Look-Alike Lawman

by Glynna Kaye

  “Dad’s disappearance has weighed on us for weeks. Having Cory around will help keep our minds off this turn of events. Besides, they’re expecting you.”

  “I don’t know...”

  “We need time to talk, too. Work things out.”

  She shook her head. Talking wouldn’t work out their differences. “Gray, we need to be honest with ourselves. I can’t deal with living life edged by fear. Not again.”

  “We can face your fears together.”

  “That’s not—”

  “Just come with me, Elise. For Cory’s sake.”

  He reached for her hand and gently clasped it.

  * * *

  It hadn’t been a pleasant drive for the three of them.

  Maybe he’d been wrong to pressure her into coming. He’d thought they’d have a chance to talk, to work things out like two adults. But Cory had set aside the iPod and been a chatterbox the whole way. Never even napped as the surrounding landscape stretched out before them and the terrain took on a more rugged, less populated look. Conversation had been reduced to the superficial to accommodate his presence.

  Up ahead he saw the turnoff to his family’s Colby Ranch. “This is it.”

  Cory all but bounced in his seat as they exited the highway and drove under the arch of an interlocking trio of Cs, then headed down the tree-lined, half-mile-long road leading to the main house.

  He cut a look at Elise, but she was taking in the view from the passenger side of the vehicle, much as she’d done the entire trip.

  He leaned over to slide a hand across hers, startling her into turning toward him. “Everything’s going to be fine, Elise. You’ll see.”

  She offered a tight smile, then turned again to the window.

  He sank back in the bucket seat. When he’d told Maddie he’d be bringing Elise and Cory with him, she’d squealed in delight. The first words out of her mouth had been “I knew it. I knew it. Right from the beginning when George caught you off guard about having a lady friend back in Fort Worth.”

  Maddie had been full of nosy questions. She had even put her cell phone on speaker mode so her twin could join in to tease him mercilessly. Violet’s whoops still rang in his ears. “Bachelor Boy finally makes his move.”

  Although he’d protested loudly, he had to admit he’d enjoyed their sisterly jabs. Enjoyed the fleeting moments when he’d believed he and Elise had a future together. Even now, despite present circumstances, the memory amused him.

  “What’s so funny?”

  He glanced at the beautiful woman beside him. “What?”

  “You’re smiling.”

  “Sorry.”

  She motioned impatiently. “There’s nothing to be sorry about. I just thought you might want to share.”

  Share? Tell her about how his sisters had riddled him with questions about their relationship? How for the first time in his life his heart soared that at long last God had led him to the woman of his dreams?

  “I was recalling how my sisters enjoy themselves when they’re together. They didn’t know the other existed until July, but in many ways you’d think they’d always known each other.”

  “I am looking forward to meeting them. And your twin.”

  “Yeah? Well, he’s a different kind of animal. We’re definitely not two peas in a pod. But he’s a good guy. I think you’ll like him, although I’m sure you’ll agree I’m the better-looking one.”

  His heart warmed when a laugh reached her eyes. That was the first time since this morning at the parking garage, before he got the call about Scott.

  “More charming personality, too,” he added, desperate to keep those lights dancing in her eyes. Was he pitiful or what? But maybe there was still hope for this weekend. Maybe he could still convince her...of what? That her fears would go away? That he wouldn’t die in the line of duty? That he’d give up being a cop?

  Even before Elise had come along, he’d given the latter serious thought during those long, lonely nights on the undercover assignment. Debated the wisdom of a future filled with more long, lonely nights.

  He’d seen firsthand how his dad’s dedication to a demanding medical career took its toll on relationships. Dad’s second wife—Gray’s mom—died twenty years ago, but his father never remarried. He had to be lonely. But maybe he’d come to terms that he couldn’t devote himself to helping those less fortunate if he had a wife’s needs to meet as well.

  Gray tightened his fingers on the steering wheel. He loved being a cop. But he loved Elise, too. Maybe that was the difference between his situation and his dad’s. His father never found another woman he loved as much as he did medicine. But would his dad sacrifice the demands of a much-loved career to capture the heart of a woman he truly loved?

  * * *

  “There it is!” Her son’s excited voice cut through the silence that had once again fallen over the interior of the vehicle. Gray hadn’t said much during the drive westward. He’d been lost in thought, only joining in occasionally on back-and-forth conversation with Cory, pointing out various landmarks and answering the city boy’s multitude of questions.

  How had Cory gotten to be such an urban child, anyway? She certainly hadn’t been when growing up in Arizona. The freedom of small-town Canyon Springs was an experience she wouldn’t trade for the world. Maybe she’d been wrong to keep herself apart from it these past years. To keep Cory apart from it.

  “It’s beautiful,” Elise whispered as she gazed at the main house nestled among a stand of oaks, a few of the surrounding bushes already taking on a golden autumn cast. The two-story brick structure sprawled comfortably under the warm glow of the midday sun.

  Grayson had described the Colby Ranch to her a few nights ago, but nothing prepared her for the stretches of cultivated fields, grasslands dotted with white-faced Herefords, and the stately home gracing the property. All of it had been inherited from the original owner by Grayson’s birth mother, Belle. This is where his two siblings had grown up. How strange it all must seem to him.

  “I thought it would be a bunk house.” Cory sounded disappointed. “Like in the Westerns.”

  Gray glanced at him in the mirror. “There are older houses scattered around the property that are more what you’re thinking of, bud. Original buildings. In fact, my brother Jack is remodeling one of them.”

  “Look! Horses! Don’t forget, Mom, Officer Grayson says I can ride one.”

  “I haven’t forgotten, and I’m sure you’ll get to. But when we get out up here, don’t go running off. Stick close to me or Grayson. You understand?”

  She could envision him crawling under a fence and getting snagged on the barbed wire or knocked over by a too-eager equine checking him out. Stepped on by a cow.

  When Grayson shut off the engine, the stillness of their surroundings permeated the cab of the SUV. Dry leaves rustled faintly overhead. No signs or sounds of life except for the distant low of cattle.

  “It’s quiet here,” she whispered, noticing that even Cory sat motionless, head tilted, listening. “I guess I’ve been living in the city too long. Almost eerie, isn’t it?”

  “I guess so, now that you mention it.” Gray’s voice came soft as well, as if reluctant to break the hush that penetrated her very pores, seeping inside her.

  “Smells dry, too.”

  He nodded. “Long-term drought has hit this area hard.”

  A dog barking broke the quiet, followed by the rattle of a screen door as two auburn-haired young women appeared on the front porch. One dressed in faded jeans, T-shirt and boots had her hair pulled into a perky ponytail. The other, hair caressing her shoulders, looked polished in a crisp cotton camp shirt, designer-fit jeans and tennis shoes.

  “Violet has a ponytail and Maddie’s the other one.” Gray glanced toward Elise, as if gauging if she was re
ady for this encounter. What had he told his sisters about her? How did they feel about her arrival on their doorstep at such a tumultuous family time?

  “They’re cute.”

  He smiled. “They are at that. And, uh, don’t put a whole lot of stock in anything they tell you about me, okay? They like to tease. Exaggerate.”

  Despite his words of caution, his eyes were bright with anticipation as he climbed out of the SUV seconds before his sisters pounced on him, enveloping him in hugs. Elise couldn’t help but smile as he returned their exuberant welcome.

  When Maddie disengaged herself, she motioned to the vehicle. “Let’s see ’em, Gray. You gonna keep ’em cooped up in there all weekend?”

  A grinning Cory was already climbing out and readily fell into a group hug as if he’d always belonged there. Elise opened her own door. Please, Lord, be with me.

  Violet, eyes appraising curiously, embraced her when she joined them. “Welcome to the Colby Ranch. We’re so happy to have you here.”

  Maddie gave her a hug, too. “That’s right. It’s not every day our big bro brings home a lady friend for us to check out. Looks like you’ve done all right for yourself, Grayson.”

  His ears reddened, and once again Elise regretted coming. Obviously his sisters read something into her visit that could only hurt him.

  Maddie leaned in with a conspiratorial stage whisper. “Wait till I tell you about the first time he brought a gal home to meet the family. Better than any TV comedy.”

  Violet clapped her hands. “Oooh, I want to hear this, too.”

  Grayson chuckled, not looking too worried, but nevertheless he held up a hand. “I think that can wait, ladies. Why don’t we unload the luggage and get our guests inside. It was a long drive, and I’m sure they’re both tired.”

  Cory folded his arms. “I’m not tired. I’m ready to pet a cow and ride a horse.”

  They all laughed and Violet put an arm around his shoulder. “I promise you’ll get to do all those things and more. But Grayson’s right, let’s get you both settled in.”

  Maddie followed him to the back of the SUV and snagged his clothes bag. “Violet and I took an extended lunch hour, but have to get back to town for our jobs. We’ll have a nice long visit at supper tonight.” She glanced in Elise’s direction, her eyes sparkling mischievously. “And we expect you to fill us in on all the details Gray’s withheld about how you two met. First kiss and all that. You know, the juicy stuff.”

  Elise’s empathetic gaze met Gray’s cheerless one. Letting him talk her into coming was a mistake.

  A big one.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “She’s beautiful, Gray. Sweet, too.” Maddie had pulled him into the kitchen while Violet showed Elise and Cory to the room they’d share. “And what a darling kid. Don’t wait too long to pop the question. I think this one is a keeper.”

  He stared out the window at the back patio, the house’s U-shaped wings flanking it on three sides. Peaceful, with potted flowers providing bright, welcoming spots of color.

  “I thought so, too—yesterday. But things took an unexpected turn since I last talked to you. It’s the cop thing again.”

  “From what you said the other night, wasn’t she getting used to the idea?”

  “It blew up this morning as we were ready to leave. I got a call that a fellow officer, a friend Elise had met, got caught in the crossfire of a domestic disturbance.”

  “Will he be okay?”

  Scott’s situation weighing heavily, he turned to his sister. “Don’t know yet. He’s in critical condition.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, Gray. I guess the news hit too close to home for Elise.”

  “Yeah. The past few days she seemed to be getting more comfortable with me being a cop. The tension between us eased. The future looked promising.” He scuffed a toe at the floor. “But after the call, it was a different story. She refused to come to Grasslands for the weekend, saying she couldn’t deal with living in daily fear again.”

  Maddie approached him, a confident lift to her chin. “She can’t have irrevocably concluded you’re not the man for her. She still came.”

  “Against her will. I didn’t play fair, using the prospect of disappointing Cory as the tool of persuasion.”

  The hope in her eyes extinguished. “So you’re both here this weekend, but essentially—”

  “We’re not together.”

  Maddie slipped her arms around his middle for a quick hug. “I thought for sure—”

  “Yeah, well. That’s the way it goes. Could you get word to Violet? Jack? You know, to knock off the teasing? It will make things awkward.”

  “Of course.” Maddie cast him a sympathetic look. “She may still change her mind. I have every confidence you and that charm of yours will win her back.”

  He gave her a grateful smile, but shook his head. “Don’t count on it. I think only one thing would make her reconsider...”

  “You mean if you weren’t a policeman.” She studied him with troubled eyes. “Could you do that? Give up law enforcement?”

  “I honestly don’t know. It’s not like I haven’t given it considerable thought since Jenna made it clear she wanted no part of life with a lawman.”

  Maddie scoffed. “Jenna didn’t deserve you. Maybe Elise doesn’t, either.”

  “Is it realistic, though, to think I can be a good cop and a strong family man? That’s what I keep asking myself. The odds of something happening to me like what happened to Elise’s husband are slim.” Gray shook his head again. “But is it fair to expect a woman to live each day with the uncertainty? The worry? Fear? To marry a man who’s already married to his career?”

  “Most women learn to live with ongoing fear for the safety of those they love. I’m already in knots when I know Ty’s working around the bulls. I watch Darcy like a hawk when she’s off on a pony or waiting for the school bus. That kind of fear comes with the territory called love.”

  “It’s more than that. It’s like Elise’s fears have her gripped around the throat, immobilizing her. She lost her husband in the line of duty, and my career is a constant reminder of that.” He looked at Maddie, silently willing her to understand. “She’s a wonderful woman. Beyond my wildest hopes and dreams. How stupid can a guy be if he won’t give up the one thing that’s standing in the way of a lifetime of happiness?”

  “She means that much to you?”

  He nodded. “I’ve never felt this way about a woman before. Like God made her for me and me for her. I’d move heaven and earth to keep Elise and Cory in my life.”

  Maddie glanced toward the arched doorway leading to the front of the house, listening to Cory’s exuberant voice as he hopped down the stairs one at a time and the gentle, calming tone of Elise’s response as she followed behind.

  Maddie turned to look Gray in the eye, her voice a whisper. “Then I guess...you have your answer, don’t you?”

  * * *

  Elise hugged her arms to herself, wishing she’d brought a jacket when she’d escaped the confines of the Colby supper hour and slipped out into the still night air. She’d lingered to help clean off the dining table, but Grayson’s sisters and their cook had shooed her out. Just as well. After Cory and Darcy had been sent off to play on the back patio, Grayson delivered the sobering news that his father’s wallet had been found. They needed to draw close as a family without the intrusive eyes and ears of a stranger.

  To her relief, Cory and Darcy had hit it off immediately, sharing giggles and secrets. Yet another regret—that she and Duke hadn’t had another child a few years after Cory so he’d have a built-in playmate. But could she have handled two little ones on her own? She was barely managing one, as was evidenced in Cory’s issues at school. At least those had eased somewhat after Grayson had come along, after he’d go
tten them out of the neighborhood that had caused her an anxiety which transmitted itself to Cory.

  She eased down on the porch’s top step.

  Grayson.

  Lord, what were You thinking when You brought such an amazing man into my life?

  She’d hurt him. Her roller-coaster emotional upheavals were now impacting him as much as they did her and Cory. As badly as she ached inside tonight, she knew he ached even more.

  Billie Jean warned her he was falling in love with her, but she’d been so tangled in her own misgivings she hadn’t given it as much thought as she should have. Caught up in insecurity, she hadn’t been willing to acknowledge the many things he did for her and Cory were confirmation of a heart laying itself open in hope of its love being accepted—and returned.

  She loved him, too.

  But it was better to end things now rather than months or years later. It wasn’t fair for him to bear the burden of her fears. It hadn’t been easy on Duke. She could look back now and realize why at times he grouchily voiced that he found her clingy. Suffocating even. Always in need of reassurance. Over time that would wear on a man. On a relationship.

  “Elise? What are you doing out here?”

  She turned at the sound of Grayson’s voice as he stepped out on the porch with her. He snagged a small quilt from the back of a rocker and draped it around her shoulders.

  “Thanks.” She snuggled into its welcoming warmth. “I’m just stargazing.”

  He settled in beside her, keeping a marked distance between them as if aware that her instincts might urge her to bolt.

  “Beautiful night for it.”

  “Your family’s ranch is beautiful, too.”

  “Wait until you see the rest of it.” The quiet eagerness in his voice pricked her conscience. He already loved this place and now her presence here would always shadow his memories of it. “I think Maddie and Violet have a full-fledged tour planned. I’d like to take you into Grasslands and show you around there, too.”