by Cindy Bell
“Luke knew?” Ally asked with surprise.
“Yes. He told me that he staked out the old factory a few times. He suspected that Julian was involved, he just didn’t know how involved. He was working on getting the evidence, but then Connor was murdered and he strongly believed that Julian might be in some way responsible, but he needed the proof before he could take any further action against him. It is such a serious thing to accuse another police officer. He also didn’t want to tip Julian off that he suspected him, but he never thought it would put you in danger.”
“I feel terrible.” Ally frowned. “The whole time I thought it was Luke that was dodgy.”
“I suspected him too, Ally. Don't feel bad. Being in a small town can make you suspicious of outsiders. The important thing is that it's all being sorted out now. Connor's mother will have the closure that she needs, and our town will be safer.” She stroked the back of Ally's hand. “And you are safe. I intend to keep you that way.”
Ally smiled at her grandmother.
“Now, get some rest. If you behave the doctors might let you come home tonight.”
Ally nodded and closed her eyes. She really did think of going to the cottage as going home. There was nowhere else in the world to which she had such strong feelings of attachment. After a few more hours of being under observation, Ally was awake again. She was relieved to see her grandmother was still by her side.
“You're looking good.” The nurse smiled as she walked over to Ally. “I think you'll do fine at home, as long as you promise to rest.”
“I promise.”
“Before I release you there's someone that would like to speak with you.” The nurse gestured to the door. Ally looked towards the door, hoping that it would be Luke. She wanted to thank him for what he had done and apologize for the way she had acted towards him. Instead it was Amelia Nissle.
“Hi Ally.” She stepped into the room.
“Amelia, hi.” Ally managed a smile.
“I know that you're resting, but I wanted to let you know how grateful I am. I heard about what happened, and I just couldn't wait to speak to you. You really believed in my brother, when no one else in the town did.” She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and wiped at her eyes. “I thought he was going to jail for the rest of his life. Instead he'll be home soon, thanks to you.”
“It wasn't just me.” Ally shook her head.
“It was you.” Amelia smiled warmly at her. “You chose to have faith in Brent even though almost everyone else suspected him. You did something to help him. I know my brother isn't the boy he used to be, he's done some not so great things in life, but you still saw him for who he is. I see him that way, too. That means a lot to me, Ally, and to our family. If there's anything that we can do for you, all you have to do is ask.”
“There might be one thing.” Ally sat up slowly. Charlotte looked over at her curiously.
“What is it?” Amelia stepped closer to the bed.
“Get your family and Connor's family to end all of this fighting. That way Connor's death will mean something.” Ally nodded. “I think Connor would have liked that.”
“I do, too.” Charlotte patted Ally's hand.
“I'll do what I can,” Amelia promised them both. “Thanks again, Ally.”
After Amelia left the hospital room Ally began to get ready to leave. She couldn't help but wonder why Luke hadn't come by to speak to her. She knew that he was probably busy with the case. She hoped that it wasn't because he was upset with her. Not that he didn't have plenty of reason to be upset. After all she had suspected him of being a murderer and a smuggler as well as a crooked detective. The more she thought about it, the more she realized that he probably wanted nothing to do with her, which was a very big problem for Ally, because she couldn't stop thinking about him.
“Are you okay, Ally?” Charlotte asked.
“I think so.” Ally frowned.
“Really?” Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
“All right, I'm a little worried about Luke.” Ally sighed. “I really hope he's not upset with me.”
“Ally, he saved your life, remember?” Charlotte smiled. She wheeled the wheelchair down the hall.
“I know he did. But that's what detectives do.”
Ally stared wistfully into the night as she left the hospital. She had been so preoccupied with Julian's charm and her childhood crush that she had overlooked the presence of a true hero. She hoped that she would not make that mistake again.
Chapter Nineteen
Ally woke up the next morning with a fright. For just a moment she thought she was still trapped in Julian's pantry. As that sense of fear faded she recalled the way she had been rescued the day before. Just the thought of Luke made her buzz with excitement. She had been completely wrong about him. She was just grateful that he had come to her rescue when she needed him the most.
The scent of coffee wafted beneath her nose. Ally could hear the subtle noises of her grandmother in the kitchen. Peaches lifted her head from where she was tucked in the crook of Ally's arm. She nuzzled the curve of Ally's neck.
“Peaches, what a wild experience. Thanks to you, I got out of it. What would I do without you, kitty cat?” She smiled at the cat. Peaches wiggled her whiskers as if she was a bit exhausted by Ally's antics. Ally giggled at the thought. She took a few more minutes to pet Peaches. She was very grateful for the solace the cat offered her. When she couldn't ignore the delicious smell anymore she decided it was time to get up. Slowly she rose out of bed.
With her body still stiff and sore from the struggle the day before she found it much easier to just grab a robe than to change out of her pajamas. She pulled it on and didn't bother to look in the mirror or brush her hair. She was looking forward to just relaxing over breakfast with her grandmother. When she opened the bedroom door Peaches bolted out and headed straight for the kitchen. She knew that it was time for breakfast. Ally followed after her with a smile on her face.
When Ally stepped into the kitchen, she froze. Not only was her grandmother pouring three cups of coffee, but Luke was sitting at the kitchen table. He turned when he heard her in the doorway. He smiled at her when she stepped into the kitchen. Ally could not bring herself to smile back. She was mortified. She hadn't brushed her hair, or washed her face and the robe she was wearing was from her college days. She couldn't imagine how she must look to him. Poor Luke had no idea what he would face when he showed up far too early for a visit.
“Ally, I'm glad you're awake.” Charlotte smiled at her. She could tell that Ally was uncomfortable. “Coffee?” She held the mug out to her.
“I didn't know we had company, I'm sorry. Let me go get changed.” Ally started to retreat from the kitchen.
“Don't even think about it,” Luke warned. He stood up from the table and pulled a chair out for her. “I don't want you moving more than you have to. You need to rest. If you want me to leave I will, but I wanted to update you on the situation.” He gestured to the table. “Will you sit with me for a minute?”
Ally felt uncomfortable at the idea of sitting beside him in her frumpy pajamas, but she didn't want to miss out on the update. She also didn't want to insult him more than she already had. She sat down in the chair across from him. “Okay, what's going on?”
“Well, Julian has been arrested. He gave up the entire smuggling ring, so trust me, he's safer in jail.” Luke shook his head. “He was mixed up with some really dangerous guys. He had no idea how far in over his head he had gotten himself.”
“I don't think he minded.” Ally's eyes narrowed. “I've never known anyone so cruel.”
“You didn't feel that way before.” Luke took a sip of his coffee, but his eyes remained on her.
“I guess I didn't know him at all.” She sighed and looked into Luke's eyes. “The same way I didn't know you. Luke, I'm very sorry about the way I acted towards you.”
“No need to be.” He smiled at her. “It's not as if I was the pillar of friendliness. To be ho
nest I had no idea who might be involved. If Julian was in the middle of everything, I figured there might be a lot of other people in town that were involved, too. That's why I was distant with everyone. I wanted to have an unbiased opinion and not scare Julian off so he covered his tracks.”
“That makes sense.” Ally nodded. “I just wish I had taken the time to get to know you instead of jumping to conclusions.”
“I wish I had given you more reason to trust me. Great thinking about the story about the cat.”
Ally laughed a little. “Yes, I didn't know what else to do. I just wanted to be sure that my grandmother was safe.”
“Such a good girl,” Charlotte cooed at her and pecked her on the cheek. “I'm going to check on Arnold.”
As she stepped out the back door Ally knew that she was just making an excuse to leave the two of them alone.
“I'm glad Julian is finally behind bars where he can't hurt anyone else.”
“Me too.” He stared down at the mug of coffee that Charlotte had set in front of him. “You know, that's not even why I'm here, Ally.”
“It's not?” Ally looked at him. “Then why?”
He looked up at her and released a heavy sigh. “I came to apologize.”
“Apologize?” Ally laughed a little. “Why would you apologize to me? You saved my life.”
“Maybe.” He sat back in his chair. “But I can't believe that I let Julian get away with what he was doing for so long. I should have taken more action sooner, but Mainbry isn’t my jurisdiction and if I went to the Mainbry police with what I suspected I needed proof. I needed to have enough evidence to bring him down if he was guilty and not antagonize him if he wasn’t. I didn’t want to blow the case and allow the possibility that he might get away with murder. I guess I also didn’t want to believe that he could have been involved in this.”
In that moment Ally became aware of just how seriously Luke took his job. What she had mistaken for a cold attitude, had more to do with determination and focus. Ally reached across the table and rested her hand on top of Luke's. Despite her familiar movement, he didn't pull his hand away. “Luke, I've known Julian all of my life, and up until the moment you saved my life, I believed that you were the one behind all of this.”
“Me?” Luke's expression crumpled with offense. “Why would you think that?”
“I might have helped a bit with that,” Charlotte admitted as she stepped back into the kitchen. “You know small towns aren't too kind to outsiders, Luke. I think it's Ally and I that owe you an apology.”
“You're right.” Ally nodded. “I had no real reason to suspect you, Luke, and I should have taken the time to get to know you instead of letting my imagination run wild.”
“Ally, I understand. I wasn’t exactly friendly.” Luke smiled. “I guess we both had the wrong idea about each other. I thought you were trying to pit Connor and Brent against each other as some kind of rebound to get over your divorce.”
“You know about that?” Ally asked. She laughed at the idea of her pitting the two men against each other.
“Julian might have mentioned it a few times.” He shrugged.
“The entire town is talking about it.” Charlotte rolled her eyes. “There's nothing more juicy than a good old scandal.”
Ally shook her head. “There are no secrets in a small town. Well, I guess that's not exactly true. Julian certainly kept his criminal behavior a secret.”
“Now Julian will pay for what he did. Brent is in the process of being released and all charges against him will be dropped.” Luke took a sip of his coffee.
“There's going to be a lot of people in this town that owe him an apology, too.” Charlotte stirred some milk into her coffee.
“Except you.” Luke smiled across the table at Ally. “You never doubted him. You two must have a pretty special connection. I'm sure he's going to be grateful for how you stood up for him. Maybe you two will finally get the chance to see where that connection will lead.”
“What Brent and I have is history, a whole lot of history.” Ally offered a nostalgic smile. “We were kids, who dated a bit and then became good friends. We knew a lot of each other’s secrets growing up. I guess, there's something about being young that makes you a little more open and honest.”
“Maybe so,” Luke agreed.
“But there's nothing romantic between us anymore. He's more like a long lost brother than a long lost love,” she said. “I just hope that Connor and Brent’s families will be able to put their arguments to rest now.”
“Me too.” He took the last swallow of his coffee. “Look, I don't want to keep you. I know that you need your rest. There will be endless forms to fill out, but all of that can wait. Take care of yourself, Ally, all right?” He stood up from the table. Ally stood up as well. She forgot about her messy hair, her unwashed face and her ratty robe. All she saw was the man who had saved her life standing before her.
“Luke, thank you.” She stared into his eyes. Somehow she was sure that words could never express the amount of gratitude that she actually felt in that moment.
“Anytime Ally.” He smiled. Then he shook his head. “Well, hopefully it won't happen again.”
Ally laughed. “If it does, I expect a repeat performance.”
As Luke started to turn towards the door Ally felt a rush of panic. It wasn't fear that she would be hurt, or fear that Julian would escape. It was fear that she might never get another chance to do what she had been aching to do since they had stood in Julian's driveway.
“Luke wait.” Ally rushed forward as he turned back towards her. She opened her arms and embraced him. “Thank you,” she whispered. Luke wrapped his arms around her. The moment she felt his embrace every ounce of fear that remained within her disappeared. Luke held her so close that she suspected he felt something similar. It was as if the world stopped spinning for just an instant to give them both the experience of truly connecting. Charlotte pretended to stir her coffee.
“I'm glad you're safe, Ally,” Luke murmured beside her ear. “Stay that way, okay?”
Ally smiled as she pulled away from him. “I'll try.”
He held her gaze for a moment longer, then he nodded to Charlotte. “You too. Don't think you're getting out of a bit of a discussion about when to call the police. Hmm?”
Charlotte raised her coffee to him. “Anything you say, Detective.” She offered an innocent smile. Ally knew that smile meant more trouble than Luke could ever dream of handling. Luke looked between the two and shook his head. Then he turned and stepped out the door. Ally stared after him.
“What was that all about?” Charlotte spoke in a sing-song tone.
“I'm just grateful,” Ally muttered. She avoided looking directly at her grandmother.
“Uh huh, that's a whole lot of gratitude I just witnessed.” Charlotte giggled behind her mug of coffee.
“Mee-Maw!” Ally shook her head as she sat back down at the table. “He saved my life. How do you even say thank you for something like that?”
“You can't really. But I think he might have saved more than that.” Charlotte offered a wise wink.
“I don't know about that,” Ally lied through her teeth. She knew just what her grandmother meant. For the first time since her divorce Ally didn't have that subtle ache in the core of her heart. It was simply gone. It was replaced with a curiosity, a wonder about the future, and whether Luke might just be part of it.
“Mee-Maw is always right, remember that.” Charlotte sipped her coffee. “I hope you plan on staying a bit longer to recover. Traveling in your condition would not be a good idea. Then there's getting the shop straightened out,” Charlotte continued to ramble on about all of the reasons that Ally should stay.
“Actually.” Ally looked across the table at her grandmother. “I was hoping to stay longer than that. What do you think, Mee-Maw?” Ally's heart skipped a beat. She knew it was what she wanted, but it was still hard to think about such a huge change.
; “Yes!” Charlotte laughed out loud and jumped up from the table. “Yes, that's what I think!”
“I’ll help you run the shop,” Ally offered. She was excited by her grandmother's joy.
“And I could finally move into the retirement village!” Charlotte's eyes glowed with excitement.
“You don't have to do that, Mee-Maw.” Ally shook her head. “I can get my own place. You've lived in this cottage for a long time, it's your home.”
“You'll do no such thing. This cottage belongs to the women of our family. I've had it long enough. Now it will be yours. I'm ready for a little pampering, and to be around my friends. Besides we'll still see each other every day at the shop. Right?”
“Right.” Ally nodded. She smiled at her grandmother.
“The only thing is you’ll probably have to keep Arnold here.” Charlotte smiled. “I don’t think they will let me bring him with.”
“Of course.” Ally nodded. “Arnold is a part of the cottage. I couldn’t imagine him living anywhere else.”
“I’ll come walk him every day.” Ally felt content at the thought of seeing her grandmother every day.
After all that she had been through, returning to the city seemed like the strange thing to do. Calling Blue River home again felt like the right thing to do. She loved the people, even with their flaws. She loved the memories she had of her mother, and of growing up in the little town. Most of all she realized she'd rather spend her time with the wisest woman that she knew than all of the culture the city offered. Charlotte still had a lot to teach her and Ally was looking forward to learning it.
Maybe, somewhere in the middle of all of that she would have the opportunity to really get to know Luke. He had enough to deal with being new to town and now the only detective in Blue River. She was sure that he could use a friendly face around town. Now Ally only had to break the news to Peaches that she was going to be Arnold's permanent housemate. She giggled at the thought. Ally never expected that her visit home would turn into a permanent move, but nothing had ever felt more right to her.