The Deputies: 3 Novella Box Set (16 page)

“It’s the easiest way to make it.” Sam grinned at her expression.

“I’ll take your word for it.” She laughed and dropped the bread into the toaster before pouring herself a cup of coffee. “Do you have to work today?”

Sam shook his head. “Today’s my day off. How are you feeling? Madison said to bring you by if you weren’t better.”

“My head doesn’t hurt at all,” she assured him. “My ankle is sore but she told me to try and stay off of it for a few days.”

Sam gave her a hard look. “So sit down. I can make breakfast.”

She waved away his stern facade and sank down into a kitchen chair. “I’m not used to relaxing. I work all the time.”

He scooped up the eggs and added the bacon and toast. Sliding the plates onto the table, he went back to the coffee pot for a warm up. “Is that your job to travel around and find ghosts? Do you want salt or pepper?”

“Not for me, thanks.” She dug into the eggs and he was glad to see she had an appetite. He hated watching women pick at their food. “My job is to scout the locations. We get hundreds of emails every day about paranormal activity including ghosts and UFOs. My sister and I travel around and visit the locations, talk to the people, and then decide if the story is compelling enough for the show.”

“Not every story makes it?” Sam sat down and dug into his breakfast.

“Less than ten percent,” she snorted. “Unfortunately most ghost stories are something like ‘so and so died here and now haunts this place by moving the peanut butter jar around’. That doesn’t make good television. Now if so and so died because a jealous lover killed him? Now we’re getting somewhere.”

“And you think the Heartbroken Cowboy might make good television?” Sam hoped like hell it didn’t.

“Is that what you call him around here?” To his chagrin, Tabby’s face lit up with a smile that just about took his damn breath away. “That’s great. I hope I can talk to Mrs. Wheeler today. Are there any other eyewitnesses that you know of? I’d like to see the location as well. It has to be as interesting as the story.”

“A few people in town have some stories,” Sam admitted grudgingly. “Madison said you were supposed to take it easy. Stay off that ankle.”

His narrowed eyes and serious gaze had absolutely no effect on his damsel. She was already bubbly and excited about the fucking ghost. Something that didn’t even exist.

“I’ll be very careful.” She nodded and pursed her lips. “I want to get some video of the cemetery to show my parents.”

“You don’t even have a car,” Sam reminded her. She couldn’t trudge through the snow all the way to Addie’s, ankle or not. It was about five degrees outside.

Her lips drooped immediately and he found that he missed her smile. “I guess I could drive you since it’s my day off,” he heard himself saying. Spending more time with Tabby was a dangerous proposition. She was only passing through.

Her smile returned bigger and brighter than before. “Are you sure? I could always call a taxi.”

He might as well just admit that he wanted to spend more time with her. He hadn’t met a woman who interested him in months, maybe longer. He’d been going through the motions romantically for a long time. “I don’t mind. I haven’t talked to Addie in awhile. We’ll need to stop in town and pick up something at the bakery for her. She has a sweet tooth.”

“I’ll give her a call and see if she’s home.” Tabby stood but Sam shook his head in exasperation.

“For the last time, stay off that ankle. I’ll give her a call after breakfast. We can stop off at Buck’s on the way and check on your car.”

Tabby looked amused at his frustration. Apparently she wasn’t used to anyone taking care of her. Or trying to. “Thank you. I’ll just finish my breakfast then.”

Sam would have growled at her sweeter-than-pie tone but he tamped down his irritation. This didn’t have anything to do with her behavior. This had everything to do with how attractive he found her. She was pretty and nice, and damn it, he hadn’t been out on a date in way too long.

He pushed his plate away with a sigh. He might as well call Addie. It looked like he was going to spend his day off doing something besides laundry. It was a bad idea getting involved with her but he’d never been all that bright about women.

Sam had insisted on carrying her to his truck which was ridiculous, but she was trying not to argue with him. But she did have to admit it was nice having him help her on with her boots over the thick elastic bandage wound around her ankle. He’d also insisted on doing the dishes again so she’d disappeared into the bathroom to apply some makeup and put her hair into some semblance of order.

Pulling up in front of the repair garage, she craned her neck to find her car. She hoped the damage had been minor and it wouldn’t take long to make whatever repairs might be needed. She lifted the door handle but Sam was out of the truck in a flash and around to her side before she could exit the vehicle. She was thankful for the strong arm he offered her when she put her weight down and walked toward the office.

This chivalry thing wasn’t so bad after all.

He kept his arm around her shoulders until they were inside the building and out of the cold and snow. The town’s maintenance was top notch. The roads had been cleared by the time they’d ventured out but three foot high mounds of snow were piled high everywhere she looked.

“Hey Buck, we’re here checking on Tabitha Bartlett’s car.” Sam slapped the other man on the back. He appeared to be about Sam’s age but with a shock of red hair and a smattering of freckles on his face and hands. The man had several clipboards and he seemed to be a bit scattered as he looked through them one by one.

“Bartlett. Bartlett.” He finally looked up. “What kind of car do you drive, ma’am? I’m better with cars than names.”

“A silver-blue BMW sedan. Maryland plates,” she added helpfully. Did they get a lot of out of towners here? The inn had been full last night but it could have been travelers simply passing through and not able to drive any longer.

The man’s eyebrows shot up. “The fancy car they brought in this morning?” He shook his head, his mouth twisted. “It’s got some front end damage. Nothing serious, but some parts need to be replaced. I’ll have to get the parts from Billings though.”

“Will that take long?” Tabby asked doubtfully. “I’m supposed to be in Butte in a few days.”

Buck rubbed his chin. “It’ll take a couple of days to get the new bumper in, that’s for sure. Once we have it I can put a rush on it.”

She didn’t really have any choice and pressing further would simply be churlish. “That would be very kind of you, thank you. Do you need a deposit or anything to order the parts?”

Buck held up his hands. “Just a copy of your insurance card. We work with all the major ones. I’ll get the local adjuster in here and get this going.”

She handed over her card and filled out a short form with her name, address, and phone number in Baltimore, plus her cell phone that was always with her. “Call me there if you need to get a hold of me. Or at the hotel. I’ll be moving there today.”

Buck’s eyes flickered to Sam’s and then back to Tabby’s. The man’s face had gone a little red. “Haven’t heard the news, eh? The weight of the snow collapsed the roof on the inn. There’s water damage and more that will have to be repaired. Casey, the owner, is relocating the people that were staying there over to the hotel in Harper.”

So much for this day being better than the last.

She raised her eyes to Sam’s and it was clear he’d known all along. Finally he shrugged, not fazed by the glare she sent him. “I heard it on the scanner early this morning. I haven’t had a chance to mention it to you.”

He’d had plenty of chances but this was no place to discuss it. She opened her mouth to tell Buck she’d be at the hotel in Harper when Sam’s hand came down on the counter, his mouth close to her ear as he leaned forward. “If you need Ms. Bartlett you can contact me, Buck.”

The man nodded and scribbled something on the forms. “No problem. We’ll call you when it’s done.”

The phone rang and Buck picked up the receiver so there was no point in hanging around. She and Sam headed back to the truck, the cold wind whipping around them. He lifted her into the seat and then went around to the driver’s side. When he was settled, she finally spoke.

“That was a little presumptuous of you in there, telling him I’m going to stay with you.”

She wasn’t angry but she wasn’t used to decisions being taken out of her hands. He was trying to be nice and take care of her but it felt strange not to have every single solitary thing weighing on her shoulders.

“I didn’t say that.” Sam started the truck and pulled out of the parking lot. “I said he could contact you through me.”

“Oh,” she said, a trifle deflated. “Sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I’m usually not so touchy.”

She almost said ‘bitchy’ but figured he could substitute the adjective of his choice if he was so inclined.

“You’ve been through a lot in the last twelve hours. Maybe you should give yourself a break.”

She couldn’t remember the last time she’d done anything close to that.

“I’ll try. Seriously, I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

Sam stopped at a red light and turned to look at her. “Seriously, I didn’t take it that way. If you think you’re being difficult, let me tell you–you’re an amateur compared to my ex. She could find the gray lining in a silver cloud.”

Tabby couldn’t help but smile at his sardonic tone. “I’ve dated a few like that myself. I remember one guy who brought his own silverware when we went out to eat. He said that the restaurants never got them clean enough and they had water spots. His glass was definitely half-empty.”

“And yours is half-full.” He didn’t phrase it as a question.

“Recent behavior to the contrary, I’m usually quite pleasant to be around.”

“Rest assured, you’re pleasant. As for where you’re going to stay, I don’t mind if you want to stay on at the house. It’s kind of nice to have company for a change.”

Heat flooded her cheeks at his words. She was shocked at the longing that ran through her. She wanted to stay with him. “That’s kind of you, but I think I should probably move to the hotel. How far away is Harper anyway?”

“About thirty miles. How will you get back and forth?” he asked.

“I’ll rent a car.”

Sam shook his head. “Nearest rental agency is in Billings.”

“Billings? Is everything in Billings?” She had very few options if she wanted to do her job. She couldn’t go sit in her hotel room in Harper doing nothing until her car was fixed. At least if she stayed with Sam in town, she could get a taxi if she needed to go somewhere. “If you don’t mind then, I’ll stay with you. I just don’t want to be a bother.”

“You’re no bother.” He sounded very sure but Tabby wasn’t convinced.

“You probably had plans today but here you are running me around town. That’s a bother.”

“I had plans to do some laundry and maybe hit the grocery store. Nothing that can’t wait. Now let’s stop by the bakery and pick up something for Addie. After we visit with her, we can stop at the diner for lunch. The owner has a story to tell about the Heartbroken Cowboy.”

“That sounds great.” She placed her hand on his arm, solid and warm under her fingers. “I really do appreciate everything you’re doing to help me. Not many people would have done the same.”

There was a faint tinge of red on the back of his neck. “I think you’ll find most people around here are happy to lend a hand. Small towns have a way of pulling together and helping folks.”

He’d done more than simply lend a hand but perhaps what he said was true. She was certainly lucky this particular cop had pulled her from a ditch. She might as well sit back and enjoy the next few days in Springwood.

Chapter Four

A
delaide Wheeler’s white two-story clapboard house was on the edge of town right next to an old cemetery. A tall, black iron fence surrounded the graveyard with an imposing gate that creaked in the strong Montana wind.

It would look fantastic on television.

It would look even better at night. Currently the morning sunshine was beating down on the dilapidated headstones and mausoleums. After dark it would turn into a veritable fright fest that would delight her parents and give their viewers the ghostly vibe they craved.