Taken With You (19 page)

“I’ll help you carry yours in, then I’ll do mine.” He got out of the truck and tussled with Bear for a minute while Hailey unlocked her house and propped open her screen door.

After two trips he came up with a brilliant plan to ensure he got to see her again once their groceries were put away. He liked her company, but they’d already eaten and he was having a hard time just straight out asking if she wanted to spend the evening with him. So, as he loaded up for another trip in, he snuck a box of toothpaste out of her bag and dropped it into one of his.

“Why are you stealing my toothpaste?”

Busted. He hadn’t realized she was back already. “I forgot to buy some and you bought two.”

“Even if you weren’t lying, and I saw toothpaste in your cart, that doesn’t mean you can steal mine.”

He pondered which was more embarrassing—being thought a thief or behaving like a teenager. “Having your toothpaste in my bag gave me an excuse to knock on your door later. You know, to give it back.”

“Really?” He waited for her to laugh or at least make some mocking comment. Instead, she blushed. “My garlic powder might have already jumped into one of your bags. I was planning to come over later and ask if you found it.”

It took a few seconds for her admission to sink in, and then he chuckled. “Did the garlic powder jump before or after I acted like an idiot?”

“After.” She shrugged. “We all have our moments. I’ll come over when I’m done and we can watch TV...or something. And give me my toothpaste back.”

FOURTEEN

O
N
THE
DAY
his entire family was showing up for a barbecue, Matt’s phone rang at eight-thirty. When he saw the Northern Star Lodge on his caller ID screen, he knew there was a good chance he’d be going to work.

It was Andy. “Hate to bother you, but we’ve got a couple of idiots we need to catch. I know my boy was patrolling today because you’ve got a family thing, but I don’t think it’ll take long.”

“People are tearing the place up already? They couldn’t have had breakfast first?”

“You know how it is when they travel a long distance. They hit the trail early to cover every mile they can. These guys came in from the east and, from what I understand, they’ve already done some damage on the neighboring trail system. Went off trail and were verbally abusive to a woman—a landowner, no less—who gave them hell for trespassing. By tracking complaint calls, we know they’re coming into Whitford.”

“Do you know what trail they’re on?”

“No. We haven’t heard anything since the main junction, so we don’t know which way they went. I’d just wait for them at the gas station, but if they’re carrying cans, they might not risk coming into town. Josh headed out from here and Drew went in behind his property. If you can get into town and head in from the trail to the diner, one of you is bound to run into them.”

“On my way.”

He always had a uniform ready to go, so in less than ten minutes he was headed into town. Calling his dad from the road, he told him what was up. He’d left the door unlocked for them and he’d be home as soon as he could. They knew the drill. Deciding Paige wouldn’t care, he parked in the diner’s parking lot instead of the designated municipal parking to unload the quad and hit the trails.

Knowing the two riders he was after were riding recklessly, with no regard for laws or common sense, he had to be careful in the corners, but Matt kept a good pace. He was glad the trails wouldn’t see too much use until later in the day because if the riders ran into Drew first and tried to outrun him, somebody could get hurt.

When he came to a junction, he stopped and shut his machine off so he could listen. He thought he could hear a machine coming from the east, so he backed into the trees a little and waited. Best case scenario was him witnessing the breaking of laws with his own eyes.

But the machine that slid to a stop at the intersection was the police department’s and Drew Miller spotted him right away. “They must have come through here. You didn’t see them?”

“I drove the ATV route through town in my truck and then I rode in from the diner, so they didn’t get by me. They must have passed through here already, which means they’re between us and Josh.”

“Shit.” The police chief shook his head. “All he can do is yell at them.”

They hauled ass then, with Drew in the lead since he knew the trails a little better. This being the main trail, it was a little wider and they slid through the corners, steering with the throttle.

Matt kept his body loose, leaning when he needed to and jumping the water bars. It felt good, even if they were out there hunting for a couple of jerks who thought they were special and could ruin it for everybody.

Suddenly Drew’s machine was sliding as he braked hard and Matt followed suit, coming to a stop alongside the police chief. Josh Kowalski’s quad was broadside across the trail ahead and he was reading the riot act to the two riders. They were all off their machines, helmets off, and one of the guys took a swing at Josh.

Josh dodged it but his buddy jumped in and caught him with a left. Josh staggered back one step, then put the guy on the ground with one hit. He started to get back up, urging his friend to hit him, but Drew yelled to get their attention. The guys turned around and Matt saw all the fight go out of them when they saw the uniforms. They were busted and they knew it.

The assault was enough for handcuffs, so Drew read them their rights. They probably wouldn’t be charged for the machine mayhem, but if the damage was substantial, they’d pay some hefty fines and be banned from riding the trails in the future. Since most of the reports that would accompany those incidents technically happened outside of Drew’s jurisdiction, Matt would get to do those honors. Which also meant Matt would get to do the paperwork.

While Drew called for a cruiser which, luckily, could get within an eighth of a mile from their location by road, Matt started the process of questioning the pair about their activities of the morning. They admitted to the things Josh and Drew knew about and Matt had no doubt more complaints would be waiting when they got back.

The most important thing, of course, was that Josh and the other club’s president would be able to assure the landowners that the rogue riders who’d disrespected their property had been caught and wouldn’t be back. Land closures meant trail closures and nobody wanted that.

“Since I’m taking them in for assault and the rest of it’s pretty much paperwork, why don’t you go ahead and take off,” Drew said. “We’ve got to get these idiots back to the station. Josh and Andy are going to take care of towing their machines out and we’ll hand them over to Butch for impound. The paperwork can wait and you’ve got family coming.”

“Normally I wouldn’t, but it’s a two-hour drive for them. I owe you one, though.”

By the time he rode back to the diner and loaded up, then drove home, another hour and a half had passed, so he wasn’t surprised to see vehicles in his driveway. Instead of going through the house, he walked around the outside, then stopped at the sight of Hailey sitting with his family on the deck, laughing with them.

He watched them for a minute, trying to sort out how he felt about her being there and looking so at home, until Bear spotted him.

* * *

H
AILEY
HADN
’
T
BEEN
sure what to do when Matt’s family pulled into his driveway. She assumed he’d called them to let them know what was going, but it still felt awkward to be out in the yard and not say anything to them. Especially when Bear ran over, all excited to show off his company, and they all looked at her.

“Hi,” she said, walking over to the group. “I’m Hailey, Matt’s neighbor.”

She had no idea what, if anything, he’d told his family about her, so that’s all the information she intended to give them.

Then she had to keep up while they introduced each other. His parents, Charlie and Connie. His older sister, Deb. Her husband Jeff, who Hailey thought she recognized from moving day. Their kids, Georgia and Tommy. And Matt’s younger sister, Brenna, and her son, Caleb. The Barnett family resemblance was strong, and she probably could have picked them out of a lineup as being related to him.

“Matt called while we were on the road,” Connie told her. “He had to work, but he’ll be along shortly.”

“I saw him leave in uniform. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.” She was uncertain as to what to do next.

It would be awkward for her to invite Matt’s family into his house and offer them refreshments. She should probably go home and finish cleaning her coffeemaker, since it was sitting on the counter full of hot vinegar. But she was curious about his family, too.

“Where’s Uncle Matt’s bathroom?” Georgia asked her.

“He has a bathroom downstairs next to the kitchen,” Hailey told her, but when the little girl hesitated, her decision was made for her. “I’ll show you.”

The entire family went inside and she got caught up in helping to carry in the coolers of food they’d brought with them and pack it in the fridge. By the time they were done, Connie had already poured her a lemonade and she ended up sitting on the deck with them.

The kids ran around the yard, playing ball with Bear. He was quite possibly the happiest dog Hailey had ever seen at that moment, and she enjoyed watching him with Matt’s niece and nephews.

“They love that dog,” Deb said, following her gaze. “We’re trying to plan a family trip to camp around the last week of July. We try to do it at least once a year, and I don’t know who’s more tired at the end, Bear or the kids.”

“I met Matt near your camp. My friend and I were separated from our tour group and he found us and made sure we got back to our car.” It was as if a lightbulb went off over the entire group and she shook her head. “He told you about us, didn’t he?”

When Jeff opened his mouth to say something, Deb elbowed him and spoke instead. “He mentioned coming across two lost women in the woods.”

“Did he mention I called him Jeremiah Johnson?”

Her grin was almost identical to her brother’s. “He might have mentioned that. And the boots.”

“And the makeup,” Brenna added.

“I’m not really the outdoors type,” Hailey admitted.

“We got that impression,” Connie said. “So you’re the librarian, right?”

“The one and only. It’s not a big library, but it has a lot of support from the community.”

They talked about books for a while. They were all big readers, and she and Brenna had similar tastes in books. Then, somehow, the talk turned back to their cabin and the guys started telling stories.

Hailey’s glass was empty and she was waiting for a lull in the conversation to excuse herself, but Charlie was a funny guy and she kept getting caught up. Right after the next story, she told herself.

Then, just as she was going to stand and tell them goodbye, Bear took off running toward the corner of the house and she saw Matt. The kids shouted his name and took off after the dog, and it became a pig pile of man, dog and kids.

He laughed and hugged the kids, ruffling their hair and talking to each of them. It was obvious he adored them and they felt the same way about him. Bear showed a little jealousy, trying to shove his way between Matt and the kids, which made them all laugh.

He finally extricated himself from the kids to say hello to the rest of the family. He hugged his parents first, then his sisters and shook his brother-in-law’s hand. Hailey felt a pang of longing for her own family and made a mental note to call her mother for a nice long catch-up session. Facebook kept them in touch almost daily, but there was no substitute for hearing her mother’s voice.

“I should go,” Hailey said, seeing her opportunity to escape. “I was halfway through cleaning my coffeemaker, so I’ll be a sad puppy in the morning if I don’t finish it.”

Matt was giving her a questioning look, but she couldn’t exactly let him know in front of everybody that she hadn’t told them their relationship had been more than neighborly. In addition to the fact it wasn’t her place, she had no idea how to define it.

“Matt, invite your neighbor to stay and eat,” Connie said. “She helped us carry all the food in and we’ve been enjoying her company.”

His gaze flicked to Hailey’s and she was glad that question had been answered. Neighbor. Not girlfriend or any other term she might have used. Now he knew how she’d introduced herself.

“Hey, neighbor,” he said. “You should stay and eat.”

She couldn’t resist the chance to spend more time with him and his family. Not only was he very different from her, but they were very different from her family. Not in the love and how close they were, but the outdoors thing. All of their stories had taken place outside and centered around canoes, fishing, jumping off docks or riding ATVs and snowmobiles.

Her father had soft hands, didn’t fish and drove a Cadillac instead of a pickup. They went to Old Orchard Beach and walked on the boardwalk instead of going out in the woods. As far she knew, her dad had never owned a camouflage item in his entire life, and her mother had been just like him. It stood to reason their daughters wouldn’t be any different.

But she liked the Barnetts, so she nodded. “Thank you for the invitation, neighbor. I think I will.”

* * *

I
T
WASN
’
T
UNTIL
they’d eaten and had the Jell-O salad Brenna brought for dessert that Matt finally had a chance to be alone with Hailey. She’d gone inside to put some things away and he followed her in with a load of condiments.

She was at his sink with her back to him, and he stepped up behind her. Sliding his arms around her waist, he planted a kiss at the base of her neck.

“I hope it’s you, Matt, or this barbecue just got really awkward.”

He chuckled, but didn’t move. “I was happy to see you over here when I got home. I wasn’t sure if you’d be around.”

“I happened to be outside when they arrived and Bear made sure I went over and said hi. They probably thought I got lost in my backyard.”