Falling for the Sheriff

by Tanya Michaels

  Kate followed her gaze, watching the car turn onto the farm’s dirt road, and her heart jumped. “Cole.”

  “I’ll just leave you to entertain your gentleman caller.” It took Gram two tries to successfully rise from the swing. She snickered. “Not as steady on my feet as I was expecting. Good whiskey.” She had just disappeared back inside when Cole parked in front of the house.

  Oh, boy.

  Now what? Last time they’d been on this porch together, Kate had desperately wanted to kiss him. Knowing firsthand what his kisses were like only intensified that ache. But if Luke caught them canoodling twice in one afternoon, he might do something insane like try to hitchhike back to Houston.

  “H-hey,” she greeted Cole, not standing. She was unsteady enough around him even without the whiskey. “Where are the girls?”

  “My mother, who is a saint, should be corralling them into the bathtub even as we speak. Two kids on sugar highs, covered in washable paint.” He shook his head. “Suffice to say, they’ve declared this the most awesome birthday in the world history of birthdays.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “Nope. I’m not convinced that’s your ‘glad’ face.” He sat in the spot Gram had vacated, brushing a hand over Kate’s cheek as he peered at her. The gentle touch was enough to send a small quiver of anticipation through her. “Talk to me, Kate.”

  “Luke didn’t find the day quite as awesome as the girls did.” She sighed. “He was trailing after them, coming to offer his assistance with water balloons, too.”

  “He saw us kiss?” At her nod, Cole’s expression turned somber. “That explains your hasty exit.”

  She’d implied Luke wasn’t feeling well when she left but hadn’t offered any specifics. “His reaction was a little different than Alyssa’s.”

  “You mean he didn’t immediately volunteer to be the ring bearer at our wedding?” He winced at her expression. “Sorry. I thought maybe the situation called for levity.”

  “I’m not sure what the situation calls for. He was furious on the ride home. He’s barely speaking to me.”

  Cole straightened. “Would it help if I tried talking to him? Man to man, as it were?”

  “Um...that may be the worst idea I’ve ever heard.”

  He blew out his breath in audible relief. “Praise the Lord. I mean, I felt I should offer, since I’m responsible for the riff between the two of you, but I don’t know what I would have done if you’d said yes. I’m used to talking to five-year-olds who adore me and are easily distracted by sparkly objects. An angry teen is outside my wheelhouse.”

  She chuckled at the admission. “Wait...what do you mean you’re responsible? I kissed you.”

  “So you did.” His smile was smug and very, very male. “You also agreed to have dinner with me this week. The next night I’m scheduled to be off duty is Tuesday. Coincidentally, Jazz and Brody are available then.”

  She hesitated, unsure what to say. Part of her couldn’t imagine anything more enjoyable than an evening out with her friends and Cole. But was it worth further distressing her son?

  “This is becoming an alarmingly long pause,” Cole said. “An insecure guy might think you were trying to decide how to get out of dinner.”

  “I don’t know.” She stood, unable to meet his gaze. “Maybe going out with you would be a mistake. You didn’t see how upset he was when we got home.”

  Cole followed her, looking mildly annoyed. “You really want to skip over ‘maybe he needs some time’ straight to ‘let’s call the whole thing off?’ Is this about Luke, or about you?”

  “You’re a parent. You know making sacrifices comes with the territory.”

  “True. But you can’t live your life jumping through hoops for Luke.”

  “Actually, he’s my son, and I can live my life however I choose. And I think it’s unbelievably arrogant to give dating advice when, by your own admission, you haven’t made time for romance in your life, either.”

  “There was no one worth the trouble before,” he said, his tone softening. “Now there is.”

  Touched by that declaration, she let him pull her into an apologetic embrace.

  “I didn’t mean to sound high-handed,” he said. “Of course it’s your life and you have to make the decisions you feel are best. But kids are resilient. Don’t you think he’ll get used to the idea?”

  “I just relocated him from the only home he’s ever known. He’s already having to adjust to a lot.”

  Cole released her. His frustration was evident on his face, but his voice was contrite. “I told you I was a patient man, yet here I am pushing. I just... There’s something powerful between us, Kate, and I’d like to see where it takes us.”

  After today, she couldn’t deny the escalating attraction they shared. It was where that attraction would lead that gave her pause. If dinner Tuesday were only some people getting together to eat, she’d go in a heartbeat. Children rarely needed therapy because their mothers went out for hickory-smoked ribs. But by Cole’s own admission, a date with him would be more than that. It would be another step forward on a perilous road to an unknown destination.

  Then again, how could she ever expect her son to grow accustomed to their moving forward if she herself couldn’t get comfortable with the idea? She turned away, considering. The memory of kissing Cole was vivid, but not just the physical part. She was struck by that moment when he’d paused, holding in check his own desires to make sure it was really what she wanted. There’d been so much tender concern in his gaze that it made her ache.

  “Okay,” she said, quickly before she could change her mind. Again.

  “You’ll have dinner with me Tuesday?” His voice was nine parts joy, one part disbelief.

  She nodded. “It’s a date.”

  * * *

  WHEN LUKE HAD awakened the first time on Sunday to morning sunlight filling his room, he’d rolled over and gone back to sleep. But now it was past noon. He kept his eyes tightly closed, willing himself back into the refuge of sleep, but it was pointless. He wasn’t tired.

  He was, however, starving. And he had to go to the bathroom.

  Sitting up, he eyed his closed door, the much-needed barrier between him and the rest of the world. I do not want to go out there.

  But remaining in his sanctuary was no guarantee that he wouldn’t have to face his mom. Eventually, she would knock and try to talk to him. As if he had anything to say besides “yuck.” What the hell was wrong with her? She’d been at a birthday party for little kids. Nobody needed to see that.

  Except he couldn’t seem to unsee it. The image of her macking on the sheriff had plagued him all night long.

  Ever since they’d left the ranch yesterday, Luke had been trying to remember a specific instance of his mom and dad kissing. He couldn’t do it. Oh, he knew he’d seen them kiss, but he couldn’t pinpoint an actual, individual memory. And it seemed wrong that he couldn’t remember his dad kissing her but now he was stuck with a visual of some other guy doing it.

  Through the door, he heard the house phone ring and his mom’s muffled voice as she answered. Good. Maybe he could run to the bathroom, then snag some food to bring back to his room while she was distracted. Yet he’d no sooner grabbed a sleeve of crackers from the pantry when his mother came toward him with the cordless phone.

  She handed it to him. “It’s Sarah.”

  He groaned at the ambush. Last night, he hadn’t felt like answering any of his friend’s texts, but that hadn’t dissuaded her from sending them. So he’d turned off his phone.

  “Hello?” he snapped.

  There was a pause. “Hi to you, too, Grumpy.”

  “What do you want?”

  “My cousin is coming to visit, and my brother and I are trying to plan a couple of things to do while he’s in town so he
won’t be bored silly. We’ll probably go to a matinee tomorrow.” She hesitated. “I thought...well, would you like to come with us?”

  “No.” He didn’t want to deal with people. Not his mom, not Sarah, not anyone.

  From across the kitchen, where she was making a sandwich, his mother frowned at his tone. Obviously she thought he was being rude. Well, eavesdropping was rude, too.

  “Are you gonna be online later?” Sarah asked, a little wobble in her voice. “Because I just got the code for a new DLC and—”

  “I don’t want to play or go to the movie. And I don’t want to talk to you! Take the hint already.”

  She gasped. “You don’t have to be a jerk about it.” Then she hung up.

  Crap. Sarah was right. He had been a jerk. Knowing he’d hurt her feelings made him feel like he’d swallowed live goldfish and they were wriggling through his gut. Why couldn’t she have left him alone? Now he’d probably lost his only friend in this stupid town.

  He remembered the day he’d drawn that horse picture for Aly. “I guess you can be my friend.” Aly was a cute kid, but he didn’t want to see her again. How could he be around her without thinking about her dad with his mom?

  His mother was like Bobby Rowe. That comparison would probably make her head explode, but Bobby had a thing for redheads. Every girl Bobby had ever talked about or asked to a school dance had red hair. Maybe Luke’s mom had a thing for policemen. That was one explanation for why she’d be all over some guy she’d only known a few weeks.

  “Luke.” His mom set the sandwich on the table in front of him. “You were really unkind to her. I’m disappointed in you.”

  That was nothing new. “She should have got a clue when I didn’t respond to her texts,” he muttered.

  “Don’t blame her for your actions.” She sat in the chair next to him. “And don’t blame her for mine, either. I know you’re upset that Cole and I—”

  “Can we not talk about that?” He resisted the urge to clap his hands over his ears, but just barely.

  “We’ll need to eventually, because I’m seeing him again. For dinner on Tuesday. I realize this can’t be easy for you, but—”

  “I’m not hungry.” He shoved the sandwich away.

  He noticed her jaw tighten, but she didn’t make him eat. “I have two piano students coming today, and I don’t need you snarling at them. Maybe it would be best if you spent the afternoon in your room.”

  Fine by me.

  Stalking down the hallway, he thought he heard a sniff behind him, but he ignored it. Just as he ignored his own sniffles as he shut his door once more.

  * * *

  ON MONDAY MORNING, Kate went on a cleaning frenzy fueled by nervous energy. She had only one piano student scheduled for that afternoon—Alyssa Trent—and she was worried about how the lesson would go. Had Cole successfully convinced his daughters that he and Kate weren’t planning to head down the aisle?

  As Kate stowed the furniture polish and cleaning rag back under the kitchen sink, she comforted herself with the reminder that at least Cole wouldn’t be the one bringing his daughter. It seemed too soon for him and Luke to be under the same roof. Cole was working today, and he’d left a message that his mother would drive Alyssa to the farm. Frankly, Kate wasn’t sure how her son would act toward Alyssa, either, but since Gram was at quilting club, Kate didn’t have an easy way to get Luke out of the house. If only he’d accepted Sarah’s invitation to the movies.

  Kate’s heart hurt for the girl, whose overtures of friendship had been so adamantly rebuffed. She hated that Luke was sabotaging himself, but this wasn’t the first time he’d fallen into self-destructive behavior when upset. She found herself grateful that no man had attracted her attention back in Houston; she could only imagine the trouble Luke would be in right now if he were still hanging out with Bobby and his cohorts.

  Patch barked cheerfully, letting her know they had company, and Kate reached the front door at the same time Mrs. Trent did.

  Kate waved the woman and her granddaughter inside. “Nice to see you both again.”

  Rather than returning Kate’s smile, Alyssa hopped from one foot to the other, her face tense. “I hafta use the bathroom, Miss Kate.”

  “Right down the hall.”

  As the girl hurried away, Gayle said, “Sorry about that. I shouldn’t have let her order the large soda with lunch.”

  “No problem. She’s my only student today, so if we start a few minutes late, I can make up the time. Do you want to sit in on the lesson, or wait in the living room? You’re welcome to watch television if you like.”

  “I believe I’ll curl up on the sofa and read if you don’t mind.” She pulled a book out of her purse. “I’m halfway through a great mystery and can’t wait to find out who the killer is.”

  Kate smiled noncommittally. Personally, she stayed away from mysteries and thrillers. She hated the reminder that bad guys were out there. In the case of her husband’s killer, he’d been caught and sentenced, but seeing justice served had done nothing to bring Damon back to her.

  “You don’t like books?” Gayle asked as she settled on the couch.

  “Oh, I love to read. The darker stuff just isn’t for me. I prefer laughing my way through a book and knowing there’s a happy ending.”

  “So, you like romances. I shouldn’t be surprised.” Gayle grinned. “According to my granddaughters, you’re definitely a fan of romance.”

  Embarrassment heated Kate’s face. “I, uh...”

  “No need to feel bashful. I’m thrilled my son is finally falling for a good woman. And both the girls have taken a shine to you.”

  Kate glanced down the hallway, willing Alyssa to return. Immediately. “Thank you. But...”

  Gayle arched an eyebrow. “Uh-oh. Don’t tell me you’re planning to break his heart.”

  How invested was Cole’s heart? Kate knew his mom had interfered in his love life before, and she wouldn’t put it past the well-meaning woman to exaggerate.

  “I don’t think people ever really plan for that,” Kate said. Sometimes it just happened. It was impossible to know the future. “Can I ask you a personal question?”

  “Yes, especially if it’s about Cole. I have many adorable stories about his childhood.”

  Kate grinned, charmed by the mental image of Cole as a little boy, with those laser-bright blue eyes. “Maybe another time.” She looked down the hall, verifying that the bathroom door was still closed, then lowered her voice. “You’re the mother of a sheriff and a fireman, both jobs that include a lot of inherent risk. Don’t you worry about them constantly?”

  “You’re a mom yourself, so you know the answer to that. Of course I worry. We all worry about our children, even those who grow up to be accountants or retail cashiers.”

  Kate supposed that was true.

  “My pride in my boys is stronger than my fear. Jace, the youngest, makes me want to pull my hair out sometimes, but even he is dependable in an emergency and quick to help others. I consider my sons modern-day heroes. They’re noble and kind.” She sighed. “But not very lucky in love. I’m hoping that will change.”

  Kate bit her lip. “Cole and his brothers are great guys. I’m sure they’ll find women who see that.” She just didn’t know yet if she would be one of those women.

  * * *

  GRAM LEANED BACK in her armchair, temporarily abandoning the knitting she’d been doing. “When I was a girl, our house had a basement and sometimes Mama or Daddy would send me down the stairs to fetch something. I never told them, but I was terrified of that basement, even up ’til I was sixteen. I only mention it now because you’re looking down the hall at Luke’s door the way I used to eye that basement door. What are you afraid of—that he’s going to come busting out of that room, wild-eyed and screaming when Cole picks you up for
dinner?”

  Maybe. Kate sat on the very edge of the sofa, trying not to wrinkle the sundress she’d chosen. “I don’t know what I’m afraid of.” Parenting failures, love, loss, the uncertainty of the future. “A little bit of everything, I guess.”

  Gram peered over the rims of her glasses. “Well, stop it.”

  Kate couldn’t help chuckling at the command. If only it were that simple. “I hope Luke doesn’t give you any trouble while I’m gone.”

  “Frankly, I’d be surprised if he even shows his face. Been keeping to himself a lot the last few days.”

  Kate nodded. She’d overheard him trying to talk to Sarah through the gaming headphones, but apparently his friend wasn’t ready to forgive him. Luke had logged off, dejected. Kate thought it might be a nice gesture for him to do something “in real life” with her, so that Sarah knew he saw her as a real friend and not just someone to campaign with when he needed help defeating a level. Kate had suggested as much, but he’d simply glared. Her son wasn’t particularly receptive to her advice right now.

  Patch ran to the front door with a bark and a wagging tail, and Kate’s stomach felt the exact same way it had the single time she’d allowed Damon and Luke to talk her into riding a roller coaster with an upside down loop. While she took a deep, calming breath, Gram answered the door.

  “Sheriff.” Gram’s tone was rich with humor. “I expect you to have her back at a reasonable hour. It’s a weeknight, after all.”

  Cole grinned. “Yes, ma’am.” Then his gaze shifted to Kate. “You look fantastic.”

  The time she’d taken with her hair and makeup had definitely been worth it. At the girls’ party, Jazz had given her an undeniably fashionable appearance, but that look hadn’t really been Kate. She was glad Cole was equally impressed with the real her. “Thank you. So do you.” But then, he always did.

  He held out his hand, and as she walked toward him, her nerves evaporated. There was nowhere she’d rather be tonight than in this man’s company. “Don’t worry, Mrs. Denby,” he told Gram, “I won’t keep her out past curfew.”