by Dana Mentink
His mind was giving out on him. First he’d kissed Penny. Now he was imagining family trips and thinking about love? What was the matter with him? Marriage was not some fairy tale and he was nowhere near wanting to enter into that tumultuous adventure anytime soon. Rain was more than enough of a challenge.
He shook his head and took a moment to gather himself.
“You okay?” Noelle asked.
“Perfect, just decompressing.”
She nodded and headed for her vehicle.
In a few more moments, he made his way to his car with Dusty. As he drew closer, he considered Penny’s command that he drive immediately to Coney Island. She had not sounded anything like an uncertain young girl. That was Penny McGregor at her strongest.
And at her most attractive. She was looking at him now through the car window, eyes wide. He recalled the feel of her satin cheek against his lips. The massive post-adrenaline reaction was getting to him, had to be. He did his best to push the thoughts away as he strode closer to his vehicle and opened the back door.
“Did you get him?” she asked.
“We sure did.”
Penny’s squeal of delight lit up his senses. That feeling came over him as he let Dusty climb in, the stomach-clenching sensation of being at the precipice of the roller coaster, ready for the drop. Teeth gritted, he willed away the feeling.
Been there, done that. Not doing it again.
He got inside and closed the door, firmly sealing out the noise of the giant roller coaster.
TEN
Penny was elated as they drove back to the safe house. Tyler’s report about Holland’s capture was no doubt missing many details, but she was thrilled that the gunrunner was in custody and there had been no injuries. Noelle and Liberty deserved some peace of mind. She wondered why Tyler did not look as happy as she felt. After a few quiet minutes rolled by, she asked, “Is something wrong?”
He shrugged. “Not really. I was just thinking about that boy. An act of violence like that can really mess up a child.” He froze, jerking a glance at her. “Uh, I wasn’t talking about you, Penny.”
Her face burned. Is that what he saw? A grown-up version of a messed-up kid? It was exactly the opposite of what she’d worked her whole life to prove to herself, that she was not defined by what had happened to her at the age of four. “It’s okay. You’re right. Violence does damage children—adults, too. I’ll pray for him.” She fastened her gaze out the window.
“I don’t think of you that way, damaged by what happened to you.” His voice was soft and it drew her back to him, but the hurt remained.
“You probably don’t think of me at all.” Why had those words come out of her mouth? Like she was some self-pitying teen? Aghast, she knotted her fingers together and stared at her lap.
He sighed, low and quiet. “Oh, but I do. Lately I can’t stop thinking about you.”
Thinking about her? Did he mean the case? Randall’s threats? But the gentle blue of his eyes made her feel that he was not referring to police work. “I guess the Randall case is on everyone’s mind,” she finally said.
“It’s not the case, Penny.” He cleared his throat. “You aren’t who I thought you were.”
“How so?”
He rubbed a hand over tired eyes. As his body relaxed from the tense situation with Holland, his defenses seemed to ease, as well, and his words came tumbling out. “I don’t know, exactly. I’ve learned lately that I have a bad habit of putting people into boxes rather than finding out who they really are. I’ve been guilty of it since my marriage ended. Maybe it’s a form of self-protection or a cop trait. I mentally boxed you up in the too-young category.”
“Too young for what?”
He looked out the window, at his steering wheel, fiddled with the radio. “Ah, um, friendship, you know, or...things.”
“Things?” It was not her imagination. He was flushed an embarrassed red.
Suddenly he looked as awkward as a teenager who’d tripped over his own feet. “Not that I’m in the market for...things, right now. I mean, Rain and I are doing great. I’ve got her and my job, so that’s really all I can handle. But if I was, you know, well, I mean if the situation was different, you are the type of woman I would, uh...” He thunked his head against the headrest. “Can you please talk for a while so I can stop embarrassing myself?”
She laughed. “Sure thing. What should I talk about?”
“Anything, everything. Whatever you want so I can use my ears instead of my mouth.”
“Okay,” she said over her thudding pulse. “How about I tell you all my glorious plans for the office open house this weekend? That should be suitably boring.” And safe.
“Excellent,” he said, visibly relaxing. “I’m all ears.”
Penny rattled on about the details, everything from the frosted fall leaf cookies to the coloring and dress-up activities for the kids. The conversation lasted all the way to the hotel safe house, where Vivienne was waiting just inside the rear entrance to ensure the hallway was clear.
“Thank you,” Penny said automatically as she got out of the car.
“I should be thanking you.” Tyler’s smile was rueful as he walked her in. “You allowed us to bag Holland, and you kept me entertained the whole way home.”
She shrugged. “Happy to do my part.”
“Sorry for running off at the mouth.” Tyler bid her a formal good-night. He seemed uncomfortable, unhappy, perhaps, that he’d shared his thoughts with her. “You’re a one in a million and I really admire you. That’s what I was trying to say.”
She blushed.
And then he bent to hug her and wrapped his arms around her waist, her cheek pressed close to his. “You just don’t know how special you are, do you?”
Her breath caught as her face tipped up to his. He was angling his head to kiss her when Vivienne opened the door for her and Scrappy. Tyler instantly stepped away, looking at his boots. “Okay. Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Okey doke.” When Penny turned to look over her shoulder, Tyler was already striding away.
You just don’t know how special you are...
She realized she felt exactly the same way about him. Thoughts of Tyler would simply not leave her head. But were they talking about different things? He’d considered her too young, ruled her out as a friend. Or was he talking about something deeper?
How did he really feel?
And how did she?
Back in the hotel room, Vivienne locked up and Penny poured a bowl of kibble for Scrappy.
Vivienne laid some paper plates on the table and unbagged some deli sandwiches. “Sorry, it’s deli again. I wish I knew how to cook. Caleb will tell you he’ll be wearing the apron in our kitchen after we’re married.”
Penny laughed and took a bite of her turkey sandwich. “You already have those roles all worked out?”
Vivienne’s eyes lit up. “We talk all the time. He’s the most amazing man I’ve ever met, my best friend in the whole world. We have chemistry.” She sipped some grape soda and eyed Penny over the top of the can. “You know, it seems to me that you and Tyler have some chemistry also.”
Penny coughed and quickly gulped some soda. “Us? No, we’re just...”
“Friends?”
“I’m not sure of that, even, let alone anything else.”
Vivienne’s eyes took on a mysterious glint. “Oh, I’m a pretty keen observer of human nature and believe me, Tyler finds you fascinating. I see the way he was looking at you at the puppy play date. He gets this dopey faraway expression when he’s watching you. And what I interrupted there when I opened the door...” She grinned.
Penny’s face went hot. “Oh, well, I believe he thinks I’m too young for him.”
She waved a hand. “His brain might think so, but his heart is listening to an entirely different s
tory. Trust me. I’m a whiz about these things.”
Penny managed to get the conversation switched to easier subjects, but that night, curled up with Scrappy, she allowed herself one moment to imagine that Vivienne’s scenario was real.
She and Tyler together, a family with Rain.
She’d never allowed herself to conceive of a future with anyone.
Was it time to let herself believe it?
Or was she setting herself up for the biggest heartbreak of her life?
With Randall ready to kill her at any moment, it was sheer foolishness to be contemplating relationships with Tyler or anyone else for that matter.
Tyler finds you pretty fascinating...
Smiling, she closed her eyes and let herself relax into sleep.
* * *
Tyler woke up Tuesday morning determined to keep his mouth in check. He couldn’t imagine why being around Penny made him go soft in the head to the point that he began to babble. At the usual time, there was a soft knock and he opened the door for his mom.
“Good morning, Mom. Rain is ostensibly tidying her room, which means it will probably be a bigger mess than it was before.”
“We’ll sort it all out. Are you going to see Penny today?” she said. “Can you invite her over for dinner maybe?”
He sighed. Might as well take the bull by the horns. “Mom, I know you’ve got your hopes up, but Penny and I are not in a relationship.”
She hung her coat on the back of the chair. “You could be, if you wanted to.”
“There are way too many obstacles between us.”
“Mostly just one big obstacle, Ty, namely you.”
“It’s a bad idea.”
She fixed him with an intense look. “Things didn’t work out with Diane. That hurt you deeply, but you are meant to keep running the race, honey. God doesn’t want you to seal yourself off from the love He puts into your life.”
He felt his cheeks go hot. “I’m not sure God has put Penny in my path as a love interest, Mom.”
“All due respect, Ty, but you are not always a fount of wisdom.”
He jerked. “What?”
“Well, remember the time you let Rain take a brush to bed and it wound up so tangled in her hair we had to cut it out?”
“Yes, but...”
“And the enchiladas you forgot about in the back of your SUV for three days?”
He sighed. “Uh-huh.”
“And the day you thought it would be a great idea to replace the—”
“All right.” He held up his palms. “I get your point, but right now I have to hit the road. Vivienne had to go out on an assignment with Hank so I’m Penny’s transport.” He swiftly kissed her on the cheek. “Talk to you later. Let’s go, Dusty.”
“But Ty...”
He rushed out the door before she had a chance to formulate her follow-up questions.
His mother was well-meaning, but she didn’t understand. It was his responsibility to protect Penny, not love her. Or was his mom correct and he was merely trying to protect himself from risking his heart again?
He picked up Penny up at the hotel and drove them to the K-9 Unit firmly committed to keeping things professional. Shoving aside his mother’s words, he felt like his head was screwed on straight until the moment he ushered Penny and the two dogs into the police-department lobby. Penny stepped behind him and took something from his back pocket.
He looked in horror at a pair of fuzzy pink bunny ears, then snatched them up.
“You...” Penny started giggling. “This was in your pocket.” She’d hardly managed to get the words out in between bouts of laughter that transformed her into the most breathtaking creature he’d ever seen.
Embarrassment warred with delight. Her laughter was exquisite, like water bubbling over river rocks. “Uh, Rain insisted we play dress-up this morning. I had to be the bunny.” He groaned. “I can’t believe I forgot to take it out of my pocket.” She was still overwhelmed by giggles, and he found himself laughing along with her.
“I get it,” she said. “Anything for Rain.”
He chuckled some more. “Nothing is more humbling to the male ego than raising a daughter.”
“You’re a good dad. Real men aren’t afraid to wear pink bunny ears,” she said when her own giggles subsided.
Caleb strolled in checking a text on his phone. He did a double take at the bunny ears in Tyler’s hand. He arched an eyebrow. “Are you working on a new look, Walker?”
Penny quickly took the ears and put them on her own head. “Just trying out something for the dress-up box for the kiddie corner at the open house. How do I look?”
“Fantastic,” he said. “Those ears are perfect on you. Talk to you two later.”
Tyler let out a breath as Caleb left. “Thanks for the save. He would never let me live it down if he knew I was carrying around pink ears in my back pocket and dressing up like a rabbit in my off hours.”
“I guess you owe me one, Detective.”
He reached over and tweaked the costume ears. “I guess I do.” He willed the thought into words. “I, uh, I was wondering if maybe, you know, after we capture Randall, if you would like to go on an adventure with me and Rain. A museum trip, or maybe a kiddie movie or something like that.” There. He’d asked her out on a date, sort of.
She gave him that incandescent smile. “I think that would be great.”
“Great.” He felt the silly grin spread across his face, but he could not wipe it away.
Penny took off the ears and headed for the coffee room. Tyler followed, feeling as if he was floating. She soon had the place smelling of fresh-brewed coffee and three cops were in line at the machine.
“We’re here for your special pumpkin-spice blend, Penny,” Lani said. “The weekend cops complain that they have to make do with plain old java on your days off.”
“I’ll have to try a weekend shift someday.” Lani’s eyes widened as Penny pulled a plastic container from her bag and transferred some goodies to a plate. “I had a batch of blondies in the freezer at home. Vivienne drove over and retrieved them for me.”
Tyler noted in awe that the cops closed in for the sweets like moths to a porch light.
“Thanks, Penny,” Raymond Morrow said. “I’m taking one for now and one for later.”
“Aww, man. Love me some blondies,” Henry Roarke added.
“Blondies?” Jackson Davison said, sticking his head in. “I’m just in time.”
By the time Tyler finished pouring his coffee, every last treat was gone. “You guys are vultures,” he called in mock outrage. “I didn’t even get one measly treat.”
“Snooze, you lose,” Henry said, retreating to his desk.
Tyler’s stomach grumbled, reminding him he’d skipped breakfast to get in that game of dress-up with Rain. He sat glumly at the table until Penny slid a napkin in front of him with a fat blondie in the center.
He blinked at the treat. “You saved me one?”
She nodded. “You need your strength for the next round of dress-up.”
He laughed and took a big bite of the blondie, then rolled his eyes at the chewy pleasure. “And to think I might have missed out on this if you hadn’t had my back.”
Penny shrugged. “I don’t like anyone to be left out.”
Yet he hadn’t seen her set aside treats for any other cop. She was giving him special consideration. Gratitude for shuttling her around, probably, you dope. But she’d said yes to a future date with him. Or maybe she’d only agreed because she liked his daughter? He sat staring at the blondie.
Darcy Fields entered and inhaled. “The smell of coffee is the only thing that got me out of an endless meeting. If the lab had coffee like this, I would probably never leave for any reason.” She helped herself to a cup and sat at the table. “I’m so close to a breakt
hrough I can taste it.”
Tyler straightened. He knew exactly what she was referring to. The forensic scientist had been tirelessly working to capture some DNA left at the Emery crime scene. Darcy would provide the definitive answer to the question they’d all been wondering.
Had Randall Gage killed the Emerys, too? Or did they have another killer at large?
He motioned for Penny to join them. “We’re really counting on you, Darcy. I’ve gotten nowhere with Lucy’s clue about the elusive friend named Andy, and Randall so far has not given us anything conclusive related to the second killings. It’s looking like you’re our only hope until he’s in custody and confesses the way he did to Penny about her parents’ murders. If he even is the Emerys’ killer.”
Darcy grimaced. “I’m working as fast as I can, but science is slow.”
Penny patted her hand. “My brother always says you have to go slow to go fast.”
“My slow pace is not going to be good enough if he gets close to you again. I heard what happened at the docks. Are you okay?”
Penny’s smile was bright but forced. “Just a little banged up, is all. Tyler got there just in time.” He saw the brave front she presented to Darcy, but the clenching of her hands gave her away. That cheerful demeanor did not completely hide the fear written underneath, not from him, anyway. It made him burn with urgency to neutralize Randall before he could inflict any more agony on the McGregors.
Nate Slater poked his head in the break room. “Some boxes delivered for you, Penny. They’re stacked in the front office.”
“On my way. Must be the tablecloths I ordered for the open house.”
Tyler finished his coffee and put the mug in the dishwasher. “I’ll help you move them.”
She didn’t decline his assistance and he was oddly pleased. He hefted the larger of the two cartons and she scooped up the smaller one with her name scrawled in black on top. “We’ll just put them in the conference room until I get them sorted out.”
