The Sheriff's Secret

by Julie Anne Lindsey

  West repositioned his grip on the wheel, relaxing his hands and leaning back against the seat. “I didn’t mean to imply otherwise.”

  “You didn’t. I just want it stated for the record.”

  He cocked a brow. “This isn’t going on a record. We’re just two old friends talking.”

  She turned her face to his, a sad smile on her full pink lips. “Is that what we are, West?”

  “I’m not sure what we are now,” he admitted, “but I was engaged once to a girl who looked a lot like you.”

  She dropped her gaze to the handkerchief briefly before pinning him with a powerful stare. “I’m not that girl anymore.”

  “No,” he agreed. “Clearly, that girl has been upgraded by time and experience.” He reached across the seat to give her knee a playful push. “I think the girl I knew would be proud.”

  A smile bloomed on her lips. “Thank you for saying that.”

  “I meant it.”

  She caught his fingers in hers and squeezed. “I know.”

  West released her to pull his cruiser into the lot outside her office.

  The crime scene was roped off now, and two members of his team worked their way through a rain-soaked lot, careful not to miss anything that might lead them to the shooter’s identity. Plastic yellow teepees with bold black numbers anchored the shattered glass and polka-dotted the surrounding area.

  Tina shuddered beside him.

  “I’ll be by to check on you and Lily as soon as I can, but I’m going to pay the hospital pharmacist a visit now.” The one who’d asked her out multiple times during her pregnancy. “What did you say his name was?”

  “Chris.”

  West itched to tighten his fingers around hers once more, but he wasn’t sure how many times he could force himself to let go.

  Tina rolled her head against the back of the seat, turning sharp blue eyes on him. “Tell me this wasn’t because someone thought I was spending too much extra time with Steven.” Her body tipped slightly toward his. The change was small, nearly imperceptible. So much so, Tina probably didn’t even realize. But West did.

  He felt the too-familiar pull at his core, an urge to meet her in the middle.

  No amount of time would change that about them. He and Tina were human magnets in need of connection. Being near her without being hers was a new and ugly sensation. He didn’t like it.

  West cleared his throat. “We’ll know more soon.” His thoughts drifted back to Carl Morgan. The timing of Carl’s absence with the shooting today was highly suspicious, and West didn’t like the way Carl had looked at Tina. Definitely not the way a patient should look at his therapist, and it had taken all of West’s self-control not to smack Carl’s grubby hand away when he’d reached for her arm. The look in Carl’s eyes when she recoiled was satisfying, but delivering the weirdo a solid right hook would’ve been even better. “We’ll see what my team turns up and what Tucker and Chris have to say once we find them. We’ve got to follow the facts.” Lucky for Carl, being creepy wasn’t against the law, and West’s gut instinct wasn’t grounds to hold him.

  Tina rolled her eyes, instantly looking a decade younger. She nudged his arm with a grin. “You still do that, huh? Answer my questions with random truths when you don’t want to lie or upset me with the one I’m asking for.”

  Her hand lingered on his arm, warming him to the core.

  West fought a budding smile. “Would you prefer I lie?”

  “As if you could.” She cracked the door open and swung her legs into the brisk autumn wind.

  He circled the car and met her halfway to hers, toting the bags she’d packed at home earlier. “Slow down.” He caught her wrist in his fingers, cursing himself instantly for the thrill it gave him. “Hey. Take a minute before you drive. You’ve had one hell of a day. You’re worried about your baby, your safety, your group.”

  She stopped to face him. Her shoulders drooped. “I’m okay to drive.”

  “Okay, then tell me you have a plan before you shoot out of here. If you’re planning to get a hotel room, you’d better change cars and register in cash under a different name. I’m going to need your contact information regardless, in case we have reason to believe you’re in danger.”

  Her face went slack. “Maybe I could take Lily to Disneyland for a week. Or the beach. We can go somewhere far away for a while.”

  “Maybe.” He’d like to think he’d have the son of a gun behind bars before dawn, but the odds certainly weren’t in his favor, and he couldn’t promise he’d have him caught in a week, either. “How long can you afford something like that?”

  “I don’t know.” Her voice ratcheted an octave as fear changed her expression to something panicked and feral. “I’ve never been stalked, or hunted, or anything like this before, if that’s even what this is. You’re the expert. What are we supposed to do?”

  West couldn’t give her an answer. He didn’t have one.

  He ached to fold her into his arms and kiss her head like he used to. He wanted to fix this. All of this. He’d never wanted anything more than to keep her safe and make her smile. And ten years apart hadn’t changed a damn thing.

  Tina groaned and rubbed her eyes. “I need coffee. I need to fix my face, paste on a smile and make sure Lily doesn’t pick up on any of the horrific things rolling through my head.”

  She pried her keys from her handbag and beeped her car doors unlocked. “I’ll get Lily and Ducky, then I’ll figure out where we’re going before your deputy leaves my place. I’ll call you as soon as I know.”

  He shifted his weight. “I’ll head over to your house as soon as I can.” He passed her the bags, and she tossed them onto her passenger seat.

  Tina slid her hand down the length of West’s arm, catching his fingers in hers. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “Always,” he said, returning the gentle squeeze.

  They stood in palpable silence for a long moment, evaluating one another, it seemed. There was obviously something more Tina wanted to say.

  She didn’t.

  Instead, she dropped behind the wheel of her car and motored away.

  They were beginning to make a bad habit of this.

  Her leaving, and him watching helplessly from behind.

  Chapter Five

  Tina turned onto the main road with a sigh of relief, thankful to put a little distance between herself and the man causing her already shocked and broken heart so much unnecessary confusion. She dialed Mary and set the phone to speaker.

  Thankfully, the call connected on the first ring. “Hi, Tina,” Mary answered. “How are you? Is everything okay?”

  Tina checked her mirrors and adjusted her defrost vents. “I’ve been better. How are you and Lily?”

  “Lily’s sound asleep, and a strapping young deputy is patrolling my neighborhood, so I’m not doing too bad, either.”

  “Great.” A smile edged over Tina’s lips. Mary was Tina’s first friend after moving back to town. She wasn’t much older than Tina’s mom, and she missed caring for children, so the arrangement with Lily was perfect all around. “Well, I’m finally on my way. Can I bring you anything?”

  “You don’t need to do that. You’ve had an awful day. Besides, Lily and I ate lunch before she went to sleep.” Mary gave a sad laugh. “Considering what you’ve been through, I should probably be making you lunch.” She paused. “Do you want me to make you lunch? Maybe pour you a glass of wine? I’m a great listener if you need someone to talk to.”

  “No.” Tina almost laughed. She didn’t drink, and it was barely past noon, but after the morning she’d had a glass of wine didn’t sound half bad. “How about I buy you a fancy coffee instead? Cup of Life is on the way to your place from here.”

  “Fine,” Mary agreed. “I will accept your coffee, but only if you agree to stay a few minutes before
you take off again. I worry about you. Sometimes I think you get so busy taking care of everyone else that you forget to take care of yourself.”

  Tina didn’t have the energy to argue or confess all that had happened today. Like the possibility she may have been the reason for Steven’s death. Or that, even if she wasn’t, someone had still been in her home. Touched her things. Pretended to make her dinner.

  An involuntary shiver coursed down her back. “I’ve got to go. I’ll see you soon.”

  Tina disconnected, then loosened her grip on the wheel, bending and stretching her fingers in a futile attempt to relax. She needed a better headspace before holding her baby again. Lily was sure to pick up on the anxiety pouring off her mother in buckets.

  Tina closed her eyes at the red light, and West’s deceptively gruff image appeared. She popped her lids open and cursed herself internally. Given all that had transpired today, it was ludicrous she couldn’t concentrate on anything but memories of his determined face.

  She eased her foot off the brake as the light turned green.

  She’d been back in town for nearly two years, and had managed to date, get married and have a baby, all without running into a single Garrett. Now, after just a few hours at his side, she was seventeen all over again, wondering when she would see him next, and if his heart still beat as fast as hers when they touched. More important, could he forgive her for the way she’d left things between them all those years ago?

  West’s opinion of her had always mattered. As much today as it had when they were young and wildly in love. She groaned inwardly at the thought. It had been unfair for her to let him love her then. Back when she had been a lie. She’d put up a nice show. Smoke and mirrors to distract from what she really was. He gave her his all, but she’d never really let him in. She’d kept the real things to herself.

  She’d known what people said about her, of course. She fed on the gossip, imagining her life was something other than it was, letting people believe anything, so long as it wasn’t the truth. She’d pretended to be rail thin by choice, instead of half starved, pretended to wear too-short shorts for attention, when the truth was that she kept getting taller, and clothes were expensive.

  No more.

  Now, she had a stack of jeans in her closet, all the right size, and Lily had more clothes than one child could ever want, whatever the season. Tina would never be that helpless child again, and her daughter would never know the humiliation of a life without a mother’s love.

  Possibly the only thing she loved more than knowing how much she had changed was knowing that West hadn’t changed at all. He was still strong and certain, reliable and steadfast. All the things she’d fallen in love with long ago. Even being with him again for a short time had made her miss the family she never had and long for a husband to cradle their daughter. She wanted someone she could find strength in when hers was gone.

  The coffee shop came into view, and Tina shook off the useless thoughts and childish fantasies. She pulled up to the window at Cup of Life and freed some money from her wallet. “I’ll take two medium lattes, please. And I’d like to pay for the car behind me.”

  Tina inched forward, waiting her turn, but eager to get moving once more. She traded cash for coffee and waved in her rearview mirror at the couple behind her who was about to get a nice surprise. Paying for the next person in line was something Tina had done throughout her adult life. It was an act of kindness that someone had performed for her family on a night they’d planned to dine and ditch because there wasn’t enough money for food, and they hadn’t eaten in two days. It didn’t seem logical, but there were tougher things than living with an alcoholic father and depressive mother. Consistently going hungry was one of them.

  Mary’s house came quickly into view from there. Only three short blocks from Cup of Life, nestled in a mostly rural neighborhood with more livestock than people. Electric candles burned in the windows, but the porch light was off.

  Rolling thunder growled in the distance as Tina shifted into Park and squinted at the darkened doorstep. Maybe it was the day she was having, but something felt off. Instinct crawled over her skin like a nest of baby spiders, and she worked to pull herself together. There was no need to worry Mary any further or upset her sweet daughter.

  It’s fine, she told herself, just breathe.

  She shored her resolve and palmed her keys.

  A massive bolt of lightning slashed the gray sky, illuminating Mary’s open front door before dropping the house back into darkness.

  A block of fear lodged in Tina’s throat. She fumbled for her phone, dialing West as she flung off her seat belt. Her car door jerked open with help from the raging wind, and she lunged into a sprint.

  “Sheriff Garrett,” West’s voice boomed through the receiver at Tina’s ear.

  “West. I’m at Mary’s house and the front door is open. Everything is dark.” She took the porch steps two at a time.

  “Mary! Lily!” she called, praying this wasn’t what it seemed. Anything but a crime involving her daughter.

  “Go back to your car and lock the doors,” West ordered. An engine growled through the speaker at Tina’s ear. “I’m on my way. I’m notifying Dispatch. Do not leave the car for any reason, and do not hang up.”

  “My baby...” She leapt across the threshold, blindly smacking the wall beside her in search of light switches, unable to voice the horrific and bloodcurdling things that raced through her mind. “Mary!”

  “Be careful,” West growled. “You need to slow down and think. This could be a trap.”

  “I don’t give a damn, West Garrett!” she screamed. “I need to find my daughter!”

  Tina sprinted through the old farmhouse toward the room where Lily normally slept, sliding over hardwood floors and knocking into walls as she took the corners at full speed.

  She clutched the stairwell and used the spindles to propel her faster than her feet alone could move her onto the second floor. “Lily!” She’d give anything to hear that sweet cry. Anything to know she was safe in the crib where Mary had laid her. Hot tears rolled over her cheeks as she tore down the silent hallway, toward the dark room with the open door at the end. Images of tiny pink lambs and clouds floated dreamily over the walls and ceiling, cast from a domed night-light.

  She came to a stop in the room’s center. Her collapsing heart nearly dropping her onto the floor. The crib was empty. “She’s not here.” The words clawed their way free from her tightening throat.

  “And Mary?” West asked.

  “I don’t know.” Tina stumbled from the room, gasping for air through a tightening chest. One by one she checked the rooms for a sign of her friend and babysitter. Maybe Mary had taken Lily someplace safe. Maybe they were hiding together.

  “I’m just five minutes away now,” West said. “The deputy patrolling her neighborhood should be back any minute. He’ll handle things until I get there. Please go back to your car.”

  “I can’t,” she cried. “What if they’re here? What if they’re hurt?” Tina flung open closet doors and screamed until her throat burned raw.

  She slid to a halt in the first-floor mudroom, heart hammering and stomach twisting.

  Mary lay sprawled on the floor, hands outstretched toward the wide-open back door.

  Tina screamed until black dots raged in her periphery and the world slanted beneath her.

  * * *

  WEST ARRIVED MINUTES LATER, having listened to the silence for far too long. It was as if Tina had died on the spot after delivering that scream. He’d soundly broken every traffic law on record to get there from Tucker’s neighborhood, where he’d rendezvoused with Cole to knock on doors. Neighbors confirmed that Tucker hadn’t been home since the night before. West hadn’t even had time to visit Chris, the questionable pharmacist.

  He crammed the gearshift into Park and jumped free of his cruise
r, leaving it at a hasty angle in Mary’s front lawn. The deputy, formerly patrolling the neighborhood, now spoke with a growing crowd of neighbors along the roadside. EMTs rolled a woman through the grass on a gurney.

  Somewhere in the distance, thunder cracked.

  West bypassed everyone, charging into Mary’s home in search of Tina. “Tina?” he called, both into the phone and into the air. “Where are you? I’m here.” She’d stopped talking minutes ago, but he’d refused to hang up. He wouldn’t leave her alone and in pain ever again. Not even for a second.

  “Here.” Her ragged voice echoed over the line and through the empty farmhouse from above.

  He stuffed the phone into his pocket and raced to the second floor.

  Gentle sobs rolled from the room at the end of the hall where Tina sat, doubled over, on the floor, hugging a teddy bear to her cheek. “She’s gone.”

  The words ripped at West’s gut. The agony on her face and in her voice shredded his heart. He fell into place at her side and curled her against his chest like he’d longed to do since he’d first laid eyes on her again. “Hey.” He stroked tear-soaked hair from her cheeks and cradled her head against his collarbone. The cell phone clattered from her grip. West swept it away and pulled her body closer. “An Amber Alert has already been issued. It came across my phone and onboard computer. My deputy is talking to Mary’s neighbors now, following protocols. We’re on top of this. My guys are the best, and we’re going to get Lily back. It’s everyone’s first priority, and we will bring her home to you.”

  Tina covered her face with both hands and cried harder.

  “Tina.” He angled his head, straining for a look at her hidden face. “I know this is awful, and I’m an ass for saying so right now, but I need you to pull it together.”

  Tina stiffened in his arms. She rocked away from him with betrayal in her eyes. He deserved the heated look. It wasn’t like her to let her guard down, and he’d told her to knock it off, but he had good reason.

  West returned her stare with what he hoped looked like compassion. He had a job to do, and he needed her help. “Your sitter is out cold. I saw her being taken on a gurney. She’s my only witness, and she’s useless to me until she regains clarity. The neighbors might’ve seen something. I don’t know yet. What I have here and now is you, and I need you.”