Secrets and Lies (Hearts Of Braden Book 4)

by Susanne Matthews

  All eyes had turned to her when she entered the bar, and she could see the curiosity and interest in them, but one man’s chocolate brown eyes, unlike Alex’s blue ones, disturbed her, seeming to look beyond her outward appearance and into her soul. Alex had been the only man to ever affect her this way. Was it because this guy resembled her late husband that she felt his magnetic pull? He looked more like a businessman than an itinerant worker, although he could be an insurance adjuster or with FEMA.

  Great, a town full of single men, anyone of which could be the Chef, and they’re looking at me as if I’m today’s special.

  Fighting the urge to fidget, knowing she didn’t want to be perceived as a snooty bitch, but not in the mood for company, especially from the man who interested her, she walked over to the closest table, purposely facing away from him, focusing her attention on the ball game on the television set mounted high on the wall. Any one of those men could be her target. While she definitely hoped to flush the Chef out, the last thing she wanted to do was court disaster by accidentally building a personal relationship with the monster.

  “Hi. I’m Jenny. What can I get you?” the brown haired, brown eyed, waitress in short-shorts and a tight T-shirt with “Buddy’s Bar” emblazoned across her chest asked, smiling and showing off a perfect set of white teeth.

  “Hello Jenny. Nice to meet you. I’m Em. How about a menu and a small draft?” she asked, envying the girl her slender yet curvy body. Making friends with the barmaid might be a good way to learn a little more about the people in Braden. Sooner or later, just about everybody in town probably came through that door.

  “Light or regular?”

  “Light, please.”

  “Coming right up.” She moved away quickly.

  Emily focused on the game once more, not really seeing the screen but remembering the last time she and Alex had gone to a place like this. They’d been with Kyle and his girlfriend, celebrating Kyle’s promotion to agent-in-charge. That had been more than three years ago, before the baby, before the raid. Would she ever be able to go anywhere without memories bombarding her?

  “Here you go.” Jenny placed the small glass of beer in front of her, leaving a menu on the table.

  Emily drank deeply from the glass, allowing the icy beer to quench her thirst. The feeling of being watched came over her, and goosebumps puckered her skin. She tried to ignore the sensation, but finally, curiosity won out, and she turned back to the bar, gazing directly into the mesmerizing brown eyes of new haircut man.

  He looked away the moment he realized she caught him staring.

  Was he the Chef? Had he recognized her despite the plastic surgery and the weight loss? If he had, then she’d been burned but good. Don’t jump to conclusions. Maybe I resemble someone he knows, just as he reminds me of Alex, but either way, I’m definitely getting this to go. She turned away, opened the menu, and perused the choices.

  “Have you decided?” Jenny asked coming back to check on her.

  “Yeah. I’ll have the burger on a pretzel roll, an order of fries, and can you make it to go?”

  “Sure thing. Everything on your burger?”

  “Why not? And can you add a couple of cans of ginger ale?”

  “Will do.” The waitress hurried away.

  Emily turned back to the television and her glass of beer, aware the man at the bar was watching her again. She needed to make friends here. People who could tell her who was who and what might have changed recently in the small town, but those people had to be locals. She’d meet with Sheriff Hines in the morning, and maybe if she could describe the stranger at the bar, he could tell her who he was. She wasn’t ready to jump into bed with anyone, but she was desperately lonely and what harm would there be in making friends with someone she could trust?

  The door opened, and a man in a police uniform entered the bar, but it wasn’t Sheriff Hines. This guy was younger and had to be the deputy. She strained her brain trying to recall his name and what little she’d read about him in the file, but drew a blank. He was in his mid-to-late twenties with short blond hair and blue eyes. Tall, at least six feet, he walked with a swagger that told her he could be a cocky son of a bitch who liked to throw his weight and his position around. She’d met his kind before.

  “Hey, Jenny. Where are you?”

  “Be right out, Kevin.”

  “While you’re in there, get me a couple of ham sandwiches, a cola, and toss in a piece of apple pie. I need it to go. I’m on patrol, so make it snappy.”

  The waitress came through the doorway, carrying a small paper bag.

  “Aren’t you getting my food?” he asked belligerently, pulling himself upright to appear intimidating.

  “I will as soon as the cook finishes making it,” the waitress answered sarcastically and rolled her eyes. “He heard your bellow, but he isn’t a magician.” Jenny walked passed him, ignoring him, and put the bag on the table in front of Emily. “Will there be anything else?”

  “No, that’s all, thank you,” Emily said, handing her fifteen dollars, and setting the empty glass on the table before standing. She teetered slightly, her hip almost giving out on her, and turned to walk gingerly out of the bar. This would be a really bad time to fall flat on her face. She just reached her car when she heard the bar door slam behind her.

  “Where do you think you’re going, missy?” the deputy yelled at her as he walked swiftly to her side.

  Great. Just what I need.

  Lightening flashed in the distance, the roar of thunder coming only seconds later. A fat raindrop landed on her arm.

  “Home, thank you,” she replied, and turned to smile at the man.

  “Not in the shape you’re in,” he said aggressively. “I saw you stagger in there. I don’t know what it’s like where you come from, but drunks don’t drive in this town. Just how many of those drafts did you have?”

  Fisting her hands at her side, she counted to five before looking him right in the eye, fighting to keep distrust and dislike out of her voice. She smiled, but knowing herself as she did, she was probably sneering, just making things worse. The last thing she needed was to get on this man’s bad side and make a scene. “I had one small beer, deputy. I can assure you I’m not drunk and quite capable of driving back to my apartment. I’m just very tired, and it’s been a long day.”

  “Don’t give me that bull, lady. If you had one beer, I’m the pope. I saw you almost fall when you stood up. People don’t stumble like that after one beer. And look where you’re parked. That’s a restricted spot and good for a fifty dollar fine. What is it with you big city folks? Don’t think the local laws apply to you?”

  “If you look on the dash, you’ll see my handicap parking permit.”

  “And how the hell did you get that? Have a hangnail?”

  “I have an artificial hip, which is the reason I stumbled when I moved too quickly,” she answered gritting her teeth to keep her temper. “Now, if you’ll be so kind as to step aside. I’d really like to get out of the rain before it gets any worse.”

  “What? Are you afraid you’ll melt? How do I know you aren’t lying to me?”

  “You don’t,” she ground out on the verge of not only losing her temper but giving him the tongue lashing he so richly deserved. “And unless you’re a medical doctor I’m not about to pull down my pants and show you the scars. Now, I asked you to step aside please and let me go.”

  The deputy’s heightened color warned her of his fury. She’d met guys like him before, had worked with them, and it seemed as if she’d pushed his buttons without meaning to. Damn.

  “Is there a problem, Kevin?” haircut man asked as he stepped up beside the deputy.

  “No problem, Jack,” the deputy snarled, obviously annoyed by the interruption. “Like I said inside, the little lady’s had too much to drink, and now, she’s trying to feed me some cock and bull story about an artificial hip. Like she’s old enough to have her damn hip replaced. I ought to run her in for being mou
thy and resisting arrest on top of being intoxicated in a public place.”

  “If you arrested everyone for being drunk at Buddy’s, you’d need a jail ten times the size of the one you have. Besides, I think the lady is as sober as she says she is. Jenny brought her a small, light draft while she waited for her food, and since she has the parking permit, I’d say why not give her the benefit of the doubt? She’s probably just passing through anyway—Illinois plates. You don’t want to get tied up doing all that paperwork, and if the breathalyzer and blood work come back clean, Calvin’s going to tear a strip off you for wasting resources again and forcing him to issue another apology. Besides, Jenny gave me your supper, and Buddy says it’s on the house.”

  Emily wanted to scream since she was right there and quite capable of defending herself. Haircut man smiled apologetically at her, and she felt as if the wind had been knocked out her. He even had Alex’s dimple. Suddenly, she just wanted to go home, and lick her wounds. Coming here was a mistake. She wasn’t ready to be back at work, back in the field, back in proximity to a man who was the spitting image of the one she’d lost.

  “Tell you what,” he continued his argument with the deputy. “I’ll follow her home, and if she swerves an inch, I’ll call you, and you can cite her legitimately for DWI. I’ll even testify for you.”

  The deputy looked as if he was about to dispute the point when his radio crackled. “Kevin, you there?”

  “Yeah.” He pulled out the radio and depressed the button to answer.

  “Sheriff wants you out on the old River Road as soon as possible, and he said to use the lights and the siren.”

  The deputy frowned, glared at her once more, and turned to her rescuer. “I got to go, Jack. You’ll follow her wherever she’s staying?”

  “I will.”

  “Then…” He turned back to her. “…I’ll let you off with a warning. If I see your face in this town again, you’ll be sorry.”

  Emily nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He was likely to see a lot of her whether he wanted to or not, but she would let Sheriff Hines deal with the asshole and put the fear of God into him. She would avoid Deputy Dimwit when she could, but before she was through here, she’d take the cocky little bastard down a peg or two, and she was going to enjoy the experience. She would loved to flip him onto his back right now and tell him what a jerk he was, but that would most likely get her arrested.

  The deputy turned, hurried to the squad car, tossed the bag on the seat, and pulled out of the parking lot, burning rubber, siren blaring and lights flashing.

  “Sorry about that,” the man said. “Kevin can be a bit of an ass at times.”

  “Just a bit?” she replied and laughed. “I think he’s got the role of pompous ass down pat—might even be a contender for an Oscar.”

  “He likes to throw his weight around, especially with women. He figures you should all swoon at his feet or something,” he continued and shrugged.

  If I were going to swoon at anyone’s feet, it would be yours.

  She felt her cheeks heat. The man’s similarity to Alex had her thinking crazy thoughts, but now that he was up close, she realized the resemblance was superficial at best. This man was younger, taller, with broader shoulders and darker hair. His warm, friendly, brown eyes were polar opposites of Alex’s clear blue ones, but the dimple was there, and she’d never been able to resist that dimple.

  Get a grip, Emily. He could be married with a houseful of children for all you know.

  “Thank you for coming to my rescue. I can assure you I’m not drunk, so you don’t have to follow me home.”

  “I didn’t really plan on it. I live west of town, and the Worthington Arms is in the opposite direction.”

  “I’m not at the hotel. I’m staying in an apartment just a couple of blocks away, so I think we’ll be going in the same direction, but as I told Deputy Dunderhead, I’m very tired, and when I am, the muscles in my hip tend to weaken. I may not be in my dotage, but the artificial hip, the result of a bad accident two years ago, is very real, and if you don’t mind, I’d really like to go now.”

  “Of course. That name suits him, by the way, but I wouldn’t mention it to his face. He’s kind of touchy when it comes to criticism. I’ll see you around sometime.”

  “Thanks for the warning. I’ll stay out of his way. And thanks again for the rescue.”

  He moved away from the car.

  Emily unlocked the door, sat behind the wheel, and waved as she started the engine.

  Carefully backing out of the slot, not wanting to give the deputy any reason to come back, she watched the stranger cross to a white pick-up truck. Slowly pulling onto the road, she regretted not getting Jack’s full name, but he was obviously a native of the place since the deputy knew him so well. Braden was small, and no doubt they would run into one another again, and if he wasn’t married or involved with anyone, maybe they could be friends. Nothing said she couldn’t find additional backup if she needed it.

  Within seconds, the white truck was behind her, and when she pulled into the Sunset Apartments’ parking lot, he honked the horn and drove past. Parking the car in the spot allocated to her, she hurried toward the building as quickly as her tired hip would allow. The rain was coming down steadily now, and in spite of the heat of the evening, she felt chilled. She hoped her hero made it home safely. It would be nice having a knight in shining armor like that in her corner.

  Entering the door, she hurried down the hall and unlocked her apartment door, surprised to find a white envelope on the floor. Most likely, the landlord was giving her last minute instructions. She saw her name printed on the envelope…E. L. Jacobson. It couldn’t be from the landlord since she’d signed the lease Emily Jacobson. Putting her food down on the table, she used a knife as a letter opener. Inside, the single sheet of paper bore a message typed in bold letters.

  “Go away. We don’t need you or your fancy health initiative. Braden is fine just as it is.”

  “Wonderful,” she grumbled aloud. “Nothing like feeling welcomed.” She removed the burger and fries from the bag then turned on the television.

  Rick had warned her his office had gotten a letter from one Mabel Loucks stating that they could implement the Healthy Living Initiative on their own. He’d written back that it wasn’t an option, but it looked as if Ms. Loucks wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer.

  Chapter Four

  Jackson drove down the highway toward home. He had followed the blue sedan down the street, slowing his truck when the vehicle turned into the Sunset Apartments’ parking lot. Once she’d stopped the car, he had honked his horn in farewell, and resumed his speed as he continued out of town on his way to the homestead. The optimism he’d felt earlier after receiving the message telling him to go ahead and offer the teachers he’d chosen new contracts had disappeared leaving him in the grip of the loneliness and despair that threatened to swamp him once more.

  Before heading to Quinn’s for a much needed haircut, he’d gotten an electronic invitation to an old college classmate’s wedding, with Naomi listed as his plus one. He been too devastated to let his friends know she’d walked out on him and their fantasy Hawaiian wedding four years ago, just three months before the big event.

  He had taken Uncle Jack to the Big Island since the vacation had been paid for, and while he had pleasant memories of his time with his uncle in the fiftieth state and its tropical lushness, the wounds Naomi’s rejection had inflicted never quite healed. Until he’d seen the brunette, he’d embraced the same lonely lifestyle of a confirmed bachelor that his uncle had chosen. Maybe his heart wasn’t as dead as he thought it was, and he should leave Braden, just the way Naomi had wanted him to. Staying here, in the homestead alone, only served to remind him of all his lost and broken dreams. But he couldn’t go now, even if he wanted to. Braden needed him more than ever.

  He’d been all set to enjoy another bar meal when the mysterious brunette had entered Buddy’s. That the lady had b
een uncomfortable on her own in the place was an understatement. She’d done her best to avoid eye contact with any of the guys at the bar, including him, although she’d stared at him briefly when she’d arrived, and he could’ve sworn he’d seen recognition on her face. Instead of walking over as he’d hoped, she’d opted to sit by herself at the table. He watched her for a few minutes to see if she was expecting someone to join her, but she’d caught him staring, and he’d felt like a fool. He’d been about to make his move and go over and introduce himself when Deputy Douchebag had come into the bar and spoiled everything.

  As one would expect, Kevin Carlyle had made an ass of himself when he’d gone out after the stranger, eager to throw his weight around and moving as if he was about to apprehend Public Enemy Number One. Jenny, Buddy, and the other guys who’d seen her come in knew she wasn’t drunk, and had told him so, but when that little pissant got an idea in his head, no matter how wrong it might be, there was no dissuading him. Calvin Hines had warned his deputy about jumping to conclusions, or trying to strong arm a suspect, but it never seemed to sink in. As Lola McBride would put it, good old Kevin had to live up to his reputation as a first class jerk.

  Exactly why Jackson had chosen to go to the lady’s rescue he couldn’t explain, but he’d been drawn to her from the moment she’d stepped into the bar. She wasn’t drop-dead gorgeous the way Micah Thomas was; instead, she had an ethereal beauty about her that called to his protective instinct and brought out his hero complex. Once Kevin left, he’d been about to introduce himself to the intriguing damsel-in-distress and invite her to come back inside, eat her meal, and have a drink with him when he’d noticed the simple gold wedding band on her left hand.

  It’d been like having a bucket of ice water dumped on him, but given his luck with women, it shouldn’t have surprised him. The good ones were all taken. He hoped to hell whoever had given her that ring knew he had a priceless treasure. He should stop thinking about her since nothing could come of it, but as hard as he tried, he couldn’t get her out of his head.