Caught by the Sheriff--A Clean Romance Page 15

  She inhaled the cool, fresh air, and a small cough escaped as a result. More tea would help clear her chest. Eve had made another pot this morning and took half in a thermos for herself. She’d taken her laptop with her too, stating that she needed it to do some inventory and payments, but that if Faye wanted to get online, she could use it tomorrow. She had warned her to be careful and to resist checking emails or answering any from her ex or his lawyer without consulting with her first. Little did Eve know that Jim wasn’t her ex, but he was a lawyer.

  A glint of light flashed from down the road. It was Carlos opening and closing his car door and backing out of his driveway. He slowed as he approached the cottage, pulled up and rolled down his window.

  “Feeling better?”

  “Much. Thank you for everything. The soup. Watching over Nim. I can’t thank you enough.” Her cheeks felt warm again but she knew full well it wasn’t a fever this time. At least not the viral kind.

  “No problem. Glad to help. Take it easy today.”

  “I plan on it. No dog walking until tomorrow.”

  He adjusted his hat, looked down the road, then back at her.

  “Speaking of dog walks, I could use help with Pepper.”

  Faye rubbed her upper arms. What happened to keeping her distance from the sheriff? He and Jordan taking care of her and Eve had kind of ruined that plan. Not that she was complaining. She was grateful. She was really beginning to like Carlos, though, and that was a whole different kind of complication. It was getting personal and she had thought about that early on...about how if he got to know her, he’d understand that she wasn’t a threat. But she hadn’t been thinking about anything more than friendship at the time. Whatever she sensed was happening between the two of them didn’t feel like plain friendship. She needed to be careful for entirely different reasons now. Carlos didn’t know the whole truth, for one thing. Then there was the part about his life being here and the reality that she could have to pack up and leave tomorrow. It wasn’t fair to lead him on. It wasn’t her intention, but acting too cold after all he’d done for her wouldn’t be right either.

  “I do owe you a favor for the soup,” she finally said.

  “You don’t owe me a thing. I’m hoping you can take on another paying customer. Pepper doesn’t need walking so much, but if you think you have enough energy to stop by and give her some attention midday, maybe a few rounds of fetch in my fenced yard, I know she’d love it. It would help me on days I can’t get back here and it’d make her feel more secure.”

  “Of course. I can do that. In fact, I’d love to play with her.”

  “Great. The house is locked up and I don’t have a spare key, but she has a doggie door, so if you enter the yard’s gate and call out to her, she’ll come. She’s met you before, so I’m not worried about her getting defensive.”

  “I’ve got it. Don’t worry about her. I’ll go over there today after Nim wakes up from her nap and eats lunch.”

  “Perfect. Thanks.”

  “You bet.” She returned his wave as he drove off.

  Life could be so strange. She was going to be taking care of the sheriff’s dog. The one man who might see her face come up on his computer at work at any given moment and slap cuffs on her wrists the next.

  And he’d seen her without makeup. No eyeliner or lipstick. Just plain Faye, the way she’d always been before. Her morning routine had consisted of washing her face and pulling her hair back. She wore a touch of mascara, but nothing heavy, and sometimes lip balm if the weather was bitter cold, but that was about it. Now, she had to remind herself every morning to lay it on thick enough to feel safe. Unrecognizable.

  Would he recognize her, now that he’d seen her face naked, if a warrant for her arrest circulated? She rubbed her temples and went back inside.

  “Take each day at a time,” she muttered. “Deal with it if it happens.”

  She began tidying up around the place. She didn’t want Eve to get tired of their being around. It was enough that she’d opened up her home.

  The landline rang and she looked at the number. It was the bookstore.

  “Hey, Eve. You holding up?”

  “Yes. But I feel so behind.”

  “You only missed a couple of days.”

  “Two days too many. Listen. I forgot to ask this morning. I’ll be passing by the grocers on the way home. If you let me know what you need for Nim, I can add it to the list.”

  “Are you sure? I’ll pay you back.”

  “I’m sure.”

  She glanced around what was left of kid food and checked on the dwindling stack of diapers and wipes, then rattled off a few items before thanking her again and hanging up.

  She started putting used mugs and bowls in the sink, trying not to wake Nim with the clinking and clanking. She’d disinfect every surface too. She really didn’t want that kid coming in contact with germs, especially with how much she stuck her fingers in her mouth.

  A creaking sounded from the front of the cottage. She froze with a plate in hand, then set it down super softly on a nearby dish towel. The wooden landing outside the door creaked again, then a bump and rustle. Carlos had left. And Eve was at Castaway Books. Any other visitor would knock or ring the bell.

  She looked around for something to use in self-defense if necessary and grabbed a four-foot-long, heavy rain stick that was leaning against the corner wall. She kept it vertical so the beads inside wouldn’t shift and give her away. She tiptoed to the front door and looked through the peephole. That kid from the bakery. She recognized him as one of Darla’s employees.

  Her lungs collapsed and she cracked the door open, still holding the rain stick behind it.

  “Hi. I thought I heard someone out here.”

  The kid fumbled with his cell phone and stuck it back in his pocket. He was balancing a pastry box in the other hand.

  “Oh, hey. Sorry. I was about to knock but I almost dropped the box. Caught it against the door, luckily. Darla said to bring this over to you. Croissants. They’re still warm. She said she hopes you’re feeling better.”

  He held out the box, this time holding it sensibly with two hands. There was no end to cell phone distractions. They even put baked goods in danger. She took the box. Even with her slightly stuffy sinuses, the aroma filled her senses.

  “This is so thoughtful. Please thank her for me. I’ll stop in the bakery soon.”

  “I’ll let her know. See ya.”

  He bounded down the steps and took off in his hatchback. Hopefully, his phone remained in his pocket.

  She closed the door and stood with her back to it for a second. A simple delivery had rattled her nerves that much? How was she going to hold up if she saw her face on the news or if Jim found her himself?

  “Fa!” Nim started crying from the bedroom, where Faye had moved her playpen. She padded in her socked feet down the short hall and went up to her niece with arms outstretched.

  “Ma. Ma.” She had to get her to say it. It’s what kids her age called their moms. She recalled Nim saying “Dada” to Carlos. She’d been feverish and half-asleep, but she’d heard it. Unless the fever had been talking. But why had Nim said that to him? Was she remembering? Missing her dad?

  “Fa fa.”

  “No, sweetie. I’m Mama.”

  Nim scowled at her. Faye lifted her out of the pen and got a whiff of her diaper. Maybe she did need to read up on potty training. Had Clara been potty training Nim? Come to think of it, she’d mentioned it a few times, and she did have one of those plastic kid potties in one of their bathrooms, but as far as Faye knew, Nim wasn’t trained yet. Was that related to emotional distress too? Like not talking as much as peers? Or was she just too young? In any case, potty training was the last thing on Faye’s mind.

  “Girl, you do not smell like an ocean breeze. Let’s get you changed. And then we’ll
find out if I’m as good at potty training kids as I am with puppies.”

  She had her changed and fed and in the umbrella stroller within an hour. She didn’t think she had it in her to carry Nim’s weight around in the carrier yet. The cold was still working its way out of her chest. She also didn’t think that Nim had it in her to walk over to Carlos’s place and then into town. Faye didn’t want to use the car since Carlos had pointed out the registration needed renewal. He hadn’t mentioned it again, which kind of surprised her. But maybe it was because she hadn’t driven it. Leaving the car parked here also seemed like a safer bet, just in case Jim managed to track her to the town where she’d bought it. Cash or not.

  “There you go. Let’s get you some sunshine and fresh air.” She slipped Nim’s hat on. “Do you want to go see Pepper?”

  Nim swung her legs excitedly and clapped her hands.

  “Pepe.”

  It sounded like she had said “pee pee.” Good thing Pepper probably wouldn’t notice or care.

  Carlos’s yard was simple and neat. The left side of his beach house had a wooden fence that wrapped around a side yard that was about as big as her apartment times three back home. She opened the gate and pushed the stroller in, then closed it behind her. The yard wasn’t landscaped. There was a small grassy area flanked with ornamental grasses that had browned over the winter and a short deck that was a weathered gray. A round charcoal grill sat on the deck with a table and four chairs. There wasn’t even a tree for shade in the summer. Maybe it didn’t matter to him if he spent more time at work than hanging around in his yard.

  “Pepper?”

  She bent down to unbuckle Nim and set her free. Pepper came rushing through the doggy door panting as if her visitors were the best surprise ever. Faye lunged to grab Nim, who was headed for the dog, before they collided. A swear word escaped her and she immediately regretted it. Small ears. She also should have known better than to release Nim from the stroller before letting Pepper settle down. She knew that much about dogs. She had been trying to be careful on walks. Whether it was having been sick or getting too comfortable with her surroundings, she’d let her guard down and that was dangerous. Kids were scary. Unpredictable. Helpless. And she’d nearly failed in her role of protector.

  “Goodness that was close. Kiddo, hang on a sec and let Pepper calm down. Then you can stand and pet her.”

  She gave Pepper a good rub and kissed the top of her head. The dog sniffed at her pocket.

  “Not yet. Treats are earned. Let’s find your toys.”

  Pepper wasn’t a puppy but her hips were doing fine, from what Faye had observed. A few ball tosses would do her good.

  Nim wriggled free from Faye’s grasp and wrapped her arms around Pepper’s chest. Pepper licked Nim’s hat right off and Nim started laughing uncontrollably. The kind that brought on hiccups and made everything okay. Pepper, encouraged, picked up the hat and flung it, then licked at Nim’s belly. Nim fell onto her bottom and laughed even harder as Pepper waited for her new “puppy” to go fetch the hat.

  Now that was sweet love. Faye wished she had her cell phone to capture the moment. She wanted...hoped...to share it with Clara in the near future. But all she could do was cherish the moment and hope that the memory of it would never fade.

  * * *

  CARLOS WAITED UNTIL Jordan and Greg left to do rounds and the rest of the office staff had retreated to their desks and stations. He was supposed to be clocking out and heading home, but he’d been waiting for a private moment to do some searching. Faye’s past had been nagging him ever since Nim had called him Dada. Who was the guy? Who had done this to them? He itched to use every bit of the law he could to punish the man. Checking Faye’s background wasn’t his intention. Finding the guy was...even if he never confronted him. He just felt better knowing where the threat to Faye was coming from.

  He technically had no legal reason to check on her background. Well, she did start helping with Pepper yesterday, but that was different. He had no intention of telling her he required a background check for walking his dog, when she was living under Eve’s roof. That would constitute manipulating the situation. He wasn’t trying to scare her. He wanted to help her...without breaking rules. Yet here he was in front of his computer trying to justify looking into her past. Her ex’s past. And he was running on assumptions when it came to her ex. Faye hadn’t pressed charges or filed a restraining order. Getting info on the man—even with the intention of protecting her—crossed a line. And he had to admit, despite the fact that he had a right to protect the town if he thought there was anything criminal going on—and abuse was unequivocally criminal—his interest was becoming personal. He cared, not just about doing what was right, but about Faye and her little girl.

  When he’d discovered her car was bought by a Donovan and not a Potter, he had reason to look into it. The whole registration expiration. But looking at her records to find out who her husband was? That wasn’t exactly kosher police protocol. The way she’d reacted to him when they’d first met made him wonder if the guy was a cop. Wouldn’t she just love it if he ended up being yet another lawbreaking cop in her life?

  He put “Faye Donovan” into the system but deleted it before hitting enter.

  “Sheriff, you have a memo that just came through. A Jane Doe was found washed up off Ocracoke. They’re notifying everyone in case she matches a missing person’s report.” Margie, one of his newer officers, set a printout on his desk. The report would be in the system but he liked keeping a print copy up on the bulletin board. Out of sight out of mind. He preferred visual reminders for his team to see day in and day out. Especially when it came to wanted or missing persons.

  Ocracoke was farther south than Turtleback. They hadn’t received any reports on missing persons as of yet. He logged out of his search page and turned his attention to the memo. Suspected riptide drowning. He cursed under his breath. He hated this part of his job. Knowing he was protecting people, that part he loved. But seeing cases where protection failed. That killed him. And a case like Faye’s where his hands were tied unless she gave him the green light? Forget six feet. It made him feel like he was twelve feet under. Buried alive at that.

  It couldn’t get more personal.

  Neck and neck with the emotions he’d dealt with as a ten-year-old, when his father died. He had been killed in a freak accident...or that’s what it was called. A case of mistaken identity. Bull. His jaw cramped and he cranked his neck to loosen his shoulders. His father had been stereotyped. Killed by friendly fire. Not at war either. He was an off-duty officer on vacation with his wife and kid and he had tried to do what was right. He had gone inside a gas station to pay, leaving Carlos and his mom in their car. His father had jumped into action to save the clerk when two masked men entered and held the woman behind the register at gunpoint. Local police responded to the 10-31. The robbers escaped. The cops, arriving on scene as Carlos’s father was running for his car to make sure his wife and kid were alright, shot him.

  He had fit a profile. His mom tried to pursue it legally, but the case fell through. The cop who’d shot him was inexperienced. He had been following procedure, according to the investigation. His father was running away from a crime scene toward a potential getaway car. That’s how it stood. A reasonable sounding defense, but the situation had been more complicated than that. The officer claimed there had been no racial profiling involved. His mother never believed it. Nor did he.

  His father had been killed while trying to protect not only the clerk, but his wife and kid.

  Faye and Nim.

  He rubbed his face and pushed away from his desk. He wasn’t going to cut corners and break rules. He was nothing if he didn’t abide by the laws he upheld. He’d avoided following in his father’s footsteps for so long. He’d gone into the air force instead. But after he’d returned home for his mother, she had encouraged him to join the police force. To run f
or sheriff. To be one of the good ones—and the vast majority of cops were just that. Putting their lives on the line for others. Every day. Those who knew his father had poured in their support, as did others from many states. Some had even come to his mother’s funeral so many years later.

  Be one of the good ones. Make a difference. He could hear his mother like she was standing in front of him. He couldn’t let her down. He couldn’t betray Faye, then expect her to trust him.

  “Margie, I’ll see you tomorrow.” He took his jacket off the back of his chair and put it on.

  “See ya, Sheriff. Be good,” she teased, as she always did.

  He shook a finger at her.

  “I’ll think about it.”

  Thunder rumbled as he stepped outside and the wind picked up. Dark, rolling clouds loomed over Turtleback, moving fast enough for a passing rain but slow enough to drench. It looked like a heck of a storm. If he hurried, he’d make it home before it hit. Pepper didn’t like the sound of thunder. She was really going to hate it when the bolder spring storms started coming through in a few weeks. And then there would be the summer hurricane season to reckon with. She hadn’t been with him during the last one.

  Several drops hit his windshield by the time he reached the intersection. A slew of them followed hard and fast once he turned onto his road. He flicked on his windshield wipers, his headlights already set to automatic, and navigated the one area where he knew the side of the road flooded easily.

  “Aw, man.”

  Faye was up ahead on the left side of the road, pushing Nim’s stroller hard and fast. She would never make it to the house before getting drenched and she’d barely gotten over being sick. And Nim would be soaked. Temperatures had already dropped five degrees with the front. He pulled up a few feet ahead of them, noticing the way Faye jolted but recovered when she realized who it was. He leaped out of the driver’s seat and was unbuckling Nim within seconds. “Quick. Grab her and get in. I’ll get this.” She shielded Nim against her chest as she ducked her head and climbed into the back seat. He folded the stroller and put it across the foot area and got back behind the wheel. “You okay?” He called out over Nim, who’d started bawling. He couldn’t blame her.