The Soldier's Valentine--A Clean Romance

by Pamela Tracy

  “But he wasn’t.”

  “No, only one of our gang went into the military. Sam Balliard.”

  Leann knew Sam. As a matter of fact, she’d seen his photo just two weeks ago in his dad’s office. He’d become a lawyer just like his father, Fred.

  She’d seen Gary in the hallway after that first meeting. Forcing herself to stop thinking about the man who invaded her thoughts way too often, she said, “I know how to get ahold of Sam. What about the other guys? Do you have their contact information?”

  “I can get it.”

  “What about my brother? Did Clark hang with Jace?”

  “Are you kidding? Your father dictated who your brother associated with. Jace wasn’t on the approved list.”

  It was true. Leann’s parents thought they knew whom their children should hang around with. They based their opinion on job description, money in the bank and social status. Which was why Leann knew how to get ahold of Sam; he’d been around their house some. Her father approved of him. After all, his dad was one of her dad’s clients as well as a lawyer. You never knew when that might come in handy.

  She also remembered that Sam didn’t actually like Clark much. He’d come around only when his parents made him. Like the elaborate parties her parents used to throw, and the parents insisted their offspring attend.

  To impress people.

  Or, to keep from angering someone who could later prove to be a pain, like Leann’s father.

  Leann shook away the memory. “Patsy mentioned my brother was with you occasionally.”

  Paul frowned. “If he was, I don’t recall. The only time I remember Clark coming to our door was to find you.”

  That was because Leann and Clark handled their parents in very different styles. Clark pretended to do their bidding. Leann stoically rebelled. Patsy was her best friend. Didn’t matter that Patsy’s dad was a lowly foreman for a lumber company and her mom a receptionist at City Hall, didn’t matter that sometimes Patsy’s family ran out of pizza on Saturday night and didn’t have enough money to order more. All that mattered was they loved their kids and cared enough to ask Leann how she was doing and always listened to her answer.

  “I’ll talk to Sam. Maybe he’ll remember something.” She started to turn away, but Paul stopped her.

  “You know, when Jace was leaving town, he came by our house. I gave him every dollar I had, about fifteen. Two months later, I received three fives in the mail, no message, but I knew the money had come from Jace. He paid me back.”

  Leann was getting a distinct picture of Jace Blackgoat. He’d left Sarasota Falls as abruptly as her brother. He’d been a quiet, “cute” boy who’d not gotten in much trouble. And, until recently, hadn’t gotten into trouble with the law.

  If the trouble was really “him.” Leann needed to visit Trudy Gilmore and find out why the name Blackgoat had caused a reaction.

  When church ended, she stopped at the Station Diner to feed the kids. They ordered their favorite—macaroni and cheese bowls. Her own salad lasted but a second, and later she didn’t remember chewing.

  “Where are we going?” Aaron asked when they were back in the car and she turned the opposite direction of their house.

  “We’re just heading out to check on Russell. He’s getting older and needs visitors. He’s probably going to be at...at my friend Gary’s place.”

  “But, I don’t need to do anything for my Cub Scout troop.”

  “Mom’s taking us to see Russell because she wants to know about his grandson, Jace. Right, Mom?”

  Timothy was getting way too wise.

  “What makes you think that?”

  “One of the kids in class said something about Jace Blackgoat stealing from the grocery store.”

  “Is Mr. Blackgoat hiding Jace?” Aaron wanted to know.

  “I don’t think so.”

  Her phone sounded, belting out the song she’d keyed in designating her father’s number. Normally, she’d put it on speaker, but she knew from years of experience that she probably didn’t want her kids to hear what Ted Crabtree—a man they didn’t associate with the word grandpa—had to say. She stopped at the side of the road and answered the call.

  “I hear Jason Blackgoat might be in town.” Her father didn’t start with “Hello” or “How are you?” or even “How are the boys?”

  “There’s a possibility he’s in the area.”

  “Why?”

  Careful to be vague, more for her sons than for her father, Leann replied, “A man matching his description shoplifted from Little’s Grocery Store.”

  “So, he’s still a thief?”

  Still?

  “Did he steal something from you?” she asked.

  Her father didn’t answer. Instead he demanded, “What are you going to do about him?”

  “We’re looking for him.”

  “And when you find him?”

  “If there’s enough credible evidence, we’ll arrest him.”

  “Good.” Her father wasn’t done because he continued with, “I hear you’ve been seeing the Guzman boy.”

  “I’ve worked with Oscar for years.” But she knew her father wasn’t talking about Oscar.

  “I’m not talking about Oscar. I’m talking about the other one.”

  “You mean Gary? No, I’m not seeing him.” Leann certainly wasn’t going to share that she was on her way to see him right now.

  “I’ve heard from more than one person,” her father snapped back.

  “It’s a small town. I might keep running into him because of his proximity to Russell.”

  “What?”

  “Gary’s restoring the old Guzman cabin.”

  Her father muttered something she couldn’t quite make out. Then, he said, “He’s not someone you should get involved with.”

  Had she been younger, her father’s suggestion would have made her want to definitely get involved with Gary. She, however, was older and wiser. Plus, she had two boys to consider. But really, she didn’t need to prove anything to her father.

  Instead of answering like a daughter, she decided to question like a cop. “What’s your issue with Gary Guzman?”

  She must have surprised him because he responded, “I know the family. His father, disappeared. He must have been up to no good.”

  “I’ve worked with Oscar for almost two years now. Their father’s been missing for more than fifteen and—”

  “I expect you’ll do the right thing.” Call severed.

  What had just happened? Why was her father throwing out accusations? And, what was his problem with Gary Guzman?

  “Who was that?” Timothy asked.

  “That was my father,” she said.

  “Oh.” In the rearview mirror, Leann studied Tim’s reflection. In moments like this, he seemed a lot more mature than twelve.

  “I hope Russell has hot dogs,” Aaron said, easily leaving the topic of her father behind.

  “Well, we’re really going to Gary’s.”

  The words were barely out of her mouth when up ahead a thin line of smoke swirled toward the sky. He was probably grilling some lunch. She pictured him in jeans, a T-shirt, dark hair curling around his ears. She thought of the hands that had held her gently at the school dance.

  “Cool, Mom, look at all the dogs!” Aaron rolled down the window and yelled “Fetch” just because he could.

  “I count three, and one of them looks like Peeve,” Timothy noted.

  “It is Peeve. This is where Gary Guzman, Oscar’s brother, is living. He’s watching Peeve right now.”

  “Look at that furry black-and-white one,” Aaron said. “What kind of dog is that? Didn’t he bring that one to the school dance?”

  “Yes. It’s a border collie and...”

  Gary stepped from behind the camper, crossed his a
rms and looked at her. The only word that came to mind was smoldering.

  “Look,” Aaron said gleefully. “There’s another one.”

  “That’s Wilma,” Leann informed her sons when a third dog joined the mix. “She’s a bit high maintenance.” Luckily, her boys didn’t ask how she knew so much about Gary’s dogs.

  “Sounds like my kind of dog.” Aaron had his seat belt off before Leann could come to a complete stop. The kids exited the vehicle and were soon chasing and being chased.

  Russell stepped to Gary’s side, his face serious. Likely he was anxious to know if she had any more news about Jace.

  Gary sauntered over to open the car door for her. He lingered, his arm stretched out above her, resting against the top of the car. He gazed down at her. A slow smile reached his eyes, asking a question that he already seemed to know the answer to.

  “Can’t stay away?” he queried.

  For the first time in years, Leann didn’t have a comeback. Ever a cop, her eyes swept the landscape, taking in the solid kennels, the cabin already showing excellent signs of repair and the camper, which, just a few weeks ago, had the look of solitude and sadness.

  Not any longer. Now, this plot of land had a homey, welcoming feel. One that took Leann’s breath away. Maybe because she recognized the truth—she had looked forward to coming to see Gary.

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  GARY WATCHED AS Leann’s oldest boy downed three hamburgers, almost without pausing. Impressive. Good thing Gary had a dozen thawed.

  “How can you be hungry?” Leann chided. “You just ate in town not an hour ago.”

  “Leave a little room for ice cream,” Gary urged.

  Aaron beamed at Gary. Ice cream obviously meant instant friendship. Timothy still didn’t look happy—maybe that was because the three hamburgers he’d devoured without chewing were lumped there in his stomach.

  “Then we’ll have some.” Gary looked over at Leann, hoping for a permissive smile. Instead he was privy to watching a gorgeous woman and a well-behaved dog. Stupid dog never acted like that for Gary. Wilma fetched the ball and shook hands with her paw, as well as stayed. Wilma looked very much the way Peeve did going through the paces with Oscar. Except Leann was much cuter than Oscar in her blue skirt and a cute blue-and-white-striped shirt.

  He looked closer.

  And heels.

  This was yet another side to the woman who occupied too many of his thoughts. Gary forced himself to look away and head for the trailer to fetch ice cream; he needed something cold. A few minutes later, he focused on dishing ice cream into bowls.

  And realized that for the first time in a long time, he was truly happy. He had people to care for, a cabin to rebuild and three dogs who needed him. Well, maybe not Peeve the wonder dog, who seemed to know that his job was to watch Russell.

  He’d bet Goober had never been happier. She’d spent the last half hour keeping the boys from going into the woods, not that they really wanted to. If Timothy or Aaron stopped petting her, she nudged their hands until they started again. Didn’t matter that one of them had hamburger grease on his fingers. That was a bonus.

  Once the ice cream was devoured, a whole carton, the boys went walking toward a creek that ran the length of Guzman land.

  Peeve sat his butt down on Russell’s foot and watched the other dogs. Wilma and Goober ran back and forth, circling in front of and behind them, hind feet skidding in the dirt and their barks complementing the boys’ laughter.

  “Now’s as good a time as any,” Russell said to Gary. “You both want to talk about Jace, so go ahead.”

  Leann pursed her lips. The relaxed stance she’d had just a moment ago morphed into cop professionalism. Didn’t take even a second. She shot Gary a look; one that clearly indicated she didn’t want to involve him in this conversation. Too bad, he was already involved—with both the case and her.

  “Russell,” she said, “everyone I’ve spoken to thought highly of Jace.”

  Except my father.

  “He was an easy kid,” Russell said.

  “Then why did he leave all those years ago?”

  Russell frowned and stared out into the forest, not answering.

  “Tell me about his friends,” she finally suggested.

  “I know he set store by his ROTC teacher. Sometimes he worked for Ralph at the hardware store. He liked the kids in his shop class. Some of them came by. They helped build the shooting range in my backyard. I can’t remember their names.”

  Leann didn’t hesitate. “There was Sam Balliard and his crew. They were all in ROTC.”

  “Yeah, those boys. They came by fairly often. Then, there was your brother that once. Jace was already gone. Didn’t look happy. I don’t know what he wanted of Jace, but he sure expected to get it. Just like his old man, a Crabtree.”

  “You’re not surprised,” Gary said to Leann.

  “Nothing my family does surprises me.”

  “Your father can be pretty heavy-handed,” Russell said. “He offered to buy the Guzman cabin decades ago and was sent packing. I half expected him to try to buy me out next. Couldn’t happen, of course. This is state land. The Guzmans and me are grandfathered in. Were we to sell, it would have to be to the government.”

  Gary looked from Russell to Leann. She was walking away, shoulders straight, letting him know she didn’t need his help, didn’t want it. If he were smart, he’d chase her down, ask her about her family.

  Gary had never been good at waiting—especially once he realized that he loved a woman. Not that he loved Leann. He only liked her. A lot.

  And that scared him.

  * * *

  LEANN WALKED PAST the cabin, past the shed and into the forest. Her emotions were churning. How were Jace and her brother connected? And, why had her father wanted to buy the Guzman property? The only thing he did outdoors was play golf.

  It made no sense.

  Her foot snagged in a gnarled root and she hit the ground. A rookie mistake. She knew better than to ignore her surroundings. She stood, brushed off her knees, pretended the scratches on her palms didn’t exist and kept walking.

  For a half hour, she walked, scolded herself for caring and mostly dredged up memories of a childhood she’d hated.

  Clark had hated it, too.

  Only her sister, Gail, had tried to embrace the lifestyle her parents dictated, but she couldn’t live up to her parents’ expectations and when she’d finally given up, she’d been the most lost.

  Until recently. Leann had texted Gail last night and her sister had responded that she and Ray were spending the weekend in Santa Fe, going to a rodeo, having fun.

  Having fun.

  Leann would like to have fun.

  She finally turned, vowing never to keep her church clothes on when she next took a walk through the woods, and headed back to Gary’s. Though she didn’t want to ask any more questions of Russell. And she certainly didn’t want to confide in Gary. Not at the moment. She wanted to talk to Clark first.

  Luckily, while she was gone, Russell’s face had relaxed into some semblance of the man her boys knew and loved. He continued to doze in his favorite lawn chair with Aaron sitting next to him, chattering merrily, playing a game on his phone and seemingly unaware that he had no audience for his “Look! I just leveled up” and “Oh! No, no, no, I lost the tower!”

  Timothy and Gary played horseshoes. Leann decided not to join them because it was more entertaining watching her son interact with Gary. Right now, he stood at Gary’s side, learning how to determine the weight of the horseshoe and the speed he needed to exert at release, as well as the best kind of arc. Timothy shed his goofy sixth-grade persona and was actually conversing in complete sentences.

  Leann settled in one of the lawn chairs and pulled out her phone. She checked messages. She had an FYI from Zack, letting her know th
at someone had tried getting into Trudy Gilmore’s room at the hospital. Whoever it was had managed to sit Trudy up and get her shoes on. Why? Trudy wasn’t being detained and needed the care.

  There was nothing from Clark. Leann responded to a funny video sent by Patsy and also clicked Confirm about an upcoming dentist appointment for Tim. Then, she snapped a few photos of her boys at play. Finally, she snagged a paperback from her purse and settled back to get some uninterrupted reading time. After ten minutes, she realized she’d turned the page only once and that her attention was on Gary and Tim.

  Mostly Gary.

  Oh, yeah. He was aware of her as a woman. She tried to pretend not to notice. And, she resisted feeling honored, attracted, interested.

  She forced herself to return to her book and managed another page before her phone rang and Lucas ordered, “You need to get to Third and Main!”

  “My day off,” Leann reminded him.

  “The chief was helping with a fender bender when a white truck veered right into him and then—”

  “Is he hurt?” Her words were loud enough to stop the horseshoe game.

  “Yes, I just took the call. I need you out there right away. Third and Main. And, keep your eye out for a white Ford 250 truck with no back bumper.”

  “How hurt is he?”

  “I don’t know! Zack’s on his way there. But he’s never handled an accident. Go,” he barked. “Get out there.”

  “I’m on my way.” She hung up.

  “What happened?” Gary said, so loudly that Russell startled awake.

  “A vehicle struck Chief Riley as he was helping with an accident. Hit-and-run. He’s hurt. I need to get there.”

  Her mind started racing. The kids’ grandparents, Herb and Tamara, spent Sundays with their niece in Santa Fe. They’d come if she called them, but by the time they got here, she might already be done.

  Chief Riley had to be all right.

  Quickly, she tried for a second option, but her best friend, Patsy, and her husband were at a dive match over in Taber. No sitter there. For the first time she considered Gail and Ray, but they were gone, too. Stupid rodeo.