. How should he answer that? If he said no, what reason would he give that wouldn’t be interpreted as rejection? But if he said yes, wasn’t that making a promise he might not keep? Too often he regretted things he’d told Jenna’s Michael. Sure, I’ll teach you how to do that. Let’s hit that Disney movie when it comes to town. When you’re a little older, we’ll take in a Cowboys game.

  Promises casually made. All of them broken.

  Did Michael remember them? Think he was a liar?

  Cory patted his slinged shoulder. “So can I?”

  “We’ll see. I’m not home much.”

  “That’s because you’re at my house a lot.”

  He chuckled. “You think so?”

  “Yeah. You like us.”

  The honest observation pierced his heart. “Yeah, I do.”

  Smiling, the boy rested his head against Gray’s shoulder.

  “Getting sleepy?”

  Cory nodded, his soft hair brushing Gray’s neck.

  “Then let’s get you tucked into bed.” He turned in the direction of the bedroom and paused. Elise stood but a dozen feet away, quietly watching them, her gaze troubled.

  If only he could kiss away that expression as easily as he had put Cory’s concerns to rest.

  Despite the day’s excitement, he hadn’t gotten far into reading a dog story aloud before the boy’s brown eyes fluttered closed. Rhythmic breathing followed and, as Gray stared down at him, a tenderness that was almost painful knifed his heart.

  Duke Lopez had been one lucky guy.

  Or maybe not.

  He tucked the covers around Cory’s small frame, then turned off the bedside lamp. Shut the door. Entering the living room, he snagged his jacket from the back of a chair. “Guess I’d better get going.”

  “Thank you for seeing us home.”

  “My pleasure.” He moved to stand before her, drinking in her beauty. The still-troubled expression.

  She took an uncertain breath. “I have a confession to make, Grayson.”

  He quirked a smile. “Do I need to read you your rights? Get you legal counsel?”

  She smiled at his attempt to lighten the mood. “No, but I want to apologize for crashing your party. I know you were surprised to see Cory and me.”

  “I have to admit I wasn’t expecting a cookie delivery.”

  “It was...more than a cookie delivery. I was checking up on you.”

  He cocked an eyebrow. “Checking up on me?”

  “I was determined to find out what your ‘prior commitment’ was that prevented you from taking Cory to the zoo.” She hung her head. “It’s not a pretty thing to admit, but I have a suspicious nature. I didn’t used to, but—”

  He tilted her head to look at him as truth dawned. “You thought I was up to something I didn’t want you to know about. Like Duke.”

  “I’m sorry. I feel so foolish.”

  He placed a finger to her soft lips. “Say no more.”

  “But I have to. I wish I wasn’t like this. After all you’ve done for Cory and me, not trusting you is inexcusable. I’ll understand if you feel it best not to involve yourself further with either of us.”

  Could he do that? Walk away from Cory? From her? Being with Elise felt right. More right than any other relationship he’d experienced in his entire life. When they were together, did she not sense the connection as he did?

  “Are you trying to find a nice way of saying you want me to move on?” He gazed into her anxious eyes, hoping she saw in his the wishes of his heart. “I can’t move on. And I won’t.”

  He slipped his unfettered arm around her waist and drew a startled Elise close. “Stupid sling. A man has the opportunity to get his arms around a beautiful woman and it thwarts him at every turn.”

  For a moment she held herself rigid, staring into his eyes. Then her lips curved ever so slightly as she relaxed into him, welcoming a repeat performance of Tuesday night’s sweet interlude.

  When the kisses came to a reluctant end, he gently brushed the hair back from her face. “I’m coming to care for you very much, Elise. If I’m not mistaken, you have feelings for me, too. Don’t you think it’s time we stopped pretending otherwise?”

  “Gray, I—”

  “We both have a ton of baggage we’re toting around. A lot of challenges to get beyond. So where do we go from here?”

&nb
sp; Chapter Fifteen

  “I’m not sure,” she whispered, “that we can go anywhere.”

  Under the palms of her hands she felt his chest swell as he took a labored breath. “I’m here to stay if you’ll have me, Elise. I’m here for both you and Cory. For the long haul.”

  “That’s what Duke thought, too. But it wasn’t his decision to make. A man with a gun made it for him.”

  Gray’s eyes gentled. “What happened to him is rare. Extremely rare.”

  “You say that, but you can’t be unaware that scores of officers in this country died in the line of duty last year. That’s not rare, Grayson, no matter how you look at it.”

  “But the statistical odds...”

  She pulled back. “Don’t quote a gambler’s mantra to me, Grayson. I can’t play the odds with Cory’s life.”

  “Cory’s life? Or your own?”

  She sighed softly, searching for the words to explain. Words that wouldn’t hurt him but would make it clear that loving her might not be in his best interests.

  “I had no idea when I married Duke,” she murmured, “how every moment, whether waking or sleeping, I’d be on guard. Alert. Keeping an ear tuned to the news. Dreading a phone call late at night when he was on duty.”

  “I know it had to be hard.”

  Her lips formed a trembling smile. “And, oh, how I’d cling to him each time he walked through the door.”

  Gray caught her hand in his. Gave it a reassuring squeeze. “A friend tells me it takes a special woman to be the wife of a police officer.”

  “I’m not worthy of that kind of admiration.”

  “Elise—”

  “No, listen to me.” She tightened her grip on his hand. “The night...the night Duke was killed, Cory was at a sleepover with a friend from church. I knew Duke would be late, so planned supper for nine. But then he didn’t come. Not ten. Not eleven.”

  His thumb caressed her hand as she relived those hours. Extinguishing candles. Refrigerating the meal. Prayerfully moving around the darkened house. Watching the clock.

  “Shortly after midnight the doorbell rang. Two officers—” She blinked back tears. “They took me to the hospital. But—” Choking on a sob every bit as painful as any from two years ago, she squeezed Gray’s strong hand. “He was gone before I arrived. He never knew I was there.”