Forever Hers

by Walters, Ednah

  It was quarter to six when they stopped.

  “I’ll look at the rest of them at home, make some notes and get in touch with you. If something jumps at me and needs immediate attention, I’ll call you.”

  Sally scribbled a number on the back of a card. “That’s my direct line. On the back is my cell phone number. Ol’ Bear wants us to catch these guys before someone gets seriously hurt. As it is, they’re scaring away tourists and renters, which is the source of income for most folks around here. If you need to talk to the witnesses, I can arrange it.”

  “That won’t be necessary.” Eddie got up and Sally fell in step with him.

  “How is Mrs. Franklin?” she asked.

  “Could be better.” Eddie frowned. “How do you two know each other?”

  “I pulled her over for a broken tail light the day she arrived in town. I think I really scared her.”

  Eddie saw the opening and took it. The trick was to not reveal too much. “No, it wasn’t you. Someone was and still is stalking her.”

  Sally stopped. “Has she filed a complaint or gotten a restraining order?”

  Her response was perfect. “No, but if you have time, I’d like to sit down somewhere and discuss it.”

  She chuckled. “I have all the time in the world.” She extended her left hand and spread her fingers to indicate the pale skin on her wedding ring finger. “Recently divorced. No kids. I’ll follow you in my squad car. There’s a nice café a block from here.”

  “Actually, I was thinking of going to a local pub. I heard it has the best buffalo burgers and garlic fries.”

  Sally grinned. “Eichardt’s. It gets a little crowded during tourist season, but the food is worth the wait.”

  ***

  Wearing only pantyhose and a bra, Amy held dress after dress against her body then threw them on her bed. She couldn’t find anything she liked. When she’d come up with this idea, she hadn’t thought beyond driving to Eichardt’s Pub. She needed something that would make her stand out. The more witnesses the better. Nolan liked to do things in the dark and hide his hand. Tonight, she planned to expose him.

  “Decided yet?” Lauren asked, munching on an apple. She pushed some of the dresses to the side, sat, stretched out long legs displayed to the max by a short, black mini skirt and crossed her booted feet.

  Amy shook her head. “No. I haven’t dressed up in years.”

  “Told you, you needed to start dating. Has Raelynn warmed up to Fitzgerald yet?”

  Amy chuckled. “Kinda. The boat did it. You know how she loves going out in it. He fixed it, now he’s her hero.”

  “We all need one. From this pile,” Lauren patted the clothes on the bed and got up, “you need help.” She dumped the apple core in the bathroom garbage can then marched to the rack of clothes in the closet and flipped through them. “You seriously need a new wardrobe.”

  “Why? I never go anywhere.” Amy found a black sweater dress. It hugged her body then flared from her mid-thighs. “What about this one?”

  “Ah, the quintessential black dress no woman should live without. Try it on before I give my verdict.”

  Amy slipped the dress on.

  “Nah. Too much mother-in-law’s funeral. This one.” Lauren lifted a red dress with plunging neckline. “Put it on.”

  The material was flimsy and hugged her hips, the hem reaching the middle of her thighs. She’d never worn it, though it was one of the few clothes she’d bought to celebrate her divorce.

  “You don’t think it’s too daring? I mean, I can’t wear a bra with it.”

  “The dress is perfect, Amy. Flirty without being slutty. Do you have shoes?”

  “Oh yeah.” Amy went under her bed and pulled out a storage box.

  “Holy crap on a cracker, Amy. You’ve been holding out on me. So many designer shoes. Size seven and a half. That’s my size.” She slipped on a black pair of Manolo Blahniks. “Perfect fit.”

  “Take them.” The shoes were about four years old and Amy had only worn them once.

  “No way. I’d never.”

  “Seriously. I have that pair in nude, my favorite.” Amy selected a pair of knee-length boots. They were perfect for the outfit. While Lauren tried flats, leather patent boots and peek-toe sandals, Amy slipped on the boots and zipped them up.

  Lauren looked up and whistled. “Oh, I’d love to be a fly on the wall at that bar tonight. Now for your hair.”

  A few minutes later, Amy studied her reflection and smiled. Her make-up was flawless. Her hair, long in front and short in the back, framed her face, the locks touching her eyebrows. The outfit was daring and sexy. What would Eddie think? Not that she’d dressed for him.

  “Take my car,” Lauren said.

  Amy cocked a brow. “Why? What’s wrong with mine?”

  “It’s a clunker. Don’t want you out there in the dark alone with a conked out car.”

  “You know what? You are a good friend.”

  “I know,” she said with a dramatic sigh. “Go, go.”

  “Just a sec.” Amy ducked into Raelynn’s bedroom for a tiara.

  “What’s that for?”

  “Raelynn.” Her daughter was curled up on the sofa, her blue eyes reflecting cartoon characters on the screen. Amy turned on the lights and smiled when Raelynn sat up, saw her and her eyes lit up.

  “Mommy, you look pretty,” she said.

  “Thank you, sweetheart.” She kissed her daughter’s forehead. “Be good to Aunt Lauren while Mommy’s gone.”

  Raelynn’s lower lip jutted out. “But I want to go with you.”

  “And I want you to come, sweetie, but I have to help Mr. Eddie with something. I’ll be back to read to my little princess,” she placed the tiara on her head, “and kiss her goodnight.” She touched Raelynn’s nose

  She still frowned. “But I’m hungry and Sam bumped my elbow right here and it hurts.”

  Amy lifted the arm with the imaginary wound and kissed it. “There. Aunt Lauren will put a band aid on your boo-boo and give you something to eat.”

  “But I want you to—”

  “Come with me, Munchkin,” Lauren interrupted her. “You and I are going to have a nice picnic on the boat. You get to choose what music to play while we eat.” Glancing at Amy, she wiggled her fingers, “Bye.”

  Raelynn slid off the couch and took Lauren’s hand. “What is a munchkin, Aunt Lauren?”

  “Adorable little people who love music, books and cotton candy ice cream.”

  Amy watched them go. Raelynn had warmed up to Lauren after a few weeks of living at the lake house and even agreed to stay with her on Wednesdays while Amy went to Farmers Market. This was the first time Amy was going out at night and leaving the two of them alone. Choked with emotions, she left the house and headed for Lauren’s car.

  The BMW purred gently as she narrowed the distance between her and Sandpoint. The past flashed in her head—she and her friends zipping off in the night in expensive cars, acting stupid and not caring about rules.

  Amy came down North 5th Avenue, turned left and entered Cedar Street. Eichardt’s Pub was in a historic building with black and white paint job and floor to ceiling windows. Ahead was the famous Cedar Street Bridge Public Market. She found a place to park and started for the entrance.

  Since she’d never been inside, she’d done a little research to get the layout—eatery and bar downstairs and gaming room upstairs—but the description hadn’t prepared her.

  The place was packed; the patrons chugging ice cold mugs of draft beer and eating grilled burgers and garlic fries. This wasn’t a bar. The sweet aroma of spicy foods mixed with coffee said it all. It was a restaurant, coffee house and a bar all crammed in one room with dark wood paneling, a tap handle collection studding the ceiling and a large selection of domestic and specialty beers. Tourists in their designer summer clothes mingled with the locals in plaid. Once again, the past flashed in her head—her college years cut short by her pregnancy.

  Silence fil
led the room, but she didn’t pay it much attention. She was busy searching for Nolan. No red baseball cap. No tawny hair. No Nolan. Eddie stood out at the end of the bar, his back to her. She couldn’t miss him if she tried.

  He was so male and confident he’d draw attention wherever he went. Most men let their clothes wear them, but not Eddie. The polo emphasized his broad shoulders and the jeans hugged his powerful thighs and hips as though bending to his will.

  Then he turned and their eyes met.

  Surprised flickered in their gray depths then they darkened into a swirling mass of storm clouds; dark grays and silver lightning. His gaze skated over her once, twice before their eyes met again.

  In seconds, Amy became a string of clichés—her heart thundered, stomach dipped and her palms began to sweat. This was why she had dressed. Not to find Nolan, but to see the flash of heat in Eddie’s eyes. To know she was desired by him. She knew she should cross the room, yet the expression on his face held her immobile.

  As he started toward her, his gaze not shifting, people moved out of his way. Dizzying thoughts flashed through Amy’s head. He was going to sweep her into his arms and kiss her. Her body responded to her thoughts, anticipation racing under her skin and heat pooling in places that had been cold for so long.

  Until this very moment, she hadn’t admitted to herself she wanted Eddie Fitzgerald. That she shouldn’t want him was bittersweet. Just because he was attentive didn’t mean anything. He was a cop doing his job.

  ***

  Eddie had been listening to Sally explain how short-handed their investigative division was when she stopped and said, “Look what the cat dragged in.”

  He’d turned, expecting to see Roland, and caught site of the breathtaking woman in red standing in the doorway. Air left the room as realization hit him hard in the gut.

  Amy.

  For a second, he’d stared, taking in the pixie bangs framing her breathtaking face, brilliant blue eyes luminous and lips slightly parted in a smile that promised a sinful night and decadent sex to any man that caught her attention tonight. Her dress didn’t leave much to the imagination either, draping over those delectable breasts and hugging her tiny waist and hips before stopping mid-thigh. Knee-high black leather boots left an enticing stretch of thighs covered with shear black tights. His palm itched to touch, caress.

  Whispers of longing came and went around him. Some wondered who she was. Others boldly voice their intentions to find out.

  Mine.

  The single word slammed into Eddie’s psyche with the finality of a judge’s mallet. No, no, no, definitely not his. No way. Amy was chaos in heels. He had enough craziness at work without getting involved with a woman like her.

  Despite his stance, he couldn’t deny he wanted her. His body craved hers. His mouth longed to taste her lips. His heartbeat shot to a senseless tempo whenever she was around. Knowing she slept a few doors away from his only made matters worse. The attraction annoyed the hell out of him because it made no sense.

  She was everything he avoided in a woman—stubborn, argumentative, unpredictable, yet he looked forward to their arguments, enjoyed their battle of wits and loved listening to her lengthy explanations on the most mundane things. But the most amazing thing about her was she made him laugh.

  He reached her side and looked down into her eyes and steeled himself against her allure. Would she welcome him, if he did what every cell in his body was screaming at him to do? Kiss her and proclaim to the entire room she was his. The expectant look in her eyes said she might not fight him, but he wasn’t taking any chances. With Amy, he was never sure how she’d react to anything, which was maddening to say the least.

  He gripped her arm, moved out of the doorway and against the wall then leaned down and whispered, “I thought I asked you to stay at home.”

  Blue fire flashed in the depth of her eyes. “And I thought I made it clear that I planned to help.”

  “If I recall, I told you I didn’t need your help.”

  “Then chalk it down to my inability to obey orders.”

  And screw with a man’s head without realizing it. It was part of her charm. “Where’s Raelynn? From your outfit, I don’t think there’s space to hide her.”

  “If that’s a dig at my dress, you’d better take it back. It cost me an arm and a leg.”

  Eddie chuckled. A different woman would have been offended he found her outfit skimpy. “I guess I have no choice but to let you stay.”

  “Or you could stay on your end of the bar and I stay on my end.”

  “And start a riot? No, you’re mine.”

  Her brow shot up.

  He flushed. “I mean, you’re at my end.”

  “Mine and at my end don’t rhyme, detective,” she teased, eyes twinkling.

  “Come on, I want you to meet someone.” He gripped her hand and escorted her across the bar, part of him wishing he had a trench coat to drape around her shoulders. Even though her boots gave her a few extra inches, his trench coat would still cover her from head to toe. He didn’t like the look on some of the men’s faces. He pulled her closer and gave them a look that said, “Back off.”

  Amy stiffened the closer they got to Sally. He slowed down and said, “It’s okay. She knows.”

  “You told her?” she asked, not masking her annoyance.

  “Not everything. Just that a man stalked and harassed you in Virginia, forcing you to flee, and that he’s here now.”

  “Oh.”

  “We’ll need her to arrest Nolan and his man.” They stopped by the policewoman.

  “Officer Sally, we meet again,” Amy said as Sally stood and they shook hands.

  “Yes, we do. I’m terribly sorry the circumstances are not pleasant, Ms. Kincaid, but I promise to do whatever I can to help,” the policewoman said, choosing her words carefully. “Stalkers tend to think they’re slick, but we always catch them.”

  “I hope so,” Amy said then smiled at the two men who brought them stools. “Thank you.”

  “We’ll have a table ready for you in few minutes,” one of the men added, a broad grin on his face.

  “Thank you,” Amy said again.

  Eddie wanted to punch the guy’s nose. For ten minutes, he’d stood at the bar because all the stools were taken and now two had magically appeared. The wait for a table, he’d been told by the owner, was thirty minutes.

  “We’d like one by the wall,” he ordered the young man.

  “Yes, sir.” The man took one look at him and scuttled away.

  Pup. His attention shifted to Amy and Sally. Amy was explaining about the things Nolan had done to her, even admitting he was her ex-husband, but the look in her eyes said there was a whole lot more to her stories.

  “The police took his side and didn’t believe me,” she finished, “so I packed up and left, took up the name Jessica Franklin, and left and prayed he didn’t track me down. Guess I was wrong.” She looked at Eddie as though checking his reaction.

  “Around here, we don’t believe cops are above the law, Ms. Kincaid. We will catch this bastard.”

  “So your married name is not Franklin,” Eddie asked.

  Amy shook her head. “No. My married name was Reither.”

  What else had she lied about? It rankled that she was more comfortable with a female cop than him. On the other hand, he must remind her of her ex, which left a nasty taste in his mouth.

  Amy ordered ginger ale when the bartender asked her what she was drinking, then they were led to a table in the back with the perfect view of the entrance. He’d already checked upstairs and knew Randal wasn’t in the building.

  They ate their garlic fries with homemade ranch, braised duck and buffalo burgers as six-thirty came and went without Randal showing up. Amy, he noticed, didn’t eat her food. She kept studying people around the room, watching the door and tensing every time it opened. She had even excused herself and went upstairs before their food arrived.

  Eddie wished he could reassure he
r, but he was fast learning that earning her trust wasn’t going to happen overnight. Seven came and went. Randal had said he’d be at the bar at seven. Fifteen minutes later, Eddie had a bad feeling in his gut. He’d learned to never disregard that feeling.

  “We need Randal’s address,” he told Sally.

  “I’ll call the station and get it.” The pub was too loud for phone conversation. A band was playing and the crowd showed their appreciation with every tune. Sally made her way out of the pub, nodding at people she knew and returning greetings.

  “Call home too, Amy.”

  She scowled, but something on his face had her diving into her purse for her cell phone. She followed Sally outside, turning heads without even being aware of it. Eddie settled their bill and headed outside too. Sally was leaning against the squad car, talking on her phone, but Amy…

  He looked around and frowned. Where the hell was she? He searched for her car and didn’t see it. Something cold settled in his stomach.

  “Have you seen Amy?”

  Sally looked up and frowned. “No.”

  “She came outside to make a call too. Amy,” Eddie yelled, frantically looking up and down the street. There was an alley right by the pub with no security light.

  “Do you want me to put an APB on her car?” Sally asked.

  “Not yet. Search that way.” He pointed toward the traffic light. “I’ll go this way.” He entered the alley, his body tense, stomach clenched with tension. If something happened to her, if that bastard so much as touched a hair on her head, he was dead.

  CHAPTER 8

  “Amy!”

  She was finishing her call when she heard voices calling her name. She recognized Eddie’s and rolled down the window just as he ran out of an alley. “Over here.”

  He turned, saw her and changed directions, crossing the street at a run, Sally close behind him. Amy got out of the car.

  “What’s wrong? What happened?” One second she was standing free, looking into eyes brewing with storm, the next Eddie had hauled her into his arms. With her breasts pressed against his chest, she could hear his heart pounding hard. A moment passed before she reacted.