The Soldier's Valentine--A Clean Romance

by Pamela Tracy

  “He’ll be here tomorrow,” Aaron continued. “Grandma said she’d have Grandpa talk to him.”

  “I’m sure we’ll find out something soon.”

  “Yeah, maybe after school.” Aaron wasn’t a skeptic, yet, and very much associated his father with good times. His disappointment at Ryan’s delay was of the “you made me wait” and not the “you’ve let me down again” variety.

  “Tomorrow will be here before you know it,” Leann promised because she’d promise only things that “would” happen.

  “Hey, there’s Gary!” Aaron sat up, his father forgotten and a grin spreading across his face.

  The small parking lot of Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast was empty except for Gary’s truck. Gary opened his truck door, stepped out and then moved aside for Goober, Wilma and Peeve to mass exit.

  Peaches barked.

  “Can we stop?” Aaron asked eagerly.

  Any other day, any other time, Leann would have said no. But, Tim had looked Gary’s way and Leann knew that the dogs would be just the type of distraction he’d need. Gary, however, might not welcome them. Tim’s needs won out over Gary’s.

  She pulled in next to him and smiled weakly.

  He returned the same but managed to act a bit more excited when Aaron tackled him around the knees. “Hey, bud.”

  “I hear you might need a couple of dog walkers?” Leann suggested.

  “I don’t—”

  Please, she mouthed.

  “I don’t know when I’ve needed dog walkers more.” It took Gary only a minute to hook leashes to collars. Tim somewhat unwillingly took Wilma, the problem child, while Aaron, although younger, took Peaches, Goober and Peeve.

  “Mom,” Tim whined. “I really don’t want to walk the dog. Please.”

  Wilma, however, very much wanted to be walked, and started moving, pulling Tim until he was two houses away and forcing Aaron to hurry to catch up. Goober was thrilled to have people to herd. Peaches followed Peeve, clearly in love. Peeve took it in stride.

  “What’s going on?” Gary said.

  “Their father didn’t show. He’s delayed in California. Aaron saw you and got all excited. I’m not too worried about him, but Tim’s taken the news hard.”

  “Will Ryan be here tomorrow?”

  Leann shrugged. “According to his mother, he will be. How’s Russell?”

  “He’s okay. Brian apparently is cooperating. Jace will definitely be arriving soon, and Lydia has taken over. They should be bringing Trudy to Russell’s place tomorrow. Lydia’s already bought clothes and food and even some sort of tablet for Trudy. I ran Lydia to the store and then took her to the cabin. I also made sure Russell’s old truck started. I grabbed the dogs and headed here.”

  “I take it you haven’t told...”

  Gary shook his head. “Figured I should do it in person. I’m telling Aunt Bianca first before I tell my mom or siblings. You, uh, haven’t told Oscar yet, have you?”

  “No. Lucas said he’d let you do it.”

  “Right. I’m hoping Bianca might know something she can add to the story.”

  “I’ll go walk the dogs with the boys.”

  “No, come in with me. You can add any information I might miss. Or—” he paused “—you might be a bit more comforting than I am. I just want to yell at someone.”

  She put a hand on his arm, squeezing gently. He smiled, bent down and kissed her forehead. From anyone else, it would have seemed brotherly. It wasn’t. The warmth and the gentleness of his lips made her almost miss a step as they started up the steps. It wasn’t until he let go of her hand, to open the door, that she realized he’d entwined his fingers with hers.

  “I saw you give the boys dog duty,” Bianca said. “Come in, sit down. I’ll pour us some coffee.”

  Leann shook her head, but Gary took a cup.

  “News around town says Russell’s had some excitement.” Bianca placed what looked like a plate of her award-winning banana bread in the center of the table and sat down, looking at them expectantly. They promptly sat down, too.

  Gary leaned forward. “Aunt Bianca, you said that Berto and Angela were friends when they were young.”

  Bianca nodded.

  “Any chance they were something more?”

  Bianca laughed before saying, “She was out of his league and way more mature.”

  “I’ve seen pictures of my dad when he was a teenager,” Gary said. “He wasn’t bad-looking.”

  “You look just like him, so I guess I’m going to have to agree. She came to him when she needed Russell’s truck to start or if she wanted to make some other boy jealous.”

  Gary ran a hand through his hair, looking miserable. “Aunt Bianca, there must have been more to it than that. Brian Blackgoat says his father’s name is Roberto Guzman.”

  Bianca didn’t even pause before saying, “Not possible.”

  “Angela was pregnant when she left Sarasota Falls.”

  “That proves Brian doesn’t belong to Berto. Your father would have fought to stay in the baby’s life. To do the right thing.”

  “Not true,” Gary said. “He let go of Oscar, me, Hector and Anna.”

  Bianca set her coffee cup down so suddenly that brown liquid splashed over the side, staining the white tablecloth. “I told you he wouldn’t have deserted his family.” She turned her attention to Leann. “I imagine a DNA swab has already been taken?”

  “If not, I’m sure in the morning.”

  Bianca’s eyes narrowed as she looked at Gary. “Don’t you dare tell your mother anything until we find out for sure. Make sure Oscar doesn’t either. You hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Loud and clear.”

  Bianca pushed back her chair and left the room.

  “That went well,” Gary said.

  Leann rubbed his shoulder, wondering where this sudden need to touch him had come from. She quickly picked up the coffee cups and busied herself with the tablecloth, taking it to the counter, where she spread it and squirted dish soap on the stain before dabbing at it with a wet washcloth.

  Outside came shouts, “Wilma’s loose! Wilma’s loose.” Then came the sound of running feet.

  “I’ll take care of this,” Gary said. “I’ve got my German down now.”

  Leann nodded as Gary left the kitchen. Aaron, all excited, busied himself with the three dogs he’d been in charge of, but soon joined her, diving for the banana bread.

  Leann started rinsing the few dishes. Gary and Tim came into the backyard, leading Wilma, who now acted as if she were the most obedient dog in the world. In the silence of the evening, she could hear their words.

  “A cat ran from a bush just as we passed it,” Tim explained, his voice high and excited. “I couldn’t hold on, and then she didn’t come when I called her so I chased her.”

  “You did the right thing,” Gary said.

  “She ran in the street. I’m so glad there were no cars. I told Aaron not to chase her but go get you. I’m glad you came.”

  “I’ll always come if you need me,” Gary said easily.

  What? Leann slowly set down the glass she’d been rinsing. Always?

  “Will you come if Mom needs you?” Tim asked.

  What?

  “Yes,” Gary promised. “I can do that.”

  “Tim’s worried.” Aaron had quietly, very quietly, come to stand beside her, gazing out the window at Tim and Gary.

  “Why is he worried?” Leann whispered.

  “I’m not supposed to tell. Tim said not to.”

  Leann merely raised an eyebrow. Aaron always told. He couldn’t keep a secret, ever.

  Aaron said in a small voice, “We overheard Grandma telling Grandpa that the reason Dad didn’t come today is because yesterday, in California, he got married.”

  Leann looked out a
t Gary helping Tim remove Willa’s leash. Life was about to get even more complicated, and it wasn’t just her ex getting remarried. It was also Leann wondering if she was capable of believing that Gary would always come when they, she, needed him.

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  BRIAN MADE BAIL. From the station’s lobby, Leann watched as Brian and Lydia headed for the exit. Before they quite got there, Gary entered. Peeve was at his side, but only momentarily, as the dog moved past Leann and confidently through the foyer to Chief Riley’s office.

  Lydia didn’t hesitate. She quickly gave Gary a hug and said, “Thank you again for picking me up at the airport yesterday and for getting Russell’s truck to work this morning.”

  “My pleasure,” Gary said while giving Brian a slow stare.

  Brian returned the stare before following Lydia out the door.

  “I—” Leann began at the same time Zack said, “They’re waiting for you.” The smile Gary shot her as he headed for Chief Riley’s office was genuine, yet didn’t reach his eyes.

  She wondered how his greeting would have been if he’d not encountered Brian. And, she wondered how he’d take the news Oscar and Lucas would surely share with him now. An hour ago, she’d finally located and spoken to Willow Bartholomew. At first Willow had been defensive, but soon switched to complaining about the time she’d spent caring for Brian. No wonder he was messed up.

  In the end, she’d verified that until Brian turned eighteen, he’d been under her roof—with his mother’s permission, and yes she had documentation proving this—and she’d received a cash payment for his board in the mail every month. There’d been no correspondence, but Willow had been told, by Angela, that the money came from Roberto Guzman—Brian’s biological father.

  “Hey, Leann, come in here,” Lucas called.

  Oscar sat at the desk, his expression mirroring Bianca’s from last night just before she’d walked out of the kitchen.

  “I’m not convinced by Brian Blackgoat’s claim,” Oscar said drily. “Tell Gary about what you discovered.”

  Leann cleared her throat and repeated her morning conversation with Willow.

  “We need to look into this more,” Lucas said, deftly taking over the conversation. “Leann, we investigated Roberto Guzman’s disappearance seventeen years ago. There should be records and other evidence in the storage unit. I’d like you to head over there and—”

  “I can do that,” Oscar butted in.

  “Conflict of interest and you have other duties,” Lucas said firmly, never mind that Oscar was now acting chief.

  “I’ll go with her as a family representative,” Gary volunteered.

  “Good enough,” Lucas agreed.

  Oscar didn’t look happy, but his phone pinged. He glanced at it and gave her and Gary a nod.

  Instead of being on her usual patrol alone through town, she had a brooding Gary next to her as she drove to the station’s storage facility behind Little’s Grocery Store.

  He finally burst out with, “How did Willow sound? Was she nice? Genuine? Could you tell anything about her over the phone?”

  “She didn’t sound like anyone I’d let watch my kid,” Leann said. “According to her, she hasn’t seen Brian the Loser—her words, not mine—since he graduated high school. She did add that it would be nice if the ungrateful kid sent a little money her way showing his appreciation for her keeping him out of foster care.”

  “Tell me again how much she was paid for housing him.”

  “A thousand dollars a month.”

  Gary shook his head. “Couldn’t have been my father. He didn’t make that much. He gave his paycheck to my mom. She handled the money.”

  Two kids were playing catch in the street. When they saw Leann, they stopped and shouted, “We’re sick, not playing hooky,” before running across the street and up the steps into a house.

  “The perks of being a cop.” She parked alongside a golf cart bearing a for-sale sign and pulled a key from her pocket. “We’re unit five, the biggest here.”

  “Is this safe? Couldn’t someone break in?”

  “There are no valuables stored here, just the remains of cold cases.”

  Something twitched in Gary’s expression.

  She inserted the key and turned the knob. Dust particles swirled about her face as she pushed her way in and switched the light on, Gary at her heels. She blinked against the stark, hanging bright bulbs. Steel shelves, three rows high, lined the room. Additional shelves were in the middle of the room.

  “Chief Riley told me we’d be cleaning it soon.” Of course, he’d told her that a dozen times, starting with her first day on the job. Looking around now at everything from cardboard boxes to large grocery sacks to a few suitcases and even one garbage bag, she had to agree with the chief. It was past time. Probably most of this stuff could be disposed of.

  “Some of this stuff is in alphabetical order,” she said. “Other items are by date. I’m not sure how your father’s things were stored.”

  It took them almost an hour to find the small cardboard box labeled Roberto Guzman.

  Gary followed her to a table right by the door. He scooted aside two old newspapers and an empty water bottle. She set the box down and peeled old tape away from the edges. Dust flew when she lifted the lid. A sneeze sent it flying. Gary moved closer, watching her every move. She carefully opened the top and pulled out a few file folders that had the standard paperwork for a missing person’s case. Below the documentation were a number of photos, a small calendar and a wallet.

  “I remember this wallet,” Gary said and picked it up. “It was usually crammed full of money, credit cards, old receipts. He had to take it out of his back pocket and set it on the console between the seats when driving. Sometimes it fell on the floor, and I’d be on my knees looking for it.”

  She took the wallet from him, his fingers brushing hers. She opened it, and both of them stared at Roberto Guzman’s driver’s license photo.

  “It’s you,” Leann said.

  “Only I would never desert my family.”

  It made Leann lose her breath a little, hearing his words now and remembering his words last night. I’ll always come if you need me.

  Looking at the birth date, Leann calculated and determined that Roberto had been in his midthirties when he disappeared seventeen years ago.

  She opened the money flap and found a video store membership and several photos encased in plastic. The top photo showed a bride and groom, young looking and happy.

  “My parents,” Gary acknowledged.

  Then, there was a photo of four dark-haired children all looking impossibly young. Leann figured out Gary was the one grinning jauntily at the camera, already cocky and looking barely six years old.

  Next came photos of Gary and his siblings.

  “All of us kids.”

  She touched one photo. “Oscar?”

  “Pretty sure. Look at that expression. He’s the responsible brother.”

  She tapped the next photo. “You?”

  Gary shrugged. “Absolutely. Look at that adorable face,” he teased, going for a bit of false modesty. “I’ve always been the best-looking brother.”

  “Ahem, and the most humble, too.”

  Leann flipped to the next photo. “Then this must be Hector. What is he known for?”

  “He’s the smartest of the brothers.”

  The last photo protector bulged a bit more than the others. Leann knew it had to be Anna, the sister. Probably, as the only girl, Anna rated a few more pictures. Didn’t matter. As a cop, Leann knew how to investigate. There was a saying about leaving no stone unturned. The same went for photos.

  “Let’s see what’s behind it.” Leann got out her fingernail file and started gently separating the photo from the plastic sleeve it was gummed to. It took even more time and care to ex
tract the photo wedged next to it, but finally, she stared down at a photo of Angela Blackgoat, wearing an evening gown, holding a bouquet of flowers and sporting a tiara. Gary cleared his throat. His cheeks were a bit flushed red, his lips drawn together tight and his eyes unblinking.

  She badly wanted to touch him, offer comfort, something, but his body language clearly said, “Stay back.” She wanted to, though. Oh, how she wanted to. More than anything, she wished they could take their friendship forward, allow their relationship to reach the next level. If she was honest with herself, she was already half in love with him.

  She hadn’t seen him close himself off to her in weeks, certainly not since they’d started seeing each other every day.

  Every day?

  Yes, it was true. He’d become such a part of her life that she couldn’t remember a day without him. She took tiny one step toward him.

  He frowned.

  Leann carefully put the wallet back in the evidence box and then took out the pocket calendar from the year Berto disappeared.

  With Gary watching closely, she flipped through the pages. Roberto had been working the first few months, and he’d carefully written down where he was supposed to go, both address and start time.

  “Was your father in construction? Is that why he worked so many different locations?”

  Gary kept his voice even, no emotion. “He worked on cars, but he was especially great with transmissions, so often he’d helped out in other shops besides the one my uncles own.”

  The second week of May, Berto had actually written down the word bus, a number and a time.

  She took out her phone and found the number for the bus company that serviced their area. It took a while of punching numbers before she got someone who could help her research what she wanted to know. Eventually, she hung up. The number belonged to a Greyhound bus that had left Hollywood, California, and arrived in Sarasota Falls at the time indicated.