How to Land Her Lawman

by Teresa Southwick

  “I love it for breakfast. And yeah, I know it’s dinner time, but it’s good now, too,” she said. “Come in. If you’re up for it, one thing I do have is a bottle of wine.”

  “Your survival instincts are something to behold,” he teased.

  “It’s about priorities.” She pulled two stemless wineglasses from the upper cupboard and an unopened bottle of Cabernet out of the pantry. “Wine comes from grapes, so you’ve got your fruit. It pairs with anything, including cereal.”

  “It does if you’re not particularly fussy,” he pointed out. “And apparently you’re not.”

  “Nope.” April grinned happily, already drunk on just the sight of Will Fletcher. It was really good to see him and she couldn’t find the energy to remind herself why it was a bad idea to be this happy. “And think of it this way. If there’s an alien invasion or some other sort of crisis, after a glass of Cabernet I really wouldn’t care.”

  “You’ll get no argument from me.” He set the brown bag on the island and pulled out several cardboard to-go boxes.

  “What have we got here?” She opened the containers and found meat loaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, Caesar salad and chocolate cake. Her mouth started to water. Then she looked at the smile on his face and her heart melted. “This is hands down my favorite thing from the café. How did you know?”

  “I walked in and asked for two meals to go. Lucy Bishop, one of the owners of the place, wanted to know who the second one was for. When I mentioned your name, she told me what your favorite meal is.”

  “So she knows you’re bringing me dinner. I guess you and I aren’t a secret around town?”

  “Good guess.” He opened the bottle of wine with her electric opener. “Clarice mentioned us being at Bar None with Kim and Luke. So, all evidence points to the word being out.”

  People in this town tended to become invested in the current community romance. They were going to be bummed when April broke up with Will. But that was a problem for another day. They still had some summer left.

  “I’ll set the table while you supervise the wine breathing,” she said.

  “Okay.”

  Five minutes later they were sitting across from each other at her kitchen table with full plates and wine.

  April took a bite of the meat loaf and sighed with enjoyment. “My taste buds are doing the dance of joy thanks to you. This is the second time today that you’re a hero.”

  “That seems a little overstated. All I did was walk in the diner, order and pay. It really was nothing.” He shrugged, a no-big-deal gesture.

  “Modesty.” She sighed at the creamy taste of the mashed potatoes. “It’s the hallmark of a hero.”

  “That’s the thing. I’m not a hero.”

  “There you go again.” She pointed her fork at him. “What do you call finding that little girl, carrying her for miles out of the woods and back to her family?”

  “My job.”

  “Modesty,” she said again. “On the local news they’re calling you the hometown hero. Must feel pretty awesome being the guy in the white hat.”

  “All I did was act on a hunch.” He lifted one shoulder. “I got lucky.”

  “I think it was more than that, and finding her unharmed must have felt great.”

  He looked thoughtful for several moments. “You know what feels good?”

  Memories of the two of them in her bed came to mind, but she knew that was not what he meant. “Tell me.”

  “There was a positive outcome today.”

  “Isn’t that what I just said? You found that little girl and brought her home.” She sipped her wine.

  “It’s more than that.” There was an expression on his face that was boyish and carefree. “The community came together. People dropped what they were doing to assist in the effort to find a missing girl.”

  Holding her wineglass in both hands, she watched him as different looks moved across his handsome features. “It’s just how folks in Blackwater Lake roll.”

  “I know, at least on some level. But it’s been a while since I experienced that small-town spirit for myself. That sense of pulling together. In Chicago it so often feels like us against them.”

  “Must be hard.”

  “It is sometimes. I’m part of a team that investigates, builds a case of evidence that may or may not go to trial. That’s up to the city attorney.”

  “So it can happen that you put in hours of work without any charges being brought?”

  “Yeah. The end result is taken out of our hands.” He looked at her for several moments, then continued eating.

  “I bet that’s frustrating.”

  Her mind was racing as she dug into her food. She wanted so badly to ask whether or not he was happy where he was. Every job had its pros and cons, and she didn’t want to hear him say that being a detective for CPD was everything he’d ever dreamed it would be.

  She finished the last bite of meat loaf and put her fork down. “How about you just focus on the positive. Today you got the W.”

  “A win.” He pushed his empty plate away. “The sheriff’s office took the call, mobilized the community, handled the search. From beginning to end we ran the show and it felt good to see the operation through to a positive conclusion.”

  April held out her glass. “To happy endings.”

  “I’ll drink to that.” There was a crystal, bell-like sound when he tapped the rim of his glass to hers. “Everyone who took part is a hero. You for doing the fliers with Riley’s photo. Clarice for sitting in the office taking calls, coordinating information. My dad for leading his group. And everyone else who showed up to walk an assigned grid and look for her.”

  “You left out yourself for finding Riley.”

  “I wouldn’t have been able to look where I did if everyone else wasn’t searching somewhere else.”

  “That’s true.” She decided his look of satisfaction would have to be enough. “It’s really something to celebrate.”

  “It’s more than that. I really wanted to share the good news with you. For old time’s sake.”

  April watched a smile turn up the corners of his mouth. She’d seen him do that more than once since he’d come back to town, but this time she saw genuine pleasure and it actually reached his eyes. He looked younger, as if the problems of the world had lifted from his shoulders. For the first time since he’d started his temporary duty in Blackwater Lake she saw the old Will. The man she’d fallen in love with.

  “I’m glad you came over.” She was feeling so much more than that but didn’t have the words to tell him. Instead she stood and walked around the table, then held out her hand to him. “How do you feel about taking this celebration into the bedroom?”

  Just like that his eyes went smoky and hot. He took her fingers in his and slowly got to his feet. “That sounds like the best idea I’ve heard all day.”

  Side by side they walked down the hall. She looked up at him. “Would you do me a favor?”

  “If I can.”

  “Would you wear your white hat?”

  He grinned. “If I had one I’d be glad to.”

  “Can we pretend?” she asked.

  “Anything you want.”

  Will took her in his arms and kissed her until she could hardly breathe. They celebrated more than once and this time he didn’t get up and sneak back to his house.

  He spent the night in her bed, like he had before everything fell apart between them. Just like old times, he’d said.

  Unfortunately that was a shadow hanging over her. He was like the old Will and could crush her heart for the second time.

  * * *

  April felt something move against her and opened one eye.

  Will.

  He was spread out all over the bed, whic
h meant he probably wasn’t used to sleeping with someone. That pleased her. More than she wanted it to. Waking up beside him and watching him sleep was pretty awesome, too. He was so handsome, so unguarded that it made her ache inside. She honestly couldn’t believe that he was here. If she couldn’t see, touch and taste him, she’d chalk this up to imagination.

  “Are you staring at me?” His voice was hoarse and scratchy from sleep.

  “Your eyes are closed,” she said. “How can you possibly know that?”

  “I can feel you looking.” One eye opened just a little. “What’s wrong?”

  “I look hideous. Now that I know you’re awake I’m just waiting for you to jump up and run screaming from the room.”

  “You’ll be waiting a long time. You look beautiful.”

  “That’s a lie.” She smiled. “But I’ll take it.”

  “If you knew what was good for you, you’d be the one running away from me.” The guarded look was back. “I’m no hero and you shouldn’t look at me like I am.”

  “Yes, sir.” She saluted. “And speaking of a run, I was planning one this morning.”

  “I know.”

  “How?” She sat up in the bed and clutched the sheet to her chest.

  He grinned. “That’s such a girl thing to do since I saw every beautiful, naked inch of you last night.”

  Yes he had and the words made her smile. “How did you know I was going to run today?”

  “You do every other day.” He sighed at her look. “My bedroom faces the alley.”

  “So you spy on me?”

  “I keep an eye on your house,” he clarified.

  “Are you a stalker?”

  “Maybe. But it takes one to know one.” He lifted one eyebrow and the expression was decidedly accusatory.

  She got his drift. “So, you know that morning I ‘accidentally’ ran into you it was actually deliberate.”

  “It’s pretty hard to get anything past me.”

  “Because you’re a hotshot detective. Yada yada.” She made a face at him. “You know, smugness is not a very attractive quality in a person. Decidedly not heroic. And you only pieced that together in hindsight because I told you the truth.”

  “Maybe.” There was a gleam in his eyes when he started pulling on the sheet. “Or maybe I suspected from the beginning because you were nicer to me than I had any reason to expect.”

  “Kind of like now,” she said, holding tight to the five-hundred-thread-count material covering her breasts.

  “When do you have to open the shop?”

  The soft, sexy, seductive tone in his voice had tension and heat coiling in her belly, making her thighs quiver. “Noon. This is my late day.” And a good thing, too, because she had a feeling this was going somewhere she wanted to follow. “When do you have to go into the sheriff’s office?”

  “I’ve got time.”

  She relaxed her grip and let him pull the sheet away. “Okay, then.”

  His eyes went dark with desire as he pulled her into his arms. “Your run will just have to wait.”

  “Schedules were made to be flexible.”

  April loved being loved by him and couldn’t seem to get enough. Afterward he went back to his dad’s house for a shower while she took one at hers. Barely forty-five minutes later he was back and had extra clothes in his hands.

  “Mind if I leave these here?” he asked. “I still need a sanctuary from wacky wedding stuff.”

  “Kim’s not really that bad, is she?”

  “You saw the meltdown,” he reminded her. “She’s normally levelheaded, but when a wedding is involved apparently a woman becomes schizophrenic.”

  “I really hope you’re not profiling brides,” she teased.

  “Not at all. I’m just making a case for having a drawer at your house.”

  Her heart skipped and her stomach fluttered, which apparently shut down all the early warning signals from her brain. “I think that can be arranged.”

  He grinned. “You just saved my life.”

  “And don’t you forget it. Let’s put those away.” April went into the bedroom and cleared out a space in her dresser for his clothes. Then they went back to the kitchen and she asked, “Do you want some breakfast?”

  “I was hoping you’d ask.”

  “What would you like?”

  “Besides you?” The heated look flashed through his eyes for the second time that morning.

  Be still my heart, she thought. “If eggs aren’t okay, we’ll be making a trip to the Harvest Café because I don’t have much of anything else. Getting supplies in here is quickly becoming a priority. I have to start a list.”

  “Do you still make those enchiladas with the green chili sauce?”

  She hadn’t for a while. Mostly she’d made them for him because he liked it so much. That brought back memories of him coming over when her mom had a girls’ night out. April would cook and they loved being alone. It was a preview of what their life together would be like and she’d looked forward to that so much. But it had only ever been a preview, because they never had a life together.

  “April?”

  “Yes.” She shook off the dark memories and concentrated on right now. He was planning on spending a lot of time here and she would focus on enjoying it. “I can make the enchiladas. Anything else I should put on the list?”

  “Not unless you take me with you to lug the bags and chip in for the groceries.”

  “Sounds like a deal.”

  “I’ll clean off the table.” He was looking at the take-out containers and plates still sitting there from last night. “We got a little distracted.”

  “I won’t tell if you won’t.” She met his gaze and grinned, not the least bit sorry that the lingering mess was her fault. The truth was, all things being equal, she would do the same thing again. “I’ll make omelets.”

  It was really tempting to just stand there and watch him. The play of muscles across his back and shoulders when he worked was mouth-watering. That black Chicago PD T-shirt pulled tight around his biceps could occupy her attention for hours. And don’t even get her started on the way his butt looked in those worn jeans.

  She’d given him space for some of his clothes and they were going food shopping, splitting the bill. This was one notch below actually formally agreeing to move in together. It felt natural and right, like it should have been the first time.

  Better than she’d imagined it could be before she’d found out they wouldn’t last forever.

  But this time she had a safety net. The relationship had an expiration date and their Labor Day breakup appointment was coming faster than she wanted to think about.

  That was a reminder, as if she needed it, that she’d better hold on to her heart with both hands.

  Chapter Eleven

  “Holy crap.”

  Will looked at the calendar on his desk in his office and whistled. It was already August. Time flew when you were having fun and he definitely was. Days were busy, filled with the routine problems of the summer tourist season when the population in Blackwater Lake doubled. Nights he spent at April’s. It had been several weeks since she’d given him a drawer in the dresser and the empty space beside her in the bed.

  Mostly they hung out in the middle, wrapped in each other’s arms.

  Too bad it couldn’t last. And looking at the calendar he could see in black-and-white how short his time in town was. And more significantly, his time in her bed. It had been perfect. Had him thinking about things he hadn’t for a long time. But they couldn’t make it work before and the same issues still stood in the way. If he was being honest there was another one. He’d failed at marriage and taking another chance wasn’t high on his list.

  He could only make the most of the time
he had left. And speaking of that, through his open door he saw April walk into the outer office. They’d ridden into town together this morning because her car was at McKnight Automotive for an oil change. It was just about quitting time for him, so she must have locked up her shop for the day.

  Will shut down the computer, grabbed his keys from the desk drawer and walked out of his office, closing the door behind him. He met April in front of Clarice’s desk.

  “Hi.” He leaned down to kiss her lightly.

  “How was your day?” she asked.

  Better now, he thought, but didn’t say that out loud.

  “Busy.” He looked at his dispatcher, who was observing them and approving of what she saw if he didn’t miss his guess. “Just ask Clarice.”

  The woman nodded. “A couple of car accidents. Drunk and disorderly on the beach at the lake. Illegal fireworks in a restricted area. Must have been left over from the Fourth.”

  “That’s not good,” April said. “It’s been too long since we had a really soaking rain, and the hills and mountains are pretty dry. The last thing we need is a forest fire.”

  “That’s for sure,” Clarice agreed. “Dry lightning is dangerous enough. We don’t need stupid humans messing up. There was a bad one about twenty years ago that came too close to Blackwater Lake for comfort.”

  “I remember.” Will’s dad was the sheriff and didn’t come home for days because he was setting up detours and keeping curious spectators away for their own safety.

  “That was before I moved here.” April met his gaze. “But I came from Southern California and there were some scary fires there.”

  “The locals in this town watch out for the flakes who aren’t paying attention.” Will didn’t say it out loud, but there was no way to prevent some nut job who waited for the perfect set of circumstances—windy weather, motivation, opportunity—and deliberately set a fire. But he’d meant what he said. “Folks are vigilant and pick up the phone if they notice suspicious behavior.”

  “They watch out for people in general,” April said. “I’m a perfect example. Your family sure took my mom and me under their wing.”

  A couple years after the Kennedys moved in across the alley from him, Will really watched April. That old bedroom window of his was a great vantage point to observe the cute little girl who had suddenly grown up and blossomed when he wasn’t looking.