Her Small-Town Sheriff

by Lissa Manley

  His heart lifted, and somehow, he trusted God would answer his prayers and would watch over Heidi and Phoebe. A calming sense of peace spread through him, as warm and illuminating as the rays of the sun on a perfect summer day. With a deep sense of wonder, he realized Phoebe was right; there was peace in God. She had shown him the way to that comfort.

  What an amazing, completely unforgettable woman.

  One who obviously had used her faith to deal with her anger and forgive God enough to rely on her prayers to see her through difficult times, like now. She’d set a shining example for the path Carson needed to follow if he were ever going to be happy again.

  He thought of Phoebe’s lovely face, her innate kindness and comforting words of wisdom, and suddenly he didn’t want to live in the shadows anymore. He wanted to live in the light of her love for the rest of his life.

  A weight on his heart lifted, and he knew, in time, self-forgiveness would be his.

  Then, like a rush of cold water, a shiver ran through him. Phoebe wanted to say goodbye, wanted to run from him because of her fears.

  He would be a fool to let her go. But baring his heart would be hard, knowing she had the power to crush his love with one little word.

  Guess it was time for another chat with God. If anyone could help, He could.

  Phoebe had taught him that.

  *

  Phoebe felt the first fat raindrops splash her face just as the Moonlight Cove Jetty came into clear view on her right. A gust of wind hit her, a stiff wall of air that had her jerking up the zipper on her hot-pink zip-up.

  She shivered as she corralled her hair with one hand; it seemed as if the temperature had dropped dramatically in the past few minutes. Early summer on the Washington coast was capricious indeed.

  Of course, it could be outright dread freezing her from the inside out. Where was Heidi? Had Phoebe’s hunch been wrong?

  Slogging through the drier and softer sand near the top of the beach, she cast her gaze left, away from the ocean, scanning the beach for signs of Heidi. Nothing.

  Just as she found the rock that marked her favorite spot, a squiggle of movement to the right caught her eye. She snapped her head in that direction, searching the wave-roughened ocean surrounding the jetty.

  After a few heart-pounding moments, she homed in on the source of movement, and her jaw dropped as alarm sizzled through her like a firecracker; there was a child squatted low on the very end of the long rock outcropping.

  Heidi!

  For the barest second, Phoebe stood immobile in shock, and in that space of time, a huge, storm-generated wave rose up and crashed around Heidi’s feet and ankles, submerging the jetty, cutting off Heidi’s escape.

  “Help!” Heidi screamed, her cry of distress carrying to Phoebe on the wild wind.

  Adrenaline shot through Phoebe, overriding her shock, and she instantly sprinted into action. “Heidi!” she shouted, raising her arms and waving as she ran toward the jetty. “Stay put!”

  The jetty was made up of large, jagged rocks; one misstep or slip and Heidi could fall and hurt herself, or tumble into the churning ocean, which was splashing much higher than usual on the sloped sides of the jetty. Just last year, two teenagers on a school field trip had been swept out to sea off a jetty on the Oregon coast. Neither body had ever been found.

  As chaotic, panic-fueled thoughts blasted Phoebe, she hit harder, wet sand, and the going was a bit easier. Even so, it seemed to take her an eternity to reach the inland end of the jetty where it met the beach.

  She lurched to stop, her chest heaving, and sought Heidi with her gaze; luckily, she’d obeyed Phoebe and hadn’t moved. “I’m coming to get you. Don’t move,” she yelled.

  Grim-faced, Heidi nodded.

  Phoebe gingerly started walking on the rocks toward Heidi, noting that many were slippery with algae, or was it moss? Whatever the case, the terrain was treacherous even in dry weather, and even more so with the wind and rain pelting everything in sight.

  She had to keep her eyes on her rocky, jagged route instead of looking at Heidi, which didn’t sit well with Phoebe; she wanted to know if she’d have to jump into the ocean to go after her. But, she told herself, if she never made it out to Heidi, Heidi’s chances of safety were slimmer, so Phoebe doggedly kept her gaze focused down, carefully planning each step she took.

  Thankfully, the waves seemed to have calmed down a bit, and the ocean wasn’t slapping the sides of the jetty with as much force as it had been moments before. The final ten feet were the easiest, but by no means a piece of cake. The whole journey was harrowing.

  The second Phoebe came within grabbing distance, Heidi glommed on to her with shaking hands. “I’m so glad you’re here!” she said, her voice shrill, tinged with obvious terror. “I thought the waves were gonna knock me into the ocean.”

  With her heart in her throat, Phoebe adjusted her footing until it was steady, then looked directly at Heidi. “I won’t let you fall. But you have to do exactly what I say.”

  Heidi nodded, her damp hair hanging in her face. “Okay.”

  To her left, Phoebe saw a whitecap swell down low. Widening her eyes, she turned and simultaneously took a firmer hold on Heidi. With a sucking sound, the ocean rose up like a giant gray-green hand, a wall of water flecked with bits of seaweed coming at them full force.

  “Duck!” she ordered, yelling as loud as she could, pulling Heidi down.

  With a fear-tinted squeal, Heidi fell to the rocks with her. Then the giant wave crashed over Phoebe and Heidi, and a torrent of salt-scented sea water gushed over them, yanking and pulling, down, down, down.

  With utter horror, Phoebe hung on to Heidi for dear life and stiffened her legs, sure she and Heidi were going to be swept out into the roiling, angry sea, never to be seen again.

  Chapter Seventeen

  “Please protect us, God!”

  The prayer lifted from Phoebe’s lips, an automatic yet heartfelt plea. And then, like a perfect, wonderful gift, a distinct sense of tranquility came over her.

  “I trust You, God, to watch over Heidi and me and keep us safe…”

  As her mouth moved in prayer, and she connected with Him as surely as if He’d leaned down from His kingdom and she’d whispered right in His ear, an astonishing realization filtered through her brain: her faith in God was still there in her soul, burning bright and true and as strong as ever.

  Astonished, she understood now that she had faith, always had, and she was ashamed she’d ever doubted her connection to God, that she’d let her anger blur their bond and mute her faith. Pure and cleansing, relief poured through her in a wave that was bigger and more profound than the one that had sprung from the stormy sea just moments ago.

  As she crouched next to Heidi on the jetty and the wave crested, the water ran off her in a river of frigid liquid, soaking her to the bone. A shiver ran through Phoebe, salt water burned her eyes, and then the wave receded and drained off the rocks as quickly as it had come.

  Breathless, her teeth chattering, she cast her gaze around to make sure there wasn’t another wave on its way. Swells surrounded them, but no distinct waves had formed. Yet.

  Seeing their chance for escape, she rose on shaky legs and pulled Heidi to her feet. “Come on, let’s get out of here before another wave comes.”

  Pale-faced, Heidi nodded, then rose and grabbed Phoebe’s hand and held on tight. Phoebe carefully navigated her way over the slick rocks as quickly as she could without falling while helping Heidi along, keeping an eye trained on the ocean in between steps to watch for any more threatening wave action.

  The inland end of the jetty loomed far, far away, seemingly as easy to reach as the moon. But she kept moving, her eyes focused on safe ground, and as they progressed toward the shelter of dry land bit by bit, the seemingly insurmountable distance closed. Fifteen feet. Ten feet. Then five.

  When Phoebe stepped onto the safety of the beach and felt solid ground beneath her feet, her eyes instantly filled with
hot tears. Heidi followed her onto the sand, and with a sob, flung herself into Phoebe’s arms, shaking with cold and, Phoebe was sure, shock mingled with immense relief.

  They were safe.

  Wiping drops of seawater from Heidi’s face, Phoebe said, “Come on, honey. Let’s get you home and warmed up.”

  “Are you mad at me for running off?” Heidi asked.

  “I was worried, not mad,” Phoebe replied, hugging Heidi again, so, so glad they weren’t fish food. “So was your dad.”

  “I was just really upset that you’d left like my mom did.”

  Horror filled Phoebe. “Is that what you thought?”

  Heidi nodded. “I know you called it quits with my dad.”

  “Yes, I did. But that doesn’t mean you and I can’t still be friends.” She squeezed Heidi’s shoulder. “I would never just desert you, sweetie. You’ll always be part of my life.”

  “I know…but…I wanted you and my dad to be together,” Heidi said in a very tiny voice. “And…I really was hoping you might be my mom.”

  Phoebe’s chest tightened and her eyes burned. “That’s the best thing anybody has ever said to me.”

  “But?”

  She took Heidi’s hand and started walking. “But…it’s complicated, and grown-up relationships are tricky.” And scary. And took more courage than Phoebe had.

  “They don’t seem tricky to me.”

  Phoebe frowned. “Really? Why is that?”

  “Because if you love someone, then what else matters?”

  Heidi’s statement landed like a bomb inside of Phoebe.

  Before Phoebe could choke out a response, Heidi tightened her grip on her hand. “Thank you for saving my life,” she said, her voice cracking as a shudder ran through her.

  “I didn’t save you. God did,” Phoebe replied.

  “You think?” Heidi asked, her nose scrunched.

  “Definitely. I asked Him to protect us, and He did.”

  Heidi shivered and pressed closer to Phoebe’s side. “I didn’t realize going out on the jetty was that dangerous.”

  Dangerous. The word echoed in Phoebe’s head. “Lots of things are dangerous, even if they don’t look it,” Phoebe said, actually hearing her words as she spoke, beginning to understand their true meaning. “Even things that seem safe.”

  “Yeah, I guess.”

  Phoebe barely registered Heidi’s reply over the loud voice screaming in her head, saying Look at me! Listen!

  So she did look and listen for a split second. And in that tiny yet important beat of time, an astonishing realization whacked her, hard.

  Peril was all around, no matter who you were or what you did. Whether you were a twelve-year-old girl or an ice-cream-store owner or a cop. And if she lived her life and made her choices according to what might happen, if she feared that danger would take away her security by striking down the people she loved, she’d be frozen in place forever, without true happiness.

  And she desperately wanted to be happy. Not just run-of-the-mill, so-so happy. But intense, wonderful, joyous, yell-out-in-bliss happy.

  And she finally knew how to achieve that.

  She had to lay her heart bare and tell Carson she loved him. And if he returned her feelings, love would provide all the security she’d ever need.

  But…what if he wasn’t willing to forgive her for already saying goodbye?

  Heidi’s wise words came back to her. If you love someone, then what else matters?

  Nothing. Nothing else mattered but her love for Carson, not even Phoebe’s own worries about whether or not Carson would forgive her. She saw now that she had to follow her heart and take the leap.

  *

  His good leg trembling, but unable to sit still, Carson stood looking out the front window, his eyes trained on the rain-slicked street, as if Phoebe and Heidi would simply materialize there, conjured up by his thoughts, and end his worry.

  He had the phone clenched in his hand to call 911 if he didn’t hear from Phoebe in the next few minutes; he was almost at the end of his rope.

  Just as the rope pulled taut and he was ready to lift the phone to his ear, it rang.

  He quickly pressed the talk button. “Yes?” he barked.

  “I found her,” Phoebe said. “She’s fine.”

  Relief spread through him in a warm, soothing wave. “Oh, thank God.” For the first time in his life, he really meant that statement.

  “I’m going to drive her over to your house. We’ll be there soon.”

  “Okay.”

  He hung up, and his spine sagged in release. His two girls were safe. Crisis averted. And that meant he’d been given an opportunity to tell Heidi what she needed to hear. What a wonderful gift, one he wasn’t about to squander. Nothing was more important than making sure Heidi knew he’d always be there for her.

  And what about him and Phoebe? Was it time for the next chapter in his life to begin? And if so, would Phoebe be there when he turned the page?

  With that important question still on his mind, he waited on the porch. Ten minutes later, Phoebe’s compact car pulled up into the driveway.

  He gingerly made his way down the stairs on his crutches, thankful the rain had dwindled to a light mist for the time being.

  Heidi popped out of the car and ran up the cement walkway, her damp hair flying behind her. “Daddy!” she cried, flinging herself into his arms.

  He managed to keep his balance and embrace her, tight, even holding on to his crutches somehow. More relief poured through him as he pressed a kiss to the top of her head; he was so glad to have his baby home safe. On the periphery of his senses, he noticed her clothes were soaking wet.

  He pulled back, and Phoebe came around the car. She, too, was soaked, and paler than he’d ever seen her, her eyes filling up her face like huge sapphires.

  His heart twisted at the sight of her, and, wordlessly, he lifted an arm. She stepped into his embrace and snuggled close, and he pulled her near, right up against him, right where she belonged.

  Something intangible melted inside of him, and somehow he knew that nothing else would ever be the same if he lost this wonderful woman.

  The three of them stood there for a few quiet moments, and then he leaned back and said, “What happened?”

  “I got trapped out on the rock thing.” Heidi smoothed her wet hair behind her ear. “I was really scared.”

  He frowned. “Rock thing?”

  “The beach jetty,” Phoebe said.

  “Phoebe saved my life,” Heidi announced. “The waves were big and were crashing around me, so she came out onto the jetty to get me. Another wave got us, but we held on and then made it off the jetty.”

  He looked at Phoebe. “Was it really that bad?”

  “Dad!” Heidi said.

  “Just making sure,” he replied, adjusting his crutches underneath him.

  “The waves were bigger than normal, and the rocks were slick, so yes, it was bad,” Phoebe told him.

  “See?” Heidi lifted her chin. “I told you.”

  Carson froze, the true enormity of the situation hitting him full force; someone could have been hurt, or worse. Oh, man. What would he have done if his worst nightmare had come to life and something had happened to Phoebe or Heidi? The question didn’t even bear answering.

  But the dicey query did show him what he had to do. Right now. Before the amazing woman who’d saved his daughter got it in her head that he was going to let her walk out of his life without a battle of epic proportions.

  “Let’s go inside and get you two into some dry clothes,” he suggested.

  “Good idea,” Phoebe said, rubbing her upper arms. “I’m freezing.”

  Well, at least she was willing to stay awhile. A good sign? Or was she just being practical, wanting to get warm?

  His heart racing, he hobbled his way inside behind Heidi and Phoebe just as more raindrops began falling. Looked as though the storm wasn’t over.

  When they reached the foyer, Hei
di hit the stairs. “I’ll get you something to wear,” she said to Phoebe.

  Phoebe went to follow her upstairs. “I’ll come help you.”

  Carson held up a hand. “Heidi?”

  Heidi swung around. “Yeah?”

  “Come here.”

  She walked down a few stairs and stopped in front of him, her blue eyes bright against her pale skin.

  “I’m bad at sharing my feelings, and I know I haven’t been very good about making you feel secure.” He put his arms around her and drew her close once more; she smelled like seawater and ocean breeze. He hesitated as words clogged his throat. Instinctually, he looked over Heidi’s damp head at Phoebe.

  With a gentle smile, Phoebe nodded encouragingly, as if to say, go on, you’re doing great.

  He swallowed, wanting to do the right thing—for Heidi and Phoebe. And himself, too, because if Heidi was healthy and happy, so was he. “I want you to know that I love you, and I will never, ever leave you, no matter what.”

  Heidi sagged against him. “I know, Dad, but thanks for telling me.”

  An immense sense of relief washed over him. “We need to keep talking to each other, all right? You tell me when you’re upset, and we’ll work it out. You don’t run off, ever again. You hear me?”

  “Okay,” she mumbled into his chest. “After today, I know better.”

  “You told me that the last time this happened.” He put his hand under her chin and forced her to look at him. “I’m going to need to ground you this time, Heidi, so I’m sure you realize how important it is not to run away every time you get upset.”

  She let out a large breath, then nodded. “Okay, whatever you say.”

  He pulled back, his hands firm on her shoulders. “I want a promise you’re never going to pull this stunt again, or you’re going to give me a heart attack to go along with my broken ankle, and that’ll be way more than I can handle.”

  She made an X over her chest. “Cross my heart.”

  “Good deal.” He turned her around and gave her a gentle push toward the stairs. “Now go get changed.”

  “Aye-aye, Captain Winters,” she said on a giggle as she dodged Phoebe and went upstairs, taking the steps two at a time.