Heart of Rockies 03 - More Than a Feeling (20 page)

D
amn, he was gonna miss this place. Sawyer took his time walking up the sidewalk to the Aspen City Building. As far as buildings go, it was a cool place—a historic brick structure with long arched windows, pointed eaves, and a domed clock tower that always ticked a few minutes behind the actual time. The manicured lawns and gardens made it look like a grand old courthouse, and even with the defective air conditioner, it’d been a great place to work.

Once upon a time he and Bryce used to pull pranks here. Once, after they’d been out drinking in high school, they’d gone and found a Porta-Potty a couple of blocks away. They’d carried the damn thing all the way here and set it right on the stone porch so it blocked the doors. To this day no one knew it was them. Though the police questioned a good number of the seniors, they’d never fessed up. It was one of a thousand memories he’d be walking away from.

He paused on the step, stuck in that thought. Things in Denver would be different, there was no doubt about that. He’d most likely work in a more corporate environment. Wouldn’t be as laid-back as it was here, that was for damn sure. And he wouldn’t know a single soul. At the time that had been the most appealing thing about the new job, but what about Ruby? What about that kiss? That had felt more like a
we’ll see where this thing is going
kiss. It went deeper, carried weight. Especially after what Paige had told him about her past. He’d never kissed a woman without it meaning anything. And something told him, after what she’d been through, she wouldn’t have kissed him that way—frantic and passionate—if it didn’t mean anything to her.

He wanted her. He wanted her like he never wanted anyone. But how could he fix things for her? How could he erase her past so she didn’t live in fear?

Damn, his head was a mess. When Chief had asked him to pick up another shift, it’d been a no-brainer. He needed something to keep him busy, especially since the kids would be gone all day. All the thinking about Ruby and her sorry-excuse-for-a-man ex was making him crazy.

He’d seen victims of domestic violence. Women who’d been battered. Those were always the toughest calls for him. Those were the only moments when police brutality felt like a good option. Having three women in his house growing up, respect had been engrained into who he was. Didn’t matter what she did, hitting a woman was out of the question.

Once, when he was ten years old, he’d been so mad at his sister that he’d hit her in the face with his fist. Only happened once. She’d gone down like a deflating balloon, and Dad had taken him by the collar. Kneeling on one knee, he’d jerked Sawyer’s face right up to his.

“Any man who hits a woman is weak, son. Do you understand me? You ever hit a woman again, I’ll hit you.”

Calling Sam a woman was a stretch, he’d thought, but he didn’t dare say it out loud. Dad had never gotten in his face like that. He’d never grabbed him so rough. That’s how Sawyer knew he meant it.

His gut roiled to imagine how bad it must’ve gotten for Ruby to run away. He couldn’t think about it anymore.

Resting a hand on the wrought-iron banister, he trudged the rest of the way up the stone steps and pushed through the door, plowing down the hall toward the station with his head down. Maybe he should do some detective work…look the guy up. If she’d ever filed charges, there’d be records. Sawyer had a lot of resources. Maybe he wouldn’t be that hard to find.

He moved faster, following his worn path to the station’s entrance, but before he push through the door, it flew open.

“Surprise!”

“Holy—” Sawyer staggered back right as about twenty of his friends and colleagues stampeded him.

Steamers crisscrossed over his head. Colorful balloons dangled over the station’s reception area. A banner strung across the wall read
GOOD LUCK, SAWYER!

“Wow.” He took in the scene as people paraded past him, whacking him on the shoulder, holding up their frosted donuts in a toast.

“We’re gonna miss you, man.” Clay Patterson, the school resource officer and police force clown, leaned in and gave him a bear hug, lifting Sawyer off his feet.

Everyone standing around them laughed as Sawyer fought his way back to the ground.

“Here.” Vicki Meeberg, the receptionist, shoved a chocolate donut into his hand. “You eat as many of these as Clay does, and he won’t be able to do that to you anymore.”

The woman had a point. Sawyer accepted the chocolate-glazed offering and bit off a hearty chunk.

“Thanks, Vicki,” he said, not caring that his mouth was full. Everyone knew she planned all the office celebrations. She’d been around forever and took it upon herself to make sure anyone who left got sent off properly.

“Surprised?’ she asked hopefully.

“Yeah. I had no idea.” He should have anticipated it when Chief called and asked him to come in early. But his mind had been occupied by Ruby. The woman seemed to pop into his brain all the time—when he was trying to sleep, when he was eating, when he was lying alone in that king-size bed in the cabin.

Especially
when he was alone in the king-size bed…

“Oh, I almost forgot.” Vicki rummaged in her pocket and handed him a piece of paper. “Some old man has been calling for you. Says his dog was stolen. He said he’s talked to you before?”

Sawyer studied the paper. Sure enough, the scrawled address said 4th Street. It had be to the same man who’d kicked his dog in front of Ruby. “Yeah. There was an incident a few days ago.” He didn’t expand. It hadn’t been official police business and yet somehow the man seemed to know who he was.

“Well, I told him you’d check it out today.” Vicki rolled her eyes. “He called three times. I had to get him off my back.”

“No problem.” He slipped the paper into his pocket. “I’ll head over there and check it out this afternoon.”

It would actually work out perfectly. Instead of calling Ruby he could just swing by and pick her up. Maybe have her pack an overnight bag…

He held back a groan. Thoughts like that were gonna make this day last forever. So instead of thinking about what sort of lacy items Ruby might pack in an overnight bag, he headed for the coffee bar.

Mike Ferris, one of the new detectives, stood nearby sipping from a Starbucks cup. “So, Hawkins, steppin’ into the big time, huh?”

“I guess.” Even though Denver was no New York or L.A., it definitely had a higher crime rate than Aspen. As long as he could remember, crime stats around here had been pretty low. Worst thing they dealt with were the drugs, assaults, an occasional accident on the highway, but mostly it was the black bears lumbering into town and helping themselves to the trash. There were minimal thefts, given the top-of-the-line security measures most people used to protect their mansions, and he’d never dealt with a murder during his time on the force.

“I just came from Dallas,” Ferris said. “Worked on homicide. Happy to get outta the rat race, you know? Ready for something slower paced.”

Vicki patted Sawyer’s shoulder. “Yeah, but Denver’ll be great.” He’d known her long enough to detect the forced positive ring in that tone. “I’m sure it’s not nearly as dreadful as Dallas.”

“Right,” Sawyer agreed. Denver was a great city—good nightlife, trendy neighborhoods. But even as he smiled, he knew Denver was no Aspen, with the expanse of open space and the friendly small-town atmosphere and the opportunity to ski every single day from November through April…

“You’ll love it there,” Vicki insisted, but her eyes reddened. “If you’ll excuse me for a minute…” She ducked her head and scurried away, heading for the box of tissues on her desk. Not that he was special or anything. She always got choked up when anyone left the force.

Ferris gave a shake of his head and shrug that clearly said,
what the hell is wrong with her?

“She thinks of this as her family,” Sawyer explained. And there were times it really did feel more like a family than a police force. Like when Nicky Alverez was diagnosed with cancer last year and they threw together a fund-raiser fair complete with rides and a petting zoo in the park. Or when Vicki herself unexpectedly lost her husband three years ago to a heart attack, and everyone on the force took turns making dinner (or buying something that actually tasted good, like Sawyer had) and going over to eat with her every night for a month so she didn’t have to eat alone.

“See?” Ferris clapped him on the back. “That’s why I came here. It’s stuff like this party that makes this job bearable. Havin’ a whole bunch of people who’ve got your back.”

Sawyer looked around the room. All of them had had his back at one time or another. Hell, when Kaylee had cheated on him, most of these guys had taken turns showing up at his door to take him out for a beer…

“So when’s the big move, anyway?” Ferris asked.

The question released a buzz of panic. What was he doing? What the hell was he doing?

The answer wasn’t pretty. Avery was right. He was running…from Kaylee. He didn’t want to run into her at the grocery store anymore. Or on the ski slopes. Or walking around town. Because every time he saw her, he remembered what he’d lost. He couldn’t even stand to look at her.

“Yo, Hawkins. You okay? You look like you just saw Patterson cram that whole box of donuts into his big trap.”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” he said, his chest tightening. “I just…need a minute.” Air. He needed air. No matter how fast he walked, though—down the hall, out the building’s double doors—he couldn’t outrun the truth. He wasn’t going to Denver to pursue a new life. He was running away from his old one.

The sun was blinding and bright, but the air filled his lungs and evened out his pulse.

“Hawkins? Everything okay?” Chief stood on the stone steps, shielding his eyes from the sun. “You’re not supposed to skip out on your own party. Vicki’ll track you down and have you hanged.”

He spun. “Not skipping out.” He couldn’t. He knew he had to go back in there and show her how much he appreciated this. “I needed a minute.” Clarity. Air.

Chief ambled down the steps and stood across from him. “So you’ve got another few weeks, huh?”

Suddenly a few weeks felt like nothing. “Yes, sir.”

“And you’re still dead set on leaving?” the man asked, clasping his hands behind his back in an authoritative stance Sawyer had seen his own father assume on more than one occasion.

“I have to go.” He had a job lined up. An apartment lease. Everything was packed, except for some of his clothes.

“That’s a shame,” Chief muttered, chomping on his mustache. “Thing is, Hawkins, Assistant Chief Gerke just gave her notice. She’s moving to California. Wants to be closer to her family or something.” He rolled his eyes like he couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to live close to their family. But Sawyer got it. He was having a hard time imagining what it would be like to live four hours away.

“I’ve got two weeks to find a replacement.” The man turned and started back up the steps. “You’d be damn good at the job. Just wanted to put that out there.” Without another word, he slipped back inside.

“Ruby, there you are!” Elsie stuck her head through the door of the kitchen’s tiny office.

Ruby immediately shut the laptop. Didn’t need anyone to see her doing background research on Yates and Timmons. As crazy as she knew it was, they were the only suspects, the only other people she could fathom who would steal from Bryce and Avery. Except she hadn’t found anything that said either one of them were thieves. In fact, aside from the drinking issues, they seemed like pretty good guys, judging from their Facebook profiles.

“Avery and I are having tea on the patio,” Elsie said. “Care to join us?”

“That sounds perfect.” Ruby stood and worked the kinks out of her back. After that encounter with Sawyer earlier, the afternoon had been crawling by. Every time she thought of seeing him that night—of picking up where they left off—her stomach started doing cartwheels. Somehow his passionate touch freed her to be the person she wanted to be, and she’d completely lost the will to battle her emotions. Sawyer would only be around a couple more weeks, and then he’d move away. He’d move on with his life. So what was the harm in spending the night with him? At least she’d have good memories. Maybe they’d be enough to erase the bad ones.

Anticipation swirled through her again, but a quick glance at the clock stamped it down.

This day was taking forever.

Tea with the girls is exactly what she needed right now. She followed Elsie into the kitchen and picked up the silver tray the woman had prepared.

Elsie hummed lightly while she slipped on a light jacket.

“What’re you humming?” Ruby asked. It sure sounded like a love song.

“Oh. It’s an old song. You probably wouldn’t know it.” The woman’s fair skin deepened a few shades of red.

“Try me.” Before she’d passed away, her grandma had given Ruby all her old record albums. The woman had been a sucker for a romantic song.

Elsie didn’t answer but continued humming.

“‘At Last’!” Ruby blurted. “Etta James.”

Elsie didn’t turn around. She simply led Ruby through the dining room and outside to the back patio.

“That’s quite the romantic song,” Ruby mused while she set down the tray.

“What is?” asked Avery.

Ruby sang the first lines, making sure to draw out the syllables long enough to ignite Elsie’s face with color again.

“She’s been humming it all morning,” she added, pressing a thoughtful finger against her chin. “I wonder why. How do you get a song like that stuck in your head…?”

She and Avery both looked at Elsie expectantly.

The woman brushed them aside with a wave of her hand. “Thomas and I were listening to some old songs,” she said briskly. “Lord knows they’re a million times better than the rubbish that’s out there today.”

“Were you listening to them before or after he took you out for coffee?” Ruby teased. Mysteriously, Thomas and Elsie had both disappeared after the kids had left for their riding adventure. When Ruby had called her cell phone, the woman sheepishly admitted that she was at the coffee shop with Thomas.