Look-Alike Lawman

by Glynna Kaye

  It is not good for the man to be alone....

  He held her for the longest time, neither of them saying a word as her warmth pressed against him and his cheek brushed the softness of her flowing hair. Elise, his beautiful Elise. If only he could hold her in his arms like this for a lifetime. But had she sought comfort in his arms out of relief that the kids were okay? Or because he’d returned to her safely—and she needed him in her life, too?

  Together they listened in silence to Sunday morning awakening around them. The twitter of a robin. A dog in the distance. A car passing on the street. He tightened his unslinged arm around her as he breathed in the garden scents of foliage and flowers—and the sweetness of Elise.

  All too soon, she drew slightly away to look up at him, her lovely face and inviting lips only inches from his own. His breath caught. Should he? Is that what she wanted?

  As if reading his mind, she took a step back, forcing him to release her. The blush in her cheeks hinted at embarrassment for the public display of affection she’d unthinkingly initiated.

  She darted an uncertain look at him. “I—”

  “I got some other good news this morning.” He couldn’t bear to hear her apologize, to tell him the embrace that warmed his heart was intended only as a platonic one. “My friend Scott came through the surgeries. He’s going to make it. And his wife just found out she’s pregnant.”

  Elise’s eyes brightened with tears as she glanced away, blinking rapidly. “I prayed so hard for him—and her. For that man who took his kids hostage. And...and for you.”

  For him. Why was that so hard for her to admit? Did she think it would imply more than she could commit to?

  “Thank you. It appears you have a hotline to heaven.” He gently tilted her face toward him, brushing away a tear that slipped down her cheek, his words soft. “Are you okay? I worried about you last night. About how I took off so abruptly. I know it upset you.”

  She offered a tentative smile. “I guess that sort of thing goes with cop territory, doesn’t it?”

  “It does, but...” He continued to gaze down at her, attempting to read her heart, the meaning behind her words. It had taken him a long time to work through things in the stillness of the night. Forgiving his father for withholding family secrets. Coming to terms with the fact that even if Brian Wallace wasn’t his biological parent, Dad was still his dad. Weighing the dream of being a policeman against sharing his life with Elise. “If it will make a difference in the way you feel about me, Elise...if I mean enough to you that you’ll give me another chance...I’ll quit the force.”

  With a soft gasp, she drew back, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.

  “Law enforcement draws me like a magnet.” He had to be honest with her. “But it pales against the hope of having you and Cory in my life. I mean, if that’s what you’d want, too.”

  She stared at him as if uncomprehending. “Grayson, do you know what you’re saying? You were born to be a police officer.”

  “You don’t think I’m capable of doing anything else? Hey, I can flip burgers with the best of them.” He grinned, mimicking holding a spatula and tossing a beef patty aloft.

  She didn’t laugh.

  “But...being a policeman is who you are.”

  How could he explain it to her? Make her understand that she and Cory were his world now? Or maybe it didn’t matter. Maybe she’d used the policeman thing as a smoke screen, camouflaging the fact that she didn’t care for him the way he cared for her. She’d used the excuse as a means of letting him down in a way that wasn’t such a personal rejection. Not saying, “I don’t love you,” but rather, “I can’t deal with policemen.”

  He drew a resolute breath.

  “Law enforcement is just one facet of who I am. It’s what I’ve done for a living. But I want to be so much more than that. I want to be a husband. A father. An active member of a community where people recognize each other on the street. I’ve seen too many strained relationships in the department. Too many divorces. Broken families. As you already know from losing Duke, life is too short not to live it to the full.”

  “But...what will you do if you quit, Gray? I mean—”

  Another attempt to deflect his request for a second chance? “I have a criminal justice degree and five years of law enforcement experience. That might be useful in a number of law-related jobs that don’t involve guns.”

  She nibbled her lower lip, her gaze still troubled. “You’ve given this considerable thought, haven’t you?”

  “I’m ready to turn in my badge, move to Grasslands and buy that little house that’s for sale.” He cupped her face in his hand, longing for the day he’d be free of the sling and could hold her the way he really wanted to. “That is, if it will make a difference...for us.”

  Her eyes filled with doubt. “But giving up law enforcement?”

  There was only one way to settle this, and that meant placing his heart at her feet.

  “I don’t know how you feel about me. Maybe, police officer or not, I’m not the man you’re looking for.” His eyes never wavered from hers. “But...I love you, Elise. The kind of love that asks, will you marry me?”

  For an agonizingly long moment she stared at him, her mind no doubt racing to weigh the pros and cons of hooking up with a guy like him. Or coming up with ways to let him down easily.

  Please, God? I’ll treasure her for the rest of my life.

  I promise.

  Her gaze flickered anxiously to his. “Oh, Grayson, I love you, too...but—”

  An invisible boulder slammed into his midsection. Yes, she loved him, but like a brother. A friend.

  “But what?” he said, barely choking out the words.

  “I—I’m sorry...but I can’t marry you.” Her words came breathlessly. “I mean, I can’t marry you unless...”

  Hope sparked again. There was nothing he wouldn’t do, no mountain he wouldn’t climb for the woman standing before him. “Anything, Elise. Name it.”

  “I can’t marry you—” she licked her lips “—unless you pursue the deputy sheriff position you told me about.”

  He shook his head. Had he heard her right?

  “You’re a fine police officer, Grayson.” Her chin rose slightly in that stubborn tilt he was already too familiar with. “I refuse to take that away from you.”

  “But I thought— I mean, I don’t want you living the rest of your life being afraid I’ll come to the same end as your husband. That’s no way to live.”

  She shook her head. “No, it hasn’t been a good way to live these past two years. But that’s my own fault.”

  His gaze probed hers.

  “You see, Gray, I’ve come to realize over the past few days that getting involved with another police officer isn’t the source of my fear. Needing to be in control of everything around me isn’t the origin of my unbending pride. Those are mere symptoms.”

  He tilted his head, listening intently.

  “Fear and misplaced pride.” A knowing gleam lit her eyes. “Those are flashing red warning lights I was too blind to see. Warnings that those symptoms are rooted in a lack of trust.”

  “In me?”

  A tender smile lifted the corners of her mouth.

  “No. In God.” She reached for his hand and wove her fingers between his. “Just as Cory has done, I’ve too long harbored deep anger over the loss of Duke. Over his poor choices. I was angry with him—with God. I convinced myself that I alone could control my world, prevent bad things from happening to myself and the people I love. But this morning...”

  His gaze intensified.

  “I’ve come to realize that by not trusting God, I’m cutting myself off from a future with one of the most wonderful men I’ve ever known.”

  Encouraged, he hiked an expectant brow. “That’
s me, I hope.”

  Her shy nod warmed his heart. “I love you, Grayson Wallace. And yes, I will marry you—but only if it means I’ll become Mrs. Deputy Grayson Wallace.”

  “You’re sure?”

  “I’ve never been more certain of anything.”

  He stared down at their clasped hands, then met her gaze with soft words of his own. “I think we can arrange that.”

  “Don’t be deceived.” She hurried on, as though a caution was in order. “I can’t promise I’ll never be afraid. That I won’t worry about you. But from this day forward, I’m deciding to trust God not only for my eternity, but for my today.”

  He drew her into his arms, casting a furtive glance around the still-empty garden. Then a grin he could no longer restrain surfaced. “Don’t you think, soon-to-be Mrs. Deputy Grayson Wallace, that an occasion like this calls for something of a celebratory nature?”

  Her gaze held his, a mixture of anticipation and curiosity.

  “Like maybe—” he wiggled his eyebrows “—a little of that long-overdue kissing?”

  With a sigh of delight, Elise slipped her arms around his neck. “I do. I do. I do.”

  Epilogue

  “So your little brother doesn’t have any idea whatsoever what he’s walking into?” Elise looked doubtfully from Grayson to Maddie and back again.

  As they strolled through the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport terminal where Marine Sergeant Carter Wallace was scheduled to land within the hour, overhead speakers blared announcements of incoming and outgoing flights. Tunnel-visioned travelers marched rapidly around them, hoisting laptop bags and dragging suitcases on wheels, intent on getting through security and catching their flights.

  Brother and sister shook their heads in unison in response to her question.

  “I can see why you didn’t want to tell him that your father’s missing—you wouldn’t want to distract him while he was overseas. But you haven’t told him the happy news about two sets of twins? A ranch? Four siblings engaged to be married?”

  They shook their heads again.

  “Oh, boy.” Nobody had talked about it much, but she’d gotten the impression that Carter was exasperatingly independent—a loner from the get-go—and he, Grayson and Maddie had never been close. She’d kind of hoped that was an exaggeration. Apparently not.

  “Hey, Mom! Look! Another one.” Cory stood a few feet away, nose all but pressed against the glass as he watched a passenger jet rapidly rise from the ground to kiss the gray November sky. “I want to be a pilot when I grow up.”

  Grayson and Elise exchanged an amused glance. Even with Grayson interviewing for the deputy sheriff opening—and as good as promised the position—Cory’s cop obsession had diminished noticeably over the past week. He talked less and less about being a hero, getting the bad guys, or pursuing a career in law enforcement. In fact, yesterday he’d announced he planned to be a rancher like his soon-to-be Uncle Jack and Uncle Ty. Now the big airlines had captured his ever-active imagination.

  “What did I tell you, Elise?” Grayson grinned. “Nothing to worry about.”

  “Think you’re so smart, don’t you?”

  “Know it.” He took a step closer and captured her hand. Drew it to his lips for a lingering caress, his gaze burning into hers.

  A woman could get used to this kind of attention.

  “All right. That’s enough.” Maddie made a time-out gesture.

  “I don’t know, Maddie...” Grayson nodded toward knots of couples outside security saying tearful goodbyes between passionate kisses. “Who’s to say those people are actually going anyplace. Maybe they’re taking advantage of the setting.”

  Elise tugged playfully on his hand, casting him a coy glance. “Is that a game you’d like to play, Officer Wallace?”

  He moved in closer, his eyes flickering suggestively to her lips. “I could be persuaded.”

  “Oh, no you don’t.” Maddie latched on to Grayson’s arm and tugged. “Not when Ty can’t be here so I can join in on the fun. So knock it off.”

  Grayson squeezed Elise’s hand and winked.

  “How will I know who Uncle Carter is?” Dancing around them, Cory paused to pry their hands apart, taking one in each of his own. “Does he know you’re going to be my other dad?”

  “You’ll know him because he’s a big ugly dude. Probably in fatigues.”

  Maddie elbowed her brother. “Oh, Gray.”

  Cory’s face crinkled. “What’s fat geese?”

  Gray chuckled as he gazed with love at the boy soon to be his son, and a sense of wonderment filled Elise. Had she known this amazing man only four weeks? How had God worked such a miracle in such a short time?

  “Fuh-teegs, buddy. Work clothes worn in the military. And no, he doesn’t know about you. I’ve saved you for a surprise.”

  Cory brightened. “I’m a surprise for Uncle Carter? Do I get to jump out of a box or something?”

  Elise smiled down at him. He’d obviously seen the newscasts covering homecoming soldiers—but usually it was the soldiers who surprised their kids like that, not the other way around.

  “I don’t have any boxes.” Gray frowned thoughtfully. “But you could ride on my shoulders so you’ll be the first one he sees.”

  “Can I?”

  Gray turned to reach for him, but Elise stayed him with her hand. “Your shoulder, Gray. Not a good idea.”

  He grimaced. “Oh, right. Keep forgetting now that I’m free of the sling and scheduled to return to work.”

  Disappointment colored Cory’s expression, but Grayson wasn’t to be deterred.

  “Wait right here. I have a better idea.”

  “Where’s he going, Mom?”

  She and Maddie shared an “it beats me” smile, then her future sister-in-law moved away to a bank of overhead monitors to check incoming flights.

  What must have seemed like an interminable amount of time to a six-year-old was actually an amazingly short mission. A wide grin spread across Gray’s handsome face, he wove toward them through the crowds, an oversize shopping bag clasped in his fist.

  “Here he comes, Mom!”

  When he reached them, Gray knelt to open the bag as her—their—son crowded in. In no time flat, he got Cory into a blue-and-white T-shirt emblazoned with the Dallas Cowboys official logo. Then pulled a kid-size white cowboy hat from the bag and popped it onto his head.

  “Carter’s sure to notice you in this. He’s a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan.”

  “Cool.” Cory hugged him, then Grayson glanced at his watch. “Guess we’d better get going if we want to be there when he disembarks.”

  Cory’s forehead wrinkled as he looked up at her. “What’s...that bark thing?”

  “Gets off the plane.” Her eyes smiled into Grayson’s and she again marveled at the love reflected in his eyes.

  Thank you, Lord.

  Cory reached for her hand. Then Gray’s. And together with Maddie they headed through the terminal.

  As a family.

  * * * * *

  Keep reading for an excerpt of Montana Dreams by Jillian Hart!

  Dear Reader,

  Thank you for joining me for book #4 of the Texas Twins series! It’s been a delight to read the first three written by Marta Perry, Barbara McMahon and Arlene James. I feel privileged to have been asked to join such talented writers in bringing these interwoven stories to life.

  In watching Grayson and Elise’s story unfold, I’ve seen how God works through circumstances and an inner nudging to open our eyes and change our hearts. Growing up in God—how important that is if we’re to learn how to trust Him and, by an act of the will, stretch out our hand of faith to receive what He wants to give us. Not only eternal life with Him through his son Jesus, but love, j
oy, hope and peace in the here and now. Against all odds, He brought Grayson and Elise all that and more.

  And now, like you, I can hardly wait to read the final two books written by Kathryn Springer and Jillian Hart!

  I love to hear from readers, so please contact me via email at glynna@glynnakaye.com or Love Inspired Books, 233 Broadway, Suite 1001, New York, NY 10279. Also check out my website www.glynnakaye.com—and stop in at www.seekerville.net and www.loveinspiredauthors.com.

  Thank you again for spending time with Grayson, Elise and Cory. If you enjoyed Look-Alike Lawman, be sure to visit Elise’s hometown of Canyon Springs, Arizona, in my other books!

  Glynna

  Questions for Discussion

  Elise has kept her husband’s secret for two years, isolating herself from family and friends in order to do so. Do you think it was a wise decision? Why or why not? What part does blaming herself for the choices her husband made play in her decision-making? Have you ever had to deal with a similar situation? What decisions did you make and what were the consequences?

  Grayson’s reeling from the reality that he and his sister Maddie each have a twin. How would you feel if today you discovered you had a twin from whom you’d been separated when you were small? Happy? Angry? Would you want to meet them immediately or need time to come to terms with the situation?

  Cory and Grayson bond immediately. What kind of impact do you think Gray will have on Cory’s life as the little boy grows up? Do you think—as Elise initially did—that Cory would be better off with a stepfather who isn’t a policeman? Why or why not?

  Elise brings her potted pink geranium—all that she has left of her previous garden—to the Fort Worth apartment and places it on the front steps. She takes it with her to Maddie’s high-rise apartment—and when she spies a little Victorian house in Grasslands, she immediately thinks it would look right at home on that wraparound porch. What do you think this geranium symbolizes to Elise?