by MJ Fredrick
Her head had snapped up at his words, and immediately he regretted that he hadn't talked to her about it before this.
“Moving? To town?” Her eyes were wide, her lower lip trembling. “Not live here?”
Oh, hell. He reached a hand across the table, not quite able to touch her. “It’s going to be great, Selena. We’ll have our own place, you’ll have a pretty room, and we’ll have a yard, maybe get some dogs. I’ll build you a big porch to sit on.”
But she was having none of it, and the betrayal on her face cut him to the bone.
“This is my house! I live here. I don't want to move to town. Leave me alone!” Her voice rose to a screech on the last phrase, and the three men flinched. She jumped up from the table, ran to her room and slammed the door.
His father looked from his plate to his daughter’s room. “You sure that’s a good idea?”
Noah clenched his jaw, his father’s smug tone not helping his own temper. “I’m sure if we work on it a little at a time, it could be.”
“You act like you’re her father.”
“I had to be,” Noah shot back. “I know her better than you, I know what’s best for her.”
He hoped.
*****
“Hey, Noah.” Noah looked up from passing between exam rooms to see Deputy Wyatt Jordan standing at the front of the office. “Got a minute?”
“No,” Noah said with a laugh. “How squeamish are you?”
Wyatt angled his head, his brows drawn together suspiciously. “What is it?”
“Got a dog hit by a car. Blood but no guts. Broken leg, possible broken hip.” He headed into the room, not waiting for Wyatt to follow, but he left the door open.
A few minutes later, a shadow filled the door behind him. “I kind of thought we could talk in private.” Wyatt gave a pointed look to Lisa, who was smoothing a hand over the sedated dog’s fur. “Geez, is that Tyler’s dog?”
“Yeah,” Noah said, checking the vitals. “Shit. I’ve got to get him into surgery. Can we do this later?”
Wyatt swallowed, then nodded. “Yeah, ah, give me a call when you’re done. Sorry.”
Noah barely acknowledged his exit, and gave Stormy his complete attention when he was in the surgery—there was damaged muscle that needed to be repaired as well as the broken bones. Lisa and Kayla were invaluable to him as the three of them worked together, but Noah couldn't help thinking what Wyatt wanted to tell him, that he hadn't wanted to say in front of Lisa.
“Why was the deputy here?” Kayla asked as she monitored Stormy’s breathing.
He glanced up at her, but she wasn't looking at him. “Not sure. I’ll give him a call later.”
“I guess I was just surprised to see law enforcement in the vet’s office. Or all y’all friends?”
“We know each other. Not enough to call him my friend.” Noah appreciated his staff, mostly for their ability to run things without him, but he hadn't realized how much he didn't talk when he was out in the field. “I’m glad we’ve got this dog on the table. There’s more damage here than I thought.”
After the dog was stable and in her crate to recover, Noah had a couple of other animals to check on before he had a chance to call Wyatt.
Who was naturally out on a call and couldn't respond. Noah gave the dispatcher his cell number and told her to tell Wyatt to call him when he got a chance. He took the time to finish up his paperwork, checking the cell every so often, then headed out to Miranda’s. They were taking Selena Christmas shopping at the Walmart in Pearsall. Noah would rather be in surgery the rest of the night than hit Walmart the week before Christmas, but Selena insisted she needed to Christmas shop, and Miranda was sweet enough to say she’d go with them.
He should have just sent the two of them. The place was a madhouse. He drove around for ten minutes to find parking, and watched people streaming into the building.
“What is it exactly you’re looking for?” he asked his sister, hoping the ordeal wouldn't be too painful if they had a targeted approach.
“I don’t know. I want to get something for Ben and something for my friends at work.” She exchanged a look with Miranda that he caught in the rearview mirror.
“But you don't know what? Maybe some shirts or something?”
Selena wrinkled her nose.
“Okay, what, then?” He tried not to let his impatience show. “An electric razor? Something for Ben’s truck? A tool?”
They had a hike from the parking spot he finally found, then joined the throng heading through the glass doors that never seemed to close. He was tempted to take his sister’s hand so she didn't get swept away from him, but he figured with her between him and Miranda, she’d be okay.
Maybe he should have brought her to Walmart more often, because she had to stop at the display inside the front door to look at the stuffed animals. Then the end cap with the boxed sets of colognes. Then the Christmas decorations aisle, and the candy aisle, not even looking at anything Ben might like, until Noah felt his patience slipping. Miranda stepped up beside him and put her hand into his, and immediately he felt better. They were here. He might as well enjoy it.
He watched as his sister and Miranda bent their heads over some Christmas baking supplies, and watched Selena’s face light up when Miranda made plans with her to bake cookies.
“You going to get Riley to give you some pointers?” he asked over their shoulders.
Miranda stuck her tongue out. “I think we can figure it out.”
“I want sugar cookies,” Selena said.
“We’ll need a rolling pin and some cookie cutters. And food coloring.” She added those things to the handheld basket she’d picked up at the front of the store.
Pretty soon they’d traded the handheld basket for a cart and still hadn't put one present in there, though the pile grew bigger and bigger—a shirt for Selena to wear on Christmas, an apron for her to wear at work for the holiday, some other miscellaneous things that apparently Miranda couldn't get as cheaply from her constant online shopping.
“Selena, we came to shop for Ben, remember? And your friends at work?” He had a feeling if he didn't redirect her, he might never get out of this place.
His words seemed to snap Miranda back, too, and she started steering Selena toward things like fuzzy socks and nail polish for the girls at work, and a big coffee mug with a pithy saying for Charlie the cook. Noah was starting to worry about the store closing before they were able to get through the line, because nothing was satisfying Selena as a gift for Ben.
“Maybe we can go somewhere else tomorrow,” he said.
Miranda gave him a look that told him his impatience was showing, and he tried to rein it in, but damn, it was closing in on ten o’clock, the line looked to be about half an hour long, then the drive home. He was tired, and he’d never heard back from Wyatt…
Which reminded him. He pulled out his phone and saw he did indeed have a couple of missed calls from Wyatt, but this wasn't the place to return them, and he worried if he left the store to return the calls outside, he’d lose his sister and Miranda and never be able to find them. He’d just have to wait until tomorrow to know what it was Wyatt wanted to tell him.
They headed down an aisle with car accessories, that he could have sworn they’d been down before, because he was pretty sure his brother would like something for his truck more than a shirt from a discount store, but everything he pointed out, Selena rejected.
“What are you getting me?” he asked, teasing, when she told him he had cheap taste.
She just gave him a smile. “I can’t tell you that until Christmas.”
“I don't want you spending your money on us, Selena.”
“Who else will I spend it on? I love you.” She leaned close, holding his sleeve. “I want to get something for Miranda, too, so you have to help me do that.”
Noah looked over his sister’s head to see that Miranda had heard, and was opening her mouth to say something. He shook his head, and she und
erstood enough to say nothing. It would please Selena to please Miranda, and he didn't want to stand in the way of that. But he’d make sure they picked up something close to town.
It was another twenty minutes before she settled on a snap-front shirt and a t-shirt but she didn't seem too pleased with it as they stood in line.
And there, at the register, was a Peanuts Snow Cone Machine. Selena thrust the shirt and t-shirt at Noah and she jumped past the cart in front of her to snatch it up, earning a snarl from the woman in front of them. Noah was ready to step in if the woman confronted his sister, but Selena bounded back beside him, her attention on the picture on the front of the box. The woman looked from Selena to Noah, then turned back to the front.
“He always loved Snoopy,” she said in the blissful tone of a woman who’d found just what she wanted.
“That? Are you sure?” It was something a much younger Ben would have loved, something from a happier time. He wasn't sure if the new Ben would appreciate the thought Selena had put into it. But he knew, and he hugged his sister against him before he edged the cart a few inches forward in line.
Chapter Sixteen
Since Noah couldn't get a hold of Wyatt, he decided to stop by the station on his way to his first call the following morning. Gloria the dispatcher said he was on his way back from a call, so Noah waited.
Wyatt walked in looking like fifteen miles of bad road. He saw Noah and stopped cold.
“What the hell now?”
Noah rose, holding up his hands, palm out. “You’re the one who called me.”
“Yeah, I’m afraid I have some bad news for you.” He started walking again, through the door into the bullpen, and Noah followed.
“Have you ever had good news for me?”
“I got your thief. It’s Kayla Connelly.”
“Kayla?” Noah stopped mid-step. “You must be mistaken. She’s one of my best workers.”
Wyatt lifted a shoulder. “I arrested her husband Devin last night. Someone let me know he was selling at Garcia’s, so I busted him, and he had a few on him. Where did he get it, if not from her?”
“Well, hell, Wyatt, I almost wish it had been my father.”
Wyatt turned sharp eyes to him.
Noah shook his head quickly. “No, I didn't mean that. But damn, she’s a hard worker.” And smart, and funny, and kept his clinic running like a machine. “Are you arresting her, too?”
“Right now I don't have anything on her, just circumstance. Him, I have cold.”
“I’m going to have to fire her,” he said, more to himself than to Wyatt. “I’ve never fired anyone before.”
Wyatt tossed his hat on his desk and dropped to his chair. “You could keep her working for you, just know she’ll probably steal from you again.”
Noah swore, trying to figure out how he was going to let her go. “Damn, they have kids. This won’t be easy.”
Well, hell.
Instead of going to his call, Noah went to the office. Kayla probably wouldn't expect him there, would think he was out on the ranches. He didn't want to fire her in front of everyone, but he figured her house had had enough upheaval with her husband being arrested. She might not even come in today.
Part of him hoped that was the case, but the larger part wanted to get this over with.
“Kayla called, she’s going to be late,” Janie said when he walked in. She didn't seem all that surprised to see him.
He nodded, not wanting to make eye contact, not wanting her to ask him any questions, and headed straight for his office. “Let me know when she gets here. What is it we have on the books for today?”
“Nothing I can’t handle,” Lisa said.
“But you shouldn't have to do it alone. Show me what we’ve got.”
Kayla was almost two hours late, and when she walked in, her eyes were red-rimmed, her face swollen, and Noah would give anything not to have to fire her. She might not be his friend, but he didn't want another family to go through what his family had. He shouldn't have said anything about the missing drugs.
He motioned her into his office, and as soon as she sat down in the hard wooden chair, she covered her face in her hands and burst into tears. Instinct had him wanting to comfort her. Self-preservation had him wanting to sit behind his desk, keep it as a barrier between them. Instead he sat on the corner of the desk and rested his hands on his knees so she wouldn't see him shaking.
“You have something you want to tell me?" he asked in a low voice.
Her head snapped up then, her sobs cutting off, heat from her eyes seemingly magnified behind her very real tears. "You knew?”
"Wyatt told me this morning. I want to hear it from you.”
Her lips thinned. "I don't have to tell you anything.”
"You stole from me, but continued to work right beside me, lying when I asked you if you knew anything about it. You stole from me and profited from it and put people in danger with those drugs." He struggled to keep his voice down. He was angry, but at the circumstance more than at her.
More tears started to flow, these accompanied by hiccups. “I’m so sorry, Noah. We didn't know what to do. Devin had been making good money in the oilfield, but when he got laid off, we got desperate. We wanted to keep that level of income, and he talked about how some of the guys in the fields liked to use Keta to party. I didn't take the whole bottle the first time, so you didn't notice. Then we got greedy. I'm sorry, Noah. You’re a good boss, but we had bills."
“Did he threaten you?" Noah asked, hating that he didn't know that detail about one of his employees.
"He doesn’t. He's a good husband, a good father. We just got desperate.”
He shook his head. “I’m sorry this happened, Kayla, but you know I can’t keep you on. I’m not going to press charges because you have kids and I don't want to see them without both of their parents.” He knew firsthand how hard that was.
Her sobs deepened. “I loved my job. I’m so sorry, Noah. I swear I’ll never do it again. I need this job to take care of my kids if he goes to jail.”
He choked, damn it. He didn't want her to be destitute. But she had been the one to betray his trust in her. “I’m sorry, Kayla. I’m sure you’ll find something.”
Before he could cave, he stepped out of the office and closed the door behind him, giving her a chance to pull herself together. Janie was watching, wide-eyed, and he gave a pointed look to the waiting room. He would have to tell her and Lisa, but he'd rather do it without witnesses. Bad enough Kayla was going to walk out of here crying.
At least, he hoped that was what she did instead of tearing the place up.
But he waited near the reception desk, and a few minutes later she walked out, head bent, her steps dragging as she passed him, as if hoping he'd change his mind, before she walked out the door and drove away.
*****
Still reeling from the scene after work, Noah walked into the kitchen of Miranda’s house to see, well, a mess. The table was filled with flour-coated cookie sheets and bowls, the counter was covered with cookies, some iced, some still bare. There was flour on the floor, on the oven door, on Miranda’s ass. He stepped forward, tempted to dust it off, and braced his hands on his hips instead.
“I’m thinking you aren't done?”
Miranda looked up and he saw a bit of strain lining her face, but she smiled, and he bent to kiss her briefly on the lips.
“I may have bitten off more than we can chew here. We still have a couple dozen cookies to go into the oven, and the decorating, well, all I can say is that Riley is a goddess. I never could get the icing right.”
He gave into the urge to dust the flour off her butt, more for an excuse to touch her than anything, then stepped back. “What can I do to help?”
Miranda pushed her hair back from her forehead with a sigh and looked around the disastrous kitchen. “Maybe some organization would help.”
“Okay. Are you still mixing?”
“No. God. No.”
“Then let’s do this. We’ll put all the cookies that need to be decorated on the table, that way we can sit down to decorate them. The ones that are already decorated…” He grimaced when he caught sight of them. “The ones that are already decorated, we’ll put on the counter. Then, what, are we going to box them up in those tins you bought the other night?”
“Once the icing is dry.”
“Why don’t you go pick up dinner at the Coyote and bring it back here while I help Selena?” he asked, sensing the frustration that Miranda was trying to hold back.
“I can’t leave you with this mess.” She raised her hands and let them fall back to her sides.
“I’m pretty sure I’m partly responsible for it,” he said with a smile.
“No, of course you aren’t. I just don't have the supplies we needed. And we wanted to bake enough for your family, my family and the Coyote people. Rolling, cutting, and then the icing.” She stepped back from the counter. “Maybe, you know, going to get supper is a good idea. Why don't we all go?”
“I don’t want to leave this mess. Your roommates won’t like it. You go, we’ll get everything organized.” He kissed her forehead, his hand resting on her hip. When he glanced down, he saw she was near tears, and he frowned. But she took another step back, and picked up her purse from the hanger at the entrance of the kitchen. “What would you both like?”
“Just bring back some barbecue. Anything that’s not sugar, right?” He smiled at his sister. “And wear a coat. It got cold again.”
By the time she returned, he had the place, well, less of a disaster, and had swept up the flour, boxed up some of the cookies, cleared a spot on the table so there was room to eat. Selena was painstakingly squeezing icing out of a pastry bag, and he had to admit, her later cookies were pretty.
“You’d better watch out,” Miranda said, looking over Selena’s shoulder. “Riley might snatch you up to work at the bakery.”
“Oh, I’d never leave the Coyote!” Selena promised, setting the pastry bag down, her eyes wide. “I love it there.”
