by Janice Kay Johnson - Cop by Her Side (The Mysteries of Angel Butte)
Does she put her trust in him…again?
Lieutenant Jane Vahalik is done with Sergeant Clay Renner. He messed up their romance when he dished out too much male swagger. She gets enough of that on the job to put up with it in her personal life—regardless of how hot Clay may be.
Then her niece is kidnapped, and suddenly he is the only cop Jane trusts to lead the search. The rush of attraction sizzling between them surprises her. So does his determination to prove she’s wrong about him. It could be just the tense situation—or it could be Clay—but Jane’s feelings for him are growing. Maybe they deserve a second chance….
“If you trust me, Jane, you’ve got to help me find the answers I need.”
Clay paused, watching her closely, not wanting to give her another reason to despise him. But the case took priority over their personal situation, so he said the hard thing anyway. “Don’t let your sympathy for your brother-in-law blind you.”
Her expression changed, and he felt like a ruthless bastard. He didn’t take back what he’d said, though. His first priority had to be that missing little girl. In the absence of cooperation from her father, Drew Wilson, Clay needed Jane’s. It was that simple. This wasn’t some kind of competition, with him needing to prove she was on his side.
He didn’t like that he had to wonder if he was lying to himself.
He softened his tone. “Help me, Jane.”
She took what seemed to be an angry swipe at her eyes, and after a moment gave a nod. “For my niece,” she said tightly. “What is it you want to know?”
Was it that easy? Was she surrendering because she really did trust him—or because her loyalty to her niece was more powerful than her also steadfast loyalty to her brother-in-law? Clay suddenly wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer to that.
Dear Reader,
I really, truly never meant to make The Mysteries of Angel Butte series more than a trilogy. But I was grabbed by a character who didn’t stay in her secondary role. Jane Vahalik intrigued me from her appearance in the first book (Bringing Maddie Home, November 2013)—a woman succeeding in a primarily male field, and, at that, a woman whose very womanly appearance contradicts her seeming toughness. What made her the woman she became? Is she really as confident as she appears? And what kind of man would have enough confidence himself to love a woman who handles a gun as well as he does, participates in dangerous raids and supervises police detectives?
I’ve found in the past that, in most books, the focus is sharpest on hero or heroine, but not both. Partly, it’s tough to balance two people trying to overcome significant emotional or life challenges—especially if, as in many of my books, there’s a suspense subplot as well. I think when I started this book, I expected Jane to be at the center. I fell in love with Clay Renner right away, though. This is a guy who fell in love, head over heels, for the first time in his life when he met Jane. But he was raised to believe in quite differing male/female roles, and assuming that he’d love a woman who was content to support him and stay home to raise their children. Only a few dates into their relationship, he blows it badly and loses Jane.
When this book opens, months later, the two of them are participating in a police raid. Jane will be one of the first officers to go in, and Clay can’t deal with it. And yet...he aches to become a man worthy of her love and trust. He has a heck of a dilemma! Meantime, I’ve undermined all Jane’s hard-won confidence by endangering her family, exposing her vulnerability when she most wants to be strong.
I hope you love these two people as much as I came to. And to understand why, well, I’m writing yet one more book set in Angel Butte, Oregon. That under-the-radar runaway-youth shelter kept calling my name. I imagined an alum whose life was saved by the shelter—a deeply wounded boy grown up to be a very controlled man who has returned to Angel Butte to protect the shelter and the people running it. Look for that to come out later in 2014.
That will be the last book! I swear. I’m pretty sure.... Really.
Good reading,
Janice Kay Johnson
JANICE KAY
JOHNSON
Cop by Her Side
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author of more than eighty books for children and adults, Janice Kay Johnson is especially well-known for her Harlequin Superromance novels about love and family—about the way generations connect and the power our earliest experiences have on us throughout life. Her 2007 novel Snowbound won a RITA® Award from Romance Writers of America for Best Contemporary Series Romance. A former librarian, Janice raised two daughters in a small rural town north of Seattle, Washington. She loves to read and is an active volunteer and board member for Purrfect Pals, a no-kill cat shelter.
Books by Janice Kay Johnson
HARLEQUIN SUPERROMANCE
1454—SNOWBOUND
1489—THE MAN BEHIND THE COP
1558—SOMEONE LIKE HER
1602—A MOTHER’S SECRET
1620—MATCH MADE IN COURT
1644—CHARLOTTE’S HOMECOMING*
1650—THROUGH THE SHERIFF’S EYES*
1674—THE BABY AGENDA
1692—BONE DEEP
1710—FINDING HER DAD
1736—ALL THAT REMAINS
1758—BETWEEN LOVE AND DUTY**
1764—FROM FATHER TO SON**
1770—THE CALL OF BRAVERY**
1796—MAKING HER WAY HOME
1807—NO MATTER WHAT
1825—A HOMETOWN BOY
1836—ANYTHING FOR HER
1848—WHERE IT MAY LEAD
1867—FROM THIS DAY ON
1884—BRINGING MADDIE HOME†
1896—EVERYWHERE SHE GOES†
1908—ALL A MAN IS†
SIGNATURE SELECT SAGA
DEAD WRONG
*The Russell Twins
**A Brother’s Word
†The Mysteries of Angel Butte
Other titles by this author available in ebook format.
For Pat (aka Alexis Morgan), the best of friends and a fantastic plotting partner
Contents
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
EPILOGUE
EXCERPT
CHAPTER ONE
LIEUTENANT JANE VAHALIK’S skin prickled from her awareness that she was being watched. She didn’t have to look around to know who had his eyes on her.
It seemed an excellent time to fade away into the early-evening darkness, circling behind her big black SUV to change clothes in preparation for tonight’s assault. Others had been taking turns to do the same; earlier, two designated officers had returned to town to collect the additional weaponry the group would need, as well as body armor and black clothing. Much as Jane had hated the idea of a fellow law enforcement officer—male, of course—letting
himself into her apartment and pawing through her drawers, there hadn’t seemed to be a good alternative. Her GMC Yukon was one of the more conspicuous vehicles collected out here, and going and returning unnoticed was essential. Besides, any of the guys might have hated having her in his home as much as she did the other way around. And did she want to know that a detective under her command had an impressive porn collection or decorated his living room with a beer-can pyramid or had a kitchen or bathroom so filthy it would turn her stomach? Really, really, no. At least her place was clean.
The Yukon was currently backed into a dirt turnaround, shielded from the main road by a thicket of scrubby trees and blackberries. Rusting barbed wire, only a few feet away, marked the beginning of a pasture holding a couple of horses, one obviously elderly and swaybacked, and, of all things, a donkey. Now she heard a few far-off rustles, followed by a whuffle from the darkness. Animals. They would be supremely uninterested in seeing her seminaked.
Knowing how brief her privacy might be and listening for human footsteps, Jane hastily shed the clothes she had been wearing for two days now, since she’d learned that police chief Raynor’s nephew was being held hostage. Her nose wrinkled in distaste as she bundled them up. She’d managed a shower this morning at Raynor’s house, but had had to put the same clothes back on. Even if she’d been comfortable asking, she couldn’t have borrowed from Julia Raynor, the police chief’s sister-in-law and the boy’s mother; Julia had a slender dancer’s body, while Jane...did not.
She had stepped into the black trousers first and was tugging down the hem of a long-sleeved black T-shirt when she heard the crunch of a footstep.
“Jane.”
She closed her eyes for a moment in resignation. “Sergeant.”
There was a brief second of silence. She had no doubt Clay Renner’s jaw was clenching in annoyance. An attempt to distance herself, her formality was bound to irritate him, and he surely wouldn’t like any reminder that she outranked him, even if they were from different law enforcement agencies.
He stepped around the fender of the Yukon. The night wasn’t quite ink dark yet, but getting there. The moon, only a sliver in the sky, was their friend. Given virtually no cover during the approach, getting half a dozen people in place around the barn where they believed the thirteen-year-old boy was being held hostage would have been a heck of a lot more challenging under the bright silver light of a full moon.
Jane could make Clay out, barely. He was really just a darker bulk against the indistinct background, but she didn’t need to see him to picture him. She’d dated Clay Renner half a dozen times almost a year ago. He was big, athletic and surprisingly light and agile on his feet given his impressive muscles, with a roughcast, angular face that was very male without being handsome. Blue eyes that were too observant. His light brown, sun-streaked hair always looked as if it was in need of a haircut, but felt like the heaviest of silk slipping through her fingers. At thirty-six, he was two years older than she. Idiot that she was, she still remembered his birth date.
“Are you trying to prove something?” he asked, voice low and intense. “That you can do anything the rest of us can do?”
This was why she’d quit seeing Clay.
“I can do anything the rest of you can do,” she said levelly. “And damn well, too.”
He made an exasperated sound in his throat. “You know what I mean.”
Unfortunately, she did. “No, I don’t,” she said perversely, reaching for the vest.
The weight settled on her shoulders. Of course, the blasted thing didn’t fit the way it was supposed to. Tactical vests and body armor that actually fit women’s bodies were being manufactured. Unfortunately, the Angel Butte Police Department had yet to purchase any. Of course, a vest that accommodated her inconveniently large breasts was otherwise way too large and too long. She consoled herself that her abdomen was covered.
“You’re going to get stuck going through that goddamn window,” Clay snapped. “That’s what I mean.”
“I’m smaller than the rest of you.”
“Except for your, uh, chest.”
The mealymouthed description surprised her. “Don’t you mean tits?” she said, the heat of anger searing her cheeks. “Or— No, it’s a rack, isn’t it?”
She was pretty sure she heard his molars grinding this time.
“I told you it was nothing but stupid male posturing and I was sorry.”
Like she could forget the way she’d overheard him talking about her to some of his buddies, all fellow cops.
The anger disappeared as fast as it had risen, leaving her feeling...hollow. She shook her head, even though he probably couldn’t see her. “The fact that you’re given to stupid male posturing is enough in itself, Clay. Let’s drop it. I’m a cop. I have breasts. Get over it.”
“You don’t give anyone a second chance, do you, Jane?” His voice was rough.
“You know what I heard was just the icing on the cake. The fact is, you’d never be comfortable having a relationship with a woman cop. I don’t suppose you raised a champagne glass to me when you heard I’d been promoted, did you?”
Silence.
“Didn’t think so.” She tossed her discarded clothing into the back of the SUV, holstered her .38 Ruger and closed the rear door as quietly as possible. “You’d better get changed, too. Your white shirt kind of stands out.”
That wasn’t a lie, even if mostly she was trying to get rid of him. Earlier she’d seen he had on well-worn jeans and a snug-fitting white T-shirt that revealed powerful biceps and pecs. The better to advertise, she’d thought cynically.
“Listen to sense, will you? You being there will distract the rest of us. We’ll all be worried about keeping you safe.”
Was she supposed to be touched? she wondered wearily. “No, Clay, you won’t all be distracted. Astonishingly enough, Captain McAllister and Chief Raynor, at least, respect my abilities. And you know what? I’d really like it if you wouldn’t worry about me.”
He made an inarticulate sound of frustration, snapped, “On your head be it,” and stomped away.
Jane didn’t move to follow him immediately. Instead she gazed toward the dark pasture and struggled to center herself. Pictured the small window she had studied earlier through binoculars. Began to walk herself step-by-step through what she had to do. Shatter the glass. Toss in a flash bang. Sweep the shards off the frame. Hoist herself—
“Is Sergeant Renner going to be a problem?” asked Captain Colin McAllister from only a few feet away.
She gasped and swung to face him. “Damn. I didn’t hear you coming.”
“I can see why,” he said drily.
It was Colin who last year had promoted her to lieutenant, heading the investigative division directly beneath him. Colin, a man who bore some physical resemblance to Clay Renner, enough to, on occasion, push her buttons.
Well, he’d never looked twice at her, not that way. The upside was he treated her with unwavering respect for her abilities. Downside? She was thirty-four years old and had yet to meet a man who treated her with respect and wanted her as a woman. She’d begun to suspect it wasn’t happening.
And was that so bad? She loved her job, and the relationships she’d tried to have had left her pretty sour on men anyway.
“Did you hear all that?” she asked.
“Afraid so. I didn’t want to interrupt. Sorry. When you recommended Sergeant Renner for this team, I didn’t realize you had a history.”
“Not much of one.” She shrugged to suggest how little she cared. “Impulse on both our parts. As you may have gathered, he’s a sexist pig.”
Colin chuckled. “Or intensely protective of you.”
She felt like a cap had been pulled out of a bottle of champagne—or a bottle rocket. “So protective,” she said fiercely, “I walked into the
squad room to hear him describing my, er, attributes and telling everyone in earshot what he intended to do to me.”
She could make out his grimace. “Yeah, that would do it.”
Feeling sick, Jane said, “Now, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you that.”
“I assumed you took some guff, being a woman in a field that’s still primarily male and testosterone driven. Let’s say I’m not surprised. Disappointed in Sergeant Renner, though.” He shook his head. “He’s been strictly professional here.”
“I wouldn’t have suggested we call him if I hadn’t been confident he would be.”
Colin pushed a button on his watch and it briefly lit up. “Less than an hour. You okay with your role?”
“You mean, going in the window? Sure.”
“Good enough.” He nodded and melted away, leaving her with a whole lot of regrets involving both men. Why couldn’t there be one man who both wanted and respected her?
* * *
CLAY WISHED HE’D been feeding Jane a load of crap, but the truth was, he didn’t think he was going to be able to turn off his awareness that she was one of the first members of the assault team in. Maybe the first member.
Jane Vahalik, no more than five foot four. Jane, with a sweet face and an incredibly lush body. A centerfold body, not a tough-as-nails cop body.
And, goddamn it, he knew she was good. She’d spent time on the multijurisdictional drug enforcement team, so this sure as hell wasn’t the first raid she’d participated in. From what he’d heard, she had played a solid part in the ugly stuff that had gone down last year in Angel Butte that had resulted in the police chief resigning in disgrace and a succession of reputedly crooked officers getting the ax. There was no way she’d earned the promotion to lieutenant by sleeping with her boss, as he’d heard suggested. If nothing else, Colin McAllister had the reputation as a straight arrow. Plus, he’d been living with another woman, one whom he had since married.
Knowing all of that didn’t help. Clay had been raised to believe in traditional gender roles. His father was a domineering man, his mother gentle and clearly subservient. Clay supported equal rights and never had any trouble working with women. But he’d tended to date women who didn’t challenge him in any meaningful way, and in his hazy view of the future, he saw a wife who’d stay at home with the kids, making her life about him.
