by Katie Ruggle
Shaking off his self-pity, Otto reached forward and closed his hand around the foot that was sticking out from under the quilt. Her long, fuzzy, yellow-and-orange-striped socks fit her sunny personality so well that he had to grin when he saw them. “Sarah,” he said quietly.
Her eyes popped open as soon as he touched her, coming awake and anxious in a fraction of a second. “What’s wrong?” She sat up abruptly, the movement pulling her foot free of his grip.
“Nothing.” Otto automatically used the calming voice that worked to soothe injured and frightened animals. “Unless you consider me having to cook my own eggs as wrong.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She got out of bed, swaying a little as she stood, and Otto hurried to catch her arm before she toppled over. “I’ll cook something.”
“No, I’m teasing,” he said as she blinked up at him, still looking dazed from sleep. He felt guilty for waking her just because he didn’t want to be alone. “You can go back to bed. I wanted to let you know I’m home, that’s all.”
To his surprise, she blushed. “Am I that obvious?”
“Obvious?”
“That I have a hard time sleeping when you’re gone?” She dropped her gaze, and Otto wondered if she would’ve blurted that out if she hadn’t just woken up.
He grimaced, torn by the need to stay home and take care of her and the responsibility he had to the police department. If only the chief hadn’t picked that week to send everyone to training. “Sorry. I’d take time off, but—”
“Oh no,” she interrupted, looking embarrassed. “I’m sorry I said that. I’m still half asleep, I think. Xena kept prodding me with her feet, and Mort has this way of half lying on me and jabbing me with his pointy… What is that joint? His elbow? His shoulder? Whatever it is, it’s like the bone equivalent of a poker.”
Otto groaned and laughed at the same time. “Yeah. I know what you mean. He does that to me, too.”
“I’m glad you woke me up,” she said, stretching, still rumpled with heavy-lidded eyes. He loved seeing her this way—although he loved seeing her any way. “You’re always welcome to wake me if I’m sleeping when you get home. We don’t get much time together, and I don’t want to miss a minute.”
His stomach warmed at her admission. “I will.”
They made their way up the stairs. Mort and Bob stretched and yawned before ambling after them, and Xena slunk along right behind Sarah. She was close enough that it looked like the dog would crash into her legs if Sarah were to stop abruptly.
“Did you still want to go job-hunting today?” Otto asked reluctantly, holding open the door. It was hard not to wrap Sarah in bubble wrap and keep her safe at home, but Otto didn’t want to turn into her jailer. She’d had too many of those.
“Yes!” Her face lit with excitement. “Can we go after breakfast?”
“Sure.” Her happiness made him feel churlish. To make up for it, he insisted on making breakfast. It was just simple veggie omelets and fruit, but she thanked him as if he’d served her a five-course meal.
“Just let me do chores, and then we can go.”
She tagged along, eager to help and surprisingly proficient with a manure fork.
“You’re not what I expected.” As soon as the words were out, he wished them back in, knowing what her immediate question would be.
She finished putting several flakes of hay in one of the feeders before asking, “What did you expect?”
He paused, wanting to get the words right. It wasn’t a bad thing, what he’d expected when he’d first saw her, and he didn’t want his explanation to come out as an insult. “Your family has a lot of money. Money usually means that you can hire people to do things for you. Sometimes, when people don’t have to do the messy jobs, they forget that those things exist. You don’t, though. You know they exist, and you know how to do them. In fact, you seem happy to do them.” Otto watched her carefully for any sign of offense, but she looked thoughtful instead.
“You’re right.” Turning away, she stacked hay in the other feeder. He wished he could watch her expression, since her voice was carefully even. “My father and brother hired people to do everything. Two of those people, Chester and Gloria, pretty much raised me. Chester taught me about horses and cars, and Gloria taught me how to cook and how to defend myself and basically all of the things that normal people know how to do. I was lucky. If I’d been a boy, my father would’ve taught me how to be like him. I’d much, much rather be like Gloria and Chester.”
Her voice shook a little at the end, and Otto couldn’t help himself. He reached out and stroked her back. When she leaned into his touch, he felt a deep satisfaction, more intense than anything he’d ever felt before. It startled him, the hugeness of that feeling, and he withdrew his hand, reminding himself that he needed to be careful. She could leave him in ruins if he wasn’t.
Then Sarah turned her head and gave him a smile that was sweet and whole and knocked his caution right out of the water. It was too late. He was well and truly caught.
Chapter 13
Sarah clutched her falsified résumé in both hands, hating how much she was shaking. She tried to force her feet to walk through the door, but they were not cooperating. She turned to face Otto, who was patiently standing next to her, waiting for her nerves to settle. “How do people do this?”
Otto chuckled, but it sounded more sympathetic than mean. “It’ll get a little easier, once you’ve gotten through a few interviews, but I don’t know anyone who actually enjoys job-hunting. When I applied to the Monroe PD, I was shaking in my boots, and I knew the chief.”
“So, what’s the secret?” She shook out one hand and then the other. Her hold on the résumé had been so tight that her fingers were cramping.
“Confidence?”
“You don’t sound too confident about that.”
He smiled at her, bumping her arm lightly with his fist. “You have to fake it at first.”
“Okay. Fake it.” She thought of all the dinners she’d sat through, all the horrible people she’d been polite to. “I can do that.”
Squaring her shoulders, she marched into the store and up to the register, where an older man with a craggy face and a couple weeks of scruff was playing on his phone. He was wearing overalls. Sarah had never seen anyone over the age of four actually wear overalls before—not in real life, at least. It was a good sign, she decided, that the employees could dress casually.
“Hi. Is the manager here?”
He lifted his eyes from his phone without raising his chin, which was a slightly menacing look. Fake it, Sarah reminded herself, and she held his gaze. “What do you want?” he asked.
“I’d like to apply for a job…um, here.” She gave herself a mental smack. No stuttering. Project confidence! You can do it! Her thoughts were the mental equivalent of inspirational posters.
He slipped his phone into his overall bib pocket. “You’re new in town.”
“Yes.”
“Why’d you move?”
“My friend Jules lives here, and I’ve always wanted to live in Colorado.” The line came out smoothly—as it should, since she’d practiced it over and over.
“Why’d you leave wherever you were from?”
“I graduated from college.” She liked answers that weren’t actually lies, since she was less likely to stumble over them, and there were no twinges of guilt.
“Where you staying?”
Her first instinct was to lie. For the past few weeks, she’d been so focused on hiding that it was hard to answer honestly. Aaron was in jail now, though, and soon he’d be with the FBI. For the moment, she was safe. “With Otto Gunnersen—for now.” As she added the qualifier, she felt a pang, but she quickly pushed it away. It wasn’t the time for moping. She had a job to secure.
“All winter?”
“Will I be staying with Otto al
l winter?”
“No,” Overall Guy said, leaning back against the wall. “Will you be staying in Monroe all winter?”
“Oh. Yes.” Unless her brother made her run again, but that wasn’t a confidence-building thought, so she pushed it back.
“Sure about that? Gets pretty cold and snowy here.”
“Yes.”
Some of her determination must have shown on her face, since he pushed away from the wall. “What hours can you work?”
“Anytime.” That sounded promising. Little sparklers of hope started fizzing in her belly, but she tried not to get excited. She didn’t have the job yet. “Afternoons would be best, but I could do mornings, too.” It would be nice to work while Otto was sleeping. Even after just a few days of settling into their routine, she’d miss their mornings together.
Pressing his lips together, he eyed her up and down. It wasn’t a creepy look, but more of an assessment. “You’re pretty small.”
“I’m strong, though.” Confidence. Sell yourself. Her brain was doing the motivational-poster thing again, and she quickly shut it down before she started laughing like a loon. “Smart, too. If something’s too heavy for me to lift, I figure out a way to move it.”
He hummed, and Sarah’s palms prickled with sweat. She couldn’t tell if that sound was thoughtful or skeptical or shorthand for “How do I get this woman out of the store?” She wondered if Overall Guy was the manager or owner. If she had to go through another interview with someone even more intimidating, she might end up curled up in a corner.
Her hands clenched, and paper rustled, reminding her of what she was holding. “Here’s my résumé.” She held it out, trying not to cringe at the rumpled edges where her nervous fingers had been clamped. Sarah hoped that he didn’t ask her any questions about her pretend job history. Even though she’d studied it carefully for hours, her mind was currently a blank. She could barely remember her new last name.
Overall Guy glanced down briefly, but he didn’t seem too interested in her résumé. Instead, he went back to studying her in that nerve-racking way. Finally, he spoke. “Come in tomorrow at noon. We’ll give it a try.”
“Really?” The sparklers in her stomach burst into full flame. “Thank you! I’ll work very hard, I promise.”
Overall Guy—her new boss—made a humph sound and fished out his phone. “We’ll see.”
“Yes. Thank you. I’ll be here tomorrow. At noon. To work.” Sarah closed her mouth, not wanting any more babble to spill out. It was just that she was so excited. Her first job…and she’d gotten it all on her own. She hadn’t needed the Blanchett name to open doors or prove her worth or scare someone into giving her the position. She’d done it by herself, as Sarah Clifton.
She nearly skipped out the door. As soon as she emerged, she stopped short so she didn’t crash headlong into Otto.
“Well?” he asked, looking almost as stressed as she’d felt earlier.
Sarah beamed, knowing that all of her excitement and pride must be obvious. “I start tomorrow.”
With a whoop, Otto grabbed her in his arms, spinning her around. Laughing, Sarah hugged him back. Having him share her accomplishment made everything fifty times better. Her grip tightened as she pulled him closer, clinging to him. At that moment, she was almost unbearably happy.
“Want to go to the viner for lunch to celebrate your new job?” Otto asked, putting her down.
Sarah stepped back reluctantly. Although she knew it wouldn’t be practical for her to spend all her time being hugged by Otto, it would be a nice way to live. “Sure. I haven’t seen Jules in a few days.”
As they walked the half block to the VFW-turned-diner, Sarah shivered, wrapping her arms around her. Her coat was thick, but the wind was cold, and it seemed to find all the vulnerable spots on her body, snaking into her collar and cuffs where a tiny bit of bare skin was exposed. Down the street, the spot where the diner used to be before it had been blown up was just a bare dirt lot, looking like a missing tooth in the line of shops. Everything looked so barren and abandoned, with the closed signs in almost every window. Sarah was looking forward to seeing Monroe in the summer, when it was warm and bustling with people.
The wind picked up, and Sarah twisted her head to the side. “Brrr! Do you think it’s going to snow tonight?”
“Supposed to, but the weather site’s been predicting snow for the last few days. I’ll believe it when I’m trying to drive the squad car in it.”
Sarah ducked under his arm as he held the viner door for her. Inside, warm air and a host of good food smells hit her at once, and she relaxed muscles she hadn’t even realized she’d braced against the cold.
“Sarah!” Jules waved from across the room. “And Otto! Have a seat, and I’ll be right with y’all.”
Sarah smiled. She loved Jules’s Southernisms and the way she stretched out words. Her accent sounded softer than the Texas twang Sarah was used to hearing. Spotting Grace and Hugh, Sarah wound her way through the tables until she reached them.
“Guess what?” Sarah slid into the chair Otto held out, giving him a smile of thanks. Before either Grace or Hugh could guess, she blurted out her news. “I got a job!”
“That’s great!” Leaning over, Grace gave her a side hug. “Where is it? It’s not at Nan’s, is it? Because that was way too much poo for me. I’m much happier dealing with theoretical poo in my development job than the real stuff.”
Sarah laughed, her happiness bubbling out again. “No, it’s poo free—at least I hope it is. It’s at Grady’s.”
“Congratulations.” Hugh grinned at her from across the table as Otto settled into the chair next to him, stretching his long legs out in front of him.
“Thank you.” Sarah looked back and forth between Grace and Hugh. “You two aren’t fighting, are you?”
“Fighting fighting? No, although we’re pretty much always arguing. It’s a constant of our relationship,” Grace said. “Why?”
Before Sarah could answer, Hugh broke in. “It’s not arguing when we do it. It’s flirting.”
“Flirting with occasional yelling?” Grace asked skeptically.
Reaching across the table, Hugh caught her hand, looking very pleased with himself. “Not yelling. Loud flirting.”
“Right.” With an amused snort, Grace turned to Sarah. “Why did you think we were fighting?”
“You just seem more like a sit-on-the-same-side-of-the-table type of couple, that’s all.”
Otto laughed, and both Grace and Hugh stared at him, looking surprised. “What?” Otto asked.
“Did Sarah open Otto’s laugh vault?” Hugh asked. “You’re positively giddy today.”
He is? Sarah wondered, eyeing him. Otto didn’t look giddy to her. He had the stoic expression that he usually wore. His eyes might’ve been a little softer, and his mouth curled up a bit higher at the corners, but Sarah didn’t see any dramatic changes. She figured Hugh was just exaggerating, as usual.
“We’re not a same-side couple,” Grace said, pulling the conversation back on track. “I refuse to be part of a same-side couple.”
“We’re more of a same-chair couple.” Hugh gave Grace a look that Sarah could only describe as steamy.
Grace laughed, but she didn’t deny it, and Hugh pushed out of his chair, leaning across the table so he could kiss her.
Blushing a little, Sarah looked away. Unfortunately, her gaze landed on Otto, who was watching her with a hungry expression. Her warm face got hotter, and she dropped her gaze to the menu in front of her.
“Hey.” Jules bustled up to the table, saving Sarah from the awkward and heated moment. “Sorry that took me so long.” She looked at Grace and then Hugh. “If you two are here, and the kids are at school, who’s watching the puppies?”
“We are.” Hugh had settled back again. He discreetly pointed toward the floor by his chair.
Everyone else, very indiscreetly, ducked to look under the table, where a soft-sided pet carrier was sitting.
“You brought them here?” Jules gave a hunted glance over her shoulder and lowered her voice. “Megan is so going to kill you if she finds out you brought dogs into her diner. If the health inspector saw that…”
“They’re allowed.” Hugh waved a hand, brushing off her concerns.
Jules stared. “They are not.”
“Sure they are.” Stretching his legs out in front of him, Hugh didn’t look worried about the health inspector’s wrath—or Megan’s. “They’re service animals.”
“They’re two-week-old puppies.”
“Service animals in training.”
Although Jules was obviously trying to cling to her indignation, Sarah could see her holding back a smile. “Fine. Just keep them quiet. If you’re caught with them, I don’t know a thing about any puppies. Got it?”
“Got it.” Hugh didn’t even try to contain his grin.
“That’s amazing.” Sarah didn’t realize she’d said it out loud until everyone looked at her.
“What’s amazing?” Grace asked.
“He just convinced Jules to let him keep the puppies in a diner. Does he get his way all the time?”
“Yes,” Grace said, talking over Hugh’s “No.” “It’s unbelievable what he gets away with.”
“That’s true,” Otto chimed in, and Hugh turned his gravely offended expression toward his partner.
“I’m appalled that you would even think…” Hugh started, but Grace patted his arm, interrupting him.
“You are spoiled rotten. We all know it and love you anyway.”
When Hugh opened his mouth to argue, Grace was the one who leaned over the table and gave him a peck. This time, Sarah was very careful not to look at Otto. They hadn’t kissed since he’d left for work the previous evening, and Sarah was starting to get antsy and needy and a little desperate. How quickly he’d turned her into an Otto addict.