Honeysuckle Summer (7 page)

His eyes filled with humor, Carter leaned down and pressed a kiss to her cheek. “See you soon. I think next time I’ll leave the girls at home.”

“Don’t,” Raylene said with heartfelt urgency. Because as long as he brought chaperones along, there was no chance he’d act on that unexpected glint of desire she’d seen in his eyes.

He met her gaze, his expression knowing. “We’ll see.”

After they’d gone, Raylene had to steady herself
before she could even take the few steps into the living room. No man had left her weak kneed like that in years. Sarah regarded her with amusement.

“Living with you has suddenly gotten very interesting,” she said.

“Bite me,” Raylene retorted.

Sarah merely laughed. “I hope you’ll remember to thank Tommy at the wedding.”

“Excuse me?”

“If he hadn’t tried to chase after the ice-cream truck that day, who knows how long it would have taken before the two of you crossed paths. You owe my son.”

“You actually think what’s going on here is some kind of blessing?”

“I do. You haven’t looked this rattled or this excited since you came back to town.”

“Maybe I don’t want to be rattled or excited,” Raylene grumbled.

“Doesn’t matter. Fate doesn’t always wait around until you’re ready. It’s time to start living again, sweet pea.”

“This has nothing to do with fate,” Raylene declared emphatically.

“Kismet? Destiny?”

“Insanity,” Raylene corrected. “The man thinks he’s falling for a woman who’s locked away in some emotional prison and it’s his job to save her.”

“Very romantic, if you ask me.”

“No, it’s nuts,” Raylene insisted.

And maybe, if she were being totally honest, just a little bit romantic.

Carter had been on patrol all morning on the opposite side of the county from Serenity, mostly
driving up and down the streets of some of the new developments that were being built. It seemed a shame to see so much rural land being gobbled up by cookie cutter houses, but the region was growing. He supposed there was no way to stop progress.

When his cell phone rang, he was surprised to hear Mayor Lewis’s voice.

“Son, do you have time for a break?” Howard asked. “There’s something I’d like to discuss with you. It’s important.”

“It shouldn’t be a problem. Let me check in with dispatch. Where’d you want to meet?”

“Wharton’s is as good a place as any, if that’s convenient for you. I’ll go now and get us a table.”

“Can I call you back on this number if there’s a problem?” Carter asked.

“You do that. Otherwise, I’ll see you when you get here. No rush. There’s always someone around I can talk to.”

Carter cleared the break with Gayle, then drove to Serenity. Since it was close to lunchtime, most of the parking spaces in front of Wharton’s were occupied, so he parked over on Azalea near the radio station. As he passed the studio with its view of the town green, he waved at Sarah, who was still on the air. She gave him a thumbs-up. A couple of other people he recognized gave him knowing looks, as if they were in on some secret he wasn’t yet privy to.

When he walked into Wharton’s, the men sitting with the mayor immediately got up, shook his hand as Howard introduced him, then moved to another table.

“You didn’t invite me over here for a casual chat,
did you?” he asked Howard, who had a discernible glint in his eyes.

“Nope. I did tell you it was important, didn’t I?”

That part had slipped Carter’s mind. Maybe he’d just mistakenly assumed that everything was important to Howard. “What’s going on?”

“Haven’t seen you at any of our town meetings, so I’m guessing you don’t pay a lot of attention to local politics, is that right?” Howard asked.

“I’ve read the local paper, but that’s about it. The move over here came up pretty quickly. I’ve been busy settling into my job and getting my sisters settled in school. I wanted to be sure they met some kids their own age before school let out for the summer.”

“As it should be,” Howard said. “You may not know just how much this town has grown recently. Development in the county’s taken off, too.”

“Now,
that
I do know,” Carter said. “I was just patrolling out at the Oak Haven and Willow Creek developments. Once those houses sell, it wouldn’t surprise me if the county doesn’t need another new elementary school at least.”

“Already being discussed,” Howard confirmed. “And here in town, we’ve been talking about wanting to start our own police department. The sheriff’s going to have his hands full with all the outlying areas, and we want a department that’s accountable to the folks right here in town.”

“Makes sense,” Carter said. He knew firsthand that the sheriff’s department was stretched thin trying to cover an increasingly populated region. So far, there’d been no local tax dollars allocated to add new deputies. His own job had been created because the
county had gotten federal stimulus money to add an extra deputy.

“What would you think about taking on the job of chief and building the police department here from the ground up?” Howard asked.

Carter sat back in shock. “You’re considering me for the job? Why? I barely know my way around the region.”

Howard leaned forward. “Here’s the way I see it. You’re young. You’re energetic. And you’re sensitive. I liked what I saw and what I heard about the incident with Tommy Price. You didn’t just go through the motions. You cared about what happened to that boy.”

“And I also jumped to conclusions and misjudged Raylene,” Carter reminded him.

“The way I hear it, you’ve apologized. I admire a man who can admit his mistakes, who doesn’t pretend to be perfect. It’s a good quality to have in a leader. You’ll listen, and I’ll bet you won’t be leaping to any more conclusions.”

“You really think I’m the right man for this job?” Carter asked, still incredulous that a relative stranger would be the town’s choice.

“I do,” Howard said emphatically. “And I’m not alone. The sheriff and I have talked and he backs up my thoughts about this. So do most of the council. Tom McDonald’s our town manager and you’d be reporting to him, so the two of you need to talk some more. You should spend some time thinking about how you’d see a police force being created, what kind of staff you’d need, the kind of equipment. Tom has a rough idea of our budget. You two can sit down and compare notes, hash out the details. That is, if you’re interested.”

Carter didn’t have to think about it for long. “I’m interested,” he said at once.

Starting a department would be a challenge. While it would probably entail a lot more paperwork than he’d prefer, it might also give him more regular hours, which would give him more time with Carrie and Mandy. As safe as the area was, he still hadn’t been looking forward to leaving them at home alone when he had the night-shift rotation.

Howard nodded with satisfaction, then looked Carter directly in the eye. “One thing you should know. We’re going to want a decent commitment from you. If you have any reason to think you’re going to want to leave for a bigger police force anytime soon, then we should call this off now.”

“I understand. And I’m sure you’re aware that I left a bigger police force to come here. I have no desire to go back. My younger sister won’t graduate for another four years, and I intend for it to be from Serenity High School.”

“Good to know. I’ll tell Tom to expect your call. I’ll get him working on the details of an offer, and we’ll see if we can’t move this along. Council will have to approve your deal and a budget for the department before we can go forward, but I don’t anticipate any problems. The sheriff will work with us on a timetable.”

“Thank you for thinking of me, Mayor Lewis.”

“Call me Howard. I’m looking forward to working with you, son.”

Carter walked slowly back to his cruiser. When he neared the radio station, Sarah was off the air. She’d apparently been in the studio and had seen him, though, because she popped her head out the door.

“Did you say yes?” she asked.

He regarded her innocently. “To what?”

“The chief’s job. I know Howard was going to talk to you about it.”

“Now, how did you know a thing like that?”

She gave him a pitying look. “You really haven’t been here long, have you? Small town, active grapevine. Grace Wharton knows everything, and now that I’m on the air here, I’m the first person she likes to tell.”

“So all of Serenity will know about me maybe taking the job of Serenity police chief by tomorrow morning when you go back on the air?”

“I’d say sooner than that. It’s lunch hour at Wharton’s. Grace has probably told most folks already that you and Howard were huddled together over coffee.”

“Are there any secrets in a place like this?”

“Not for long,” Sarah said. Her expression sobered. “Which is why if you’re not serious about Raylene, you should probably back off. The word’s already out that you’ve been hanging around. It’ll embarrass her if it turns out you’re playing some kind of game.”

He frowned at the suggestion. “Why would I be playing games?”

“You wouldn’t be the first man who couldn’t resist a challenge.”

“I’m not interested because she’s a challenge,” he said. “You’re selling her short.”

“Not me,” Sarah said. “I know Raylene. I know how amazing she is.”

“And I’m just starting to figure that out.” His gaze steady, he gave her a warning. “Keep an eye on me, if you feel the need to, but don’t make the same mistake
I did with Raylene and jump to conclusions. It would be a disservice to Raylene and to me.”

To his surprise, she beamed at him. “Good answer. You dropping by later to share your news?”

“If the Serenity grapevine is so hot, what makes you think she hasn’t already heard?”

“She probably has, but I’m sure she’d like to hear the details straight from the horse’s mouth.”

“Then I’ll be sure to drop by on my way home.”

In fact, he thought, it would be the perfect ending to a very surprising day.

R
aylene had baked three batches of cookies that afternoon, rather than the single batch of chocolate chip she usually made at midweek. She knew it was probably ridiculous to be baking extras just in case Carter came by, but she hadn’t been able to stop herself. She’d even lined an extra tin with foil, then packed it with an assortment of not only chocolate-chip cookies, but oatmeal raisin and sugar cookies as well.

After she’d closed the lid, she shook her head. Was she just a little smitten, after all? It had been a very long time since she’d been tempted to make a sweet gesture to impress a man. Her attempts to please Paul with special desserts or gourmet meals had never had the desired effect. Most of the time he’d found some way to demean her best efforts and make her feel like an idiot for even trying.

Ironically, the result had been that she’d tried harder. She owned more cookbooks than most women accumulated in a lifetime. She experimented constantly with new recipes. Now she had an appreciative crowd at the dinner table each evening. Even Tommy seemed to love her cooking almost as much as he liked hot dogs and pizza.

Tonight she was making an easy beef Stroganoff recipe. The meat had been simmering in a slow cooker most of the day. There was enough to feed an army.

When Sarah walked in the door, she sniffed the air appreciatively. “Stroganoff?”

Raylene nodded.

“Perfect. There’s bound to be enough for company.”

“Company? Is Annie coming over and bringing the kids? Not that the baby is eating real food yet, but Trevor can eat his own weight. He’s exactly like Ty was when we were kids.”

“He can, indeed, but they’re not coming over.” Sarah’s eyes glinted with mischief. “This is guy company.”

“Travis isn’t company.”

“No, he isn’t, but Carter is.”

Raylene’s gaze narrowed. “What makes you think Carter’s coming by? Did you invite him? I told you not to interfere in this.”

“No interfering,” Sarah swore. “I saw him earlier. He has news he wants to share.”

“Tell me,” Raylene commanded.

“Not me. It’s his news.”

“Since when have you ever kept hot-off-the-presses news to yourself? It’s not in your genetic makeup.”

“I’m reforming,” Sarah said airily. “When he gets here, why don’t you tell him to invite his sisters over, too. We should celebrate.”

“Celebrate what?”

Sarah merely grinned. “I’m going to take the kids for a walk before dinner. That’ll give you time alone with Carter when he arrives.”

“And what if I don’t want time alone with Carter?”
Raylene demanded, trying to keep a frantic note out of her voice. Of course, the problem was that she did want to spend time with him. She just didn’t think it wise.

Sarah shook her head sorrowfully. “Then I’ll tell Dr. McDaniels you really do have a screw loose.”

Raylene scowled at her. “You are not amusing.”

“Not trying to be. Hiding inside is one thing. You can’t help that. Ignoring a hot man who’s definitely interested in you would be flat-out wrong.”

“I don’t think he’s going to let me ignore him,” Raylene said, then groaned when the doorbell rang. “My gentleman caller, I assume.”

Sarah grinned. “That would be my guess. I’ll let him in, then take the kids and scram. Dinner in an hour?”

“If you say so,” Raylene grumbled. “I hope he can at least make a salad.”

She heard Sarah and Carter exchanging a few words, and then he was in the kitchen. Even though she’d known he was on his way in, seeing him was still a shock to her system. The man could probably thaw a roast with one of those searing looks he tended to give her. As it was, her blood sizzled in ways it hadn’t in a very long time. The reaction was troubling because she wasn’t entirely sure, when push came to shove, if she’d be able to respond to a man’s touch ever again. That was just one more thing to worry about, when she already had her hands full dealing with therapy.

Before he could say a word, she moved a bowl in his direction, then pointed to the raw vegetables she’d assembled. “You’re on salad duty,” she told him. “And if you want to invite Carrie and Mandy, then you’ll need to make a big one.”

He blinked at the order. “Am I invited for dinner?”

“Sarah says you are. She thinks the girls should come, too. Something about a celebration.” She finally dared to meet his gaze. “What’s that about? She wouldn’t tell me.”

He chuckled. “That must have killed her.”

Raylene couldn’t stop her own grin. “More than likely. She says she took the kids for a walk to give us time alone, but I think it’s because she was terrified she was going to spill the beans.”

“Time alone, huh?”

He seemed a little too intrigued by the thought. Raylene frowned at him. “Don’t be getting any ideas, buster. She thought you had something to tell me.”

“I do, as a matter of fact. Let me call the house and tell Carrie and Mandy to ride their bikes over, then I’ll tell you.”

“Do they know?”

He shook his head and gestured to his uniform. “I haven’t been home yet. I came straight here when I went off duty.”

“Then wait until they get here and tell us all at once,” she suggested. “And in the meantime you need to get busy on that salad.”

Carter eyed the vegetables with dismay. “Not my area of expertise. Maybe you should wait and teach the girls.”

Raylene put her hands on her hips. “You can’t even make a salad?”

He looked sheepish. “Sorry, no.”

“That is just pitiful.”

“Tell me about it. I hadn’t planned on being what amounts to a single dad.”

“What does that have to do with anything? You eat,
don’t you? What were you doing for meals before your folks died?”

“I went to restaurants or threw myself on my mom’s mercy,” he admitted, then added with a grin, “And then there were those women who were trying to impress me.”

She shook her head. “Well, that’s about to change. As soon as you’ve called the girls, we’ll start with the basics.”

“Were you a drill sergeant in another life?” he grumbled.

“Could have been,” she said. “The important thing now is that you’re in my kitchen, so you do what I say.” She liked the feeling of power that idea gave her.

“I thought this was Sarah’s house.”

“The kitchen is all mine,” she corrected. “It works out nicely.”

Carter made the call to his sisters, then hung up with obvious reluctance. “They’ll be here in fifteen minutes. Are you sure you don’t want to wait for them to make the salad?”

“Now you’re just being pathetic,” she said, handing him the head of lettuce. “Tear off the leaves and put them in the colander.”

“The what?”

She held up the metal strainer. “This,” she said. “Once you’ve torn up enough lettuce—small pieces, by the way—then rinse it and shake off as much excess water as you can.”

“Why not just buy the bags of already prepared salad?”

“Because I like the old-fashioned way.”

“Who would have guessed,” he muttered with a dramatic air of resignation.

Raylene had to bite back a smile as he tore the lettuce into small pieces, a frown of concentration on his brow. There was something utterly charming about seeing a big, strong cop, still wearing his gun, in fact, looking so completely out of his element.

When Raylene assured him he had enough lettuce, he ran water over it, then shook the colander a bit too energetically. Lettuce flew everywhere. Fortunately, enough was left to make the salad. He dumped it triumphantly into the bowl.

“Now what?” he asked.

“Now you chop the peppers, tomatoes and green onions and add those. See what I mean? It’s pretty basic stuff. Even a beginner can make a salad.”

He glanced over the ingredients she’d assembled. “I don’t see any dressing.”

“Because you’re going to make it.”

“You’re kidding me! Companies spend millions making all sorts of perfectly good bottled dressing, and you want me to start from scratch?”

She patted his shoulder. “If succeeding with the lettuce gave you a thrill, just wait till you’ve made your own dressing. You’ll feel like an accomplished cook.”

“I think we should save one triumph for Carrie and Mandy,” he argued.

“Okay, we’ll see.”

“What’s for dinner, anyway?”

“Beef Stroganoff.”

His eyes widened with surprise and unmistakable pleasure. “You actually made beef Stroganoff? On a regular weeknight, not even for a special occasion?”

“It’s an easy recipe, and there are always leftovers for another night.”

“Easy?” he repeated skeptically.

“You just dump a few things into a slow cooker and let it simmer for most of the day, then add a few more things, boil the noddles and it’s done.”

“Do chefs know about this? They always make it sound very complicated. I watch the Food Channel sometimes, hoping something will sink in and I’ll wake up knowing how to cook.”

She raised a brow at that revelation. “And yet you still don’t cook.”

“Because it all sounds too complicated.”

“You can read, right?”

“Of course.”

“And follow directions?”

He gave her an impish look. “That’s a little trickier. I am a guy, after all.”

She shook her head. “These are directions, not orders. They’re a way to get from point A to point B,” she said, then slapped her forehead. “Of course, guys never ask for directions, do they?”

“We are adapting to the idea of a GPS system,” he told her. “That’s technology, so it’s acceptable.”

“Good grief!”

Carter laughed at her reaction. “I’m really not quite as inept as you’re probably thinking about now.” He gestured to the cutting board. “See, all chopped and diced.”

“Very good,” she praised. “Now toss them with the lettuce.” When he looked as if he might take the bowl and toss the ingredients into the air, she held the bowl in place and handed him the salad tongs. “Gently.”

Just then Carrie and Mandy walked into the kitchen and stared.

“Carter’s fixing the salad?” Carrie said, looking stunned. “Are you sure you want to do that? We’ll probably die.”

He scowled at her. “And you’re going to make the dressing from scratch.”

“Now I
know
we’re going to die,” Mandy said.

Carter frowned, then turned to Raylene. “Make her do something, too.”

Raylene grinned. “You can make the noodles for the Stroganoff.” When Mandy looked uncertain, she said, “Boil water, dump in the noodles and stir them. You can handle it.”

A half hour later, dinner was on the table, Sarah and the kids were back, Travis had arrived and they were all seated at the larger table in the dining room, which the girls had helpfully set.

Raylene looked around and nearly had to blink back tears. This was what she’d imagined her life being—a family and friends gathered around for a meal she’d prepared. After all this time, after she’d pretty much given up on the dream, here it was.

And yet it wasn’t quite real, because the family, at least, wasn’t hers.

Carter stashed the girls’ bikes in the back of his truck for the drive home. In the car the girls were bubbling with excitement. Some of their enthusiasm was over the prospect of Carter’s new job, but mostly it was about the fabulous meal and their part in getting it ready.

“We actually cooked tonight,” Mandy said triumphantly.

“You boiled water,” Carrie scoffed. “I actually made a salad dressing from scratch.”

“Let’s not forget my contribution,” Carter said. “The salad was awesome, if I do say so myself. Carrie, what did you think of the Stroganoff?”

“It was good,” she said, avoiding his gaze in the rearview mirror.

“How would she know? She ate one bite,” Mandy reported. “I thought it was amazing, and Raylene says it’s really easy to make. She said she’d teach me if I want to come by after school one day or maybe when school lets out next week. Is that okay, Carter?”

“If she invited you, I’m sure she meant it. Just call her to make sure when it’s convenient.”

“How come she can’t leave the house?” Carrie asked quietly. “That’s so sad.”

“I don’t know the whole story,” Carter admitted. “I do know she’s trying to get over her phobia, though.”

“Is that what it is, a phobia?” Carrie persisted. “Like a fear of spiders or of flying?”

“That’s the way I understand it,” he told her. “She has panic attacks if she tries to go outside.”

“Even in the yard?” Mandy asked.

Carter nodded.

“That’s why you planted the garden,” Carrie guessed, her expression lighting up with sudden understanding. “So she’d be able to see something beautiful from the kitchen. You’re pretty awesome, big brother.”

“Keep that in mind next time you disagree with something I’m telling you to do.”

“Not the same thing,” Carrie said, then fell silent.

As they pulled into the driveway at home, Mandy jumped out immediately, but Carrie hung back to walk in with Carter. He sensed there was something on her mind, so he deliberately slowed his pace.

“Everything okay?” he asked eventually.

She paused and looked up at him. “You like Raylene, right?”

“I do,” he admitted, seeing little point in denying the obvious.

“Does is bother you that she’s kind of messed up with this phobia thing?”

He frowned at the question. He had a feeling his answer was vitally important for some reason he couldn’t quite fathom. “It bothers me for her sake,” he said. “I hate to see anyone missing out on so much of life.”

“But you don’t think she’s weird because she needs a shrink?”

“Of course not,” he said. “She’s getting help that she needs to get better.” He met Carrie’s troubled gaze. “Why? Does it bother you that she’s seeing a psychologist?”

“No. I guess I just never knew anyone who needed that kind of help before, at least not anyone who talked about it.”

Carter knew there was more on her mind, but he had no idea how to dig deeper to unearth the real problem. Still, he knew he needed to try. “You’re not afraid your friends will freak out if they find out I’m seeing Raylene, are you?”

She scowled at the question. “Like I would care what anyone else in this town thinks!” she said indignantly. “Don’t you know me at all?”