Tomorrow's Promise (The Hawks Mountain Series) (3 page)

Chapter 2

WHILE FAITH WAITED for Cole to return, she thought about the man and the scar on his leg. He’d made light of it, but judging by how angry the scar looked, the injury that caused it must have been very painful. Too bad such a good-looking man had to be disfigured. But then, she found that she liked the idea that Cole wasn’t perfect. It made him more human, more approachable, more . . .
No!
She couldn’t go there. Everyone had scars, some more than others, and some that couldn’t be seen.

The handsome sheriff and Doc Amos had shown her more kindness than she’d seen in the last few years. But it was only kindness. Nothing more. Carson had always looked after its own. She’d do well to remember that. And right now, her battered emotions could use all of the TLC anyone doled out to her.

While she waited for the sheriff to come back, she sorted through long-forgotten memories.

Cole might not remember her, but she certainly remembered him. Images of him surrounded by adoring teenage school girls after a Friday night football game drifted through her mind. He’d exuded charm back then, and, even if he hadn’t noticed her, she’d soaked it up like a dry sponge.

But Sloan Phillips had oozed charm, too, when she’d first met him in the small sandwich shop outside the Greyhound Terminal on the day she’d arrived in Atlanta. Wide-eyed, a bit scared, and totally in awe of the big city, she’d been flattered that this handsome stranger had offered to take her under his wing and introduce her to her new hometown. She’d moved into his apartment, temporarily, and never moved out until yesterday when she and Lizzie had left Atlanta.

Faith had fallen hard for Sloan’s good looks and charm. And look where that had gotten her . . . a single, penniless mother reduced to living off the charity of others.

No, it was better for everyone if she kept the sheriff at arm’s length. She’d been bitten once by male charisma. Now she knew that a handsome face and a breathtaking smile didn’t always mean the man behind it was happiness material.

She pushed Cole from her mind and concentrated on the life she’d make for her and her daughter in Carson. Maybe she and Lizzie could finally find a little happiness to call their own. Faith wasn’t thrilled about taking charity from Doc, and only after he’d promised to let her pay rent as soon as she found work, had she agreed to move into the cottage. She smiled, knowing she had at least two friends in Carson.

Then she raised her gaze to follow the sheriff’s retreating figure and amended that number to a possible three. Cole sure was a handsome man, what with his nut-brown skin, whiskey eyes, and coal black hair. The kind of man women flocked around. But, she reminded herself, not this woman. Friendship it would be. Nothing more.

Faith had had her fill of handsome men. Sloan had swept her up in his dreams of making a fortune, dreams that included her, dreams of a golden tomorrow. Always making plans for the “big deal” that never materialized. Finally free of her stifling mother and her strict rules and religious do’s and don’ts, Faith had foolishly believed in his promises and prepared to begin a glorious, happy future.

Little had she known the night that naïve country girl climbed into Sloan’s car with her battered suitcase and impossible fantasies where it would lead. It never crossed her mind that they would be driving toward a future filled with heartache for both of them and a tomorrow that never came.

But Sloan was permanently out of their lives now, and she had to stop thinking about him.

No matter how handsome and charming Cole was, she could not, would not allow herself to fall into that trap again.

The sharp pain of Lizzie trying to untangle her sticky fingers from her mother’s hair yanked Faith from her dismal past. Just then, the black and white sheriff’s car pulled up at the curb beside her and the object of her musings jumped out and smiled at her. Deep down inside, a spot that had grown cold and numb warmed just a fraction.

Faith pulled her gaze away. She didn’t want to feel anything for Cole. Didn’t want to acknowledge that he might have the power to stir up her emotions.

Cole moved to the back of the car, opened the trunk, and then pulled out a child’s car seat.

“For the smaller prisoners?” she asked with a smile.

He returned her smile with a broad grin that made her heart beat faster. “My sister Karen has me fetch my nephew from daycare a couple of times a week, and it’s easier if I have my own baby paraphernalia. So, I keep a car seat in the patrol car.”

Still smiling at the idea of a baby seat perched in the back seat of a patrol car, Faith nodded and watched him secure the seat in place. Then he turned to her and lifted Lizzie from her arms. Gently, he strapped her and the bear in, and then ruffled her hair. Lizzie looked up at him with adoring eyes and flashed her toothy grin.

“She likes you,” Faith observed.

That surprised her. Normally Lizzie shied away from men, especially big men. The sheriff seemed to be quickly becoming one of her daughter’s favorite people in a very short time. It didn’t look like Lizzie would have a problem settling into Carson. Faith had a funny feeling it wasn’t going to be quite that easy for her.

“That’s good. I think I can get pretty fond of her, too.”

Before Faith could say anything, a female voice interrupted her. “Lord, I don’t know where my mind is these days.” They both turned to find Harriet rushing down the front walk toward them carrying a facecloth. “Just hang on a minute. We need to wipe that baby’s hands off.”

Faith stepped forward to take the cloth, but Cole beat her to it. He bent back into the car, and gently cleaned Lizzie’s sticky fingers. As he worked, Lizzie gazed up at him with worshipful, bright eyes. Faith couldn’t help but notice how good he was with her small daughter. Sloan had barely acknowledged his daughter’s existence. He’d been too busy looking for ways to get rich.

When Cole tickled the child under the chin, then kissed her forehead, Lizzie giggled out loud. Well, Cole had certainly charmed one female in this family. And one was more than enough, Faith decided, then abruptly got into the car.

Cole returned the cloth to Harriet, who waved at them both before turning back to Doc’s office. After slipping behind the wheel, Cole inserted the key in the ignition. The powerful engine roared to life, and the car eased away from the curb. Faith plastered herself against the passenger’s door, as far as the confining space would allow her, to distance herself from the big magnetic man behind the wheel.

KEELER’S MARKET was crowded with shoppers picking up last-minute items before going home for supper. Cole had placed Lizzie in the baby seat of the shopping cart and pushed it toward the end aisle. The front wheel chattered like a nervous cat in a room full of pit bulls. That he took this chore for granted ruffled Faith’s feathers. She wasn’t used to a man helping her shop. Sloan had never even gone in a grocery store with her.

“Woman’s work,” he’d say, and then he’d sit in the car while she and Lizzie did the shopping. He hadn’t even gotten out long enough to help her transfer the bags to the trunk of the car. His big contribution had been to push the button on the dashboard to open the trunk.

Faith, who had sworn she wouldn’t let anyone take over her life again, roused from her memories and placed a hand on the handle of the cart. “I can do that.”

Without interrupting his forward movement, he grinned down at her. “No need. You’re probably tired and want to get this done so you can settle in at the house. If I push this cantankerous thing and you put the groceries in it, we can be finished in a flash.”

He continued down the aisle. Unable to summon a reasonable argument for his logic, Faith watched him maneuver the cart in and out of shoppers, leaving her no choice but to follow helplessly behind. By the time she’d caught up to him, he already had milk and bread in the cart, along with a bag of red lollipops.

“How do you know I want this stuff?” she asked crisply.

Again, he flashed his heart-stopping grin at her. “Being a bachelor, I
have
shopped for myself a few times. Besides, since the cupboards are bare in Doc’s cottage, it’s a safe assumption that you’ll need bread and milk.” He smoothed Lizzie’s pink cheek with his thumb. “And then there are the staples, like cherry lollipops for this beautiful young lady with the sweet tooth.” Lizzie giggled and kicked her feet.

Traitor
, Faith thought. How was she going to keep this man at a distance if her own daughter wouldn’t cooperate? And how could she possibly argue with his logic?

“Well, I’d appreciate it if you’d let me do my own shopping.” Faith hated that her voice sounded so harsh, but something told her that Cole didn’t understand subtlety.

He considered her for a moment, and then, as if he understood that this small concession was important to her, he nodded. “You got it.”

The rest of the shopping trip went smoothly. Cole pushed the cart, and Faith chose the items that went into it, making sure they were inexpensive essentials so that the bill wouldn’t be too high. Occasionally, he’d slip something into the grocery cart. When she would frown at him, he’d say he was picking up some things he needed as well. It would save him a trip later. She believed him until they got to the checkout, and he heaped everything together on the conveyer belt.

“You need to keep your stuff separate,” she told him. “Remember, this is going on Doc’s tab until I get paid.”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that, and that’s gonna make a lot of extra bookkeeping for Harriet. So, if I pay for everything, then you can pay me.”

The last thing she wanted was to make any work for Harriet. She and Doc had been so good about extending her this credit so she and Lizzie would have food in the house until she found a job. But she also didn’t want to be beholden to Cole. Besides, his solution didn’t sound all that simple to her. On the other hand, she wasn’t about to make a scene in the middle of the store, and if she and Lizzie were to eat, she’d have to give in on this one point.

“All right, but make sure you keep the register receipt. When we get in the car, I’ll mark off what’s mine so you know what I owe you.”

He nodded and continued to pile the groceries on the belt. When he finished, he hoisted Lizzie from the cart and held her to him. To Faith’s astonishment, Lizzie nuzzled her face into his neck and closed her eyes. In seconds, she was asleep.

With amazing agility, he juggled the sleeping child, fished out his wallet, and paid the cashier, then shoved the receipt in his pocket, never disturbing the child on his shoulder. Faith stationed herself at the front of the loaded cart and, when the last bag of groceries was placed in it, she started pushing it toward the automatic exit doors.

“I can get that,” Cole declared.

She looked at him with the kind of expression she reserved for Lizzie’s more rebellious moments. “And do you take over holding the world on your shoulders for Atlas on weekends?”

Faith planted her feet firmly in front of the grocery cart. “Let’s get this straight up front. I can take care of Lizzie and myself. I don’t need anyone’s help.”
Least of all from a man
, she added silently. For a moment, he stared blankly at her, then what she’d said must have registered, and he laughed. “Okay. Point taken.”

With Faith in the lead pushing the cart and Cole carrying Lizzie, they headed for the exit as if they were any other little family doing their weekly grocery shopping. The perfect picture had one serious flaw—they weren’t a happy little family and never would be. Should she remind Cole of that? She decided to let it pass. Contrarily, having been the sole caregiver to Sloan and Lizzie for so long, she found she liked being the one receiving the care for a change. But she’d never tell him that, and if she wanted to make it on her own, she had to stand her ground against this controlling man and assert her independence.

They’d nearly made it to Cole’s car when a black, beat-up sedan pulled up at a crazy angle into a parking spot near them. A man emerged. His beard-shadowed face was flushed, and his clothes showed signs of having been slept in. He staggered a bit before catching his balance.

Bleary-eyed, he studied Faith. “Well, ain’t you just the purtiest little thing that’s hit these parts in a dog’s age.” He swayed and clutched at the fender of his car. “How’d you get yourself such a cute little thing, Sheriff?”

Faith drew back. The sight of this man brought back vivid memories of Sloan coming home after a night of partying with his new friends. How his fetid breath reeked of booze, and his drunken snoring would keep her awake for hours.

The man lurched toward her, his hand outstretched. She recognized him as Jimmy Logan, the town drunk. Some things never changed. “Com’ere, sweet thing, and let me get a better look at ya.”

Before she could even react, Cole placed himself between them. Carefully, he shifted Lizzie into Faith’s arms, and then turned back to the man. “Jimmy, unless you want to lose a hand, you’d better not touch the young lady or the child. Now, give me your keys.” Cole held out his hand, palm up. Jimmy stared at Cole’s outstretched hand, and then shook his head. “Your keys, Jimmy.” The wobbly man shook his head again. “Jimmy, pretty soon I’m gonna stop asking nice, so you best give me the keys before I lose my sunny disposition.”

Cole’s soft southern draw had taken on an edge that told Faith he wasn’t kidding. Evidently, Jimmy noticed it as well. As he dropped the keys into Cole’s palm, they jingled noisily, making Lizzie stir and whine in her sleep.

“Better not loosh them,” he warned Cole. The man’s body rocked back and forth, while his watery eyes squinted in an effort to focus.

“Of the many times I’ve taken your keys, have I ever lost them?”

Jimmy considered the question for moment and then shook his head, the movement causing him to sway precariously against the car. “Nah.”

Cole tucked the keys in his shirt pocket. “I’ll leave them at the office. You can come by for them on your way to work tomorrow morning.”