The Texas Lawman's Woman

by Cathy Gillen Thacker

  She wrinkled her nose. With a wave of her hand, she invited him to have a seat next to her. “Not to worry. There are still plenty left to do.”

  “Want to move the operation down to my house? It’d be more comfortable.” It would also be within the law. And since he needed to firmly adhere to all the rules and regulations...

  She flashed him a too-bright smile. “I’d prefer to stay here. Austin needs a place to play while I do this and he’s happy here. And I have some hard thinking to do.”

  Figuring it wouldn’t hurt to sit there for just a minute, even if they were technically trespassing, Colt sank down on the steps beside her. “What about?” He held out an eight-inch square of netting.

  Shelley poured in a quarter cup of birdseed. “This house. The situation. My next move.” She reached for a ribbon as he gathered the edges together and held it that way while she deftly tied it shut.

  Colt tossed the filled bundle into a box, along with the others, then reached for another square of white netting. “Any idea what that will be?”

  Shelley turned to sit cross-legged on the porch floor, facing him. “You really want to hear all this? ’Cause it involves my ex.”

  Colt tried not to look at the sleek, soft insides of her thighs below the hem of her shorts. He lifted his gaze. “I want to hear about anything that is bothering you.” To his surprise, it was true. He wanted to be involved with every aspect of her life. This house, what she did, was at the heart of it.

  “Okay.” Shelley shook her head in dismay. “Well, I’m a mess.” The soft curves of her breasts lifted and fell as she sighed. “My emotions are all over the map. One minute, I think I should just let the property go and move on.”

  She paused to tie on another ribbon and then met his eyes. “At other times, like now, the mere idea of that is unbearable.” Abruptly, she looked as if she was struggling not to cry. “I wonder,” she continued thickly, “how can I not fight this? How can I just let this house go? Especially given all it means to me and could mean to Austin in the future?”

  On the street, a car full of teenagers drove by slowly. Colt saw them staring at the eviction and foreclosure paperwork pasted to the front of the house. Uncomfortably aware they shouldn’t be there, especially with his ethics under review, but unwilling to move Shelley along until she was ready to go, Colt asked, “And on the other hand?”

  Shelley gave a desultory wave at the three boys. Though Colt was pretty sure she didn’t know Jasper, Hector or Ryan.

  He turned to look at them again. They waved at him and drove off.

  Shelley bit her lip, looking sadder and more conflicted than ever. “I worry about the ugliness of going after Tully for fraud, how that could affect Austin one day.”

  He brushed her cheek with the pad of his thumb. “The truth is, it will affect him either way.”

  “I know.” Shelley ran a hand over her eyes. “Believe me, I know.”

  He waited, sensing there was more.

  She stopped working on the bags, sat back. “When I was a kid, as an only child to two doting parents, I worried about pleasing everyone and not making any waves, when all I really wanted was to be free.”

  How he remembered that. “Your secret wild child,” he said with a wide grin.

  “Right.” A mixture of ruefulness and mischief lit her pretty green eyes. “There I was, diligently following all the rules by day—and not irritating anyone—and there I was at night, sneaking you into my bedroom after curfew for forbidden make-out sessions.”

  “Hey. You had a little help with that misbehaving.” Probably because there was no accounting for the fierceness of teenage lust and love.

  She wrinkled her nose playfully. “I guess I do.”

  Colt angled a thumb at his chest. “I’ve got a maverick streak, too.”

  She blushed and nodded, admitting, “It’s what drew us together initially.”

  And still did, Colt thought. Because beneath her identities of responsible teacher and protective mother, her wild streak was still there. She’d shown it to him the night before when they made love without regard to anything but the exquisite pleasure they could give each other.

  “My inability to directly go after what I really wanted is what also made me leave Laramie and run off with my ex. It was easier to just let Tully lead me astray than be solely responsible for my own future happiness.”

  Colt understood that, too. He hadn’t cared where he found solace after he and Shelley broke up, which was how he’d ended up marrying too young, as well. “But that changed when Austin came along.”

  Shelley sobered. “And it has to change even more now.” She tucked a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear. “I came back to Laramie so I could reconnect with my roots and give Austin the kind of stability I had growing up. I wanted him to feel as connected to his family’s past legacy as I was to mine. Because there is comfort in that, Colt, in knowing who you are and where you come from.”

  “I agree.” Colt squeezed her hand.

  “Which is what makes everything I’ve done the past few days, or more specifically, not done, so crazy.” Grimacing, Shelley got to her feet and began to pace in agitation. “Here I was worried about whether or not Austin would have a dad who was a criminal, when what I really should have been worried about was keeping this house.” She paused, her chin taking on that stubborn tilt he knew so well. “And like it or not, there is only one way I’m going to be able to do that.”

  Hope rising within him, Colt pushed to his feet. “You want to file a criminal complaint?”

  “Yes.” Shelley came even closer, letting him know with a look that she was finally ready to let go of her ex-husband, and all the baggage that came with him. “I want to do it now. Tonight. Before any more time elapses. And, Colt?” she said even more resolutely. “I’d really like it if you would go with me.”

  * * *

  RIO TOOK THE REPORT WHILE COLT walked Austin around the sheriff’s station. The little fella was definitely the center of attention amongst his fellow officers. Especially when he snuggled in Colt’s arms and patted him on the face, then looked lovingly into Colt’s eyes and exclaimed, “My deppity! Mine!” repeatedly, making everyone laugh.

  Except one person. Investigator Ilyse Adams was neither touched nor amused.

  The internal affairs officer motioned for Colt to step into her office. “Got a minute?”

  “As long as my pal can come, too.”

  Shooting him a disdainful look, she slipped behind her desk. “What were you doing in the building last night?”

  Not something I’m proud of, especially in retrospect, Colt thought warily.

  It wasn’t the first time he had bypassed protocol to get the job done. However, it was the first time he’d second-guessed his own actions and felt guilty about it. But not about to tell the internal affairs officer that, he looked her in the eye. “It was a test. I wanted to see how closely you were watching me. Now I know.”

  “We are watching you,” she warned quietly.

  Colt resented the scrutiny even as he pushed aside his remorse. “Oh, believe me, I know.”

  “Did you get your electric bill paid?”

  Colt swore silently to himself. So she’d looked at the security tapes and talked to the watch commander. “Not yet.”

  “Hmm.” A wealth of accusation in a single word. “Hope your lights and air-conditioning don’t go off.” She gestured toward a chair. “Have a seat.” Austin sat on his lap, snuggling close, his beloved truck clutched in his little hands.

  “I wanted to talk to you about the first incident with Mr. Zellecky last January, the one you didn’t report. You know, the one where he ran into a stop sign with his car?”

  “There was no damage to the pole.”

  “He had to go up over the curb to hit it, a
nd his fender was damaged. That qualifies as reckless driving, no? And yet you did not write up the incident.”

  Here we go again.... Colt exhaled. “I know how important it is for senior citizens to keep their licenses, how much they want to be able to keep driving in order to remain independent and lead full, productive lives.”

  Adams tapped her pen on the desktop. “What if that had been a kid on a bike instead of a stop sign?”

  “Then it would have been a different situation. As it was, Mr. Zellecky was sweaty and pale. I knew he was a diabetic and could see he was having a sugar low.”

  “Just like the night he had a much more severe accident.”

  With a major difference. No one else had been hurt that time. There had been no real damage except a slight dent in Mr. Zellecky’s car’s fender.

  Colt continued relating events. “I called his daughter. She came right over and took him to the doctor, and that’s when they changed his medication.”

  “None of that is your concern. Your job is to uphold the law. At the very least, a warning citation should have been written.”

  Colt was beginning to see that. “And it will be in the future,” he promised.

  Ilyse Adams remained skeptical. “You’re not going to disagree with me? Plead your case?”

  There had been a time, a few weeks ago, when Colt would have. He looked down at the little boy on his lap, exhaled wearily and said, “Much as any of us might want to, we can’t go back and revise the past.” It was what it was. He couldn’t erase his mistakes, much as he might want to. All he could do—here and with Shelley—was apologize and move on.

  And hope he’d be cut some slack.

  * * *

  SHELLEY CAME OUT OF AN interview room the same time Colt came out of Investigator Adams’s office, Austin once again perched in his arms. “What was going on in there?” she asked, looking both curious and completely worn-out.

  Colt gave Shelley as much information as he was permitted, which wasn’t much. “We were talking law enforcement business.” Or, in other words, Adams insinuated all sorts of things and read me the riot act. But not wanting to discuss any of that with Shelley, Colt asked, “Did you get your report made?”

  She nodded. “It’s not going to stop the auction, though. They’re going to have to do their own investigation and verify everything I told them. That will take a few days.” They paused to wait for the elevator.

  Colt noticed Ilyse Adams was right behind them. Eavesdropping? Aware Shelley was waiting for him to reply, he comforted her as best he could. “The property may not sell the first go-round. A lot of time foreclosures don’t.”

  She flashed a wan smile, first at him, then at Investigator Adams. “I keep hoping that.” Shelley sighed. “I also know it’s probably wishful thinking on my part.”

  The elevator doors opened, and they stepped inside. To his relief, the IA officer decided to wait for the next car. “Have you eaten dinner?” Colt asked. He knew she’d clearly had a very long, tiring day and could use some TLC.

  A soft smile curved her lips. “I fed Austin at five.”

  “That wasn’t my question.”

  She shrugged and shifted Austin in her arms. Tuckered out from the show he’d put on, he yawned and rested his head on her shoulder. “I wasn’t really hungry,” Shelley said.

  Colt bent and kissed her temple, feeling very connected to her in a very fundamental way. “Want to share a pizza?”

  A wealth of consideration came and went in her bemused expression. “I have to put Austin to bed...”

  Wishing he could follow his instincts and make love with her again—tonight—he volunteered casually, “I’ll go pick one up while you do that.”

  Laughter bubbled up from her throat. “You’re persistent.” She would hand him that.

  He smiled. “I take it that is a yes.”

  * * *

  IT WASN’T A DATE. SHELLEY TOLD herself that over and over as she got the sleepy Austin ready for bed and put him down for the night. To her relief, her son had barely stretched out in his crib when he was snoozing away.

  Hence, there was really no need for her to run in and brush her teeth and run a comb through her hair. Never mind spritz on a little perfume. Even less of a reason to tidy up before Colt walked in the door twenty minutes later, box of pizza and a couple of Diet Dr Peppers in hand.

  As they sat down at the café-style table, Shelley couldn’t help but think how intimate this all was. Would it continue once Kendall and Gerry tied the knot? She glanced at the calendar posted on her fridge. “Just think...one week from tomorrow is the wedding.”

  Colt opened a packet and sprinkled extra red pepper on his slice. “Did you miss having a big wedding?”

  Shelley recalled they had both eloped, to the shock and dismay of their friends. “I didn’t want one at the time.”

  He studied her over the rim of his glass. “I thought you wanted the big fairy-tale wedding.”

  She had, when she had been dating him. That had changed when they broke up. “Not me.”

  He watched as she blissfully savored her first bite of her favorite pie, pizza with everything, then smiled over at her. “Why not?”

  Shelley sighed. “A couple of reasons.” Finding she could use a little extra heat, too, she reached for the red pepper flakes. “My parents weren’t too keen on Tully. They thought he was too reckless. His parents were just ticked off at him in general. So the idea of trying to get everyone together to plan something...”

  “Horrendous.”

  “And then some.”

  He helped himself to another slice brimming with meat and veggies and a light sprinkling of cheese. “Any other reason?”

  “I think I knew even then if I waited and thought about it I’d never go through with it, and besides I wanted adventure. And eloping was adventurous.”

  “What do you want now—if not marriage?”

  “Security and stability.”

  He met her eyes. “Do you want a relationship?”

  She hadn’t—until Colt had come back in her life. Shelley shrugged. “If I could find someone I can trust not to lie to me—or keep me in the dark about what’s really going on with him.” Like Tully did. She studied Colt’s inscrutable look, concluding he hadn’t been totally satisfied with her answer. Yet this was something they needed to talk about if they were going to be friends, or more than friends. “What do you want in a potential life mate?”

  Colt flashed a sexy smile. “A family. A woman who puts our relationship above all else. Someone who will be there for me, not just for the moment, but for the rest of my life.”

  Shelley searched his face, looking for clues that would help her gain more insight into the inner workings of his heart. “Would you have to be married again, to make it work?”

  Colt sobered. “I’d like to be. And I think, if children are involved, that we—”

  Shelley raised an eyebrow in surprise.

  “—my woman and I,” Colt corrected, “should be.”

  As much as Shelley hated to admit it, she knew there was really no other option. She had only to look at her son, who was already wildly emotionally attached to Colt, to confirm this.

  So, for the sake of her little boy, if she ever got seriously involved with someone to the point they were a fixture in her life, she would have to consider marriage.

  She just wasn’t sure she could be happily tethered to someone over the long haul, without the kind of fierce romantic love Kendall and Gerry shared as the foundation.

  On the other hand, she and Colt were certainly enjoying being together now. However, it had just been a few weeks. She had so much going on with the house and the new job, not to mention helping her son adjust to all the changes.

  Colt leaned closer and asked huskily,
“Want to take it one day at a time?”

  Shelley smiled her relief. Colt to the rescue once again. “Deputy McCabe, you read my mind.”

  Chapter Ten

  Colt was outside, getting ready to mow his lawn early Sunday evening, when social worker Mitzy Martin stopped by. He pushed the mower onto the driveway, parking it as she approached.

  Mitzy got straight to the point. “I heard the Meyerson home is going up for auction next Tuesday, but I’m a little leery of buying anything sight unseen.”

  His heart lurched. Shelley had been hoping no one would show any interest, and he knew she’d be less than pleased to hear about Mitzy’s inquiry.

  “Purchasing a property at auction is definitely a risk,” Colt said carefully.

  Mitzy gave him a beseeching look. “Is there any way I can get in the house to have a look around before Tuesday?”

  Colt shook his head. “The county does not open up the foreclosed homes to prospective buyers.” It wasn’t part of the process.

  “Can I walk the perimeter?”

  Remembering he was supposed to be enforcing the law to the letter no matter what, Colt squinted warily. “You’re not supposed to.”

  “Which isn’t quite the same thing as telling me not to do it,” the social worker teased. Known as somewhat of a maverick herself for her habit of bucking the system when too many rules and regulations got in the way of the greater good, she shrugged. “Besides, I already did, and I couldn’t see a darn thing. All the blinds are closed. You can see the exterior and that is it.” She frowned, looking more conflicted than ever.

  Colt poured fuel into the mower. “Sorry.”

  Mitzy watched him screw both caps on tight, then set the gasoline container safely aside. “Well, since there’s no getting the key from the sheriff’s department....”

  “There isn’t.” Bad enough that he had done it to get Austin’s red truck.

  Mitzy peered up at him. “You’ve been in the house recently, though, haven’t you?”

  Too recently, Colt thought, remembering the key he had barely been able to return. Maybe the sheriff and the internal affairs investigator were right...and he had started to cross the line in his attempt to swiftly right all wrongs.