Prince Charming Wears a Badge

by Lisa Dyson

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ON THE DRIVE back to Poppy’s, Callie assessed the visit with her dad. He’d never asked where she was staying. Because he’d wanted to avoid the subject? If they’d spoken about it, would he have felt the need to invite her to stay with him and Ellen?

  Not that she’d have accepted. She’d barely recognized Ellen as the same person who’d raised her. Her stepmother had been subdued, but that didn’t mean Callie would ever be comfortable in that house. Whether Ellen was there or not. Callie had too many awful memories to spend even one night there.

  She relaxed her hands that were gripping the steering wheel.

  She and her dad had carefully skirted several other subjects, too. Like, why he hadn’t contacted her in all this time. She’d sent him letters, gifts at Christmas and for his birthday, as well as an invitation to her college graduation. He’d never responded to any of them. Yet if he was angry with her for not returning before now, he never let on.

  Callie parked on the street in front of Poppy’s, right behind Gino’s SUV. Tyler’s truck was gone.

  She wondered where they were having dinner and what to wear. Tyler hadn’t said whether this was a casual or dressy evening, although touring his house that was under renovation in heels might not be wise. She was really anxious to see the inside of the house that she’d always considered a perfect home. She also looked forward to a relaxing evening after her visit with her dad.

  She went directly to her room, avoiding the commotion in the kitchen. It sounded like Tyler’s girls were “helping” Poppy. From the delicious smell when she entered the house, Callie guessed they were baking something.

  A few minutes later there was a knock on her bedroom door.

  “Hi,” she said when she opened it to Tyler. She was surprised at how happy she was to see him. Probably because her day was going so well, not counting the concerns she’d had after leaving her dad’s.

  He smiled and returned her greeting. “I just got back from work. There was a traffic accident over in Bridgeport and they needed some extra assistance.”

  “Was it bad?”

  He shrugged. “No one hurt. An oil tanker spilled its contents and the road had to be closed. I’ve been directing traffic around it.”

  She nodded. “So you’re exhausted, and the last thing you want to do is go to dinner with me?”

  “No, no!” He laughed. “That’s not it at all. I came by because we hadn’t made specific plans for tonight.” He narrowed his eyes at her. “You aren’t trying to back out, are you?”

  She tilted her head and smiled. “Would I do that?”

  “Absolutely,” he said bluntly then smiled. “Too late. We have a reservation at Chez Louis for seven o’clock. We can go see my house before then. Work for you?”

  “Sounds good. I love French food.” Chez Louis was one of the nicest restaurants in the area. One she’d never been able to go to when she’d lived in Whittler’s Creek. “Will I be able to wear heels around your house or should I bring other shoes?”

  He pursed his lips. “I didn’t think of that. I’d bring other shoes. Inside isn’t bad, but the landscaping has been torn up and it might be muddy after last night’s thunderstorm.”

  She nodded. “So what time should we leave?”

  “How about five-thirty? That should give us enough time to see the house and get to the restaurant on time.”

  “Daddy!” One of his daughters was calling him as she came up the stairs. “Look what we made!” Madison held a plate of cookies out to him. “Try one.”

  He did as she asked and took a large bite. “Mmm,” he said with overdone enthusiasm. “This is delicious. My favorite.”

  “You say that every time,” his daughter reminded him.

  “But this is my absolute favorite.”

  She lowered the register of her voice. “You always say that, too.”

  He laughed and patted her head. “I guess you found me out. I love all cookies.”

  Callie was enjoying their exchange, wishing she’d had a closer relationship with her father. Between traveling as a long-haul trucker and Ellen’s interference, Callie’d rarely had one-on-one time with him while growing up.

  “Would you like one, Ms. Callie?” Madison held the plate out.

  “I’d love one. Thank you.” Callie took one and bit into it. “This really is delicious.” Tyler hadn’t embellished his review at all.

  Madison grinned.

  “Aunt Poppy could open a restaurant with her recipes,” Tyler said. “Although I don’t mind that we don’t have to share.”

  Madison asked if either of them wanted a second cookie. Callie declined, but Tyler took two more before his daughter went back downstairs.

  After swallowing a mouthful, he said, “So I’ll see you about five-thirty?”

  She nodded. “I’ll be ready.”

  He turned to head down the hall to his room while she admired his trim body and wondered what the evening would bring.

  *

  TYLER SPENT THE rest of the afternoon with his daughters, playing the prince to their princesses followed by soccer at the local elementary school.

  When they got back, the girls went to find Aunt Poppy while Tyler grabbed a shower. He could count the number of dates he’d been on since his divorce on one hand. So he was more than a little apprehensive about the evening with Callie.

  It was only dinner. He’d eaten thousands of meals in his lifetime. He had manners. He knew how to have a pleasant conversation. So why was he worried?

  As soon as he saw Callie come down the stairs to where he stood by the front door, he knew exactly why.

  She wore a formfitting dress in a dark red. She would probably call it some other name, but he lived in a world of eight-pack crayons. The dress was sleeveless and stopped inches above her knees, leaving her long legs bare. She wore tan high-heeled sandals and carried a pair of running shoes in one hand and a small purse in the other.

  Her hair was loose, flowing over her shoulders and moving with the stirring breeze as she hurried down the stairs.

  “You look great,” he said when she reached the bottom step.

  She smiled and looked even sexier, if that was possible. “Thank you.” She eyed him up and down, taking in his gray slacks, light blue dress shirt with the collar open, and a black jacket. “You look pretty great yourself.”

  He was out of practice getting compliments so he changed the subject. “Ready to go?” At her nod he opened the door and she went out ahead of him. The rear view of her wasn’t too shabby, either.

  He helped her into his truck and came around to the driver’s side. He put his hand on the door handle and sucked in a breath. Nothing to be worried about. Nothing to be worried about.

  Except that when he opened his door, her light, sweet scent had already filled the cab of his truck.

  He was a dead man.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  Her question knocked some sense back into him. “What? Yes, I’m fine.” The engine turned over and he pulled away from the curb. “My house still needs a lot of work, so I hope you aren’t disappointed. I know you said you always loved that house.”

  “That’s true,” she said, her hands folded in her lap, just above where her dress had scooted to show several more inches of bare legs.

  He jerked his attention back to the road.

  “I’m sure the work you’ve done on it has only made it better,” she said.

  “I hope so. I had an architect friend help. Someone renovated the house in the eighties, but they didn’t remain true to the original. My friend was adamant about not losing the character of the house and restoring it to its original time period.”

  “I’ve never been inside it,” Callie told him. “What kind of things did they do?”

  He made a left turn onto the street where his house sat at the top of the hill. “They put those off-white Formica and oak-trimmed cabinets in the kitchen and all the bathrooms.”

  �
�Oh, no,” she said. “They scream ‘eighties’ all by themselves.”

  “There was also a lot of stenciling of geese, hearts, things like that. The worst was that they replaced the bathtubs, which were probably claw-footed, with one-piece vinyl shower enclosures.”

  “Sounds like it’s a huge project.”

  “Much bigger than I’d anticipated.” He reached the driveway and stopped. “This is as close as I can get to the house. I’m risking a flat tire if I pull into the driveway.”

  While Callie switched shoes, Tyler came around to help her out of the truck. She placed a hand on his shoulder and his hands spanned her waist as he lifted her to the ground without thinking. Their eyes met and he quickly dropped his hands.

  He needed to get over this or he’d never be able to enjoy the evening.

  So he did what any red-blooded man would do when faced with a woman so sexy he ached with wanting her.

  He pulled her in for a kiss that was supposed to end his wanting but instead made him want her even more. She didn’t push him away. Her mouth softened and she leaned her body into his.

  “Now we don’t have to wonder,” he said on the fly when he finally released her.

  “Wonder what?” Her slightly out-of-breath tone wasn’t helping his libido.

  “Whether we’ll kiss good-night or not. We’ve already gotten it out of the way.”

  She smirked. “I wasn’t wondering about it.”

  “You weren’t?”

  She shook her head slightly. “Nope.”

  “Oh. I guess it was just me then.”

  Before he could say anything more, she kissed him. Kissed him good. Made their prior kiss amateurish.

  “What was that for?” he asked. His body was in overdrive.

  She grinned. “I was just curious.”

  He liked this game. “Curious about what?”

  “Curious whether you would get any more flustered than you already were if I kissed you.”

  His eyes widened. “Me, flustered?” She was absolutely right.

  Instead of responding she turned a hundred and eighty degrees to take off down the driveway to his house.

  *

  CALLIE COULD PRACTICALLY feel Tyler’s eyes on her as she navigated her way to the house. The thought made her smile. Even before coming to Whittler’s Creek, it had been quite a while since she’d been appreciated for her looks. Andrew had been stingy with the compliments, preferring to focus on himself instead.

  She heard Tyler come up behind her as she neared the covered portico. “The house is beautiful. At least, the bones of it.”

  He stood next to her. “I’m glad you can see that with all the work that still needs to be done.” The 1920’s brick Colonial Revival needed a facelift, but it appeared structurally sound. “Some paint and a new roof will help,” he said. “Thankfully the roof held up long enough that it hasn’t leaked and caused damage.”

  They were both looking up at the peeling dormers in the roof.

  He stepped to the front door, key in hand, and unlocked it. “And, don’t worry, the house has been fumigated.”

  Her eyes widened. “Fumigated?”

  He chuckled. “Oh, yeah. It had been empty for years except for some unwanted creatures. Bats in the attic, termites in the walls, mice in the basement.”

  Callie shivered as she stepped through the front entrance. “And you’re sure they’re gone?”

  “As sure as I can be.” He took her hand. “Come on. I’ll show you the kitchen. I’ve been doing that and the bathrooms first. Then I’ll get to the bedrooms and finally downstairs.”

  “You’re doing all this by yourself?”

  “I’ve done a lot of it, but I’ve contracted out some of the more difficult things. I can demo and dry-wall, and I can even do some of the plumbing, but things like electrical I leave to an expert.”

  She was pleasantly surprised at his ability, especially when they reached the kitchen. “This is wonderful!” She walked around on the black-and-white tiled floor to see the multitude of white cabinets, shelves and glass-fronted cabinets. “I love the countertops.” She ran a hand over the black quartz embedded with pieces of clear glass in it.

  “The butler’s pantry is over here.” He led her into a narrow room with similar cabinets and countertops running its length. There was even a second sink.

  Next they went into the dining room that had peeling paint and a built-in corner cupboard. On the opposite end was a large bay window that drew her attention.

  “Oh! You can see into town from here!” The view was breathtaking. The mountains were visible on the horizon because it was such a clear day.

  “Yeah, the view is one of the best features of this house. I’m going to add a deck off the back of the master so I can enjoy my morning coffee out there since it faces the same way.” He pulled on her arm. “Come on, I’ll show you the upstairs.”

  She’d barely had time to glance at the large staircase when they came in because they’d immediately gone to the kitchen. But now she got to admire its magnificence. “This will be gorgeous when it’s all done.”

  His expression said he was pleased she could see the potential there.

  “How much longer do you think it’ll take to finish or at least until you can move in?”

  They began walking up the stairs to the second floor. “Much longer than I’d expected when I started this thing.” He chuckled. “Maybe I should assign you to do your community service hours here.”

  She froze, her pulse beating furiously against her temples.

  Tyler continued as if he hadn’t noticed her reaction. “And with many more days like this, I’ll never get it done.”

  “Days like this?” Her voice trembled slightly.

  “Being called in to help out with the traffic accident,” he explained.

  “That happens often?”

  “More than I’d like.” He showed her the bedrooms and hall bath and then they ended the tour in the master bedroom.

  “Are you okay?” he asked as they entered the largest of the bedrooms.

  She nodded. “I’m fine.” But that was a lie.

  She concentrated on the empty room that had a tray ceiling, making the high-ceilinged room even more grand. She could see where a king-size bed would go, a sitting area by the front windows and also where Tyler planned to put a deck.

  She was about to ask about the attic when his cell phone rang. He held up a finger and pulled the phone from his pocket. “Sorry.” He pushed a button to connect the call. “Garrett.”

  While he listened to his caller, the nagging thought Callie had been pushing down came to the forefront of her mind. Tyler was a police officer. The police chief, in fact. He had power over her.

  Just like Andrew had.

  He’d been teasing about having her work on his house, but could she trust that Tyler wouldn’t eventually abuse his power over her like Andrew had?

  *

  BY THE TIME they were seated in the restaurant, Tyler was even more confused about Callie’s change in mood. They ordered drinks and he broached the subject again.

  “Something happened at the house that upset you, but I don’t know what. Did I say or do something?”

  She looked down at her hands folded in her lap and didn’t say a word.

  “Look, I can’t apologize if I don’t know what I did.” His frustration was mounting.

  “It’s not anything you did.” She spoke so quietly that he had to lean in to hear her.

  “Then what is it?” His ability to stay calm was waning.

  She met his eyes. “It was what you said about me working at your house.”

  He let out a breath. “That’s what upset you? I was joking. You have to know that.”

  She nodded. “Yes, I know it was a joke.” She visibly swallowed. “But if you wanted to, you could order me to do exactly that.”

  “But I don’t want to.” He was still confused. “I would never take advantage of you like that.”

>   They were interrupted when their drinks arrived. “Are you ready to order?” their server asked in a slight French accent.

  “We need a few minutes,” Tyler told him. “We haven’t looked at the menus yet.”

  “As you wish. Take your time.” The fortyish man nodded and left them.

  Tyler had chosen this restaurant because he knew they could have a long, relaxing dinner. Unlike the chain restaurants that couldn’t get you fed and out the door fast enough.

  Now he wondered if long was really what he wanted.

  When they were alone again, Tyler looked to her for an answer. “Why would you think I’d take advantage of you like that?”

  She took a long drink of her ice water before replying. “Realistically, I know you’re probably a good guy.”

  “Probably? Gee, thanks.”

  She remained serious. “You need to understand what happened that forced me to put my life on hold and brought me back to Whittler’s Creek. If not for a man having power over me, I would still be living my life the way I chose.”

  “If you think I like telling you what to do, I don’t. I’m hard-pressed to come up with things for your community service.”

  She nodded. “I know. It just made me remember that you’re not just Tyler. You’re Police Chief Tyler Garrett, the boss of me while I’m in town.”

  “The boss of you.” He couldn’t help it, he waggled his eyebrows. Then he sobered. “Sorry. I shouldn’t be finding humor in your discomfort.”

  “You’re right. You shouldn’t.” But her lips twitched slightly.

  “I apologize.” He pointed to his menu. “Let’s decide what we want to eat and then you can tell me all about what happened to make you land here.” He opened his menu. “I highly recommend the crab-stuffed mushrooms. Want to start with that as an appetizer?”

  She nodded. “That would be nice.”

  He realized he’d taken charge. “Unless there’s something else that you’d like. I don’t want to be pushy.”

  She smiled at him. Not just a twitch of her lips but a real smile. “You’re not being pushy. You’re the expert—I’ve never eaten here before.”

  He smiled back at her and then looked down at his menu. “I’ve never been disappointed with the food here. I don’t think you can go wrong with anything on the menu.”