Deceiving Death

by Ruth Logan Herne

  Tony Sanchez was standing at the wooden screen door, arms folded, watching her. And listening, no doubt.

  He didn’t wait to be invited in.

  He opened the repaired vintage screen door her father had loved and stepped inside. “They need you back in the city?”

  “Well, it’s Philly, so there’s always a need. You know that. And never enough cops to fill it.”

  He moved closer.

  She’d forgotten how his presence filled a room.

  She remembered it now. Vividly.

  He’d cleaned up over the past few days and despite a little bruising here or there, he seemed untouched.

  Her face was a different story, but that gave her one more reason to testify at Buddy’s trial.

  Tony grazed a palm to her cheek. “How’s it feeling, Shea?”

  His hand. Big. Broad. Strong. But cradling her cheek with the tenderness and care you’d give a newborn. “Better each day.”

  He didn’t say anything. Not at first. His gaze dropped to the bruising. A tiny “w” formed above the bridge of his nose, a nose she was pretty sure must have been broken at some point because it wasn’t one hundred percent straight anymore. “So I was thinking...”

  “About our testimony,” she filled in. “We should go over it before I head back.”

  He shifted his gaze from her cheek to her eyes. Then her mouth. Then her eyes again. “Wasn’t my train of thought, Shea.”

  Intense. Virile. Focused.

  What was it about this man that had drawn her so long ago and still tugged her now?

  Everything.

  She’d realized that in the cabin, before the amazing kiss and the kiss had only driven the knowledge deeper.

  “In fact, my thoughts lie in another direction entirely.”

  Her heart didn’t race.

  Not until it did a solid thunk! in her chest. Then it raced. “Which is?”

  “Dinner.”

  Food hadn’t made her short list, so forgive her if she kind of stared at him, dumbfounded. “You’re hungry? It’s ten A.M.”

  He stroked the unbruised part of her cheek with his thumb. Shook his head. “I’m asking you out, Shea. Like a guy does when he wants to get to know a woman. Like a date. Like the dates you and I couldn’t have a dozen years ago. You remember dating, don’t you?”

  “Not fondly.”

  His smile deepened. “Then I could be a step up. Or making up for lost time from way back when.”

  Not a step up. A dream come true.

  Except he was here in Hamilton. And she was nearly three hours away in—

  He lowered his mouth to hers. Not in any rush. Not with any huge sense of urgency. As if he had all the time in the world. And the touch of his mouth to hers made her want to give him all the time in the world.

  And when he paused...

  When he drew back and looped his hands behind her back, and held her gaze, she knew exactly what she wanted.

  Him.

  Kind of like she always had. Which was ridiculous because a lot of time and choices had gone by.

  Even so, she reached up and knit her fingers behind his thick, stubborn neck. “I’m not a small town girl anymore.”

  “Never were. But you’re not a girl anymore, either, and location is just another name for geography, Shea. I’m not one to jump into anything.”

  “I know the truth in that,” she muttered.

  “But I know what I want when I see it.” He didn’t shift his gaze from hers and she didn’t want him to. “It seems we have an unexpected opening in the sheriff’s department. We could use a woman with your expertise.”

  He was making her a job offer.

  Back here in sleepy little Hamilton. The town she’d purposely left a long time ago.

  “I know it’s a step down from where you are.”

  She held his gaze and stayed quiet.

  “It’s not exactly action-packed and while Hamilton’s a great place, everybody dies famous here, so everyone is up in your business. With lots of advice.”

  “Same old, same old.”

  “Except we’ve changed.” His grip around her waist tightened slightly. “You and me. I’ve got kids to raise. Kids who are thriving in this environment. I can’t leave, but if you were to stay...” He feathered a kiss to her forehead, her temple. Then her mouth again. “See if you like kids...”

  “Or if they like me,” she whispered because for the life of her, a whisper was all she could manage.

  “Help me whip this part of the county into shape...”

  Which meant catching stray dogs, being part of the school system’s Choose Right campaign and maybe...

  A life with the amazing man in front of her.

  “I know I’m asking a lot. But I’m still asking.”

  Her turn, now. “I love my job.”

  He blinked once, acknowledging her words, because he understood. He’d been part of the Philadelphia Police. In a big city like that, law enforcement never rested on its laurels, because there was always another bad guy waiting to make his or her mark at the cost of innocent people’s safety.

  “I ended up in Narc because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to sweep the drugs off the street. Save lives. And I did.” She’d dropped her gaze slightly. Now she raised it again. “But I’m tired of undercover.”

  Her confession brightened his look of resignation instantly.

  “There’s something smarmy about lurking with low-lifes, even for a good cause, and I put in for a transfer six months ago. A transfer that hasn’t been granted because they need me where I am.”

  “Which heightens the appeal of my offer, and probably an indication of perfect timing because you wanted a transfer, you came to save my life, we caught the bad guys, and I want you here. With me. Which means...” He caught her lips in another kiss, a kiss that left her weak-kneed and dreaming and Shea Robinson had stopped dreaming a few years before. “You stay. I’ll be a great boss. And we examine our options in a few months once the kids get to know you, those options being do you want a fall or winter wedding? And if you’ve a mind to increase our family, darlin’, that’s something for us to work on once we say ‘I do’ because you know that line in scripture about kids being like olive plants around the guy’s table?”

  “You want your children to turn into trees?”

  “Nope.” His disarming smile put her in mind of old dreams, long lost. And his next words said they maybe weren’t lost, after all. “Just a big family. But if you’re content with just helping me raise Hazel and Ben, I’m okay with that, too. As long as I have you, Shea...” He tugged her in and held her close. Close enough to hear the strong, steady beat of the big guy’s heart. A heart she’d fallen for a long, long time ago. “I can be a happy man.”

  She stretched up for another kiss. “I want kids. I’ve always wanted kids, and I don’t know what that will entail, but you need to be on board with that.”

  He arched one brow. “I will take my role in that most seriously.”

  She swatted his arm, and not too lightly, either. “A woman who’s lost two pregnancies doesn’t go into this casually. Which means you have to be stronger than strong.”

  “Happy to be there for you, ma’am.”

  “And I don’t want a mushy proposal when the time comes.”

  “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He kissed her again. Lighter, this time. Sweet and filled with promise. “So you’ll stay? Let the sheriff court you proper-like? Starting with dinner tonight?”

  His heart might be beating strong and solidly.

  Hers was soaring. “Yes. I’ll stay. And I’ll let the handsome sheriff court me.” She batted her eyelashes up at him and he laughed and hugged her again. “That will give me time to get this house in order. Fix things up. Then if I need to sell it at any time, it’s got increased value.”

  “Or we keep it and rent it out.”

  Oh, he was handy to have around, all right, because she’d never thought of being a landlady.
“That’s a nice tax write-off and additional income. And if you don’t woo me properly,” she stepped back and faced him, “it will give me a cozy little home to live in while I make you rue your choices on a daily basis as your deputy. So probably giving in and marrying me will end up in your best interests. Eventually.”

  “I’m all for taking the lesser of two evils. A pesky deputy... or an amazing wife.” He grinned down at her.

  His shoulder radio cut in with a code. He stepped back. “Six o’clock. I’ll pick you up. Deal?”

  “Deal.”

  He hurried out to the cruiser and took off, leaving her to compose a letter to the PPD, wash curtains and buy paint for both the inside and outside of her dad’s old bungalow.

  But more than that, he left her with thoughts of a future she’d never thought possible. A future she’d dreamed of as a girl. A future that was marked by two broken roads that merged into one solid beautiful path.

  Weeping may endure for the night, but joy cometh in the morning.

  The old words made her smile. She tossed in another load of laundry and headed to the local hardware store to buy a few gallons of paint. And as she passed through the memory-filled small streets, and a few familiar faces, a new thought came to her.

  She’d come home.

  She hadn’t thought of Hamilton as home for a lot of years. She’d tried not to think of it at all, actually.

  Funny how a decade made a difference. She didn’t see the town through a child’s eyes any longer. She saw it with more patience and a lot more wisdom. As she parked the car outside the hardware store and Alden Brinks shouted a friendly hello her way, she saw something else, too. The aging autistic fellow was a mainstay here. He wasn’t a homeless person, holed up in a dark, dank alley. In Hamilton, the quirky fellow was cared for, just the way he was.

  Hamilton wasn’t an in-your-face nosy town.

  It was a town that looked after its own, and after years in one of the nation’s biggest cities, the thought of folks looking after one another didn’t just sound good.

  It sounded great.

  Dear Readers,

  I had so much fun writing this suspense novella!

  I realized by accident that I loved writing mysteries when Guideposts Inc. approached me about writing for them. Turns out I was good at it. Who knew?

  I fell in love with mysteries, so when there was the chance to be part of a collection, whipping up Shea and Tony’s story just seemed right.

  I hope you loved it. I love having strong heroines in all of my stories, women who are just as likely to rescue the hero as he is to return the favor. A strong woman doesn’t take away from a wonderful hero... she increases his strength with her own.

  I’d love for you to give my other works a try either on Kindle, through KU or old-fashioned paperback versions! Email me at loganherne@gmail.com, friend me on Facebook and swing by my website anytime ruthloganherne.com

  Wishing you health, joy and happiness!

  Ruthy

  Also by Ruth Logan Herne

  If you loved this story, check out other books and collections by Ruth Logan Herne:

  * * *

  Ruthy’s Amazon Author page and books:

  http://amzn.to/1v26FHw

  * * *

  Independently published books:

  Running on Empty

  Try, Try Again

  Safely Home

  Refuge of the Heart

  More Than a Promise

  The First Gift

  From This Day Forward

  Christmas on the Frontier

  The Sewing Sisters’ Society Anthology

  From Waterfall Press/Amazon:

  Welcome to Wishing Bridge

  At Home in Wishing Bridge

  From Waterbrook Press/Penguin/Random House:

  Back in the Saddle

  Home on the Range

  Peace in the Valley

  Love Inspired Books:

  North Country:

  Winter’s End

  Waiting Out the Storm

  Made to Order Family

  Men of Allegany County Series:

  Reunited Hearts

  Small Town Hearts

  Mended Hearts

  Yuletide Hearts

  A Family to Cherish

  His Mistletoe Family

  Kirkwood Lake Series:

  The Lawman’s Second Chance

  Falling for the Lawman

  The Lawman’s Holiday Wish

  Loving the Lawman

  Her Holiday Family

  Healing the Lawman’s Heart

  Grace Haven Series:

  An Unexpected Groom

  Her Unexpected Family

  Their Surprise Daddy

  The Lawman’s Yuletide Baby

  Her Secret Daughter

  Shepherd’s Crossing Series:

  Her Cowboy Reunion

  A Cowboy Christmas (with Linda Goodnight)

  A Cowboy in Shepherd’s Crossing

  From BIG SKY continuity/Love Inspired Books:

  His Montana Sweetheart

  From Summerside Press:

  Love Finds You in the City at Christmas

  From Barbour Publishing:

  Homestead Brides Collection

  From Zondervan/Harper Collins:

  All Dressed Up In Love

  Contributing author “Mysteries of Martha’s Vineyard”

  Available at Guideposts.com

  A Light in the Darkness

  Swept Away

  Catch of the Day

  Just over the Horizon (June 2019)

  About the Author

  Author of over 60 published books, USA Today Bestselling, award-winning, multi-published inspirational author Ruth Logan Herne is living her dream of publication on a popular pumpkin farm in Western New York. She’s got a husband, a slew of grown kids, a bigger collection of grandchildren and a couple of dogs, cats, miniature donkeys and the endless array of country critters that try and call her house a home. Thwarting wildlife is one of the things she does best. She loves God, her family, friends and her country, and can generally be seen with some form of caffeine and/or chocolate. She loves to hear from readers so feel free to email her at loganherne@gmail.com, friend her on Facebook, check out her website at ruthloganherne.com or follow her on Twitter.

  If you loved “Deceiving Death”, you can find a solid listing of Ruthy’s books available on Kindle.