She hung up with her mother and rubbed the back of her neck, groaning at the headache already beginning to form at the base of her skull. She sat up and opened a new empty email, typing in Sam’s address. He was still on duty so she couldn’t call him, but he’d become her confidant in a very short time. She needed to talk to him about what had happened with her mother. She only wished he was here so he could hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay.
She was starting to wish she’d never left Springwood.
Chapter Ten
“You’re like a bear with a sore head,” groused Tanner, leaning forward so his elbows rested on his desk. He had pulled Sam into his office after Austin Dobbs complained about his conduct during a traffic stop. “Is this your permanent disposition now?”
Sam tamped down the frustration that always seemed to be inside of him lately. His boss had a valid point. Sam was acting like a jerk to everyone these days, snapping at co-workers and writing twice the amount of speeding tickets as last month. People were giving him a wide berth if at all possible.
“No,” Sam said defensively. He simply didn’t know how to feel good when Tabby wasn’t around. He could barely remember his life before he met her and she had only been in Springwood for five days. “Austin was speeding. That’s why I wrote him the ticket.”
Tanner nodded toward the chair opposite him. “Have a seat. I think we need to talk.”
Sam tried to protest but Tanner cut him off. “Sit down. Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, you are coiled tighter than a metal spring in a clown’s ass.”
Just the image of a something bouncing out of the butt of some creepy clown broke the tension and Sam sat with a sigh. He was about to get one of Tanner’s patented lectures about life. Sam hadn’t personally ever been the recipient of one, but most of the other guys had.
“Listen, I’m sorry—” Sam began.
“Cut the bullshit,” Tanner interrupted. “This isn’t a chat about your work. Shit, I know Austin was speeding, and I know he deserved the ticket. What he didn’t deserve is the fucking twenty minute bitching that you gave him. Give him his goddamn ticket and move on. Being an asshole isn’t part of this job. We respect our citizens in Springwood.”
“I thought this wasn’t about my work.” Sam rubbed the back of his neck and wondered how everything had turned to shit so quickly. Tabby had only been gone a week.
“It isn’t. We’re going to have a talk about the facts of life. The birds and the bees, if you will.” Tanner’s mouth had curved into a smile and Sam knew he was in fucking trouble. His boss was enjoying himself way too much.
“Save it for Chris,” Sam muttered. Chris was Tanner’s son, and up until several months ago a regular holy terror.
“Chris has already had this talk. Now I’m giving you the benefit of my wisdom. Free of charge.”
“Lucky me.” Sam’s lips twisted and he sat back in his chair. It didn’t look like he was going anywhere for awhile if Tanner had his way.
His boss steepled his fingers, his lips pursed in thought. “Man was not meant to be alone, Sam. We are meant to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. Something more meaningful.”
Sam could see that Tanner was barely keeping his grin under control. “Bigger and more meaningful? You mean like the NFL?”
Giving Tanner shit was always fun and when he was waxing philosophical it was even more enjoyable. This time Tanner did break out into a grin and laughed.
“The NFL is certainly meaningful but that’s not what I was talking about this time. Catch me during pre-season. No, I’m talking about being with a woman and building a family with her.”
“Been there, done that.” Sam shrugged.
“I would have said the same thing,” Tanner replied. “But sometimes we don’t get it right the first time. Sometimes we get a second chance.”
Tanner’s eyebrows were raised as if waiting for Sam’s reply.
“Tabby.” Sam sighed and scraped his hand down his face. “You’re saying Tabby is my second chance.”
Tanner shook his head. “I have no idea if Ms. Bartlett is your second chance. She might be, and if she is, don’t let her get away. No, what I’m saying is don’t be afraid to take a second chance. Don’t let fear rule your decision making.”
“I only knew her a few days,” Sam argued, mostly to himself. “I can’t be in love with her.”
“You’re absolutely right,” Tanner agreed. “It’s not long enough to know.”
Sam hopped up from his chair and began to pace the small office. “We did spend a lot of time together though. I know a lot about her and she knows a lot about me. She’s amazing. Smart, funny. Beautiful.”
“How much could you truly know in that time frame?” Tanner lifted a shoulder carelessly. “You probably spent the week in bed.”
Sam rounded on the heel of his boot. “Now wait a minute. It wasn’t like that. It was more than sex. It was a real relationship.”
Tanner didn’t reply, but instead sat in his chair, a smile on his face. Sam’s own words hit him square in the face.
“It was real.” He’d spent the last several days trying to convince himself it was simply a casual interlude between two people.
Tanner nodded. “Sounds like it. What are you going to do about it?”
Sam groaned, the knot of frustration back in his gut. “I don’t know. I really don’t.”
“I can’t tell you what to do.” Tanner got up from his chair and came around to where Sam was standing and placed a hand on his shoulder. “I can tell you that if this is real, it deserves a chance. It might not work out in the end. There are no guarantees, but if you don’t try, well, you’ll always wonder. Do you want to go looking for Tabby five years from now when you can’t stand the not knowing any longer and find her with a husband and three kids? How will it feel like then?”
A hell of a lot worse than it felt now.
“She’s in Seattle. Her job takes her all over the country.”
“You’re just throwing up roadblocks and diversions from the real issue. No one promised it would be easy. Good things rarely are. Be creative, Sam. Think outside the box for solutions. If you love her, is there anything you wouldn’t do for her?”
Even leave Springwood?
The question hung in the air between them. Unsaid, but completely understood. Sam could hear Tabby laughing, smell her perfume, and feel the warmth of her body curled up next to him in bed. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do to have that in his life. If he’d learned anything from his time in Los Angeles, it was what was real and what wasn’t.
“Boss, I think I might need some time off.”
Tanner slapped Sam on the back with a grin. “I think that can be arranged. Let’s go down to the diner and get some lunch. We can plan how we’re going to cover your shifts.”
For the first time since Tabby left, Sam felt like something good might actually happen.
Tabby watched the footage Serena had shot in a small town outside of Bakersfield. They were sitting on the bed in Tabby’s hotel room in Seattle comparing location notes. On the screen of the video camera was an old woman who was speaking about how her Korean War veteran husband’s spirit had returned from battle in a faraway country and watched over and protected her with a love that wouldn’t end, even in death.
It made Tabby miss Sam so much she hurt inside. Being away from him was harder than anything she’d ever done in her life. The only thing keeping her sane was their daily emails back and forth and some text messages. Still, she longed for more. She’d fallen for Deputy Sam Taylor in a big way. Trying to deny it was getting her nowhere.
She was in love.
Sniffling, Tabby swiped at her wet cheeks. “That’s so beautiful. She never remarried?”
Serena frowned and snatched a tissue from the holder on the dresser, handing it to her sister. “Never, but from what her neighbors said it was more because she’s batshit crazy than she couldn’t find anyone else to love. Geez, are you okay? I’ve never see
n you tear up at a ghost story before. Are you PMSing or something?”
“No,” Tabby replied, indignantly dabbing at her cheeks with the tissue. “It was just a great story. Are you planning to recommend it to Mom and Dad?”
Serena sat back against the pillows and shook her head. “No way. That woman is nuts. She runs little kids off her property waving a broom. She freaks out her neighbors by lighting candles in the shape of a pentacle and chanting at the moon. She even gave me the creepies and I’ve seen some weird shit in this job.”
If Serena thought the woman was a whack job then she probably was. Her sister was normally quite unflappable.
“It’s still a lovely story. Mom said you suggested investigating sites we know aren’t really haunted.”
There. She’d said it out loud.
Serena twisted the top off of her soda and took a long drink. “I know what you’re trying to say, Sis. I didn’t suggest we fake the hauntings if that’s where you’re going with this. I simply said we should not be so rigid about only investigating places where we truly think we’ll find things. It’s okay to suggest that we hear footsteps or noises. Let the viewer’s imagination do the rest.”
“It doesn’t seem honest.”
The more Tabby thought about it, the more it bothered her.
“It’s not super ethical. I’ll concede that.” Serena’s mouth was turned down. “Mom and Dad are under so much pressure, Tabby. Mom was almost in tears a few weeks ago. I had to come up with some idea.”
“Maybe,” Tabby said gently “it’s time for the show to end. We always knew it wouldn’t go on forever.”
“Then what would we do?” Serena asked, her brows pulled down.
“Get real jobs?” Tabby joked. “Seriously, the family business is more than the show. The books. The website. Merchandising. Personal appearances. Or maybe Mom and Dad could retire. They have more than enough money to never work another day in their life.”
Serena slapped her hand over her mouth and giggled. “I’m just picturing our parents in some retirement community in Florida scaring the shit out of the other residents with stories of ghosts and demons.”
Tabby laughed and shook her head. “And they would do that too, loving every minute of it.”
“Maybe Florida is out,” Serena teased, her expression becoming somber. “What would you do if the show ended? I barely remember when we started this five years ago.”
Since leaving Springwood, Tabby had given a great deal of thought to what she would do if the show ended. She would take some time off and spend it with Sam before trying to figure out her place in the family empire. She’d gone straight from college to working for her parents and had never stopped to figure out what she wanted.
She still had dreams, or at least she’d had them at one point. Instead of sleeping, she’d been rediscovering them one by one. Some of them, like being a rock star, probably weren’t practical. But a few of them just might be her new future.
“I’d take a vacation,” Tabby finally responded. “A long one. Then I’d decide what I wanted from life. It sometimes feels like we didn’t get to do that. Our future was pre-ordained even before we were born.”
“A vacation sounds good.” Serena stretched out on the bed and sighed. “A sandy beach, clear blue water, and a hot lifeguard. Heaven on earth.”
“Or maybe some camping and horseback riding. Like in Montana.”
The minute Tabby said it, she knew she’d revealed too much. She missed Sam so damn much she couldn’t stop thinking or talking about him. Serena’s mouth fell open.
“Montana? Since when are you a lover of where the deer and antelope dance?”
“They play,” Tabby corrected. “Not dance.”
“Dance. Play. Whatever.” Serena waved away the criticism. “You got a really dreamy look in your eye when you said it.”
“You’re imagining things. I was simply thinking about getting some rest and relaxation,” Tabby deflected, hoping her sister would let the subject drop.
“No, you definitely got a mushy kind of expression.” Serena suddenly grinned and slapped her thigh. “It’s a man!”
“It’s not a man,” Tabby denied futilely. Her sister could be a real pill when it came to Tabby’s love life. She took this big sister thing too seriously.
Serena was jumping up and down on the bed, clapping and laughing delightedly. “Yes! You’re in love! Tell me every little detail. What’s his name? Where did you meet him?”
Tabby levered off the bed and walked over to the window. “Calm down. It’s…complicated.”
Serena’s smile fell immediately. “Is he married?” she whispered as if they could be overheard.
“No!” Tabby shook her head vigorously. “Sam is not married. He’s…”
Tabby paused, not sure what to say. Serena sucked in a breath and tried to help. “Gay?”
Slapping her forehead, Tabby fell back into the chair next to the bed. “Good gravy. No, Sam is not gay. Or married. He’s a deputy sheriff I met when I was checking out the Heartbroken Cowboy.”
“He’s not married or gay,” Serena stated. “I fail to see what the problem is. Does he not feel the same way?”
“He seems to.” No man had ever cared for Tabby the way Sam had. He’d never mentioned love, but then neither had she.
Serena rolled her eyes. “Tabby,” she said sharply. “Stop obfuscating and start talking. Tell me everything about this guy. It’s obviously bothering you. Maybe if you talk about it, you’ll feel better.”
Tabby couldn’t feel much worse. She was barely sleeping or eating.
She wasn’t sure what to say at first but the words started flowing along with the tears. By the time she told Serena about driving away from Sam that last morning they were both crying. Serena pulled the last tissue from the box.
“We’re going to have to start on the toilet paper next. Dear God, how did you have the strength to leave him? I would have handcuffed myself to the radiator so he could never get me out of there.”
“He didn’t have a radiator,” Tabby giggled through the tears. “Maybe the bed?”
Both sisters laughed and Tabby actually did feel better having told someone about it.
“If he’s as hunky as you described, then definitely the bed,” Serena replied with a grin.
“I miss him,” Tabby said. “Emails and texts aren’t enough.”
“I don’t know much about love, sis. But from what I’ve seen you don’t get to pick who you fall for. If this guy is the one, you’re crazy to be sitting here with me. You should be with him and the buffalo in Springfield.”
“Springwood,” Tabby corrected. “It’s a lovely little town.”
“Sounds like you love the town almost as much as you love the man,” Serena observed. “Do you want me to call the airlines?”
“What for?” Tabby frowned, not sure what her sister was talking about.
“To get on a plane and go back to Springwood, sister dear,” Serena explained patiently. “You can’t have a relationship when you’re not together.”
Her sister spoke the truth but there were so many things that needed to be considered.
“What about my job? What about my car and condo? What about—”
“Details,” Serena broke in. “All details. Let’s talk this through and figure something out. Do you love him?”
“Yes.” Tabby knew in her heart she loved Sam. Being away from him was pure torture. “But it was so fast.”
“So you’re two decisive people. That’s a good thing.” Serena was smiling and Tabby had to appreciate how her sister always seemed to be able to turn anything around and make it positive. “Let’s make a list of decisions that need to be made and how we can make this work. Get your laptop. We have work to do. Let’s order some room service.”
Tabby flipped open the top of her computer while Serena ordered them dinner. For the first time in days, Tabby was feeling like this might actually all work out. She wanted to be with S
am and there had to be a way.
If they could put a man on the moon, surely they could put Tabby in a small Montana town with the world’s sexiest deputy sheriff? She wouldn’t rest until she found a solution.
Look out Sam Taylor, Tabitha Bartlett is heading your way.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Tabby was all packed. She and Serena had brainstormed last night and then called their parents to share some ideas. By the time her cell phone battery had died, they had a pretty good plan for the show, and even better, for Tabby. It wasn’t a perfect solution but few things were.
It was head and shoulders better than sitting around feeling sorry for herself and missing Sam so much she wanted to curl up in a corner and cry. The connecting door between Tabby and Serena’s rooms was open and Tabby stuck her head into the other room.
“I’m going downstairs to get some coffee. Do you want to go too?”
The hotel had a nice little coffee shop on the east side of the lobby. After the night she’d had, Tabby needed the caffeine. She’d been too excited to sleep much.
“I’m not ready yet. Can you bring me one?” her sister called from behind the bathroom door.
“Will do.” Tabby shoved her keycard in the pocket of her jeans and headed downstairs. She needed to call Sam today but he had sent her a very brief email last night saying he was going to take a few days off. She didn’t want to wake him this early if he wasn’t on duty.
She exited the elevator and turned left to the coffee shop. The tables were full at this time of the morning but the line at the counter wasn’t too bad. Tabby didn’t have to wait long to place her order and the two drinks were made quickly. She turned to head back to the room, her thoughts far away from Seattle.
“Would you like to share my table?”
She stumbled slightly, her heart accelerating in her chest. She knew that warm, deep voice so well and it never ceased to excite her. She closed her eyes and sent up a silent prayer that she wasn’t imagining things. Slowly opening them, she turned toward the person speaking.
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