by Liv Brywood
“I’m locking the door after you leave.”
“Good.” She headed toward the front door. Before leaving she added, “Somewhere inside you there’s a good man dying to come out. I know he’s in there, and we’ll find a way to bring him out.”
After she’d closed the door, he walked over to lock it. He pushed back the curtain and watched her climb into her car. As she headed down the snowy driveway, he sighed. She was too good for him, but at least she had faith in him, no matter how tenuous. For the first time in his life, someone finally believed in him. He didn’t know what to make of it, other than to feel blessed. He’d finally found someone who understood him. He just hoped it wasn’t too late for them.
10
Emily knocked on the door to the judge’s chambers. She wiped her sweaty palms on her jeans. On the way over, she’d decided she couldn’t lie to the judge. If he decided to take her off the case, then so be it. She’d do whatever she could to protect Kade, but she wasn’t going to risk her integrity or her job to do it.
“Come in,” the judge called.
“Hello, Judge Franklin.”
“Deputy Redson. I’m glad to see you’ve got pants on now.” He turned his computer monitor to the side to display the huge image of her standing on Kade’s porch in a flannel shirt.
“That’s why I came to see you.”
“I understand you fell on your face and your clothes were in the dryer?” His mouth twitched as if he were suppressing a smile.
“Not exactly.”
“Isn’t that what you told Mrs. Slater?” His eyes shimmered with mirth.
“I panicked. I didn’t expect to find her trespassing on his property and I was half asleep.”
“You’re not one to lie.”
“Generally, no. She backed me into a corner and I said the first thing that came to mind.”
“I see.” He laced his fingers together and set his wrists on the edge of the desk. “It seems like we may have a conflict of interest problem. Are you in a relationship with Kade?”
“We dated a long time ago.”
“And now?”
“Now…” Heat burned her cheeks. “Well, I’m not sure.”
“I hate to even have to ask, but are you having a physical relationship with him?”
“Sort of.”
“Did you stay the night?”
“Yes.” She wanted to crawl into a hole. This was easily the most embarrassing line of questioning she’d ever endured as a deputy.
“Only one night?”
“Two—but the other one was because my car died. Amos can confirm it.”
“No need. I believe you. You’ve never once lied in my courtroom.” He leaned back and placed his interlocked fingers behind his head. “You’ve put me in an unfortunate position. You’re a good deputy. Even though I believe you can still remain objective, I don’t want to give Mrs. Slater any reason to doubt the court’s custody ruling. So, for that reason alone, I’m going to assign a new deputy to follow up on Kade’s case. Actually, maybe I’ll just ask the sheriff. He’s beyond reproach.”
When he reached for the phone, she took a step forward. “Wait.”
“Yes?”
“Um, Kade’s mom’s seeing Sheriff Hannity.” The judge shook his head. “I just found out.”
“Okay, then I’ll call deputy Slade.”
She cringed. Deputy Slade was a hard ass, by-the-book cop who would scrutinize everything Kade did. She wouldn’t put it past him to run surveillance on Kade’s cabin.
“Is he the only option?” she asked.
“Unfortunately, yes. But don’t worry, as long as Kade’s keeping his head out of the bottle and the baby’s being well cared for, Slade should give me a good report. He’s uptight, but he’s fair.”
“Okay. Thank you.”
“A word of advice?”
“Sure.”
“Even though I don’t have an issue with your relationship, others might. I highly recommend you keep your distance until the 90 days are up. No more spending the night.”
“Okay.” Although she hated to agree, she didn’t want to do anything to mess up Kade’s shot at getting full custody. “What should Kade do if Mrs. Slater shows up at his place again? Technically, she’s trespassing.”
“He could ask for a restraining order, but since she didn’t try to attack you, I’d have a hard time singing one. I’ll give her a call and try to talk some sense into her. She shouldn’t be running around on private property taking pictures without permission.”
“Thank you.”
“Have a good day.”
After leaving the courthouse, she turned toward her home. As much as she wanted to go back and tell Kade everything in person, she couldn’t. She had to respect the judge’s wishes no matter how much she wanted to ignore them. She could call Kade when she got home.
The minute she walked in the door, she grabbed her kitchen phone. She dialed his number. It rang and rang until it went to voicemail.
“Kade, it’s Emily. I saw the judge and he’s assigning Deputy Slater to the case. He said we should put our… uh, relationship on hold until after the next custody hearing. I wish we didn’t have to do this, but it’s what’s best for Tucker. Call me when you can.”
She hung up and spent twenty minutes cleaning the lemon-yellow kitchen. She hadn’t been home much the last few days. She’d left in such a rush, that she’d left dishes in the sink. Her normally spotless kitchen was in need of serious scrubbing.
After she’d loaded the dishwasher, she scrubbed the white granite countertops until they sparkled. Satisfied with the kitchen, she headed into the living room. She vacuumed and dusted like a maniac while trying to think about anything but Kade and Tucker. The last few days, she’d spent so much time with them that it felt weird to be apart. Although she wasn’t exactly sure what was happening between them, she couldn’t deny the way he made her feel. He’d cracked open her heart again. Hopefully this time he wouldn’t break it for good.
She sighed and set a bottle of Pledge on the coffee table. No matter how much she wanted to deny it, she was falling for him all over again. He was still a mess, but he was trying to be a better man. She’d seen it in the way he’d fussed over Tucker. She’d never seen him so attentive, so responsible. Maybe having a baby was all it took to change him.
Sweaty and ready for a bath, she stripped. She was just about to climb into bubbly, lavender-scented water when her cell phone rang. The display showed Kade’s number.
“Hi, Kade.”
“What’s this about not being able to see each other?”
“Judge Franklin thought it would be better if we stayed away from each other until after the next hearing.”
“I can’t wait 87, or whatever it is, days to see you.”
A secret thrill shimmied up her spine. To know that he already missed her meant a lot.
“It will go by quickly.”
“But, I need you. What if something happens to Tucker? What if he gets a fever, or refuses to eat, or has alien-green poop?”
“Alien-green poop?” She smiled at her reflection in the mirror.
“It’s not likely, but possible.”
“I wouldn’t know how to help in that case anyway,” she said with a chuckle. “You’ll be okay.”
“No. This isn’t good.” When he went silent, she checked to make sure the call was still connected. “I miss you already.”
“Me too.”
“And not just because of the baby,” he said softly.
“Really?” Joy blossomed in her heart.
“I lo—like you… a lot… and I wanted to see…”
“See what?”
“Where things might be going.”
“We have a lifetime to figure it out. I know it seems like an eternity, but we only have to wait a few months.”
“Can we at least meet for dinner?”
She hesitated. The judge’s exact words had been that she couldn’t spend the night. But
going out to dinner wasn’t the same. Surely they could go out in public together, especially now that she wasn’t assigned to his case.
“I guess it would be okay,” she said. “How about Gino’s?”
“In public, with the whole town as chaperones?” Skepticism colored his tone.
“We can’t risk dinner at your house, or mine. Who knows who’s watching us.”
“This is ridiculous.”
“I know, but I don’t want to put you in jeopardy of losing custody.”
He sighed. “How does eight tonight sound?”
“Sounds like a plan. I don’t think the judge would consider it a violation as long as we don’t end up in each other’s house.”
“So…” His voice dropped into a seductive tone. “I can’t bring you home?”
“No.” She laughed. “And I can’t bring you home either.”
“This going to be a long couple of months.”
She silently agreed. Staying away from Kade’s house would be hard, but it was only temporary. And maybe it was a good thing. Maybe it would give them the time they needed to figure out exactly where their relationship was headed.
* * *
Over the next six weeks, Kade took Emily out every chance he got. So far they’d been to dinner more times than he could count. They’d been to every movie available in the town’s small, two-screen theater—even the terrible films. Bowling, hiking, bike rides around the lake, they’d done everything he could think of short of what he really wanted—her, preferably naked and wrapped around his cock.
As he hammered the last nail into the new fence around his mom’s property, he struggled to reign in his bear. Not being able to do more than steal a few kisses from Emily was driving him nuts. He’d had to ask his mom to babysit several times, just so he could let his bear run free. Fortunately, he and his mom were back on good terms since he’d fixed the roof. He’d also done other odd jobs around the house to make up for his past behavior. Trying to be a better man was hard, but it was worth the smile on his mom’s face.
“Want some lemonade?” His mom called from her back porch. She cradled Tucker against her chest with one hand, while holding a pitcher in the other.
“Sure. I’m done with the fence.”
As he headed toward the house, he wiped beads of sweat from his forehead. He wore an old, ripped pair of jeans and boots that he didn’t mind destroying. A warm front had moved through, melting most of the snow. It had turned her backyard into a mud pit. His bear longed to roll around in it, but he didn’t want to ruin the spring flower beds.
“Wipe your boots before you come up the stairs,” his mom called.
“Yes, Mom.”
As she shook her head and smiled, he couldn’t help but grin in response. He hadn’t realized how much he’d missed her until now. Family meant everything to him. He had a lot to make up for, but even his relationship with his brother Peter was getting better. He’d finally been over to see Peter’s baby last week.
Tucker sat in a high chair next to the wooden table Kade had repainted the previous week. Although, with the way Tucker was tossing his food, he wasn’t sure how long the antique white finish would last. So far, he’d launched more Cheerios over the edge of the tray than he’d eaten. If this was any indication of what Kade was in for when Tucker got older, Kade was in trouble.
“How’s Emily?” his mom asked as she set a tray of lemon scones on the table.
“Good.” He took a seat across from her. “She’s investigating an illegal drug distribution network.”
“I wish she didn’t do such dangerous work.”
“She loves her job.”
“I know, but I still worry about her.”
“You do?” He grabbed a scone and took a bite. Tart lemon and sweet sugar danced across his tongue.
“Of course I do. My future daughter-in-law shouldn’t be running around chasing bad guys.”
He choked on his scone.
“What?” his mom asked with mock innocence.
“Daughter-in-law?” He poured a glass of lemonade and gulped it down.
“Of course. Everyone can see it. It’s only a matter of time before you end up married.”
“Mom, please. I have enough on my plate right now.”
“And you need a good woman who can help you. Isn’t that right Tucker? You need a daddy and a mommy.” His mom tickled the baby until he squealed with delight.
“I’m not sure Emily feels the same way,” he admitted.
“She does.”
“Did she say something to you?” He watched her over the edge of his glass.
“She didn’t have to. You two have been inseparable the last few months.”
“We’re taking things one step at a time. We have to get through the custody hearing first.”
“That’s only a few weeks away.”
“I can’t wait until it’s over,” he said.
“Me too. I know Olivia means well, but she’s going about things the wrong way. I think if she’d approached you differently, you could have worked something out.”
“She’s being totally unreasonable and irrational. Judge Franklin finally signed a restraining order to keep her away from my house because she was stalking us. That woman is crazy. No wonder she wasn’t on good terms with her daughter.”
“From what I hear, they had a very contentious relationship. Genevieve hadn’t spoken to her mother in years. Her mother didn’t even know about the baby until after the accident. I feel bad for her. Olivia doesn’t seem like she can resist her obsessive need to control everyone around her.”
“I wonder why she’s like that.”
“Who knows.”
“I thought you knew everything,” he joked.
“Only what I overhear at Gino’s.”
“In a few weeks, this will all be over. We won’t have to deal with her anymore.”
“Did you hear about Bruno and Carter?” His mom leaned forward.
“Now what?”
“They were killed two days ago when Bruno’s truck skidded off the mountain. They’d been drinking at Five Claws and drove drunk. I thought you would have heard by now.”
“I haven’t been to Five Claws since the custody hearing.”
“I don’t wish ill-will on anyone, but I’m glad they won’t be bothering you again.”
“Me too.” He rubbed the scars where Bruno and Carter had clawed him. Although they’d healed, the scars would always remain. He breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn’t have to deal with them anymore.
“When are you seeing Emily again?”
“Tomorrow. We’re hiking up to Blue Bird Falls.”
“You’re not planning on taking Tucker with you, are you? That’s a long hike.”
“Well, I was wondering if maybe—”
“Of course I’ll babysit!” His mom grinned. “I’ll take every chance I can get.”
“Thank you so much.”
“Anything for my little monster.”
“Monster?”
“Well, he’s not as bad as you were at his age, but he’s going to be a handful when he hits his teens.”
“I’m already dreading it.”
“You’ll be fine,” she said. “I’ll teach Emily everything I know.”
He rolled his eyes, but silently loved the idea that Emily would still be in his life thirteen years from now. Over the last few months, he’d been content to just date her. But tomorrow, he planned on finding out exactly where they stood. Judge’s orders or not, he needed to do more than just kiss her, and he’d found the perfect place where they could be alone.
11
Emily trudged along the never-ending trail through the woods. The only thing that kept her moving forward was a great view of Kade’s tight butt. Clad in a pair of tan cargo shorts and a black tank top, every one of his panty-melting muscles was on full display. Well, except for his abs, and his pecks. Maybe he needed to take his shirt off. Drenched in sweat, it clung to him like a
second skin. On any other man it would be gross, but on Kade, it only made him hotter.
“We’re almost there,” he said with a backward glance. “How are you holding up?”
“I can’t wait to sit down.”
“Me too, but it’ll be worth it. Hardly anyone is willing to make this hike, so we can finally have some privacy.”
“Why do we need privacy?” she asked. “Are you planning on being a big bad bear?”
His baritone laugh sent yellow-pine chipmunks scurrying through the brush alongside the trail.
“I hadn’t thought about it until now, but we haven’t shifted together in years.” He stopped and turned to her.
“You’re right.” She grinned. “Should we shift?”
“Hell yeah.”
It didn’t take more than a second to summon her bear. The beast came barreling out in a flurry of claws and fur. When she landed on all fours, she let out a tree-rattling roar. Her wild side took over, and as soon as Kade finished shifting, she tackled him. They rolled off of the trail into a thick patch of wild huckleberries.
Distracted by the sweet berries, she released him. She swiped her paw at a particularly dense cluster of berries and buried her face in the bushes. She chomped her way through several feet of tangled brush before turning to look for Kade. Purple juice dripped from his mouth. He stopped eating long enough to grin. Her heart flip-flopped.
“Told you he was our mate,” her bear said.
“You might be right.”
“Of course I’m right.” Her bear huffed.
She chuffed and continued munching on berries until her stomach ached. Eventually, she flopped down on a pile of wildflowers. Patches of snow still clung to shaded areas, but yellow, pink, and blue flowers sprang up to welcome spring.
When Kade ambled over to sit next to her, she inhaled his scent. She couldn’t argue with her bear. In shifted form, there was no mistaking her mate’s scent. She’s tried to keep her distance for weeks, but she couldn’t resist dating with him. He could make her laugh until her sides hurt. He told wild stories about his exploits and listened to her equally insane work stories. They were slowly getting to know each other, and she enjoyed it more than she wanted to admit.
