Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) (3 page)

She blew out a forceful breath of air. She hated feeling helpless. And she especially despised that she was having to rely on Tuck to get her to and from the hospital. In an attempt to stamp down the frustration, she tried to focus on the events that had happened earlier.

“He took my backup camera and lenses. He had another bag. I couldn’t tell which one.” She worried her lower lip with her teeth – a habit she’d had since she was a young child. Her eyes opened wider as a thought struck her, making her pulse race. “I live above the studio. I don’t know whether he got up there or not.”

Tuck held up a hand to stop her. “Officer Davenport and I did a quick check of your studio. The door to your apartment was locked. It looked like everything was secure.”

Laurie pinched the bridge of her nose, her head aching. It was bad enough that her studio had been broken into. She imagined a stranger going through her personal belongings and shuddered. How was she supposed to feel safe until they caught the guy responsible?

Tuck pulled his car into the ambulance bay at Kitner Memorial Hospital. He’d called ahead and there were two people outside waiting for them with a wheelchair. They helped ease Laurie into it and rolled her inside.

They got all of her personal information and headed towards the treatment area. He turned to find the waiting room but paused when Laurie called to him.

“You aren’t coming?”

“I was going to stay out here until they finished treating you.”

Her eyebrows rose. “There’s always a lot of waiting. You may as well take my statement now. It’ll save us both some time.”

Tuck looked to one of the nurses who was escorting Laurie and ran his fingers through his short hair. At her nod of approval, he followed them back. The odor of antiseptic assaulted him and he wrinkled his nose.

Laurie sat on the hospital bed and was told a doctor would be in shortly.

Tuck hadn’t realized he’d been staring at her until her gaze shifted to collide with his. Vulnerability shone in the green depths of her eyes, mixed with a healthy dose of determination. He admired that. The clench of her jaw told him that she would probably rather go toe-to-toe with the man who broke into her studio, if given the chance. Strong and beautiful – a dangerous, and fascinating, combination.

She crossed her arms in front of her and shivered.

Glancing around the small space, he spotted a pile of blankets on top of a cabinet. He took one off the top, not impressed with the roughness of the fabric, and draped it over her shoulders. He was close enough to smell her shampoo and the light citrus was a welcome change from the sterile air. Purposefully taking a large step back, he gave her some space. 

She clutched the gray blanket together in front of her with one hand. “Thank you.” The corners of her mouth turned upwards just a bit.

It was the first time he had seen a smile of any kind from her. He tried to imagine what she would look like if she were laughing. He bet those emerald eyes would have more sparkles in them than the sky had stars. Yes, he would really like to see that.

He cleared his throat, returning his focus to the case. “Are you sure you’re up to this?”

“Absolutely.”

He took a notebook out of his back pocket and reached for a pen. He sat down on a small, hard chair against one wall. “Tell me everything that you can remember.”

Laurie sat for a long moment as if in thought. It gave him the opportunity to observe her. Even with her hair a mess and dried blood on her hands, she was truly a beautiful woman. He hoped it wouldn’t take the doctor too long to return and help her. He would go find someone himself if they did. The intensity of his need to fix things for her surprised him.

It was as though someone had flipped a verbal switch as words started pouring from her. She described to him, in detail, about how she had returned to her studio when she first saw the intruder. It was the most he had heard her say since he’d met her.

At one point during her account, Tuck interrupted her. “You saw the door was already open when you reached it?”

She nodded.

“If it ever looks like someone has broken into your place, don’t enter the building or room to check. Immediately go somewhere else and call for help.”

Laurie sighed. “I know. I always lock the door, even if I’m only taking out the trash. By the time I had convinced myself that I hadn’t been careless, I’d already opened it and turned the light on.” Pink dusted her cheeks and she shrugged. “I acted before I could think about what I was doing.”

“That happens a lot when we’re in a situation like that. Tell me about the burglar. Did you notice anything unusual about him?”

She watched the clock on the wall above his head, but her eyes weren’t focused on the time.

“He was dressed in dark clothes. I couldn’t tell if it was a sweat suit or something else. He had a ski mask that covered everything but his eyes.” She paused. “I remember him looking at me. His eyes were brown.”

She closed her own eyes then and he noticed that her eyelashes were the same shade as her curls.

“He was bigger than I am, but not nearly as tall as you are.” With those words, her eyes flew open and her cheeks flushed. “He was big, though. I don’t know if he was especially muscular or heavy.” Her eyes dropped to her hands.

Tuck’s heart beat faster at her comment. He found he really wanted to know what her opinion was about his height. To cover up his thoughts, he wrote several things down. “Good! Every little detail helps and you never know when one might make the difference between identifying the guy or not. Did he say anything?”

“Not a word. Not even a grunt when he shoved me down.” She pulled the blanket closer in the front, drawing her right knee up under it.

Tuck surveyed her for a moment and was going to ask another question when the curtain parted. A doctor walked in. The nurse who followed him brought a grin to his face.

Lexi smiled back at him. “Causing trouble, Tuck?”

“Aren’t I always?” He winked. “I didn’t realize you were on rotation tonight.”

“I’m covering for someone else.”

“There must be something in the air. Well, this is your lucky night.” He motioned to Laurie. “Meet Laurie Blake. She ran into a burglar at her photography studio and was shoved out of the way before the guy ran off.” He rested a hand on the nurse’s shoulder. “And this is my big sister, Alexis Chandler, R.N.”

Lexi smiled at Laurie. “It’s nice to meet you. This is Doctor Reynolds.”

The doctor nodded at her with a kind smile. “Let’s see what we’ve got here.”

~

Doctor Reynolds helped Laurie move back and lay on the bed. She dug the heel of her right foot into the thin mattress while he poked and prodded her other ankle.

“It doesn’t appear to be broken, but with this kind of swelling, you’re going to need an x-ray to tell for sure,” he said as he released her foot.

She let out the breath she had been holding during his examination.

The doctor took a look at both of her palms. He made a few notes in a chart and turned to Lexi. “Take her down to x-ray and then clean out those wounds on her hands.” He patted his patient gently on the shoulder. “I’ll see you when we get the results back, young lady.”

Lexi wheeled Laurie down two floors to x-ray. She was relieved when the whole experience was over. She was sure the tech had been as gentle as possible, but every movement of her ankle caused pain to shoot up the side of her leg. By the time she was back in the room, her foot was throbbing, and she was determined to sucker punch the next person who touched it. 

She thought Tuck was going to say something. Instead, he leaned against a wall, hands in his pockets, and his eyes on her.

Lexi pulled a small table closer and sat down on a stool. “Let me take a look at your hands and get them cleaned up.”

Laurie hesitated, really not looking forward to being prodded any further. “They’re only scrapes.”

“Well, we’re sitting around waiting for the doctor. You may as well let me clean and bandage them up.” Lexi winked at her and she couldn’t help but acquiesce. She extended her hands, palms up.

She could see the similarities between the siblings in the room. Both had hair that was nearly black. Laurie sought Tuck’s eyes and noted that they were a lot darker than his sister’s. She hadn’t expected him to still be watching her. Her pulse quickened. Her attention swung back to the nurse so quickly, Lexi stopped cleaning her hands and looked at her in concern.

“I’m sorry. There are some glass shards that I need to remove. These scrapes are going to be annoying for a few days. Make sure you put some antibiotic cream and wrap them as best you can. They’ll heal pretty quickly.” She finished cleaning them. After drying the damaged skin, she wrapped them lightly with gauze that she expertly weaved around the hand and between the thumb and first finger. “There you go.”

Laurie flexed her fingers. “Thank you, that feels better.” She meant it. She hadn’t realized how much they were hurting until now.

Lexi gave her a winning smile. “Good! I’ll go see what’s keeping the doctor. I’m sure you’re ready to get out of here. I’ll leave you in my brother’s capable hands and be back in a few minutes.”

Laurie looked up at the clock and covered her yawn with a bandaged palm. It was after midnight. Her body was exhausted. She pressed her lips together to ward off another yawn and tried to focus on something else.  “Your sister is nice.”

Tuck pushed away from the wall and took a couple of steps closer to her. “Lexi is very sweet. A little bossy at times, but I think that comes with the job.”

“As a nurse?”

“I’m sure that helps, but no. As a big sister.”

Laurie nodded her understanding. “Gotcha. I’m actually the oldest in my family. Chelsea is three years younger than I am but we had very little to do with each other. Gotta love sibling dynamics.”

“It makes life interesting,” Tuck confirmed. He stood up straighter when the doctor entered the room closely followed by Lexi.

The doctor clipped an x-ray onto the light box on the wall and tapped the image with a finger. “The good news is, you didn’t break any bones. You do, however, have a bad sprain. It could be a lot worse, but it’ll take time to heal fully. I’ll give you some medication to help reduce the inflammation and the pain.” He stopped talking as he filled out a prescription, signed it, and handed it to her. “I’m going to send you home with a brace to wear. It’s nothing major and it will fit inside your shoe. But it’ll help to support your ankle while it heals. The swelling and pain will go down faster if you take it easy and rest it as much as possible.” He jotted a couple more notes down in her file. “I’m also going to get you a pair of crutches. The more you use them to keep weight off that foot, the faster your injury will heal.”

Once her ankle had been secured, Laurie tested it by putting some weight on it. It wasn’t pleasant, but it was better than before. “Thank you both.”

They waited for the last of the paperwork and care instructions to be delivered. By the time she was told she could leave, she was more than ready.

Tuck helped her to the waiting wheel chair, holding her arm as she got situated. “I’ll take you back to your studio. If you’re up to it, I need you to look around and see what might be missing.”

The idea of returning to her apartment after all that had happened made her stomach clench. But if she had to go back, she was glad she wouldn’t be doing so alone.

Tuck helped Laurie into the passenger side of his pickup truck. Lance and another officer had dropped it off for him an hour or so earlier when they retrieved the police car. He slid into the driver’s seat and started the engine. The leather seat covers threatened to leech the heat from his body and he rubbed his hands together for warmth. He saw Laurie bury her hands in the pockets of her jacket. As soon as the engine started to warm up, he turned the heater on.

“Do I need to worry about the guy coming back to my studio?” Her soft voice brought his attention to her. He wanted to reassure her by taking her hand in his – a realization that shocked him. He gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep himself from reaching out to her.

“The chance of that happening is remote. I can’t say it’s impossible, but once someone breaks into a place, they stay far away from it so as not to draw attention to themselves.”

Laurie nodded, but he didn’t think she looked convinced. He knew that he needed to keep his distance, but his mouth was talking before his brain could stop it.

“Once we check out your studio, I can come up and make sure your apartment is secure before you go in if you want me to.”

“That would be great, thank you.”

They traveled the rest of the way to her place in silence. The street was quiet as they got out of the truck.

Laurie fumbled with the lock, her crutches supporting her. As soon as he heard it click, he touched her arm to stop her from opening the door. “Let me go in first and check everything out.”

With her eyes wide, she limped back a step.

He placed his hand on his gun as he entered the building. Once he had turned the lights on, he went through the studio and small bathroom before motioning to Laurie. “Come on in, everything looks fine.”

She entered the space and closed the door behind her. She looked at it, squinting. “How did he even break in? The door doesn’t look damaged.”

“Someone with very little experience can get through a door like this. I would recommend calling someone to have this lock replaced. I suggest adding a deadbolt. A sliding lock with a chain on the inside is another good option.”

She nodded and turned, trying to maneuver with the crutches. Tuck’s eyes went to the glass from the broken photos. “Do you have a broom and dustpan? I can get this swept up for you.”

He thought she might turn down his help, but she directed him to the closet. He found what he needed.

He got the mess cleaned up and then waited as she surveyed the contents of the studio. The large, framed photos of smiling faces seemed to be watching her, too.

It took effort to not go with her or offer some support as she limped along. Instead, he stood near a desk. His eyes were drawn to the mouse pad that was resting on the surface. A German shepherd sat on a saddle, a cowboy hat resting on his regal head. Tuck smiled. He tried to imagine his border collie, Rogue, doing something similar and had to hold in a chuckle. His attention was drawn to Laurie’s voice on the other side of the studio.

“He definitely took my backup camera. I had a couple of lenses in that bag, and a flash. He grabbed another bag and I can’t figure out what it was. I had my main camera in the car with me and the computer upstairs. At least he didn’t get a hold of those.”

Tuck’s eyes followed Laurie who, despite her ankle, was all business as she continued to go through the contents. She stepped back from a bookcase, triumphant. 

“Oh! It was my camcorder. I forgot all about it. I almost never use it. He’ll be disappointed when he sees it’s a model from about ten years back.”

Tuck had wondered how she would look with a true smile and he wasn’t disappointed. It lit her face and made those green eyes sparkle. The way her eyes crinkled at the corners enhanced her beauty. Her happiness was contagious and Tuck smiled in return. “I’m glad that it wasn’t anything more important. If you find anything else is missing in the next few days, let us know. Tomorrow, you’ll want to write down specifics about the stolen equipment, both for us and for your insurance company.” He gazed at the photos around the room. “You do portrait photography?”

“Yes. I take almost any kind of portraits. But I try to reach out and help families who have children with special needs. That’s my passion. I generally go to their homes because that’s where the children are most comfortable.”

Tuck’s brows arched. He immediately thought of his nephew. “My younger sister has a little boy who has autism. She’s never been able to get portraits done, not even when he was a baby. Do you mind if I refer her to you?”

“Not at all! Please tell her that I like to meet the family before the photo shoot. That way, her son might feel more comfortable with me.”

“My sister’s birthday is this month and it’s always a challenge to find her gifts. I really want to talk to her about this, and if she’s open to it, arrange a photo shoot for her. I’ll get back to you about it.”

“That sounds good. She can give me a call and I’d be happy to answer any questions.”

The gift possibility excited Tuck. He couldn’t wait to talk to Serenity about it. He motioned to the door at the back of the studio. “Do you want me to check your apartment?”

Laurie’s smile faltered. She bobbed her head, moving back a few steps in order to allow him to enter first.

He truly did not believe there was any threat. But it was clear she would feel more secure if he took a look around and it certainly didn’t hurt. He made his way up the stairs to the small apartment.

The first thing he noticed was, unlike downstairs, the photos displayed on the walls in the apartment were all scenery. One particular image of a field of bluebonnets caught his attention. She definitely had a good eye.

It didn’t take him long to check out the small living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom. He was back at the entrance quickly. “Everything looks undisturbed.”

She shuffled inside and looked around, a sigh escaping her lips. “Thank you so much.”

Tuck took his wallet out of his back pocket and withdrew one of his cards. He took a pen and added his cell phone number to the back. “If you have any trouble or any questions, please call me. I will help in any way I can.”

She took the card from him and looked up to meet his eyes. “You went above and beyond tonight. I appreciate that.”

The smile traveled all the way to her eyes. His heart raced in response. “I’m glad I could help. Get some rest and call if you need anything.” He turned to leave, her footsteps behind him. At the door to her studio, he gave her one last smile. She lifted a hand in farewell. He waited long enough to hear the click of the lock before making his way back to his truck.

Tuck met a lot of women in his line of work. But he had a feeling Laurie Blake was one he would have a hard time forgetting.

And that scared him.

He’d managed to go through the last two years without thinking seriously about a woman. That had suited him just fine.

In fact, after Jana had broken their engagement, he’d decided he never wanted to go through anything like that again. Maybe, if he had seen it coming, things would have been different. Instead, her decision had felt like it had come from nowhere. He could see the signs now when he looked back on the experience. But at the time, she might as well have hit him with a metal pipe.

Tuck shook his head, unwilling to let his mind go through all the details that led to their separation.

He would rather live the rest of his life alone than go through that again.

It was best to push Laurie from his mind. It wasn’t worth the risk.

He probably wasn’t going to see her again, anyway.

~

The mid-morning sun was bright as Tuck drove through the neighborhood where he grew up. It was a week into January, and still there were a number of homes with Christmas lights glittering in the sunshine. He had lived in Kitner all of his life. As such, he could predict, with a high level of accuracy, which homes would continue to turn those lights on well into February before taking them down.

Kitner itself was a friendly town of about fifty thousand. Situated in north Texas, it had a reputation for its fun festivals and helpful residents. Tuck thought it had the right combination of town and country with a lot of ranching that took place outside of the city limits. 

He parked and approached the front door of the blue house he grew up in. His eyes went to the basketball hoop that hung over the garage door, a reminder of his childhood. The hoop didn’t see much use anymore. He took the porch steps two at a time.

His knuckles tapped out his usual tune, and he waited for the pounding of little footsteps that he knew would follow. He wasn’t disappointed, and a grin tugged at his mouth as the door flew open.

With a mock roar, he scooped up his nephew with one arm. Four-year-old Gideon laughed as Tuck spun him around in a circle before expertly placing him back on his bare feet on the porch.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” His nephew held his hand as they stepped into the warmth.

Chuckling, he entered the living room to find his grandmother sitting on the couch, coupons scattered in piles on the coffee table and even the cushions on either side of her.

“Grams, one day we’re going to lose you in a wave of coupons.”

The older woman’s eyebrows rose, disappearing under the silver-colored bangs that fell over her forehead. “I don’t hear you complaining when it means dinner on the table every Sunday night.” She gave him a playful wink. “Now come over here.” She motioned to him with a wrinkled hand. Tuck had no choice but to walk over and plant a kiss on her weathered cheek. Not that he ever minded.

Gideon ran down the hall to his room.

“Where’s Mom?”

“Your mother is in the utility room working on the laundry.” Grams picked up the yellow swatter that was on the back of the couch. Her eyes on the fly resting on the coffee table, she hit it expertly. Several coupons blew off their stacks in the wake.

“Thanks. I’ll go say hi.”

Tuck left Grams to her coupons. It had been a hobby of hers for some time. She didn’t quite qualify for the extreme couponing category, but he had a feeling she was walking the line. It kept her busy, though, and none of them were going to complain about the money-saving aspect of it, either.

Walking down the hall and turning into the utility room, he found his mom folding laundry on a short, white table against one wall. “Kentucky! What brings you by?” She reached out and gave him a hug.

“I was in the neighborhood and thought I would drop in and say hello.” He chose a t-shirt from the laundry basket and shook it out, draping it over the back of a chair nearby to be hung up. “I also want to make sure you guys are keeping the door locked and the porch lights on at night.”

Patty Chandler set the socks she had been folding down on the table and turned to examine her son. “Trouble?”

“Not really. Last night, someone broke into a photography studio downtown and the owner walked in on it.”

She shook her head, her short hair that had more gray than dark brown flowing around her face. “Oh! That’s terrible! Is the owner okay?”

“Yes, she’s fine. She was lucky she wasn’t injured any worse.” Tuck tossed Gideon’s pajamas onto a pile. “It made me think of you all here. Just stay safe, huh?”

“We’re always careful. But I’ll be sure to mention it to Grams and Serenity tonight at dinner.”

That satisfied Tuck.

Four generations lived in the house now. His parents had lived there since Tuck was young. When his dad, Liam, passed away two years ago, his mom had been devastated.

Grams offered to move in at that point, having been through a similar situation when Gramps died ten years before. Patty was more than happy to accept her mother’s offer.

His younger sister, Serenity, had Gideon at the age of eighteen. It had been a difficult situation for her, her boyfriend at the time dropping out of the picture. Once he had been diagnosed with autism, they both moved into the Chandler house. It made it possible for her to work to support Gideon, while providing him with the consistency he needed.

Each of the ladies of the house had gone through their own versions of loss, and found a great deal of comfort in each other.

Grams often teased Tuck about coming to the house on such a regular basis for the food. He insisted it was to keep Gideon from being overwhelmed by all of the estrogen in the house. The fact was, the boy rescued his uncle from the same fate. The food was just a bonus.

He was reminded of Laurie and possibly having a portrait session done for Serenity for her birthday. He mentioned it to his mom to see what she thought about the idea.

Her eyes lit up as she thought about the possibility. “Oh, I think that would be wonderful! Serenity could use something like this. She’s been feeling down lately.”

Tuck had noticed the same thing and hoped the gift would cheer up his sister. He helped Patty finish folding the laundry and gave her another hug. “I’m going to go say goodbye to Gideon and then I need to get back to work. Holler if you guys need anything.”

“Alright, Kentucky. Be careful out there.”