Our Time (Baytown Boys Book 11)

by Maryann Jordan

Colt’s sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face, nodding slowly. He bent and placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “I know, bud. Looks like you were, too.”

  “Is our house going to be safe, Mom?”

  Carrie looked down and said, “I hope so, Jack. It looks like they've taken care of the fire in George’s house now, so we should be able to go back into ours soon.” Turning to George, she said, “You can spend the night with us.”

  Colt was about to correct her when the Fire Chief walked up and obviously overheard what Carrie had just said.

  “I’m afraid, ma’am, you can’t do that. We’re going to need to declare the entire structure safe, and while the initial flames are out, we have to go through, check for embers, and it’s a crime scene as well.”

  “But that’s on George’s side…” she began.

  Shaking his head, the Chief said, “The best thing you can do tonight is make alternate arrangements.”

  George grumbled again, and Jack looked up at his mom and said, “Are we going to have to stay in a hotel?”

  Without giving it a second thought, Colt said, “You’re not going to a hotel. You’re all coming home with me.”

  Carrie looked at him as though he had sprouted another head and said, “We can’t do that.”

  “Of course, you can. I’ve got lots of room. Only thing I don’t have is much furniture. We’ll make do for the rest of tonight and then we’ll figure out what to do tomorrow.”

  An hour later, they arrived at Colt’s house after the firemen had gone inside and collected two plastic bags of some of their belongings. On the drive over, Colt was glad that George was no longer grumbling, and Jack seemed excited about the next adventure but was quietly keeping an eye on his mom. But then, considering that Carrie appeared shell-shocked, staying very quiet, Colt worried about her as well.

  Pulling into his driveway, he heard Jack exclaim, “Jeez, you have a big house! Are you the only one who lives here?”

  “Yep. It was my grandparents’ house. I used to spend a lot of time here when I was a kid. They left it to me when they passed away, but I’m afraid I haven’t done much to it.” He glanced to the side, but Carrie’s tight-lipped face had not changed.

  He hustled everybody inside, grabbing the items that the firemen had collected. “George, tonight, you’re going to be on my sofa. I hope that’s okay.”

  “Sheriff, I’d sleep on the floor and be thankful for your hospitality.”

  “Well, you’re not going to have to do that. If you hang on, I’ll get some sheets and a blanket.” He disappeared upstairs, and when he came back, he had a folded sheet and a blanket, along with an extra pillow. Looking at George, he said, “I’m going to get Jack and Carrie settled and then I’ll be back to check on you.”

  Carrie was standing awkwardly in the middle of the hall, the paramedic blanket still wrapped around her, and her arm tucking Jack in tightly to her side.

  Walking over, Colt said, “Jack, I’m going to put you and your mom in my bedroom upstairs. I’m afraid I don’t have extra furniture in my guestrooms yet, but my bed’s king-size, so you and your mom will fit there fine.”

  Jack’s face scrunched, and he protested, “I’m not a little kid, Sheriff Hudson. I don’t have to sleep with my mom.”

  He walked over and placed his hand on Jack’s shoulder, drawing him away from Carrie. “You don’t have to convince me that you’re not a little boy, Jack. You’ve been taking good care of your mom and George, and you helped to rescue him tonight. But right now, your mom is exhausted, and I think she’s understandably overwhelmed about everything that’s happened. I think it would be good if, for tonight, she had you with her. I think she’d sleep easier that way. Can you do that for me?”

  Jack’s face settled, and he nodded as Colt’s words seemed to have the desired effect. “Okay, Sheriff. I can take care of mom.”

  Giving his shoulder a squeeze, he said, “I think, under the circumstances, you can call me Colt.”

  He could feel that Carrie was about to object, but they both watched as Jack’s face beamed with a smile that was wider than he had ever seen, and he had seen a lot of smiles from Jack. Carrie sucked in a quick breath but remained silent, not objecting to her son now calling him ‘Colt’.

  “Let’s get you two upstairs.” Climbing the stairs, he bypassed the empty bedrooms, answering Jack’s question about them by saying, “Haven’t needed anything there, so I haven’t bought guest room furniture yet.”

  Glad that he had extra sheets that were clean, the three of them quickly remade the king-size bed. While Jack was in the bathroom, he pulled Carrie to his side and wrapped his arms around her. “Honey, I know everything feels like it’s out of your control, but tonight, just rest easy knowing that you, Jack, and George are safe.”

  She looked up, holding his gaze, and said, “I don’t understand what’s happening. Why is someone doing that to George?”

  “I don’t know, but I promise you that we’re going to find out what the hell is going on. We’ve had some thefts, but we haven’t had someone go back a second time to do anything. That has me worried. And while I’m worried, I can’t concentrate if I think that you and Jack are right next door to George.”

  Her gaze dropped, she glanced around the room, and he knew she was taking in the large size of his master bedroom.

  “Baby, stop thinking. Stop worrying. We’ll talk tomorrow and figure out the next step. But for now…for a few hours…please, go to sleep with Jack here. I’m going to go downstairs and sleep on a camping air mattress and chat with George. I need you to do this for me.”

  His words were true, but he hoped that Carrie would feel the need as well. She continued to hold his gaze for a long time then slowly nodded. “Okay, I can’t think of anything else to do right now.”

  “All you need to do, Carrie, is take care of yourself and Jack. Let me do the rest.”

  Jack came out of the bathroom, and Carrie settled her son on one side of the bed before climbing into the other. The desire to be the one sharing his bed with her was pushed down, wanting to make sure they were safe more than anything else. Closing the door, he walked downstairs.

  “Sheriff, where are you going to sleep?” George asked.

  “Hang on a moment, and I’ll show you.” He went out to the garage, pulled his air mattress and pump down off a shelf, and headed back inside. It only took a few minutes to inflate the air mattress and throw another sheet and blanket on top.

  “George, I know we need to talk, but let’s do that in the morning. You need your sleep, and I can rest easier knowing that you all are safe.”

  George nodded, lay down on the sofa, and the room quieted. After a moment, George said, “Carrie is one of the best women I’ve ever met in my life.”

  Colt agreed but said nothing, figuring George needed to get his thoughts out.

  “She’s a fighter, that one. She fights for the ones she cares about. She fights for what she thinks is right. I always figured it would take a special man to be able to give her what she needs while letting her give back what she’s got to give.”

  Colt’s breath halted in his lungs as he waited to see what else George would say.

  “Just saying I think you’re that man,” George continued.

  He had no idea what to say to that in return but found his lungs expanding with a deep breath of relief. But it seemed George was not finished.

  “I also figure you know that I’ll expect you to handle her and Jack with care.”

  “I wouldn’t have it any other way, George.”

  With that, the older man settled, and Colt lay on his back for another hour, thoughts of the entire evening moving through his mind. Sleep came fitfully with thoughts of the fire and thefts, but then he found peace as he remembered the woman that was upstairs, sleeping in his bed.

  16

  Carrie’s eyes opened slowly, and she blinked at the sunlight coming through the slits in the blinds. She remembered waking several times
during the night, checking on Jack, finding him sleeping, dead to the world in his typical sprawl on the other side of the king-size bed.

  Lifting her head, she eyed the empty bed and sat up quickly. Pushing her hair back from her face, she jumped up and rushed to the bathroom. Taking care of her business, she ran a brush through her long hair and pulled it up into a sloppy bun. Digging through the plastic bag, she found her bra, panties, a T-shirt, and a pair of jeans, and she dressed quickly.

  The idea that a fireman had grabbed her clothes to shove them into the bag last night caused her to drop her chin to her chest, closing her eyes in mortification. Sucking in a deep breath through her nose, she let it out slowly, lifted her head, and pushed that thought to the side. It felt as though she had been pushing a lot of thoughts to the side recently, but there was nothing else she could do.

  Hurrying downstairs, she could now see the house that she had barely viewed last night. Glancing into the large family room, she saw that George’s sheet and blanket were folded neatly, now laying to one side. An air mattress was pushed to the far side of the room, and she realized that was where Colt must have slept.

  Voices coming from down the hall captured her attention, and she walked past a study toward the kitchen. Her feet stumbled when she stepped into the large room, seeing George and Jack sitting on kitchen stools shoveling down toast and scrambled eggs that Colt was serving. Her gaze moved from her son, who seemed no worse from the previous evening’s activities, to Colt, standing in his kitchen. Every time she had seen him, he had been in his Sheriff’s uniform or shorts and T-shirt when coaching. He always looked good every time, but now, standing in his kitchen in a white T-shirt that stretched across his muscles and jeans that fit just right on his hips and thighs, he was drop-dead, mouthwatering gorgeous.

  She pushed that thought to the side also, deciding she had no time to run upstairs and fix her hair, put on makeup, and find an evening dress to make her look more presentable. Instead, she observed three pairs of eyes looking at her and three wide smiles meeting her gaze.

  “Mom! Colt made us breakfast!”

  Gaining her senses, she walked over and bent to kiss the top of her son’s head. “I can see that.” Stepping over to George, she moved her gaze over his face and asked softly, “How are you doing today?”

  His wrinkles deepened as he said, “I’m still pissed about our house, but I’m alive, we’re all well, and I’m having a good breakfast. I reckon I’m doing okay.”

  She could not help but smile at his response and then her attention was diverted to Colt as he asked, “Coffee, babe?”

  She noticed that he had slid into the endearment, now using it in front of others—including Jack—and she was uncertain how she felt about that. On the one hand, every time Colt said babe, a warm tingle moved through her. On the other hand, she did not want Jack to get the wrong idea. Still pondering that, she was surprised when Colt walked around the counter, sat a cup of coffee on the counter near her, placed one hand on her waist and pulled her forward slightly before bending and brushing her lips with a kiss.

  Eyes wide, she jerked her head around and spied George unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile, and Jack not even pretending to hide the wide grin spreading across his face.

  “Okay, here’s what we need to do,” Colt began, diverting her attention from the kiss. “I’ve already called Joe’s Place and told Joe and Mavis what was happening.”

  Opening her mouth to protest, he said, “Carrie, honey, I need all of you to come to the station so that you can make statements about last night.”

  She sucked in her lips, remembering that she was a witness to a crime, and Colt was right about her needing to talk to the deputies. Nodding, she remained quiet while he continued.

  “Right now, George, your side of the duplex is going to have a lot of water damage from the fire hoses as well as fire damage. I know you rent from a man in Maryland—”

  “I sent him a text last night,” Carrie said.

  Nodding, Colt said, “Good. Carrie, I know you think that George can just live with you, but the problem with that is we don’t know yet what’s going on. I don’t want any of you back in that duplex right now.”

  Jack piped up, “Are we going to keep staying here?”

  Carrie shushed him and said, “No, of course, we can’t—”

  “Of course, you can,” Colt said, and she widened her eyes at him.

  “It just makes the most sense,” he continued. “Do you know anyone who has spare rooms? Enough for you, Jack, and George?”

  She frowned because the answer to that question was she did not. BettyJo’s husband passed away years ago, and she lived in a lovely one-bedroom apartment. In fact, it was in the same complex where her mother had a one-bedroom apartment. Joe and Mavis had a two-bedroom house, and they did not have many guests since her son and grandkids lived close by, but there would be no room for all of them. She was friends with Belle and many of the women in Baytown but did not feel comfortable asking to crash at their places. And a hotel would not be in her budget. Sighing heavily, she shook her head.

  “Okay, then that’s settled. I’ve got the room, and I can provide safety. What I don’t have is furniture.”

  His gaze intent on Colt, Jack asked, “How come you don’t have furniture?”

  Carrie did not even attempt to shush her son this time, knowing his youthful curiosity was no more than her own. Colt offered her son a smile, and she was glad that he did not appear offended by the question.

  “My grandparents had this house built not long after they got married, and I suppose they hoped for a large family. My dad was an only child, but he wasn’t…well, let’s just say that he wasn’t on good terms with his parents. I wasn’t exactly close to him either. I used to spend a lot of time here with my grandparents and always liked the place. I was in the Army when my grandfather passed away, and my grandmother stayed here for a little while and then moved to a nice retirement home. She didn’t sell the house and didn’t want to leave it to my dad. She took some of the furniture with her, and at that time I told her that I didn’t need any, so she sold the rest. Looking back, that wasn’t the smartest thing I could’ve done. Because here I am, the house now left to me, and it’s not fully furnished.”

  Carrie could tell that while Colt was giving them the gist of the story, there was a great deal left unsaid. Mostly about his father. She was very curious but decided that he would share when he wanted. She just hoped he would want to share it with her sometime.

  “Why don’t we bring our furniture here?” Jack asked.

  At that, Carrie interrupted, “Jack, please, honey. We can’t—”

  “That’s exactly what I was thinking,” Colt said, and she whipped her head around to stare wide-eyed at him so quickly her hair started to tumble out of the hastily-made sloppy bun. His eyes were warm as they moved about her face and head.

  He continued, “We can get some people to help get some of your furniture out of your duplex and in here. Jack, your furniture can go into one of the guest rooms and your mom’s can go into the other.”

  Looking at George, he said, “If your bedroom furniture is okay, then we can get it here as well. There’s something that I haven’t shown you, and that’s a bonus bedroom over my garage.” He turned and pointed to a door in the corner of the kitchen and said, “That’s how you get up to it. The space is divided into two rooms, one can be used for a bedroom and the other, a den. There’s a full bathroom and a small efficiency kitchen with a small refrigerator, counter, sink, microwave, and hotplate. When my grandparents added on the garage, they decided to put a separate apartment up there in case they ever wanted to rent it to someone. George, if you’re interested, it’s yours.”

  George grinned widely, saying, “Hot damn, things are finally looking up.”

  Carrie’s heart warmed even more toward Colt, which she thought was an impossibility considering he should have been wearing a white Stetson, declaring him one of the good
guys.

  He captured her gaze and asked, “Can you deal with this, Carrie?”

  She sucked in her lips for a moment, her mind racing, and almost laughed as she thought about one more thing she needed to set to the side. “I agree that Jack and I should not be at the duplex right now, and I don’t have anywhere else that we can go. You and I can discuss later what kind of monetary arrangement we can make while we’re here.”

  She watched his brows lift before he shot a quick glance to Jack. For once, he kept his mouth shut, and she smiled. Moving over to the stove, she said, “Well, let me help with breakfast and then we’ll get ready and head to the station.”

  Two hours later, Carrie walked out of the Sheriff’s Office, glad that everything had gone without a hitch. She had spoken to Deputy Lisa Perdue and essentially just repeated everything she remembered from the night before. Jack was in seventh heaven as Deputy Mark Robbins talked to him, and Deputy Trevon Harris talked to George. She knew Jack could not wait to tell his friends about the latest adventure, although she was looking forward to a day with little happening. She had not even had time to process Peter’s visit, but then, she did not really want to.

  While she was waiting for George to finish, she noticed Colt talked to Hunter for several minutes. Hunter began to chuckle, shaking his head in mirth, before moving back to another desk and getting on his phone.

  When they were free to leave, they piled back into his SUV, and Colt drove them back to the duplex, parking near the front. “I got permission from the Fire Chief for you to be back here. George, your second story is unharmed, and I’ve got some friends who are going to come with trucks to get the furniture loaded.”

  Carrie had walked toward the duplex, stopping and staring blankly in front of her. She startled as Colt walked up behind her, put his arm around her and asked, “You, okay?

  She sighed heavily and said, “I’ve lived here for years. I know I’ll be coming back, but it just seems strange to no longer feel safe. I’ve always felt safe here.”