A Question of Honor

by Mary Anne Wilson

  Mallory smiled. “He’s a natural-born helper of people. It’s an occupational thing, I think. Most cops are basically do-gooders,” she said. “Now get some sleep.”

  “Thanks,” she said and watched the door close.

  She eased back onto the bed, into the soft comforter, and measured her feelings. The pain was there, but the worst of it was gone. She didn’t bother getting undressed, but shifted carefully on the bed to rest against the headboard.

  She breathed evenly, willing her muscles to relax, trying not to think about anything other than getting to sleep.

  Tomorrow she’d be better and her car might be fixed. She could leave. She could head off to somewhere, a place where she wouldn’t make the mistake of getting involved with anyone. She exhaled. Involved? That was an odd dream she’d had in the truck.

  She didn’t know if Adam had held her and reassured her or if that had been the product of wishful thinking on her part or plain need. She’d mentioned her father, he’d told her. She felt her breath come in a sharp intake. He’d never answered her completely about what else she might have told him. She pushed that away, letting the medication draw her farther from reality as it kept masking the pain. The only important thing right now had to be that she got better and that she could leave and be in a place where no one knew her. She couldn’t have ties like she did to the people around here, people who belonged. She didn’t.

  So little had gone the way she’d planned since she’d left. But then she hadn’t planned on landing in a town like Wolf Lake or meeting anyone like Adam. She also hadn’t planned on finding that information in the files linked to her father.

  She scrunched her eyes more tightly shut as she willed herself to go to sleep. Then Mallory’s words came to her out of nowhere, something about Adam being a rescuer. It’s an occupational thing...cops are like that... the woman had said, and Faith moaned softly.

  Yes, worst of all, the man was a cop. She’d let a cop help her. She had to be insane to not get away from Adam as quickly as possible. She sighed heavily. The worst thing of all was that she didn’t want to get away from him. She didn’t want him to leave her. But that was exactly what had to happen. The burning behind her eyes faded as sleep finally enveloped her.

  * * *

  ADAM WASN’T READY to go back to the guesthouse at the ranch. He remembered John was called back to work tonight, and so he changed his route to go by the police station. The building looked the same as it had in his day. A metal roof over a long rectangular structure fashioned in chipped stucco faded to a terrible shade of pink. It had been a local joke about it being pink when Adam was a kid, and he was sure today’s kids had their own jokes about it.

  He pulled his truck in between two parked cruisers, then headed inside through the still-falling snow. The front desk was vacant, but he caught the smell of coffee and the sound of voices coming from a corridor. He strode down to the first open door and looked inside the chief of police’s office.

  John was behind his desk, his booted feet resting on the papers strewn across the top. Bobby Ray, one of the small crew of deputies, had his back to the only window in the space and his arms crossed on his chest.

  “I could have robbed you blind,” Adam said as he entered the room. “No one’s at the desk or anywhere out there.”

  John pointed at Bobby Ray. “Get on out there, Officer, and protect the pencils, but be especially vigilant with that vending machine that has pistachios in it. I hate it when I get a taste for them and they’ve all be stolen.”

  Bobby Ray barked a laugh at that, nodded to Adam, said, “Good to see you, sir,” then went past him and swung the door shut behind him.

  “Done with your call out?” Adam asked as he sank down into one of the chairs by the desk.

  “Yeah, came after you left. Turned out to be routine, though, so I headed back here for a bit.” Jon tugged the bolo tie at the collar of his uniform loose and popped the top two buttons of the shirt. “So I’m here, and you’re here.”

  “Thank Hannah again for dinner. She’s a great cook.”

  “That she is,” John said. “You mentioned you were going to call Robert to find out more about Jack’s idea of moving there. How’d it go?”

  Adam shook his head. “It didn’t. I got to thinking that Jack’s got to take care of things in his own way. I’ll call Robert after the New Year and feel him out, but I don’t want to intrude right now.”

  “Good plan,” John said, then slapped the papers on the desk with the flats of his hands and sat up straighter. “I heard all about the rescue missions you’ve been running since you came back into town.”

  Adam shook his head as he unbuttoned his jacket. “What in the—”

  “Talked to Moses about an hour ago and heard about Brandon Sage, then the doc ratted you out about the lady. The whole town knows about you coming back for Jack. But it’s the lady I was interested in.”

  “Why are you interested in her?”

  He sat back, clasping his hands behind his head and putting his boots back up on the desktop. “You know I saw you at the party alone with her. Then you were dancing with her. What I want to know is, did you figure her out?”

  “Not even close,” he admitted on a gruff chuckle. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Why wouldn’t I?” he asked. “I stopped her for speeding, merely warned her to slow down. I told you she seemed upset, and the next thing I know, you’re with her, and now you’ve been running her around town for medical help after you ate at my table and never even mentioned her.” He shrugged. “It got my curiosity going.”

  The town was a hotbed of gossip, always had been. He exhaled and stared at a spot above John’s head, in the vicinity of one of the many certificates he’d earned at the shooting range. “You’re the one who thought she was upset or maybe afraid.” He met John’s patient gaze and filled him in on his short story with Faith. He finally admitted that he’d made contact at the party because he thought she was attractive and then realized there was something going on with her. “I thought she looked shocked or scared when she saw you in the doorway.”

  “She looked uneasy,” John amended.

  “At the least. Since then, we’ve talked a bit, and although she won’t tell me much about herself, I’m almost certain that she’s running, not sure from what, obviously not from anything good. I offered to help, to listen if she needed to talk, but she isn’t having any part of that idea.”

  “She’s pretty determined if she won’t talk to you,” he said with a grin. “Most women crumble when you smile and flash your Carson dimple.”

  Adam waved that off. “I know her name’s Faith Arden, and she claimed there was no one to call when she was in the hospital with Moses. She’s probably from Illinois, from the license on the car, but maybe not, and she gets migraines.” He wouldn’t go into her crying when she mentioned home or how the look in her blue eyes cut right through him when she looked so incredibly sad. He certainly didn’t admit to John that he’d wanted nothing better than to kiss her and not stop. That was gut-wrenching.

  John listened, then glanced at the clock on the wall. “Midnight. This Cinderella has to get home.” He stood and stretched. “Sounds like you do know quite a bit about her.”

  Adam spread his hands palms up. “Sure. Add all that to a nickel and two dimes and you’ll get a quarter.”

  “Well, add this to your list. She’s from Rockford, Illinois. I remember that from the license she gave me at the stop. Also, she’s twenty-six, going to be a year older in a few days,” he said as he put on his heavy jacket. “Mallory told Bobby Ray that her guest stays in her room most of the time, seems to be doing work on the computer and her car’s over at Dent’s. The electrical circuits were fried.”

  “You’re just a mine of information, aren’t you?” Why had he called Connor, his partner, instead
of just waiting for John to get the facts? And of course the car was at Dent’s. There were only a couple of mechanics in town, and Dent was the best. He stood, too. “What about the people she bought that car from?”

  “I checked there, after the fact, actually, after I talked to Moses tonight. Found out they’re an older couple, downsizing and moving to Florida, but on some cruise for four weeks, so they’re out of contact.”

  “Anything else?”

  “The only reason she went to your family party was so Mallory wouldn’t have to go alone. She didn’t want to go, to be around people, but she did it for Mallory, who’s pretty much a stranger to her. Now, tell me something?”

  “What?”

  “What’s your guess about what’s happening with her?”

  “I’ve got one or two, but nothing I’d want to bet on. And she’s not talking about it at all.”

  “But you’re going to find out, aren’t you?”

  He answered immediately. “Yes, I’m going to try.”

  “That’s why you’re such a good cop. You’re like a dog with a bone when you get onto something.”

  Adam shook his head as he redid his jacket. “Now I’m a dog, huh?”

  “No, just a born worrier,” John said with a grin.

  Adam followed him out, crossed to the truck through the falling snow, while John went for his own car parked off to one side. He opened the door, calling to his friend, “John?”

  “What?”

  “Can I come by in the morning and use your computer?”

  “Sure. I’ll be in around noon.”

  Adam waved a thank-you, then got into the truck and headed out to the ranch.

  Faith Arden, from Rockford, Illinois, almost twenty-seven and alone in the world. Meager information that didn’t include incredibly blue eyes, midnight curls and porcelain skin. Or that she felt soft and warm in his arms when they’d danced. Or fragile when she’d been crying.

  He flipped on the car radio, turned up the volume of an ’80’s music station and let the noise drown out his thoughts while he drove through the snowy night. But it didn’t blot out anything about Faith. Memories would surely fade, but he wasn’t sure they would ever be completely forgotten.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  WHEN FAITH WOKE the next morning, feeling as if she had been hit by a truck, she didn’t even think about getting out of bed. She took two of the pills the doctor had given her, washed them down with water, then nibbled on the end of an energy bar. She used her cell phone to make a call to Dent that only proved frustrating, since her car still wasn’t done. The wires he’d put in were working, but he was still waiting on delivery of a part to complete the job. She didn’t care what it was; she just wanted the car done.

  She hung up, knowing she was here for another day at least, so she lay back down and pulled the covers up over her head. She stayed very still as she waited for the medication to kick in and give her some relief.

  She tried not to think about anything or anyone. But that was impossible. Flashes of the night before came to her and she pushed them away as quickly as she could. But one kept coming back, one of Adam, though she realized it had to be wrong. He’d never held her to him, never brushed his lips across her forehead. Never. Surely she would know for sure if any of that had ever happened.

  “Stupid,” she muttered. But it came again, the safety she’d felt in the dream, the shocking easiness with which she had leaned into Adam. Not a memory, not real. She rolled onto her side, and as the throbbing started to diminish, she felt sleep tugging at her again.

  There might have been a knock on the door and someone saying something, or she dreamed it. She didn’t know.

  “She’s so alone. I want to help, that’s all.” More words drifted around her before fading away.

  Faith eased her eyes open a slit, not sure if she’d slept or not. The room was quiet. She assessed her headache and was pleased that the pain was barely there.

  Footsteps on the stairs meant someone was coming closer, then she caught sight of Mallory stepping cautiously into the room. She smiled as soon as she realized Faith was awake. “Well, hello, there. Good to see you’re up.”

  “Sort of.”

  Mallory came to the bed carrying a small tray with a pitcher of fresh water and a glass on it. She poured the water and offered the drink to Faith. “You might need this.”

  Faith reached for the water, sipped the coolness, then handed it back to Mallory, who was hovering over her. “Did I sleep very long?” she asked.

  “Awhile. When I came to check on you, you didn’t answer and then Moses came, and he said you were just in a deep sleep from the medication. You were exhausted from everything.”

  She could feel the weariness lifting. She so appreciated Mallory’s kindness, Moses’s, too, and...Adam’s. “Thanks for being concerned,” she said.

  “No problem.” She studied Faith after she set the water glass on the nightstand. “You’re still pale, but you look ever so much better. How do you feel?”

  “The pain is pretty much gone.”

  Mallory smiled down at her. A holly-wreath necklace woven with tiny red and green blinking lights accented a deep red cabled sweater she was wearing. “That’s good to hear.”

  “I need to rent the room for another night,” she said, knowing even if the car was finally ready, she wasn’t in any condition to drive right away. “I haven’t paid to stay any longer than this morning,” she said. “Last night was crazy with the E.R. and things. I haven’t had a migraine like that since college.”

  “It was crazy, but your hospital experience was two nights ago,” Mallory said without blinking.

  Faith frowned. “What?”

  “You slept all day yesterday and most of today.” Mallory glanced at the nightstand clock. “It’s almost three in the afternoon.”

  “What’s the date?” she asked, confused and vaguely afraid of the answer.

  “It’s three days to Christmas, December twenty-second.”

  Faith exhaled. “Are you sure?”

  “Absolutely.”

  She closed her eyes to hide the panic she was afraid would show. She had no idea what had been going on here, let alone back in Chicago. December 22. Her birthday. She took a deep breath and said, “Let me get my wallet, and I’ll pay what I owe you and take care of tonight.”

  “Don’t worry about that now,” Mallory said, but Faith motioned to her purse on the chair by the door.

  “Please, I need to pay you. My wallet’s in my purse under my jacket. Could you get it for me?”

  When Mallory handed the purse to Faith, she immediately felt that something wasn’t right. Then she knew. It was the weight. It was far too light. She pulled it open and looked inside. Her heart lurched. Her wallet wasn’t there. She turned the purse over and dumped the contents out onto the rumpled comforter. A pen, a map of Texas, a few pieces of makeup, tissues, the receipts for the payments she’d made on this room, the envelope with the picture her dad had given her and the box with her bracelet. But no wallet.

  She quickly looked around at the dresser and side tables, then over by the computer. She couldn’t see it. “My wallet. I had it. I...” She remembered grabbing it when she’d left for the room, then having it in Adam’s truck, on the seat by her. She’d used it when she’d paid the bill at the hospital. She closed her eyes tightly, trying to envision getting back in the truck, and she thought she remembered it being there along with the pills.

  “Could you see if my wallet fell out of my purse on the chair?” she asked Mallory, trying to hide her growing panic.

  It took less than a minute for Mallory to say, “It’s not there.”

  It had been on the truck seat, or maybe she was imagining she’d seen it. Either way, it was gone, and so was a huge chunk of her cash, not to men
tion her real driver’s license along with a few credit cards.

  What if she’d dropped it, and what if someone found it and went through it to find information about the owner? Sickness rose in her throat. She spoke to Mallory with as much calmness as she could muster. “My wallet isn’t here and I think I left it at the hospital.”

  Mallory held up a hand. “Just stay put and I’ll be right back.”

  When Mallory returned minutes later, she said, “I spoke to the nurse who was there when you checked out, and you definitely left with it in your lap in the wheelchair with the pills. They checked with security, in case someone found it in the hospital, or in case it fell when you were getting into the truck, but nothing’s been turned in.”

  Faith tried to think what to do, and then her world crashed with a thud. Adam, his truck. “I...I must have left it in Adam’s truck, but I don’t remember.” If Adam found it and opened it... She willed herself not to scream in frustration. “I have to get to him.”

  Mallory shook her head. “First, let’s check around downstairs in case it fell out when you got back.”

  Faith hadn’t thought of that, and she let hope grow as Mallory hurried off. The chime sounded, and the door closed. After what seemed like forever, Mallory came back inside and up to the room. She looked cold, rubbing her arms and stomping her feet. “Boy, it’s freezing out there,” she said. “But no wallet. I’m so sorry.”

  “Thanks for trying,” Faith said and made some quick calculations in her head. She had enough in her suitcase to pay Mallory, and probably enough to pay Dent for the car repairs, but after that she’d be nearly broke. There was no way, without leaving a trail, that she could get money out of any of her other accounts. “I can still pay you now.”

  Mallory scoffed, “Don’t worry about that now. It’s more important to find your wallet.”

  Faith sat forward. Surely after two days, Adam would have found it. If he opened it, which anyone would to figure things out, and if he looked through it, there was no way he wouldn’t know who she really was, short of a miracle. The one man who could destroy her life had it in his hands right now. She had to contact him.