How to Land Her Lawman

by Teresa Southwick

  “Of course I do. You’re the sister I never had. I know you wouldn’t steer me wrong.”

  “Darn straight.” Kim smiled. “This is going to work. I just know it.”

  April hoped she was right. She wanted to put Will Fletcher behind her before he went back to Chicago and put Blackwater Lake behind him.

  * * *

  Will had forgotten what a Blackwater Lake Fourth of July was like.

  The shops in town were dripping with red, white and blue decorations. American flags flew on lampposts and residences. There had been a morning parade on Main Street with horses, cars, wagons and kids from elementary to high school. The town fire engine was the finale. Every parade entry was decorated for Independence Day and prizes were awarded for the most artistic, innovative and patriotic. Mayor Goodson-McKnight had picked the winners.

  About two o’clock folks started showing up at the park for games of touch football, soccer and water balloon tosses that got fairly rowdy in a wet way. People staked a claim to the park tables by the built-in barbecues, where the town council and volunteers grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.

  Blankets and chairs were spread out and arranged under trees as a break from the sun, also keeping in mind the best vantage point for the upcoming fireworks display put on by the fire department. That would happen in about an hour. The whole scene was like a long, cold beer for the small-town patriotic soul.

  Being on duty here was, well, a walk in the park compared to a shift in Chicago on this holiday.

  Will had seen April turn up everywhere with a camera hanging around her neck and a pocket-sized notebook in her hands. She was alternately taking pictures and getting names of the folks she’d snapped to document the festivities for the Blackwater Lake Gazette.

  She was the picture of patriotism in her denim shorts, red-and-white-striped spaghetti-strapped top, hair pulled back in a perky ponytail. And he found himself on the alert, constantly watching for those particular denim shorts and top. Her shapely, tanned legs tied him in knots, especially because he remembered how good it felt to have them wrapped around his waist while he was buried deep inside her.

  Will snapped his attention back to his job and picked his way through tables, blankets and toddlers, watching for any potential trouble that could mar the celebration. Then he heard his name and recognized Cabot Dixon, a local rancher who also ran a kids’ summer camp.

  He walked over and shook hands with the man, who stood up. “Been a long time, Cabot.”

  “Yeah.” He indicated the pretty woman beside him with the light brown, sun-streaked hair. “This is my wife, Katrina Scott.”

  “It’s Kate Dixon now.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff.”

  “Will,” he said. Pieces of stories he’d heard fit together. “You’re the woman who showed up at the Grizzly Bear Diner in a wedding dress.”

  “Guilty. I don’t suppose I’m ever going to live that down,” she said, not looking the least bit bothered.

  “Probably not,” Will agreed. “It’s one of those legends that will be passed on from generation to generation and immortalized with a hammer and chisel on cave walls.”

  “I was sort of hoping for a Facebook fan page,” she teased.

  “She’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Cabot put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer to him. “Other than Tyler, of course.”

  “How old is your son now?”

  “Going on ten. He’s over there.” Cabot pointed to a group of boys in an open grassy area playing soccer. “I heard you were the new sheriff in town.”

  “Acting sheriff. It’s temporary.” No matter how much his dad might want him to be permanent.

  His friend looked around the idyllic setting. “This must be really different from Chicago. Will is a detective with CPD,” he explained to his wife.

  “It’s the polar opposite of what I’m used to,” Will agreed.

  “Must be boring here,” Cabot guessed.

  “Excitement can be highly overrated.” He shrugged. “I keep busy. Today alone I’ve confiscated enough illegal fireworks to take out a good-sized city.”

  “Teenagers?”

  “Of course.” He grinned and his friend returned it. “We did our share of that when we were their age.”

  “And your dad always caught us.”

  “Every year,” Will confirmed.

  “You guys tried it more than once?” Kate’s blue eyes went wide.

  “It was worth a shot,” Will and Cabot said together.

  “Men.” She shook her head. “They get bigger but never stop being little boys.”

  “It’s basic training,” her husband explained, brown eyes teasing. “When Ty gets to be a teenager, he won’t be able to get away with anything because I’ve done it all.”

  “My nephew complains about that. And he’s living with two cops. He’ll have to be twice as good as we were to be even half as bad.”

  “If they’re going to pull stuff, and they are,” Cabot said, “at least there’s a lot less trouble to get into here in Blackwater Lake.”

  He and Kim had turned out okay and her son was doing great, Will thought. “I suppose it’s a good place to raise kids.”

  “Sure hope so.” Cabot looked at his wife who nodded slightly. “Just found out we’re having another one.”

  “Congratulations.” Will shook the other man’s hand again. He saw the expression of pleasure, pride and excitement on his friend’s face and felt a stab of envy.

  “We’re very excited,” Kate said. “Ty is going to be a wonderful big brother. Although he’s very vocal about not wanting a sister.”

  “I know how he feels. Mine’s been a pain in the neck since she was born,” Will teased.

  “You don’t mean that,” she said.

  “You’re right. Kim is the best and that reminds me. Her son is fourteen and I need to make sure he’s not doing what Cabot and I would have been doing at his age.”

  Cabot laughed. “Good luck with that. It was really great to see you again.”

  “You, too.”

  Will walked away and found his nephew shooting hoops with some friends while a group of teenage girls watched. Judging by the hormone-drenched looks going back and forth between Tim and one of the young ladies, the talk Will had promised to have with the kid should happen pretty soon, he thought.

  Keeping his eyes and ears open, he moved through the crowd, saying hello to old friends and being introduced to recently relocated residents. Learning what was going on. Sydney McKnight was engaged to Burke Holden, who was involved in building the new resort up on the mountain. His cousin and business partner, Sloan, was engaged to widow Maggie Potter. Her brother, computer millionaire Brady O’Keefe, had married his executive assistant.

  Envy hit him again, smacked right into him like a bug on a windshield. Perspective was a funny thing. He’d run to something for his career and somehow felt as if he’d been left behind. He figured that feeling was as temporary as filling in for the sheriff.

  Keep moving, he thought, making another circuit through the park. He was nearing the parking lot and saw the fire department’s red hook-and-ladder truck parked there. In preparation for the holiday, he’d coordinated with fire and rescue to mobilize for the community celebration in the park. There was always a chance that Will would miss confiscating some banned fireworks and they could escalate into a big blaze during the dry summer months. Or someone shooting them off could get hurt.

  Walking closer, he saw the fire captain he’d worked with. Desmond Parker. Nice guy who’d been recruited from Lake Tahoe, California, to expand the department as necessary to deal with the resort development.

  He looked closer and saw that Des was chatting up a woman in a familiar red-striped, spaghetti-strapped knit top and denim s
horts. It was April and she was smiling. Worse, she was looking at the guy the way she’d looked at Will when they were at Bar None, as if she was having a good time.

  That started a slow burn in his gut and no high-powered fire hose was going to put it out.

  Will stepped off the curb, onto the parking lot asphalt, and walked over to them. “April.”

  She looked pleased to see him just before her expression shifted into neutral, as if she’d caught herself and dialed down the reaction. “Hi, Will.”

  He held out his hand to Des. “Good to see you.”

  “Happy Fourth.”

  “You two know each other?” April looked at him, then the other man.

  “We met at a community preparedness planning meeting,” Des explained.

  “Oh. Right,” she answered. “Of course you would.

  Will was no expert on what women found attractive in a guy, but he could see where this particular one could appeal. He was tall, blue eyed and sandy haired with a strong jaw and muscular build. Then there was the dark blue pants and shirt making up the uniform. He knew from personal experience that women liked the uniform.

  And damn it. He hadn’t sized up a guy like this since... Hell, ever. Even worse, he actually liked Des Parker. He was a stand-up guy and knew his job, but the thought of April with him was infuriating. Will knew why. He was jealous.

  “How’s it going?” Will asked him.

  “So far, so good. On your end?”

  “Quiet. I’ve got a lot of unauthorized pyrotechnics in the trunk of the cruiser. I’ll turn them over to you tomorrow.”

  Des grinned. “The guys and I will have fun getting rid of them.”

  Will knew they were going to shoot them off. The difference was firefighters knew how to take the necessary precautions and do it safely. He couldn’t stop a reluctant smile. “I’m sure you will.”

  Des looked at his watch. “Speaking of shooting off fireworks, I have to go. We’re staging for the town’s display now.”

  “Let me know if you need any help,” he offered.

  “Will do.”

  “Thanks for letting me get some photos of you with the truck, Des.”

  “Anytime.” The other man smiled at April. “I’ll call you.”

  “Okay.”

  Watching the man walk away, Will wished there was some town ordinance prohibiting a guy he actually liked from hitting on another guy’s ex-girlfriend. But if that was the case, the sheriff’s department would need a lot more deputies.

  Alone at last, he thought, looking at April. Was he the only one who felt something simmering between them? Detectives were trained and on-the-job experience sharpened gut instinct about people. He didn’t think she was disinterested and it was time to find out if he was right.

  “You’ve been busy today. Taking pictures, I mean.”

  “Yeah. People enjoy seeing themselves in the paper.” She glanced at the crowd in the park. “I should go set up to get some pictures of the fireworks.”

  “Before you go, there’s something I’d like to ask you.” Will realized he was nervous. He hadn’t been nervous asking a woman out since he was a little older than his nephew.

  “Yes?”

  “We could both use some R & R after a busy day. I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me tomorrow night.”

  She looked at him for several moments. “It’s very nice of you to ask. But I don’t think so.”

  “Okay.” He was about to ask for an explanation, but she turned away.

  “I have to go.”

  Will stared at the sway of her hips as she walked toward where the whole town was gathered. Well, slap him silly if that didn’t make him hotter than a sparkler even though she’d just rejected him.

  Women, he thought, were beyond the understanding of mortal men. Detective skills were not useful in unraveling the mysteries of a woman’s mind and that was damned unfair.

  Chapter Six

  “What’s all this crap?” Will had just rolled out of bed and headed downstairs for coffee. Now he stared at the mound of files and paperwork that covered every square inch of the kitchen table. He gave his sister, who was sitting in front of it, a patented Chicago PD glare.

  She didn’t look the least bit intimidated. “This, dear brother, is my wedding. Files for every phase from reception menu to flowers. Receipts, invoices and samples that combined will make it a perfect day.”

  He was not in the mood for perfect anything, especially a wedding. Yesterday April had turned him down flat. It wasn’t ego talking. Okay, maybe a little. But more troubling was that he might be losing his edge. He couldn’t believe he’d read her so completely wrong.

  Leaning his back against a counter with his arms folded over his chest, Will wasn’t ready to let this drop. “How is a guy supposed to sit at the table and eat breakfast? And forget about opening a newspaper to read.”

  “Stand up and eat cereal the way you usually do,” she snapped back.

  There was nothing she could do to make him admit she was right about his normal pattern. “What about the other people in this house who might want to sit down to a leisurely meal?”

  “Dad went somewhere with Josie. And Tim isn’t up yet.” She glared right back at him. “You’re certainly in a mood.”

  “This isn’t a mood. This is an attempt to stand up for male freedom and equality in this house. We have a right to use the table. The good of the many outweighs the good of the one.”

  “Oh, for Pete’s sake. This won’t be forever. Just a few more weeks then I’ll be out of your hair.”

  “It won’t matter then. I’m going back to Chicago right after that.” Without getting a chance to spend time with April. That realization did not improve his mood.

  “What’s wrong?” Kim studied him intently.

  “Nothing.”

  “Come on. This is me. Does your mood have anything to do with April?”

  His gaze snapped to hers. “Why?”

  “That was just a shot in the dark but I obviously got it right.” Her eyes narrowed on him. “You asked her out and she said no.”

  “She told you.”

  “No. I swear.”

  His people radar was malfunctioning and he couldn’t be sure, but she looked just a little too innocently sincere. “She must have said something to you.”

  “I haven’t seen her since yesterday at the town picnic in the park,” Kim vowed.

  “She could have called. You two are BFFs. You tell each other everything.”

  “Yes. But this is breaking news. She didn’t tell me she shut you down.”

  He winced. “Way to make me feel better.”

  “I’m sorry, Will.”

  “Go ahead and say I told you so.” Kim had also told him he had nothing to lose by asking but it didn’t feel that way right now.

  “I would never do that. Not when you’re so upset.”

  “I’m not upset. Why would I be? It’s no big deal. April and I are friends and I thought it would be a good idea to hang out. She didn’t want to. I’m over it.”

  “Epic shutdown, Uncle Will.” Tim walked into the kitchen wearing a gray T-shirt displaying in black letters Blackwater Lake High School Football. His hair was sticking up and there was enough stubble on his jaw to prove he was closer to fifteen than fourteen. Clearly he’d overheard that April had said no. And now he was staring at the table where his mom was sitting. “What’s all this crap?”

  “That does it.” Kim gave them both the hairy eyeball, then let her hostile gaze rest on Will. “You barely know your nephew. Take him and go do something.”

  “Are you throwing me out?” Will asked.

  “Look at it as an opportunity to bond.”

  Tim backed away. “I t
hink we better do what she says, Uncle Will, or her eyes will turn red and her head might explode.”

  “Yeah, kid. Sounds like a plan.”

  Looking like two rejects from a suspect lineup, they left the house. After stopping at the Grizzly Bear Diner for take-out breakfast sandwiches, Will drove out to the Blackwater Lake Marina.

  “Do you like fishing?” he asked his nephew.

  “It’s okay.”

  “Let’s rent some gear at the marina store.”

  “Cool.”

  They walked in and looked around. There were circular racks of T-shirts and lightweight outerwear. A cold case against the wall was packed with soda and water with a display case of chips and snacks beside it. Another wall held fishing equipment from poles to lures. Will recognized Brewster Smith standing behind the cash register at the checkout counter. The man had worked there as long as he could remember.

  “Hey, Brew.”

  “Will Fletcher.” This guy was close to sixty if he hadn’t already rung that bell. He had a full silver beard and a head of hair to match. “I was wondering how long it would take you to get out here. Heard you were back.”

  “Temporarily. Are you ever going to quit this job?”

  “Nope.”

  “I’m sure Jill Beck appreciates your loyalty.”

  “Don’t work for her anymore. And she’s Jill Stone now. She married a doctor from Mercy Medical Clinic and had a baby girl. They sold the property, marina and all, to a famous writer fella and built a big house in that fancy development overlooking the lake.”

  “Who’s the writer?”

  “Jack Garner.”

  “No kidding?” Will had read his book High-Value Target. It was a big hit. Spent months at the top of the bestseller lists.

  “Yeah, but I don’t see him around much. He keeps to himself.”

  “Must be working on the next book.”

  “I guess.” Brew grinned at Tim. “Hey there, young fella. Been a while since I’ve seen you out here with your grandpa. How’s he doing?”

  “Good. Thanks for asking, Mr. Smith.”

  “Glad to hear it.” The older man rested his hands on the counter and looked at them. “What can I do for you?”