The Deputies: 3 Novella Box Set (18 page)

Rod Seaver owned the diner and the only reason Cindy didn’t get fired was that she was Ron’s niece.

Sandy sighed and shook her head. “Yes, she’s out again. Ron’s helping as much as he can but we’re short-handed in the kitchen too. Luckily the lunch crowd is starting to thin a bit. I’m about run off my feet.”

Sandy was a single mother who worked hard to support her young son. Sam always made sure to tip well when she was his waitress. “I know Ron appreciates your loyalty and hard work.”

Sandy’s expression softened. “He’s a good man. I owe him so much for giving me this job.”

“Seems like he owes you, not the other way around,” Sam countered.

“I’ll tell him you said that.” Sandy was grinning now.

“I won’t deny it.” Sam picked up the menu. “I’ll have the fried chicken special with coffee.”

“I’ll have the same but with iced tea.” Tabby handed the menu to Sandy who headed back to the kitchen to put in their order.

“You’re a nice man,” she stated. “That woman was having a bad day and you made her feel better.”

Sam felt his cheeks redden. “Sandy works hard, that’s all.”

Tabby’s gaze darted around the room before coming back to meet his. “Are you and she, um, dating or something?”

His damsel in distress was curious about his personal life. This was an interesting turn of events. He sure as hell was interested in hers.

“She’s just a friendly waitress when I come to the diner,” he replied, watching her reaction closely. “Actually I haven’t dated in awhile. It’s hard to meet new people in a small town.” His lips quirked up. “Unless I’m arresting them or something. That would be an awkward beginning to any relationship.”

A smile flashed across her features and her gaze dropped to the table. Tabby traced an invisible outline on the formica with her fingernail. “You said you’d been married.”

“I was.” Sam searched for a way to explain his marriage without it sounding like a total mess. They’d had some good times. “I got married when I came back from Iraq. An Army buddy convinced me to move to Los Angeles with him and go to the police academy. Lisa was his sister. I married her six months after coming home, became a cop for the LAPD, and proceeded to become completely miserable.”

She looked up, her expression sad. “It was that bad? How long were you married?”

“It wasn’t that bad.” Sam shook his head, wanting to dispel the notion that his marriage had been the major issue. “Lisa and I loved each other but we weren’t suited for a life together. She loved the city and crowds. I craved the opposite. I missed Montana and I felt like I wasn’t making a difference in my job. I’d arrest the same people over and over again. It was depressing, really.”

“And she wouldn’t move here with you?” Tabby guessed as their drinks were slid in front of them. Sandy hurried away after murmuring their food would be right out.

“The idea horrified her.” Sam could smile at the memory now. Lisa’s expression had stayed with him a long time. He still wondered how he could have ended up with a woman who hated everything he loved. She’d even liked the smog and the bumper-to-bumper traffic.

“You seem okay about it. No unrequited love?”

Sam sat back in the booth. “None. Lisa is a good woman but we weren’t meant for each other. She’s remarried and very happy. It’s just as well we didn’t have any kids.”

“Do you want kids?” Tabby was now giving him her undivided attention.

“I would, but I’m already forty so if I want one or two I better get to it.” Their dinner was placed in front of them and the mouth-watering aroma of chicken, potatoes, and gravy surrounded him. He didn’t know what their secret was but it was the best fried chicken for at least two hundred miles.

“So what about you?”

“Me?” She buttered a roll and gave him an innocent expression.

“You. If I’m going to tell my life story, you have to do the same. It’s only fair,” he argued.

“Hmmm, I wouldn’t categorize what you told me as your life story, but I do see what you’re saying.” Placing the fork on the edge of the plate, Tabby looked as if she didn’t know what to say or how to say it.

“You don’t have to—”

“No, it’s okay.” Tabby held up her hand and exhaled slowly. “I’ve never been married. Never even close. My mother says I’m too much of a romantic, and that my expectations for a man are too high. She says no one could ever measure up. That’s why I took this scouting job.”

“To meet men?” he queried.

“No!” Her eyebrows shot up. “Just the opposite. I’ve been disappointed so many times it was easier to take a job where I work constantly. I can’t date men when I don’t have time. Being alone is easier, I guess. It’s just…”

“Lonely?” he said gently. He knew all about being alone. He hadn’t realized what a habit it had become until he’d rescued her.

Tabby nodded solemnly. “Very. Six months out of the year I live out of a suitcase traveling from town to town. Even the hotel rooms look the same. The other six months I work twelve hour days producing the shows. When I get home I just fall into bed. Exhausted. I can go for weeks at a time and never see my condo in the daylight.”

“That doesn’t sound healthy,” he observed, faintly horrified at what he was hearing. That was no way to live.

“It’s not. I’m stuck on a hamster wheel and I have no idea how to step off.”

“Just stop. Draw a line in the sand and say enough,” he urged. “You’re not even thirty and you’re already burnt out. You need to do something just for fun. Something you wouldn’t in a million years dream of doing.”

“Is that what you did? Draw a line in the sand?” Her expression was soft and a little scared. She was afraid of the unknown. He’d been there and recognized the symptoms.

“I did. I’m not pretending it was easy. Ending my marriage. Admitting I’d made a mistake in becoming a cop with the LAPD. Those are big mistakes. But I had to do something. Something big.”

Tabby pressed her lips together. “It’s scary.”

“Scarier than ghosts?” He wanted her to smile, not be fearful.

She nodded up and down vigorously. “Much scarier. Ghosts are nothing compared to this. I’d have to tell my family that I don’t want to do this anymore. They’ll be upset.”

“Are you close to your family, Tabby?” Damn if he didn’t want to know every little detail about her.

“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?” She was staring at the table again, afraid to let him see her expression.

“What I’m saying is they probably already know you’re not happy. They’re just waiting for you to realize it. Have you? Are you ready to do something about it?”

Tabby shrugged, still not meeting his gaze. “Maybe. I guess I didn’t expect a trip to a small town in Montana to be such a life changer.”

That made Sam smile. “Springwood prides itself on being a full-service town. Life changes are at no additional cost.”

She looked up at him and giggled. “Lucky me, huh?”

“I think I’m the fortunate one. I get to spend the next few days in your company.”

He’d stepped out on a limb. He only hoped she wouldn’t take a chainsaw to it.

Her cheeks turned pink and she gave him a shy smile. “I’m looking forward to it too. This is the first time I’ve really slowed down a little. I’d like to spend some time with you before I leave.”

“If that’s a warning, I get it. You’re only here for a few days.” Sam didn’t even like saying it but there it was. They could have some fun together, but expecting anything else was a non-starter.

“I’m sorry, Sam.” Her lips drooped. “For now, anyway, it’s my life. I have commitments, people who depend on me.” Her hand covered his. “I want to make the most of our time. Maybe you can help me do something out of the ordinary? Something to get me out of my routine?”

“I have a thing or two in mind,” Sam said, trying to keep his mind firmly out of the gutter. Just because Tabby had basically admitted to being attracted to him didn’t mean she wanted to hop between the sheets. He needed to concentrate on PG fun. “Eat your lunch and then I’ll try to wrangle Ron into telling you his cowboy story.”

Tabby frowned. “I thought only females see the cowboy.”

“That depends on who you’re talking to. Anyway, it was a girl he was dating years ago. It’s a good story, I promise.”

Tabby resumed eating her meal and Sam did the same. It was nice having company for a change. When they were finished, he tried to get Ron to talk to Tabby but the man was swamped with two people out sick. Instead they made an appointment to talk the next day right after the breakfast crowd.

Sam reached for Tabby’s hand as they exited the diner and walked slowly to the truck parked at the curb. He opened the door for her and helped her into the seat, mindful of her ankle. It must be aching after all the walking she’d done today. He’d take her home and make sure she put her foot up and relaxed.

Tucking a strand of her gold hair behind her ear, she smiled her gratitude at the helping hand. “Thanks. I guess my ankle is starting to hurt a little.”

“You can take a pain pill when we get home.”

Sam looked into her blue eyes and seemed to lose himself for a moment. The hustle and bustle on the street receded from his consciousness and left only Tabby, gazing up at him and looking so beautiful it made his heart ache.

“They make me fuzzy,” she said, pulling a face.

He reached up and let his finger trace her jaw, the skin soft and creamy. “God, you’re beautiful.” Her eyes widened and her lips trembled under his scrutiny. He was done playing games. “I want to kiss you. Say no now if you don’t want it.”

Instead of speaking, her pink tongue snaked out and wet her lips making him groan. He cupped the back of her head and tangled his fingers in her long tresses, pulling her mouth to his.

The first touch was electric, sending sparks skittering through his nervous system. He tugged her closer and tipped her chin up so he could get a more intimate angle. Her lips parted under his and he pressed his tongue inside the warm cavern of her mouth, enjoying her intoxicating flavor. He could have kissed her forever but some small part of his brain still held onto its sanity.

He pulled away regretfully, feeling the cold air rush between them. “I’m not going to apologize for that, Tabby. I’ve wanted to do that all day.”

Her gloved fingers traced his lips. “Me too. I didn’t expect this to get complicated. This really is a full-service town. Life changes and romance.”

He gave her a crooked grin. “You can say no to both of them. If you want to. No strings attached on my offer to let you stay with me. I mean that sincerely.”

“I want to be with you.” Tabby shook her head, a world of softness in her eyes. “It’s probably not the smart thing to do but it’s too…strong.”

That was the word for it. It was overpowering, this emotion he felt when he was with her.

“Let’s get out of the cold.” He pressed a quick kiss on her lips. “I have laundry to do.”

“I can help,” she offered with a grin, obviously glad to move on to more mundane matters. “I can pre-soak like nobody’s business.”

“You’re hired,” he laughed, stepping back and closing the truck door. He needed to put some space between them or he’d kiss her again.

And again. And again.

Chapter Six

“S
nacks? Check. Blankets? Check. Insanity? Check.”

Tabby giggled as she and Sam gathered supplies for their evening in the Springwood cemetery. They had waited three days for the weather to cooperate and tonight was the night. Hovering around thirty degrees, there was no snow or wind. It was the best they could hope for this time of year and she would take it.

Waiting for the good weather hadn’t been a hardship in the least. Her car still in the shop, she’d spent her days while Sam was on duty interviewing residents that had either seen or heard the cowboy. In the evenings, she and Sam would fix dinner together and then curl up in front of the fire. He’d taught her to play poker and she’d taught him the joys of streaming video. He was now officially hooked on a few of her favorite television shows.

She was addicted to the way his hand cupped the back of her head and his fingers tangled in her hair when he kissed her. So far that was as far as things had gone between them. They were like teenagers making out on the couch but when it was bedtime they retired to their separate rooms.