The Soldier's Valentine--A Clean Romance

by Pamela Tracy

  “Could you keep the boys for a while?” she asked Gary.

  Russell spoke up, “I can help.”

  “Sure,” Gary agreed.

  “I’ll call as soon as I know something.” Leann waved to her boys and jumped in her car. She then stuck the siren on her hood, activated it and started the ignition.

  As she hit the road, all thoughts of her brother and Jace Blackgoat disappeared. In all her years on the force, she didn’t remember any incident that had made her heart thud like this one.

  Traffic was nonexistent. Good.

  She slowed down only when she reached the main crossroads just outside Sarasota Falls. When she got to the bank, she turned left and quickly assessed the scene. A blue Chevy with a smashed-in door was parked by the curb. A teary Maya Gillespie leaned against it. A motorcycle lay on its side in front of the car. Its owner, Jimmy Weston, sat on the curb, head in his hands, shoulders shaking. It took only a few questions to ascertain the kid was distressed over the hurt chief of police. His bike, luckily, didn’t have a scratch.

  Leann nodded at Maya, who worked for the dentist where Leann took both her boys, and joined Zack, who was in the middle of the road measuring skid marks.

  “Did you see the chief? Talk to him?”

  Zack looked up. His eyes were dim and red. He wouldn’t appreciate her noticing that he’d been fighting tears. Her own eyes grew hot. “Well?”

  “I saw him. He was on the stretcher already and he wasn’t talking. He had a bandage over his skull.” Zack gulped.

  Leann nodded and went to Maya. “You all right?”

  “No, I’m freaked out,” Maya yelped. “I ran into the drugstore for just a minute. When I came out, of all things, Jimmy Weston ran right into the side of my car with his motorcycle. Didn’t hurt his bike but look at my door.”

  The door was crumpled; the bike looked fine.

  “I called the station,” Maya continued. “Sure surprised me when I got the chief.”

  Leann didn’t mention how shorthanded they were without Oscar. She didn’t want to think about how shorthanded they’d be without Chief Riley.

  “Go on.”

  “The chief was bent over looking at my door. He straightened, took a step back. I swear there were no cars about. Then, this white truck came screaming around the corner. The side mirror got the chief and he went flying back. I still expected him to jump up and start chasing the guy.”

  Leann waited.

  “He didn’t get up. That’s when Jimmy and I saw the blood. Lots of it. All over his face.”

  “Did you get a look at the plate?”

  Jimmy walked up then and said, “No. It all happened so fast.”

  “Did the driver slow down at all?”

  “Just a nano. That’s when I saw his face. He had to have seen what happened to Chief Riley. Maybe even pedestrians should wear helmets.”

  Maya choked, stopped crying and just stared at Jimmy.

  Jimmy shrugged. “Can’t tell you much what he looked like though. It all happened so fast.” Leann nodded and followed up with a question about the description of the truck, which Jimmy gave expertly, better than he had the driver, and then called Lucas to see if he had all the details.

  “They found the truck already,” Lucas said, “at least, if a damaged side-view mirror is a tell. It was abandoned out toward Springer. And, we already traced the owner.”

  Before Leann could do more than feel a moment’s satisfaction, Lucas added, “Guy didn’t even realize it had been stolen.”

  “Another coincidence that maybe isn’t. Springer’s where Jace Blackgoat was,” Leann said.

  “I’d forgotten that,” Lucas admitted.

  Leann hadn’t. Lately, except for when she was thinking about Gary, most of her thoughts and deeds went back to Jace.

  Didn’t matter right now. Leann knew they’d be here for hours because not only did they have to ascertain the details concerning Tom’s hit-and-run, but there was the accident between Maya and Jimmy.

  Zack, the rookie, handed over the ST-3 Accident Form that the chief had started. Leann bit her lip as she noticed a drop of blood and the place on the form where Tom’s handwriting had switched from actual words to just a jagged pen mark that fell off the page.

  “I found it on the ground,” Zack admitted.

  “Good work.” After that, Leann drew a detailed diagram gaining input from both Maya and Jimmy, who—no surprise—didn’t agree on anything. After that, she approached each witness and took as many notes as she could.

  It did indeed take Zack and Leann hours to accomplish all they needed to do at the crime scene. When they finished, Leann checked the time—almost ten on a school night—and headed back to the station.

  With the station’s emergency calls rerouting to Lucas at home, on call, Leann turned on the lights, checked for notes or instructions at the front desk and then headed for her cubicle. She had reports to complete and needed to connect with Lucas and get an update on Chief Riley.

  First, she’d check on her boys.

  She reached for her cell phone just as the front door opened. Had she locked it? Leann stood: instinct had her hand going to the handle of her gun. Lucas stuck his head through the doorway. “Highway patrol found Jace Blackgoat.”

  “How’s he—”

  “Not talking. Won’t talk, not a word, and he wouldn’t even give his name.”

  “Nothing about hitting the chief?”

  “Nothing. He’ll be wanting a lawyer. He’ll stay at the Springer station tonight—it’s closer—and they’ll drop him off here first thing in the morning.”

  Leann nodded, glad they caught up to Jace, but wishing that Russell wasn’t going to have to deal with the repercussions.

  “I’ll call the hospital again and let you know what they say.”

  Settling in her chair, with a bulk of paperwork in front of her, Leann tugged her cell phone from the belt clip and punched in Gary’s number. Gary...the day had started out so differently from how it was ending.

  “Hey,” came his voice, sounding more awake than she did.

  “I’m so sorry. This took longer than I expected.”

  “Don’t be,” he said, sounding reassuring. “How’s the chief?”

  “Lucas is calling the hospital for an update. We know he has a head injury, but nothing else.”

  “Any idea who did this?”

  She hesitated only a moment. Gary had befriended Russell, and it would be better if he knew. “It might have been Jace. He’s been located by the highway patrol.”

  Gary gave a whistle.

  “We’ll know more tomorrow,” Leann said. “Thanks so much for watching my boys.”

  “We had a great time. We went up to Russell’s for board games and sleeping bags. Then came back here. Right now, they’re sacked out around the fire. Aaron was out at eight.”

  “He’s my sleeper,” Leann said.

  “Tim held out until ten. He was so enthralled by some of Russell’s stories about the Santa Clara Pueblo Indians that I didn’t have the heart to tell him to go to bed. By the way, he wants to move out here. He finally nodded off when Russell got a call from his granddaughter,” Gary explained.

  “Did she have anything important to share?”

  “I didn’t catch much of the conversation, but I got enough to know they’re worried about Jace.”

  They needed to be worried about Jace, Leann thought. “I have my paperwork to finish and then I’ll come get Aaron and Tim. That okay?”

  “The boys and Russell are asleep. How about I wake them and bring them to you. You gotta be dying for some sleep.”

  “Russell’s there?”

  “He’s sleeping on the cold, hard ground in a bag that’s been gathering dust for a decade.”

  Leann wondered if there was evidence out
there they may have missed. Jace could have been at Russell’s place while everyone was at Gary’s. She’d have to turn off her lights and drive slow, or Gary had want to go with her.

  “No, I’ll come get them. I want to check up on Russell. I’ll see you in an hour or more,” she said.

  “Looking forward to it.”

  She disconnected. Her common sense told her to consider him a good friend and ignore his “looking forward” to seeing her comment. What she couldn’t ignore was her looking forward to seeing him, too.

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  MIDNIGHT SENT A grayish haze across the deserted road that snaked its way along toward the Jemez Mountain that loomed in the distance. Tschicoma—the highest point—stood guard in the night.

  A half mile from Gary’s place, Leann shut off the headlights and used the moon to guide her. She could see well enough to stay on the road, although she managed to drive into or over every dip and bump.

  Just past Gary’s place, she ran into the biggest obstacle: Gary. He stood in the middle of the road with his flashlight aimed at the ground. Smart man. He didn’t want to blind her. Never mind that she could have killed him.

  She stopped her car and waited for him to walk to her window, which she rolled down.

  “I heard headlights were invented for a reason,” he mused.

  “I kept them off because I didn’t want to risk waking the boys.”

  “Seems you missed my place,” he pointed out.

  “I wanted to see if everything’s all right up at Russell’s cabin.”

  “Alone in the dark?”

  Busted. He stared down at her, his eyes unfathomable in the night’s hue. Finally, she opened the door, exited and stood beside him leaning against the side of her car. She wasn’t sure if she was putting off going to Russell’s cabin or acting on the invisible pull she felt whenever she was around Gary.

  “Just me, my Glock and the years of experience on the force,” she informed him.

  One side of his mouth twitched. She wasn’t sure if he was laughing at her or feeling chagrined. All he said was, “The place was fine at eight when we got the sleeping bags and games.”

  Usually, Leann expressed her thoughts quickly and cohesively, but there was something about the shadows of the night running their fingers through the surrounding trees. Either she blamed the shadows or she had to admit that Gary, standing so close to her, had her on sensory overload.

  He deserved to know what was going on. Quickly, she told him what she knew about Jace’s being located and the plan for tomorrow.

  “I’ve sent Oscar a text to fill him in. I imagine he’ll be getting back to me soon. I even called my mother, but she’s not heard from him either. She says when a Guzman goes on a second honeymoon, he’s bright enough to turn his phone off.”

  Leann smiled and pushed away from the car, away from Gary. “Jace might have been to Russell’s while we were at your place. I want to do a check on Russell’s...”

  Gary was around the car and entering the passenger side before she could finish.

  “You need to stay with the boys.” Unfortunately, her voice cracked a bit, but at least it didn’t squeak. Good. She swallowed and added, “Their safety is my first priority.”

  “Agreed. Russell’s with them. He was in the 213th Field Artillery Battalion—”

  “Eighth Army,” she finished. “He’s also three times your age.”

  She got back behind the wheel. Silently they drove up the curving road. Gravel crunched under the tires as Leann pulled as close to Russell’s house as she could.

  She opened her car door and stepped out before Gary could act all gallant. Taking the lead, she headed up the walkway. Thankfully this time, the cabin’s door was locked. Gary produced a key. The house smelled of popcorn and Old Spice, somewhat comforting and definitely Russell.

  Nothing seemed out of place. An old newspaper, dated last week, was on the coffee table. Candy wrappers were scattered next to it. Russell’s bed was rumpled. He was as bad as her two boys. A few dishes were in the sink, and a giant convenience store plastic cup was on the table.

  “Mine,” Gary admitted, opening the back door.

  Both their flashlights played across Russell’s backyard.

  “I was more than impressed the other day when we were shooting,” Gary shared, almost sounding apologetic but not quite. “Russell told me about how hard you’ve always worked at building your qualifying numbers.”

  “I need to work harder, maybe come up here on my days off while the boys are in school.” If he were anyone else, Leann would have swallowed her pride, asked for him to tutor her. But, he was Oscar’s brother, and she knew why Gary so desperately wanted to get ahold of Oscar. It wasn’t just that the chief had been hurt and they were shorthanded.

  “Russell says you have potential,” Gary finally said as they moved past the outskirts of Russell’s yard.

  “That’s me, Leann who has potential.”

  “Russell also says practice will take you from potential to proficient.”

  “Russell talks too much.”

  “My brother says the only thing he has over you, when it comes to the promotion, is shooting ability.”

  Leann frowned. Now she knew why Gary sounded almost apologetic.

  “It’s not the only thing he has over me,” Leann admitted. “He’s got FBI training that allows him to see big-picture details that I miss because I tend to focus on what’s in front of me.”

  “Focus is a good thing.”

  “If one knows when and how to use it,” she agreed. “Oscar knows how to focus, too.”

  “You know, I could maybe help.”

  Leann was saved from answering when her knees encountered a small fenced-in enclosure. “What’s this?”

  They aimed flashlights and then stepped back, realizing they’d stumbled upon a small, private cemetery. Leann had heard that many Native Americans buried their dead on their property. But, she’d been visiting Russell for years. How had she missed this tiny graveyard nestled in a corner of his property?

  “Don’t go in,” she warned.

  “Why?”

  “It’s not right.”

  Instead, they aimed the flashlights on the small markers, noting the one that looked the most recent, which would be Angela’s. Leann could only shake her head as she stared at the graveyard, imagining Russell caring for it with pride and love. They backed away. She listened to the sounds of the night as they walked to Russell’s house.

  “Nothing out of the ordinary,” Gary said, reaching out a finger to trace her chin. It wasn’t cold and the weather had nothing to do with Leann’s shiver.

  His hand cupped her cheek, and although she knew he wasn’t doing anything magical, the movement seemed to draw her closer.

  She reminded herself that, yes, they were opposites, and yes, it would be wiser to run, but her heart answered the pull.

  His lips settled over hers: warm, questing. She felt the heat all the way to her knees. Right now, she felt so safe in his arms. She fit there perfectly.

  One of his hands curled around the back of her neck. The other gently rubbed across her shoulder blades. It had been so long since she’d felt this way. She reveled in his touch. Her lips responded to his.

  Coyotes yipped, and Leann pushed against the desire that had her wanting to get lost in this man. She couldn’t, not now. Out of breath, she whispered, “We shouldn’t be doing this...”

  “Why not?”

  “I’m—I’m not ready.”

  She stepped back, managed to break their connection.

  Gary nodded, let go of her hands and grinned. “You did kiss me back.”

  “Well, yes, I...” Her throat constricted. She had kissed him back, and more than anything she wanted to do it again.

  But, the timing was all wrong, not t
o mention everything else on her plate. She had house payments, orthodontist bills, a promotion to earn and an ex-husband who was arriving back in town tomorrow.

  “I gotta go,” she stammered. Then, she turned and ran to her car, but she had to sit there, wait for him to open the passenger side door and join her. His presence filled the vehicle. Worse, his touch lingered on the back of her neck and his taste was on her lips.

  * * *

  IT WAS COLD. Gary sat in a chair and sipped coffee, thinking that if it weren’t for Russell snoring away in his sleeping bag, that Gary would go inside the camper and curl under a dozen blankets for a real snooze.

  Well after eight, Russell finally sat up, looked around and remarked, “I slept through Leann getting her kids. Why didn’t you wake me?”

  “No need.”

  “How’s the chief of police?”

  “As of last night, still the same. They’re monitoring him closely in the hospital. It’s a head injury. I can’t find out anything else.” Gary handed over a cup of hot coffee and gave Russell a moment before saying, “There’s a chance Jace was driving the truck that hit the chief.”

  Russell shook his head. “Jace wouldn’t leave the scene of a crime.”

  “He was found soon after. He’s on his way to Sarasota Falls from the station in Springer.”

  “I don’t believe it. First, Jace knows Tom Riley and would have stopped. Second, Jace has been one with the forest all his life. If he wanted to hide, he’d not be found.”

  “I hope you’re right.”

  “I am.” Russell set his coffee down on the ground and crawled the rest of the way out of his sleeping bag. Gary hoped he was as nimble at that age. He’d taken longer to get moving this morning, and he felt like he’d not slept at all.

  Russell had been making himself at home for weeks. This morning was no different. He headed for Gary’s camper, disappeared for all of two minutes and then emerged to grab the coffee cup and order, “Take me up to my cabin, please.”

  Any other day, Gary wouldn’t have blinked. Any other day, Russell would have wanted to talk. Yesterday, while Leann dealt with the situation with Chief Riley, Russell had been the center of attention, keeping the boys’ minds off their missing mother. Gary had been transported back to childhood and catch football, stories and games.