Hometown Hero (Hometown Alaska Men Book 2)

by Joleen James

  "Hi," she said.

  "How are you doing?" he asked, knowing the question was completely inadequate.

  "Not bad all things considered." She gave him a small smile. "My wrist is bruised, not broken. I’m ready to get out of here."

  The nurse handed him Tawney's homecare instructions, then walked with them outside.

  Rick loaded Tawney into the Jeep with care. She truly was precious cargo to him. He had to put his own fears aside and concentrate on her, on what she'd been through. For so long it had been all about him and his trauma. Maybe the time had come to get more professional help.

  They didn't really talk during the ride home. Tawney rested her head back against the seat, her eyes closed.

  Rick pulled into her driveway. "We're here."

  Tawney roused herself enough to open her eyes. "Sorry, they gave me something for the pain. Wait, this is my place. I can't stay here."

  "Brandi's or Star's then?" he asked, not sure she'd want to stay with him after being attacked by a man.

  "Can we just go to your place? It's late, everyone's already in bed."

  "Sure." He drove the Jeep next door, then helped her into the house. "I have a guestroom. It's small. I'll take that and you can have my bed."

  She nodded. "I'd like to shower if that's okay."

  "Can you with that brace?"

  "Do you have a plastic bag?" she asked. "I could take the brace off, but I'd rather not."

  "Yeah." He retrieved a bag.

  "I'm going to need help getting my sweater off," she said.

  "Okay, just tell me what to do."

  "Good arm out first," she instructed.

  He followed her lead, helping her get the heavy sweater off. When her black bra appeared he averted his gaze to give her privacy. She didn't need anyone gawking at her tonight.

  She didn't seem to mind that she wore only a bra. Using her right hand, she unfastened her jeans and sat down at the end of the bed.

  "Help me pull them off."

  He did, unable to help noticing that her legs went on for miles. He took her socks off.

  "Ugh," she said. "Don't look at my feet. I have the ugliest feet. Bone spurs."

  He didn't think her feet looked ugly at all. Her toenails were painted purple. "They look fine to me." Women worried about the weirdest things.

  "Do you have a robe or a shirt I can wear?" she asked.

  "Sure." He found the biggest flannel shirt he had. "Will this work?"

  She nodded, then twisted, giving him her back. "Unhook my bra please."

  His fingers brushed against her cool skin. Again he averted his eyes. He draped the shirt around her.

  "I can do the rest," she said.

  Rick led her into the bathroom and turned on the shower. He set a fluffy white towel on the toilet lid before helping her wrap the brace in plastic.

  "I'll be right outside if you need me," he said.

  "Thank you."

  Her movements were stiff. No doubt she'd have bruises on more than her cheek come morning.

  Rick sat down on the bed and listened to the sound of running water. She stayed in the shower a long time, ten minutes or more. Alaska didn't have enough water to wash away the stench of Harry or the memory of what had happened.

  When she finally emerged, she was dressed in the flannel shirt.

  Rick turned down the bed. She climbed in, giving a soft groan as she did so. Rick covered her up.

  "Can I get you anything?"

  "An eraser that will scrub my brain?" she asked, giving him a smile that turned into a grimace.

  "If you know where to find one of those, I'll take one too."

  "We sure are a pair, you and I." She closed her eyes.

  "Well, good night." He turned to leave.

  "Rick?"

  "Yeah?"

  "Do you think you could sleep in here with me?" she asked. "I don’t want to be alone."

  "In the bed with you, or should I bring in a chair?"

  "In the bed. I trust you." She sounded so tired, defeated, and his heart ached for her and what she'd been through.

  He got out of his clothes, pulling on a pair of sweats and an old T-shirt. Turning out the bedside lamp, he slipped under the covers. He made sure he kept to his side of the bed.

  This wasn't exactly how he'd imagined sleeping with Tawney. He could smell his soap on her skin and he liked it. There was a certain comfort in lying next to her. Right now there was nowhere else he'd rather be.

  Her hand crept across the sheet, and he reached for it, his fingers lacing with hers. In the darkness they held onto each other.

  He couldn't remember the last time he had held someone's hand. They were two people who had been through a physical trauma. He needed her as much as she needed him.

  Rick let his mind spin back, remembering the couple they'd been. Young love, innocent, the best. His memories grew fuzzy and he drifted to sleep, the scent of Tawney's skin winding its way through his dreams.

  * * *

  The insistent ring of the phone woke Tawney.

  "Hello?" Rick said.

  She opened her eyes, remembering last night, all of it, the terror, Harry, ending up in Rick's bed. She shifted and her muscles cried out, her wrist throbbing.

  Rick sat up, the phone pressed to his ear.

  Tawney moved again, testing her body. As her senses woke up, so did her awareness of Rick. They'd fallen asleep holding hands. He'd been so attentive of her once they'd gotten home. The attack had rattled him, maybe more than her. Always in the back of her mind she had waited for a man to jump her, assault her. How sad was that? The fact that it finally had happened didn't surprise her, just lowered her opinion of the male sex another notch.

  She'd always been a practical girl, and right now that side was taking over. The attack, while both frightening and violating, wasn't going to keep her down. She'd fought her way out of the situation, taken care of herself. In some ways, she felt more empowered now, stronger than ever. Proud.

  An inner energy drove her to focus on the day ahead, on the good things in her life.

  She was working at Karma Fitness again today. Her body felt stiff, but she could still lead the classes. She didn’t need her wrist to dance.

  "Thanks for the info," Rick said. "Appreciate it."

  He'd mostly listened to his caller, giving away very little about what was being said. Tawney eyed him. He appeared to be fully clothed. She smiled. How gallant of him.

  Done with the call he focused on her now. "That was the police. They got Harry. He confessed to everything. Turns out he has quite a history of sexual assault. He also admitted to leaving a box of candy on your porch. He'll be going away for a long time."

  She closed her eyes as sweet relief filled her. "Thank God."

  "Are you okay?" he asked, the words gentle.

  To her, at this moment, he'd never looked sexier. He had a severe case of bedhead, a day's growth of whiskers, but the way he looked at her turned her inside out.

  "Thank you for taking me in last night," she said. "I must have seemed irrational."

  "Not at all."

  "I'd get out of your bed, but I need some clothes. Think anyone will notice if I run across the driveway to my place? I don’t want to put those clothes back on. In fact, I want to throw them away."

  "Done," he said. "I can go to your place bring something back for you. Pajamas? Just tell me where to look."

  "Okay, in the dresser in the bedroom, second drawer, right side. There are some pajama pants with snowflakes on them and there should be a blue T-shirt on top. And can you grab my brown jacket with the fur collar? I don’t want to wear the blue one from last night."

  "I'll be back in a flash." Rick left the room.

  Tawney gingerly got out of bed. She stretched, trying to work the stiffness out. In the bathroom she looked in mirror, noting the bruise on her cheek. Her eyes had dark circles under them. Her professional makeup training would come in handy today. She didn't want to answer an
y questions about the attack and prayed that class attendees had not heard about last night. She touched her hair, a tangled mess after sleeping on it wet. She needed another shower.

  The front door opened then closed. "Clothes are here," Rick said. "Do you need help dressing?"

  "I don't think so." She opened the bathroom door and took the pajamas from him. She sat on the toilet to get the pants on. The top was trickier, but she managed. She put Rick's shirt back on over everything.

  He smiled when he saw her. "You look like you're going to clown college."

  "Thanks a lot." She gave his shoulder a whack as she passed. "What time is it?"

  "A little after eight."

  "I can make it to Karma by nine. I don't want to let Liv down."

  "Tawney, I think she'll understand." He frowned. "You were attacked last night. You need to rest, recover."

  "I need to stay busy." She smiled. "And I gave him better than I got. I'm pretty sure he will need a doctor's help to retrieve his balls."

  Rick winced. "Ouch."

  "I can't stay home," she said, wanting him to understand. "That would mean Harry won, that he took something from me. I need people. I’m physically able to do the job. I'm going to Karma."

  "Okay, and tonight? Will you be at The Junebug?"

  "No," she said. "I have to be done there. I don't want to work there anymore. I'll call June and explain."

  "I guess I understand that," he said. "I never thought you belonged there in the first place."

  "Maybe not," she agreed. "I do belong at Karma Fitness. How does my place look? Will you go in with me the first time?"

  "You know I will. Are you ready?" he asked her.

  "As I'll ever be. Let's go."

  Together they walked across the frozen snow. Tawney used her key to let them in.

  She braced herself for signs of the attack, but she didn’t see anything.

  "I straightened up, but there wasn't much damage."

  "The entire thing probably only lasted a minute or two," she said, "and it all took place right here in the entryway." She unzipped her jacket and hung it up. "I think I'm okay."

  He watched her. "Are you sure? I'm worried you're running on adrenaline and you're going to crash."

  "I promise I'm not." She blew out a breath. "Maybe it has to do with Harry. I mean, he wasn't a scary guy to me. Fox on the other hand scares the crap out of me. I do know one thing; Harry was good practice for Fox. I won't even hesitate to use any of my moves on him." She smiled, but it was a smile of resignation, not happiness. "The self-defense lessons you gave me saved my virtue."

  This time it was Rick whose mouth turned up in a wry smile. "Still," he said. "Take it easy today, please."

  His concerned touched her. "I will. I promise. Now please, you've done enough. I'm sure you have things to do today."

  "I'll be here in town if you need me. Just seconds away."

  She walked him to the door.

  "I'll check on you later," he said.

  Tawney kissed his cheek. "Thank you for being a good guy this time around. I think you really have grown up."

  He chuckled. "Maybe."

  Tawney locked the door behind him. For a second fear wiggled deep in her belly, but she pushed the emotion away.

  She was not going to let Harry win. Squaring her shoulders, she headed for the bathroom and another much needed shower.

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  Rick let himself back into his place and powered up his computer, looking for an email from Rose.

  Bingo.

  Can't find the statement from Phil, Rose wrote, not sure what to think. I'll keep looking. It has to be here somewhere.

  Frustrated, Rick dialed up Rose.

  "Rose," he said when she answered. "Just read your email. How does a statement get misplaced?"

  "Good question," she said. "I'm sure the statement was there. I've put a call into Phil, asking him to come down and talk to me about it. I want to make sure he actually gave a statement."

  "He says he did," Rick told her.

  "Hmmm, well at any rate, he should be down here soon."

  "Wait," Rick said. "Phil's on vacation, right?"

  "No," Rose said. "I saw him yesterday."

  "You saw him?" Rick asked.

  "In the flesh, what made you think he was on vacation?"

  "Something he said about Kelly and Grace," Rick said. "My mistake. Okay, well keep digging. I really appreciate your help. The sooner I become clear about what happened that night, the sooner I can go forward."

  "We all want you back here," Rose said. "I'm happy to help. You take care, Rick."

  "I will. Bye."

  Rick set his phone on the table. Phil had lied to him about being on vacation. Why, unless he had something to hide? They were partners. They had each other's backs. Phil had saved his life. So why lie? None of it made any sense.

  Should he go to Seattle? Talk to Phil himself? His thoughts immediately turned to Tawney. He didn't want to leave Seward right now, didn't want to be that far away from her. He felt torn by the need to understand his past and the need to be present with Tawney and look toward the future.

  For now he had no choice but to wait to see what Rose would find.

  * * *

  Tawney had wrapped up her eleven o'clock class and was getting ready to lock Karma Fitness and head out to find some lunch when Brandi burst into the studio.

  "Oh my God," Brandi cried, rushing Tawney. "Why didn't you call me?"

  Tawney let her sister hug her. "I'm fine. Really."

  "Harry?" Brandi pulled back, her worried eyes touching Tawney all over. "Yuck. He's always given me the creeps."

  "I guess," Tawney said, "but he surprised me. Mel has always been the more vocal one when it comes to getting my attention. Harry's never said a word."

  "It's always the quiet ones," Brandi said with a shake of her head. "You can't stay alone. Come home to my place tonight."

  "Honey, you have a two-bedroom apartment," Tawney said. "You don't have room for me. Besides, I told you, I'm okay."

  "Are you really?" Brandi reached for Tawney's hands. "First the creepy stalker in Vegas, now this. I'm so sorry."

  Tawney shrugged. "What're you going to do? I just have to roll with things. I can't let Harry or Fox run my life."

  "Brave words," Brandi said.

  "It's all I have."

  "Oh, T." Brandi hugged her again. "I love you so much."

  "Love you, too," Tawney said, her arms tightening around her sister. "It will be okay. Thank goodness Rick had given me those self-defense lessons. Those lessons saved me."

  "Rick?" Brandi said as the sisters parted. "Are you seeing him?"

  "No," Tawney said, smiling at the curious note in her sister's voice. "Not romantically, but he is my neighbor. We've been thrown together a couple of times and he's given me shooting lessons and self-defense lessons. He knows about Fox."

  "I'm glad he knows and that he's helping you," Brandi said, "but be careful around him. He broke your heart once. I don't think he's the type of guy who will stay in Alaska forever. He's ambitious and that ambition took him away from you once already. We nicknamed him the Destroyer for a reason."

  "I know," Tawney said. "But he's different now, more mature."

  "I hope you're right." Brandi smiled. "Okay, enough of the heavy talk. Can you have lunch with me?"

  "You read my mind. I was just heading out to find food."

  Brandi placed an arm around Tawney's shoulders. "Let's go. I'm starving."

  "You're on."

  "Seriously, Tawney," Brandi said. "You scared me to death. I'm so glad you're okay."

  "Me, too, kiddo. Me, too."

  * * *

  Rick hit the call button on his phone. "This is Rick." He was behind the bar at The Junebug. The place had been hopping all afternoon, no doubt due to the Harry/Tawney scandal that currently rocked the town. He suspected folks wanted a glimpse of Tawney. More than one person had asked after her.


  "It's Rose."

  "Any news?" he asked, walking his phone call to the back room where it was quieter.

  "You're right. Phil is on vacation. He must have left yesterday some time after I saw him. I'm still looking for his statement."

  Relief filled Rick. So Phil hadn't been lying. "Okay, so I guess we wait. Thanks, Rose. I owe you."

  "Repay me by coming back to work," she said, her tone serious now. "I mean it, Rick. We miss you around here."

  He didn't acknowledge her plea. "Thanks again."

  "You bet."

  Rick worked the rest of his shift feeling a little less bothered by the facts surrounding Angie's and Tony Malone's deaths. Just knowing that Phil was being straight up meant a lot and went a long way toward helping him heal.

  When his shift ended at three a.m., he made the walk home. He was so ready for warmer weather. Tired of bones that never got warm, he flipped up the collar on his jacket and picked up the pace. He noticed the lights were on at Tawney's at the same time he spotted a car idling between his driveway and hers.

  Rick sprinted toward the car.

  The headlights off, the car shot toward him, tires spinning on the icy street.

  Rick stepped into the road. "Stop, you SOB."

  The car barreled straight for him, forcing Rick to jump out of the way. He landed on his side, rolling, bumping up against Tawney's trash can.

  He groaned as he sat up. The car, some distance away now, turned the corner. A compact. Maybe silver or gray. Darkness prevented accuracy on the make or model.

  The driver had seen him, had tried to run him down.

  Why? Did the almost hit and run have anything to do with him digging around in the Tony Malone case, or did it have to do with Tawney and one of her stalkers? Maybe one of Harry's family members out for some kind of twisted revenge?

  His phone rang.

  Tawney's name flashed on the screen.

  "It's okay," he said into the phone without waiting for her to speak. "I’m right outside. Let me in."

  "Okay," she said, sounding breathless.

  Her place was ablaze with lights now. How many more times did she have to be afraid?

  He rapped on her door.

  "Rick?" she called.

  "Yes, I'm here."

  The door opened.