Love On The Ropes (Ringside Romance)

by White, Pat

  Well, maybe this afternoon’s barbeque would shed some light on the situation. He hoped so. He hadn’t accomplished nearly enough up to this point in his investigation.

  He glanced at Sandy’s bedroom door. He thought about how important this was to her. The sooner he nailed the perp, the sooner he could get back to his other life…

  And the sooner he could explore a relationship with Sandy outside of work. He wanted that so much it hurt. He only hoped she wanted it, too.

  * * *

  An hour into the family barbeque, Sandy’s mom pulled her aside. “I can’t believe you didn’t call me about this.” She motioned to Sandy’s wrist and gently touched her daughter’s cheek.

  “It’s no big deal.”

  “A car nearly ran you down.”

  “I wasn’t paying attention. You know how I am sometimes.”

  Her mother hugged her, then said, “What a handsome man you brought with you today.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Yes, not yeah.”

  “Yes, Mother.”

  Mama narrowed her eyes. “Is he a good provider?”

  “Absolutely.” Was he ever. He provided Sandy with warmth, security and medical attention, not to mention amazing sex.

  “He’s that good, huh?” Mama winked. She must have read it on Sandy’s face.

  “Mother!”

  “I’m so happy for you, sweet thing. You deserve the best.”

  “Hey, it’s my turn!” Pops said.

  Mama turned up her nose slightly at the sound of his voice and said, “I have to toss the salad.”

  Sandy and her dad watched her mother walk away, greeting various family members and friends as she headed for the kitchen.

  “How about that hug?” Pops said.

  “Sure thing.” Sandy wrapped her arms around his waist and squeezed. He held on a little longer than usual.

  She broke away. “You okay?”

  “Sure, fine. I like your new boyfriend. Nice man.”

  “I think so.” She glanced at Jason, who was shooting a water gun at Curt. Kids ran around the men, trying to get in some playtime, but Curt, Jason and Decker were deep in their own game of military assault.

  “What’s new at BAM? How’s that new guy—what’s his name, The Stripper?” Pops asked, motioning for her to sit in a folding chair next to him.

  “He’s fine.” More than fine. He was damned near perfect.

  “And Johnny? How’s he doing?”

  “Johnny’s the best.” She glanced at her dad and smiled.

  “You could be the best,” Pops said.

  Uh-oh. Here we go again.

  “I mean it, Sandy. You should be in charge of all medical at BAM. It’s time you were recognized for your hard work.”

  In other words, he wanted to brag about his daughter holding a top spot in a wrestling organization—his dream, not hers. That insight gave her renewed strength.

  “Actually, Dad, I’ve been thinking about trying something different.”

  “What? Why?”

  His disappointed tone squeezed her heart. Sandy glanced up in time to catch Jason’s eye. He shot her a puzzled expression from across the yard. It’s like he knew she was struggling. Curt doused Jason with rapid-fire squirts of water and Jason turned away.

  “Sandy-Bee?” Pops leaned closer. “You’re going to ... quit?”

  “I’m curious about some other areas of medicine.”

  She always loved kids. To be a pediatric nurse seemed like a dream. Or maybe she’d go into sports medicine.

  “I can’t believe you’d leave the family business,” he hushed. “Duke and I had no choice, but you? You always seemed to love it.”

  Actually, I love you, and have ached for that love in return.

  “I’d better go help Mom.” As Sandy crossed the deck she felt his stare on her back. Admitting she wanted to pursue a career outside of pro wrestling was a huge move, a freeing move. Excitement bubbled up in her chest. She found Mama in Curt’s kitchen, tossing greens.

  “Can I help?” she asked.

  “Since when did you have any interest in the kitchen?”

  Sandy shrugged and smiled.

  “Oh, girl, you’ve got it bad,” her mother said with a giggle. She was probably pleased that her daughter had finally shed the tomboy persona and was becoming more domestic.

  “She’s got what bad?”

  Sandy turned at the sound of Jason’s voice. There he stood—tall, handsome and clean-cut—every mother’s dream for a son-in-law. Except for the dangerous job, of course, and the deception.

  “I’ve got you,” she said, slipping her arms around his waist.

  He leaned forward and kissed her.

  “Get out of the kitchen, you two. You’re distracting me,” her mother said.

  “But I came in to help,” Sandy complained.

  “Shoo.”

  Sandy and Jason wandered out onto the patio. Curt, Decker and a few of the boys from BAM, who were also family friends, continued to battle it out with the kids in the backyard.

  “Blow your cover yet?” she asked J.

  “No, apparently your brother told the guys from BAM to keep their mouths shut about my ‘true identity’ as The Stripper.”

  “Good thing he ran interference.”

  “They’ll really keep it quiet?” Jason mused.

  “Sure. We protect each other. They figure they’re protecting me from a lecture, and Mom from a migraine.” She smiled. “I honestly didn’t know some of the boys were coming today. I thought it was a family thing.”

  “They’re your extended family, aren’t they?”

  “Yep, and you’re a part of that now.”

  Across the yard, Flamboyant Floyd scolded one of the kids for nailing him with a water gun and messing up his hair. Jason laughed and pulled Sandy closer.

  She put her hand up to shield the afternoon sun from her eyes and studied him. “You’re enjoying this, aren’t you?”

  He smiled. “There wasn’t a lot of laughter in my house growing up.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Today’s making up for it.”

  No kidding. Today was making up for a lot of things. She finally felt comfortable being around the frenetic energy of her family. Comfortable because she had Jason.

  She didn’t want to ruin the moment, but needed to know if she should keep protecting her heart or if it was safe to lower the shield.

  “Jason?”

  “Yep?”

  “After you wrap up this case ...” She couldn’t quite complete the sentence. “Uh, never mind.”

  “Sandy?”

  She looked into his amazing blue eyes.

  “I like this.” He nodded at the playful chaos in the backyard, and refocused on her. “All of it.”

  She smiled and hugged him. That was as much as she was going to get, and that was okay for now. She’d fallen in love with him, but knew Jason McBain well enough not to press. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him off.

  Jason wished he could say more, wished he could commit his heart and soul to this woman right here, in front of her family. He wanted to but the words caught in his throat.

  That damned fear again. Fear of what? Breaking her heart?

  No, he was falling for her. He knew this to be true.

  Tell her, you idiot!

  “Sandra?” he said, leading her around the corner of the house where they could be alone.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, sweetheart. I have to say something.”

  She looked up expectantly.

  “It’s about, well, I—”

  “Can you believe this?” Missy complained, marching up to them. “That jerk told me to come at five, and the party started at three. What’s his problem?”

  “Hi, Missy,” Sandy said.

  “Hi, yourself. You two the new romance, huh?”

  “Yeah, and don’t blow it by telling my mom he’s a wrestler.”

&n
bsp; “She doesn’t know?” Missy’s eyes lit up.

  “No, and if you tell her, I’ll tell Floyd about your one-night stand with Atomic Bomb.”

  Missy pouted. “You wouldn’t.”

  “No?” Sandy crossed her arms over her chest.

  Missy stormed off in search of her man.

  “A one-night stand with Atomic Bomb?” Jason said.

  Sandy smiled. “I know it all. See, that’s why you need my help.”

  “No, absolutely not. I want you to take the week off, I want—”

  “Hey, Stripper, whatever happened with the drug charges?” Rey Risque said, walking up to the house.

  “Shut up!” Sandy hushed. “You want to get me in trouble with Mama?”

  “Crap!” Rey ducked his head, as if he expected Mama to hurl something at him. “She doesn’t know?”

  “She doesn’t even know he’s a wrestler—didn’t anyone tell you?”

  “No, sorry. My lips are sealed.” He made a zipping motion across his lips.

  “Just for the record, I wasn’t officially charged,” Jason said. “I was set up.”

  “Get back in the game!” Curt interrupted, squirting Jason in the arm. “I’m getting creamed by second-graders. Rey, get back there and arm yourself.”

  “Yes, sir.” Rey saluted and raced into the backyard. “Give me a second,” J said to Curt. “I’m trying to have a serious conversation with your sister.”

  “No serious talk on Sunday. That’s the family rule.”

  Sandy nodded. “It’s true.”

  Squirt gun fights, family barbeques, and friendship. Jason liked this. He ached for it.

  “Don’t be sad.” She touched his cheek. “You’re a part of this now.”

  “Damn it, woman, how do you do that?”

  “What?”

  “Read my mind.”

  “Stop talking serious stuff!” Curt yelled, aiming at Jason but misfiring. He squirted a random kid riding his bike on the sidewalk. “Oh, sorry,” he said.

  “You’re a bad aim, Coach,” the kid shot back.

  “Come back here and say that!” Curt laughed and chased him down the block.

  “ ‘Coach?’ ” Jason asked Sandy.

  “Sure, he’s a wrestling coach,” she said.

  “Where?”

  “Abe Lincoln High School.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Everything looked different after that: the family, the food, even Sandy. She suddenly looked like a stranger. After learning about Curt’s position at Abe Lincoln High School, J automatically clicked into detective mode.

  Meek said steroids were recently distributed at Abe Lincoln; Curt worked at Abe Lincoln and had connections to BAM. A guy didn’t need a Ph. D. to connect the dots.

  J wondered if the crazy driver had something to do with Curt’s drug business? Was Curt really into drugs?

  He watched the man tackle his seven-year-old son and roll on the ground. It didn’t make any sense. Curt had to know what steroids did to teenage boys—hell, he worked with teenage boys; he must know the hormonal rage they’d deal with if using steroids at that age. Sandy’s brother wouldn’t intentionally put kids at risk, would he?

  “How’s the burger?” Duke asked.

  J forced his attention on Sandy’s other brother. Might as well make the best of this and dig for information.

  “It’s great, thanks,” he said, taking a bite. The meat tasted like gravel.

  Curt’s kid screamed, drawing his attention.

  “Curt’s the kid in that family,” Duke remarked about his brother. “I’m surprised Trudy puts up with him.”

  “Not a model husband?”

  “He’s okay. Has some bad habits.”

  “Don’t we all?” Like falling in love with the wrong woman. Sandy would never forgive him if he sent her brother to jail.

  “So, is this thing for real?” Duke asked. “With my sister, I mean?”

  Jason thought so until twenty minutes ago when she handed him a key clue. Now nothing was real except that he was a DEA agent and her brother was his prime suspect.

  “I’d like to think so,” Jason said, to protect his cover.

  “She’s a great person,” Duke offered.

  “Yep. So, other than being the absolute worst Super 200 squirt-gun shooter I’ve ever seen, what are your brother’s other bad habits?” J asked. Might as well go for broke.

  “He’s too trusting. He loaned a friend tons of money for business and never got it back. That’s why Trudy went back to work part-time.”

  Bingo. Money problems. J felt sick. What was it, a network of high school coaches that needed extra cash to pay their bills?

  “You’re an asshole!” Missy shouted at Curt.

  “Watch your language around the kids,” Curt growled.

  “Come on, honey, let it go.” Floyd took her elbow, but she wrenched it away.

  “Curt called me a dopey blonde, and you didn’t defend me!” she cried. “I’m not blonde.”

  The guys burst out laughing.

  Missy stomped her three-inch heel on the deck in frustration. It caught in a crack and she couldn’t jerk it free. She slipped out of her shoes, grabbed the stuck one and stormed into the house. “You’ll be sorry!” she cried.

  “Wouldn’t be a party without a little drama,” Duke said.

  “Hey, buddy!” Curt ambled over to J and put his arm around him. “You’d better go rescue my sister. Decker had a few too many and he’s singing again.”

  Jason spotted Decker on his knees in front of Sandy. She shot him a pleading look. Might as well break that up. He’d had enough for tonight. The next move was to dig into Curt’s activities for the past few months and see if it jibed with the steroid distribution.

  “You okay?” Curt asked. “You look sick.”

  “The thought of Decker’s singing does that to me.”

  The brothers chuckled.

  “I’d better go save your sister,” Jason said, stepping off the deck.

  “Good deal. Lord knows she’s needed saving for some time now.”

  Jason walked up to Sandy and took her hand, then glanced at Decker. “I’ve got to talk to Sandy for a minute.”

  “But she lights up my life.”

  “I know. Mine too. Come on, babe.” J pulled her toward him. Damn, he didn’t mean for the endearment to slip out.

  “Bye, everybody!” he called, waving.

  The boys of BAM and her family chimed a collective “Bye,” and J’s chest ached. To be a part of a group like this, a group that accepted you, warts and all…

  It wasn’t meant to be. Not for Jason McBain.

  Sandy hugged her mom and brothers, then interlaced her fingers in his. He glanced into her sweet green eyes.

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “What do you mean?” He walked toward her car.

  “All of a sudden you went away, like your head was someplace else.”

  Tell her the truth! If she loves you she’ll understand why you need to pursue her brother as a suspect.

  If he told her the truth and she’d not only leave Jason, but also blow his cover and this case.

  “I got an emergency call from work. I’ve got to go in.”

  “Rats. I’m sorry you have to leave.”

  So was he. Sorry for lying to her, sorry for enjoying his time with her family so very much.

  Sorry for falling in love with her. Damn, he couldn’t deny it anymore.

  “Where’s the office?” she asked.

  “Near Detroit.”

  “How will you get there?”

  “I’ll rent a car.”

  “You can take mine.”

  “No, I want you to take yours to a doctor tomorrow. Get your wrist checked out.”

  She stopped halfway down the driveway. “Wait a second. Stay here,” she said.

  She jogged to the backyard. J glanced up at the stars, so bright and hopeful. And he wished for his Glock to shoot every one of them out of the s
ky.

  This was the best way, he told himself, to leave her now before it got worse. Leave her before she leaves you.

  He’d solidify his case, nail Curt and move on to the next assignment. Maybe he’d get his own team and earn the respect he deserved.

  The sound of the karaoke machine echoed from the backyard. They were having a great time back there. Well, Curt should enjoy his night out, J thought. Who knew when he’d get another one if convicted?

  How the hell would he explain the man’s absence to Curt’s little boy? Suddenly J hated his job.

  “Here!” Sandy called, coming toward him. “Keys to our family’s spare car. It’s a compact flatbed truck that Curt uses to haul stuff for shop class sometimes.” She dropped car keys into his hand.

  “I can’t take it,” J said.

  “Sure you can.”

  “But what if someone needs it?”

  “They won’t.”

  “But—”

  “Stop.” She placed her fingers to his lips. “This is what family does for each other.”

  Guilt tangled his insides, guilt for so many things.

  “Will you be okay to drive home?” he asked.

  “Sure. Do I get a kiss before you go?”

  He leaned forward and kissed her, her mouth opening to him and her warmth touching the darkest part of his soul. He broke the kiss but held her close. This would be the last time.

  The thought tore him apart.

  “Hey,” she said, leaning back and looking into his eyes. “You’ll be back within the week, right?”

  “Should be.”

  “Good, because way you were holding me, it felt like you were going off to war.” She gave him another squeeze. “Call me when you get to Detroit so I know you made it okay.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He got into the truck and started it up.

  “Wait, what about your things at my place?”

  “Hold on to them for me.” He smiled, shifted the car into gear and pulled out of the driveway.

  She waved and shot him that tender smile that always warmed his heart. He’d remember her this way, all smiles and light…and loving him.

  He honked the horn and drove off. He drove for a good ten minutes, not sure where he should go. Lost. That’s how he felt.

  He pulled into a convenience store and called Agent Totem.

  “Hey, I need a favor,” he said. “Do a background check on Curt Ryan, wrestling coach at Abe Lincoln High School.”