Summer Lovin': A Wounded Hearts Novella (3 page)

R
ebecca sighed
and turned to Jack, the noise of the busy station fading to the background. “Look, I know you think I’m wasting your time but there was something off about that guy, Jack.” She met Laurel’s sympathetic gaze and attempted a smile but it fell flat. “I’m worried about Tommy.”

Jack gave Laurel a peck on the lips before letting his arms drop away. “Okay, let’s get a statement and then we’ll take it from there, fair enough?”

Rebecca nodded, relieved.

He waved her toward his office. She squeezed Laurel’s hand and then slipped between the men, aware that Norm was less than pleased that Jack was going to handle this himself.

She took a place on the edge of a wooden chair and waited for the sheriff to close the door and join her across the man-sized desk. Jack’s chair creaked beneath his weight as he rolled it forward and reached for a neat stack of forms beside a geriatric computer.

“Shouldn’t you upgrade that thing one day?” Laurel had told her about his reluctance to join the twenty-first century but Becky hadn’t taken her seriously.

He patted the clunky top of the monitor affectionately. “Why fix it, if it ain’t broke?” He pulled a pink pen from his pocket, and grimaced when she smirked. “Laurel gave me this as a reminder of the first time we met.”

Oh, she’d heard. Laurel liked to share with almost anyone who’d listen how smitten she’d been the first time she laid eyes on the handsome sheriff—and how he’d almost stolen her favorite pen.

“What can you tell me about the kid?” He waited, pen poised over legal looking papers and Rebecca suddenly realized she might be jumping to conclusions and causing unnecessary difficulty for the boy.

“Well, he seemed kind of shy, at least to start with.” She reached into her bag, searching for the chain she always fingered when she was nervous or upset. It wasn’t in the side pocket where she normally kept it for safety. What the heck? Giving up on subtlety she ducked her head and began to paw through the bag and that’s when she noticed something else missing—her wallet.

“What’s wrong?” Jack tapped his pen on the desk and stared at her curiously.

Becky glanced up, met his narrowed gaze, and returned to combing through her purse.
Please, be there. Please, please…

It wasn’t, and if she confessed the loss, Tommy would be in a lot of trouble. She didn’t have the heart to do that to a kid who already had two strikes against him. Faking a nonchalance she was far from feeling, Becky withdrew a lipstick and tried to touch up her lips without trembling noticeably. The wallet was bad, but at least those items could be replaced—the chain on the other hand…

Jack leaned back in his seat and frowned. “What’s this really about, Rebecca?”

She rotated the bottom of the tube until the lipstick disappeared, carefully capped the top and stowed it away before meeting Jack’s gaze.

“I’ve met men like that guy who bothered Tommy before. They aren’t nice men, Jack.” She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and fingered the scar on her neck. “They take pleasure in abusing those weaker than themselves.”

Jack contemplated the ceiling for a long moment, then sat up, and the sympathy lighting his dark brown eyes warmed her heart even as it embarrassed her.

“Okay, let’s say you’re right. We can start an investigation on him and see who he is and what he’s been up to. How’s that sound?”

Becky sighed her relief. “Thanks, Jack.”

* * *

M
itch couldn’t get
his mind off his ex-wife. He needed to get moving and catch up to Kyle Fowler, who was at the school waiting to pick up a kid as a favor to his twin sister, Katy. She was planning a bachelorette party for the child’s mother, while Kyle and the new groom-to-be, Jared Martin, were in charge of the kidlets.

Kyle was only in town for a short visit so Mitch had to meet him when he could, even if that meant hanging out in an elementary school yard. And running into the one woman he wanted to avoid. Rebecca Sorenson Taylor. That’s still how he thought of her, though the ink hadn’t even dried on the separation papers before she’d changed her name back.

Normally it wasn’t a problem to stay out of her way, they didn’t exactly move in the same social orbit. He was steel-toed boots and beer at Duke’s Bar while she was pretty dresses and fancy meals at La Lune—the two didn’t match. He still wasn’t quite sure how they’d ended up hitched in the first place.

Okay, that was a lie.

He’d taken a trip to Vegas to try and forget about the fact that his career as a football star was in the toilet and his life was running a close second. He’d been working on getting drunk in a bar off the strip when she’d strolled into the lounge wearing a little black dress designed to drive a man crazy. Mitch knew who she was right away, he remembered her from school, so he’d waved her over and found out she was in town for a teacher’s convention and, bless his luck, had lost track of her group. They’d ended up spending the most amazing night of his life together. By the time he got up the next morning he’d been married and she’d been gone.

He’d wasted his last hours in the city trying to find her, then hopped an early flight home. A few days later the separation papers arrived and he’d known it was just a dream. Love didn’t happen at first sight. Lust, hell, yeah. But love… that was something poets wrote about, it wasn’t reality.

Since then they’d made a career out of avoiding each other, and in a town of only seven thousand people that wasn’t always easy. He’d run into her more than once when one or the other of them were out on a date with someone else. Talk about your soap opera moments. They should just file for divorce and end this insanity, but he couldn’t bring himself to make it final.

“You turning on the old Taylor charm again, bro?” Kyle joined him near the bike rack, a little boy with reddish hair and a freckled face lagging close behind.

Mitch forced a laugh and smiled down at the kid. “You must be Chris. I’ve been friends with your dad for a long time.”

Chris considered him from serious green eyes. “Are you from the navy too?”

Mitch shook his head and crouched to meet Chris’s gaze. “No. Your dad was pretty brave to do what he did, like Uncle Kyle here.” He glanced up to see if Kyle was listening. He was. “They both did their duty, but now it’s time they enjoy their lives. Your dad told me how excited he is to make you guys part of his family.”

Chris looked up at Kyle and then nodded his understanding. “Yes, sir, my mom’s real happy too.”

Mitch’s heart gave a painful tug. This could easily be his story, getting to know a son he had no knowledge of until years later. Kudos to Jared and Annie for solving their issues to give this little boy the family he deserved. He rose and shrugged off the envy he felt. At least Jared wasn’t alone anymore.

“How about some ice cream?” There weren’t very many problems that couldn’t be solved over a heaping dish of vanilla ice cream covered in chocolate sauce and sprinkles.

Chris and Kyle both wore identical grins and after a resounding high-five they were off, Mitch in his welding truck, while Kyle drove a shiny black jeep. They pulled up at The Soda Shoppe and strolled to the front door behind a group of chattering teen girls whose laughter suited the warm and sunny weather.

Mitch held the door and smiled at a familiar looking girl as she passed through the opening. He was surprised when Chris ran ahead and tugged on her hand.

“Tina,” he shouted. “I’m getting some ice cream.”

The girl stopped and smiled down at the boy. “Hey, Chris, I didn’t see you. Are you here with your mom?” She searched the room, briefly meeting Mitch’s gaze before glancing away.

“No.” Chris waved his hand at them. “I’m with my dad’s friends. My mom’s going to a party.” The touch of pride in his voice when he mentioned his dad put a lump in Mitch’s throat.

“I’m going to get in line,” Kyle said. “You got him?”

Mitch nodded. He strode over to introduce himself and realized why she seemed familiar; she was Jack’s daughter.

There’d been a time when he and Jack Garrett had done damn near everything from hockey practice, homework, and hanging out, to chasing women, drinking, and football, together. And then April Montgomery came into their lives and nothing was ever the same. Tina had her face and the promise of her mother’s killer body, but it was Jack’s friendly brown eyes smiling innocently at him right now.

“Hi, Mr. Taylor. My dad’s told me a lot about you,” she said, her gaze curious as it rested on him.

So Jack talked about him, did he? Interesting.

“Your father and I go way back,” he said, and frowned when some boys jostled her as they hurried past to grab a table. “I better let you go, this place looks pretty busy.”

Her smile shy, she nodded and ruffled Chris’s hair. “I’ll see you at the shop, sport.” And then she was gone in a cloud of sweet-smelling perfume and long blonde hair. Jack was going to have his hands full in a couple more years.

“She works for my mom,” Chris offered in the silence, his gaze pensive as he watched her flirting with the boys.

Mitch well remembered his first crush so he diverted the kid’s attention. “Looks like Kyle’s ordering without us, we better get up there.” He turned, ushering the kid ahead of him and came face to face with Jack.

Kyle better be grabbing him a double scoop.

M
itch nodded a passing acknowledgement
, and placed his hand on Chris’s shoulder to guide him along. There’d been too much water under the bridge for either him or Jack to ever be comfortable in one another’s company. And sadly, it was all due to a stupid misunderstanding.

“Mitch, I need a word.” Jack halted him in his tracks. “You got a minute?”

Mitch wasn’t sure what this was about but he didn’t plan on being the afternoon’s entertainment either. They were already drawing attention.

“Yeah, sure, Chief. Just let me get my buddy here settled and I’ll meet you out front.”

Jack nodded and turned away to greet his daughter. His big body dwarfed hers even though she was fairly tall for her age. Mitch placed her at around fifteen or sixteen. Funny, how much time had passed by without him realizing it. She’d been around young Chris’s age when her mother left town. Dark days those were. That woman had done her level best to destroy anyone in her path. Even though it cost him his career and his best friend, Mitch celebrated the day April Montgomery left Tidal Falls.

Chris’s squirming body under his hand reminded him of what he was supposed to be doing. A quick search found Kyle surrounded by a group of too-young-for-him girls all vying for his attention. And he was soaking it up, a come-to-papa smile on his lips.

“There he is, kid. Let’s go catch up to our ice cream before he gives it away.”

Kyle shrugged when they drew near, laughter turning his eyes a clover green. “’Bout time. I thought you said you were buying.”

Mitch pretended to check his pocket. “Sorry, mate, next time.” He grinned, unrepentant, and snagged the smallest and the biggest dishes from the counter. “Here you go, kid.”

Chris’s eyes grew wide at the sight of his treat topped with chocolate and candy pieces. “Wow, my mom never lets me have this much.”

Kyle’s brows lowered. He reached for the bowl but Chris yanked it away. “Hey.”

“Well, if you’re going to get into trouble…”

Chris shoved a heaping spoonful into his mouth and the girls giggled.

“He’s cute.”

“Aw.”

“My brother’s just like that.”

“Hey look, there’s Tony Secora.” A young teen with a mouth full of braces, pointed excitedly toward some newcomers. And just like that Kyle became yesterday’s news as they took off in hope of catching the jock’s attention.

“You know you’re old when…” Mitch joked.

“A bunch of simpering girls gives you a headache,” Kyle finished, and both men grinned.

“What’s so funny?” Chris wanted to know, glancing back and forth between them, ice cream dripping down his chin.

Mitch grabbed a napkin and gave him a swipe. “You’ll know when you get to be dinosaurs like us, kid. Now we’re all roar and no action.”

“Speak for yourself,
Dino
,” Kyle mumbled around a scoop of banana and whipped cream. He lifted a maraschino cherry by its stem and deposited it on the lopsided mountain in Chris’s bowl.

Mitch noticed Jack leaving and his mood sank. What the hell did the sheriff want, unless this had something to do with the school incident earlier today?

His mouth tightened. If Becky was in trouble he wanted to know about it. The ice cream felt like it was curdling in his gut and he pushed the half-full bowl away.

Kyle eyed it and then him. “Not your flavor, or what?”

Mitch snorted. “How can you go wrong with vanilla?” He pressed away from the counter. “I’m just going to step outside for a minute—be right back.”

Kyle’s gaze followed Jack’s departing back. He frowned. “You sure, man?”

Mitch shrugged. “He wants to talk.”

Kyle cursed under his breath. Chris’s head swiveled back and forth like a bobble-head as he tried to keep up with the conversation.

“I’m here if you need me, dude, but don’t hurt his pretty face. He’s family now,” Kyle warned.

Mitch gave Chris a fist bump and started back through the ever-growing crowd. Now that school was out it seemed as though every teen in town was here. Kyle didn’t need to worry, he and Jack had come to an understanding long ago. If the two of them were going to remain in Tidal Falls—and they were—it was necessary. They’d even sat at the same table for Kyle’s twin sister’s wedding to Jack’s brother, Ty, last fall. And if the occasional barb passed between the two men, it was still very civilized. No spilled drinks or anything. He figured he’d done pretty fricken good considering Jack’s date for the night was none other than Rebecca. His Becky.

The door slammed open with more force than he intended, banging against the stopper and rattling the glass. Great, might as well announce his antagonism to the world and get it over with.

Jack stood a few feet away, his face impassive. His arms were crossed over his chest and his hat was tipped back on his head in a show of two-buds-havin’-a-chat. Nothing to see here.

“Tough day?”

Mitch hated that cool exterior, and itched to ruffle the man’s composure. Instead, he shrugged and dug a toothpick out of his pocket. The sharp bite of the peppermint-flavored stick calmed his temper before he got himself in shit. He needed to remember this was the sheriff, not his nemesis.

“It was alright. What’s up, Sheriff?”

Jack nodded toward the parking lot where his vintage flat black ’stang sat at the far end, away from possible fender-benders. “Let’s go over there where we won’t be overheard.”

Those words did nothing to ease Mitch’s anxiety, but he played nice and strolled through the mixture of four-by’s and cruisers kids preferred to drive these days. He came to a stop near the Mustang’s back fender.

“Okay, we’re here. What’s going on?”

Jack took his hat off and rubbed a hand through his short nut-brown hair before replacing the ivory Stetson on his head.

“I heard you were at Cascade Elementary today.”

Mitch stiffened. “Yeah. Is it against the law?”

Jack kicked at a few loose rocks, sending them skittering across the top of the pavement. “Don’t be an ass, Taylor. I only mentioned it because Rebecca Sorenson dropped by the office today and she was understandably upset over an incident I believe you were a witness to, am I right?”

Mitch propped a hip on the back fender and ignored Jack’s lowered brows. “Yeah, I was there. She tried to help a kid and ended up getting reamed out by some old drunk for her trouble.”

“Did you get a good look at either one?” Jack tapped his shirt pocket and pulled out a coiled notepad and a girly looking pink pen.

Mitch smirked. “Nice pen.” Then he straightened and got serious. “The kid had dark wavy hair, brown eyes, about four foot tall, and wore threadbare clothes on a too-skinny frame.” He waited for Jack to jot down the information. “The guy acted like a guardian or something. He stunk of booze and B.O., and drove a faded red pickup that’s seen better days.” Again he waited for Jack to finish writing before he dropped his bombshell.

“I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon and I think I know who that guy is.”

“Well?” Jack asked pink pen poised.

“I’m almost positive it’s your brother-in-law, Jack.”