Perfect Storm

by Geri Foster

  Perfect Storm

  Storm Warning Series, Book 3

  Geri Foster

  Contents

  The Storm Warning Series

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Author’s Note

  Also by Geri Foster

  About the Author

  Copyright © 2018 Geri Foster

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is purely coincidental.

  The Storm Warning Series

  Fear the Storm

  Chase the Storm

  Perfect Storm

  Ride the Storm

  I Am the Storm

  Brave the Storm

  Inside the Storm

  Eye of the Storm

  Embrace the Storm

  Chapter 1

  Candi Matthews looked around the diner she’d worked at for the last four years and fought the urge to duck behind the counter and hide. Once again, her ex-boyfriend, Aaron Travis, had come in with his ranch hands with the sole purpose of belittling and humiliating her...in front of all her customers. He acted more childish than her seven-year-old son.

  No doubt hearing the heckling, Vern, the cook at Gert’s Diner, came out of the kitchen acting as though his only purpose was to refill his cup with Coke. In reality, she knew he was watching out for her, like he always did. He paused a moment to stab the source of the jeering with a mean glare, not that it did much good.

  Most days the guests ignored the trouble Aaron stirred up, and today proved to be no exception. Like her, many figured, why bother when his arrogance waylaid common sense and good manners. But, today wasn’t like most days for her, and it was different for one very specific reason. Feeling her face heat, she stole a quick glance at the man sitting in the back booth with his laptop, apparently unconcerned with what took place at the front of the diner. Though she wouldn’t call them friends exactly, not anymore, she knew him well. Had for years.

  Austin Crawley.

  It wasn’t until he’d sauntered in that morning that she knew he’d returned to Rainwater. Over the last eight years, every time he came home to visit his dad rumors circled about what he was up to and how his life was going, but it never failed—she hardly knew he was in town until after he’d already left. Kind of gave a girl a complex. Rainwater was not that big, and yet she always seemed to miss him. Almost like he was avoiding her. Even when he worked Mr. Snyder’s case, fighting against wrongful imprisonment and false charges of embezzlement, she’d barely noticed him around town. And Mr. Snyder was her best friend, Rachel’s, dad no less!

  She thought back to that fateful night at the lake so many years ago and felt her cheeks warm. They’d been friendly before that night, even if not the best of friends, but after what happened a noticeable distance was put between them. A wall she could never climb, no matter how many smiles she sent his way or kind words she offered. He was always polite right back, but it was clear that that was all there was ever going to be there, which made her sad and uncomfortable and she wasn’t entirely willing to accept why.

  “Hey, that you Crawley? Austin Crawley? You haven’t been around here in ages. What brings you back to Rainwater? Your drunkard daddy?”

  Candi winced at Aaron’s taunting voice. Apparently, he’d noticed Austin’s presence as well, stretching his neck to gaze at the back of the diner.

  He and his four companions burst out laughing.

  Putting her hand on her hip, she picked up the coffee pot and turned his way. “My, my.” She gave him her best smile. “Look who’s calling the kettle black. Russ hasn’t touched a drop of liquor in years.” She stepped closer and narrowed her eyes. “Can you say that about yourself?”

  Aaron frowned and glared hard, his lips tight as a sealed piece of Tupperware. Every once in a while, she got the best of him and delighted in knowing she’d touched a nerve. He, on the other hand, hated her insolence and made sure she knew it.

  She moved to pour more coffee, but he jumped from the counter stool, his hands in the air. “I ain’t falling for that again. You pour hot coffee in my lap one more time and I’m going to make you sorry.”

  “Well, then,” she said, satisfied she’d managed to get him on his feet and maybe heading out the door. “You better leave, because you and your gang of four have worn out your welcome.”

  Scowling, he tossed several bills on the counter and left, cussing insults trailing behind him and his crew.

  Closing her eyes, she let out a troubling breath, willing the tension in between her shoulder blades to go away. She placed the coffee pot back on the burner and picked up the iced tea pitcher. Turning her stiff neck from left to right, she took a deep breath and moved toward the booth Austin occupied.

  The smile she offered didn’t begin to cover the embarrassment tightening her chest and drying her mouth. She hated that Austin was in the diner at the exact time Aaron decided to go off on her, and that he also incurred some of his wrath.

  After her shift she’d contact Sheriff Quinn. Lucas, a dear friend of hers and head of the town’s police force, needed to talk to Aaron, again. Marcus, her brother, was another source she often tapped when her ex got out of hand, but she hesitated to call upon him now, what with just finishing up his honeymoon and all. He and Kendall, another of her good friends, had finally gotten married after a year of living together—and many more before circling each other in the romance department. It took Kendall a while to get over the horribly abusive relationship she’d had with her ex-husband, but Marcus was patient and kind, and they’d finally found their way to each other. It warmed her heart to think of the happiness they’d found, even if she never expected to find it for herself.

  The situation between she and Aaron, the father of her son, Tyler, always blew out of control. Luckily, her boss, Buck Winston, really liked her and hated Aaron and his dad, or she would’ve been fired years ago. Vern also came in handy, like earlier. Once he chased Aaron out of the diner with a butcher knife when he got physical with her. What could she say? Small towns—you got away with a lot.

  Reaching the booth, she asked, “Can I freshen up your iced tea, Austin?”

  Looking up and offering her a small smile, he shook his head, disturbing the shiny, dark brown mass that was his hair. Wearing a black suit, crisp white shirt and a conservative light green tie, he looked every bit the FBI agent his dad bragged about so much.

  Austin and his family had moved to Rainwater his freshman year in high school when his dad got a job as janitor of the elementary school. It didn’t take long for the whole town to learn Russ had a drinking problem and that the Crawley’s were dirt poor—both facts that Aaron picked up on quickly and heckled Austin over. But he was a strong guy, even then, and nothing could stop him from reaching his dreams. Somehow over the course of four years Russ was able to lay off the bottle and
patch things up with Austin before he graduated, but she suspected he had never fully forgiven his dad. He graduated the same year as she and Aaron and landed an athletic scholarship. Without a backwards glance, he left immediately for college and, then, the FBI.

  She, on the other hand, graduated and promptly got pregnant by a coward who refused to admit the child belonged to him. Sometimes it felt like the whole town barely acknowledged her—a young, unwed mother. And then, when they did, their eyes were either condemning, judgmental or full of pity. How on earth could she ever hope to give her son a good life when those types of looks were thrown at her left and right? It was only a matter of time before he was old enough to recognize them himself.

  Disillusionment settled in the pit of her stomach and she fought to hold tears at bay. Seeing Austin now, all grown up, successful and handsome beyond belief, she wondered what her life might have been like if she’d allowed their friendship to go beyond a lovely moonlight kiss on the lake…if she hadn’t been so blinded by Aaron and desperate to make things work. But, then, she wouldn’t have Tyler. And that was what it always came down to—she would choose him over anything, any day of the week.

  “Earth to Candi,” Austin waved his hand in front of her face. “I’ll take my check, thank you,” he said, closing his laptop.

  Shaking her head, she laughed softly. “Sorry.” Taking out her pad, she tore off his ticket and placed it on the table. “Have a nice day.” With a tip of her chin, she turned to walk away.

  It surprised her when he reached out and touched her arm, gaining her attention. Her skin warmed where his fingers brushed and she shivered. “I’m sorry he treats you like that,” he said softly, face full of compassion. “But you didn’t need to stand up for me. If anyone needs you to look out for them, it’s you. You should really stand up for yourself more, maybe he’d take a hint and stop.”

  She paused, blinked several times then turned to face him fully. “Stand up for myself?” she gasped. “You think I don’t? What do you expect me to do, get in a fist fight with the fool?”

  Sighing, he closed his briefcase and slid out of the booth, all business. “Maybe you should tell Quinn, get him to lay down the law.”

  She put down the pitcher and folded her arms. “I have, a dozen times. You know Aaron, he won’t listen to anyone. And I’m sorry, but where do you come off telling me what to do in this situation? You’re not around, you don’t know what I do and don’t do. I’ve seen you, what, once a year, maybe, over the past eight years?” Her face got redder with every word. Where did he come off, practically ignoring her for years and then wading in to judge her? He had no idea what her life was like.

  He breathed out roughly and shook his head. “Excuse me for looking out for someone I thought was a friend. My mistake.” Grabbing his briefcase, he turned his back to leave. “That’s too bad.”

  Mouth agape, she watched as he marched out the door after the first real conversation they’d had in years blew up in her face. Her heart felt stomped into the ground, the heel of Austin’s boot grinding it into the dirt. Where did that come from?

  Austin Crawley didn’t like to see or hear a man abuse a woman and that’s exactly what had just happened in the diner. Aaron Travis needed to be taken behind a shed and taught a tough lesson. Candi didn’t deserve to be treated like a tramp and he fought the urge the entire time Aaron had taunted her to get up and stomp the skinny little punk into the ground.

  But he had no right.

  Just look at what happened when he brought it up to her? Complete failure. If that was the way she wanted to play it, maybe he should just let her. Candi had made her bed. She was the one who decided to give herself to the worst guy in town. Guilt nipped at the corner of his conscience at that thought. It wasn’t her fault Aaron was a smooth talker back then and she had been a young, naïve girl. If he, himself, hadn’t done what he had that night, maybe she wouldn’t be in this mess at all. It was no secret during high school that Candi was a good girl who wouldn’t put out, much to Aaron’s chagrin. Had his actions been the reason she finally gave in and ended up pregnant? Had he pushed her too far?

  But that was just crazy, they’d done nothing more than share a kiss. A kiss that shook his world to the core and tempted him to drag her to college with him, maybe even reconsider going in the first place. But that was eight years ago—practically a lifetime when you considered how young they were then and all he’d learned and seen since. So why did his heart still skip a beat every time he saw her? Had he been avoiding her all these years, like she insinuated?

  He strode toward his vehicle, his thoughts a mess. That night on the lake, their kiss carried a lot of provocations and promise. If he was honest with himself, he’d done it to prove what she was missing out on, to get her to see him as something more than just a friend. Did that make him responsible for the way her life had turned out? He didn’t think so, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t be there for her from here on out…if she’d have him.

  He reached his car in the gravel parking lot, unlocked the door and tossed his briefcase inside. Just then, a police cruiser pulled up beside him and a tall, blond man got out. Walking over, he held out his hand. “Howdy, Lucas. How have you been?”

  The Sheriff smiled back. “I’m great. Yourself?”

  He smiled and pointed at Gert’s Diner. “Just finished lunch.”

  Lucas cocked his hip and rested his hand on the butt of his gun. “What brings you to Rainwater, Agent Crawley?” he teased, liking to rib him about being an FBI guy.

  “The FBI is opening a satellite office between here and Denton that I’ll be heading up.”

  Lucas smiled and nodded his approval. “Great news. Can’t have too many good men in the area. Exactly where will you be located?”

  “Right outside the city limits of Krum. Not ten miles from here. You know where the old Braum’s used to be?”

  Lucas wrinkled his brow then nodded. “Off County Road fourteen thirty-two?”

  “My office is in the building right across the street.”

  “I know exactly where you’re talking about. It used to be a big realtor’s office, didn’t it?”

  “That’s the place.”

  “Will you be living in Rainwater near your dad?”

  He inhaled deeply as uncertainty circled his chest. Letting the breath out, he replied. “That’s the plan.”

  “I’m really glad your Uncle Jeff came to Rainwater after that tornado tore up his place in Decatur. There wasn’t much left of his house.”

  “You’re right about that. But he’s relocating here permanently.”

  “Really?”

  “He’s looking into buying the place for sale on the West side of town.”

  “Are you talking about Harold and Opal Patrick’s place?”

  “Yes, we’re meeting with a realtor there in about thirty minutes.”

  “Something to consider, that place is right next door to the meanest man in Rainwater.”

  “I know. Levi Travis’ reputation stretches all the way to Dallas. My dad doesn’t like the idea one bit. But, he has his place in town, so it shouldn’t matter to him.”

  “I don’t know a person in town that Levi hasn’t managed to get under their skin. The man’s a nuisance.”

  “His son came in the diner while I was having lunch. Gave Candi a hard time.”

  Lucas’ eyes darkened. “That’s nothing new. If I’ve told the guy once, I’ve repeated it a dozen times. I swear I’m going to lock his ass up if he doesn’t leave her alone.”

  “I’m surprised she puts up with it.”

  “You know, Candi.” Lucas gazed off into the distance, his expression sad and helpless. “She only wants to be left alone. All she cares about is Tyler. Aaron acts like she was the only one to make a mistake and refuses to let her live it down.”

  He shook his head. “Someone needs to teach him a lesson.”

  “You can say that again. But don’t worry. If it gets around he’s been h
assling Candi again, Grandma Faith will go out there and put a few holes in the walls.”

  He laughed. “At least some things never change.”

  Chapter 2

  Candi left work in time to pick Tyler up from school. It was the beginning of the school year and he adored the teacher and his classmates. Silly, how she worried he’d have a hard time adjusting to different kids and a new routine. Him getting treated like an outcast had always been her greatest fear, though.

  As she pulled into the parking lot, she noticed Aaron’s pickup set off to the side of the building where few people could see him. For a guy not interested in acknowledging he was a father he sure did keep track of the school schedules. She could delude herself into thinking that meant he harbored some interest in his son, but the truth of the matter was he was just keeping track of her so he’d know where and when to ambush her. She’d hoped he’d go home and not hang around school today, but after that morning that was a fruitless wish.

  Straightening her shoulders and sucking in a hard breath, she stepped out of her car and marched over to where he sat with his elbow hanging out the open window of his vehicle. As she neared, the stench of alcohol nearly knocked her down and she slowed her approach, fighting the raw disgust threatening to curl her lips. What a wasted life he lived. Nothing to love and nobody cared. Especially her.

  She had at one time, or at least she thought she had. Against all advice, she had fallen in love with a weak kneed, immature, spoiled, daddy’s boy. When she became pregnant and he denied their child though, she finally woke up. All of her feelings disappeared, and she’d felt nothing for him since. It had been a hard lesson to learn, but she refused to be made a fool of again.