Where the Heart May Lead: A Clean Romance (Harlequin LP Heartwarming)

by Elizabeth Mowers

  “Tully?” he said. “Just because you’re an early bird doesn’t mean I have to be. What on earth?”

  “Sorry, buddy. Did I wake you?”

  “What is it?”

  “I came by your place last night but didn’t see your truck.”

  “The evening went longer than I expected.”

  “I see.” Tully’s voice was serious. He was most likely at the station, working a case. He was a workaholic when on a case, barely sleeping until he’d solved it. He was a guard dog of sorts, his teddy bear temperament shifting into grizzly when innocent lives were in jeopardy. It was a quality that also made him the most fiercely loyal friend Charlie had ever known, and after Crystal, Charlie wasn’t about to take a friend like that for granted.

  “Are you at the station?”

  “I’m sorry, Charlie. I had a late night and arrived here a couple of hours ago. I forgot what time it was.”

  “I’m awake now. What’s wrong?”

  “I had a talk with Chief Marley, and we wanted to speak to you—”

  Charlie turned at the rap on the bathroom door. “Hang on, Tully,” he said, pulling it open. “Mornin’, sunshine.”

  Paige’s sheepish smile greeted him, her messy blond locks tossed over her shoulder.

  “Everything okay?” she muttered, glancing at his phone.

  “I should be asking you the same thing. What happened last night?”

  She shrugged. “Are you going to see Lucy today?”

  His eyebrows lifted. “Uh... I guess, yes. Why?”

  “I need to fit her for her costume. I’m going to finish it today.”

  “I’m sure that would be fine. Are you hungry for breakfast?”

  She nodded and motioned she needed to go in the bathroom. “I’ll get dressed.”

  Charlie slipped out before she latched the bathroom door. “Okay, Tully. Why did you call again?”

  “Did you spend the night with Paige?”

  “Yeah, but just to sleep. Her uncle...he’s dying.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that.” Charlie waited for Tully to continue. He didn’t know how many more times he needed to ask why his friend called before he spit it out. “Can you come into the station this morning?”

  “We can swing by after breakfast.”

  Tully was silent for several more moments before he cleared his throat. “Don’t mention it to Paige.”

  “Why? What’s going on? Is this because of last night?” Charlie asked. Tully cleared his throat again, but his tone was still serious.

  “Yes.”

  “Are you giving us a medal of honor or something?” Charlie chuckled. He couldn’t understand why his friend was being so evasive. This must be how other people, those who encountered him when he was on the job, felt around Tully.

  “You’d like that, wouldn’t you?” Tully said, his voice finally breaking into a chuckle. “I’ll see you when you get here.”

  Charlie slipped back into the room as Paige emerged, a toothbrush in hand.

  “Would you believe I actually have an extra one of these?” She smiled, holding it out to him. “Aunt Joan is a bit obsessed with buying toiletries in bulk.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Charlie,” she said, resting her head against the bathroom door frame. “I’m sorry about last night.”

  “I’m not. It’s not every night I get to sleep beside a beautiful woman.” She rolled her eyes as he continued. “Do you mind me asking what upset you?”

  Her face fell somber. “My world might be falling apart.”

  “Am I supposed to know what that means?”

  “I don’t even know what that means.”

  He contemplated her answer for a moment. She wasn’t the dramatic type, trying hard for attention or sympathy. Something had happened last night when he went for pizza, so perhaps over breakfast, she’d warm up enough to tell him what it was.

  “Who was on the phone?” she asked.

  “Never mind. I have an errand to run after we eat.” And with that, he shoved the toothbrush in his mouth, and gave her a wide, warm grin.

  * * *

  PAIGE TIPPED BACK the last of her coffee and studied Charlie. She had been so upset to hear about Thorne, she had collapsed with exhaustion into Charlie’s arms. She hadn’t slept well since the night Joan and Craig had suggested she look in on Lucy, but once she’d cozied against Charlie, she didn’t even remember falling asleep. It was as if nothing bad could happen if Charlie was there beside her.

  But in the morning light, over breakfast, she remembered she had to decide what to do about Thorne. She loved Lucy and as much as it would hurt, she needed to warn Mara and Peter about Thorne. Warning them would mean exposing who she was and what she had done. Given she’d been getting to know them and Lucy over the last few days, masquerading as a visitor passing through Roseley, they’d never trust her again. She was jeopardizing any chance of seeing Lucy again or perhaps, being a part of her life in the future. But she had an obligation to come clean now, didn’t she? If she truly loved Lucy, she had to tell them.

  Paige admired Charlie. He was oblivious to what danger lay ahead for her and Lucy as he smiled up at her from over his cup of coffee in the folksy diner. The Copper Kettle had a fair amount of charm and Charlie seemed to love it. He’d explained how the prices were low, the food was decent and the waitstaff didn’t try too hard. He’d made her laugh at a moment when all she wanted to do was cry.

  Paige considered laying it all out for him: who she was, why she was in Roseley, who was coming for Lucy. He could be an ally and help her confess to Mara and Peter. He could be another person to help protect Lucy. But every time she opened her mouth, her throat clamped in a vise. How exactly did she begin a confession like hers and what on earth would he think? She wasn’t just jeopardizing her future with Lucy, but with Charlie. Severing their connection would be so painful...

  As they drove off from the diner, Paige was so lost in thought, considering what she would say to Charlie once she worked up the nerve, she didn’t notice where they were until they swung into the parking lot.

  “Is this the errand you have to run?” she asked, sitting straighter in her seat. The Roseley Police Station was the last place she wanted to be and yet here they were, pulling up into the closest parking spot.

  “Yep,” he said, throwing the truck into Park and cutting the engine.

  “I’ll wait out here for you. You won’t be long, will you?”

  “Come on in. It’s chilly this morning.”

  “Leave me the keys,” she said, flattening out her palm with an urgency that made Charlie chuckle.

  “You’re not going to bail on me, are you, Freckles?” As she frowned at him and motioned for him to fork over the keys, she had to admit she wasn’t quite sure. He began to hold out the keys before jerking them back with a jingle. “Come in. What else do you have to do?” And before she could protest further, he hopped out of the truck and strode up to the doors.

  Paige wiped her palms down her thighs and swallowed hard. What else could this man make her do with that lopsided grin of his? Reluctantly, she slid from the truck and shuffled toward the door.

  Inside, the fluorescent hallway lights flickered like in a horror movie. She squinted against them and followed Charlie through a double set of security doors.

  “What exactly do you have to do here?”

  “Tully needs to see us.”

  “Us?” Before he could answer, they spotted Tully coming from a nearby office. He stopped short and waved them over. A hefty man, about sixty years old, rose from behind his desk.

  “Hey, man,” Charlie said, grasping Tully’s hand.

  “Good morning, Paige,” Tully said, nodding to her. Paige managed a thin smile as her eyes shifted to the older gentleman. “I want to introduce you to our chief of police, Ch
ief Marley.”

  “Mornin’,” Chief Marley said, shaking both their hands. “I understand you two are to thank for helping apprehend those boys last night.”

  “I don’t know how much help we were,” Charlie said, “but we were happy to do it.”

  Paige nodded as her eyes darted toward the door, looking for any more uniformed officers.

  “Glad to hear it,” Chief Marley said. “Look here, Charlie. Tully and I were talking about the situation last night and he mentioned you just arrived back in town.”

  “Yes. I lived out of state for several years.”

  “What are your plans for the future?”

  Charlie glanced at Paige before shrugging. “I haven’t decided.”

  “What are your plans for that plane of yours?”

  “I’m trying to come up with a way to keep it, if that’s what you mean.”

  Tully cleared his throat. “We have an idea for it and you.”

  “Which is?”

  Tully looked to Chief Marley, who settled back on his heels and readjusted his belt. “Last night wasn’t the first time we could have used a plane on the force, but it was the first time we not only had one, but were able to move so quickly to catch a perp.”

  “Those boys were too young to know what they were doing,” Paige said. “They’re not perps.”

  Chief Marley’s bushy eyebrows met together. “They were doing something that could have gotten themselves and innocent folks killed. The fact that you were able to give us their location so quickly probably helped avoid a tragedy last night.”

  “The force needs you on staff, Charlie,” Tully said, cutting to the chase.

  Charlie shifted from one foot to the other. “I don’t know what to say. I’d be happy to help whenever I can. You know that, Tully.”

  “No, Charlie. That’s not what we’re suggesting.” Chief Marley came around from behind his desk. “To be on staff in this department, you’d have to go through the police academy.”

  “Become a police officer?” Charlie looked at Paige, who stood speechless. Charlie didn’t strike her as the police officer type, but the more she mulled the idea over in her mind, the more she could see the possibilities. He was helpful. He was good at diffusing situations with his words and demeanor. He was cool under pressure. He liked and knew the area. It wasn’t a ridiculous idea.

  “Do you want to do more things like you did last night?” Tully asked, a sly smile curling the corner of his mouth.

  “You know I do,” Charlie said.

  “Then you have something to think about,” Chief Marley said, handing him a brochure. “They just rolled out an accelerated program. You can be in the first class if you sign up immediately. It’s not a lot of time to consider it, but on the other hand, perhaps it’s great timing too.”

  “Thanks, Chief,” Charlie said, grasping his hand in a firm shake. “I appreciate the suggestion, and I’ll give it some serious thought.”

  “Glad to hear it, son. And it was a pleasure to meet you, miss,” he said, turning his attention to Paige. “Tully has one more surprise for you.”

  Tully held out a copy of the local morning newspaper. “You two even made it above the fold,” he said. Paige’s stomach lurched as she stared at the front photograph.

  “Is that the photo from Holy Smokes?” Charlie said, taking the newspaper.

  “A little bit of good publicity never hurt anyone. They wanted a few comments last night about the police chase, and I still had the picture on my phone...”

  “It’s great, buddy, although I don’t know what we did that was worthy of all the attention.”

  Paige knew the mistakes she’d made the past few days to garner so much attention. But it was the attention of only one individual she was worried about. If Thorne had already turned his focus to Roseley, this picture would confirm he was in the right spot. There was no hiding now.

  “You look good, Freckles,” Charlie said, hip-checking her as he passed her the newspaper. Paige quickly scanned it. They had cropped Lucy out of the photograph. She could breathe a sigh of relief for that, at least. And they had only mentioned Charlie by name. She was, thankfully, listed as just a passenger.

  Tully led them out of the office and toward the front door. She tried to plaster on an expression that showed anything but the sickness she felt, but she knew Tully had homed in on her.

  “What are you two celebrities up to today?” Tully asked. Paige turned to Charlie, who seemed lost in thought. He had no idea how much this newspaper article jeopardized her and Lucy. She needed to tell him before it was too late.

  “You two go ahead,” Charlie said, motioning them forward. “I have another question for Chief Marley.” As he disappeared back into the office, she turned to find Tully studying her. His eyes narrowed.

  “When did you stop going by Willow?” he asked. She stiffened, the mere sound of that horrible name bringing back memories she had worked so hard to repress.

  “You don’t know what you’ve done,” she said, matching his dark expression with one of her own. Tully had forced her hand more than he knew. The more she thought about it, the more anger surged within her.

  “Tell me, then.”

  She shook her head. “I can’t.”

  “Can’t or won’t?”

  Paige kept her lips together to keep from spilling out every scary thought she had harboring inside her. Tully stepped closer, so intent, so honorable.

  “I’d like to let you pace this, Paige. I know you need to find the right time to tell Charlie whatever truths you’re keeping to yourself. Heck, you’ve only known each other for a few days. Who am I to dig the skeletons out of your closet? But I’m Charlie’s friend first and foremost so I’m loyal to him above all.”

  “You’re a good friend, Tully. I see that.”

  “A good friend watches the other’s blind spots, and he definitely has a blind spot where you’re concerned. My job is to make sure he doesn’t get hurt again.”

  “Again,” Paige whispered, recalling Charlie’s experience with Crystal. She was going to break his heart again. The realization made her want to slink out of the room.

  “Have you run my name in the police database?” she asked, her question shooting out of her mouth like a bullet. Tully’s surprise was clearly obvious.

  “What do you think, Willow?”

  She thought he hadn’t. Otherwise this would be an entirely different conversation.

  “I’ll tell Charlie everything he needs to know today. Stay out of his ear until then, Tully. Please.”

  “Why should I?”

  Paige glanced back at Charlie as he smiled and shook Chief Marley’s hand again.

  “Because I love him dearly. I don’t want to see him hurt any more than you do. Please, Tully.”

  She held his stare for several beats as Charlie joined the two of them. It was only when Tully’s face flinched in agreement that Paige broke her stare and clasped Charlie’s hand.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as he squeezed her hand affectionately.

  “I accepted Chief Marley’s offer for the accelerated program. It starts next week.”

  Paige slipped her arm around his waist and gave him a hug.

  “Congratulations.”

  “Thanks. Now I need to find a way to tell Mara.”

  Tully’s stare softened in a fake smile. “Good luck with that one.”

  Paige pulled Charlie to the door before Tully could change his mind. She needed to tell Charlie the truth about who she was even if she wasn’t sure how to do that.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  PAIGE HAD SPENT the morning quickly cutting out the fabric for Lucy’s costume using the desk in her room as a makeshift worktable. It had been an easy pattern, holding true to its claim that it could be completed in just a few hours. Even Charlie could have
figured it out, if he’d had the mind to. And though it was anything from a work of art, Paige could hardly wait to see the dress on Lucy.

  Before she had hopped out of the truck later that morning to begin the dress, Charlie had kissed her softly.

  “Are you sure I can’t talk you into a couple more hours together before I start my shift at the sports shop?”

  “No,” Paige had said, stroking the side of his face. “As much as I’d like to, I want to get this costume constructed so I can fit it on Lucy after school.”

  “You’re so responsible. She’ll really appreciate it.”

  Paige had shrugged off the compliment. Responsibility had nothing to do with it. If she didn’t complete it now, she’d never get it done in time. More importantly, she wanted a legitimate excuse to see Lucy one last time. She needed to touch her, even if it was within the confines of fitting her in a simple dress. Once she told everyone the truth about herself, she wasn’t sure she’d be allowed near Lucy again.

  Paige finished the dress in record time and smoothed it out, lightly steaming it with the motel iron. It wasn’t great, but it was pretty good.

  Her motel phone rang just as she hung up the dress to cool.

  “Hello?” she said, waiting for her aunt’s voice to answer over the line. But it was silent. No, it was worse than silence. She could hear breathing on the other end. Someone was there. “Hello?” Paige pressed. Just as she was about to ask again, the line clicked dead.

  Paige slowly replaced the receiver and began calculating. If Thorne had learned about Roseley the night before, he would no doubt already be in town, even if he had hit rush hour. But how on earth would he have found her so quickly? Perhaps if he’d called all the local motels until he had found hers...

  Paige began tossing items into her suitcase in a frenzy. She couldn’t take any chances. She couldn’t risk opening her room door and finding Thorne’s dead stare meeting her. If he made it to her motel before she left, he could follow her to Lucy. Her best option was to hope he wasn’t at her motel yet.

  Determined to carry her suitcase, the sewing machine and Lucy’s dress in one trip, she peeked into the hallway before hurrying to the exit doors and to her car. Safe inside, she fired up the engine before stopping and resting for a moment. This would be it. It was time to tell Charlie and Mara and Peter the truth.