“My dad was a drinker,” she said. “He died in a car accident, and his blood alcohol level was four times the legal level. He wrapped the family car around a tree. We were all home, waiting for him to get back. Thankfully, no one else was killed because of his drinking and driving, but I do understand not wanting to turn out like your dad...”
“...or wanting to protect someone else from turning out just like him,” he said.
“Except I’d never tell my brothers that they’re just like my dad,” she said. “That’s too much for small shoulders.”
“Do you think your brothers will be like him?” Bryce asked quietly.
Did she? It was most certainly her worry. Alcoholism ran in families, and theirs had a strong history of substance abuse. She’d vowed to never drink for that very reason, and seeing her brothers start drinking this young worried her...deeply. But there was a difference between her brothers and their father—her brothers had her.
“Over my dead body.” She smiled wryly. “But the genes are there that make them prone to substance abuse. I’ll admit that it scares me.”
Bryce shifted his position and pulled his arm up and rested it on the back of the seat behind her shoulders. He was closer now, and she could make out the soft stubble on his chin and the worry lines around his eyes. He moved a wisp of hair away from her face, his fingers lingering for a moment against her skin. Then he dropped his hand.
“You’re stronger than you think,” he said quietly.
“I’m stronger than they think, too,” she said with a wry smile.
He laughed softly, the sound low and close. The smile dropped from her face as she met his eyes again. He was so strong, so present...so tempting to lean into those muscular arms and rest her head on his shoulder one more time. But she couldn’t allow herself to go there. She knew better than this...
Or she had at some very logical point in the near past. Right now, her mind wasn’t functioning properly, and her thoughts swam around in a frustrating blur.
He brushed her hair away from her cheek, and this time, he didn’t pull his hand back. The backs of his fingers lingered against her face, and his gaze met hers again. Those gentle eyes looked both softer and more insistent, and he leaned closer, so close that she could feel the whisper of breath against her lips. Her eyes fluttered shut, and his mouth pressed against hers. It was a soft kiss, tender and sweet. He didn’t push for more, and she didn’t pull away. It felt right—oh so right—even though her mind disagreed.
Just then, a sound broke the stillness—Emily’s little cry from the kitchen.
Lily blinked her eyes open and pulled back.
“The baby—” she said, and in a rush, every single reason why she had no business kissing Bryce Camden flooded back into her mind. He didn’t want this, and he wasn’t staying. Bryce was here for another week, and then it would all go back to normal, and she didn’t need to be nursing a broken heart when that happened.
She swallowed hard and rose to her feet, stepping away from him, trying to get her thoughts straightened out once more.
“I’ll take her to the cottage now,” Lily said, and she turned toward the door.
“Okay,” he said, not moving from his position. “Good night, Lily.”
Emily’s cry tugged her toward the house, and when she glanced back over her shoulder, she saw Bryce still seated on that swing, leaning his elbows on his knees and his shoulders stooped like they carried a burden heavier than she could imagine.
Chapter Nine
The next day, Bryce was irritable. He woke before dawn and spent some time with his Bible, but he still couldn’t find that comfortable old groove he’d left behind. And he missed it—he missed knowing where he stood in life, and where he belonged, but this sensitivity training in Comfort Creek was turning him on his head in too many ways. He was feeling things he knew better than to feel, and he’d been thinking altogether too much about Lily. Even Piglet had managed to slip under his defenses.
He blamed the sleepy nature of this town. Nothing happened. There wasn’t any distraction, at least not the criminal kind that he was so good at dealing with. Comfort Creek was dozily subversive.
He left the house before Lily came in to make breakfast, writing a quick note that he had a few things to take care of at the station. He propped it up in the center of the kitchen table where she’d see it, and even that gesture of consideration irritated him, because it made him picture what she’d look like when she found it, and it made him wonder what she’d think.
He’d kissed her last night under the stars. And then she’d dashed off. Had he scared her? Had he shocked her?
That rankled him. He knew better than to kiss Lily. He wasn’t here to get attached. He was here to do his time and get out. So why would he allow himself to toy with Lily’s feelings like that? She was worth more than he could offer, and he’d never been the kind of man to mess with a woman’s emotions. He might be a lot of things—and an awful lot like his old man—but he was not a player.
At this moment, Bryce sat at his temporary desk doing a bit of paperwork, or at least going through the motions. The coffeemaker burbled from across the bullpen, a sound he could only hear because the station was still mostly empty. There were some day-old doughnuts on the counter that he’d looked over dubiously when he’d come in. He’d eaten two—he wasn’t that picky, but he was very aware that he was probably missing out on a delicious meal back at the house.
The chief came out of the station’s gym in full uniform. There were showers and lockers inside so that the officers could get a workout first thing in the morning. Bryce had considered it, but retreated when he saw the chief pumping weights. Now Chief Morgan headed across the bullpen past where Bryce sat.
“Morning,” Chief Morgan said, pausing at his desk. “You’re in early.”
“Yeah.” Bryce gave the man a nod. Bryce suppressed a grimace when the other man regarded him for a moment, then pulled up a chair. The chief looked to be a little less than forty, but he seemed wiser than his years. And while Bryce liked him, he wasn’t exactly interested in being buddies—hence skipping his own workout this morning.
“So how is the baby doing?” the chief asked.
Bryce scribbled his signature at the bottom of a form. “She’s good. She can still empty a bottle in no time. Nearly killed me with a diaper the other day.”
Morgan chuckled. “Don’t envy you that.”
A couple of days ago, he might have agreed, but it was as though being in the trenches with the kid had given them a bit of bond...and a story. He felt like he was letting Piglet down if he didn’t stand up for her a bit.
“She’s cute, though,” Bryce amended. The baby liked him, and while he sincerely believed that Piglet could improve on her taste in men, it warmed him that she was so cozy when snuggled against his chest.
“Yeah...” Chief Morgan nodded. “So, I got a call from the FBI last night.”
Bryce froze. His friend was supposed to call him back, not pass it up the ladder, but maybe he hadn’t had much choice. He narrowed his eyes and met the chief’s gaze, waiting.
“They confirmed that Aaron Bay is not in the witness protection program,” the chief went on. “Anything you wanted to tell me about?”
“Just looking into things for Lily Ellison,” Bryce admitted. “Her aunt is marrying the guy, and she’s got a bad feeling about it. Her aunt is in her sixties, and this guy is twenty years younger. It might be nothing. I’m just...poking around.”
He half expected Chief Morgan to tell him to drop it and send him into the roomful of binders, but instead, he looked down at the desk, nodding slowly and chewing one side of his cheek. Finally he said, “So what did you find?”
“Zero.” Bryce shrugged. “As in, his slate is too clean.”
“I know Clarisse Clifton,” h
e said. “She gave me piano lessons when I was a kid. A good lady, well loved.”
“Have you met her fiancé?” Bryce asked.
“No,” the chief admitted. “What’s he like? What does your gut tell you?”
Bryce went over the man in his head, looking for some way of summing him up. “Gentle. Faded. I can’t get a good read on him. It’s kind of a flatline. I don’t know what to think, but I can tell you this much, he doesn’t have any ID except for a Colorado driver’s license.”
“So we need to see the ID that got him that license,” Chief Morgan surmised.
“That’s my thinking, sir.”
“I could expedite that a bit for you.” The chief tapped the desk and rose to his feet. “Drop the information you’ve got on my desk, and I’ll see what I can do.”
Bryce nodded. “Thanks, sir. I appreciate it.”
Chief Morgan didn’t walk away, though, and he eyed Bryce curiously. “Is this one personal for you, Camden?”
Was it? Bryce had started looking into this as a favor for his hostess. Truthfully, he’d felt a little bad for her because she’d been so open and friendly, and if he said no to her impetuous request, it would have seemed like a rebuff, and the last thing he had wanted to do was push her away.
“It’s, uh—” Bryce wasn’t sure how to answer. “It’s personal to Miss Ellison, sir, and I guess that’s good enough for me.”
Chief Morgan nodded his head slowly, then let out a long breath. “Okay, then. I’m around if you want to talk.”
Bryce wasn’t sure what the man meant by that, but he headed off in the direction of his office, leaving Bryce in momentary peace, and that’s exactly what he was wanting. Except, some good old-fashioned police work was even better, and his mind was already chewing over the Aaron Bay problem.
Who was he? And why were there no bread crumbs leading away from this guy? Why was it so hard to dig up anything on him? He wasn’t in the witness protection program, which took away some of the complications to do with his history, but it only led to more questions.
He glanced at his watch. It was almost time for him to start his morning patrol, but he still had some time to check in with Lily and give her the information he’d learned so far. He didn’t like the way he woke up at the thought of speaking with her—like she was a little shot of caffeine to his system. He’d need to sort that out privately, but until then...
He pulled out his cell phone and dialed her number. It rang twice, and then she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Hi, Lily, it’s Bryce.”
“Hi!” She sounded cheerful enough, but there was a little bit of caution in her voice, too, and he closed his eyes and grimaced.
“I know I kind of ran out early this morning—”
“No, no, it’s fine.”
“Last night, I—”
“It’s okay, no need—”
“No, really...”
This was ridiculous. They were both uncomfortable, and this obviously wasn’t something they could talk about over the phone.
“Let’s not talk about that now,” he suggested, and he could hear her audible sigh of relief.
“That’s a good idea.” She sounded more like herself now.
“So what did I miss out on for breakfast?” he asked, keeping his voice low and turning his back on the bullpen to maintain a little privacy from the officers who were filtering into the station now.
“French toast with fresh strawberries and maple syrup,” she replied.
His stomach rumbled at the very thought. “I’m regretting missing that.”
“Good.” He could hear the smile in her voice.
“Look, I checked into Aaron Bay a little more. I was curious to see if he was part of the witness protection program, and it turns out he isn’t.”
“That would have been a great excuse for him,” she said.
“Yeah.” He felt the smile come to his face in spite of himself. “But that does leave us with more questions.”
“That reminds me,” she said. “I have some of the women from the family coming over tonight to put together some last-minute place cards for the wedding. I don’t have room to have them all in my cottage, and—”
He could hear the regret in her voice. She really did want to make her establishment purely professional, but a place like Comfort Creek didn’t seem to allow for that very easily.
“Hey, it’s no problem,” he said. “Desperate times, desperate measures.”
“And one week until the wedding,” she said.
His smile dropped. One week. One week until Clarisse and Aaron were married, and one week until he left town. The two-week stint out here had sounded like an eternity when he arrived, and already it was feeling too short for him to wrap up the loose threads that were unraveling around him.
“I’m not done looking into Aaron yet. I’ll see what I can unearth,” he promised.
“If you’re interested in that French toast,” Lily said, “I can leave some in the fridge for you.”
“Oh, I don’t want to put you out,” he said.
“It’s no bother. I’m making it for myself anyway.” Her voice was so guileless, and he had no doubt that she was fully intending to enjoy a leisurely breakfast whether her guest was around or not. And he was glad of it. Why shouldn’t she enjoy the delectable meals she provided her guests? But he couldn’t help but wonder what her plans were for the food if he didn’t want it...
“What about your brothers?” he asked suddenly. Were the boys hungry this morning? He wasn’t sure why he suddenly so concerned with their eating habits, but he was.
“I picked up some groceries for them yesterday,” she said. “They’re taken care of.”
He nodded. “Okay, well, I’d love that French toast. I’ll see when I can stop by later on. Will you be around?”
“I’ll be out this morning, actually,” she said. “My aunt is going to a wedding dress fitting, and that falls under maid of honor duties. So I’ll have it in the fridge for you. I’ll leave the key under the rock beside the front door.”
“Isn’t that really obvious?” he asked.
“Well, I wanted you to be able to find it. Trust me, no one is going to break in. But if that rankles you so much, I can put it on top of the door frame.”
“That’s another really obvious place.” He felt a wry smile come to his lips. “That’s as bad as under the mat.” He was enjoying this a little bit. She was silent for a moment, and he could hear her breathing softly through the phone. What was it about her that even listening to her breathe made him feel calmer in spite of himself?
“I’ll stick it under the seat of the garden swing in the backyard with a piece of sticky tack.” She sounded self-satisfied with that answer, and he grinned.
“Perfect.” And his mind immediately went back to the last time they sat on that swing together. He pulled his thoughts firmly away. “Chief Morgan is looking into Aaron’s trail, too, so I’ll let you know the minute we come up with something.”
“Thanks, Bryce.” Her tone was gentle and grateful. It was that combination that slid right past all his defenses so easily and brought that goofy grin to his face.
“No problem. Have fun with your aunt.”
When he hung up, he was motionless for a moment, staring at his phone. He needed to get his mind off of her, but everything in this town reminded him of her in some way. Comfort Creek was supposed to be punishment, but it was turning into a whole new kind of torture he’d never anticipated. It might have been easier if they’d just kept him in Fort Collins and sat him next to the most intriguing woman they could find for a couple of weeks straight, then told him to keep it strictly professional. Except he had a feeling that even if they’d tried, they couldn’t have some up with a woman to match L
ily Ellison.
This had been the cruelest coincidence of his life.
* * *
Blessings Bridal Boutique was located just north of Main Street on Sycamore Drive. It was a small building at the front that opened up into a larger display area in the back, and it had catered to Comfort Creek’s brides for the last sixty years. Harper Kemp ran the store now, and it had been in her family since it opened.
When Lily and Aunt Clarisse arrived, they parked in the back and ambled around the side of the aging building toward the front door.
“I bought my first wedding dress here,” Clarisse said. She shot her niece a smile that was tinged with sadness. “Everyone bought their dresses here. It was either Blessings Bridal or the city. You had to really plan back then if you wanted a real wedding dress. You had to give the Kemps enough time to make it or to order it in. We didn’t rush a wedding back then unless there was good reason or there was a dress a girl could borrow from a married sister or cousin.”
Her aunt had been rambling on about the way it used to be the entire drive over. Lily knew Clarisse didn’t mean anything by it, but she couldn’t help but ask, “And why the rush now, Auntie?”
They stopped in front of the store. At this end of the street, the storefronts melted into houses, and right next to the bridal shop stood an old, rambling three-story house that had seen better days. Sunlight filtered down through the branches of mature trees that stretched overhead.
“Oh, I’m not getting a gown,” Clarisse said with a wave of her hand, as if that made everything different. “I’ve done that once already, and at my age, I don’t need to look like a blushing bride. I’m a grown woman who knows her mind—that’s the look I’m going for.” Clarisse shot Lily an exultant smile. “And when you fall in love one of these days, I’ll return the favor.”
“What favor?” Lily asked with a laugh.
“I’ll reserve judgment,” Clarisse replied, shooting Lily an arch look, then pulled open the front door to Blessings Bridal.
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