Discovering Love on Cranberry Lane (Island County Book 11)

by Karice Bolton

  “I think he lost his favorite dinosaur down the drain again.”

  “Well, you’re the sheriff around here. You’d better go rescue it.”

  He laughed, and we quickly hung up to Aaron’s continued hollers, and I laughed quietly to myself as I wandered over to the small window next to the door. I peeled back the curtains and glanced out toward the parking lot, and the sports car was gone.

  I let out a big sigh of relief and promised myself I’d no longer let my imagination run wild as I crawled next to Colby to hear his soft little breaths drifting into the air.

  I knew I’d tell the sheriff about my ex-husband on Monday. It could wait until then. I was sure of it.

  Chapter Nine

  The library was as cute as Fireweed Island. Large planters filled with yellow, orange, and burgundy chrysanthemums lined the sidewalk leading up to the main entrance. Two scarecrows leaned against each side of the entrance.

  “That one’s staring at me.” Colby pointed at the closest scarecrow and shivered.

  “He likes your outfit,” I teased, and Colby giggled, noticing he was wearing a near-identical flannel shirt.

  I pulled on the giant door and the smell of books wrapped around me in a warm embrace. The scent instantly brought me back to when I was a little girl and my parents would bring me to our local library. When I’d finally turned twelve, they’d let me bicycle there by myself.

  Glancing at Colby, I wondered if I’d let him bike here at twelve.

  Probably.

  “I’m so glad you swung by.” Jewels’s melodic voice echoed through the quiet room, and she smiled, waving at Colby.

  “I love the smell of libraries,” I told Jewels as we made our way up to the counter.

  “Me too.” She wandered over to the computer and wiggled the mouse a little. “Here for your library cards?”

  Colby nodded, and I took out my driver’s license and slid it across the counter.

  “Thanks again for letting us visit the alpacas.” I grinned, and Colby glanced in the direction of the kids’ section.

  “Can I go over there?” he asked.

  “Of course.” I patted his head and watched him trundle off as Jewels entered my information into the system.

  “We were so happy to meet you. The sheriff has been driving Jake pretty nuts the last week or so.”

  My brows furrowed. “Really? Why?”

  She flashed a wicked smile, and I cocked my head slightly.

  “He’s been talking about you incessantly.”

  My cheeks flushed, and I glanced down at the counter. “I doubt that.”

  “No, it’s true. I’ve heard it with my own ears.” She slid my driver’s license back to me. “And it’s the best news I’ve heard in years.”

  I chuckled. “He’s that much of a troublemaker, huh?”

  Jewels smiled and nodded. “He’s a great guy. Been through a lot.”

  I drew a breath and pressed my lips together. “I can’t imagine going through what he has.”

  “So, he’s told you then?” Jewels’s brows raised slightly, and I nodded.

  “And I don’t know how little Aaron is such a well-adjusted little guy.”

  “They’re both special. There’s no doubt about it. To lose a sister and a fiancée…” Her voice trailed off, and I stared at her in confusion.

  “The sister’s fiancé?” I asked.

  Jewels’s expression turned from sadness to horror. “Oh, wait. He didn’t tell you?”

  “Tell me what?” My brows furrowed.

  She brought her hands to her mouth and shook her head. “It wasn’t my place to say.”

  I slid my driver’s license in my wallet as I tried to put the pieces together.

  “Dwayne told me that Aaron lost his parents in a boating accident.” I stared at Jewels.

  She let out a heavy sigh and nodded. “That is true.”

  “And?” I prompted.

  “He…” She bit her lip and shook her head. “He was the officer on duty when the accident happened. With all the harbors Fireweed and Hound has, our police also have a marine unit. He jumped into the speedboat and came across the accident. He had no idea his sister was involved or…” She stopped herself.

  Silence clung to the air as if it were removing the oxygen I needed to breathe.

  “The boat was split in half. He saw Cody in a life jacket, still sitting belted in. The other half of the boat was already in flames and sinking. He got to his nephew and pulled him to safety.” Jewels’s eyes filled with tears. “And he went back to try to save his sister, her husband, and his fiancée.”

  It felt like my blood ran cold. My body turned icy, and my knees began to tremble as I balanced against the counter.

  “I had no idea,” I whispered, thinking of Dwayne and the heartache and…

  Jewels drew a deep breath and nodded. “He was burned badly trying to save them. It’s why he always wears long shirts.”

  My head spun with the news, and sorrow spread through me like a poison. I felt ill. I felt confused. I felt like I had no business toying with the sheriff’s emotions.

  “Are you okay?” Jewels asked, reaching her hand over to mine. “I had no idea he hadn’t told you yet. I’m so sorry. I feel just awful.”

  I looked at her and smiled slowly. “I think it’s better that I heard it from someone else so I have time to absorb it.”

  She nodded. “It’s a lot to take in.”

  “Dwayne’s always so happy.” I glanced at Colby, who had a stack of books in front of him on the ground, and he was reading one. “I never would have guessed.”

  “He’s been through a lot. More than I can even pretend to know, but the man has a spirit in him that makes people want to be…”

  “Better?” I asked, nodding.

  “Precisely.” She grinned. “And he’s given everything and more to his nephew.”

  “How have his parents handled it?” I asked, thinking to mine.

  I was an only child, but for some reason, we were never all that close. I wanted to be, but my parents tended to put their careers first, and I got accustomed to being raised by nannies more days than not. I went to an all-girls school in high school, and I met Marvin at our first co-ed school dance.

  “They moved to Fireweed after the accident and have been tremendously helpful. They watch Aaron when Dwayne has to work. They’re a really close family.”

  The shock was starting to wear off, leaving devastation in its wake as I thought about Dwayne and Aaron. They’ve both been through so much loss, and yet, they’re surviving.

  I swallowed and straightened my shoulders as I looked over at Colby again. Hearing what the Sheriff had been through made what my ex-husband had done to me seem very petty.

  “Thanks for telling me,” I said again as Jewels smiled in Colby’s direction.

  Jewels nodded and pointed at a poster next to me. “You and Cody up for coming to our Halloween party?”

  I looked at the poster and studied the photo. “Is that Jake?”

  Jewels giggled. “Yeah. He was determined to dress up like the Joker for last year’s Halloween party here at the library. I thought it was payback to put him on this year’s poster since he made me dress up as Cat Woman. Anyway, it’s for a great cause. We have a dessert raffle, and we have an auction on gently used books.”

  “Sounds great.” I grinned, wondering if that meant I had to dress up.

  “And one little bit of information you might be interested in.”

  “Yeah?” I smiled.

  “We also hold an auction that’s…” She looked toward the ceiling. “How should I say it? More adult?”

  “At the library?”

  She giggled. “Librarians probably have the dirtiest minds of all.”

  I laughed and knew Jewels and I could become fast friends. “Anyway, we have several single bachelors up for bid this year, and one just happens to be the sheriff.”

  “Wait.” My eyes widened. “The sheriff voluntee
red to be auctioned off to the highest bidder?”

  She giggled wickedly. “Isn’t it great?”

  “Funny how Dwayne never mentioned it.” I smiled.

  “He’s probably hoping Jake and I forget, but we haven’t. Oh, boy, we haven’t at all.” She wiggled her brows.

  “Well, I think that just settled what Colby and I will be doing for Halloween.” I laughed, shaking my head. “I can’t wait to give him a hard time.”

  “Music to my ears.”

  I spotted Colby carrying a stack of books in my direction, and I beamed.

  “Looks like he found a jackpot,” I told Jewels, who clapped her hands as he made his way over.

  “I found some.” Colby shoved the books into my arms, and I placed them on the counter before handing him his library card.

  “May I have your card?” Jewels asked, and Colby proudly handed it to her.

  She quickly scanned the card and all the books as my mind wandered to Dwayne. It was so hard to wrap my head around everything I’d suddenly learned about this man.

  There was no doubt we had a connection. There was chemistry running between us whenever we merely glanced in each other’s direction. And to say Dwayne was good-looking was an understatement.

  But he’d been through so much already, and the thought of leading him on when I might never be able to open up again made me question what to do next. I tousled Colby’s hair before handing him the stack of books. I wouldn’t worry about it for the moment. As for now, Dwayne and Aaron were coming over for dinner in a few hours and all that mattered was making something tasty.

  “Thanks again, Jewels.” I gave a quick wave as we made our way to the door.

  “Hope to see you on Halloween.” She waved back, and I nodded, grinning.

  I looked down at Colby, who seemed more interested in his collection of books than hearing about Halloween, so I steered him to the car, not wanting him to ask too many questions or reveal my sinister plot to fool the sheriff.

  As I drove home, I wondered how many women would be bidding on him. It wasn’t like I was made of money, and although he was worth well more than I could ever pay, I wasn’t sure I felt like spending our November food budget.

  “What should I be for Halloween?” Colby asked, kicking his legs against the seat as I drove home.

  “How about a dinosaur?” I asked, glancing in the rearview mirror.

  “Nah.” He shook his head.

  “How about an alpaca?”

  He giggled.

  “How about a policeman?”

  “Yeah.” Colby sounded super excited. “I’ll be like Mr. Wilson.”

  “Exactly.” I pulled in front of our apartment and helped Colby out of the car and handed him his stack of books.

  I quickly glanced around the lot and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary before we marched inside.

  The smell of stew wafted through the family room, and Colby ran over to the couch to check out his library finds.

  I wandered to the kitchen and checked on the stew in the crockpot and smiled, hoping they’d like dinner. As I reached for the flour and other ingredients to make biscuits, I looked over at Colby and my heart filled with joy.

  I couldn’t imagine having a better son, and I felt so lucky to be here on Fireweed with him. I also felt fortunate to have met Sophie and Jewels. I washed my hands and started on the biscuits as my mind drifted off to the life I’d left behind.

  I’d been so used to living in turmoil and walking on eggshells that it actually took this time away to realize that life didn’t have to be so…

  Dramatic.

  And insane.

  And exhausting.

  Even though I was waking up earlier than I had in years, working for hours on my feet all day, and coming home to look after Colby, the level of tiredness didn’t even come close to what it had been in a helpless, hapless marriage.

  And I just prayed that my ex would leave us alone soon enough.

  Just as I put the biscuits in, the doorbell rang, and I glanced at the clock.

  The sheriff wasn’t supposed to arrive for another couple of hours.

  I dusted off my hands and made my way to the door, peeking out the window to see Aaron and the sheriff standing outside.

  I let out a sigh of relief and opened the door.

  “Aaron said that Colby told him to come over early.” Dwayne flashed a lopsided grin. “And I didn’t really think it was necessary to see if it was true because well, I wanted to see you sooner, anyway.”

  I smiled and laughed, motioning for them to come inside.

  Colby hopped off the couch and ran over to Aaron, who was already peeling his coat off and shaking off his shoes. Before I even had a chance to ask Colby why he’d failed to mention this time change to me, he’d dashed off to his bedroom with Aaron.

  “Something smells delicious.” Dwayne smiled as I shut the door behind him.

  “Stew in the crockpot and biscuits in the oven.” I smiled as Dwayne pulled off his coat, and I hung it up on a peg along with Aaron’s.

  “I hope you don’t mind our coming early.” A dimple I’d never noticed before appeared in his left cheek, and I chuckled.

  I giggled. “I can’t believe the big, tough sheriff has a dimple.”

  He rolled his eyes and shook his head.

  “And I don’t mind at all. I had planned on taking a shower so I didn’t smell like pancakes and waffles, but—” I shrugged, and he laughed.

  “I happen to love the smell of pancakes and waffles.”

  “Well, then I won’t bother. Want anything to drink? Water, seltzer, a beer?”

  “I’d take a beer.” He followed me into the kitchen, and I felt his closeness behind me as I opened the fridge. I just loved being around this man, and there wasn’t a thing about it that was logical.

  I pulled out a pumpkin ale and handed it to him. “I’m a girl, so I only have pumpkin ale.”

  He laughed and twisted the top off. “I love pumpkins.”

  “Pumpkins and pancakes.” I laughed. “You seem pretty easy to please.”

  “I try to be.”

  I smiled and watched the sexy sheriff in front of me. He was so full of confidence and seemed so at ease, as if anything life threw his way, he’d be able to chew up and spit out with not even a second thought.

  My breath caught in my throat, and I looked away.

  “So, I found out some information about that reckless driver the other day.” His expression turned grim, and my stomach dropped. “I actually don’t quite know what to make of it.”

  Chapter Ten

  Dwayne and I had taken a seat at the dining room table. He folded his arms and leaned against the edge. His red flannel shirt pulled in all the right places, only temporarily diverting my attention.

  “It was a rental car. Some guy picked it up in Portland and drove it here. I checked around with our hotel and B&Bs, and there was no one with that name matching any local guests. Might have just been a tourist here for a day.” He shrugged. “Amazing how many bad drivers are out there. We don’t see it much here on the island unless it’s tourists or…Anthony.”

  My stomach tightened, hearing the man had been from Portland, but I didn’t want to worry Dwayne. I chuckled at his joke about our local rock star and drew in a shaky breath.

  “Well, thanks for checking on that for me. You didn’t have to go through so much trouble.”

  He pressed his lips together and unfolded his arms. “Well, there was something that struck me as odd.”

  “What’s that?” I asked.

  “The guy had actually rented a car from Portland three other times in the last two weeks.”

  Which would tie into the note being left.

  I nodded and glanced out the window to see mist roll over the Sound. “That’s curious.”

  He nodded, catching my gaze. “Probably nothing.”

  “Hope so.”

  Dwayne nodded and watched me carefully as the boys laughed down
the hall. “They seem to really get along.”

  I nodded. “They do. I can’t even begin to tell you how grateful I am to Aaron. I was anxious about Colby being the new kid in school.”

  “Sometimes, things just click.” Dwayne grinned.

  The timer went off on the biscuits, and I wandered over to the kitchen. Dwayne came behind me and looked over my shoulder at the tray. Just having him so close sent a tingle up my spine, and I glanced over my shoulder, smiling.

  “Maybe you should be the one to own the café.” He set his large hands on my shoulders and gently squeezed. A flutter of excitement ran through me as I thought about his fingers elsewhere.

  I shook myself out of the feelings washing over me and grabbed a spatula. “I kind of wonder if Sally is second-guessing her decision to open the café.”

  Dwayne’s hands slid off my shoulder, and my heart dropped. I liked his touch. “The place is bustling. It’s got to be a money-maker.”

  I nodded. “I agree. I think Sally’s bringing in plenty, but I’m not sure she’s enjoying it.”

  “That’s too bad.” He leaned against the counter and eyed a biscuit. “Where’d she move from?”

  “Oklahoma. All her family are still back there.”

  He whistled. “That’s quite a move.”

  I nodded, unsure of what made Sally up and leave everything behind, but we weren’t close enough for me to ask, and apparently, we all had our secrets.

  “Do you think maybe I should test one of those biscuits? You know, to make sure they’re okay for the boys?”

  I giggled, feeling pure giddiness run through my veins. My ex-husband never cared about what I made for dinner, what I baked, what I cared about. It was just… expected.

  “I definitely think a taste tester is in order.” I dropped one off in his open hand, and he sank his teeth into the moist biscuit, letting out a deep groan of satisfaction.

  Hearing the low moan of happiness immediately sent my mind to a place it shouldn’t go.

  “Why are you blushing, Miss Swanson?” His eyes connected with mine, and I giggled.

  “No reason.” I stirred the stew and felt the heat of my cheeks give me away.

  “Oh, something tells me there’s a reason.” He took another bite. “This is incredibly delicious.”