Nothing ever really disappeared completely on the Internet. No matter how much money her father had paid for that. And she probably should have come clean about Ryan not really being her boyfriend. This was partly her own fault. “It’s a risk you shouldn’t have taken.”
Tara lost her appetite, so she hopped up to get started on the dishes. As she stewed about what to do, two big, strong hands landed on her shoulders and gave a gentle squeeze. It sent a nice shiver down her spine.
Ryan sexy mouth next to her ear whispered, “Gotta go to work.”
She turned and forced a smile, not wanting him to see how upset she was. “Be extra careful out there on those mean streets, Officer.”
“It’s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it.” He gave her a sweet peck on the cheek like a real boyfriend might do before he turned to her parents. “Safe trip home, guys.”
Her father jumped up and shook Ryan’s hand. “Great to have met you, Ryan. See you next weekend.”
Dammit. Her parents were out of their freakin’ minds.
“Thank you so much for all the great food, Ryan.” Her mom stood and gave Ryan a hug, making it a complete love fest. They seemed happy and not worried about her for the first time since she’d come home from the hospital. She didn’t want to pop their happy bubbles and tell them Ryan was a fake now. But Ryan still couldn’t come to the wedding. It was too risky.
After Ryan said his goodbyes and left, Tara turned to her parents. “He’s not coming. End of discussion.”
Her dad moved around the counter and wrapped her up in a tight hug. “Detective Bailey said he was happy you’ll have a cop for a date. As low-key as we’ve tried to keep things, Spencer knows you’d never miss Laura’s wedding. We’ve beefed up security to presidential levels, but I’ll feel better too. We almost lost you once, sweetheart.”
Tara laid her head on her dad’s shoulder and blinked back her tears as memories of that horrific night filled her. Maybe they were right. It could be safer.
Her dad gave her one last squeeze before he released her. “Besides, I like Ryan.”
Her mom chimed in. “Me too!”
“Really, Mother?” Tara arched a brow. “Even though he’s in ‘public service’?”
“We just want to be sure you don’t end up with someone who’s after your trust fund. Ryan’s background check shows he’s actually quite wealthy for a sheriff. Does he have other business interests?”
It was probably the town’s profit sharing. Everyone, including herself, was paid quite well. It was what kept everyone’s mouths closed about the celebrities who visited. The income definitely rivaled anything a rag would pay for pictures. “Ryan and I are still getting to know one another. That’s never come up.”
Then a thought struck her. “You didn’t come because of my cell phone number change, did you?”
Her parents both quickly grabbed their plates and headed for the sink. Carrying dirty dishes? That was something they hadn’t done for themselves since she could remember. “When exactly did you have Ryan’s background checked, Dad?”
He spun around. Guilt shined brightly on his face. “Uh . . .”
Her mom said, “Tuesday night right after I talked to you.” She spread her hands. “We worry about you, honey. Surely you can’t blame us for that.”
She really couldn’t. But now when she wasn’t busy with her wedding duties, she’d have to stick to Ryan’s side. She’d already told Ryan she’d been in a bad marriage, but she couldn’t allow him any more details. Spencer’s prominent father had gone to great lengths to hide the details about her attack. As far as the media was concerned, she and Spencer had been in a terrible car accident right before their bitter divorce. But Detective Bailey had warned that searching for information using her married name or Spencer’s online could trigger alerts to someone as skilled at hacking as Spencer was. Then it could be as easy as tracking an IP address to find the searcher’s location. Wouldn’t be hard to find her in Anderson Butte if Spencer ever got that close.
Maybe while she was busy at the wedding, she could have her cousin Gina run interference with Ryan to be sure her secret stayed buried?
That might actually work.
Ryan fired up his laptop. No one else was around the office, and he was determined to dig out Tara-aka-Jamie’s secret. Her parents had calmly related that story about Tara’s nickname, but the panic in Tara’s eyes had been real when he’d called her Jamie. Her maiden name started with a Mc- something, and Jamie was most likely her real name.
Tara had a dental license. Maybe he could see if he could find more there.
He’d start with Google.
A loud squawk came from his belt. “Sheriff? You copy?”
Ryan snatched his radio. “Go, Mike.”
“Uh. I have something a little unusual. Can I get a hand out at the Barkers’ place?”
Sighing, he said, “Be right there.” Mike was a great guy, but wasn’t one who could think on his feet when confronted with anything outside of his tiny comfort zone.
He’d have to come back to his search later.
As he walked outside, guilt for snooping sat like a lead ball in his gut. He’d rather Tara just tell him herself. Maybe after a few “dates” she’d realize she could trust him to keep her secret. And to keep her safe from whatever she was obviously still afraid of.
Ryan walked the quarter mile to the Barkers’ place. Mike had driven his squad car to the bottom of the drive near the lake, where Nate Barker stood holding a rifle pointed at something in the distance. When Ryan spotted the gun, he picked up the pace. “What’s going on, guys?”
Mike turned and grinned. “Seems Nate has caught him a pair of fornicators down the shore there.”
Ryan glanced in the direction the gun was pointed and spotted the naked pair. Pam, the hairdresser who’d flirted with him since high school, and Toby. “Nate, put the gun down.”
“Nope. They’ll get away. I’m tired of all the trespassing going on by folks looking for that buried recipe.”
His deputy said, “I think Nate’s just enjoying the fine view.”
Mike probably was too. The guy was the same age as Ryan, but he still acted like a hormonal teenager.
Ryan rubbed the back of his neck as he searched for a solution to make everyone happy. “Clearly, these two weren’t searching for any recipes. Put the gun down. Now.”
Nate grunted but did as he was told. Ryan shot a glance to Mike, silently telling him to secure the gun. Ryan unbuttoned his shirt to give to Pam as he approached the naked couple. Pam stood, making no effort whatsoever to cover up, and smiled at him. He tossed his shirt to her. “What the hell, you two? Where are your clothes?”
Unfortunately, Toby lifted his hands that had covered his junk when he started to explain. “We took my boat out to Sunset Cove last night, then decided to lose our suits and do some skinny-dipping. Pam said she didn’t want to drown while we . . . were going at it, so we had a race to the shore. Afterward, we needed to, uh, rest a bit, if you know what I mean, and we accidentally fell asleep. When we woke up this morning for round two—”
Ryan held up a hand. “Got it. So Nate saw you in the act?”
Toby nodded, as a smirking Pam took her time buttoning up the shirt.
Ryan had been guilty of skinny-dipping at Sunset Cove, a crescent-moon-shaped island in the middle of the lake, a time or two himself—but in high school. Trying to maintain a serious demeanor while standing in his white T-shirt, he said, “Toby, get your ass back out there and get your clothes. Then meet me at my office for your sentence. Pam, you need to come with me.”
As Toby dove into the lake, Pam’s eyes grew wide. “You’re seriously going to arrest us, Ryan?”
“Have to.”
She laid her hands on his shoulders. “I can think of a few better ways to pay my debt to society.” She mo
ved her mouth next to his ear and whispered all the sexual positions on her bucket list she’d yet to try. Pam had teased him like that since middle school, but he had to admit, the positions were a lot more creative than those way back then. He gave her credit for that, but it still wasn’t happening.
“Toby’s a lucky guy. But your sentence won’t involve handcuffs; rather, free haircuts for all the guys on the force. Now let’s make this look good for Nate.”
“Thanks, Ryan.” Pam batted her eyes. “At least I got to live out one of my favorite secret fantasies today—to wake up in just your shirt.”
“I’m flattered. Now knock it off and look concerned.”
After he loaded Pam into the back of Mike’s cruiser, and then stayed until Nate seemed placated, Ryan walked back to his office for the punishment he’d have to dole out.
He smiled thinking of what Tara had said earlier. That was about as “mean” as the streets of Anderson Butte got—having to scold fornicators. Or the occasional domestic disturbance, stolen item, or drunk and disorderly celebrity. There hadn’t been a murder or a major robbery since he’d been sheriff. Might be nice to have a little more excitement in Denver.
But who’d take his place when he left? Mike wasn’t sheriff material and Joe and Nick, his other two deputies, were older and only part time.
Wasn’t his problem. His dad could hire someone new.
Or, maybe Josh would do it. He’d had more training during his time in the FBI than all of the current force combined.
He’d bring it up later at poker. He didn’t like the thought of leaving the people in town in the wrong hands.
Relieved her parents and their secret-spilling mouths were on their way back home, Tara sent an e-mail to her cousin about the new plan for babysitting Ryan at the wedding. After convincing her cousin that Ryan was truly handsome and not some geeky nerd she’d have to deal with, Gina finally agreed. Luckily her dad had already sent the e-mail warning people not to talk to Ryan about her past. Spencer knew she’d changed her name to hide from him. And that she’d never go back to using her maiden name.
So if Ryan Googled her parents, he’d figure out her maiden name from their doctored online presence, but he wouldn’t find out Spencer’s name or her former married last name. That was the most important piece of information to keep buried. Combined with the fib her parents had told Ryan about Jamie being her nickname, all the bases should be covered.
Still, she wished Ryan would change his mind about coming to the wedding. Or maybe something would come up in town to keep him home. She could only hope.
All her cover-up duties done, Tara jogged around the lake to pick up Sherlock.
As her tennis shoes hit the gravel in Meg’s drive, Tara slowed her pace. Work crews were on the roof, and another set worked on the siding on Meg’s lodge. Must be hard to live in all that noise and mess.
She spotted Eric conducting what looked like obedience training for Sherlock and his littermate, Captain Jack Sparrow. Their mother, Oreo, lay in the shade observing. Sherlock loved Eric and was being the perfect little gentleman.
“Hey, Eric.”
He glanced over his shoulder. “Hi, Tara.”
When Sherlock heard her, his manners disappeared and he bounded toward her. There was nothing better than her puppy’s enthusiasm every single time he saw her. She leaned down and gave him a rub.
Meg joined them. “I think Eric has a future as a dog trainer. Wait until you see their latest trick.”
Eric lined up all three dogs, told them to sit, and placed a dog treat on each of their snouts. Sherlock quivered in anticipation, but held his position until Eric gave the command, and all three flipped up the treats and caught them in their mouths.
“That’s awesome!” Tara circled an arm around Eric’s bony shoulder and gave him a hug as she slipped him some money for babysitting. “You’re the best dog sitter ever.”
“Thanks. I’ll go get Sherlock’s leash.” Eric ran off and all three dogs followed behind him. Like he was the Pied Piper of dogs.
Meg slid Tara a look. “You pay him way too much. He loves Sherlock and would watch him for free.”
She shrugged. “He’s saving up for a special birthday gift for Josh.” She’d offered to buy it at a place she’d told him had it cheaper online. She planned to help pay for some of it while maintaining his pride. She’d always had a soft spot for Eric.
Meg smiled. “That’s sweet. I didn’t realize that.”
“Which means it was probably a secret I just blew, so don’t mention it, please.”
“’Kay. So, rumors are a flyin’ about you and Ryan. Deets, please.”
Tara shook her head, while reminding herself she’d wanted small-town life. “Ryan asked me to help him be a better ‘dater’ for when he moves to Denver. Nothing is going on between us.”
“Good luck with that.” Meg sighed. “Sadly, our mother wasn’t a saint, and Ryan has sworn he’d never be with a woman who lies and cheats like she did. Because of that, he’s held the women he’s dated to impossibly high standards. But even if he finds the right one, he’ll probably lose her because he doesn’t talk to her. He’s not one to waste unnecessary words.”
Great. Now she felt ten times guiltier for lying about her secret to Ryan. “I’ve noticed the quiet part when he’s around everyone else, but weirdly, he’s not that quiet around me.”
“Reeeaaally?” A slow, mischievous smile lit Meg’s face.
Meg had that same gleam in her eyes that Tara’s mother got when plotting her next sneaky move.
Eric returned with Sherlock on his leash. Tara took the lead. “Our first ‘practice date’ will be whitewater rafting day after tomorrow. Maybe we’ll work on his expectations.”
Eric’s eyes lit up. “I’ve always wanted to go whitewater rafting.”
Perfect! That way she wouldn’t be alone with Ryan. He was too damned attractive for his own good. “Why don’t you come along? We’re going Sunday afternoon.” She turned to Meg. “Is that okay?”
“Bringing kids along on dates can be a bit of a buzzkill, Tara.” She smiled at Eric. “No offense, buddy.”
“It’s not a real date anyway. I hear you’re an excellent guide, Meg. Why don’t you come along too?” His sister being there would guarantee nothing would happen between her and Ryan.
Meg’s brow furrowed. “Um. I’m not sure Ryan . . .”
“He won’t mind. Will I see you later for Blitzed Bingo at Brewster’s?”
“Yeah.” Meg nodded. “Josh is playing poker tonight, so I’m in.”
“Great. See you later, then. Bye, Eric.”
Tara started off at a jog with her puppy in tow. When Sherlock suddenly crossed in front of her, she nearly face-planted. She’d tried to get Sherlock to learn to run alongside her, but he still hadn’t gotten that down. He had to stop and investigate at every opportunity, hence his name. Resigned, Tara gave up and slowed to a walk, looking forward to a fun Friday night with the girls, and maybe a few hours with no worries about Spencer and if he’d make trouble for her at the wedding.
Ryan got dealt another crap hand. They were gathered around Ben’s dining room table playing poker and Ryan hadn’t won a hand all night. It tempted him to fold and call it a night. He’d had a hard time concentrating when his mind kept going back to the frustrating lack of information he’d found online about Tara. And without a search warrant, the state licensing board could only give out basic information. He’d just have to hope the wedding would prove more fruitful.
Ben said, “Pot’s light, Ryan. Ante up.”
Ryan threw a dime in the center of the table and hoped for the best. It was only ten o’clock. The guys would razz him if he went home early.
Ben, Josh, Mike, Billy, and Ryan had been competing in an ongoing nickel, dime, quarter poker rivalry. Currently his brother was in last place and pissy a
bout it.
Ben dealt the next round, took one look at his hand, then threw the cards on the table. “What does a guy have to do? I’ve had nothing all night!”
Billy chuckled. “You’re just hacked because Mikey and I are totally taking advantage of your brother’s losing streak and you’re not.” He gave Mike a high five.
Ignoring them, Ryan threw two cards away and scooped up their replacements. He’d hoped to talk to Josh in private about taking his position after he left but Mike had been early for the first time in his life. He’d talk to Josh later.
Ben said, “Ryan is distracted by our new pretty dentist. He’s got it bad for her.”
Ryan shot Ben a shut-the-F-up look and threw a quarter in the pot to bluff.
“She’s a looker, that one.” Billy threw a quarter in too. “How’d you get so lucky there, dog?”
Ben chuckled. “Oh, they aren’t actually dating. She’s just giving Ryan ‘dating lessons’ because she lost a bet or something. Genius. I’m surprised Ry had it in him.”
“Fifty to you, Josh.” Mike threw in a quarter and then added another. “What the hell are dating lessons, Ryan?”
“We’re going rafting on Sunday and then to her sister’s wedding next Saturday.” Hopefully opportunities to change Tara’s mind about having a relationship with him.
“Wedding?” Mike drained his beer. “You’re getting lucky for sure. Am I right, gentlemen?”
The guys all nodded.
“Haven’t been to a wedding yet that I haven’t gotten some afterward.” Ben drained his glass.
“It’s a guaranteed score with the wife,” Mike said. “Something about all the romance in the air.”
“I hate weddings,” Billy said with a grunt. “Only thing that makes them bearable are all the hot babes. Like Tara. She makes going to the dentist—”
“Hey.” Ryan held up a hand. He’d had enough. “No more smack talk about Tara or I’ll kick all your asses.”
It Had to Be Love (An It Had to Be Novel) Page 9
