Love on the Risky Side

by Mariah Ankenman

  Pulling into the station parking lot, he glanced at Kayla. As she realized where they were, she went pale. He saw the fine tremor rack her body even though the truck was warm and she still had her winter coat on. She was scared. Hell, why wouldn’t she be? She’d spent the last few days running from the authorities, and here he was bringing her to the one place she feared the most.

  I am an ass.

  “Hey.” He gently touched a finger to her chin. She turned her head toward him, eyes wide with distress. “Shit, come here.” He pulled her across the bench seat, unclicking her seat belt so he could wrap an arm around her. “I know this is the last place you want to be.”

  “I just—what if someone recognizes me?”

  “Like I said, Peak Town doesn’t get much outside news.” He tucked her into his shoulder, and surprisingly, she let him. She buried her face in his chest, seeking comfort, and hell if he didn’t want to give it to her. Damn, what this woman did to him.

  “I doubt the news about what happened in Chicago will be in our office.” Still, there was an outside possibility they had gotten the APB. Perhaps she shouldn’t go into the station. “How about I go in, and you wait here for me in the truck?”

  She pulled her head off his chest and glanced up. The gratitude in her eyes nearly did him in.

  “But you have to stay in the truck.” He stared at her. “No running.”

  She nodded. “No running.”

  Could he trust her? He had to. She trusted him, to a degree. This was a shaky game they were playing. Two strangers placing such blind faith in each other.

  “Okay, I’ll be in and out. Ten minutes.”

  He made it in eight. After saying hello to the desk clerk, Mrs. Billings—a nice woman of sixty who had been running the sheriff’s station since well before his time—he checked in with his deputy, Tim, who told him everything was fine. A plow broke down last night leading to a few calls from irate citizens who couldn’t get out of their driveways, but they had called in Pete who ran the local auto body shop. He had a truck with a front plow and was always willing to help out.

  Everything was business as usual. No news about a female killer from Chicago. Kayla was safe, for now.

  After the station, he drove the five blocks to The Cowhand, the only clothing store in Peak Town. He hoped she liked denim and flannel.

  The store was warm and mostly empty. Kayla chose her items in record time. Ryder was used to shopping with his sister. Julie loved clothes. She could spend hours sifting through the rack, trying on everything in the store. It gave him a headache every time. He never understood why women spent so much time picking out clothes. When he went shopping, he grabbed whatever fit and got out of there. Who cared if the jeans he bought were “last season.” For forty bucks, they better last ten seasons.

  They were about to leave the store when a friendly voice called out, “Ryder!”

  He turned and practically got tackled by a hundred and sixty pounds of enthusiastic pregnant woman.

  “Hey, Lizzy. How are you doing, sweetheart?”

  At his use of the endearment, he heard Kayla suck in a sharp breath. He didn’t have time to ponder over that because Lizzy, in typical fashion, jumped right in.

  “I am doing great! Okay, well not great. The nausea is gone, but I’m starting to get huge and all my joints hurt. I have heartburn that could rival a bonfire, none of my clothes fit, and this town has absolutely nothing in the way of maternity clothing. It’s making me frustrangry.”

  When she finally stopped to take a breath, he laughed. “Lizzy, that’s not a word.”

  “Well, it should be.” She paused in her tirade, gaze sliding to Kayla. “Oh, hello. Ryder, aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady friend?” Her eyebrows waggled as she drew out the word “friend.”

  “Lizzy, this is my friend Kayla. Kayla, this is Elizabeth Hayworth.”

  “Soon to be Denning.” The boisterous woman gave a warm smile. “Hopefully before I look too much like a bloated whale.”

  “You look lovely, Lizzy. Positively glowing.”

  She gave him a sideway glance. “You already get free cupcakes, Ryder, flattery will not get you free cookies.”

  “You guys are selling cookies now?”

  “Just for the holidays. Kind of a special treat to get people in the door.”

  He rolled his eyes. “Yeah, like you need help getting people in the shop.” Turning to Kayla—who looked lost as a fish in the woods—he explained, “Lizzy and her friend, Maggie, run the cupcake shop in town.”

  “I do the business side, and Maggie does all the baking.”

  “Thankfully,” he muttered under his breath.

  Lizzy swatted his arm. “I heard that, Jake Ryder. No more cupcakes for you.”

  Grabbing her hand, he kissed it in apology. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”

  The cheery woman shook her head, laughing. “Okay, you’re forgiven.” She grimaced, addressing Kayla. “It’s true though. I once burned water. I’m a mess in the kitchen. That’s why Maggie does the baking. Speaking of Maggie…she mentioned you were coming to dinner this week?”

  Bright gray eyes danced as her gaze went back and forth between him and Kayla. He had promised Maggie when he saw her in town earlier this week, but that had been before Kayla and this situation. She wouldn’t want anyone knowing who she was, making a group dinner out of the question.

  Just as he was about to make an excuse, Lizzy spoke. “We’d love for you to come, too, Kayla.”

  Her mouth opened, but nothing came out. A smile curled his lips—Lizzy’s energetic attitude did that to people. She was so outgoing and lively, it took some people off guard.

  “I’ve never met you before, so I assume you’re visiting Ryder from out of town?”

  “Yes, I’m from back east.” Her words were soft and hesitant.

  Not a lie, he supposed. “She’s only in town for a short time,” he interjected, hoping to forestall more questions. The poor woman had enough on her plate at the moment. She didn’t need to deal with kindhearted, but nosy, inquiries.

  “I see.” Lizzy gave him a look that said she didn’t see, but soon would.

  Meddlesome woman.

  He knew Lizzy wouldn’t stop until she was satisfied.

  “Well then, if you’re visiting you must come to dinner. You can meet my fiancé, Dade, and his brother, Colton—Maggie’s fiancé. She makes the best food you have ever tasted. Trust me, after a Maggie meal, you will feel like your taste buds have died and gone to heaven.”

  “Oh, um, sure. I’d—I’d love to.”

  Lizzy beamed. “Perfect! I’ll tell the boys to expect a call from you, Ryder.” She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek then embraced Kayla warmly. “So lovely to meet you. Can’t wait to get to know you better.”

  With that, she pushed out the door, leaving the store and a very perplexed Kayla in her wake. If her situation weren’t so dire, he would have laughed.

  “Welcome to Peak Town. See, I told you there was nothing to worry about.”

  She turned to him with wide eyes. “Are you kidding? Now I’m worried there’s something in the town’s water. How can anyone be that energetic while pregnant?”

  All the ugliness around her and she still kept her sense of humor. This woman was full of surprises. This time, he did laugh, and it warmed his heart to hear Kayla join in.

  Chapter 11

  “So, Lizzy and Maggie run a cupcake shop together and are engaged to brothers?” Kayla asked.

  Once they left The Cowhand, Ryder suggested grabbing some lunch. He could tell she needed a moment to gather her thoughts. Most people did after an encounter with Lizzy. The woman was a whirlwind of energy.

  “Yup.” He could see her trying to puzzle out his relationship to the women in her head. “Maggie used to come out for the summers to stay with her gran. Moved out here last year to take over her grandmother’s cupcake shop after she passed. Maggie and Colton were childhood friends, which develop
ed into something more when she moved back. Maggie had some problems with a citizen who thought the shop shouldn’t have gone to her. Tried to scare her off.”

  Kayla sucked in a sharp breath. “She was threatened?”

  He nodded sadly. “More than—she was shot.”

  Kayla covered her mouth in horror.

  Shoot! He hadn’t meant to bring up bad memories.

  “She’s fine now,” he added quickly. “We got the assailant responsible. But Maggie needed some help in the shop after that, so Lizzy came out to lend a hand. She and Colton’s brother, Dade, kind of had an opposites attract thing going on. I’ve never seen two people so contrary, and so deeply in love.”

  Ellen came by to drop off their food. There were a few different eateries in Peak Town. Ryder had chosen Merle’s Diner because it had great food, and he liked the proprietors.

  “Thanks.”

  “Anytime, Sheriff.”

  The older woman eyed Kayla, but said nothing. Great, with the way this small town gossiped, her presence would be spread around before they finished their BLTs. He knew she wouldn’t like that, but it couldn’t be avoided. Besides, no one would be thinking she was a fugitive—they would be wondering who the sheriff’s new squeeze was.

  “How’s Merle?” he asked, hoping to deflect the other woman’s attention.

  Ellen rolled her eyes good-naturedly. “Oh, you know Merle. Up at the crack of dawn to clear the sidewalks then right to the kitchen to slave over a hot stove. I keep telling the man he’s not twenty anymore. He needs to slow down.”

  “I’ll slow down when you do, ya old bat,” a haggard voice shouted lovingly from the diner kitchen.

  “Quiet, you old coot! Get back to work.”

  Ryder couldn’t stop a wide grin from curling his lips. Merle and Ellen had owned the diner for years. They bickered constantly, but all in jest. They still acted like teenagers on prom night whenever they got within inches of each other. Hilarious to watch, and a big reason the diner was so popular.

  “So, Sheriff.” Ellen turned her attention back to the table. “Are you going to introduce me to your friend?”

  The bite of food he’d taken went down the wrong tube. The people in this town really needed to work on their subtlety. He coughed, taking a sip from his water to help the offending morsel down. Talking about Kayla was the last thing he should do, but he saw no escape for it.

  “Ellen, this is Kayla. She’s visiting from back east. Kayla, this is Ellen. She owns the diner along with her husband, Merle.”

  “The crazy old man in the back who made your food.”

  “I heard that woman!”

  She winked.

  Kayla smiled tentatively, clearly uncomfortable being singled out. “Well, it’s delicious. Be sure to send him my appreciation.”

  Ellen snorted. “And inflate that giant ego of his? Not likely. I’ll keep your praises to myself.”

  “I heard that, too!”

  The feisty diner owner smiled, blowing a kiss toward the open windowed kitchen. Merle’s wrinkled, smiling face popped out. His hand flew up to catch the air kiss then he smacked it right on his backside.

  The laugh burst out of him before Ryder could stop it. Not that it would offend the two old timers; they loved to put on a show for their customers.

  “Woman, please. We’re in public.” Mel waggled his brows, giving his wife a lusty look.

  The older woman laughed. “Sixty-three years old and he still acts like a teenager.” She shook her head, but the love there was obvious.

  Deep in his gut something stirred, something that felt an awful lot like envy.

  “So, Kayla, where did you meet our Sheriff Ryder?”

  His friend shifted in her seat. “Oh, um, we met at…uh…”

  A rich laugh left the female proprietor’s lips. “Oh, I’m sorry, sugar. I didn’t mean to put you on the spot. I’m just so curious. The sheriff doesn’t have many female friends.”

  Again with the subtlety.

  “I was hoping to get to know you before the rumor mill started.”

  “Rumor mill?” Kayla’s brow drew down in confusion.

  “Yes, dear. Small town, not much going on. New gal like you will be the talk of the town by dinnertime. There will be all kinds of speculation on who you are and what your relationship is to the sheriff.”

  The younger woman sucked in a sharp breath. Though he did tell her not to worry about being recognized in town, he probably should have mentioned everyone would be more interested in her relationship to him.

  “Everything from a torrid love affair to a witness protection placement. On the run from murders who want you dead.”

  Ryder watched as all the color drained from Kayla’s face. Ellen was only joking, but her jest hit too close to home. True, the town would be gossiping the moment they left the diner. Hell, by the looks of the table next to them, townsfolk hunched over in conversation, the rumor mill was already running.

  “I thought I’d get the straight story first. That way I can set everyone else straight.”

  “And have the advantage of knowing the truth before everyone else, right?” Ryder joked, trying to divert attention away from Kayla and set her nerves at ease. She looked like she was going to be ill.

  Ellen laughed, patting him on the shoulder. “Right you are, hon.”

  “Well, we’re just friends. Kayla happened to be in town, so she’s staying at my place for a bit. So set the rumor mill to bed. Nothing scandalous going on here.”

  Mostly true.

  “I’ll do what I can, but you know this town.” A patron raised a hand, catching Ellen’s attention. “I better get back to work. You two have fun now.” With a wink, the older woman departed.

  Ryder glanced at Kayla; her hands trembled in her lap.

  Dammit.

  He never should have brought her into town. What had he been thinking?

  “You okay?” The remainder of her half-eaten sandwich lay untouched on her plate. “Small towns like to gossip. Don’t worry, the most people will think is that we’re having a torrid love affair.”

  Her head snapped up, face flaming with embarrassment.

  Shit. Why had he said that? It was true, most people would think they were lovers. He rarely dated and never had people stay with him, except for his sister. A single woman staying at his home would put ideas into people’s heads. Hell, it was putting ideas into his head, ideas that should not be there. Kayla was scared and vulnerable. The last thing she needed was the man who vowed to protect her trying to get her into bed.

  Tossing enough cash to cover the bill, and a hefty tip, on the table, he rose.

  “You ready to head out?” They hadn’t eaten much, but his appetite was gone, and judging by the way she hunched over, Kayla’s was, too.

  “Yes.”

  Ryder wanted to put her mind at ease, but he didn’t know what else to say. The drive back to his place was quiet, the only sound filling the cab being the country music crackling over the radio. Reception wasn’t always the best up in the mountains.

  When they arrived back home, Kayla asked if she could use his washer and dryer for her new wardrobe. He showed her to the small laundry room off the kitchen. While she busied herself with laundry, he decided to shoot off a text to Liam, see if the man had dug up anything yet.

  —Hey buddy. How’s it going?—

  A few moments later, his phone pinged with a reply.

  —Boring as hell, but I’m keeping busy.—

  Code for: he found nothing yet, but he was still looking. Dammit.

  —Thinking of taking a vacation. Maybe somewhere down south, where it’s warmer. I’ll let you know.—

  That meant Liam was going to start searching classified reports. No one liked to think about a cop going bad. Most people wouldn’t admit it even if the evidence was right in front of them. There was something about the betrayal of someone tasked with the safety of citizens that really got to people. When checking into a dirty cop, it wa
s best to do it under the wire until you had solid proof. No one wanted to accuse a good cop of bad deeds. That was a career destroyer.

  Ryder believed Kayla’s story, but if he was ever going to get anyone else to believe her, he had to have some evidence, some kind of proof of David’s misdeeds. A violent kill like that didn’t just happen. There had to be something in David Tyler’s past leading up to it. Some show of anger, rage, viciousness. He gripped the phone tightly. It was there, he just had to find it.

  “Ryder?”

  Kayla’s soft voice broke through his thoughts. “Hey.”

  “Everything okay?”

  He rubbed a hand over his eyes, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “Yeah. I asked a friend to look into David. He hasn’t found anything yet, but he’s still looking.”

  She bit her lip, fingers fidgeting at her sides. “What are you hoping to find?”

  “Something to show he’s a dirty cop.”

  Hazel eyes filled with worry. “He might not be dirty. I mean, yes he killed Jen, but he was angry. It was a fit of rage—”

  “Sweetheart, he killed his girlfriend, had a plan to explain her murder, then made up a new plan to blame you once you ruined his cover. All that points to a guy used to walking on the wrong side of the law and using his badge to cover his ass.”

  She nodded in agreement. “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Can you think of any way to prove David killed Jen? Evidence of some kind? Fingerprints, DNA?”

  She shook her head. “He came over a lot. His fingerprints would be all over the apartment. And I’m sure he tampered with any DNA evidence pointing to him. He told me that’s what he would do.”

  Maybe they could somehow show David tampered with the evidence. It wouldn’t prove guilt, but it would cast suspicions. Enough to open an investigation to Kayla’s claims.