I Do...: Her Accidental Engagement / A Bride's Tangled Vows

“Were you involved in the drug bust over in Tellet County a few nights back?”

Julia stopped midsentence as her eyes snapped to his. “What drug bust? Sounds dangerous. Why didn’t I hear about a drug bust?”

Sam threw Ethan what he hoped was a shut your mouth look.

“Sorry, man,” Ethan said quickly. “Hey, Lainey, let’s hit the dance floor.”

Lainey popped out of her chair. “Love to.”

“Cowards,” Julia muttered as she watched them go. She turned her angry gaze back to Sam. “You were saying?”

“A meth lab outside the county lines,” he told her. It had been a long time since anyone had cared about what he was doing and whether it was dangerous or not. “It’s been kept quiet so far because the sheriff thinks it’s part of a bigger tristate operation. We want to see if we can flush out a couple of the bigger fish.”

She tapped one finger on the table. “I don’t like you being involved in something like that.”

“It’s my job, Julia.”

“I need to know about these things. I bet Abby Brighton knew where you were during the drug bust.”

“She’s my secretary. Of course she knew.”

“We’re engaged.”

“Is that so?”

To his great amusement, she squirmed in her chair. “As far as everyone around here thinks. I need to be kept informed.”

“Why?”

“To know whether I should worry.”

“One more reason I wouldn’t be a good bet in a real relationship. Ask my ex. I don’t like to report in. I don’t like anyone worried about me.” He blew out a frustrated breath. “My job is dangerous almost every day. I deal with it, but I don’t expect you or anyone else to.”

“No one’s allowed to care about you?” Her eyes flashed, temper lighting them.

“I don’t need anyone to care.”

“The Lone Ranger rides again.” Julia pushed away from the table. He grabbed her wrist so she couldn’t escape.

“Why are you mad? This doesn’t have anything to do with you. We have a business arrangement. That’s what we both wanted. It’s not going to help either of us to be emotionally involved with the other one’s life.”

“Some of us care, whether we want to or not.”

Her eyes shone and his heart leaped in his chest. He pulled her tight against him, aware they were gathering stares from people standing nearby. “Thank you for caring. I’m not used to it, but it means a lot.” He pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m sorry I’m bad at this. Even for pretend.”

“You’re not so bad,” she whispered.

“Do you want to dance?”

“Do you?”

He grinned at her. “Hell, no. But I can make it work.”

“Give me a minute. I need to catch up with my mom and Joe, make sure Charlie’s okay.”

He studied her. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say you’re avoiding me right now.”

She shook her head. “I want to find Charlie.”

“They headed back toward the game booths. I’m going to say hi to the mayor and I’ll meet you over there.”

The gym was full, and without Sam at her side, Julia got a little panicked by the crowd.

She moved toward the far end of the gymnasium where the carnival booths were set up, then veered off quickly when she saw two women from her high-school class standing together near one of the attractions. One was Annabeth Sullivan, whom Julia felt friendlier toward after their conversation at the salon. The other was Lucy Peterson, their graduating class’s valedictorian. Julia had always been uncomfortable around her. She’d made it clear during high school that Lucy was persona non grata and knew the slightly chubby teen had suffered because of it.

Lucy had gotten her revenge, though. Because of her work in the school office and her access to the files, she’d found out about Julia’s learning disabilities. She hadn’t told anyone outright, but had spread the rumor that Julia had only graduated because she’d slept with one of her teachers and he’d fixed her grade.

She’d told Julia that if she denied it, Lucy would tell people the real reason she had so much trouble in school. Having a reputation as a slut hadn’t been half as bad as the school knowing about her LD.

She ducked out a door and into the cool night air, walking toward the football field situated next to the main building. Two streetlights glowed in the darkness as her eyes scanned the shadowy length of the field.

She’d spent so much time here in high school. If she’d been queen of her class, this was her royal court. She’d felt confident on the field in her cheerleading uniform or on the sidelines cheering for Ethan. She’d hated falling back on her looks, but the insecure girl who had nothing else to offer had exploited her one gift as best she could.

Now she breathed in the cool night air and closed her eyes, remembering the familiar smells and sounds.

Her memories here were a long time gone. She was no longer a scared teenager. She had Charlie to protect. She’d made mistakes and was trying her damnedest to make amends for them. There was no way of moving forward without finally confronting her past, once and for all.

Chapter Ten

She took another breath and headed toward the school, determined to hold her head high. She had as much right to return to her high school as anyone.

Once inside, she stopped at the girls’ bathroom to sprinkle cold water on her face. When a stall opened and Lucy Peterson stepped out, Julia wondered if she’d actually conjured her.

“Hi, Lucy.” The other woman’s eyes widened in surprise.

Lucy hadn’t changed much since high school. She was still short and full figured, her chest heaving as she adjusted the wire-rimmed glasses on her face.

“Hello, Julia. I didn’t expect to see you here. I’m in town for the weekend for my parents’ anniversary. Normally I wouldn’t be caught dead back in this high school. I live in Chicago. I’m a doctor.” Lucy paused for a breath. “I’m babbling.”

“What kind of doctor?” Julia asked.

“Molecular biologist.”

Julia nodded. Figured. Julia knew better than to compare herself to a genius like Lucy. “That’s great.”

The two women stared at each other for several long moments. At the same time they blurted, “I’m sorry.”

Relief mixed with a healthy dose of confusion made Julia’s shoulders sag. “I’m the one who should apologize. I know I was horrible in high school. You were on the top of my list. Not that it matters, but you should know I was jealous of you.”

Lucy looked doubtful. “Of me? You were the homecoming queen, prom queen, head cheerleader, and you dated the football captain. I was nobody.”

“You were smart.”

“I shouldn’t have spread that rumor about you.” Lucy fiddled with the ring on her left finger. “You weren’t a slut.”

“There are worse things you could have said about me.”

“You weren’t stupid, either.”

Julia made her voice light. “The grade record would beg to differ.”

“I read your file,” Lucy said slowly. “It was wrong, but I know you had significant learning disabilities, which means...”

“It means there’s something wrong with my brain,” Julia finished. “Stupid is a much clearer description of my basic problem.”

“You must have been pretty clever to have hid it all those years. I’m guessing you still are.”

“I cut hair for a living. It’s not nuclear science. Or molecular biology.”

“That’s right. My mom told me you’d taken over the Hairhouse.”

“I’m working on it. The loan still needs to go through.”

“Are you going to keep the name?”

Julia relaxed a little as she smiled. “I don’t think so. ‘The Best Little Hairhouse in Brevia’ is quite a mouthful.”

Lucy returned the smile then pulled at the ends of her hair. “I’m in town until Tuesday. Could you fit me in?”

“You don’t hate me?”

Lucy shook her head. “In high school, I thought I was the only one who was miserable. Once I got away from Brevia, I realized lots of kids had problems. We were all just too narcissistic to see it in each other. Some people can’t let go of the past. I’ve moved on, Julia. I’m happy in Chicago. I have a great career and a fantastic husband. I don’t even mind visiting my mom a couple times a year, although I avoid the old crowd. I know in my heart they can’t hurt me because their opinions don’t matter. I don’t hate you. You probably did me a favor. You made me determined to escape. Now I can come back on my own terms.”

“I’m glad for you, Lucy.” Julia checked her mental calendar. She’d trained herself to keep her schedule in her head so she didn’t have to rely on a planner or smartphone. “How about eleven on Monday?”

Lucy nodded. “Maybe we could grab lunch after. I may not care too much about certain ladies’ opinions but I wouldn’t mind seeing their faces if we showed up at Carl’s.”

“I’d love that.”

“I’ll see you Monday.” With a quick, awkward hug, Lucy hurried out the door.

Julia studied herself in the hazy mirror above the row of bathroom sinks. She felt lighter than she had in years, the weight of her guilt over how she’d treated Lucy finally lifted. One past mistake vanquished, only a hundred more to go.

“She’s right, you know.” The door to one of the stalls swung open to reveal Lexi Preston.

Julia’s shoulders went rigid again. “Eavesdrop much?” She took a step toward Lexi. “I don’t suppose you’re going to put that conversation on the official record? It didn’t make me out to be the deadbeat you’re trying to convince the court I am.”

“I don’t think you’re a deadbeat,” Lexi said, sounding almost contrite. “You’re not stupid, either. But I have to do my job. The Johnsons—”

“They call the shots, right? You do the dirty work for them, digging up damaging information on me and probably countless other family enemies.”

“It’s not personal.” Lexi’s voice was a miserable whisper.

Julia felt a quick stab of sympathy before her temper began to boil over. She was always too gullible, wanting to believe people weren’t as bad as they seemed. It led to her being taken advantage of on more than one occasion. Not this time, though.

She had to physically restrain herself from grabbing Lexi’s crisp button-down and slamming the petite attorney into one of the metal stalls. “How can you say that? You’re helping them take my son away from me. My son!” Tears flooded her eyes and she turned away, once again feeling helpless to stop the inevitable outcome.

“I don’t want you to lose your son,” Lexi said quietly. “If I had my way...” She paused then added, “Hiding who you are and the reasons you did things isn’t going to help your case. You’re not the one with the big secrets here.”

Julia whirled around. “Are the Johnsons hiding something? Do you have information that could help me keep Charlie?”

Lexi shook her head. “I’ve said too much.” She reached for the door. “You’re a good mother, Julia. But you have to believe it.”

Julia followed Lexi into the hall, but before she could catch up a loud crash from down the hall distracted her. She heard a round of shouts and her first thought was of Charlie.

Chaos reigned in the gymnasium as people pushed toward the exits. Julia stood on her tiptoes and scanned the crowd, spotting Joe Callahan with his arm around her mother near the bleachers. Vera held Charlie, who was contentedly spooning ice cream into his mouth, oblivious to the commotion.

Julia elbowed her way through the throng of people to Vera and Joe. “Charlie,” she said on a breath, and her son launched himself at her.

“Banilla, Mama.”

“I see, sweetie.” She hugged him tight against her.

“Why is everyone rushing out of here?” She noticed that many older folks, like Joe and Vera, hung back.

“Big fight outside,” someone passing by called. “Eddie Kelton caught his wife in the back of their minivan with his best friend.”

“He’s going to kill him,” the man’s companion said with a sick laugh. “Someone said Eddie’s got a knife.”

Julia grimaced. She’d gone to school with Eddie’s older brother. “The Keltons are not a stable bunch,” she murmured.

Joe patted her shoulder. “Don’t worry, hon. Sam will handle it. I’d be out there but I don’t want to leave your mom.”

“Such a gentleman.”

“Sam?” Julia’s heart rate quickened. “Why is Sam out there?”

“Because he’s the police chief.” Vera spoke slowly, as if Julia were a small child.

“He’s not on duty. Shouldn’t they call a deputy?”

“Cops are never truly off duty,” Joe said with a sigh. “But Sammy can take care of himself.”

“Eddie Kelton has a knife.” Julia practically jumped up and down with agitation. Her palms were sweating and clammy. Sam could take care of himself, but she couldn’t stop her anxiety from spilling over. “This isn’t part of the evening’s entertainment. It’s real life.”

Joe nodded. “Being the wife of a law-enforcement officer isn’t easy.” He patted her shoulder again and she wanted to rip his wrist out of the socket. He pulled his hand away as if he could read her mind. “If it will make you feel better, I’ll check on him. I may be rusty but I could handle a couple troublemakers in my day.”

Vera gave a dreamy sigh. A muscle above Julia’s eye began to twitch.

“I bet you were quite a sight,” Vera practically purred.

“You know what would make me feel better? If I go and check on him.” She sat Charlie on the bleachers. “Stay here with Grandma, okay, buddy?”

“Gramma,” Charlie said around a mouthful.

“I’ll escort you,” Joe said in the same cop tone Julia’d heard Sam use. “If you’re okay for a few minutes on your own?” he asked Vera.

“Be a hero,” Vera answered, batting her lashes.

Julia thought about arguing but figured he could be useful. “Can you get me to the front?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

He took her elbow and, true to his word, guided her through the groups spilling into the parking lot. Was it some kind of police Jedi mind trick that enabled cops to manage throngs of people?

She poked her head through the row of spectators to see Sam between two men, arms out, a finger pointed at each of them.

Eddie Kelton, his wife, Stacey, and a man Julia didn’t recognize stood in the parking lot under the lights. The unknown man had his shirt on inside out and his jeans were half zipped. Julia assumed he was the man Stacey had been with. Another telltale sign was the black eye forming above his cheek.

Stacey stood to one side, weeping loudly into her hands.

“For the last time, Eddie, put the knife down.” Sam looked as if he’d grown several inches since Julia had seen him minutes earlier. He was broad and strong, every muscle in his body on full alert. A surge of pride flashed through her, along with the nail-biting fear of seeing him in action.

Eddie Kelton couldn’t have been more than five foot seven, a wiry strip of a man, aged beyond his years thanks to working in the sun on a local construction crew. His face sported a bloody nose, busted lip and a large scratch above his left eye. Julia gathered he’d been on the losing end of the fight until he’d brandished the six-inch blade jiggling between his fingers.

“That’s my woman, Chief.” Eddie’s arm trembled. “My wife. He’s supposed to be my best friend and he had my wife.” Eddie’s wild gaze switched to Stacey. “How could you do this to me? I loved you.”

She let out a wretched sob. “You don’t act like you love me. Always down at the bar after work or passed out on the couch.” Her eyes darted around the crowd. “I found the adult movies on the computer. I want someone who wants me. Who pays attention to me. Who makes me feel like a woman and not just the housekeeper.”

“I loved you,” Eddie screamed.

“It was only—” the half-dressed man began.

“Shut up, Jon-o,” Eddie and Stacey yelled at the same time.

Eddie slashed the air with his knife.

Sam held his ground.

Julia held her breath.

“Eddie, I know what you’re feeling.” Sam’s voice was a soothing murmur.

“You don’t know squat,” Eddie spat out, dancing back and forth on the balls of his feet. “I’m going to cut off his junk here and now.”

“Don’t you threaten my junk,” the other man yelled back. “If you were a real man—”

Sam’s head whipped around. “Jon Dallas, shut your mouth or I’m going to arrest you for public indecency.” He turned back to Eddie. “I do know. A few years ago I walked in on my brother and my fiancée getting busy on the kitchen table.”

A collective gasp went up from the crowd and several heads turned toward Julia. “Not me,” she whispered impatiently. “His ex.”

Sam’s gaze never left Eddie, so she had no idea if he realized she was there.

Eddie’s bloodshot eyes brimmed with tears. “It gets you right here,” he said, thumping his chest with the hand not gripping the knife. “Like she reached in and cut out your heart.”

Sam nodded. “You’re not going to make anything better with the knife. Drop it and we’ll talk about what’s next.”

“I’m sorry, Eddie.” Stacey’s voice was so filled with anguish Julia almost felt sorry for her. Except for the small matter that she’d been caught cheating on her husband. “I made a horrible mistake. It didn’t mean anything.”

“Hey—” Jon-o sputtered.

“I love you, Eddie.” Stacey sobbed.

Eddie lowered the knife but Sam didn’t relax. “Drop it and kick it to me,” he ordered. “She loves you, Eddie.”

“I love her, too.” Eddie’s voice was miserable. “But she cheated.”

“We didn’t even do it,” Stacey called, and Julia wished the woman understood the concept of too much information. “He was drunk. Couldn’t get it—”

Jon-o took an angry step toward her. “Shut your fat mouth, you liar. I was the best—”

For a second, Sam’s attention switched to Jon-o and Stacey. In that instant, Eddie launched himself forward.

He lunged for Jon-o but Sam grabbed his arm. Julia screamed as Eddie stabbed wildly at Sam, who knocked the blade out of the man’s hand then slammed him to the ground. Pete Butler, Sam’s deputy, rushed forward and tossed Sam a pair of handcuffs before turning his attention to Jon-o, pushing him away from the action.

Stacey melted into a puddle on the ground. “Eddie, no,” she whimpered. “Don’t put handcuffs on my husband.”

Sam got Eddie to his feet.

“Don’t worry, honey.” Stacey took a step forward. “I’ll bail you out. I love you so much.”

Tears ran down Eddie’s face. “I love you, sugar-buns.”

Stacey would have wrapped herself around her husband but Sam held up a hand. “Later, Stacey.” Jon-o disappeared into the crowd and Sam yanked Eddie toward Pete. “Put him in the holding cell overnight. He can sober up.”

Pete pointed to Sam’s shoulder. Sam shook his head, so the deputy led Eddie toward the waiting squad car.

“We’re done out here,” Sam announced to the crowd. “Everyone head inside. There’s a lot more money to be raised tonight.”

After a quiet round of applause, people drifted toward the gymnasium. A couple of men approached Sam, slapping him on the back.

“I told you he’d handle it,” Joe said proudly from Julia’s side.

“You did.” Julia felt rooted to the spot where she stood. Her body felt as though it weighed a thousand pounds. She couldn’t explain what she’d felt when Eddie had rushed at Sam with the knife. She’d swear she’d aged ten years in those few seconds.

“Nice going, son,” Joe called.

Sam looked up and his gaze met Julia’s. He gave her a small smile and her whole body began to shake. She walked toward him and threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shirt collar. He smelled sweet, like leftover cotton candy, and felt so undeniably strong, she could have wept. She wouldn’t cry. She wasn’t that much of an emotional basket case, but she squeezed her eyes shut for good measure.

She willed the trembling to stop. It started to as he rubbed his palm against her back.

“Hey,” he said into her hair. “Not that I’m complaining about you wrapped around me, but it’s okay. It was nothing. Eddie was too drunk to do any real damage, even if he’d wanted to.”

She didn’t know how long he held her. She was vaguely aware of people milling about, of Joe watching from nearby. Sam didn’t seem in any hurry to let her go. She needed the strength of his body around hers to reassure her that he was truly all right.

When she was finally in control enough to open her eyes, she was shocked to see blood staining his shirt near the shoulder. “You’re hurt.” Her voice came out a croak.

He shook his head. “The blade nicked me. It’s a scratch. I’ll stop by the hospital after we finish the paperwork to have it cleaned. Nothing more.”

“He could have hurt you,” she whispered, unable to take her eyes off his shoulder.

He tipped up her chin. His eyes were warm on hers, kind and understanding. “I’m okay. Nothing happened.”

“It could have. Every day something could happen to you, Sam. Drug busts, drunken fights and who knows what else.”

“I’m fine.”

“I’m not. I can’t stand knowing you’re always at risk.”

He looked over her shoulder to where Joe stood. When his eyes met hers again, they were cold and unreadable. He leaned in close to her ear. “Then it’s a good thing this is a fake engagement. I’m not giving up my life for a woman.”

Julia felt the air rush from her lungs. “I didn’t say I wanted you to.” She grabbed on to the front of his shirt as he moved to pull away. “I know this is fake. Sue me, but I was worried. Heaven forbid someone cares about you, Sam. Expects something from you. Maybe I shouldn’t have—”

“Forget it.” Sam kissed her cheek, but she knew it was because his father was still watching. “I have to go into the station and then to the hospital, so I’ll be a while. Take Charlie home. We’ll talk tomorrow.”

“Don’t do this,” she whispered as he walked away, climbing into the police cruiser without looking back.

She knew this was fake. Because she’d never be stupid enough to fall in love with a man so irritating, annoying and unwilling to have a meaningful conversation about his feelings.

She turned to Joe. “At least he’s okay. That’s most important, right?”

“It’s hard for him to be needed by someone,” Joe said, taking her arm and leading her back toward the high school.

Julia snorted. “Ya think?”

* * *

Rotating his shoulder where the nurse had cleaned his wound, Sam stepped out of the E.R. into the darkness. His father’s car wasn’t in front, so he sat on the bench near the entrance to wait.

He scrubbed his palms against his face, wondering how he’d made such a colossal mess of a night that had started off so well. Julia had looked beautiful, as always, and they’d had fun with Charlie at the carnival. He’d even survived his dad and her mother meeting and almost felt okay about her relationship with Ethan.

Then he’d put his foot in his mouth in a thousand different ways when she’d been concerned about his job. Hell, he couldn’t name a cop’s wife who didn’t worry. He’d liked that she’d been worried, liked the feeling of being needed. It had also scared him and he’d pushed her away.

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