The Sheriff's Plus One (The Kincaids)

by Marquita Valentine

  “Yes, ma’am.” He knew not to argue with her. For one, she was his momma and two, she was a southern woman. Her resolve was a firm as a magnolia trees that grew around the church in the middle of town. “I’ll do better next time.”

  “You’re a good man, Archer. And you know how I feel about Molly.” She cleared her throat. “I shouldn’t say it, but I will now because I don’t think there’s a chance in hades you’ll go back to her, but Liz was not right for you. She didn’t understand the obligations of your career, and resented your dedication to it. I’m not saying this because I thought this about her, but because her own mother shared these concerns with me, before the wedding. However, the two of you were—are grown, so it’s up to y’all to make the best of things, and I wouldn’t have treated her as anything less than family.”

  “I felt that way too, but I thought… I thought it was something we could work on and work out,” he said gruffly. “I appreciate you saying something though. I don’t feel like such a failure after hearing that.”

  Momma turned to face him. “Honey, you have never been a failure in our eyes and since when do any of us have the power over another grown person’s decision to make a fool out of themselves? When Liz didn’t show up to the wedding, she looked bad not you, and when you made the decision not to badmouth her or allow anyone else to say ugly things, she looked even worse.”

  He smiled tenderly at the woman who raised him, the one would always call, even in the middle of the night, when he was coming off of a shift just to make sure he was okay. “Thank you for saying that. It means a lot.”

  “You’re welcome. Now about your next weeding.”

  “Momma,” he groaned. “Not here.”

  “Molly likes the church in the square.”

  “I know.”

  “She loves white roses, so we have to make sure to order them from Gardener’s Greenhouse.”

  Anxious for Molly to not overhear this conversation, he lowered his voice. “We can talk all about it over lunch on Friday. How about that?”

  “Why Archer that is so sweet of you to want to spend time with me. I’d love for you to take me to the Happy Harpy.” She patted him on the cheek. “You can go now.”

  He didn’t waste a second getting out of there before she started talking grandkids.

  Chapter 8

  “I hope you don’t mind if our first official date is here,” Archer said as he finished cooking dinner.

  Molly sat the bar, a glass of wine in one hand and a smile on her face. “You are literally cooking for me. Trust me when I say, I have no complaints.”

  “And we don’t have to worry about interruptions.”

  “Like from Gunnar or Cora.”

  “Exactly.” Archer gave Molly a look as soon as she attempted to stand. “I’ll serve you.”

  “You know the way to my heart.”

  He winked at her, carefully filling her plate with roasted sweet potato, grilled pork chops, and pan fried brussel sprouts. “You’re on your feet all day. It’s the least I can do.”

  “I like this side of you.” Molly took a sip of the wine. “Next time, I’ll cook.”

  “It’s a date.” He grinned. Man, this felt good to be with her like this. Although, he had to admit a part of him was still a little gun-shy. However, he wasn’t going to let that get in his way. They were both taking a chance on each other, not just him. Molly had as much to lose if things went south.

  “Do you want to eat here or at the table, or in the living room.”

  “Here is good.” He set the plate in front of her and went back for his, joining her. “I’ll say Grace and we’ll get started.”

  He said a rather quick prayer for the food and indicated that Molly should dig in, but she looked at him puzzled. “What’s wrong?”

  “Aren’t you going to sit?”

  “No, my back in bothering me. Old injury.”

  Her eyes turned sympathetic. “Tell me about it.”

  “You probably already know.”

  “You can pretend I don’t.”

  “Routine stop for a busted taillight and erratic driving ended up being a heart attack. Kid was trying to keep the car on the road while his dad was basically almost dying in front of him.” It was one of the scariest things he’d ever encountered. “Kid got out of the car, he was crying and waving his hands, screaming for help. I couldn’t get to his dad properly, so I had to get out of the car. Big guy. Happen to lift him the exact wrong way and wrenched my back. Worth it though. Kept him alive long enough for the medics to take over.”

  “Wow.” She looked at him in pure amazement. “I don’t think that story will ever get old.”

  “So you have heard it before.”

  “The day after it happened—not from you though.”

  “My momma— ”

  “—momma,” they said in unison.

  “She was telling me and uh… Liz.” She looked at her plate of food. “Mmmm. This smells amazing.”

  “You don’t have to change the subject. Nothing is off limits for us.”

  Her gaze jerked to his. “I know, but that’s probably still a sore spot.”

  “Not anymore.” He shook his head and then moved around the counter so he could stand beside Molly. “I rarely think about her anymore and when I do, it’s always in comparison to you.”

  “Oh geez.”

  “No you don’t understand. I’m not putting her down exactly. It’s just how I should have known; should’ve read the writing on the wall better. Liz didn’t want to marry a cop, once she realized that there would be a lot of things I’d miss out on. And she felt like my career eclipsed hers—it was something we’d have discussions over, but I honestly thought we’d work it out.”

  “Hindsight is twenty-twenty. Sure you can see that now, but at the time, when you’re so close to it. There’s no way you could have known she was going to bail on you. Maybe she didn’t even know she was going to bail.”

  He touched her cheek, rubbed his thumb along her soft skin. “See, an answer like that is exactly why I should be with you. You always see the best in people.”

  She leaned into his touch, rubbing against his palm like a kitten. “I’m not perfect. Please don’t put me on a pedestal I don’t deserve.”

  “You forget that I’ve known you since, well, forever. I’ve seen you at your worst, Parrish.” He dipped his head, capturing her lips with his. “I know what you look like with when that bird—”

  “Don’t you dare remind me of our fifth grade field trip.” She covered her mouth with his. He groaned low in his throat, wanting more but keeping his head on straight. He allowed his hands to explore her shoulders, the nape of her neck, and her slender shoulders. She was so real and so soft, even as she felt like a dream. His best dream, probably, but with too many clothes between them.

  He wouldn’t be sharing that thought right now.

  She nipped at his bottom lip, her fingers finding their way into his hair. “I like having dessert first,” she whispered against his lips.

  “Me, too.” He wished he was wittier. Wished he had the right, romantic thing to say, but that wasn’t him. He was plain-spoken, told the truth, and if that wasn’t enough for Molly… well, he’d start reading those damn romance novels Cora had recommended.

  Her hands traveled down his back, pressing him closer to her until her breasts hit his chest. He sucked in air at the feeling. His fingers slipped down her arms, then over to her waist, where the tips of his fingers teased the hem of her shirt. He could feel the heat of her skin, the difference in the cotton of her shirt, and the silkiness of her skin.

  Their kiss went on and on, until he was so hard all over that his brain was starting to misfire. He ran his hands around to her back, slipping under her shirt to press his palms against her bare skin. She made a little noise in her throat—one that encouraged him to continue until she broke their kiss.

  Chest heaving, she looked up at him, all starry eyed, and it took everything in hi
m not to blurt out the love he felt for her. A love that both shocked and felt right all the same.

  “I think our dinner’s getting cold.” Her lips were swollen from his kisses. “I’d hate to waste your hard work.”

  “Molly,” he breathed her name in time to his frantically beating heart. “You call the shots. I’ll do whatever you want when it comes to this. To sex. I can wait. You’re worth waiting for.”

  “I always move too fast… so for you to… Archer.” Her smile was as beautiful as her eyes. “Thank you.”

  He kissed her forehead and then moved back to the other side of the bar. It wasn’t easy an easy walk and not just because of his back either. “After supper, I thought we could watch a movie in the living room, but now I’m thinking a walk.”

  “Walking is good.”

  “So good.”

  She wrinkled her nose at him. “We sound like teenagers.”

  “Pfft. Speak for yourself. Teenage Archer would have chosen movie time on the sofa.”

  “So would have Teenage Molly.”

  He winked at her. “Aren’t you glad we’re grown now?”

  The next day, Molly spent the afternoon at Cora’s house. After Molly had gotten a place of her own, Cora had moved back home to take care of her dad. Their house was huge, almost as large as The Mansion, with a ton of acreage and a larger than life swimming pool. However, you wouldn’t know it by the way Cora acted. She was never snooty, never talked about where she lived or how much money she’d inherited from her momma, and went out of her way to be kind of people.

  When they were younger, Molly thought she did this so people wouldn’t assume the worst about her, but over the years, she realized that this was simply Cora’s personality.

  “Hi Mr. Woodhouse,” Molly said as she walked in the sitting room. There was a fire going at the same time the a/c was on. “How are you today?”

  “Simply dreadful. My aches are back.”

  Cora appeared a second later with a tray of snacks and drinks. “Are the aches too bad for Molly’s cookies.”

  “Maybe in a little while.”

  Cora gave Molly a knowing look. “Let us know. We’ll be right here if you need anything.” She sat the tray on the table closest to Mr. Woodhouse and grabbed Molly’s arm, pulling her to the sofa that was far enough away for them to have some privacy. “Spill, Parrish.”

  “He cooked dinner, but we had dessert first.”

  “Oooh. I love the sound of that. How much dessert did you have?” Cora looked giddy as she asked. “And what kind of dessert did you have?”

  “We didn’t indulge or overindulge.” Molly glanced up at the ceiling, a rather ornate ceiling with the sky painted on it. Smiling cherubs peeked over clouds. It was slightly creepy. “We indulged just right.”

  “Meaning you’re taking things super slow.”

  Molly nodded. “I’m modeling myself after you.”

  “Then you’ll never get laid.”

  Molly snorted, then glanced at Cora’s dad who’d somehow found a way to grab the plate of cookies without them noticing he’d moved from his seat by the fireplace. “Archer said everything is up to me.”

  “Oh my Lord. He’s so perfect.” Cora shook her head and sat back, pulling her legs to one side. “What did you do after dessert and dinner?”

  “Went for a walk.”

  “Smart.”

  “It was… the best date I’ve ever had. We just clicked and there’s no having to get used to each other or discovering all my dirty secrets.”

  “That’s because he knows about the bird. We all do, Molly. It literally pooped on your head in front of everyone.”

  “No more mentioning pooping birds.”

  Cora let out a peal of laughter.

  “Birds are riddled with disease. Stay away from them.”

  “Yes, sir,” Cora and Molly automatically answered together.

  “Are you two officially official?”

  Molly grinned as she nodded. “Yes. He said I was his girl.”

  “He’s not romantic but he gets right to the point, which is just as good.”

  Molly knew she could count on Cora to find the positive. “We talked about Liz.”

  “Boo. Hiss.” Cora gave her a thumb’s down. “Never talk about exes.”

  “We didn’t. Not really. She was barely a paragraph. I think he wanted me to know I’m not a rebound without actually saying the words.”

  “Yeah, who would want that to get in their heads.”

  “Anyway, I’m happy. Really happy and I think if I do everything the opposite way I usually do, then..” She shrugged.

  “You’ll get your happily ever after with him,” Cora supplied. “I am so freaking happy for you too. I felt like y’all would never see the light. Do you know how hard it was to not interfere?”

  Molly gave Cora a look of disbelief. “You think all those blind date setups weren’t interference?”

  “Not them silly. You and Archer. We’ve always known you’re supposed to be together, but like my aunts say, it’s not for us to decide, but for the lovers.”

  “You talked to your aunts about us?” Molly asked. How could Cora keep that from her? All these years of Cora complaining and—”

  “No, that’s a rule every Woodhouse knows.”

  “The first being don’t allow drafts in the house,” Mr. Woodhouse said. “Dreadful way to catch a cold and die.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Cora tilted her head to one side, dark hair spilling over her shoulder. “My aunts barely speak to me, and I’ve never been in The Yarn Shop. I’ve never lied about that.”

  Molly remained silent, until she finally decided she couldn’t take it anymore. “Do you think I’m cursed?”

  “What?”

  “Do you think your aunts cursed me?”

  Horror in her expression, Cora grabbed Molly’s shoulders. “My aunts don’t curse anyone. Heck, they don’t give anyone good luck. All they do is watch people and listen to gossip, then make their decisions.”

  “And then there’s the family spellbook, “ Mr. Woodhouse said. “Nasty thing. Won’t let me touch it.”

  “Your aunts won’t allow him to touch it, or the book won’t let him?”

  “Both.

  Cora sighed. “Daddy. Stop it. There’s no book.”

  Mr. Woodhouse began to eat another cookie, his expression innocent.

  Molly couldn’t tell if they were teasing her or not. “Fine. There’s no book.”

  “Lord, Molly. Do you think I come from a long line of witches?” She turned to her dad. “Don’t you dare answer that.”

  “I think this entire conversation has been derailed because you want to distract me from the obvious.”

  “Yes, and the obvious is that you and Archer belong together. You’re not cursed, Molly. You simply have done what nearly every woman has done in her life at one time or another—fall for the wrong guy.”

  “I did it twice.”

  Cora smiled widely, her hazel eyes full of mischief. “Third time’s the charm.”

  “Maybe.” Molly picked at the beads on the pillow beside her, then made her fingers still. “What if I told you that I think I’m half in love with him already?”

  “I think that he’s the luckiest guy in the entire world to be worthy of your love, no matter how much of it you want to give him.”

  Chapter 9

  Archer couldn’t remember the last time he had a weekend off to enjoy… or catch up on overdue household chores. However, his pride and joy—the first vehicle he’d ever bought on his own—was in desperate need of washing. Luckily, the day was just right for him to start that task first and finish up everything else up tomorrow in time to take Molly out to dinner.

  Later, they could go to his place or hers… whatever she preferred. He knew what he liked. Her place not only smelled better; she had nicer furniture. And she liked for him to be her guinea pig for new dessert recipes.

  He sprayed down the truck from t
op to bottom, making sure to clean off any dried mud under the bumper and other hard to reach places with a sponge.

  “Should’ve known you’d be washing your truck on a day like this?”

  Archer started so hard he nearly smacked his head on the bumper. He stood up, turning to face his ex-fiancée. She looked the same: bright red hair, bright blue eyes, and pouty lips that used to make him weak in the knees. But not anymore.

  “Did you get lost on the way to our wedding?” he asked, not interested in small talk. He wanted the truth from her and luckily for him, he’d been trained to think fast on his feet. To use the blunt truth to his advantage.

  She had the decency to look embarrassed. “No, I got lost with me, actually. I have no excuse. I couldn’t go through it at the time. I didn’t want to be married to your job, so… I decided to take some time for myself.”

  “How nice for you.” He tossed the sponge into the bucket. “Anything else you want to confess?”

  “I didn’t cheat on you.”

  “How am I supposed to believe that?”

  “I never lied to you.”

  He let out a bleak laugh. “You literally lied to me about showing up on our wedding day, Liz. You couldn’t be bothered to tell anyone that you had cold feet or didn’t want to marry a cop. You know, all the things that could have been shared before you left me standing there, looking like Star Falls’ biggest fool.”

  “Oh my gosh, Archer. I didn’t cheat on you. I needed time for me. You rushed things. You had me so caught up in the idea of marriage that I didn’t fully think it through.” She blew out a breath. “Which is not your fault. It’s mine.”

  “Hell, yeah it is. You were selfish and I’d like to know what you’ve been doing for the past seven months?” A strange feeling came over him. He wasn’t angry… eh wasn’t upset… he just wanted answers. Nothing Liz could say to him would change his mind about her or make him want to leave Molly.

  Her image entered his mind. He smiled.

  Unfortunately, Liz took that as a sign of encouragement. “See, you’re remembering all the good things about us. How good we were together.”