Finding Peace (Love's Compass #1) (6 page)

~

Tuck was last in line behind Laurie as they went through and got their food from the buffet set up on the kitchen counter. She chose a cheeseburger, piled lettuce and tomato next to it, and grabbed a handful of barbecue chips. When her plate was full, she hesitated.

“Is something wrong?”

His words caused her to whirl so quickly, she bumped into his chest. She struggled to keep her plate level and looked up at him, her face flushed.

All he would have to do is lean down and he could kiss her. With that thought, he took a quick step back to give her some space. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

Laurie shook her head with a laugh that sounded strained. “That was my fault. I was just trying to figure out where to sit and I wasn’t paying any attention.”

“Let me grab some food and you can follow me.” He filled his plate as well and led the way into the adjoining dining room where several chairs at the far end of the table were still vacant. He had a seat and saw that Laurie placed her plate at the spot next to his before joining him. The healing scrapes on her palms were visible but she didn’t seem to favor them.

Conversation floated around the table as several different subjects were discussed at the same time. Gideon didn’t stay in his seat long. He would take a bite of his hamburger bun, get down, and disappear into his bedroom, then come back in for another bite. It was something that Serenity had struggled with since he was big enough to get up and down from the table himself. She had tried everything she could to get him to sit still through a meal, but he truly was unable to do so.

They finally figured out that, if she insisted he sit down, he ate little to none of his food. But when he was allowed to leave the table when overwhelmed, he would almost always come back for more a short time later. At least they got food into him that way. As Grams always said, you pick your battles.

“This table is absolutely beautiful.” Laurie ran a hand lightly on the surface of the wood.

Grams beamed at her. “Thank you! My husband crafted it himself, many years ago. He used walnut and it seemed like it took forever. A perfectionist, Nicholas. But it was worth the wait. It’s my favorite piece of furniture in this house.”

“I can see why. Your husband must have been incredibly talented.” Laurie leaned over to catch a peek at the underside of the table. “Was he a carpenter?”

“No, though he could have been. He was a farmer back in the day.” Grams set her fork down and used her hands to form a rectangle. “He made a few things as gifts for people, and he made each of our children a small box to put their treasures in. But this table was the largest piece of furniture he ever built.”

At some point, Gideon had made his way around the table and was standing between Tuck and Laurie. “Hey, kiddo. What’s up?” Tuck placed a hand on his nephew’s back. Gideon looked at him and then turned his attention to Laurie’s plate.

She had two extra slices of tomato sitting on it, and it was clear that was what he was focusing on. Laurie smiled at him and spoke softly. “Hi Gideon. I love tomatoes on my hamburger. Do you like tomatoes, too?” That earned her brief eye contact as his cocoa eyes sought hers before turning them back to her plate. “Why don’t you grab that extra napkin there and you can have these.”

He met her eyes again briefly and looked at the napkin she talked about, but made no move pick it up. Laurie hesitated only a moment before she gently took his hand and helped him grasp the white paper. With a smile, she used a fork to pick the slices up and place them on the napkin. “There you go! Thank you for your help – I’m afraid I got way more food than I was going to be able to eat.”

Gideon held the slices with both hands and carefully carried them around the table to the empty chair between his mom and Patty.

Laurie took a sip of her iced tea. Tuck exchanged glances with Serenity and Grams. Their guest seemed oblivious to their share of information.

When Tuck saw the moisture that had collected in his younger sister’s eyes, he knew she had come to the same realization that he had. In the small amount of time that Laurie had spent with Gideon, she had gained an understanding that few others had managed to do.

They finished the meal and were cleaning up when Lexi grabbed Tuck by the arm and half dragged him into the living room and partway down the hall.

Hands on her hips, she stared up at him. “You need to marry that woman.”

Tuck was about to say something, but Lexi interrupted him. “Laurie is awesome! Did you see the way she interacted with Gideon?”

He felt his mouth open in surprise and closed it again. He blinked at her, unable to formulate a complete sentence. Finally, he said, “Did you enjoy some of your patient’s medication before coming over here tonight?”

Her laughter was immediate. “I try to limit that activity to Thursday afternoons.” She gave him one of those looks that only an older sister can dish out.

Tuck knew it well. She was joking with him, but what she was about to say was serious, and she expected her brother to pay attention.

“Look, Tuck. Laurie’s tough, she’s pretty, she’s great with kids – Gideon in particular. Not to mention there is some obvious chemistry between you two. She’s perfect for you.”

Feeling the heat climbing up his neck, he placed a hand there to cover it up. “Would you keep your voice down, please?” He looked behind them. The subject of their discussion was in the living room having an animated conversation with Grams. “You can’t play matchmaker, Lexi.”

“As if you hadn’t noticed her.” She raised an eyebrow at him. “It’s about time you started dating again.”

Feeling the pinpricks of a headache behind his eyes, Tuck took a deep breath. Yes, he had noticed Laurie. How couldn’t he? But the idea of dating someone and getting close to her petrified him. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“You can’t let what happened with Jana set the stage for the rest of your life. I don’t even think she would want that for you.”

“Enough, Lexi.”

“You’re right. Two years is long enough to beat yourself up.”

“You have no idea what I went through.”

“So you have no feelings at all for Laurie?”

He used her elbow to urge her further away from the living room. “I didn’t say that.”

“The way I see it, you can either take the chance or spend the rest of your life alone. Change your business cards to Bachelor Kentucky Chandler. Get Rogue a few brothers and become the neighborhood dog man.”

“You’re annoying. And bossy.”

“And you know I’m right.”

“You have to let me handle this my way. Stay out of it.”

A huge grin lit up her face. “Does that mean you’re going to pursue her?”

He cringed. “She’s a woman. You make it sound like she’s some kind of criminal I need to catch.”

“Fine! Are you going to try and win her heart, Prince Charming? You already practically saved her after the break-in. I would say you should be ahead of the competition right now.”

Lexi had always liked to boss him around when they were kids, but this was a new level for her.

“I barely know her, Lexi. Relationships with cops get messy.”

“That’s fear talking.”

“Maybe. But I think I have a reason to feel that way. I can’t go through something like that again.”

“Laurie isn’t Jana.”

Her words were like a punch to the gut. Tuck watched Laurie smile at Patty, pushing some of her copper hair behind her ear. No, she wasn’t Jana. Praise God for that. In a lot of ways, she was the polar opposite of his ex-fiancée. He turned his gaze to his sister.

“Stay out of it, Lexi. Please. If anything is supposed to happen between us, it’s going to develop naturally.”

She seemed to ponder his words for a moment. “You’re right. I just don’t want to see you miss an opportunity like this. You deserve to find someone to spend the rest of your life with.”

He couldn’t deny the truth of that. Laurie was amazing, and even though he didn’t know her well, he could already tell that she had a kind heart and a strong personality. Those amazing eyes weren’t exactly hurting, either. He put his arm around his sister’s shoulders and rested his chin on her head. “Tell you what. I’ll try my best to not push her away and to get to know her better. And you pray that I can manage at least the first half of what I just said. Deal?”

Lexi looked up at her little brother. “Yes, it’s a deal.”

His cell phone rang and he pulled it off his belt. “It’s Lance. One sec.” He answered the phone. “Hey, man, what’s up?”

“There was another forced entry. The boss wants us on it. Meet me at the station as soon as you can.” His partner’s voice sounded rushed.

“Will do.” He ended the call. “Sorry, Lexi, I’ve got to go.” He strode into the living room where everyone else was visiting. “I’m sorry I have to leave early, but I’ve got to go back to the station. Lance and I got called in. I had fun, though!” He kissed Grams and Patty on the cheek and gave both sisters a hug. He swung Gideon into his arms for a big squeeze before tossing him gently onto the couch. The boy laughed as he rolled off the cushions and landed on the floor. Tuck looked at Laurie. “There’s been another break-in on the other side of town. I’ll let you know if we find any evidence leading to the guy who broke into your studio.”

She chewed on her bottom lip and nodded. “I appreciate that. Stay safe.”

He gave them all a wave and strode from the house. Laurie’s last words played over in his mind and it tugged on his heart.

~

Tuck shined a flashlight on the broken window at Powell Elementary School. “And someone heard the window breaking?”

“One of the teachers was heading out when she heard it. She turned the hall light on and that must have been enough to scare the punk away.” Lance snapped a few photos. “Doesn’t Serenity work here?”

“She sure does.” Tuck didn’t appreciate seeing anything like this in his town, much less in a place that hit so close to home.

There was very little evidence since the person had not gone inside. But they did make casts of several shoe impressions in the dirt under the window before they wrapped up their investigation.

“What are you thinking, Tuck?”

“This could have been anyone. Most likely some kid who was bored.”

“I would be more convinced if we had caught the guy who broke into the photography studio.”

“So would I.”

~

Laurie got to her apartment much later than she had intended. The evening over at the Chandler home had been a huge success. She thoroughly enjoyed visiting with everyone and felt like she had made a great deal of progress with Gideon.

By the time she was heading out, he had even brought his favorite toy train to show her. Serenity had been the one to confirm the appointment for the photo shoot. She invited Laurie to join them for another Sunday evening meal afterwards. Excited about the business – as well as the company – Laurie had quickly agreed.

Her mind drifted to Tuck. There was no doubt about it. The thought of the tall police officer made her smile and gave her a bubbly feeling. She hoped he would be at the dinner in two weeks. 

She spent a couple of hours on one of her previous photo shoots, working the images on her computer. When she got too tired to focus, she pulled up her website.

She had been meaning to go through and change the look for a while. On the homepage, images of past clients faded in and out as the photo album displayed one after the other. The cute little redheaded girl with Down’s syndrome made her smile. The image of an older couple laughing at a joke only they understood made her wish to someday have a love like they shared. And the photo of seven kids – four boys and three girls – piled on top of each other with toothless grins made her laugh. She remembered the escapades of having so many children in her studio at one time.

Yes, she loved her job and she was blessed to be able to make a living doing what she enjoyed the most.

Laurie backed up all of her work to a small hard drive on her desk, closed the laptop, and readied for bed. She switched the lights off in her living area.

A clatter downstairs followed by shattering glass made her jump. Goosebumps covered her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She held her breath. Frozen in place, she waited for another sound. She heard nothing but the hum of the refrigerator and the ticking of the clock that hung over the television.

Emptying her lungs, she took another quick breath. She hurried to the front door, ignoring the protest from her ankle. After she made sure the door was bolted, she pushed a small bookshelf and then her coffee table in front of it. Satisfied that no one was going to come through, she sat on the couch and stayed motionless. When she didn’t hear anything else from downstairs, she realized that she needed to go check it out before she was going to be able to sleep.

A shiver traveled down her spine. There was no way she was going to venture down there by herself.

Out of nowhere, thoughts of Tuck entered her head. No, she couldn’t call him. The poor guy had already been summoned back to work tonight.

On the other hand, if there really was someone downstairs, the apartment could be next.

That was all she needed. She reached for her cell phone, moved a frog magnet to retrieve his business card from the fridge, and dialed his number.

~

Tuck had only been home thirty minutes before his cell phone rang. He tossed a piece of crust from his sandwich to Rogue. The phone number was unfamiliar, but he rarely got calls after ten unless it was dispatch calling him to work. “Hello?”

“Tuck?” the voice on the other end was immediately familiar.

“Laurie? What’s wrong?”

A pause. “I’m so sorry to bother you. But I heard glass breaking downstairs in my studio. I’m in my apartment and I’m ashamed to say I’m scared to go check it out. I’m sure it’s nothing…”

Adrenaline kicked in and Tuck sat his sandwich on the counter. “Is your door locked?”

“Yes, and more than one piece of furniture is pushed in front of it.” A nervous laugh came through the phone, punctuating her admission.

“Stay there. Don’t open the door until I call you back. I’m coming right over.”

He took another bite of his sandwich and tossed the rest to Rogue. The dog caught it in the air and swallowed it quickly. “Sorry to leave you again, boy. I’ll be back in a bit.” He grabbed his coat and headed out.

He parked a couple of buildings down from Laurie’s studio. Handgun out and ready, he quietly approached the building. The door was closed and locked securely. Using his flashlight, he illuminated the interior, scanning every corner and area of the floor he could reach with the beam. He didn’t see anything out of place. Then his eye caught what looked like a large picture frame that had fallen onto the floor. Holstering his gun, he called the number Laurie had contacted him from.

After he described the fallen photo, he said, “I don’t see anyone. I’m thinking it probably just fell off the wall. Come on down. I’ll wait here at the front door for you.”

He watched as Laurie’s head peeked around the door that led to the stairway to her apartment. When she saw him, she hurried across the studio and let him inside.

Eyes wide, she was breathing quickly and had her arms crossed tightly across her chest.

“Hey, it’s okay. Come sit down for a minute.”

Tuck pulled a chair over and helped ease her into it. He examined the source of the noise more closely. “It looks like the hook on the back of the picture broke. It made a huge mess over here.” He picked the frame up. The image had several long, white lines across it. “I’m afraid the glass scratched up your photograph.” He took the broom and dustpan out of the closet and proceeded to sweep up the glass and deposit it in the trash can. When he was done, Tuck went to stand in front of her. She wiped tears off her cheeks as she turned away from him.

His heart clenched in his chest. He pulled another chair over and sat in front of her, only a couple of inches between their knees.

“I feel ridiculous. I’m a grown woman, and I’m acting like a scared child. I’m sorry you wasted your time coming over here for this.”

“First of all, this was not a waste of time. Secondly, you’re not ridiculous.” He bent his head, making eye contact with her. Without thinking about it, he placed a hand over one of hers. “Laurie, you’re okay.”