by Jenny Plumb
“I should have left Grace alone, and let you do your job.”
“Just like I told you the first time.”
She nodded.
Three weeks earlier:
Sheriff John Tate left his pew in the back row, and followed the rest of the congregation out the doors, stopping to shake hands and acknowledge greetings from others. The only person he had eyes for at the moment was the gorgeous strawberry blonde in the red and green dress and elf hat. Her six year old son had placed it on her head right before they walked out, and she had just hugged him and kept it on. John already liked the woman, her keen intelligence, the sweet way she talked to all children, the way she actually listened to Mr. Harper’s old war stories, but this – wearing a silly elf hat amongst a congregation full of people, just to make her son happy –spoke the most to his heart.
Raina Michaels and her son continued out toward the parking lot, and he looked at her old beat-up Ford Escort, remembering their first meeting several months earlier when he had let her off with a warning. Being new to the town, a single mother, and completely alone, he would have felt bad for giving her a ticket just for not knowing not to park on Main Street before seven PM. The way her face had gone from apprehension and fear to gratefulness, then followed by her appraisal of him, made him want to take her in his arms and do delightfully sinful things to her body, just to see what other emotions she showed so easily on her expressive face.
They had connected really well on a coffee date, and John thought they could become a couple after their dinner date right before Thanksgiving. But then she had stopped returning his calls, seeming to shut him down. She looked tired and a bit thinner. Being a single mother must be hard work, but she had seemed to be holding it together when she first moved in. Everyone liked her. She was a godsend to Mrs. Nichols’ kindergarten class. And her weekly visits to the Saukville nursing home kept everyone in smiles.
Everyone except her.
Now that she was almost to her car, a sad, tired look of despondency had affixed to her features, and had probably been there for a few weeks. Damn, he should have called her earlier, visited her at the nursing home, made her tell him what was going on. He hadn’t felt this way about a woman in a long time – too long.
Today, he was going to talk to Raina Michaels. One way or another, she would tell him what was going on. He pasted a smile on his face and jogged over to the tan car.
“Ms. Michaels, good to see you. Let’s have a chat.”
Her eyes went wide, and she swallowed a few times before turning to her son, Eli. “Would you like to go play with your friends for a few minutes while I talk to Sheriff Tate?”
“Yeah! Hey, Sheriff Tate. Bye!” The six and a half year old boy, gave them both a wide front teeth gapped smile, before racing back to the other kids playing in the big meadow in front of the church.
“Am I in trouble, Sheriff?” She smiled, but nervous energy radiated off her.
“I haven’t decided yet.”
Chapter 2
Raina couldn’t get her heartbeat to slow, or her hands to stop fidgeting. John Tate did that to her – dark brown hair worn short, piercing blue eyes that seemed to, not only be able to read every thought she had, but could also with one blink, make her panties damp. Not the sort of thing she should be considering in the church parking lot. His tall, well-muscled frame gave him an additional air of authority, and even if he weren’t the sheriff – the women called him Deputy Dom behind his back – she still would find it hard to say no to anything he requested – or demanded.
Deputy Dom had that look in his eyes. It was pure speculation, but to her, the look meant a cross between “I want to bend you over the hood of your car, and make you scream things that will make a sailor blush” and “I’m going to bonk you over the head caveman style, take you back home and keep you safe.”
Both looks held a certain appeal for her, but she shouldn’t be thinking about them now. She needed to focus, be respectful, hear what he had to say, and then rush back home to prepare for her former mother-in-law’s visit.
“What can I do for you, John?”
His smile widened at her use of his personal name instead of the professional “Sheriff.” He took her hand and led her to a small bench on the other side of the lot.
“I haven’t heard back from you. How are you? How’s Eli? Are you on break? Why aren’t you answering my calls? Why do you look ten pounds lighter? Are you sleeping all right? What’s with the dark circles under your eyes? Is Grace still being a pain in the ass?” He folded his arms over his chest, and gave her a firm look. “Since you haven’t returned my calls, I’m asking all the questions I’ve had over the past few weeks.”
She sagged against the bench, exhausted. Which one should she answer first? He had been so kind to her, and oh the way he kissed! Her face heated at the memory of that one kiss, the way he commanded her to yield to him, the way he overpowered her senses and demanded she give everything to him. She hadn’t even been turned off by his subtle comments about authority and discipline – in fact, she had been aroused, just trying to figure out if he was saying what she really thought he was saying. Would he spank his wife if she disobeyed him or did something disrespectful or dangerous? That’s what it sounded like. She would have loved to gain more insight into the conversation, to ask him if he wanted to spank her, to ask if he wanted to take the next step in a relationship she hadn’t been in for such a long time – one with a male partner who loved her, who would also be a good paternal influence for Eli.
She would have asked him, but the sitter had texted. Eli had gotten sick – just a twenty-four hour bug. And then the next day, her former monster-in-law, Grace, had called her, telling her she wanted Eli. Once Raina stopped sobbing into her pillow – quietly so Eli wouldn’t hear, of course – she had started plotting her escape route.
“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” John leaned in and twirled the jingle bell of yarn she had forgotten was on her head.
She took off the hat, glared at him and spoke before her inner filter could stop her. “No one’s taking my damn son from me!”
His look of surprise was masked quickly by a determined gaze, as he lifted her to her feet. “Come on.”
Before she knew what had happened, she was in John’s truck, which was parked so it faced the rear of the church grounds.
“Spill it out, every single bit. Swear, yell, and cry if you need to. But you’re not getting out of this truck until I know exactly what’s going on.” His gaze softened. “Let me help you, baby.”
All composure lost, she did exactly as he asked. She yelled, she swore, she even cried into his chest between hitting his hard shoulders as she relived the horrible last weeks.
“Grace never wanted us together.” She sniffled as she leaned against his firm chest. “Thomas was a senator’s son, ya know? We were just too opposite. The funny thing is, we were just friends. He only started dating me to bug his mom, and show her he would do whatever he wanted with his life. We never loved each other. But when I got pregnant with Eli, my freshman year of college, he married me. He said we could still be friends. But that our son needed money and a life, and a father who was friends with his mom was still better than no father.”
She wiped her nose on the rough napkin John had given her, apologizing for not having anything better. “We were fine. Yeah, his mother hated me, but I stayed away, and only came for important family functions.”
“So when Thomas died, the witch unsheathed her claws?”
She nodded and smiled at the silly metaphor. “Yeah. The first year, I heard nothing from her. Then last Christmas, she started sending me nasty messages on my phone, rude comments on my pictures of Eli on Facebook. I finally turned off my Instagram and Facebook accounts and changed phone numbers.”
“Then you moved here?”
“Yeah.” She snuggled deeper into his chest, inhaling the scent of aftershave and feeling the calmest she had felt in a very lo
ng time. “I wasn’t exactly hiding, but I did think it might give us a bit more space.”
“When did she contact you last?”
Raina could see the wheels turning in John’s head as he figured everything out. “Um, the day after our last date.” She squinched her eyes shut, so sick of crying in front of this nice man. “Sorry I never called you back. I meant to, but got distracted. She can’t take my baby away from me.” Clenching her fists, she tried to turn away, but he pulled her back around with a firm look.
“Shoulder, right here. Let it out, little girl. All of it.”
The poor man must have had shattered ear drums from her shrieks and yells, and if he didn’t have a broken rib from all her pounding, then he was Iron Man. That’s what she could use right then – Iron Man with a soft heart and beautiful blue eyes, and a badge that said Sheriff.
John invited her and Eli back to his mother’s place for Sunday dinner. Well, invited wasn’t exactly the word for it. He had pretty much taken control of the entire situation, and informed her that she and her son would be joining his family for dinner tonight, and they would host the meeting with Grace. Then before she could utter a peep, he called and made a reservation at the town’s only hotel. Grace would have her say in front of up to fifteen Tates; she would receive a hearty meal, then she would take her ass to the hotel.
If Raina had wanted to say no politely to his gracious offer, she couldn’t. The look in his eyes practically melted her as he told her she was now under the protection of Sheriff John Tate.
“Five PM, here’s the address,” he said as he sent her a text. “Wear comfy clothes. We like to be relaxed, and you never know when Uncle Jack is going to set up the firing range or take everyone hiking.” He smiled at her, and she practically melted as his eyes crinkled and a dimple appeared in his left cheek. “One more thing.”
She stopped getting out of the truck and turned back to him.
“I’d like to know if you want to continue a relationship with me.” His eyes darted around, and she almost laughed at the big, strong Iron Man seeming so nervous. “I’ll still take care of you in a professional capacity, but I just was wondering—”
“Yes, I’d like that very much,” she interrupted, putting him out of his misery.
Relief flooded his facial features and his shoulders relaxed. “Good.”
“So, part of being in a relationship with you.” She bit her lip, and tried to figure out how to say what she was thinking. “You mentioned some things, a certain way you like relationships to go,” she prompted.
“I’m glad you mentioned that.” He took her hand and kissed it, sending a tingle straight through her body. “I was going to go slowly with you these next few months, but with Christmas barreling around the corner, and a stressful situation with outside influences…” They both grimaced at the mention of Grace. “I think it best we go right from the start.”
“You like to be in charge, I already gathered that from our conversations.” She grinned. “I have no problem with that, as long as you don’t tell me to quit my job or treat me like an idiot without any sense.”
“Perfect. I want an equal partner who will challenge me intellectually, be able to handle herself on her own, and who will submit to me in the bedroom and when I make a final decision for the good of the family.” He waited for her to process.
“So I do what I want, when I want, but, like in this instance just now, where you just took over and told me to come over to your mom and dad’s house for dinner…”
He didn’t avert his strong gaze, just waited for her to finish.
“I think I liked that. If it got to be too much, I might get pissed off. But right now, I can’t think clearly, and you seem to be thinking clearly enough for both of us for this situation. I accept that. I’m a wreck, exhausted. I can’t eat sometimes.”
“We’ll discuss those as well.”
She nodded. “I could use some help getting re-grounded. Right now, I’m just too squirrelly and I feel like I could make a rash decision without fully contemplating it. That’s not usually me.”
He squeezed her hand and wiped a tear that was falling down her cheek.
“So yeah, I agree. What happens when I can’t or won’t do what you think best helps my little family? Or when I freak out because I realize it’s only two weeks before Christmas, and I still don’t have gifts for my child, and am seriously thinking about driving us both to Canada?”
“Baby.” He kissed her forehead and pulled her against his chest. “When I need to help you get back into a safe place, I will. Sometimes, I will hold you so tight you won’t be able to breathe, and you will know I will die to keep you safe.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“And other times, I’ll pull you over my knee and spank you until your head clears. Then I’ll hold you. Any questions?”
She shook her head. It all sounded perfect, like a dream. “I’ll see you tonight?”
“Come on, I’ll walk you back to get Eli.” He leaned down and took her lips with his. It started off slow and sweet, but turned into something edgier, grittier, and almost savage as he plundered her mouth with his tongue. His taste of red grape juice from the service mingled with the mint she’d had earlier. He tasted wonderful. Her senses went berserk, and she moaned into his mouth, wishing she could climb up onto his lap and stay with him for the rest of the day.
“Thanks.” She laughed kind of like a fool when he finished and pulled her out of the truck onto shaky legs.
After saying goodbye again, she and Eli drove home to prepare for tonight. Her lips tingled the entire drive home.
John smiled and surveyed the happy activity before him. Close to a dozen of his nieces and nephews were all playing hide and seek, along with Eli, Raina’s son. Uncle Jack was manning the grill. Dad was hanging closely over his shoulder arguing about how soon to turn the burgers, and both brothers enjoyed their constant feud of which was better – charcoal or wood.
Mom was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on her blue ribbon winning, rhubarb pie.
It was amazing to see so many people, but this was the warmest winter they’d had in years – nice, brisk 55 degrees the week before Christmas – and everyone wanted to party. Uncle Hank even had his Hawaiian shorts and top on for the occasion. Paired with the long white beard he always wore to do his side job of mall Santa each year, he looked an awful lot like Santa on the beach.
Raina was resplendent in a checkered red and white sundress, complete with tennis shoes and socks, just in case they went on a hike around the hundred acre lot his parents owned. She had been shooed out of the kitchen a few minutes ago, and was now giggling at Granny’s antics.
Granny always kept everyone in stitches with her sharp wit and willingness to poke fun at anything – even herself. John felt a moment of sadness fill him when he thought of all the things that happened to women her age. Now that Papa was gone, she was on her own. And though she still had the mind of a steel trap, sometimes she worried him.
“Oh yes, I met him online,” he overhead Granny saying. “Joe Mangionelli is the hottest man I’ve ever met. We’ve been going out for a few months online.”
His heart ached at the fact his poor grandmother was starting to show signs of aging. They had had this talk a few times. She gushed and gushed over the actor that every woman he met seemed to have the hots for – especially after dancing practically naked in a movie. John tried a few times, unsuccessfully, to get her to agree that not only was she not dating a superstar young enough to be her grandson, but that she was also getting his name wrong. But Granny always stood firm, thrusting that Tate chin out at him while scowling him down. God, he loved that woman.
Raina didn’t seem bugged by it. “So when do you lovebirds officially get to meet in real life?”
“The night before Christmas.” The older lady waggled her eyebrows. “If I’m lucky, maybe I can talk him into doing a little dancing with me. He’s a wonderful dancer.”
&n
bsp; John was about to go over and try to set Granny straight again, when he saw a car he didn’t recognize pulling down the long driveway.
Raina noticed it too, and stiffened in her chair, her face going white.
“Is that her?” He strode over and took Raina’s shaking hand.
She nodded, and her eyes darted back and forth as if she was planning her escape route.
“Granny, Miss Grace has finally joined us. Would you keep her occupied while I show Raina something in the back pasture?”
“Honey, you look like a rabbit about to bolt into the thicket.” Her soft eyes gazed at Raina. “You go get yourself collected, while I tend to your wolf in sheep’s clothing. Helen!” She called for his mother. “We’re playing front line defense for our girl here. Help me keep her mother-in-law busy for a bit?”
His mother dusted off her hands on her apron, and yanked it off with a smile that used to scare him and his siblings when they were younger and in trouble. She might have married into the Tate family, but she was just as strong as the men, if not stronger.
“Come on, little girl. Eli is fine. He’s over with the others. Ma and Granny will keep Grace busy. Be nice,” he warned both women. “Now come on, I have something cool to show you.”
She still looked like she wanted to bolt, but after seeing his mom’s kind smile, and receiving a hug from Granny, she got up on wobbly legs, accepted his hand, and followed him to the woodline.
“Nice to meet you, Grace. Come on and have a seat, and enjoy some sunshine and tea while we wait for the youngsters to get back.” He overheard Granny’s loud voice as he led Raina down the path.
“Come on, sweet girl, we’re almost there.” It felt like he was pulling a lead weight behind him, and he knew fight or flight must have kicked in pretty hard for her. Her eyes had widened and dilated, her breaths had practically stopped, and she had paled so much, he feared she would pass out right there. “Ten more steps.” He pulled gently, but firmly on her hand, finally making it to the edge of the woodline.
