Spring River Valley: The Spring Collection (Boxed Set)

by Wynter, Clarice

  Quinn gestured with his cast. “Six weeks sitting around at home, I’m more worried about losing my mind.”

  Tanner grinned. “Stop worrying, you lost that a long time ago.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Evie’s miserable morning stretched into a miserable day, which included a telephone mix-up with Mrs. Moriarty and missing the painting class she’d volunteered to cover for the adult education article due before the end of the month.

  She spent her lunch hour studying the national newspapers’ accounts of the Stanton fire and the “senator’s suicide scandal,” as the tabloids were calling it. Most of the details seemed pretty sketchy to her when it came to so-called “facts” about the woman involved, Annette Drummond, and her up until now completely secret love affair with a married man. In fact, the only paper that seemed to be reporting real news, as opposed to wild speculation, was the Herald. Maybe real news didn’t sell as many papers as rumors and innuendo, but at least none of it would require a retraction or an apology later on when it proved to be false.

  She kept thinking about what Tanner had told her at the hospital about the woman regaining consciousness and begging Quinn to rescue her lover. That didn’t seem like the action of someone bent on completing a suicide pact. The national papers contained a lot of speculation about what charges might be filed against Ms. Drummond, and she wondered if even the senator knew her first concern when help arrived had been to save his life.

  With Janet’s complaints ringing in her ears, Evie began an article about the incident.

  She didn’t use Tanner’s name, but instead wrote: Sources at the scene of the fire reported a semi-conscious Drummond directing rescue workers to the upstairs bedroom where Senator Diele was later found unconscious from the fumes that permeated the modest two-story home.

  After finishing the article, she toyed with some headlines.

  Suicide or set-up? No, that hinted at something she really had no facts about.

  Senator’s mistress ditches pact moments before explosion.

  Evie deleted that one immediately. Janet usually wrote the headlines for the front-page pieces, so assuming she approved the story, she would be—

  “What the hell am I doing?” Evie dropped her head into her hands. The article she’d written was certainly a grabber, and it would put a new spin on the national story, but how was it any less speculation than the tabloid-style stories?

  She hadn’t interviewed Annette Drummond; no one had. Rumor was a family friend had whisked her out of the hospital only a few hours after her admission, and now her lawyer was refusing to allow her anywhere near the press. So, while she may have asked Quinn to save Senator Diele’s life, no one knew for sure if it was because the gas leak was an accident or if she’d simply had a last-minute change of heart.

  Evie studied her words, vacillating between deleting the article altogether or saving it to remind herself that she could write something just as sensational as the national papers.

  At four thirty her cell phone rang, interrupting her troubled thoughts, and she cracked her first smile of the day when she saw the words The Evil Twin pop up on her caller ID. “Hey, where’ve you been all day?”

  “At a seminar,” Tanner said. “And helping Quinn get settled back at his place.”

  “It’s good that he’s home. He’ll be okay?”

  “Physically, yes. Keeping him from going insane from boredom is going to be a chore, though.”

  “He’s not the type to enjoy any rest and relaxation?”

  “Not for a minute. But speaking of R&R, I was hoping you could come over tonight. We can get some dinner and hang out.”

  Nothing had ever sounded so good. A quiet evening alone with the man who made her heart race was just what she needed to forget her bad day. “What time do you want me?”

  He laughed. “I want you all the time, but whenever you can get here is fine. I can order some Thai—I’m a passable cook, but I’m still at that stage where I desperately want to impress you, so no firehouse food yet.”

  “I’m not picky. PB&J works for me too.”

  “I’m out of PB, believe it or not. And J also.”

  “I get that you don’t spend a lot of time at your apartment.”

  “I’d like to change that.”

  “We’ll start in half an hour. I’ll come over as soon as I’m done at the office.”

  “See you soon.” Tanner hung up, and Evie hid her grin. Why did the thought of spending the evening in Tanner’s small apartment sound so appealing? She just wanted to hide away from everything and be with him. Maybe now was the time to start worrying about how serious her feelings were for someone she’d only just met. She’d promised herself she could keep this relationship light, and that was for her own good, but just the sound of his voice had her skin tingling and memories of their night together replaying in her mind.

  She considered calling Bailey for some moral support, but her friend was less about reason these days and more about romance, not that she wanted anyone to talk her out of spending another blissful night with Tanner.

  Jittery with anticipation, she quickly tapped the keys on her computer that would send her useless article to the trash bin and powered down, happy to put Janet and a front-page headline out of her mind for the evening.

  * * * *

  When his doorbell rang, Tanner practically flew across the room to answer it. He hadn’t been able to get Evie out of his mind all day, and ever since he’d called to invite her over, he’d felt like a bit of a slouch. He should have taken her out somewhere nice and shown her the type of evening she deserved, but all he wanted was to get her alone. He promised himself that on Friday when he’d set up the double date with Taylor and Evie’s friend Bailey, that he’d be ready to share her, but tonight he wanted her all to himself.

  His huge grin faded when he opened the door to find a uniformed police officer standing there. Momentary panic had his heart thudding. Had something happened to Evie? But who would know she was on her way to his place?

  “Tanner Croft?” the officer said, his no-nonsense tone designed to put the fear of God into anyone.

  “Yes.” His next thought was Taylor. Since their family lived much farther upstate, he was also his brother’s emergency contact. “Is something wrong?”

  “I’m sorry to bother you. I’m Detective Carl Hart, Stanton PD. If you have a few minutes, I’d like to ask you a couple of questions about the house fire on Adirondack Drive on Monday night.”

  Tanner sighed, his shoulders slumping. “Sure, come on in. You had me worried for a minute there.”

  “I actually called you about half an hour ago and left a voice mail. I was headed this way, and I thought I would just stop by. If you’re busy, we can reschedule, but it won’t take very long.”

  “No, no problem. I was on the phone about half an hour ago, or I’d have gotten the call.” Tanner backed up to allow Detective Hart inside.

  “I spoke to Gary Sands earlier, and I’ll be giving your partner Quinn Preston a call as well. I understand he was injured during the call.”

  “Yes, but he’s fine. He’s recovering at home.”

  “That’s good to hear. I appreciate your department assisting Stanton. We have a small staff to begin with, and when more than a few people are out, we’re in pretty dire straits.”

  The bell rang again before Tanner could respond, and he excused himself from Hart and swung the door open. Evie stood at the top of the stairs outside his door, looking sweet and sexy and perfect.

  Her brow scrunched up with concern when she saw Hart standing behind Tanner. “Everything okay?”

  “Yeah, come on in. Detective, this is my…ah…friend, Evie Prentice. We were about to have dinner. Do you mind if she stays?”

  “Not at all. I’ve got a couple of questions, and I’ll be out of your way.”

  “What do you need to know, Detective?” Tanner motioned for Evie to sit on the couch. She obeyed, her eyes on Hart.

&
nbsp; The officer went over the events of Monday night in detail, asking Tanner to confirm certain things he’d already put in his own report, such as the time he and Quinn had received the call, the condition of Ms. Drummond when they arrived and, very specifically, if she’d said anything about there being another person in the house. Tanner answered all Hart’s questions to the best of his ability, and explained that everything that had happened after the collapse of the wooden porch was a bit fuzzy in his memory.

  Apparently satisfied with Tanner’s account of the incident, Hart thanked him, bade them good night, and left.

  “Gary said we could expect a visit from the Stanton police and probably some lawyers too,” he said once Hart’s squad car had pulled away from the curb.

  “It’s a major media event,” Evie said. “Have you read any of the papers?”

  “Only the Herald. Quinn told me the national papers are treating it like the scandal of the century.”

  “The only time it would have been bigger news would have been before the election.” Evie rose and joined Tanner at the window overlooking the street. “It’s certainly the biggest thing that’s happened around here in a while.”

  Tanner put his arms around her and drew her back against his chest where she fit perfectly. “I hope it blows over fast. It might sell papers, but I don’t think treating this like headline news is serving any good cause.”

  Evie turned in his arms and kissed him. “I agree. I guess that doesn’t make me a very good reporter.” She sighed as though something was bothering her.

  Tanner turned her around and studied her face. “Does it bother you that you didn’t break the story?”

  “No! Not at all. It bothers me that it doesn’t bother me. This is my career. I’m supposed to want to sell papers. All I’ve ever wanted to do was write front-page news, but not this kind of stuff. Not rumors. I want to write about facts, and the facts in this case don’t seem to be as interesting as the stuff people are making up.”

  Tanner kissed her forehead. “You’ll get your chance at the front page. I know you will one day.”

  She nodded, but didn’t seem convinced by his faith in her. He wrapped his arms around her again and drew her gently toward the bedroom. “How about we work up an appetite?”

  She turned in his arms, feigning indignation. “Oh, just like a man—every conversation ends up being about sex?”

  “Why do you think I’m so popular with the karate ladies?”

  She growled. “I think now’s the time for me to teach you some karate, mister.”

  He smirked and tugged her toward the bedroom. “I’ve been waiting all day for you to pin me…let’s go.”

  He broke away from her, and she chased him into the bedroom where she proceeded to teach him some moves that he had no desire to defend himself against.

  Chapter Twelve

  Evie woke to the aroma of fresh coffee. She stretched and focused her gaze on Tanner’s bedside clock. How wicked was she to have spent the night in her boyfriend’s bed in the middle of the week, when she had to be at work in two hours?

  Boyfriend. The word log-jammed the flow of her sleepy, satisfied thoughts. Is that what he was? They hadn’t even been on a single proper date so far, yet they’d spent two nights making love. This wasn’t the way a relationship was supposed to go—catapulting right to the level of intimacy that had her carrying a toothbrush in her purse and planning an early morning stop off at her own apartment to change clothes for work.

  She sat up slowly, letting the warm blankets fall around her waist and brushed strands of her hair back with her fingers. Was this who she was? In the space of a week she’d shifted her focus from the career she’d been struggling to build for years to a relationship that was so new she didn’t even know his middle name.

  More than once she’d considered that she should be terrified of what was happening, and each time she’d put those thoughts aside in order to enjoy the moment. Maybe that was the key to finding the happiness that had eluded her for so long in the romance department. Maybe it was time to sit back and just let things happen.

  With a secretive grin, she slithered out of bed and retrieved some of her clothes, just enough to make herself presentable in order to wander through the living room, tempted by the scent of the coffee.

  Through the crack as she opened the bedroom door she saw Tanner sitting at the tiny dinette, his back to her. A steaming mug sat by his right hand and a bakery box rested in the middle of the table. So he’d been out already this morning to find them breakfast. She decided this weekend she’d take him food shopping and help him stock his kitchen so they could spend more nights like last night, curled on the couch, watching old movies, feeding each other, and laughing, talking, kissing. The truth of it was, she’d never need to go out again. If these two and a half rooms became her whole world, she’d be happy as long as Tanner was here with her.

  Like a cat, she stalked past the couch, prepared to whisper something sinful in his ear and snatch away the newspaper that was spread out in front of him. When her fingertips made contact with his shoulders though, she froze. Through the material of his white T-shirt, the granite stiffness of his muscles halted her advance.

  He neither moved nor spoke when she touched him, and slowly she lowered her hands. “Tanner? What’s wrong?”

  He didn’t look at her or say a word. He merely folded the paper back to the front page and moved it over so she could read the headline.

  Woman in suicide pact with Diele begged EMTs to save him before near fatal blast.

  By Evie Prentice.

  Evie grabbed the paper in trembling hands. Tanner turned to her, his eyes cold. “You got up in the middle of the night again. I’m assuming that’s when you called in your story.”

  “No! That’s not true, I…” She scanned the damning words beneath her very first front-page headline. The story she’d thought she’d sent to the trash bin must have gone to Janet’s in-box by mistake. “I wrote this yesterday afternoon, but I never—”

  He waved off her shaky reply. “Everything you told me yesterday about not wanting to write rumors and innuendo, that was all just a big lie—and not only that, you made it very clear you got the information from me. ‘Sources at the scene’…I was at the scene. Do you know what my commander is going to think, after Quinn and I assured him we wouldn’t speak to anyone but the police about what happened?”

  “I’m…sorry. I didn’t—”

  “Don’t bother denying anything.”

  A hot ball of pain formed in the middle of Evie’s chest. She’d slept in Tanner’s arms for two nights, and now he wouldn’t even allow her to explain herself. Of course, what could she really say? The evidence against her was there in black and white just as she’d written it, underneath the byline she’d coveted since the day she’d started working at the Herald.

  She bowed her head, furious with herself for being so careless, so caught up in thoughts of making love to him that she’d accidentally submitted a story that belonged in the trash. “I made a mistake. I never meant to submit it. I’m sorry.”

  “Sorry? That’s all?”

  “No. I’m also sorry that you can’t believe I had nothing to do with this.”

  “I’d have to be pretty naïve to think you didn’t do this deliberately.” A muscle in his jaw twitched, and his eyes blazed. “I guess I was naïve all around to believe you had all that integrity. Was that really why you stayed with me at the hospital? So you could scoop Chad and finally get your big break?”

  A deep chill settled in Evie’s chest. “Would you believe me if I said no?”

  He shook his head.

  She backed out of the kitchen nook. “All right. Then I’ll be out of here in five minutes.”

  He only nodded, then turned back to the table, hands on his hips. He didn’t sit, didn’t move again, and he was still in that position when she emerged from the bedroom, her clothes on but in uncomfortable disarray, her purse and shoes clutched in her h
and.

  She didn’t say good-bye, just let herself out of his apartment, each breath she drew into her aching lungs teasing at the tears that threatened to spill. She’d wanted to ask him how he could possibly think she was the kind of person who would betray his trust, but she realized he didn’t know her well enough to trust that she wouldn’t do this. And she didn’t know him well enough to trust that he could ever be convinced of the truth.

  * * * *

  Hours later Gary folded the morning edition of the paper neatly and placed it in the center of his desk. Tanner and Quinn sat before him, silent and expectant. Neither had said a word while their commander absorbed the exposé in the paper.

  “This is my fault,” Tanner said, his voice tight. “The only person I told about what happened at the fire was Evie while we were at the hospital. I never thought she was there just to get a story.”

  Quinn looked over at Tanner. “You really believe she was just playing you?”

  “Come on, Quinn. It’s pretty obvious.” Tanner broke eye contact with his partner and stared at the folded newspaper. “We’ve dealt with reporters before. I should have known not to trust one of them.” The confession burned. He’d been such a fool to believe a girl who had to be coaxed to even go out with him would suddenly fall head over heels in love with him. Clearly she’d seen the opportunity to learn more about the senator’s story the moment she came upon Tanner in the ER waiting room. The betrayal made his stomach churn, but what hurt worse was that he’d wanted to believe her this morning. She’d crept out of his bedroom, sweet and sultry, wearing nothing but her sexy little panties and her half-buttoned blouse. He’d been watching her in the reflection in the toaster, but even then his heart was already broken by the words he’d read.

  Why had he gone out for pastries and picked up a newspaper on the way back? The thought of surprising her in bed with a creamy Danish and steaming coffee had sent him on his early morning errand. He’d even fantasized about convincing her to take the day off and spend it with him until his evening shift began. He’d planned to take her to the park, to the movies—anywhere she wanted to go, including right back to his bed. How had he lost his hard-won ability to read people the moment he met this girl? She’d managed to cloud his common sense and strip him of all reason. Why couldn’t he have seen she was using him to further her career, and the house fire had been the perfect opportunity for her to get what she wanted?