Riverbend Road

by RaeAnne Thayne

  “He was. Police Chief Emmett. He lives across the street.”

  The woman’s gaze shifted to Cade’s log home and the police vehicle in the driveway. “Right. Where did he go?”

  “Home. He only stopped by for a moment to help me carry a few things over then he had to leave.”

  By now, he was probably running water for his shower. She tried not to think about that hard, hot body with droplets of water trickling down...

  She cleared her throat and jerked her unruly mind back. “You were resting. I’m so sorry to bother you. I should have told your daughter to make sure you stayed put. I’ve been on crutches before and know what a pain they can be.”

  “It’s fine,” Andrea said, though it was quite obvious the words were a lie. “How can I help you?”

  Wyn lifted the reusable grocery bags. “I’m just dropping off a few quick meals so you don’t have to think about spending much time in the kitchen.”

  “You’re...what?” Andrea frowned in confusion.

  “It’s not much, just a few casseroles you can heat while you’re recovering and moving in. Some friends of mine put it together. I told them about you falling on the trail yesterday and people were very anxious to help. Oh, and my mom provided the delicious lasagna.”

  Eliza had given her the bulk of the meals but McKenzie and Letty Robles had each contributed a meal and Barbara Serrano had insisted on giving a meal from her family’s restaurant as well as a couple of gift certificates and delivery coupons.

  “Why?” Andrea blinked, her eyes baffled. “I don’t know a soul in town except you. I don’t understand. Why would people I don’t know do this for us?”

  Wyn shrugged. “I can’t really answer that. We just try to help where we can. You picked a really nice town to move into, Mrs. Montgomery.”

  Andrea stared at her for another moment and then she sagged against the door and burst into tears.

  Will moved closer to his mother and slipped his hand in hers. Chloe, who had followed her mother back to the door, immediately moved in front of her, as if to protect her.

  “Why are you crying?” Will demanded of his mom.

  “It’s just... I’m... It’s a shock. That’s all.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you cry,” Wyn murmured, wishing she knew the woman well enough to give her a hug. She could imagine Kenz and even Devin would swoop right in anyway, even to a stranger. But Wyn didn’t like unexpected contact herself and tried to give people their space.

  “I’m the one who’s sorry. I’m not usually like this, I promise. It’s just been a very hard few days and the pain medication is making me sick and my ankle is throbbing and it’s been so long since someone did something so kind for me.”

  “Then it was past time,” she said simply. “You shouldn’t be standing so long. Let’s get you back to where you’re comfortable.”

  Andrea sniffled as she hobbled back through boxes to a room off the kitchen that held more boxes, along with a sofa and recliner.

  “Sofa or chair?” Wyn asked.

  “Chair for now,” Andrea said. Wyn helped her settle in then handed over a tissue from a box she noticed on a nearby table for Andrea to dry the tears that continued to drip down her cheeks.

  “Thanks. I’m sorry again about the breakdown. I’ll be okay in a minute.”

  “Please don’t worry about it. There’s nothing wrong with a few tears, especially under the circumstances. I think it’s amazing you’re holding everything together. I would be an emotional wreck.”

  Instead of comforting the other woman, as she intended, this seemed to set Andrea off again. Her little boy leaned against his mother’s leg, clearly upset at seeing her in distress, and she pulled him into her lap and hugged him.

  “I’m okay. Don’t worry. I’m okay,” she murmured.

  Touched at the obvious love in this little family, Wyn handed her a few more tissues.

  Andrea wiped her nose and eyes and seemed to be gathering her composure.

  “Who did you say this was from?”

  “I’m part of an informal group of women in town called the Haven Point Helping Hands. Usually we do fund-raising for various organizations in town but sometimes we step in to help if someone’s been injured, had a baby or is just going through a hard time.”

  “That sounds...nice.”

  “Some people think we’re just a bunch of interfering busybodies with too much time on our hands. Really, it’s mostly a good excuse to get together and catch up with each other on a regular basis. You’re very welcome to come. We love new people and would be thrilled for you to join in. Everyone is eager to meet you. If you’d like to come to our next project day, it’s next Thursday. Usually we only meet once a month or so but we’ve got a few major events coming up so we’re more busy than usual. Oh, you’re more than welcome to bring your kids. Everyone does. It will give you a good chance to meet new people and possibly for the kids to make some new friends.”

  Andrea gazed at Wyn, then down at the bags she’d set down in the kitchen. Her chin wobbled a little but she didn’t cry again.

  “Why are you being so kind to me?” she whispered. “I’ve been so cold to you.”

  Wyn had sensed Andrea’s chilliness the day before wasn’t her normal personality. Today confirmed it. She was obviously warm and loving to her children and truly seemed touched by the small gesture from the Helping Hands.

  Andrea struck her as a woman who could very much use a friend.

  “I can’t imagine how much strength it must have taken to move to a new town where you don’t know anyone, especially when you have children to worry about too,” she said.

  “We’re making a new start,” Chloe said. She was beginning to look a little less anxious.

  “I’m glad you picked Haven Point,” Wynona answered. “I know it’s a little early but have you all eaten dinner?”

  “I haven’t even thought about dinner yet,” Andrea answered.

  “You are in luck. Now you don’t have to. I brought along several delicious options in there. I can highly recommend them, especially my friend McKenzie’s Gruyère mac and cheese.”

  “Mac and cheese is my very favorite thing in the whole wide world,” Will announced. “Chloe loves it too.”

  “What’s not to like, with all that cheesy deliciousness? Why don’t I throw it in the oven for you?”

  “That does sound good,” Andrea said, “but you’ve done so much already. I think I probably can handle sliding a pan into the oven.”

  “It’s not as easy as it sounds when you’re on crutches. Please, let me help. If you want the truth, I’m happy to have something constructive to do. I’ve got some...unexpected time off and I’m having a hard time figuring out what to do with myself.”

  Andrea looked as if she wanted to argue but she finally nodded. “In that case, thank you.”

  “Kids, can you help me out in the kitchen? I need somebody to show me where your freezer is.”

  “I can show you!” Will announced. He slid off his mother’s lap and raced into the kitchen ahead of Chloe, who followed a few steps behind.

  “Thank you again, Officer Bailey.”

  “Oh, please. My friends call me Wyn.”

  Andrea smiled. “And I’m Andie to mine.”

  Wyn returned her smile, pleased to see the woman had a little more color—and not just her red nose or the splotches on her cheeks.

  “You good here? Need the TV remote or anything?”

  “I have a few books and magazines. I should be fine.”

  After she turned the oven on to preheat, she and the children found room in the mostly empty freezer for the containers of food. When they asked if they could return to the game they were playing, she agreed—assuming their mother would as well—then retur
ned to the family room with a glass of ice water for Andie.

  “Thanks.”

  She noticed several boxes of books in front of a built-in shelf unit. “Do you mind if I put some of these away?” she asked.

  “Oh, I’ll get to them eventually.”

  “Keep in mind you’re doing me a favor, remember? I’m on unpaid leave until Monday and I’m already bored to death.”

  “What did you do?” Andie asked.

  Wyn sighed. “I didn’t follow procedure and I might have taken an unnecessary risk with my safety and others.”

  While she pulled out books and set them on the shelves, she told Andrea the story from the beginning.

  “It sounds as if you’ve known your police chief for a long time.”

  “Forever. He was best friends with my older brother Marshall from the time they were boys.”

  If she closed her eyes, she could still see him in ripped cutoffs and a too-big T-shirt, asking Charlene if he could mow the lawn for her in exchange for some of the leftovers from dinner to take home to his little brothers.

  “So you’ve lived in Haven Point your whole life?” Andie asked.

  “Most of it, except when I was away for college in Boise and police-officer training. I worked for two years for a police department just outside Boise.”

  Since the other woman had opened the door, she decided to walk through it. “What about you? Are you from the Portland area originally?”

  Andrea tensed slightly then let out a breath. “I was raised there and that’s where I met my husband. He...was a police officer too. He died eighteen months ago.”

  “Will mentioned that to me. Do you mind if I ask what happened?”

  Her mouth tightened and she looked down at her hands. “He had an accident, sort of.”

  “What kind?”

  “It was so like him,” Andie said after a moment. “Jason was a really good man who genuinely cared about the people he served. He sounds a lot like your Chief Emmett. He was a detective. He and his...partner were working a case when a call came about a man threatening to jump from St. Johns Bridge in Portland. They were the nearest responding unit so arrived first and Jason tried to talk him down. Despite his efforts, the man ended up jumping anyway.”

  “Oh no.”

  Her mouth trembled a little. “Jason reached to grab him and I still don’t know exactly what happened but I guess somehow momentum pulled them both over. It’s a long drop from St. Johns Bridge and they...both drowned.”

  Her husband had died trying to save someone’s life, just like Wyatt had been trying to save the couple inside that stranded car during a January snowstorm.

  “I’m so sorry,” she said softly. “How devastating for you and your children.”

  “Sometimes I still can’t convince myself he’s really gone, you know? I wake up some mornings thinking it’s just a mistake and he’s only been undercover all this time, that he’ll come back and make everything okay again. That probably sounds stupid.”

  “No, I totally understand, believe me. More than I’d like. I’ve lost my father and my twin brother to the job.”

  “Both of them, at the same time?” Andie exclaimed.

  “No. Several years apart. My brother Wyatt was a highway patrol officer who was hit by a car that slid into him while he was helping a couple of stranded motorists. A bit like your Jason, actually.”

  She felt the same aching emptiness she always did whenever she thought of Wyatt, her best friend since they were womb mates.

  “And your dad?” Andrea asked softly.

  She hadn’t meant to make her own losses seem worse than Andrea’s. She hated when people did that but she had to finish the story now.

  “He was the chief of police here in Haven Point. A drifter held up the local liquor store a few years back. When my dad pursued him, shots were fired. My dad was shot. He survived but suffered a traumatic brain injury that left him unable to talk or walk or take care of himself.”

  “Oh, how tragic. Your poor family.”

  She thought of her mother, who hid her grief by trying to pretend everything was perfect and by fussing over the rest of them.

  “How can you work in law enforcement, when your family has lost so much?”

  “In some families, public service is almost a sacred responsibility. I’ve got a brother who’s the sheriff of Lake Haven County and another who is an FBI agent in the Denver field office. I guess you could say it’s the family business. What about you? What do you do when you’re not wrestling a couple of adorable kids and stumbling on the trail to Mount Solace?”

  Andrea sipped at her water and Wyn had the feeling she was still debating whether to trust her.

  “I’m a freelance commercial graphic-design artist,” she finally said.

  “Are you? That’s terrific!”

  That probably explained the elaborate computer setup in the corner. “And what brought you to Haven Point?”

  Andrea paused before answering. Again, Wyn suspected she was choosing her words carefully. “In the past, I’ve done a great deal of work for Caine Tech. They’re my major account, actually, and make up about two-thirds of my business. When I learned they were opening a facility here in Haven Point, I was immediately intrigued by the name of the town and did some research about the community. Since I can work anywhere and don’t have any family holding us to Portland, I decided this would be a...a good place for a new start.”

  Though what she said sounded logical, Wyn could tell that wasn’t the whole story. Something happened between her husband’s death and the Montgomery family showing up in Haven Point eighteen months later. What?

  She had interviewed many people in her years as a police officer, though, and she could tell by the way Andie’s expression tightened that she wasn’t ready to talk about the rest of it. Wyn would have to be content for now with what she had learned.

  “If you’re looking for a safe haven, this is the perfect place,” she said gently.

  Andie flashed her a look. For a moment, she appeared suspiciously close to tears again, then she put on a strained smile.

  “It seems perfect. The crime rate is low and the educational system has an excellent reputation. Throw in the abundant outdoor opportunities and the relatively low taxes and I decided it was just what we needed.”

  “I’m sure you and your children will love it here.”

  “I hope so,” Andie said softly.

  The oven timer went off then and Wyn rose from her spot on the floor by the bookshelf.

  “That will be the mac and cheese. I just need to take it out of the oven. Give me a minute and I’ll bring you a plate. Do you want the kids to eat in here with you?”

  “Oh, you don’t have to wait on us. I should be fine with Chloe’s help. I have to figure out the crutches anyway, though Dr. Shaw said I should only need them for a couple of days.”

  “A few days is more than enough,” she said. “Can I help you get up?”

  “No. Thank you.”

  Wyn nodded and headed for the kitchen to pull out the aluminum pan.

  A moment later, Andrea came in on the crutches. “That looks delicious. You’re more than welcome to stay and eat with us.”

  The woman who had been prickly to the point of rudeness the day before was nowhere in evidence now, as if the tears had washed the last traces of her away. This warm, slightly shy woman was the real Andie Montgomery. Wyn was certain of it.

  “I appreciate the offer but I’ll get out of your hair. My dog is probably more than ready for a walk.”

  “Of course. Thank you again. And please tell your friends thank you for me as well.”

  “I’ll do that. But I would love you to come meet them yourself next week.”

  “I might do that. Good friends make
everything easier.”

  “Isn’t that the truth?”

  She looked around the small but bright kitchen, cluttered with boxes that had to be posing a hazard for someone trying to maneuver on crutches.

  “You’re not going to be able to get around for a few more days,” she said on impulse. “Meanwhile, you’ve got boxes that need to be unpacked.”

  Andie made a rueful face. “They’re not going anywhere. I can take care of them once I’m a little more mobile.”

  “I’ve only moved a few times, but I still remember how hard it is to live out of boxes for longer than five minutes. I can’t imagine trying to do it with children. I’d like to help, if you’ll let me. You’d be doing me a favor, actually. I told you that I have more time on my hands right now than activities to fill it.”

  “I can’t let you do that. It’s far too much to ask.”

  “You didn’t ask. I offered,” she pointed out.

  “Why? I mean, I appreciate everything you’ve done but I...still don’t quite understand why.”

  “I guess I feel a kinship. We both know what it’s like to lose someone you love in the line of duty. We survivors are a small club and need to stick together.”

  “It’s a horrible club,” Andie said in a low voice. “I hate it.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” she answered.

  It had been tough enough losing her brother and her father. She couldn’t imagine the depth of Andie’s pain, losing the man she loved.

  Her mother had lost a son and a husband. Was it any wonder she fussed and fretted over those chicks she had left?

  “So will you let me help? You won’t have to lift a finger. All you have to do is supervise and tell me where to put things and I’ll do all the heavy lifting. The kids can help me. It will be fun.”

  She could see Andie weakening. Her chin trembled and she looked as if she was going to cry again. “I don’t know what to say.”

  How was it possible that a police officer’s widow seemed so unaccustomed to simple kindnesses? In Wyn’s experience, the rest of the department and their families—not to mention the community in general—stepped up immediately to provide a support network. Why hadn’t Andie experienced that?