Home for a Hero

by Heatherly Bell

  While she had a tendency to be old-school, preferring guys to make the first move and call or text, it was different with Ryan. Everything between them was out in the open and she’d shared something with him she’d never even shared with her best friends. It was sort of empowering to have this kind of freedom. To be able to call the guy instead of just waiting. And waiting.

  Her finger was poised just when Hud came in, holding his little dog, Rachel, in his big arms. He didn’t look happy.

  “Where are the dog diapers?”

  Zoey got back to work.

  Chapter 17

  Ryan had a hell of a Monday, with a complicated morning dispatchment in which he had to explain to Deputy Corwin that no, they couldn’t just pull random teenagers out of class and grill them about their interest in fire. There were more nuisance calls interspersed with hiring interviews, media interviews regarding the fires and a meeting with the mayor. He hadn’t had a chance to call Zoey, and before he realized this, his day had ended.

  To top off a bad day, at the meeting of the Boys and Girls Club, Ethan didn’t show.

  “He’s out of town,” one of the boys offered.

  “Nah, he’s taking care of his grandma,” Mark said.

  “He’s sick,” yet another one said.

  Good to know Ethan had friends. Nobody seemed to know a damn thing. Either way, Ryan, Aidan and the kids played a loud and raucous game of pickup basketball with the sharp pounding sound of heavy-footed boys on the waxed wood floor mixing with the squeak of rubber soles as they dashed from one end of the court to the other.

  The losing team, of course, had to complain loudly that they would have won had Ethan been there tonight to play on their side. Clearly, they had their priorities straight. Later, as Ryan helped Aidan gather basketballs to put into the net, he was paged. So was Aidan.

  At the same time.

  Ryan glanced at his pager and recognized the number. It was the station. He wasted no time phoning. Aidan waited nearby, certain they were both being paged for the same reason.

  “Had another fire tonight. This one nearly burned down an old shed near the school. We’ve got a suspect in custody down at the station,” Deputy Corwin said. “You’ll want to come down.”

  “You page Aidan, too?”

  “Figured it was an ‘all hands on deck’ situation.”

  Ryan slid Aidan a nod. It was as they’d suspected. Someone had been arrested. Maybe they could relax knowing that no wildfires would be set with intent. Now they could simply worry about the heat and dryness of the hills, which sometimes lit up with no human help at all.

  “Suspect name?”

  “Ethan Larsen.”

  Ryan cursed under his breath. When he got in his Jeep, Aidan following, he couldn’t drive fast enough. He wanted facts. Solid information. As much as he’d wanted Ethan to open up, he’d never suspected him. Not every troubled kid wound up an arsonist. But if this was Ethan’s doing, he’d be in serious trouble. If there was still no actual damage, the charges would likely be misdemeanors. The important thing was to get the kid some help.

  “Where is he?” Ryan asked as he arrived at the station, still dressed in his sweats and T-shirt.

  “In the interrogation room,” Corwin said.

  “How did this happen? Last we talked this morning you had few leads.”

  “Well, we now have eyewitness testimony from three people.”

  Ryan held on to his patience by a thin and unraveling thread. “Was one of them Fred?”

  “You know that. He was the first one to report seeing Ethan at the fire down by the hardware store.”

  “Yeah, I talked to him. Fred didn’t see shit.”

  “He said he did. Now two other people have come forward.”

  Ryan didn’t waste any time asking why he hadn’t been informed of that immediately. “You call his parents? He’s a minor.”

  “Of course I called his parents. They’re on their way but he wanted to talk to you.”

  “He asked for me?” Corwin could have hauled off and slugged Ryan and he wouldn’t have been more surprised than he was with that news.

  “Said he knows you.” Corwin lifted a shoulder.

  “He’s one of our kids,” Aidan added, referring to the proprietary way they’d taken to referring to the boys they were mentoring.

  Ryan hesitated only a moment. If he went in there and the kid confessed because he felt an odd sense of security with Ryan, he’d hang himself. Ryan couldn’t fully protect him within those four walls. Ethan might need an attorney. At the least he had to talk to his parents. On the other hand, if Ethan wanted to open up to him—and wasn’t that what Ryan had wanted all this time?—he had to show up for the boy. Even if, as sheriff, he was never off duty.

  Opening the door to the interrogation room, Ryan held his breath, hoping his instincts were right. Eyewitness testimony was the least reliable evidence of all. People often got it wrong even with the best of intentions. And he hoped like hell they had this time.

  Ethan sat in a plastic chair at the steel table, arms cradling his head, which was facedown. He looked up when the door opened, and the look he gave Ryan was enough to make him believe all those evenings with pickup games hadn’t been wasted time. There was hope in his gaze, pure and undisguised. It hit Ryan hard because whether or not he could actually help would depend on a lot of things.

  But he would sure in the hell give it everything he had. “You asked for me?”

  Ethan stood to his full height of six five and burst into tears. “I didn’t do it.”

  Ryan hadn’t expected that, and all the air whooshed out of him. He was back to his days as an officer in the army, witnessing recruits who were not much older than Ethan fold under the pressure of combat. He’d been unable to help or even sympathize because that was not his job. He was the tough-as-nails officer of his company, part of the infantry. A leader. Those who couldn’t hack it had to go. And he’d rather they go early than wind up on the field where the risk was life and death. Their lives. His.

  But the whole situation had never sat well with him. A leader should be able to help and encourage those who were weaker. Had there been more time and less war, he might have. Ethan looked like the child that he truly was, his body shaking in big heaves, the fear etched on his face far too real.

  “Where were you tonight?” Ryan asked, because his absence from the club that night did not exactly make his case for innocence.

  “I was on my way to see my g-girlfriend.” Ethan shoved large hands in his pants pockets and spoke between uneven breaths. “But I’m not really allowed to have a girlfriend. Anyway, I saw the shed go up in flames. I—I’d never seen anything like that in my life so I stopped to watch. I could already hear the sirens coming.”

  “Did you see anyone else in the area?”

  “No, it was already pretty dark.” He sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve.

  Ryan shoved a hand through his hair. “Okay. Don’t talk to anyone until your parents arrive.”

  “But you believe me, right?”

  “Do you enjoy watching fires?” Ryan asked, knowing he probably shouldn’t. Afraid of the answer.

  Ethan lifted a shoulder. “Not really. It’s not like I see a lot of them, and I don’t spend much time outside anyway. My grandma is the one who forces me to go play basketball.”

  “Stay here.” Ryan turned to leave the interrogation room but Ethan stopped him, a hand on his shoulder.

  “I swear I didn’t do this.”

  “I believe you.”

  The whisper of relief showed in Ethan’s blue gaze.

  “We’ll straighten this out. Just be honest. Tell your parents, and if they say it’s okay, then tell the deputy who comes in here after me.”

  “Thanks.” Ethan sniffed.

  “You’re going to be alright.
” Ryan clapped him on the shoulder.

  Best of all, Ethan appeared to believe it, if Ryan could go by the tentative crack of a smile.

  Ryan didn’t leave until Ethan’s parents, his mother and stepfather, council member Nick Jacobson, showed up. He didn’t leave until Ethan’s parents insisted on taking him home, stating that if the deputy had any more questions he could contact their attorney. He didn’t leave until he saw Ethan, walking slowly between his parents, turn to give Ryan something between a salute and a wave.

  Only then did he feel it was safe to leave.

  Chapter 18

  “Should I call him, or is it too late?” Zoey asked Bella, Indie and Corky.

  They were giving her the stink-eye, obviously, because she still hadn’t brought Boo back to them. But none had an opinion on calling Ryan.

  Zoey sat on her couch, a bowl of salted caramel ice cream in her lap. She wouldn’t be the kind of desperate woman who had to hear from a guy every day. They were still in such an early phase of...whatever this was. Crazy as it seemed, Zoey already missed talking to him. He was so easy to talk to and a good listener.

  She’d almost wanted him there when she confessed to Tia, but this was too much of a family matter. Not to mention terribly uncomfortable. She wouldn’t do that to Ryan. One mention of it and he’d want to be there with her. He was just that kind of a man. She’d known that for a long while, too, but she’d never known that protection to be directed at her. It was nice for a change.

  “He said he would call but maybe he just got busy.”

  Corky snorted and Zoey tried not to take offense since he tended to snort for any reason, good or bad. Zoey had just taken her bowl to the sink when her phone buzzed with a text from Ryan.

  You busy?

  Not unless one considered licking, um, rinsing out her ice cream bowl busy. She replied that she was just having a quiet evening at home with her pets, hoping that didn’t sound too pathetic. It was one of many quiet evenings she’d spent alone in the past two years. There was an old Spanish saying that went, roughly translated, Better off alone than in bad company. She had become accustomed to such nights, but now she wasn’t as satisfied with being alone.

  I’m in front of your house.

  What? Zoey shot up. She tiptoed to her front window and looked through the blinds to see Ryan’s Jeep parked at the curb. He was serious. What was he doing sitting out there instead of ringing her doorbell?

  Get in here, she texted back.

  He was at her door within seconds dressed in sweats and a T-shirt with Fortune Boys and Girls Club printed on it. “Sorry I didn’t call first.”

  She tugged him inside as Indie, Bella and even Corky came to greet him. Ryan seemed almost disheveled, in a way she’d never seen the always put-together sheriff. She took one look at him and thought maybe he had bad news for her. She wasn’t ready for this thing between them to end. Not yet. He had to give them a chance.

  “Is something wrong?”

  “You could say that,” he said as he pulled her into his arms. “I had to see you.”

  “Why?”

  “That’s it. I had to see you, and I’m not used to that.”

  “Not used to...what?”

  “I’m not used to having to see someone. Anyone. Like my day isn’t complete until I do.”

  Oh. My. God. She sucked in a breath, thinking that this was really good news. This was better than she could have imagined. This was salted caramel ice cream on a hot summer day. Hot chocolate on a lazy, rainy afternoon.

  “I wanted to see you, too. I thought about you all day.”

  “Yeah?” He gave her a slow smile. “What did you think about?”

  “I thought about last night. I thought about your tongue and how much I like it.” She smiled at him, shocked at how bold she was being.

  His gaze darkened. “You are killing me here.”

  “Not yet but give me a chance.”

  His hands slid from her waist to her butt. “Where were you hiding all this time?”

  “Me?” She touched her chest.

  “Who are you and what did you do with shy Zoey?”

  “C’mon, you had to know that I had a crush on you. Ever since I first saw you.”

  “Crush, yeah, but not...not this.” He met her gaze, his hot and stormy eyes melting her heart. “I used to watch you and wonder what it would be like to be with you.”

  Oh, boy.

  “When?”

  “Different times. Like at Carly and Levi’s Christmas party. Lou was drunk off his ass and trying to kiss you under the mistletoe, and you kept moving away. It took everything I had in me not to clock him.”

  “And I thought you never even noticed me.”

  “You’re hard to ignore, babe.” His gaze was pinned to her mouth; a thumb circled and played with her bottom lip. “Noticeable.”

  “I don’t try to be.”

  “I know. But you can’t help that. You’re beautiful, Zoey.”

  He kissed her, the kiss going from tender and tentative to wild, plundering and wet within seconds. She clawed at him, trying to climb him like a tree. Bella barked, which made Indie yark. And that was the second time Zoey had forgotten all about her dogs for a few minutes. She was almost another person with Ryan. And she didn’t mind this woman. This woman who knew what she wanted and who she wanted. With him, she was letting go of her inhibitions with someone she could trust.

  She moved him toward the bedroom, and as he walked with her he tugged off his T-shirt with his free hand. “Need a shower first. I’m all sweaty.”

  He went into the bathroom off her bedroom, leaving the door ajar. He hadn’t invited her in with him, so she decided to give him his privacy. Well, sort of. She gave him as much privacy as she could while she watched like a voyeur as the steam rose inside the shower’s glass doors, artfully framing his incredible and muscular backside. His arms were braced against the shower wall, the muscles in his arms bunched and tightened. He dropped his head under the nozzle and the water poured over his beautiful body. She suddenly decided that this new and improved Zoey, this she-devil that had sex on her brain 24/7, wasn’t going to simply sit on her bed and drool. Maybe he’d welcome some company.

  Stepping inside the bathroom, she discarded clothes as she went, tossing them on the floor near where his had landed. She’d never done shower love either, but like all new things with Ryan, this too felt safe. Comfortable.

  She opened the shower door and he turned to her, wearing a slow sexy smile.

  “Need some company?” she asked.

  “What took you so long?”

  * * *

  A couple of hours later, Zoey lay tangled in Ryan’s legs and arms, sated and satisfied. Yet she wanted something more. Something deeper.

  “Stay with me tonight. Sleep with me.”

  He went up on one elbow. “I have a hard time saying no to you.”

  “Then don’t.”

  “Are you actually going to let me sleep?”

  “That depends. Are you going to let me sleep?”

  “It’s going to be hard.” He gave her a wicked smile. “See what I did there?”

  “Ha, ha.” She tenderly kissed his pec.

  “What are you doing next Friday?” he asked.

  “Why? You want to take me on a date?”

  “Might be a good idea. And I have a party at the mayor’s house I’m forced to attend.”

  Zoey sucked in a breath. She could tell him the truth, that there was a family dinner to attend, but then he’d wonder about Jorge. He’d want to be there and feel guilty that he couldn’t be.

  “I’m...supposed to go out with the girls.”

  “Ah, guess I have been monopolizing your time lately.”

  “No, you haven’t.” She sat up and turned to glance back at him. “So will you go
alone?”

  His hand slid down her back causing a tingle. “To the party? Yeah, I’ve been going stag to these things for a while now. No big deal.”

  “Do women hit on you there?”

  In other words, as they did all the time? Pet stores, pet washes, and she’d heard the rumors about his being invited into homes for sexual favors, too. Word got around. People talked.

  He quirked a single brow. “Are you jealous?”

  “What? No!” She snorted like Corky but more sophisticated. “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Is it? Ridiculous?” He went up on one elbow.

  “For me to be jealous? Yes, because I don’t have a jealous bone in my body.”

  So that was twice now she’d lied to him. She was going to hell.

  He reached for her and pulled her back. “Remember when I told you I’d never tell you something that wasn’t true, especially in bed? Thinking you might want to do the same.”

  Her conscience got the better of her. “Okay, okay. I have lots of jealous bones in my body. About two hundred and six, to be exact.”

  He chuckled. “That’s better. For the record, I’m also a jealous man. I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

  “Of course not, and you won’t.” Her heart now squishy and warm and, she had to face it, just a pink puddle of goo, she had to confess. “I’m not going out with the girls Friday. I’m supposed to go to my aunt’s for dinner.”

  “Now why wouldn’t you tell me that?” His brow furrowed, and he appeared genuinely confused.

  “Because...my mother is going to be there, too. And probably that man.”

  “And you’re worried I’ll want to knock him out.”

  “Maybe a little?” She sighed against his neck. “I’m finally going to tell her.”

  He squeezed her tight. “You have to.

  “But I don’t want you to think you have to be there. You have obligations as a sheriff for a while longer and this party sounds important.”