The Lawman's Honor

At the end of Easy Street, he pulled into Tommy’s Busted Knuckle Garage to check on his ride.

Tommy, a long, skinny man with brassy shoulder-length hair and a wooly reddish beard met him in the bay. “How’s the leg?”

“Good. What’s the verdict on my SUV?”

Tommy scratched his beard. “Insurance adjuster was here this morning. Sorry to tell you, Heath, but she’s a goner.”

Heath grimaced. He’d been afraid of that. “I’m going to have to get a new one?”

“Looks that way.”

He had a sudden vision of limping into the bank to ask Melissa Jessup for a loan, of having her pout over his poor little eye and his poor little ankle and his poor little broken car. Hiding a smile, he thought that might not be a bad thing. A man could use some feminine sympathy now and then.

Tommy clapped him on the shoulder and shook his shaggy head. “A rotten shame, a nice set of wheels like that, but I can’t put her back the way she was.”

He’d been fond of that SUV.

A rumble of thunder sounded in the distance. The men turned their heads toward the sound. Were they due for another storm this afternoon?

“Thanks anyway, Tommy. It was good of you to go out in the boonies and haul it up out of that ravine.”

“Ah, no big deal. Just glad it was the truck that bit the dust instead of you.”

“Can’t argue that.”

As he left the garage and started down Easy Street, he spotted a jaywalker. Not that he was going to ticket anyone for the infraction, but this jaywalker caught his attention. Glossy black hair that swung against her shoulders as she bopped along, a hot pink and zebra-printed smock over black pants and a pair of black high-heeled ankle-breakers.

His boredom vanished faster than chips at a dip tasting contest.

He whipped the car into a U-turn and parked at an angle in front of Evie’s Sweets and Eats. He pressed the window button and watched the smoked glass slide away just as Cassie stepped up on the curb.

“’Morning,” he said.

She pivoted toward him with a smile. “Hi. Except it’s nearly noon.”

“Yeah.” He grinned.

“How are you?”

Better now.

“Healing.” He touched the bruise over his left cheekbone. “How’s it look?”

“Awful.” But her smile softened the word. “Maybe you should run by the bank and get Melissa to feel sorry for you.”

“I’ve been thinking about that.”

“You have?”

“My vehicle is a goner. Gotta buy a new one.”

“Oh, that’s too bad.” She stepped off the curb to stand by his car window. A flirty breeze ruffled her heavy bangs and he was pretty sure he smelled that fancy shampoo again.

Jockeying for a better view, Heath leaned an elbow on the window opening and tilted his face. Cassie had something that appealed to him. A kind of chic wholesomeness mixed with Southern friendly and a dash of real pretty. “Think I should get a loan from Melissa?”

Cassie grinned. “She’s good at her job, if you can deal with the fact that she thinks you’re the hottest thing to hit Whisper Falls since Pudge Loggins’s turkey fryer caught fire and burned down his garage.”

He hiked an eyebrow, amused and flattered and knowing very well what she meant. “Does she now?”

This time Cassie laughed, her scarlet mouth wide beneath dancing green irises. “Haven’t you noticed the number of times she’s been to the courthouse this week?”

He hadn’t. Man, he must be losing his radar. He hitched his chin toward the bakery. “Were you going in there?”

“Lunch. Want to come? Evie makes good sandwiches from her own homemade bread. Fresh baked this morning.”

“Best invitation I’ve had all day.” Since he’d been here actually. The school didn’t expect him for another hour, so he radioed his location to dispatch and exited the car. The ankle screamed at the first step, causing an involuntary hiss that infuriated Heath.

Cassie paused, watching him. “You’re still in pain.”

“No, I’m fine.”

She made a disbelieving noise in the back of her throat. “You remind me so much of my brother.”

“Must be a great guy.”

She took the statement as the joke he’d intended. “The best. You should meet him.”

“I’d like that.”

“Come to church Sunday and you will.”

Heath reached for the antique door handle. The scroll on the amber glass was equally antique as was the rounded arch transom above the door shaded by a red fringed awning.

“If I’m not on duty, I might do that.” He needed a church, not that he’d ever had time to attend much, but he believed, and church was important in a small town.

With his ankle throbbing, he somehow held the door open for Cassie and limped inside a small business that smelled better than Grandma Monroe’s kitchen on Thanksgiving. Though he wouldn’t be sharing that information with Grandma. The smells of fresh breads and fruit Danish mingled with a showcase of pies and homemade candies.

“A cop’s dream,” he muttered, only half joking.

A middle-aged woman—Evie, he supposed—who obviously enjoyed her own baking, created their orders while maintaining a stream of small talk with Cassie. When she put his sandwich in front of him along with baked chips and a glass of tea, she said, “This one’s on the house, Mr. Monroe, and dessert of your choice. Welcome to Whisper Falls.”

“I can’t let you do that.”

“You don’t have a choice. Go sit down and eat.” She smiled. “And enjoy.”

“Don’t argue with her, Heath. Trust me, she’ll get her money back from you.” Cassie took the lunch tray before he could and led the way to a table. There were only three and all had a sidewalk view.

“Chief called me a wimp today. I’m starting to feel like one.”

“How bad is your leg? I mean really. No bluffing. Any other injuries besides that?”

“Just the ankle. Sprained. And a couple of bruises here and there.” Bruises that ripped the air out of his lungs. “Annoying. But I still have all ten toes.” He bit into the thick, fragrant sandwich.

“I’m relieved to hear it. When do you want your mani-pedi?”

Heath choked, grabbed for the tea glass and managed to swallow. “My what?”

The thought of Cassie touching him again gave him a funny tingle. A nice tingle, come to think of it. Did she have any idea the thoughts that go through a man’s head at the most inappropriate times?

“You don’t remember our conversation?” she asked. “Is the concussion still bothering you?”

“Slight headache if I get tired. Nothing to worry about.”

“Are you following up with Dr. Ron? He’s a really good doctor.” She pinched a piece of lettuce from her plate, holding it between finger and thumb. “And the only one in town.”

“Next week.”

“He’s terrific. You’ll like him.” She nibbled the lettuce and then bit into the sandwich packed with vegetables and turkey. Between bites, she chattered about plans for a community storm cleanup, the Easter sunrise service at the Baptist Church—which she deemed “not to be missed” though Easter was several weeks past—and filled him in on the small, useful details of Whisper Falls.

“Some of this sounds familiar,” he said after a long, cool drink of sweet tea. “Did you tell me this in the car?”

“I thought you didn’t remember.”

He never said that. He remembered bits and pieces. Like her silky voice and dogged efforts to keep him awake. “It’s starting to come back to me.”

“I’ve talked enough about Whisper Falls anyway. No use repeating myself again. Tell me about you. You’re from Texas, not married, no kids. Any other family back in Texas?”

“Two brothers and a terrific mom.”

“No sisters? Your poor mother.”

“She had her hands full.”

“I imagine so! Tell me about the brothers. Older or younger? What do they do?”

“Holt and Heston. Both younger. Both in law enforcement. Sort of. Holt is a private investigator. Heston’s a street cop.”

She tilted her head in a cute way that bunched her hair on her shoulder. He spotted a small sparkly earring. “Did they follow big brother’s path or is law enforcement in the genes?”

“In the genes, I guess. My dad was a cop.” His hand went to his pocket, to Dad’s badge. “A great cop. He died in the line of duty.”

Her perky expression fell. “That’s awful, Heath. I’m sorry.”

“Long time ago. Now we Monroe boys do our best to keep the bad guys off the streets.” He faked a grin. Time to move this conversation to softer ground. “Tell me about you. Besides making the women of Whisper Falls beautiful, what do you do?”

She returned his grin, though hers said she knew he was changing the subject and empathized. She was a nice woman.

As he chewed his ham and provolone, Heath recognized that he was sharply drawn to Cassie Blackwell, to her bright mouth and alabaster skin. His reaction puzzled him. She was friendly to the max, but didn’t flirt, yet Heath found her astonishingly attractive. Pulse-bumping attractive. Not that he worried about it much. He was accustomed to fast, brief relationships that went nowhere. Whether from duty or boredom, his interest in Cassie would burn out like the rest.

* * *

Cassie dipped the paintbrush into a tray filled with baby-blue color while her sister-in-law, Annalisa, worked her way around the small bedroom with a roll of masking tape and a straight edge, making sure every vertical stripe on the nursery wall was perfect.

A slight breeze drifted in the open window, a natural ventilation source, though Cassie had set a box fan in the doorway to help extract the paint fumes. The fan also kept the pack of dogs, particularly her apricot poodle, out of the way—much to Tootsie’s annoyance. Even now, the spoiled mutt lay in the hallway, gazing in with a wounded expression.

Cassie had offered to paint the room alone, but Annalisa had insisted on helping. After all, this was her baby, her project, but working together was fun. Cassie was grateful to her sister-in-law for allowing her to be part of transforming the old guest room into an adorable nursery for her brother’s baby. It was something she’d never get to do otherwise. Like her marriage, the dream of babies had died with her husband.

“The walls are looking gorgeous, Cassie.” Annalisa sat back on her heels, blond ponytail dangling, to admire their handiwork. Latte-brown already covered the upper half of the nursery and now they were striping the bottom in latte and blue. White chair rail divided the upper from the lower, and white enamel trimmed the windows, doors and the bottom of the wall. “Everything looks so crisp and clean. I can’t wait to put up the moon and star decor. Won’t it be pretty?”

Cassie rolled her tired neck and smiled softly at her beautiful sister-in-law and dear friend. “No prettier than the stars in your eyes.”

“Your brother—” Annalisa pushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear and sighed, one of those romantic, madly-in-love sounds that said more than words. “Who could imagine I’d end up on a ranch with a cowboy where I’m so happy I pinch myself every day to be sure it’s real? I really love him, Cassie. More now than ever.”

Annalisa’s devotion to Austin never failed to warm Cassie. Her brother had been through a terrible time with his emotionally disturbed first wife, and she’d despaired of ever seeing him embrace life and love again. But a lost and abused woman in the woods and a whispered prayer had changed him.

“You make him happy, too, Annalisa.”

“I know. That’s the beauty of true love. We’re both blessed, but I think I am most of all.” She rubbed a palm over her basketball belly. “Finding Austin was the best thing that ever happened to me. And having our little cowboy pretty soon is a wonderful bonus.”

Annalisa was one of those pregnant women who glowed. Her skin was clearer, her blue eyes brighter, and other than an intermittent battle with her blood pressure, she was full of energy. The ranch house had never been this clean! Not that housework was ever Cassie’s gig. She’d rather have her toenails removed. Annalisa, on the other hand, thrived on making a house a home.

“Only a few more weeks and I’ll be an aunt.” Something odd twisted in her chest.

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