Falling Like Snowflakes, page 8
Beau tugged the door closed and lowered his voice. “I was wondering if you could run a background check for me, off the record.”
The sheriff’s eyes sharpened as he popped a mint into his mouth. “Kate Bennet?”
“Some things seem a little off, and with her staying at Paige’s . . .”
“You want to make sure she’s on the up-and-up.”
“I’m sure she’ll check out.” Even as he said it, Beau had a gut check. She’d seemed nervous at Colton’s arrival. But then the sheriff was a pretty intimidating guy. And if she’d been abused like Paige thought . . .
“I’d never forgive myself if something happened to Paige or my family because I’d been careless.”
“Say no more. Happy to help. What do you know about her?”
“Not much. Says she’s from the south, and her dad lives in St. Louis, but that’s not where she grew up.”
“That it?”
“Not much to go on.”
“Can you get me her soc?”
“Yeah, I’ll see what I can do.” If she ever turned in her W-4. “But in the meantime, see what you can find?”
“I’ll do that. Might be a few days—you know how things get around the holidays.”
“I remember.”
The sheriff set his hat back on his head. “I should let you get back to your evening.”
Beau pocketed his hands against the cold. “Stay for supper. I don’t know what Kate’s fixing, but it’s bound to be better than that frozen meal you’re getting ready to microwave.”
The sheriff’s eyes lit up like the Christmas tree in the town square. “Well, thanks, Beau. Don’t mind if I do.”
Kate was frying up ground beef when she heard the door open in the other room.
“Kate, would you set an extra plate for Sheriff Colton?”
“Oh. Sure.” Her heart skittered across her chest. He was staying for supper? He seemed too old to be a friend of Beau’s. He was more Miss Trudy’s age.
Micah tapped her arm, and she looked down to the bowl of torn lettuce. “Good job, kiddo.” She cleared the quiver from her voice. “Can you wash the tomatoes?”
He moved to the sink and ran them one at a time under the cold water.
Twenty minutes later she set the steaming spaghetti on the table. With a little help from Prego, the sauce had turned out tasty, and she hadn’t burned the garlic rolls. Amazing, since her nerves were becoming more frayed as the minutes ticked by.
They settled at the table. The sheriff took Riley’s usual spot next to Miss Trudy—directly across from Eden. After prayer they passed the food and dug in.
“Trudy, how long will you be on crutches?” Sheriff Colton asked.
“Not a second longer than they make me.”
“Must be hard this time of year.”
“Kate’s been a big help,” Beau said. “With the season under way we couldn’t have done it without her.”
Her cheeks warmed. She’d had more failures than successes at this point.
The sheriff’s gaze softened as he turned to Miss Trudy. “Are you in physical therapy?”
“Is that what they’re calling it?”
“Look at her,” Beau said. “She’s already getting around well on her crutches.”
“Whoop-de-doo.”
Sheriff Colton twirled spaghetti around his fork. “Say what you like, but my aunt had a tibia fracture. Took her a piece longer than you to start getting around. You’re a strong woman, Trudy.”
Miss Trudy’s cheeks flushed. Eden wouldn’t have believed it if she hadn’t seen it with her own eyes.
“Stubborn as an ox is more like it,” Beau muttered for Eden’s ears only.
Eden caught her lip between her teeth.
“How’d you end up in Summer Harbor, Kate?”
She froze. “Um, my car broke down.”
“Eddie at the garage is building a new engine for her,” Beau said.
The sheriff nodded thoughtfully, then turned his attention to Micah. “What about you, young man? You have a nice Thanksgiving break?”
Eden edged closer to her son. “Jack’s not in school yet.”
“You don’t say. I figured you for six at least.”
“He’s only five. Can you pass the rolls, Miss Trudy?”
Eden’s hand shook as she took the basket.
“How are you enjoying the town so far?” the sheriff asked Eden.
“It’s very nice. Friendly people.”
“She’s hardly been out of the house except to drive me to torture and back.”
“Well, you’ll have to rectify that,” he said. “Not the best time of year to visit, but we have our share of holiday traditions. Christmas by the Sea is coming up. That’s always a good time.”
“You should take the boy for a sleigh ride, Beau,” Miss Trudy said. “Bet he’d like that. Bet they both would.”
Her son’s eyes swiveled with interest between Miss Trudy and Beau.
“He loves horses,” Eden said, remembering the collection of plastic horses he’d had before their world had fallen apart.
“That settles it, then,” Beau said. “We’ll do it after hours one night this week. I’ll introduce you to Mr. Bennington, Jack. He owns the stables next door and knows everything there is to know about horses.”
Jack’s eyes lit up, and he seemed to have forgotten about the food on his plate.
“That’s awfully nice of you,” Eden said.
Beau took a roll from the basket. “He’s a great guy. Never had kids of his own, but he never minded me and my brothers coming around—and believe me, we were a handful.”
“You stayed on the right side of the law, that’s all that matters,” Sheriff Colton said, then turned his knowing eyes her way. “You have any brothers or sisters, Kate?”
She cleared her throat. “No, I’m an only. I’ll bet it was fun having brothers, though.” She turned her eyes to Beau. “Always someone to play with.”
“They were energetic and rowdy,” Miss Trudy said. “Always wrestling around and poking at each other, squirming through church service.”
“Now, Aunt Trudy, you know you loved every minute.”
The woman humphed. “The whole of Summer Harbor knew your daddy had his hands full, even with my help.”
“Where did you say you were from, Kate?” Sheriff Colton gave a tight smile.
She shifted in her chair. “Um, from the south mostly. Moved around a lot.” She pushed Micah’s plate closer. “Eat your salad, kiddo. Just a few bites.”
“I thought I detected a bit of a Mississippi accent,” Sheriff Colton said. “That’s where my daddy’s from.”
Eden tried for a steady smile. “It’s mostly faded, I think. We weren’t there very long. Did you grow up in the area, Sheriff Colton?”
“Sure did, ma’am. Fine place to live.”
“Got yourself in your own share of trouble, as I recall,” Miss Trudy said.
“They went to high school together,” Beau explained. “And don’t let Miss Trudy fool you. Sheriff Colton kept his nose pretty clean from what I’ve heard.”
“’Cause it was always buried in a book,” Miss Trudy said.
“Well now, I’m either a troublemaker or a book nerd. You can’t have it both ways.”
“You’re a talented man—you somehow managed both.”
“Sheriff Colton was actually an athlete,” Beau said. “He played for the Celtics for a while.”
“Very briefly,” the sheriff added. “I was plagued with a bad knee and forced to retire.”
The conversation turned to old times, allowing Eden to finish her meal in peace. She breathed a sigh of relief a half hour later when the sheriff set his hat on his bald head and left.
By the time Eden had supper cleaned up, Miss Trudy had turned in for the night, the outing having worn her out. Beau set down the Harbor Tides when she entered the living room.
“Dinner was good, Kate.”
“Thank you.” A surge of pride washed over her. She didn’t feel it necessary to give credit to Mr. Prego.
“Mind if I drive you to Paige’s? I need to take Aunt Trudy’s car in for some maintenance in the morning. Paige said she’d drop you on her way to church.”
“Oh, sure, that’s fine.”
The sooner the better. After the stress of the sheriff’s visit, she was ready to fall into bed.
Chapter 11
Eden bundled Micah up in his thrift-store coat, then slipped on her own. The cold seeped through the cheap fabric as she made her way to Beau’s truck.
He opened her door, and Micah scooted into the middle. After Eden buckled him in, he laid his head on her arm. Apparently Miss Trudy wasn’t the only one she’d worn out today.
A moment later the truck started with a rumble, and Beau backed out. “Thanks for getting Aunt Trudy out today. I know she grumbles, but she’s not used to being so dependent. It’s hard for her.”
“I don’t mind. I’d probably feel the same way.”
She felt Beau’s perusal in the dark cab and shifted.
“I highly doubt that. You never complain. I hope you didn’t mind the extra company tonight.”
If only he knew she’d been on pins and needles the entire meal. She’d hardly tasted a bite. “Riley wasn’t there, so it all evened out, I guess.”
“You might have to get used to it. Sheriff Colton comes around now and then to see my aunt.”
“Miss Trudy has a suitor?”
Beau’s deep chuckle was the most appealing sound she’d heard in ages. It wrapped around her like a warm hug, and she found herself hoping to hear it again.
“Not exactly. He comes around, tries to flirt. They bicker back and forth for a while like a couple kids, and then he leaves.”
“That’s kind of cute.”
“It would be if it hadn’t been going on for so long. Now it’s just getting pathetic.”
She liked the idea of Miss Trudy having an admirer even as she wished it weren’t the sheriff. “Has he asked her out?”
“I don’t think so. The man can handle hardened criminals in his sleep, but sit him down across from my aunt, and his courage shrivels up like an old grape.”
“You have to admit it’s sweet.”
He turned out onto the road, his lips curving. In the darkness of the cab, she was more aware of him. Of his masculine scent, his muscular build, his strong hands curled around the steering wheel.
“I thought he might make his move after my dad died. He came around a lot, checking on us, but . . .” He shrugged.
“You seem to know him well.”
“I should. I was his deputy for two years.”
Eden’s breath froze in her lungs. How had she not known this? Only she would end up working for a former law enforcement officer!
“I-I didn’t know.”
“After my dad died I tried doing both jobs for a while, the deputy thing and the farm. It was manageable until the season neared. I had to make a decision.”
“And you chose the farm.”
He lifted a shoulder. “It’s been in my family three generations. Aunt Trudy owns half and is dependent on the income it generates, such as it is.”
And he chose his family over his own desires. She was starting to see a pattern. “How does it survive when it’s so seasonal?”
“Christmastime is pretty lucrative, plus we make maple syrup in the spring. We get lots of school field trips and a few tourists. Dad talked for years about doing something in the autumn—hayrides, bonfires, that kind of thing, but he never got around to it. I’m going to implement those changes next year. Plus, I’m planning to sell wreaths and baskets through our website.”
“I didn’t know you had one.”
“It’s pretty basic. I’ll have plenty to keep me busy over the winter when I’m not working on the pipeline or thinning the sugar bush.”
Too bad she wouldn’t be there longer. She could design one heck of a website for the farm. She wouldn’t use the typical red and green. She’d use blue to suit Beau but tone it down a bit—the color of a shadow falling on the snow. She’d add a little white and silver to complete the look. The home-page photo would be of the main barn while snow was falling. And there’d be an events page, updated regularly, and a guest book for satisfied customers to sign.
“Do you miss being a deputy?” she asked.
“I do. Not that a whole lot ever happened around here. But I liked looking out for people. Even the ones who ended up in trouble—they had a story, and that mattered.”
“What do you mean?”
He lowered one hand to his leg, driving with the other. “Like Mr. Flannigan. He gets arrested for drunk and disorderly practically every Saturday night. He lost his wife and kid in a boating accident a few years ago and blames himself. We lock him up for the night and release him the next day. It’s more to keep him safe than anything else. Then there’s Scott Lewis on the other side of town. He’s eighteen. Gotten in more fights than you can count. His mom abandoned him here with his grandma when he was a kid. Never knew his dad. He’s angry and needs to find a better release.”
Their eyes aligned, his burning into hers for a long moment. She couldn’t seem to break the hold of his gaze.
“People have reasons for the things they do.” His voice was low and husky.
Afraid he’d see more than she wanted to reveal, Eden wrenched her eyes away. The shadowed landscape passed her window in a dark blur.
She’d have to be more careful with him. His experience as a deputy had no doubt made him suspicious and observant. She’d already given him a false city where her dad lived. It wouldn’t take much to check that out. And the sheriff had picked up the remnants of her Mississippi accent.
She supposed the speech therapy Antonio had insisted on hadn’t quite done the trick. She couldn’t believe she’d gone to such lengths to please her husband. And for what? He hadn’t loved her. Hadn’t cared about her. He’d only wanted someone to control. Someone to have on his arm at hospital fund-raising events. And she’d blithely gone along. By the time she’d opened her eyes, it had been too late.
“Kate . . .” Beau’s deep voice beckoned her from her thoughts.
Desperate to leave them behind, she met his gaze head-on and sensed she’d fallen right into a trap.
“Are you in some kind of trouble?”
Her heart stuttered even as she breathed a laugh. “What—what do you mean?”
She clasped her chilled hands together. They got cold when she lied, and lately they were cold a lot. She looked down at her son. His eyes were closed, his lips relaxed in sleep.
“If you’re in some kind of trouble, maybe I can help. I have resources.”
“No.” The very notion sent fear rippling through her.
She’d trusted the law to keep them safe once upon a time. She’d been naive and foolish. She’d let her guard down and put her son’s life in danger. Never again.
She looked out the window and let the familiar words slip out. “We were just traveling and had some bad luck. That’s all.”
He slowed for a stop sign, then continued toward town. Silence hung heavily between them, thickening the air.
“You’re not alone here, Kate.”
He meant to reassure her, but alone was exactly what she wanted. Just her and Micah, totally free. The concept seemed like an elusive dream sometimes.
“Your family’s been very kind. By Christmas I’ll have my car fixed and a little extra socked away. Then Jack and I’ll be on our way.”
She felt his eyes on her, felt the burn on the back of her neck. He sighed softly.
She wasn’t fooling anybody. She wished he’d press the gas pedal harder so she could escape those knowing eyes.
He said no more as they entered town and crawled through Paige’s neighborhood. Micah stirred as they turned into the gravel drive.
She ran her hand through his soft curls. “We’re here, kiddo.”
Beau put the truck in park and helped Micah with his seat belt.
Paige’s car wasn’t in the drive. She was having a girls’ night out with her coworkers and had told Eden she’d be late.
She opened the door, and Micah hopped down. “Thanks for the ride.”
“Anytime. Hey, while we’re here, why don’t you grab your W-4 form.”
Eden’s heart sank. “Oh. Sure. I’ll be right back.”
She told Micah to find his pajamas while she grabbed the form from her nightstand drawer. She quickly filled it out, pausing at the line for her social security number. She closed her eyes, the pen hovering over the space.
Her heart in her throat, she jotted the correct numbers for the first three digits followed by six random numbers. She snapped up the paper and ran it out to Beau.
“Here you go.” She handed it through the open window.
“Thanks. See you in the morning.”
“See you.”
Once the front door was shut behind her, the truck rumbled out of the drive. She gave Micah his bath and settled him in bed. After reading him three books, she tucked him in and kissed him good night.
“Love you, kiddo.”
Once he was tucked in, she took her Debbie Macomber book into the living room and settled in the recliner. She hadn’t started the novel yet. It seemed like enough just to have it. She ran her fingers over the cover.
A thump sounded outside, and she jumped. Voices followed, and she realized it was only the family next door returning home. She pulled the afghan around her until she was bundled like a cocoon.
Saturdays always made her extra jumpy, even all these months later. Every week she’d hoped Antonio would forget, but he never did. She remembered the last one like it was yesterday . . .
Her skin crawled as she slipped between the luxurious sheets. Maybe if she went to bed early he’d think she was sick. Heaven knew he wouldn’t touch her if he suspected he might come in contact with a cold germ. He even avoided Micah if he had so much as a sniffle.
