by T. L. Haddix
His eyes closed, and he nodded. “Okay.” He slipped on the shirt and quickly buttoned it, but left it hanging loose. Picking up his coat, he slipped it on over the shirt and followed her to the door.
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Sheriff.”
“Will you at least call me if you need me?”
“I can’t imagine that I’d need anything, but thanks for the offer. Drive safely, okay?” For a brief instant, she thought he was going to change his mind and argue, but he stepped through the door instead.
When he was a few feet down the walk, he stopped and turned back. “Your car. It’s at the warehouse.”
She waved a hand. “I’ll have Stacy swing by and pick me up in the morning.”
He took a step back toward the door. “You’re sure?”
“Of course. I’ll see you tomorrow.” Without waiting for a response, she closed the door. The behavior was rude, yes, but she knew that if he lingered much longer, there was a very real danger she would throw herself at his feet and beg him to stay.
Chapter Eighteen
By the time Wyatt got back to the office the next afternoon after his meeting with the county prosecutor, he was in a foul mood. He’d left Maria’s house frustrated, out of sorts, and thoroughly disgusted with himself. As a result, he’d slept very little. His mood, not great to begin with, had only deteriorated throughout the rest of the day.
He was finishing up paperwork he’d put off earlier when the phone beeped. He hit the speaker button. “Yes, Gretchen?”
“Sheriff, Dr. Richard Hudson is here to see you.”
“Okay. Send him in.” He took of his reading glasses and stood, a little surprised as he moved around the desk to greet the tall man. They shook hands as Gretchen left, closing the door behind her.
“Hey, Richard. What brings you here today?”
“I have a little problem.”
Wyatt felt a whisper of foreboding chase across his shoulders, and he waved a hand toward the chairs in front of the desk, taking one for himself. “Have a seat. What’s going on?”
“Nothing good, I’m afraid. My brother John advised me to come talk to you.” Richard sat down, pulled a folded envelope out of his jacket pocket, and handed to Wyatt. “We got this in the mail at the office today.”
With a sigh, Wyatt took the letter. He stared down at it for several seconds, then looked up at Richard. “Please tell me this isn’t a blackmail letter.”
Richard’s mouth tightened, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. “Sorry, but that’s exactly what it is.”
Wyatt cursed. Reaching across the desk, he grabbed his glasses and put them back on. His eyebrows came together as he read the letter, which accused the doctor of covering up several malpractice lawsuits. “Okay. Don’t take this the wrong way, but is it true?”
“No. Not even remotely close to being true.”
“Well, you’re the first, then. Congratulations.” When Richard shot him a questioning look, Wyatt shook his head. “You aren’t the only one who’s received a letter.”
“Ouch. So what do we do about this?”
Leaning back in his chair, Wyatt scrubbed a hand over his hair. “I’d say let me get a detective in here to take your statement, then we’ll send the letter to the lab and go from there. How’s that sound?”
“Frustratingly unsatisfactory, but if that’s what you’d advise, that’s what we’ll do. Ethan or Stacy?”
“Do you have a preference?”
Richard shook his head. “No, not really, but I don’t want Ethan to think I don’t believe in his abilities, since he’s my son-in-law. So I guess I do have a preference, after all.”
Wyatt chuckled. “Okay.” He moved around the desk to use the phone, dialing Ethan’s extension. “Hey, can you come up here? We have another letter.” He listened for a minute. “Okay. In that case, we’ll meet you in the small conference room.” He hung up the phone. “You got lucky, and you got them both. Mind if I ask why didn’t you just go straight to Ethan to begin with?”
Richard made an expansive gesture. “Because then Jason might feel slighted, or Chase. Or Beth. I figured coming to you was either the neutral way to handle things, or I’d at least tick them all off equally. Jackie and I try to not play favorites.”
Laughing, Wyatt shook his head. As he led the doctor downstairs to the conference room, he remarked, “You’ve got a solid family. I don’t think you have anything to worry about.”
“We do have some pretty good kids. Oh, before they get here, good job with Maria’s wounds.”
Ignoring the flush that heated his face, Wyatt flipped on the lights and waved Richard into the room. “So she came to see you? She’s okay?”
“She’s fine. You know, she had a similar look on her face when your name was mentioned,” Richard said, studying him.
“Really? Gee, that’s interesting, Doc. Hmm.”
Richard laughed. “I thought her reaction was interesting, yes.” When Wyatt glowered at him, the doctor held up his hands. “My lips are sealed.”
“There’s nothing to tell, thank you very much.”
“Of course there isn’t,” Richard agreed, his hand forming an ‘okay’ symbol.
Stacy and Ethan came in then, and as the conversation moved on to the letter Richard had received, Wyatt knew his words hadn’t convinced the doctor that nothing was going on with Maria, any more than they had convinced him.
Chapter Nineteen
When Ethan knocked on her office door, Maria was gathering her things together, ready to call it a night. A glance at her watch showed that it was almost six o’clock. Outside, the sky was already dark, and she was beyond tired. Between her wounds and the stress of everything that had happened yesterday, she had tossed and turned all night.
She was also a little hurt that Wyatt hadn’t kept his promise to let her know how things had gone, though she tried to convince herself that she had no right to feel that way. She was very much afraid that the kiss had ruined their friendship, and had been a huge mistake.
“Hey, what brings you this way so late?” she asked.
He held up a piece of paper. “This. We’ve got another one. This is your copy.”
She set down her purse, her jaw dropping with disbelief as she reached for the letter. “Who now?”
Ethan’s face was grim. “My father-in-law. The accusation is that he’s covered up malpractice lawsuits.”
Maria just rolled her eyes. “Yeah, right. Any other doctor, sure, but not Dr. H. There’s no way.”
At her staunch defense, he relaxed a little. “He’s the first victim we know of whose accusation isn’t true. I’m not sure if that means something, or nothing.”
“Aren’t you detectives always saying that changes in behavior or patterns are significant?”
“We are.” He checked his watch. “If you’re leaving, I’ll walk you out.”
Purse and coat in hand, Maria locked her office door and walked down the hall alongside him. “How’s Beth?”
“Looking forward to the weekend. We’re both off and have absolutely nothing planned save a birthday dinner on Saturday for my stepfather. If we go.”
“Are things better there?”
He shook his head. “We haven’t really talked. James did call and apologize, but that’s pretty much it.”
“I still just can’t imagine Stella saying those things to Beth.” Changing the subject, she asked about something less somber. “How are the wedding preparations coming?”
They’d reached the door that opened onto the parking lot, and they both paused to put on their coats. Ethan held the door open for her. “Jason’s starting to get nervous, and Chase is impatient to get it over and done with. Hannah and Annie both have their hands full dealing with them.”
Both of Beth’s brothers had recently become engaged. Jason, a deputy in the sheriff’s department, would be getting married the weekend before Thanksgiving, and Chase a few weeks later in mid-December.
Maria laughed at Eth
an’s gleeful expression. “And you get to sit back and gloat because you didn’t have to wait.”
“Something like that. There’s something to be said for eloping. Beth’s enjoying the show, too.”
As they reached her car, she dug her keys out of her purse. She was a little envious of the close relationship Ethan and Beth enjoyed and couldn’t help wishing she had someone waiting at home for her with open arms. “Thanks for walking me out.”
“No problem. By the way, Wyatt asked me to give you a message. He said he hasn’t forgotten his promise, and that he’s sorry. He got held up with the mayor as soon as Richard left.”
She felt her face flush, and something tight inside her started to loosen. “Oh, okay. Thanks for telling me.”
He shot her a curious look. “Notice that I’m behaving here? Not demanding to know what the mysterious message means? And I’m plenty curious; don’t think I’m not.”
She rolled her eyes. “And you deserve a reward, too, for being so reserved.” She got into the car, leaving the door open so they could talk. “Let’s just say I’m considering your advice and leave it at that.”
To her surprise, Ethan pumped a fist into the air and gave a small whoop as he started walking to his truck. “Hallelujah.”
“You know, you’ve practically turned into a Cupid since you got married. You’re almost as bad as Jason.”
“It’s the result of being blissfully happy. I’ll see you tomorrow. Drive safely.”
Still smiling, she pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward home. She needed to stop by the grocery store and grab a few things, but she was just too tired. She’d dropped her prescription for antibiotics off at the pharmacy earlier, though, so she had to stop. If she was going to do that, she figured she might as well grab a few things while she was there.
The message from Wyatt kept going through her mind. It was probably for the best that he hadn’t sought her out earlier. She had no idea what she would say to him, not after last night’s kiss.
As she wheeled her cart through the grocery store, she winced. Not only were her wounds starting to really itch, but the sharp, heavy pain in her right side that she had been experiencing sporadically for the last several months returned, throbbing with a strange pulse of its own.
“I should have mentioned that to Dr. H.,” she muttered as she bagged some apples. She had been putting off getting the pain checked out, knowing there would probably be tests required for a diagnosis. Given her phobia, she’d have to be in much more pain than she was in order to endure the poking and prodding. Trying to put the pain to the back of her mind, she picked up her prescription and made her way to the front to pay for her purchases.
As she loaded her purchases in the car, a particularly sharp twinge shot through her side, and she gasped. “Okay. That’s unpleasant.” She held onto the edge of the trunk until the pain passed. “Soon. Very, very soon, I will get that checked out. Just not today.”
Chapter Twenty
It didn’t matter how many times he told himself stopping by was a bad idea. He could just as easily make a quick, impersonal phone call to follow through with his promise, but that option didn’t appeal to him in the least. Even if a call was a better idea. No, as much as Wyatt tried, he couldn’t convince himself to drive past the complex where Maria lived. Instead, he found himself in the parking lot, staring up at her condominium like some love-struck fool. It was such a cliché—a man his age enamored with a woman young enough to be his daughter—but there it was.
When he’d first realized months ago that he was attracted to her, he worked very hard at convincing himself such an attraction wasn’t suitable. However, after having spent time with her on recent cases and especially after seeing her vulnerability last night, he just didn’t give a rat’s behind any longer.
A tap on the window startled him out of his reverie. Instinctively, he reached for the gun on his hip, but when he saw Jason Hudson standing outside his SUV, he relaxed. Blowing out a tense breath, he rolled down the window.
“Jason.”
“Wyatt.” The young deputy grinned, even as he danced in place to keep warm. “Everything okay?”
“Yes. Everything is fine. What are you doing here?”
Jason gestured over his shoulder with a thumb. “I live across the street in another unit. Shoot, half the department lives in this complex. I was taking out the garbage and saw you sitting here, so I just wanted to check and see if there was a problem.” He looked up the walk toward Maria’s front door. “Awfully chilly night. I’m sure glad I’m going to have someone to snuggle up to this winter.” His grin had widened when he looked back at Wyatt, and he gave an exaggerated shiver to emphasize his words. “Beats being a bachelor all to heck.”
His gaze narrowing, Wyatt tapped out a rhythm on the steering wheel. “I imagine it does. Shouldn’t you go back inside before you freeze to death?”
With a shrug, Jason crossed his arms, shoving his hands under his arms. “Probably. But I wanted to come over, be neighborly. Check on a friend who seems to be struggling with a dilemma.” The grin faded. “You gonna go up there and ring the doorbell or not?”
Wyatt sighed, unable to stay stern with the earnest younger man. He turned off the motor. “Do you think I should? She isn’t expecting me.”
“It’s worth a shot, anyhow. Besides, I have the two of you going on a real date before Thanksgiving in the pool at the department.”
Stunned, Wyatt rolled up the window and got out of the vehicle slowly. “In the what? I know you didn’t mean ‘pool’ as in betting pool.”
Once again, Jason struggled to hide his grin. “Um, well, yeah. I kind of did. We’re cops, Wyatt. It’s hard to keep secrets in a police department, and the two of you have been shooting sparks off each other for a while now.”
Wyatt didn’t know what to say. He rubbed a hand over his hair. “So the whole department knows we’re…what? We aren’t dating. I don’t even know if she would… damn it. Does Maria know about this?”
“No, I don’t think so. And most everyone thinks that it’s about danged time. There are a few folks who aren’t thrilled, but you can probably figure out who. They’re the people who’re looking for any excuse to discredit you. You know the type I mean.”
“Unfortunately.” While most of his employees supported him, a tiny handful of detractors had differing political opinions. He looked at Maria’s front door and groaned. “Get yourself inside, son, before you get sick out here and miss your own wedding.”
Jason chuckled when Wyatt locked the SUV. “Good deal. Best news I’ve heard all week.” With a jaunty salute, he jogged across the street, back to his own condo.
For a couple of minutes, Wyatt just stood there, looking up the walk toward the light glowing warmly through the curtains. When the Maria’s porch light came on, he swallowed and started up the walkway.
“Might as well get it over with,” he mumbled. He just hoped he didn’t end up making a fool of himself.
~ * * * ~
Maria almost didn’t answer the phone. She’d just gotten out of the shower and was ready to curl up in bed with a good movie and some popcorn. However, since Jason hardly ever called her, she figured she should probably answer it, just in case.
“Hello?”
“Hey, neighbor. You busy?”
She frowned. “No. Why?”
“Good. Then you need to go to your front door right now.”
“What? Jason, what are you up to?” The deputy had a well-deserved reputation as the department’s biggest prankster. Maria was in no mood for one of his tricks, and told him as much.
With a put-upon sigh, he asked, “Can you just go to the door and open it, please? Be quick about it, and don’t say I never did anything for you.” With that mysterious salvo, he hung up.
Not entirely happy about what she was doing, Maria nonetheless went to the front door. The very last thing she expected to see when she flipped on the light and opened the door was Wyatt st
anding at the end of her walkway. Stunned, she waited until he reached the door to speak. “What are you doing here? Is everything okay?”
“Yeah. Everything’s fine,” he assured her, looking uncomfortable. “I was just passing through, in the neighborhood, you know. Thought I’d stop by and check on you, let you know about today like I said I would.”
“Okay.” She stepped back and gestured for him to enter. “It’s nearly eight o’clock. Surely you aren’t just now getting away from the office?”
He hesitated. “You’re ready for bed. I should have just waited until tomorrow, but I didn’t want you to think I’d forgotten about my promise. I won’t come in.”
Maria looked down at herself and blushed. She’d completely forgotten that she was clad only in a long, granny-style gown that reached nearly to the floor, her hair still damp and hanging down her back. Just then, Wyatt’s stomach let out a growling rumble.
Her gaze flew to his. “Have you eaten?”
He shrugged. “No, but…” His words ended abruptly as she reached out and tugged his arm.
“Get in here. You’re letting all the warm air out, and I’m not about to send you home hungry.” When she tugged again, he gave in. She closed the door and, leading him into the kitchen, she pointed to the chair. “Take off your coat and have a seat. Would you like some coffee, tea, cocoa? And maybe a bowl of chicken and wild rice soup to go with it?”
She pulled a large bowl out of the refrigerator and got down a dish to heat the soup.
“Coffee’d be nice. Do you have decaf?”
With a flourish, she directed his gaze to the rotating display of coffee and tea selections. “I treated myself to one of those single-cup machines for my birthday. Not only do I have decaf, I have a couple different roasts, as well.”
He smiled. “Plain decaf is fine.” When she rolled her eyes with a teasing grin, he shrugged. “I like the classics.”
“There’s nothing wrong with the classics.” She started brewing a cup for him. “As a matter of fact, I’m going to be watching a classic movie here this evening.”
