The Deputy's Unexpected Family

by Patricia Johns

  Chapter Ten

  “What was that!” Heidi said as the door shut behind Gabe.

  Harper rubbed her hands over her hot cheeks and shut her eyes in a grimace. “I don’t know.”

  “You do know!” Heidi retorted. “Kissing your police protection?”

  “He just came to drop off a few things, and—” Harper shrugged helplessly. “He kissed me first for the record.”

  Heidi grinned. “This is good for you. You’re too cautious all the time. Take a risk. Have some fun. My fun days are over, so you’ll have to do it for me.”

  Harper shot her sister a sharp look. “No, this isn’t good for me. He’s Zoey’s father, you’ll recall. Zoey needs two functional parents in her life, and the one thing we have going for us is that we aren’t exes. Besides, he doesn’t want the life I do. I’ve known that from the start.”

  “He’s Zoey’s dad—what could be more perfect?” Heidi countered.

  “He’s not her father because he wanted her,” Harper replied with a shake her head. “He’s the same guy he was when he was with Andrea. He even told me that finding out about Zoey wouldn’t have sealed the deal for him and Andrea.”

  “You told him—”

  “I did.” Harper sighed. “I don’t want to argue about that, either. It was the right thing to do.”

  Heidi put up her hands in silent retreat.

  “He doesn’t want this, Heidi,” Harper went on. “And I do! I want a husband, kids, the white picket fence. Just like you—”

  Heidi looked away, chewing the side of her cheek.

  “What?” Harper prodded.

  “Did he find Grandma’s veil?”

  “Yes.” Harper picked it up from the counter. “Safe and sound. I’m bringing it home tonight so we can keep it somewhere safer than here in the store.”

  Heidi nodded, then she looked down at the diamond solitaire on her hand. Harper knew that look...she’d seen it so many times with her sister.

  “Heidi, what’s going on?” Harper asked, softening her tone.

  “I think I made a mistake, Harper.” Tears misted her sister’s eyes. “A big one.”

  “You mean lying to Chris?” Harper asked uncertainly. Please, let it be something so simple!

  “I mean in getting engaged.” Heidi heaved a sigh. “I talked to him. I told him I was sorry and that I’d gotten together with Trent, and Chris was just furious.”

  “Do you really blame him?” Harper asked. “A secret coffee with an ex-boyfriend. What if Chris did the same thing with some girl he used to date?”

  Heidi spun the ring around her finger, and then closed her hand into a fist. “I know. I was wrong. I’m not arguing that. It’s just—now it begins. We tell each other everything. Any plans, we ask each other first. Any invitations are going to be assumed to be for both of us...”

  “This is what you wanted!” Harper exclaimed.

  “I thought so.” Heidi shrugged.

  “I started the alterations on the dress,” Harper said hollowly.

  “Maybe you should stop,” Heidi whispered.

  “I took eight inches off the length!” Harper’s heart hammered in her throat. “Heidi, I was supporting you, and you told me the wedding was going forward! I cut the dress, Heidi!”

  Harper’s voice was rising in a panic. She’d already sliced the lace apart, re-hemmed the bottom layers... She paused, forcing herself to calm down. Hollering at her sister wasn’t going fix anything.

  “You’re capable of getting caught up in a moment, too,” Heidi retorted.

  “Do you mean getting engaged to begin with?” Harper pressed. “Are you really rethinking this?”

  “I don’t know,” Heidi confessed. “But I’ve never kissed Chris like that.”

  “Like what?” Harper felt her cheeks heat again. Couldn’t they just focus on Heidi’s problems and let Harper’s stupid mistake melt into the background for once?

  “Like you kissed Gabe Banks.”

  “I thought we clarified that he kissed me.” Harper moaned. “Come on, Heidi. That was a stupid mistake. It’s done. I’ll never do it again.”

  “Never again? You sure about that?” Heidi asked. “Because Chris has never pulled me in like that, and I’ve never melted in his arms like you just did.”

  “Gabe is tall!” Harper retorted. “It makes it...different, I guess.”

  Her waist still felt a little chilled from where his arms had been, and the sensation of being held close in his arms was akin to sweeping across a dance floor. He’d been in full control of the moment, nearly lifting her off her feet as his lips had covered hers. And she’d felt the emotion coursing through him—all of his attention, his pent-up, masculine longing, focused on her. She’d never been kissed like that before, either.

  “That’s what you’re standing by?” Heidi asked incredulously. “He’s tall?”

  “I’m saying that I’m sure Chris kisses you just fine!” Harper snapped.

  “It isn’t his fault,” her sister said with a shake of her head. “It takes two to make a kiss like that, doesn’t it? And I don’t feel like melting in his arms, because...I never have.”

  “Chris is a good man, Heidi.”

  “He is,” her sister agreed. “But do I love him enough to vow to be his for the rest of my life?”

  “You sure thought so before.”

  “Fine, then explain to me why you turned to melted wax in Gabe’s arms, and why that doesn’t matter!”

  “I—” Harper searched for the words. “Okay, yes, I’m attracted to him. I’m not blind! He’s good-looking, he’s charming, and he’s got this way of opening up around a woman—”

  “Around you,” Heidi countered.

  “Around women,” Harper said more firmly. “He always was a flirt. He can make any woman feel like that when he focuses his attention on her.”

  “Except Gabe hasn’t been flirting it up with anyone since he got back into town,” Heidi said. “I’ve been chatting with the girls, and there is general disappointment in that area. He’s like a statue. He’s very polite, don’t get me wrong, but that charm? He’s been keeping it to himself.”

  Harper’s breath caught in her throat. Could that be true? Gabe Banks had always been the biggest flirt. He could make a woman twice his age giggle—it was appalling. And look what he’d managed with her just a few minutes ago. Although she couldn’t blame him. She’d sensed that she was playing with fire there, and she hadn’t stepped back. That had been a choice on her part.

  “Fine. Maybe he’s less of a flirt now,” Harper conceded. “But that was just a...a moment. He brought back Grandma’s veil and some of the stolen merchandise. I was so grateful, and lately he’s been opening up about some personal stuff that is making him more human. It was combination of a few things, I think, and then I hugged him to say thank you, and...”

  Harper turned her back on her sister. This was embarrassing enough without having her red cheeks visible.

  “What personal things?” Heidi asked.

  “It’s not mine to talk about,” Harper replied. “He trusted me, and that should matter.” Besides, she didn’t want to be bandying about his painful past. Gabe might not be for her, but he deserved some privacy, too. And for whatever reason, he’d been entrusting her with some really achingly personal memories lately.

  “Fine, fine.” Heidi put her hands on her hips. “You were just telling me why this kiss, sparked by a man bringing back a family heirloom and his vulnerability didn’t matter.”

  Her sister was teasing her, and Harper knew it, but she wasn’t going to be goaded into believing this kiss was anything more than a mutual mistake.

  “Feelings don’t make for a future, Heidi,” Harper retorted. “We’re attracted to each other, yes. And we have a spark, a connection. But that doesn’t mean that we have any hop
e of working out. I don’t need a flash in the pan, I need a slow burn that will last!”

  “And what I wouldn’t do for one flash in the pan!” Heidi replied, but this time her voice had lost the teasing and she just sounded sad. “I saw that kiss, Harper, and I don’t want to go through my life never being kissed like that...ever. Once I’m married, that’s my last chance! My husband will be my source of all romance. And if I signed off on the slow burn, as you put it—”

  “Chris loves you,” Harper countered.

  “I daresay that Gabe loves you, too,” Heidi replied.

  Harper reached out and caught her sister’s hand. “You’re spooked. For crying out loud, even I’m a little spooked! That doesn’t mean that Chris isn’t the man for you. Don’t do anything you’re going to regret.”

  “I shouldn’t have quit my job for Chris,” Heidi said solemnly. “I was more than happy to do it...but that was stupid of me.”

  “There are other jobs, Heidi, but good men don’t come around all that often.”

  Heidi squeezed her sister’s hand back, and her chin trembled a little. “I have a cake tasting with my future mother-in-law. I can’t be late.”

  As Harper watched her sister leave the store, her heart filled with regrets of her own. What had she done? And by giving in to whatever chemistry had been brewing between her and Gabe, had she just knocked her sister off balance?

  Her sister’s words were thrumming through her head. I daresay Gabe loves you, too...

  Lord, am I leading Gabe on?

  That was her worry. She’d kissed him back—and she shouldn’t have. She’d put herself into this situation, allowed herself to be swept along with whatever they were feeling in the moment. She’d been the voice of reason for Andrea, and now Harper was making the same mistake! Harper had no right to let him kiss her. They had no future together. She’d been wrong.

  Harper picked up her cell phone from the counter and dialed Gabe’s number. The phone rang twice, and then his voice mail answered: “Hi, this is Gabe Banks. Leave me a message.”

  She hung up and heaved a sigh.

  Whatever was growing between them needed to be stamped out now, before anyone got hurt. Because while the adults were pussyfooting around each other, Zoey would be the one to suffer. That little girl needed two parents who loved her, and who could be supportive co-parents. Mixing up an emotional mess wasn’t fair to her!

  Harper was a mother now, and her daughter had to take priority. Heidi was wrong—a passionate kiss meant nothing. A ring on her finger and a decent man who loved her—Heidi had it better than she realized.

  Heidi needed to recognize that the grass wasn’t greener on the other side. Harper was free as a bird, and she’d trade places with her sister in a heartbeat. Greener grass was just a trick of the light.

  * * *

  Gabe slowed as he passed Blessings Bridal for the umpteenth time the next morning. He was patrolling...and keeping his distance. He’d made a fool of himself the day before, and he was being a coward right now, trying to avoid facing Harper.

  The night before, he’d done a whole lot of thinking. He’d sat on the porch of the Camdens’ bed and breakfast, a black coffee in one hand and his Bible resting on his knee. And he’d prayed like he’d never prayed before.

  Lord, we both know she’s not right for me. Take away whatever this is that I’m still feeling for her. Make this easier.

  But God wasn’t answering that prayer—at least not with a yes. Maybe this was like patience—a virtue only gained through experience. But he’d made this mistake with Andrea, too—let himself get too close to a good woman that he’d never be good enough for. And heartbreak ensued. As always.

  Gabe took a left, scanning the cars on the street. He was almost certain that the robbers would be observing the store, and they were likely hiding in plain sight. So patrolling in an unmarked car without his uniform was the best he could do. The clock was ticking on his time here in Comfort Creek, and while he was anxious to get back home again to Fort Collins, he didn’t want to leave without closing this case. The Comfort Creek PD was good and all, but Gabe wasn’t about to leave Harper and Zoey’s safety in the hands of a small-town department whose specialty was feelings, of all things.

  His goal was to wrap up this robbery case, say his goodbyes, and do what he knew he had to.

  The most cutting things his grandmother had ever said to him were the things he couldn’t deny. Like when she told him that he was the kind of kid who, when faced with two choices, would choose the wrong one every time. She’d been right, for the most part. That’s why he was here.

  He couldn’t keep that cycle going. This time around, he needed to make the right choice, even if it went against his first instincts...because his instincts tended to be dead wrong when it came to personal relationships. He needed to keep to his strengths—law enforcement.

  Gabe circled back around to Sycamore Drive, and as he drove past Good Eatin’, a mom-and-pop-style restaurant, he recognized the blaze of Harper’s curls in the window. She was eating a sandwich of some sort, and he signaled, then parallel parked out front.

  He’d been avoiding her calls since yesterday, praying for guidance. It was probably time to face her. Besides, he had to grudgingly admit that he missed her, even after this short time. And if he didn’t lay things out straight, he’d probably slip up again. He knew himself. He needed to face whatever he was feeling for her head on, or he’d never be free of it.

  Gabe got out of the car and headed for the front door of the restaurant. He held the door open for an older couple that was just exiting, then went inside. Harper was still seated by the window, a book open in front of her, and a grilled cheese sandwich held aloft between her fingertips. It didn’t make things easier when a greasy sandwich made her even more beautiful.

  “Hi,” Gabe said, sliding into the bench across from her. Harper looked up in surprise.

  “Gabe!” She put down the sandwich on the plate and licked her fingers. Then her expression clouded. “I’ve been calling you.”

  “I know.” He winced. “I’m sorry, Harper. I had to think—get my head on straight.”

  She nodded, but didn’t answer.

  “Then I saw you in the window, and figured maybe it was a sign.”

  “A sign about what?” she asked skeptically.

  “I don’t know...that I needed to just face you.” He smiled cajolingly.

  Harper nodded, slid a bookmark into place and let her book fall shut. It looked like poetry—a well-worn volume.

  “Am I disturbing you?” He was relatively sure he was. What woman liked having her reading time violated?

  “It’s okay. The store is closed for lunch, and I’m just having a bite before I go to a meeting at the bank.”

  “The bank, huh?”

  “I’m getting a loan for Blessings Maternity.”

  Harper would get that loan, no doubt, and go on to tell Zoey that the sky was the limit. As he looked at her—those thoughtful green eyes, the tangle of fiery curls, the lips pursed in an expression of caution—he knew that Harper could give his daughter far more than he ever could. She could be an example of life lived well, the “mama” in her little life that Gabe had never had.

  “About before—” Harper licked her lips. “The kiss, I mean. That can’t happen anymore, Gabe.”

  “Yeah, for sure. Look, that was on me. I—” How could he explain what it felt like to look down into those green eyes, to have her lips close enough to catch with his own... “I guess I was just caught up in the moment.”

  “Me, too.” She sighed. “But we aren’t teenagers anymore, and there’s a lot more to lose now.”

  “You think this is about what I felt for you back then?” He squinted, then shook his head. “Harper, I definitely had a thing for you, but come on... It’s been over ten years.”

 
Color tinged her cheeks. “So what was it, then?”

  He met her gaze, and his heart clenched in his chest. “That’s how I feel about you now.”

  Harper blinked, then dropped her gaze. She picked up a napkin and began to carefully wipe her fingers. Great. He’d just made her uncomfortable. But it was true. He wasn’t some creep nursing a crush from when he was a kid. She was fully able to pull him in right now, with both of them being adults and knowing exactly why it wouldn’t work. And that was the problem.

  “Harper...” He lowered his voice. “I know I overstepped, okay?”

  “You did,” she confirmed.

  “But you also kissed me back.” He quirked up one side of his mouth. “Just to be fair.”

  The pink in her cheeks deepened and she shot him an annoyed look. “Maybe I did. But I shouldn’t have.”

  “Granted.” He nodded. “You should have slapped me across the face and thrown me out. Although, I have to say, it was a little bit gratifying to know it wasn’t one-sided this time around. A guy’s ego can only take so much.” She smiled, and he felt a surge of relief. He needed to patch this up. “I’ve been really struggling, trying to come to terms with Zoey being mine and all that, and I’ve come to a realization.”

  Harper met his gaze, pressing her lips together as she waited for him to continue.

  “I always knew I wouldn’t make much of a family man. I’ve got my own issues to sort out, and Andrea wasn’t the only woman to be disappointed in what I had to offer.” Gabe shook his head. “They say when you become a parent, the child has to come first, and I’m going to do that. I’m Zoey’s dad.”

  “You aren’t going to—” the color drained from Harper’s face “—take her back to the city with you...”

  “No, no!” He reached out and put a hand over hers without thinking. “Harper, she’s better off with you. I can see that. What could I offer her in the city? Daycare, babysitters and a father who has no idea what he’s doing? While I might have a few grudges against this town, I can see that she’s happy here with you, and that you’d do anything to keep her safe. What more could a kid want?”