Imperfect Justice

by Olivia Jaymes

  Dammit, this would be all over town by dinnertime. She didn’t need this in her life.

  Wait…I’m moving to Seattle.

  The small-minded people of Fielding weren’t her problem any longer, but of course Jared would have to deal with them.

  He looked more than capable.

  She signed the paper that the repairman shoved in front of her before following Jared out to the sidewalk in front of the garage. Fumbling in her pockets for her gloves, she carefully avoided his gaze.

  “Is half an hour enough?” Jared asked.

  “Plenty of time. I’ll be out front.”

  As far away from the large windows as I can be. I don’t want everyone to see this.

  “See you then.”

  Jared ambled down the block to the sheriff’s office and Misty stood there watching his large, powerful frame until he turned the corner and was out of sight. She’d vowed to stay away from him and now he was giving her a ride home.

  In front of the whole town.

  Once again…nothing good could come from this.

  Senior deputy and second in command, Knox Owens was waving a piece of paper in the air when Jared walked into the station. Sighing, Jared snagged it from the man’s hand as he walked by. This was going to keep him from getting his paperwork done tonight, he could just feel it. Knox had a grim expression which wasn’t the norm for the usually easygoing deputy.

  Jared patted his empty breast pocket looking for the glasses he needed to read these days. Not yet forty, he’d decided growing older officially sucked when he’d found himself holding paper at arms’ length simply to be able to make out the small type. They were missing as usual so he slapped the paper back on Knox’s desk.

  “Just read it to me.”

  “It’s Boyd Hicks. He got parole.”

  “Shit,” Jared said softly. Boyd Hicks had always been a dangerous man. Now he was a dangerous man with little to lose. It was a recipe for very bad things. “When?”

  “A few days ago,” Knox answered flatly as Chris Marks, another deputy and the son of one of Jared’s best friends, joined them. He was on second shift today. “Think he’s on his way here?”

  “Who is Boyd Hicks?” Chris asked, settling his hat on his head.

  Knox handed the paper to the junior deputy who perused the contents. Jared leaned against a desk and rubbed his suddenly throbbing temples. This was bad news.

  “Boyd Hicks is a career criminal that we put away about five years ago,” Jared replied, already thinking about what Hicks might be planning. The safety of his men and town were uppermost in his mind. “He swore vengeance on us the day they sentenced him and dragged him out of the courtroom. Revenge is sort of a hobby for him.”

  “If he’s a career criminal why was this time any different?” Chris asked. “It couldn’t have been too serious of a charge if he got parole in five years.”

  “This time was different because during his sentence his wife OD’d and lost custody of their baby daughter. It was different because Hicks swore up and down he didn’t rob that liquor store. Said he’d been set up.”

  “Who would bother to set up a petty criminal?” Chris queried.

  “His brother Dale,” Knox answered with a grim smile. “That family is something else.”

  “Like the Manson family,” Jared muttered. “But we found no evidence of him being framed. Everything pointed to Boyd.”

  “So Boyd thinks he did time for his brother, lost his wife and daughter,” Chris surmised. “And he blames…Fielding’s finest?”

  “Correct,” answered Jared. “Welcome to the club.”

  “I wish it was a little more exclusive,” Chris joked. “Maybe he’s not pissed at me. I’m new.”

  “Boyd Hicks is pissed at the world. He once stabbed his uncle in the arm because the man smoked Boyd’s last cigarette. I wouldn’t say he was a think first, shoot later kind of guy.”

  “So what do you want us to do?” Knox swung his legs down from where they were propped up on the desk. “I could go talk to his wife. See if she’s heard from him.”

  “Ex-wife,” Jared corrected. “She divorced him a couple of years ago. I heard she got clean and is married to a guy who works on a nearby ranch. But that’s a good idea. We need to talk to her, Dale, and any of Boyd’s former associates, assuming we can find them. Also, make sure all the deputies have a picture of Boyd and are keeping an eye out for him. Everyone should consider him armed and dangerous. No one should try and bring him in alone. Call for backup. Hell, call me at home if you have to. This guy would love to put a couple of slugs in a cop. Let’s not give him a chance.”

  “Amen to that,” Knox declared, already printing out photos of Boyd Hicks for the staff. Jared spoke with Chris for a moment and then headed to his office. He still had a few minutes to try and get some of that paperwork done and off his desk.

  Twenty minutes later Jared gave up and stacked the file folders in a neat pile for tomorrow morning. They’d have to wait one more day which wasn’t out of the ordinary. There was always plenty of administrative work to keep a lawman busy at his desk instead of out on patrol where he’d rather be.

  Shrugging on his coat, he grabbed his keys from his pocket and made his way to the front door. “Call me if you need me.”

  “It’s all good. See you tomorrow,” Knox called out. The senior deputy wouldn’t call Jared unless the shit really hit the fan, which was more than he could say about the last guy that had the job. He’d woken Jared up almost every damn night with one thing or another. A good night’s sleep sounded like heaven right about now.

  But first he had some groveling to do.

  Misty was sitting next to Jared as stiff as the statue of the local war hero in the park. He’d picked her up in front of the grocery store where she’d refused to let him help with her two heavy bags. Now she was sitting next to him in his truck chewing on those pillowy soft lips and staring straight ahead.

  Time to man up and apologize.

  “Listen, I wanted to say that I’m sorry about how I acted the other night. Obviously I’d had a few too many. I hope we can put it all behind us and still be friends.”

  For a moment he thought she wasn’t going to say anything, but then she nodded stiffly but still didn’t meet his gaze. “I think it’s best if we never speak of it again.”

  Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, had the kiss been that bad? He’d never had any complaints before.

  “It’s clear that I upset you.”

  This time she did look at him, her dark blue eyes almost gray with some troubled emotion. “I thought we weren’t going to talk about it.”

  “We won’t. After this. What I’m trying to say is that I’m sorry that I acted like a horse’s ass. It certainly wasn’t my intention. You probably saved my life, after all. I could have frozen to death on that bench.”

  Misty gave him a long-suffering sigh. “I wasn’t upset. Being kissed by a half-inebriated man, however, does not excite me. Now can we drop the subject?”

  For some reason Misty wanted to pretend she hadn’t been affected by the kiss, even though that was complete hogwash. He wasn’t a virgin. He’d felt the way her body trembled and the sweetness of her tongue’s tentative explorations. If that was what she was like when she was uninterested, he’d love to be with her when she was all in.

  “Sure. We’ll drop the subject.” For some perverse reason he couldn’t leave it alone. “I just don’t want things to be awkward between us now.”

  She was chewing on her lower lip again. “Does it matter? I’m leaving for Seattle in a month. We’ll probably never see each other again.”

  “Won’t you come visit your friends and family?”

  “I don’t have any family and I only have one real friend. She’ll come visit me.”

  The thought of never seeing her again bothered him and he had no idea why. He’d called them friends but they really weren’t. Before the other night, they’d said five words to each other in the last five y
ears. He was much older than she was and they didn’t socialize in the same crowd.

  “I’m sure you have more friends than that.”

  Misty shook her head and looked out of the window. “No. Just Rayne.”

  That seemed like an awfully lonely life. Jared was constantly surrounded by family and friends almost to the point that it drove him crazy. He couldn’t fathom being alone most of the time.

  Jared tried a new subject since it was clear she didn’t want to discuss their kiss. “So you’re looking forward to Seattle? Do you have a place to live yet?”

  That question seemed to perk her up. She smiled and her gaze swung from the scenery back to him. “I signed a lease the last time I was there. It’s the cutest little one bedroom that overlooks a park and is near public transportation.”

  Misty Foster was a beautiful woman when she was animated like this. Her eyes sparkled and her cheeks were pink from excitement. It made him want to reach out and trace her smile with his finger, and then maybe run his fingers through that mass of long blonde hair.

  Whoa. That train of thought needed to derail immediately. She was too young, and even if she was older she obviously thought he was slime. He needed to remember that to keep his mind moving in other more productive directions. Like Boyd Hicks and what the fuck Jared was going to do about him for starters.

  “That sounds real nice. We’ll miss you around here though.”

  Jared pulled into the driveway in front of Misty’s apartment just in time to hear her snort in derision.

  “Miss me? Sheriff, Fielding is going to throw a party when I leave. No one,” she said icily, “is going to miss me. I’ve been persona non grata my entire life. Let’s face it, my mother and I offended the delicate sensibilities of the good citizens of this fine town.”

  There was nothing but scorn in Misty’s tone and Jared didn’t blame her a bit. He’d grown up in this town and he knew the good…and the bad. How they’d treated the Fosters wasn’t a shining moment in Fielding history.

  No wonder Misty couldn’t wait to leave.

  Misty shouldn’t have said what she did but she hadn’t been able to help herself. People always acted like they didn’t notice how the town treated her but she knew the looks and whispers all too well. She couldn’t wait to put Fielding in the rearview mirror and be someplace where no one knew her history. It would be the fresh start she so badly needed.

  Despite her protests Jared insisted on helping her with the grocery bags. The wind and snow had really picked up during the drive and she was glad to be in the warmth of her own home. Once he’d placed her sacks on the kitchen counter she was ready for him to leave. Anyone driving by could see his truck parked out front although they might think he was visiting a neighbor.

  “Well, thank you. I appreciate the ride home and the helping hand with the bags.”

  “It was the least I could do after you saved my life the other night.” Jared looked around the room appreciatively. “This is very nice. I like the colors. I never know how to decorate things so I stick to beige and blue.”

  “Your home looks nice.” Misty pulled back one of the curtains and peeked out. “The weather is getting worse—you should probably get on the road.”

  Jared’s smile widened. “I get the hint, Misty. Sort of a ‘here’s your hat and what’s your hurry’ kind of thing. Can I ask you a question before I leave? Was it just the other night when I kissed you that made you not like me or have you disliked me all along?”

  She liked him too much, but how did she explain she couldn’t afford that luxury?

  “I don’t dislike you,” she explained carefully. “It’s just not a good idea for anyone to know you’re here.”

  “Why not?” He looked genuinely puzzled which only fueled her frustration. Was he being deliberately obtuse or had the cold damaged his brain cells?

  “We both know why not.”

  “Apparently we both don’t because I haven’t the foggiest idea what you’re talking about,” he retorted. “Will you let me in on the secret?”

  “If the good people of Fielding find out that you spent even five minutes inside the home of the town whore’s daughter they’ll never let it go. You’ll hear about it until your dying day. I, on the other hand, will be in Seattle so really Jared, I’m thinking of you here.”

  She’d shocked him. His eyebrows shot up in surprise but then a funny thing happened. He smiled.

  “I don’t think this is very funny, Sheriff.”

  “On the contrary, it is. Just so we’re clear here…I don’t give a shit what the people of Fielding think about me. I really have no idea what their opinion is and I don’t spend any time wondering about it. Now will you relax?”

  Misty pressed her lips together, her face warm. “What about your family? What will your brothers and sister think? Or your father?”

  His smile fell away and a grim expression took its place. “I can handle them. Honestly I think this is more about you than me. I think you don’t want me here.”

  The set of his shoulders told her he was serious. And he had a point. This had a great deal to do with her insecurities about how she was perceived by the people of Fielding. Since she was soon leaving perhaps it was time to shake off their preconceived notions and simply live her life. After all, it was only polite to offer him a hot chocolate or something. It would give the old biddies at the hair salon something to talk about for months.

  “Fine,” she said smartly. “You’re the one that’s going to have to deal with it. But don’t say I didn’t warn you. Would you like to sit down while I make us a hot chocolate?”

  Jared smiled and spread his arms wide. “Misty, I’d love some.”

  It was a dangerous thing to have a man this handsome up close and personal. But Rayne’s words echoed in her ears.

  It was time to live life on her own terms. It was time to live. Period.

  Chapter Five

  “Take off your coat and throw it over the chair there.”

  Jared shrugged out of his coat and gloves, shoving them into the pockets before draping the jacket over the kitchen chair. There was a chill in the air and she was fiddling with a space heater that was supposed to look like a fireplace.

  The heat was welcome as he settled onto a comfortable chair, careful to navigate away from the daybed against the long wall. From the looks of things she slept there and it would give him way too many ideas that would not be welcomed.

  “Marshmallows?” she asked, bustling around her tiny kitchen. The apartment was really one large room so she was never far away no matter where she was. It was quite a contrast to the rambling house he’d grown up in, but then they’d needed the space for four rambunctious kids.

  “I’d love some, thank you. But you know you really don’t have to make me anything. I was just giving you a hard time a few minutes ago. I don’t want to upset you.”

  Misty had floored him with her statement about the town gossiping, although she wasn’t far wrong. Fielding had some terrible gossips and Jared knew that they’d been pretty hard on Misty’s mother Annette. From what he’d heard – and it was gossip, after all – she’d loved to party. Men and booze had been her passions, which left her young daughter to pretty much fend for herself.

  She barely looked old enough to take care of herself although she was probably somewhere in her early twenties. A tiny thing, barely reaching his shoulder, she had elfin features that were too cute to be called beautiful or gorgeous but pleasing enough that a man could look at her all day long and never get tired of it. Her long pale blonde hair was pulled back in an untidy braid and her eyes were so blue they were almost violet.

  “I’m not upset. Not really. I was just thinking how Fielding must look like to you.”

  “Probably better than it does to you. But people don’t still give you trouble, do they? I mean, we’re all grown up now.”

  Misty poured the hot chocolate into two mugs and dropped a handful of marshmallows in each before handing h
im one. Settling herself on a large cushion on the floor near the heater, she wrapped her hands around the cup, her forehead furrowed in thought.

  “You think only little kids can be mean? All through school from kindergarten to my senior year the other kids made fun of me. I had old clothes that were bought from thrift shops or given to us by the local church. I remember one girl pointing out that I was wearing one of her shirts that she’d thrown away. It was humiliating. No one wanted to be my friend. I didn’t have any friends, really. Even the other outcasts didn’t want to be tainted by me.”

  Jared shifted uncomfortably in his chair. He hadn’t been in school with Misty but he’d done his share of acting like an ass when he was kid. He sure as hell wasn’t very proud of it and right now he was deeply ashamed.

  “It didn’t get better when you got older?”

  “You mean high school? I got asked out once. His name was John Reeves. Turns out he only took me on a date because he thought I would be easy like my mom. He said that to me before ripping my shirt. I had to kick him in the balls to get him off of me. I ended up walking home that night. So no, it didn’t get better as I got older. I couldn’t wait to leave for college. Since I didn’t have any friends I had a lot of time to study. Got a full-ride scholarship to art school in Denver. I wanted to stay there after graduation but then Mom got sick. Since I’ve been back I’ve made one friend. Rayne.”

  He knew John Reeves and the grown man wasn’t any less a punk than the teenager had been. Jared made a mental note not to cut that guy any slack next time he got in a bar fight or did something else equally as dumb. In fact, he might just punch the guy on principle for being a total asshole. All those incidents in her past had to have inflicted wound after wound on someone as sweet as Misty. She needed someone to protect her from the world.

  “If it’s any consolation John Reeves turned out to be a big loser.”

  Misty sipped her hot chocolate and shrugged as if she didn’t care but he could tell she did. Very much.