Belong to You (22 page)

This morning, before her bakery opened, Ricki had brought over a box of Mike’s favorite, freshly made, pastries. She’d hugged him and thanked him with tears sparkling in her eyes and he’d hugged her back before she’d turned and left his office.

He couldn’t imagine Ricki not being part of the family and was damned glad he’d been in the right place at the right time. Not only losing her, but losing the baby too would have devastated the family.

Ricki and her pregnancy made him think of Anna again. He wanted to talk to her so damned badly. But it hadn’t even been two weeks yet. Hard to believe so little time had passed with as much as had happened.

“Mike?” A voice from the direction of his doorway caught his attention and he looked up. He was surprised to see Chandra Johnson, his opponent’s twin sister. “I mean, Sheriff,” she said. She appeared hesitant. “May I come in and talk with you a moment?”

Mike stood and gestured to a seat in front of his desk. “Come on in.”

When Chandra was seated in front of his desk, Mike sat and rested his hands on the desktop. “Long time no see. How’ve you been?”

She looked surprised, as if she hadn’t expected him to be friendly. “I’m doing well.” She tucked behind her ear a strand of blonde hair the color of corn silk before clutching her purse in her lap. “I saw that you’ve had a busy weekend.”

“You could say that.” Mike gave a nod. “What can I do for you?”

Chandra’s throat worked. “It’s about Chad and Anna.”

Mike held back a frown. The fact that Chandra had put the two names together in the same sentence put him on guard.

She bit her lower lip before taking a deep breath and saying in a rush, “Chad blackmailed Anna.”

A bolt of shock went through Mike followed by a surge of anger toward Chad that was so great he felt a vein pulse in his forehead. “What do you mean, Chad blackmailed Anna?”

Chandra shifted uneasily in her seat, her features strained. “Yesterday I overheard him talking to his campaign manager. Earlier this month, he told Anna that if she didn’t get close to you, he would tell the authorities about her aunt and uncle being here illegally.”

Mike’s skin went cold as he tried to process the information. Anna had gotten close to him because Chad had blackmailed her. Thoughts burned through his mind.
Anna, blackmailed. Forced to get close to him. Was it all an act? Every damned bit of it?

But then his thoughts switched to what Chad had done.

“I think at first Anna started meeting with you and working for your campaign office because that’s what Chad ordered her to do.” Chandra rubbed her hands on her slacks. “But I truly believe that Anna fell in love with you along the way.”

For a moment Mike felt completely lost. “How did you arrive at that?”

“Anna and I have been close friends since she moved to Prescott.” Chandra clenched her purse in her lap. “When I found out that she had gone out with you for drinks, I got angry because you’re my brother’s opponent. I hadn’t spoken with her for weeks—not until yesterday, when I went to see her after overhearing my brother talk about the blackmail.”

Mike said nothing as he tried to piece together his memories of his times with Anna over the past few weeks along with this new information.

“Anna was scared because of Chad’s threats, scared because you’re the sheriff and her family was here illegally.” Chandra leaned forward in her seat. “And scared because after all of that, she had fallen in love with you and she knew there was no future in it. She didn’t want to hurt you and she didn’t want to lose her family.”

“She must have been going through hell.” Mike couldn’t imagine that much turmoil going through one person. He clenched his hands into fists. “If Chad was here right now, I’d—”

“Do nothing,” Chandra cut in. “Don’t think that I don’t believe he deserves a good ass-kicking. But you’d lose your job and probably end up in jail. My brother may be a lot of things, but he’s also a damned good lawyer.”

Despite the fact Mike knew she was right, it didn’t make it any easier. He took in a deep breath and let it out. “How is Anna? I haven’t been able to reach her and I don’t want to stop by her house without her knowing I’m coming by. More for the kids’ sake. They’re going through a hell of a lot without a man in law enforcement stopping by.”

“Anna is doing as well as can be expected.” Chandra sighed. “Her busy season for her event business is starting up for the holidays and she’s trying to work on each event while spending time with the kids. She’s gone from a household of adults with two children, to being the sole support system for the kids.”

Mike nodded. He’d been thinking the same. “What do I need to do to get her to talk to me?”

“Wait until Thanksgiving.” Chandra looked at him earnestly. “That’s not too far, and waiting will allow you to spend time where you need to put it right now—the election is only a week away. It will also give her a little more time to get used to the changes in her life.”

“How do I get her to talk to me?” Mike asked. “If it wasn’t for the kids, I’d be knocking on her door right this minute. Hell, I would have done it already. But I don’t want to take the chance of upsetting the kids.”

“I’ve already invited myself over for Thanksgiving,” Chandra said. “I’ll tell her I’m bringing a friend. We’ll go early so you can talk with Anna before dinner.”

Mike thought about it a moment. With the way things were, it might be the only way to take Anna aside and talk with her. It would give her and the kids a little more time to adjust to her new situation.

He gave a slow nod. “All right.”

“Good.” Chandra beamed and got to her feet as she swung her purse over her shoulder. She hesitated, her smile fading a little. “I’m so sorry about what Chad did to both of you.”

“You aren’t your brother’s keeper.” Mike walked around his desk and stood in front of Chandra. He took her by the shoulders. “Thank you for coming.”

“You’re welcome.” She gave Mike a quick hug. “I’ll call you after the election to set everything up.”

He reached into his shirt pocket and brought out a business card. He took a pen from his desk and wrote a number on the back before handing the card to her. “That’s my personal mobile phone.”

She tucked the card in her purse. “I’ll be talking with you soon.”

After Chandra left, Mike returned to his desk and sat in his chair, leaning back into it. Heated fury still burned beneath Mike’s skin. He wanted to beat the shit out of Chad Johnson for all that he’d done to Anna, but Chandra was right. The last thing he needed was to be thrown in jail.

He didn’t know if it was wrong to surprise Anna like he and Chandra had planned it, but it was all he had right now and he’d take it.

Chapter 25

Her home smelled of the holidays. Anna took in a deep breath of all the aromas. Smells of hot homemade bread, a stuffed turkey baking in the oven and sweet potatoes in brown sugar filled the air. She’d also placed bowls of holiday potpourri around the house that made everything feel more like fall.

It was a gorgeous day outside, the air still and cool and the sky blue with just a few wispy clouds scattered across the sky. The weather was supposed to turn over the weekend, with rain and possibly snow in the forecast. However, today it was beautiful.

Chandra had asked to spend Thanksgiving with them, probably because she didn’t want Anna and the kids to be alone, and maybe partly because she was so mad at her brother.

Mike had won the election in a landslide victory and Anna would bet that Chad wouldn’t be pleasant to be around.

To top it off, during last night’s newscast, the reporter had stated Chad was under investigation for improprieties during the election. Bribes and blackmail were words that had been tossed around, but nothing concrete had been said. Yet.

Did the blackmail allegations have anything to do with what Chad did to Anna? Or had he been up to more than she was aware of or capable of imagining?

Karma
, she thought. Chad’s true colors had shown through all the wealth and power that he and the Johnson family had.

Thoughts of Mike sent pangs through her belly. She hadn’t seen him since that awful night and he’d stopped calling. She knew it was for the best, but the sense of loss was so great that it was as bad as losing her aunt and uncle all over again. She might have only known Mike for a short time, but her heart and soul had known him forever.

Pablo and Josie walked back into the kitchen from the dining room. They had visited with their mamá and papá via Skype earlier in the day. They spoke with their parents nearly every evening before bedtime.

“The table is set for five people,” Josie said. “Who is Chandra bringing with her?”

“I don’t know.” Anna put the fresh bread into the breadbasket and covered it with a cloth. “She asked me at the last minute and didn’t stay on the phone long enough to tell me.”

“What else do you want us to do?” Pablo asked. He had been so reserved since his parents were deported. Sometimes he acted up but he seemed to be settling into the routine a little better now.

“Why don’t you go play a board game?” Anna smiled. “It will be another hour and a half before we eat and you’ve done a great job of helping with cleaning and setting the table.”

“Josie only wants to play little kid board games,” Pablo said.

Josie put her hands on her hips. “Do not.”

Anna held her hands up. “You both like Monopoly, so compromise and play the junior version of the game.”

“Yay!” Josie bounced on the balls of her feet and clapped her hands. “I’ll go get it.”

Pablo rolled his eyes but Anna saw the hint of a smile. “All right,” he said before following his sister out of the kitchen. Just as he crossed the threshold into the living room, the doorbell rang. “I’ll get it,” he called out.

Anna went to the fridge and opened the door. She leaned in and grabbed a head of romaine lettuce, baby carrots, tomatoes, an avocado, and a bag of orange, red, and yellow sweet peppers. With her arms full, she rose up, bumped her hip into the door to close it, then turned—and dropped everything.

Mike was standing two steps away.

Tomatoes and avocados rolled. The romaine fell to her feet. The bags of peppers and carrots opened, scattering the contents across the floor.

Heat rushed to her cheeks and her entire body tingled as she stared at him, her lips parted in surprise.

His brown eyes were dark with an emotion she couldn’t read. She drank in the cut of his features, the power in his build, the strength of his presence.

Without giving her a chance to think or react beyond that one moment, he brought her into his arms, captured her mouth with his, and kissed her.

So much longing and need for him was built up inside her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him in return.

It was a deep, hard, and long kiss. There was almost a desperation to it, as if they could never get enough, and as if they might be torn apart again if they didn’t hold on tight.

He held her close, his hard body warming hers. He felt so solid and real yet she almost felt like she was dreaming. He was here and she was in his arms.

When he drew away, her heart was pounding hard, her breaths coming short and shallow. She stared into his eyes, still unable to believe that he really was there and she was in his arms.

He kissed her again, as if he couldn’t get enough of her. As if he was afraid she might disappear, leaving his arms empty.

“Anna.” He crushed her to him. “God, how I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” She placed her hands on his chest and looked up at him. “After what happened, I didn’t think I’d ever be able to face you again. But here you are.”

He rested his hands on her hips. “I would have been here long before, but I was sure you needed time to get adjusted.”

“I did. We did.” She kept her palms pressed against the hard wall of muscle of his chest. “Everything has changed.”

He brushed his knuckles across her cheek. “You won’t go through anything else alone. I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”

Tears pushed at the backs of her eyes and one leaked down her cheek. “Thank you.”

He wiped away the tear with his thumb. “I’m sorry you went through all that you did. I wish there was some way I could make it better.”

“You’re here.” She slid her hands up to his shoulders. “That is everything to me.” She glanced away, unable to look into his eyes for a long moment. When she turned her gaze back to his, she said, “There’s something I have to tell you.” Her voice wavered. “I don’t know if you’ll still care for me once I tell you.”

“Shhh.” He put his fingers to her lips. “Chandra told me what Chad put you through to get to me. I’m so sorry about all that he did and how badly it hurt you.”

“It was a nightmare.” She swallowed. “And since then it’s been like a waking dream I haven’t been able to come out of. Are you part of that dream?”

“I’m real.” He cupped her face. “You’re real.” He moved his mouth softly over hers before raising his head. “And I love you, Anna. I love you with everything I have.”

Her eyes widened and she felt like her entire body was aflame. “I love you, Mike.” She threw her arms around his neck and held on tight. “I love you so much. It killed me to know that I could hurt you. And then it happened, in the worst way possible.”

He drew back and held her gaze. “Nothing good came out of that night and I know you’ve been through hell since then. From here on out we’ll make it as right as we can and we’ll do it together. You won’t face the future alone again.”

More tears threatened to fall. “I love you so much.”

“Not any more than I love you.” He smiled and looked around their feet. “I never imagined this moment being in the middle of salad makings.”

Anna gave a half-sob, half-laugh as she wiped an errant tear from her eye and smiled. “I never allowed myself to imagine a moment like this with you. This will always be one of my most precious memories.”

“We’ll make lots more.” He dug into his pocket and pulled out a brown velvet ring box.

Her breath caught in her throat as she looked from the ring box to him. His expression serious, he knelt on one knee amongst the produce and opened the box. A beautiful solitaire diamond ring was nestled in the chocolate brown velvet.