by Dana Mentink
“Hey, boy, it’s okay. I’m back.”
The bloodhound nearly knocked himself over with his vigorous tail wagging, forgetting his training and batting at James with his big paws. “I missed you, too,” James said, wiping his face.
When he’d given Hawk sufficient rubbing, he eyed the condo, noting the ripped cushion and a door that looked to have been chewed through. “You didn’t try to lock him in the bedroom, did you?”
“I had to go get some groceries, and he doesn’t fit in my truck,” Marlton said defensively. “How was I supposed to know he doesn’t like to be locked up?”
Didn’t like it was an understatement. Hawk went into ballistic missile mode whenever he was shut up anywhere except his crate, and he would tolerate only James stowing him in there.
James shot Hawk a scorching look. “You tried to eat the door?” Hawk stared back with his droopy eyes, completely unabashed. James swallowed his comment to Marlton as he mentally calculated what it would cost him to replace the door and reupholster the sofa. “Thank you,” he managed, “for taking care of him.”
“No problem.” Marlton eyed him. “Feeling okay? We were sure glad to hear you survived with only minor injuries. Forklift operator must have been drugged out or crazy.”
Just crazy enough to want to kill Madison to keep her from talking to Albert Jennings. James grabbed some clothes and some kibble for Hawk.
“What do we have from Albert Jennings?” James asked.
Marlton picked up his mauled shoe. “Hawk used it for a chew toy, the furry monster. I don’t think he likes me, even after I gave him a hot dog.”
“Jennings,” James repeated. “Has he regained consciousness? What did he say?”
“Nothing,” Marlton said. “He’s still in a coma. Docs aren’t sure he’ll make it.”
James’s stomach dropped. With Madison taking up so much of his thoughts, he’d put Jennings out of his mind.
“Anyway,” Marlton said, “Chief says you’re still off duty, so I guess you’re out of it for tomorrow night.”
“Out of what?”
“Got a tip that Bruce King is moving a shipment of cigarettes through town tomorrow. Gonna intercept it. Ryder’s heading up the detail.”
While he’d been lying in the hospital, James had been working on a theory. Consummate criminal Bruce King could easily be padding his pockets with protection money. It was also an effective way to make sure no one ratted him out. King moved the stolen product, maybe even temporarily stored it at some of the local businesses, and threatened store owners to keep it quiet. “Where did the tip come from?”
“Guy called the station, wouldn’t give his name. He talked to Bucks. Said he’s tired of the town becoming a den of thieves.”
He wasn’t the only one. “Where?”
“Old Mines Road, just before midnight tomorrow.”
Not in it? Until he could link Falkner to King and make an arrest, James was in it, all right. There would be an arrest or a confession Tuesday night if he had anything to say about it.
He thanked Marlton again and loaded Hawk up into the car. He rolled down the windows and sucked in the clean desert air, like balm to his soul after the antiseptic hospital environment where he’d had too much time to stew in memories.
He’d woken up in the night, dreaming of being buried alive, gasping for air. It took him back to age sixteen. He’d been so in love with Paige, he’d have done anything to impress her. She’d wanted to explore an old mining shaft on the ranch property, and he’d known every minute of the adventure that it was the wrong thing to do, stupid, forbidden, but he’d caved to her pleadings and taken her down, causing a collapse. He’d gotten loose of the debris and run for his brother.
Sterling had rigged a rope to his truck and climbed down to get Paige. James should have known when Sterling carried her to the truck, the way her arms were looped tight around his neck, her head tucked under his chin. She’d formed an intense attraction to Sterling right then and there that would not be satisfied until one day he refused her so firmly she concocted a story of rape to get back at him.
And the reporter from the city paper had done a thorough job researching Sterling’s past, the reckless driving incident, the fight he’d had over a girl in high school, just enough to wordsmith a libelous article that lit a fire of suspicion in the community. Paige was a straight-A student, daughter of a respected banker. Sterling was the rough-around-the-edges, hot-tempered ranch kid who’d barely kept up his grades to get through high school.
Even when Paige recanted her story some six months later and Sterling was released from jail, the stigma remained. What damage that reporter had caused. No, he corrected himself, what damage I caused.
He thought about his parents’ reaction in the hospital room. They were right. The past was dark enough. God had given them a brighter future, a way in the wilderness thanks to a Savior who forgave.
And James had even forgiven Paige, and started the process of letting go of his anger toward that reporter, too. That left only one person to forgive: himself.
Tall order.
As the car crunched along the gravel drive in front of Madison’s cabin, he shook himself loose from his thoughts. Shane, on guard duty, sat on the porch steps and greeted him with a nod.
“I didn’t think they could hold you down for long. Doc sprung you, huh?”
“I sort of sprung myself.”
“Yeah, well, you’re off duty for a couple of days.”
“I want in on tomorrow night, to bust King.”
Shane frowned. “Marlton wasn’t supposed to tell you that. He’s a blabbermouth.”
James grinned. “He’s a better gossip than a dog sitter. Hawk ate through the bedroom door and had a sofa cushion for dessert.”
Shane laughed. “Let’s hope he’s a good people sitter, because he’s assigned to watch your girl until you’re cleared to come back.”
“She’s not...”
“Your girl. Yeah, I know.” He quirked a smile. “I’m going to call Gina and tell her about Hawk’s antics with Marlton. She’ll get a kick out of it. And probably want to see him for a few retraining sessions.”
James envied the warmth in Shane’s voice when he talked about his girlfriend, Gina. The dog trainer dating the K-9 cop. James chuckled to himself. You couldn’t write a better headline than that. He left Shane to his phone call, entered his own cabin and quickly put on a clean pair of jeans and a soft T-shirt, then headed back to Madison’s. Shane nodded at him, phone to his ear, and walked away a few steps to talk to his girlfriend in private.
Officer Marlton pulled up for surveillance duty just as James knocked. Madison opened the door. A shy smile lit her face, warming her brown eyes with glints of gold. Her hair was loose, a slick of red around her face, and there was a bruise on one cheek and a scratch on her chin.
“I’m glad to see you,” he found himself saying. A flush of pink crept along her cheeks.
“Me, too,” she said.
Hawk did not wait for an invitation, but pushed his way inside after he licked her hand. “You’re supposed to wait until you’re invited,” he said as the dog shoved on past.
She laughed. After a hesitation, she welcomed James inside.
* * *
Uncertainty bubbled inside her as she hovered near the door. What had she done, asking him in? Yet how could she not? Her palms pulsed with the memory of his frantic heartbeat as he held her, grateful that she was alive. Days ago, she’d feared he was dead. Now he looked relaxed, thumbs hooked through the belt loops of his jeans, his face showing scratches and bruises, a bandage taking up six inches of his forearm.
His eyes slid to the laptop on the table next to the half-empty mug of coffee, and her heart skipped a beat. She wanted to leap forward and slam the computer shut, but it was to
o late now.
“Notes about your father’s case?”
She nodded. “I look at them sometimes, to remind myself.”
“Of what?”
“That’s he’s guilty. That Uncle Ray and I did not make a mistake.” Her own honesty surprised her. Being close to James seemed to pull things out of her that she would share with no one else.
His gaze was curious, but not condemning. “Your sister was at the hospital. Did you two have a discussion?”
She sighed. “I guess you could call it that. Deep down, Kate knows my dad is guilty, and so do I, but it’s easier for her to believe that I was wrong than that our father is a killer. She wants me to give up my work.”
He considered. “Tough call. With all that’s happened, I can see her viewpoint. At the heart of it, she’s scared to lose you.”
She pierced him with a look. “Would you give up your job if your family wanted you to?”
“No, because I know it’s what God wants me to do. I’m sure of that.”
“I envy your certainty.” She pushed the laptop closed and gestured for him to sit down. He did with a wince and a groan. “Feeling bad?”
“Like someone used my head for a soccer ball, to quote somebody I know.”
She laughed. What should she say next? How did one make conversation with a gorgeous man who had saved her life? A man who made her wonder if her solitary life was missing a piece. “Would you...do you want something to eat? I’m cooking some vegetable soup.”
“Is that what smells so good?”
“I taught myself to cook by trying out the recipes on the backs of boxes. I can prepare approximately twenty variations of mac and cheese.”
He smiled. “I’m game for soup, as long as there’s no sushi on the side.”
“I promise.”
She walked into the kitchen and looked out the window as she added a pinch of salt and stirred. “I see they’ve got another cop assigned to me since you’re off duty.”
“Dennis Marlton. Only for a few days. How is your story coming—if you’re still writing it, that is?”
She swallowed. “I know Albert Jennings would have told me everything, if he...”
They were silent for a moment. “Going to visit him at the hospital tomorrow,” James said. “It’s a sort of prayer vigil. I’d be happy to take you, if you’d like to go.”
Tears pricked her eyes as she nodded. She hadn’t known Jennings for more than fifteen minutes, but he would not leave her mind. What was happening to her? She blinked furiously.
James was watching her closely. “Maybe your sister is right. Maybe you should let the story go.”
She whacked the spoon down on the counter. “Are you going to let the police-dance sting go?”
“No, but that’s different. I’m a cop. I don’t have a choice.”
“Yes, you do.” She didn’t look at him as she ladled up two bowls full of the fragrant soup. “You could pass, or they could assign it to someone else. It doesn’t have to be Officer James Harrison acting as bait.”
“Yes, it does,” he started, trailing off.
“Why?”
“Never mind.”
“Because you’re blond and blue-eyed, like the other two rookies who were killed.”
He didn’t answer as he strode to the table.
“You’re hoping someone tries to kill you, aren’t you, James?”
“I’m hoping someone makes a move so I can take him down.” He stared at her. “Don’t worry. I’ve no intention of letting someone kill me.”
She found the blue steel in his eyes both comforting and terrifying. He would offer himself up on a platter. Here I am. Come and get me. And what if someone did? What if the outcome she’d feared at the trailer collapse really did come to pass? Then Desert Valley would lose a good officer, the Harrisons a beloved son, and she’d lose... She shook her head. Too much to think about. “Are you always so confident?”
“About most things.”
She read the hesitation. “Except for what?”
He shrugged. “Let’s eat this soup before it gets cold.”
They sat together, Hawk watching mournfully from his spot on the floor. James ate two bowls of soup. “Excellent. My compliments to the chef.”
She laughed. “You have low standards, but thank you.”
He looked at her for so long she felt her cheeks grow warm. “You don’t look like your sister.”
“Kate’s the pretty one.”
“Uh-uh. There are a lot of blue-eyed blonds in the world. I should know. But your hair...it’s the color of fall in the mountains. That’s rare. That’s special.”
She was sure she was blushing madly. “I look like my father,” she said, a lance of pain cutting through her pleasure, “but I don’t want to. I’d rather not have anything of his.”
“Guess we don’t get to choose our biology.” His brow creased in thought. “I always wanted to look like my brother.”
She fought hard not to gape. As handsome as James was...he envied his brother?
James continued. “He has that rebellious air that attracted all the girls.”
“Including the one who accused him?” she asked. She’d done a little research on James. As soon as she said it, she wondered if he would shut down, go into cop mode again.
She could see the shimmer of something in his eyes.
“Yeah. Paige accused my brother of rape. Got him thrown into jail. We lost our ranch trying to pay the lawyer fees. What bothers me most is that...” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
She suddenly realized the awful truth. “For a second, you believed Paige’s accusation.”
The words fell like boulders onto the table. James stared at his empty bowl. “Yes,” he said. “I mistrusted my brother because...I loved her.” Slowly he raised his eyes to hers. “The point is, I doubted Sterling, and I think he knows that somewhere deep down. We’ve never been as close after that, and maybe we never will be.”
She reached out and took his hand. “I saw him at the hospital. He loves you, without question.”
He pulled her hand to his lips and kissed her knuckles, sending tingles prickling along her arm. For a moment, he pressed his stubbled cheek against her fingers, leaving her breathless. “Thanks for saying that,” he said. “Trying to trust myself again has been the hardest thing.”
So that was what he was afraid of: giving his heart to the wrong person a second time. Do what I do, James. Don’t trust anyone. Don’t let anybody close. What a painful choice, a lonely one. James let go of her hand and leaned back in his chair. “Sterling’s interested in your sister, I think.”
Madison nodded, her skin still warm from his kiss. “I suspected it at the hospital.”
“He says it’s nothing serious at the moment, but my brother falls hard and fast.” James toyed with his spoon. “He needs stability.”
Her stomach knotted. “And you don’t think Kate could give him that?”
“You said she’s been lost, wandering from relationship to relationship.”
“And now she’s straightening things out. She’s got a job, staying in one town, working on some online classes.” She stood, picking up his bowl before he could do it.
“I’m not judging.”
“Oh, yes, you are.”
“I don’t want to see my brother get hurt.”
“And I want the same for my sister.” Cheeks hot, she did not try to tamp down the rush of anger. “You know what, James? You’re a hypocrite.”
He jerked as if she’d slapped him. “How do you figure that?”
“Because you tell me to forget my past, to go ahead and walk out into that future God has in store for me, but you’re holding on to my past.”
“I’m not...”
“Yes, you are. My sister and I are damaged goods. For all your talk about a new path, you are still judging us for our wasteland, our wilderness. Well, you know what? Your brother’s spent his time wandering, too, and frankly, I’m not sure he’s good enough for my sister.” She felt a thrill of victory. She’d been right to keep him away.
“Look...” James started.
“I’m really tired. Going to get my notes together for tomorrow and go to sleep.”
“Madison...” he started again.
“Good night, James.”
She walked down the hall and shut herself in the bedroom, leaving him to let himself out. Heaving a shaky breath, she pressed her forehead to the door.
You see, Mads? You let him get close enough to hurt you, near enough for you to care about him. Your mistake.
But it wasn’t a fatal one—not yet. She would stick around for only a few more days, and then it was goodbye Desert Valley. Maybe Kate would say goodbye to Sterling Harrison, too.
She wondered why it hurt so much to be right.
Twelve
James awoke in the same foul mood he’d fought against the night before. A hypocrite? Because he wanted to make sure his brother wasn’t hurt again? Like Madison wouldn’t do anything to keep her sister out of trouble?
The accusation stung like a hornet and that, combined with his aching body, kept him awake. Finally he hauled himself out of bed. Amused as always by Hawk’s mealtime dance, he watched the dog inhale a bowl of food. After the morning cleansing of his wrinkly jowls and the dispensing of vitamin supplements, Hawk was ready to roll. The pounding in James’s temples and the tension in his gut dissuaded him from breakfast. A bottle of water and a couple of aspirin would do.
“Walk time.” He didn’t have to ask twice. Hawk was at the door in seconds. Leash clipped in place, they started off. Madison’s cabin was quiet, the curtains closed, car still parked outside. Dennis Marlton waved to him from his squad car, where he sat drinking coffee. The poor guy had been there overnight, probably desperately trying to stay awake.
“Help yourself to anything in the trailer,” James said.