ROMANCE: Tumble Into Love: A Diamond Creek Alaska Novel, Contemporary Romance (Diamond Creek, Alaska Novels Book 5)

by Croix, J. H.

  Risa was nothing if not direct. She’d walked into the restaurant and stopped by their table to return Brad’s house key and demanded he return hers immediately. It was the first time his façade fell. He was flustered and angry. Gretchen had babbled all kinds of excuses. Risa hadn’t spoken to either one of them since.

  “I didn’t realize that was a loaded question,” Susie commented bluntly.

  Risa flushed when she realized she’d been silent for a bit too long. With a bitter smile, she replied, “There is no boyfriend. Which makes it all the more sensible to think about getting the hell out of Anchorage. But before I do that, I have to find a job here.”

  Emma turned to her, her eyes worried. “What happened to Brad?”

  Risa shook her head. “He turned out to be a jerk.” She turned to Susie. “So what are my chances for finding decent work here?”

  “Well, Diamond Creek isn’t Anchorage, but we have plenty of galleries with the flood of tourists every summer. It’s probably an issue of timing. Summer’s winding down soon here, so you’d be more likely to find work next spring. What do you think, Emma?” Susie asked, turning to her.

  Emma’s blue eyes landed on Risa. “You can figure out the work thing if you want to be here. You might not score a job as good as the one you have now, but if you’re willing to be flexible, you’ll eventually find something you’re happy with. It’s like going anywhere new, you have to get the lay of the land and wait and see. You know you can stay with us. We’d would love it if you were here.”

  “I can’t plan to stay with you guys as a long-term thing. I’ll need to feel like I’m here on my terms, not just mooching off of you.”

  Emma shook her head. “Risa, you’ve always been there for us. Staying with us until you sort out where you live is perfectly fine. But that’s not what you’re worried about. I wish you realized it’s okay to ask for help and rely on people who love you.”

  Emma’s comment hit home, and Risa started to feel defensive when Susie spoke. “Join the club,” she said, catching Risa’s eyes with a wry grin. “I love helping everyone and can’t stand feeling like I might need somebody’s help. It’s a true affliction.” Susie turned to Emma. “You’re the therapist. How do we make this go away? It’s even worse when people notice it,” she said pointedly.

  Emma grinned. Her gaze sobered when she looked to Risa again. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. If we’re being honest, I can be just as bad as the two of you, and you both know it. So…” her eyes lightened again “…my point is, regardless of where you stay, I bet you can find work at a local gallery, one way or another. We’d love it if you were here full-time.”

  As they drove away, Risa pondered her resistance to relying on friends and family. If she could chalk it up to anything, it was that she felt like she needed to prove she could do things herself. After drifting along aimlessly for longer than she thought she should’ve, she was proud of her work managing the gallery in Anchorage. She loved her bosses, and didn’t want to lose something that made her feel good. But aside from her job, there was nothing holding her in Anchorage. Her parents lived nearby, but she tended to visit with them every few weeks, which she could easily do if she lived in Diamond Creek. Darren flitted in the corner of her thoughts. You cannot be thinking about moving here because you have the hots for a man you just met. He’s a side benefit. I have plenty of other reasons to move here. Yeah, but you only considered it seriously after you practically lost your mind over him. She laughed when she realized she was arguing with herself. But thinking about Darren did send heat sliding through her veins. The idea that she could be near him on a regular basis was tempting to say the least.

  Later that afternoon, Risa pulled up at Red Truck Coffee, an outdoor coffee stop housed in an old bread truck painted bright red. It was situated by the harbor, which led to an endless stream of business. Emma had let Risa borrow one of their cars for the afternoon. After she got a cup of her favorite coffee and weaved her way through the tourists milling around the relentlessly busy coffee stop, she heard her name. Her heart immediately stuttered and raced.

  She turned to find Darren leaning against his patrol car, which was parked beside Emma’s car. He was just as sexy as she’d recalled last night when she fantasized about him. She flushed remembering how hot and bothered she’d been after their kiss yesterday.

  “Hey,” she said.

  Darren smiled, those sensual lips quirking higher on one side. “Hey there. How’re you feeling today?” he asked, gesturing to her forehead.

  “Oh, just fine. My neck’s a little sore, but that’s it.”

  He nodded. She stood in front of him, frozen and unable to think clearly. His chocolate gaze pinned her in place. He looked so damn sexy in his uniform. She’d never considered herself to be into uniforms, but on Darren…oh dear god. He looked delicious and authoritative.

  After a long silence, he spoke again. “How long will you be in town?”

  Risa shrugged. “Now that I don’t have a car, I’m not so sure. I’m also thinking about moving down here. Maybe now’s the time to do it.” She couldn’t believe she’d told him that, but the mere sight of him made her want to confide in him.

  Darren’s eyes took a gleam, but he merely nodded at her comment. After another long silence, he took a deep breath. “I was wondering if I could take you out to dinner,” he said, the words stilted. A muscle ticked in his jaw. His eyes were carefully guarded.

  Risa thought about the tiny nugget of information Susie dropped—that he was gun shy about relationships—and wondered what lay behind it. He exuded calm and strength. The idea that he might have been hurt by someone made her curious. She wanted to know and to make it better. She didn’t know how she could know, seeing as she barely knew him, but she sensed he was a good man. But then her judgment wasn’t so great in that area, seeing as she’d thought Brad was a good man. Nevertheless, the vague idea that someone had hurt Darren and led him to keep to himself made her want to know how…and to climb through his defenses.

  Though every ounce of logic in her cautioned against opening herself up to anyone, she wanted Darren with a ferocity hard to resist. Logic lost. “I’d like that,” she replied carefully. “When?”

  Darren looked startled at her reply, almost as if he’d expected her to say no. He flushed, which relieved Risa because she didn’t want to be the only one feeling ridiculous. “How about tomorrow night?”

  “Perfect. Name the place and I’ll meet you there.” As soon as the words left her mouth, she remembered she didn’t have a car. “Scratch that. Can you pick me up?”

  Darren grinned and nodded. “Any favorites in town?”

  “Nope. You decide. I’ll give you my number and you can text me. Just tell me what time you’ll come by to pick me up.” She quickly recited her number to him while he tapped it into his phone.

  They were interrupted by a man who cuffed Darren on the back and proceeded to launch into a discussion on whether or not the town should add another stoplight at one of the intersections that clogged with traffic every summer.

  Darren’s radio went off once the man walked away. He glanced apologetically at Risa. “Sorry about that. I’m gonna have to take off.”

  “Do I get your number too?” she asked. She felt like a schoolgirl, silly and flushed.

  Darren gave her his number before climbing back in his car. Risa desperately wanted to kiss him, but she barely knew him. If she dared to do so, the gossip would race like brushfire. Instead, she smiled and waved as he drove away, willing her pulse to slow down.

  Chapter 4

  Five years ago

  Darren’s police radio blared, reporting an accident on I-5, one of the busiest highways flowing through Seattle. He was less than a minute from the location of the accident. He switched his siren on and zoomed through traffic, arriving first on the scene. As he pulled up behind the two-vehicle accident, he quickly realized one vehicle was in much worse shape than the other. A small se
dan was crumpled against the guardrail, pinned between the guardrail and the other vehicle, which had come to a rest against the driver side door.

  Darren ran to check on the passengers. There were two people waiting beside the car on the outside who appeared to be banged up, but okay enough to have gotten themselves out. One of them, a young woman, was crying so hard she was hyperventilating. Darren followed her eyes to the other car and saw a toddler boy strapped into a car seat, glass scattered across him with blood running down his cheek. He looked stunned. As Darren’s eyes absorbed the scene, he saw that the two adults in the front were unconscious. If the man who had been driving were still alive, Darren would be amazed. The car door was crushed into him, and he was collapsed over the steering wheel.

  The hood of the car had smoke billowing out of it. Sirens could be heard in the distance, but definitely not close enough that Darren could wait for more help to arrive. As he scrambled to reach the car, he radioed an update. The following minutes seared into his brain. He remembered choking fear when he reached the car and realized he couldn’t easily get the little boy out. He smashed away the remnants of the window and frantically reached through. It felt like a miracle almost happened when he got the little boy unbuckled from the car seat. Then, he heard a voice yelling his name and the car exploded in flames.

  ***

  Present day

  Darren came awake abruptly, fear pounding through him. Sweat covered his body. He threw the sheets off and swore. A glance at the clock told him it was three in the morning. With a sigh, he got up and walked to the shower. Whenever he dreamt about the accident, the only thing that calmed him was to take a shower. As the steaming water coasted over his body, he wondered if it would help if he remembered anything else from that day. Somehow, he doubted it. The dream contained his entire memory, ending right when the car was engulfed in fire. His memory was blank from that point until the next day when he woke in the hospital and his unit sergeant carefully told him that the little boy had died in the fire.

  Darren had inhaled a massive gulp of hot smoke, which scorched his lungs, and had sustained an injury on the side of his face, believed to have occurred when he leaned through the window to reach for the little boy. He was hospitalized until his lungs recovered. All that remained of the accident was the faint scar running in a jagged line from his cheek into his hairline above his ear…and nightmares.

  Not long after, he’d started searching for a job in Alaska. He couldn’t bear to drive past the site of the accident for months. When he finally managed to drive by, cold dread rolled over him every time. The psychologist his job sent him to explained what Darren was experiencing was normal, the aftereffects of a traumatic event. Darren did everything the psychologist suggested, and the superficial symptoms improved. He could drive down the highway without wanting to vomit, he could do his job without his adrenaline pumping on high all day, he could see toddlers and not envision the little boy in that car, but he didn’t want to be in Seattle anymore. All he knew was he wanted to go home. He’d applied for the police chief position in Diamond Creek, thinking it was a long shot. He’d figured it would go to someone local. When he’d met with Michael Cunningham, he’d felt instantly comfortable. Michael offered him the job within a week of the interview, explaining he needed someone in the position before he stepped down as chief.

  Darren climbed back in bed after his shower, staring at the stars through the skylight window directly above his bed. Risa strolled into his thoughts. Her dark hair was a tousled bob, her eyes sharp and probing, and her lips…well, they were so damn kissable, he’d had to force himself not to kiss her when he saw her yesterday at the coffee place by the harbor. He hadn’t been as alone as Sylvia at work imagined him to be, but he hadn’t had a relationship either. He kept things light and didn’t see anyone local. Too many potential complications. He found company when he traveled, which was usually a few times a month for work. Ever since the accident that haunted his dreams, he couldn’t imagine trying to have a relationship. How would he explain his nightmares? He knew without question, if Risa got close enough to know him and see him when he woke like this during the night, she’d think he was broken. He couldn’t bear that.

  ***

  Risa sat beside Stuart on the couch with Tootsie napping between them. Stuart was engrossed in looking at a plant magazine while Risa clicked through job ads on her laptop. Susie’s question and their subsequent discussion about living here had mobilized her. Her phone bleeped, indicating a text had arrived. Darren’s name was on the banner that bounced on her screen.

  Still up for dinner?

  Of course!

  Diamond Creek Brewery? 6pm?

  Perfect. Don’t forget I’ll need a ride.

  No problem. Pick you up at Trey’s place?

  Where else would I be?

  Um…don’t know. Just checking.

  Risa set her phone down, her stomach fluttering. She couldn’t quite believe she was about to have dinner with Darren and wondered if she’d completely lost her mind. He was way too sexy and way too good for her. So you’ll just have a fling. Don’t make this more than it is. He’s hot. You haven’t had good sex in pretty much forever. Just have fun. Risa shook her head sharply, knocking her thoughts away. Maybe she was crazy, but Darren spoke to her body in a way no one had. She wouldn’t worry about getting intimate and would ignore the lingering fear he might not be what he seemed. It wouldn’t matter if she didn’t let things get too serious. It’s not just that. You’re afraid you’re not good enough for him. Risa swore to herself. She didn’t need to think about that. She’d simply enjoy the smoking hot chemistry between them. She contemplated what she would tell Trey when he asked about Darren and decided to take the friend angle if he asked.

  A few hours later, Risa rode in Darren’s car toward town. She’d gotten lucky with Trey still finishing up at work when Darren arrived to pick her up. Emma had merely nodded when she’d told her she was having dinner with a friend. Risa had a few local friends that she often spent time with when she came to visit, so she’d made sure to slip out the door as soon as Darren pulled up.

  The mere act of sitting in the car with Darren had her pulse racing and her breath shallow. Out of uniform, Darren was even more handsome. He wore jeans that hugged his muscled legs and a t-shirt that molded over his muscled chest and arms. Risa’s hands itched to touch him. The level of chemistry between them reinforced her plan to keep this casual. She wasn’t ready to tangle with what it meant to let someone matter again, especially not when the chemistry between them made her body hum to the special tune he evoked. If that happened, she’d have to face her doubts that he could be like Brad. Or worse, he wouldn’t be like Brad, and she’d somehow have to live up to that. A tiny corner of her mind pointed out she might be biting off more than she could chew.

  Diamond Creek Brewery was bustling. Darren had wisely called ahead to make reservations, and they were quickly escorted through the crowd in the entryway to a booth. Risa loved this restaurant. Good food, funky atmosphere and an amazing view of Kachemak Bay and the mountains in the distance. The restaurant was in an old plane hangar, refurbished and decorated with bright colors and model planes artfully hanging from the ceiling. The booths were fairly private, and the noise muffled once they were seated.

  Darren looked over at her, his eyes simmering with banked heat. She’d always thought brown eyes were rather plain, or that’s what she thought about her own. On Darren, they were a study in subtle contrasts. His were alternately warm and soft and hot and dark. His velvet gaze elicited a spark of heat every time he looked her way. She sipped her wine and tried to get a hold of herself.

  “So you said you used to live in Seattle?” she asked, trying for a neutral topic.

  “Yup. After college, I went to the police academy there and started on the force once I was done.”

  “And you came to Diamond Creek because…?”

  For a split second, Risa saw a flash of deep pain in Dar
ren’s eyes. He masked it so quickly, she thought she must have imagined it.

  “I missed Alaska and I was ready for a change of pace. The chief position was up for hire here, so I applied. I’d been to Diamond Creek before. My parents used to bring us fishing in the summer, and I knew it was a great place.”

  “Didn’t you say the other day you were thinking of moving here?” His return question threw her off, mostly because she didn’t know precisely what she wanted. She only knew her life in Anchorage made her feel restless and her blow up with Brad had narrowed her friend circle. Gretchen had been one of her closer friends in the painting world, and Brad’s role as a gallery owner threw her in his path more frequently than she preferred. Risa was over Brad, but she wasn’t over the recognition that she had damn poor judgment.

  She realized she had yet to answer Darren. “Yeah, I’m thinking about it. I don’t have much keeping me in Anchorage. I’m close to Trey and Emma, and it’d be nice to be around more often for my nephew and niece.”

  Darren nodded politely. As dinner continued, Risa found herself torn. Her head wanted to keep this light and casual, while her heart and body wanted to delve into Darren and find out what made him tick. He was gracious, though reserved, and clearly respected and well-liked in town. Every few minutes, someone would stop by the table to greet him. She sensed he held himself at a distance, which piqued her curiosity. Susie’s comment about him being gun-shy about relationships circled through her thoughts.

  When he walked her out to the car after dinner, she decided to do what she did best—be bold. She’d make it clear she was interested in one thing and one thing only. That would set her head straight and put him on notice.

  Once they were in the car, Risa leaned over and slid her hand in his hair. She heard his breath catch, which sent her pulse skittering. She tried to take control and almost lost it just by touching him. His eyes met hers, that banked heat flaring to life. He was silent as he held her gaze. Her heart hammered, and she tried to remember what she meant to say.