Safely Home (18 page)

“Well she should.”

“She’d probably say the same about you.” Alex leaned closer, drawing her gaze. “You gals have a lot in common.”

Cress met his gaze. “Is that so?”

“Mm hmm.” He traced one finger along the edge of her cheek, studying her reaction, reading her mixed emotions. Part of her wanted to move forward, the quick intake of breath a dead giveaway.

But part of her shied back, not unlike the horse
at Audra’s, although comparing her to the horse might not help his cause. Then again, Cress liked horses, so it might tilt the scales favorably.

She quirked a brow. “You were saying?”

Oh, that’s right. He’d been talking, comparing her to Gran, right up until the time he realized all he really wanted to do was kiss the daylights out of her, hogtie her to the back of a horse, have the preacher do his thing and keep her locked up in his house for at least forever. No more big city detective nonsense, no more old boyfriend drama, no more distance between them, physical, mental or emotional.

But she wasn’t ready for that.
Alex was experienced enough to know a caged bird will fly at first chance. Lindi’s break-away taught them all a lesson.

If
Cress was his destiny, his soul-mate, he wanted her full board, unhinged, unfettered, sharing his heart, his home, his bed.

That t
hought made her look even more kissable, if possible. He leaned in, his lips brushing hers, a feathered kiss. “You’re both smart, stubborn, opinionated, tough as nails and soft inside.”

A smile curved the lips touching his, her br
eath light, warm and tasting of rocky-road ice cream, never a bad thing. “You forgot amazingly good looking.”

“Couldn’t possibly forget, Cress. Not when you’re,” he cupped her neck with his hand, his lips testing hers once more, the flutter
of her heartbeat a hummingbird’s wing beneath his thumb, “right here.”

He increased the pressure of his hand to draw her forward.

She freaked.

He felt the transformation befo
re he saw it. Her neck clenched. She pulled back as if fighting for air. Her right hand gripped his left forearm, ready to fight.

He released his hold and pulled her into his chest, the center console making the embrace awkward. “Hey, hey. It’s all right. I’m sorry. Did I hurt you?”

He hadn’t. He knew that, was totally sure of it, and if he’d ever needed confirmation about her former relationship, he’d just gotten it.

Cress had been ready to fight for her life, which meant she’d had to fight for her life before.

He swore inside, big, bad, wash-your-mouth-out-with-soap words he hadn’t used since undergrad days in Chicago.

Her breath hitched, from either trauma or embarrassment, he couldn’t tell. He held on, refusing to let go, figuring a hug was worth a thousand words. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”

Her heartbeat slowed. Her breathing calmed. The hand clenching his shirt-sleeve lay quiet, her fingers relaxed against his arm, his chest. “Everything’s going to be all right, Cress. I promise.”

*

He had no idea what he was promising, Cress thought, the heat in her cheeks a mix of embarrassment and God-awful fear. “Alex, I—”

“Shh…” He stroked her hair, the feel of his
gentle, strong hands a direct conflict with the fear that swept her moments before. “You don’t have to say anything if you don’t want to. I told you. When you’re ready. We’ve got plenty of time.”

Did they?

A katydid chirruped, a triple chirp, the night’s warmer temperature an invitation to courting. A second one answered, the deepening darkness a call to romance, to love.

She remembered
Alex’s earlier jokes about the front porch light. She’d envisioned an old-fashioned spooning session, the evening’s easy air an invitation to whispered thoughts and dreams. Right until she’d turned it into a freak show by wanting to punch Alex’s lights out for holding her neck while he leaned in to kiss her.

Would she ever m
ove beyond this? Was she doomed to replay those dark days with James forever?

“The best way to erase old memories is make new ones.”

The faint shadow of Alex’s whiskers tickled her cheek, her neck. She sighed, relaxing. “I don’t think it’s that easy.”

“It is.” He pulled back, braced his hands on her shoulders and met her gaze. “Face the dragons and put them away, cage ‘em up.
Then we throw away the key.”

“Until someone like Missy
jimmies the lock.”

Alex
shrugged. “That might give us a moment’s hesitation, but in the end, the dragon’s still imprisoned and we’re free to go about our business. He’s not.”

“T
hat worked for you?”  Her gaze searched his, looking for chinks in his armor. “You moved on to bigger and better despite your childhood?”

“I
did, because the alternative was too Scrooge-like for comfort. Back then I didn’t have choices. I was a kid caught in the maelstrom. Now…” He shifted his gaze out, thinking, before he brought it back to her. “Now I set the tone, I make the choices. Well…” A grin softened his features as he looked at her, his eyes tracing her face, her hair, her cheeks, her mouth. “Some of them. Obviously God still has a few tricks up his sleeve because I honestly never envisioned this.” His smile and gaze meant her. Them.
Us…

But could she be whatever it was he needed? Wanted?

A huge part of her longed to embrace these feelings, to jump in, both feet ready to hit the water.

But fear stalled her, the same thing that messed up those last days of police work. A cop that couldn’t trust his or her instincts, decision-making,
and inner rationalization was a cop waiting for trouble. This time the bullet had found her, but it could have been Carl or another cop, someone on back-up. Or an innocent bystander.

“
We can only change so much, Cress.” Alex’s confidence helped trump her confusion. “We take it one dragon at a time.”

She leaned back into his chest, breathing the scent of soft cotton knit, deep woodsy goodness and good, old-fashioned guy. “I’ll try.”

“Good.” He lowered his lips to her hair and just held her for long seconds. “Could you try like really, really fast? Because I was totally into that whole kissing thing.”

*

Her answering laugh eased his concern, but he didn’t let go in a hurry, hoping the warmth of his embrace helped bridge the gap in her heart. With her leg healed, the option to return to Minneapolis was in Cress’s hands. Gran still needed help, but Audra was local. She could step in more, with Mary and Ginny as back-up. Like Cress, Gran hadn’t repaired her relationship with her former son-in-law. Maybe because he reminded her too much of Horst?

That made sense to Alex. But eventually, families needed to heal. Which meant he should stop stewing about
Cruz’s decision to become a state trooper. They’d both faced the same wretched childhood experiences. Alex understood how tough things had been, the treatment they’d dealt with because of their father’s behavior. He’d gone into law because he’d never be casual about police interference with a law degree behind him. Knowledge of the law mustered might, a wisdom he could employ at will.

Cruz
took the badge and the gun, determined to do the job honor. They’d stayed here, in Watkins Ridge, wanting their mother’s sacrificial efforts rewarded by her successful sons. And that had been the right thing to do. They knew that.

Sure, he’d do a lon
g-distance romance if necessary. Whatever she needed.

But he wanted to settle down here, in the place he’d grown up, with his family and friends close by. He’d worked hard to overcome his childhood embarrassment about wh
o he was and where he was. Grown and successful, he longed to inspire that confidence, that belief in other kids whose paths might be potholed by circumstances beyond their control. That was a big part of why he coached football, why he stayed active in the town. While some had shunned him and his family, others had embraced them, like Gran Dietrich and her friends. The Knowles. The old pastor at the Good Church of The Holy Family, a sweet old man whose wife wasn’t afraid to hug little boys, give them sweet cakes and cookies, and wipe off scruffy faces that got dirty playing alongside the off-limits cemetery.

He pressed one last kiss to her hair before releasing her. “Let’s get you in. Get some rest.
What time do you take Gran in tomorrow?”

“Early
.”

“And we head to Minneapolis on Friday.”

Gulp.
“As long as Gran’s doing fine. Aunt Sylvie offered to stay with her, but Audra stepped in and saved the day.”

“Crotchety, mean-spirited older sister vs. kind-hearted granddaughter? That’s a no-brainer. Lucky Gran.”

He came around the front of the car and opened her door. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy opened her door for her. Maybe never. She swept the door and him a glance. “You don’t have to do that, you know.”

“Oh, I know.”

She huffed. “I mean, seriously. I’ve been climbing in and out of cars all by myself for years. Decades, in fact.”

He crowded her space until she was pressed into the open door, no escape possible. “I like doing it. Being nice. Taking care of you. Got it?”

She melted inside, her stone heart one big puddle of melted mush, like Frosty-the-Snowman in the middle of a Christmas cartoon. She nodded, trailing a nervous finger around her collar, emotions warring. “Got it.”

He smiled and bumped his forehead to hers, a gentle nudge of commiseration. “Good.”

“You know it’s funny.” She walked up the front steps, then turned at the top.

“What’s funny? Us? I can’t disagree.”

“That, too, but no. I meant Aunt Sylvie. She’s really pressing to help, calling. Stopping by. As if she really wants to get into this house, without people around. Like she’s snooping for something. Which is ridiculous and means I need to get back to work soon because I’m letting my imagination run away with me.”

But when she turned at the door, Alex wasn’t smiling, ready to tease her. Strain marked his features, even in the half-shadow. He erased the look quickly, but not quick enough for her to miss the expression.

Worry for Gran?

And Aunt
Sylvie didn’t pretend that Alex wasn’t a financial predator, waiting and watching to bilk people out of their life savings. She’d been ardent in her disregard for him and the development of fertile farmland.

But that look— that expression, marked with concern— was she tired and imagining things, or did Alex have a reason to look concerned?

Cress wasn’t sure, but one thing she did know: putting her heart on hold was the smart move to make until she felt firm ground beneath her. To get fooled again, in the wake of her last disastrous relationship?

That would mark her as stupid and Cress Dietrich had no intention of being stupid, ever again.

Chapter Fourteen

Cress stepped outside the cancer treatment wing of the hospital while
Audra monitored Gran’s chemo drip the next morning. “Felix. How’s it going? You got anything for me?”

“
I’m sorry, he’s out of the office at the moment, but I’ll tell him you called.”

Code: someone was listening
.

“Is James right there?”

“You have a nice day now.”

Bingo. She nodded. “Call me later.”

“Will do.”

Her phone rang mid-afternoon
. Felix’s cell popped up. Cress hurried outside, not wanting to be overheard. “Felix, hello.”

“Listen, kid, this is on the QT, got it?”

Cress’s heart beat faster. “Of course.”

“I’m passing along specific info to the sheriff’s department and the FBI.”

“You’ve got a match.”

“A possible match.” Caution colored Felix’s tone. “I’m passing it up because it looks like
you might have stumbled onto an abduction that crossed several state lines. You haven’t gone near them, right? Spooked her?”

She’d been sorely tempted, but… “No. Not because I didn’t want to.”

Felix breathed relief. “That’s why you’re as good as you are. You don’t go off half-baked ever. I miss having you on the team. That kind of calm is rare these days.”

Cress knew what he meant. James’ frenetic energy tended to rub the wrong way, sometimes pushing people into indiscriminate action. Good police work sometimes meant waiting, despite how badly you wanted to jump in with both feet, guns cocked. “I’ll keep my distance. When did this allegedly occur?”

“Nearly three years ago.”

Three years. Dear God, that was a horrific
percentage in this kid’s life. She bit down a lump of regret. “You’ll let me know.”

“Me and the sheriff’s department. They’re working hand in hand with the feds. They know you’re the whistle-blower. Now if we’re right, and can retrieve the kid with no altercation…”

That was the question of the hour, getting the kid without risking life or limb to anyone. A kid can’t offer testimony if he’s dead. Total surprise was huge in something like this. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do. I hate being sidelined.”

“I know. But you did the right thing. The right way. Always do.”

How she wished that was true. “Thanks, Felix. I’ll be in touch.”

“You do that. And come visit, won’t ya’? You’re missed kid.”

Cress noted he didn’t urge her back. Was that weird or did he have an understanding of what she’d gone through? And did the entire department have it figured out, or just the detective division? Either way, all of a sudden the big city took on small town proportions. Foolishness swept her, realizing she’d tried to fool a full staff of top-notch detectives.

Yeah. Right. Good luck on that one, Crescent.

“Felix, thanks. You’ve got no idea how much this means.”

“I think I do. You hang tight, okay? And if that hometown of yours is still as pretty as I remember from camping near there, it’s not a bad place to call home.”

“I hear you.”

Loud
and clear. Felix’s advice was to get out while the gettin’s good. Sage words.

From her vantage point on the covered rotunda of the cancer wing, Cress surveyed the scene before her. Busyness reigned
mid-day, the small city teeming with workers, commuters, and travelers bent on seeing the leaves as they changed color. A half-hour away was home, the home she’d known for twenty years. Safety and serenity abounded there, a peace she hadn’t sought as a younger woman. Right now she wondered why she thought heading off, moving up and away was ever a good idea. What had she hoped to find? Moreover, what had she lost?

“Hey.”

She turned, not surprised that Alex had come, had found her, wanting to offer support, knowing what she refused to put into words. How hard it was to watch Gran’s treatments, to witness the hair loss, now complete, the tiredness framing the old gal’s face, the weariness in her eyes.

Chin dipped, his dark eyes full of warmth and understanding, he opened his arms. She stepped into the embrace, loving the feel, loving him, wondering how on earth she’d ever mistaken what she’d felt for James as love. Lust, yes. And they’d had a great working relationship at the beginning, built on trust, but once the trust eroded into painful reality, she began to doubt herself. Her instincts. Her wisdom.

Around Alex, the opposite held true, an incomparable difference, amazing in its simplicity.

If only she’d realized sooner…

“You smell good.”

She laughed, enjoying the feel of his hug, the smooth, sweet high-fiber wool of his classy suit coat, the lingering smell of aftershave, shower gel and a hint of bacon. “You had breakfast at
the diner.”

“How’d you know?”

She sniffed on purpose. “Bacon.”

He grinned. “Really
? Must be your detective nose. Speaking of which,” he angled his head, his expression admiring, “I’m supposed to tell you there might be a connection between the boy you saw and an abduction that occurred nearly three years ago in—”

“Nebraska,” she finished for him. At his look of surprise, she held up her cell phone. “A friend at MPD ran a
check. He’s the one who shared the info with the feds and the sheriff’s department. How’d you hear?”

“
Cruz. The sheriff stopped around Gran’s place but no one was there and he wanted you to know the feds were taking over.”

“Meaning ‘don’t step on toes or do anything rash’.”

“Most likely.”

Cress worked her jaw, then compressed her l
ips and shrugged. “I can’t deny that I like to make the collar. But there’s another part of me that examines a take down from every angle, wanting optimum outcome. In this case, I’m alone, gimpy and not as sure of my instincts as I should be. I can own that and step back.”

“Where are Mel Gibson and Danny Glover when you need them
?” Alex’s grin said he understood her frustration.

She smiled. “Exactly. And didn’t Rene Russo look great as a cop?”

“Those scars…” Alex pretended an admiring tone. “Everywhere…”

“Stop. I have a few of those myself.” Her reminder made her leg twitch just a smidge.

“I can kiss them and make them better.”

Her smile up
-surged into a grin of understanding. “I bet. Hey, did you stop by Gran’s treatment room?”

He nodded. “That’s how I knew you were out here.
Audra told me. She also let me know that most of the town is buzzing because you went for ice cream with me and the boys, held my hand, and defended me in public.”

“All I did was get you out of there,” she protested. “I didn’t
even open my mouth.”

“Then your expression spoke volumes. It seems the entire counter was ready to lay down bets if things got physical.”

“Physical?” She blushed and he grinned.

“Not between us, though I can’t deny
the more-than-occasional thought in that general direction. Between you and Missy.”

“The Sea Witch? People really considered betting against me? I could take that old –”

Alex put a calming finger to her lips. His gaze noted the finger and her mouth, an eyebrow hiked. “Have you noticed how often I have to do this, Crescent? Shush you to save you from yourself? It could get to be a habit.”

She licked his finger.

His gaze went from teasing to tormented in a heartbeat. “We’ll discuss that later, young lady. For the moment, I need to focus on work.”

“You didn’t head here just to see me and Gran? Counselor, I’m hurt.”

“Correction: I would have headed here just to see you. Sneak in a kiss.” He grinned at her reaction. “But I also had some things to follow through on at the county offices, so I’ve got to head over there, make some heads roll. Nothing slower than government at its best.”

“You’re annoyed.”

“And then some. Can I see you later?”

She shook her he
ad. “I’m hanging close tonight. Gran gets fidgety when I’m not there and if she gets sick like she’s done before, I want to be on hand.”

“Then I’ll stop by after football practice.”

She leaned into his chest, feeling so good it almost felt… wrong.

But it wasn’t wrong. Was it?

Thoughts of Gran’s farmland, the promised park that never happened, shadowed her magnanimous feelings, niggling her with doubt and concern.

She pushed them away.

They refused to move for long.

Like you’re so good at sizing up men. Right. Tell it to the ER staff, honey.

Alex’s arm around her shoulders offered a reassuring squeeze. “I’ll see you tonight. After I shower.”

She frowned. “Come sweaty. No one will care and it gets you there half-an-hour sooner.”

“For?”

She met his look and hoped he read the longing in hers. “That kiss, perhaps?”

“I might be tempted to skip practice altogether in that case.”

“Except the kids need you.”

“They do.” He leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss, the warmth of his mouth softening more of her armor. “See you later.”

“Mm hmm.”

He grinned as he headed for the door, whistling some sort of classical tune with a skill she could only envy. Nobody whistled anymore. Did they?

The tune wafted back to her as
Alex went through the door. The thought of hearing that cheerful sound, so comforting, so Alex, on a regular basis, sent a surge of awareness through her.

She wasn’t only falling for him, she was embedding herself in the place, the here and now. As
Audra approached bearing twin cups of coffee, Cress returned her smile and reached out a hand of acceptance, the scent of fresh brew a welcome afternoon reprieve. Nope. Being home wasn’t such a bad thing after all.

*

“How long?” A mix of disgust and amazement colored Alex’s tone. He hoped the gal from environmental services took the hint.

She grimaced. “I know. I’m sorry. Everything’s bogged down. It’s like a total paperwork bottleneck.”

Alex stepped closer to the closed office door, hiking his voice to penetrate the thick, planked oak. “Then you let our good representative know I’m not happy, won’t you, Sandy? That I have every intention of letting the local media know I’ve dotted my I’s and crossed my T’s and still can’t shake the approval for the parkland loose. In the meantime I look like a half-wit and the kids have nowhere to play, all because of a relatively simple signature that would clear the way for parkland development, including tying us into some pretty sweet federal grant money.”

Her expression commiserated. Without the official signature, the Brownfield Exclusion
necessary for clean-up and development was dead in the water, for no good reason other than her supervisor was a candidate for the state senatorial seat opening in January. With the election looming, he wanted to look good at the right moment.

Alex
had decided the right moment was now.

The door opened.

Alex leaned in, aligned his left foot strategically in the opening and glared. “Sign off on the Westlands green space now. Please.” At the moment Alex didn’t care that his ‘please’ sounded aggressive. He wanted permission to move forward, and he wanted it now. Seeing Gran in the hospital bed, her gray pallor offering testimony to the gravity of her illness, added fire to his words.

Dick
Thompson sighed, ran a hand through his hair and stepped back. “Are you always this annoying? It’s nap time.”

Humor didn’t rank high on
Alex’s list at the moment. He moved into the office while Dick closed the door behind them. Dick waved a hand to the chairs, passed his hand through thinning hair again, then re-took his seat behind the desk. “Without yelling at me, tell me what you want. And I’ve got a monster sinus headache, so small words and an easy tone would be appreciated, despite the vigor and angst of youth rolling off you like waves on Lake Michigan with a Nor’Easter.”

“My Brownfield Exclusion approval for the park land development adjacent to the Westlands housing tract just outside Watkins Ridge. Simply put I need it now. Today. An old woman is sick and I promised her a park dedicated to her family. I mean to deliver.”

Dick frowned, nodded, and hit the intercom button. “Sandy, have you got the approval letter for The Westlands park exclusion out there?”

“Yes, sir.”

Alex groaned inside.

Dick grinned. “Can you bring it in here, please? And steam the stamp off the envelope, will you? We need to watch the bottom line carefully.”

“She could have told me,” Alex grumbled.

“And miss all this fun?” Dick smiled as Sandy walked through the door with a sealed envelope.

She held it aloft. “Who gets this?”