Harlequin Heartwarming December 2020 Box Set

by Cari Lynn Webb, Linda Warren, Mary Anne Wilson

  “He was such a tortured little boy and he never recovered from it. That’s my fault. I should’ve hit Sam upside the head with an iron skillet. I should’ve done something. I keep thinking of what I should’ve done.”

  “Grandma, you can’t change a thing.”

  She nodded. “It’s just not fair. He’s getting his life together and this happens.”

  “I’m sorry, Grandma,” Bo said again.

  She pointed a finger at him. “That’s what I wanted to hear. I want you to forgive your dad because all you’ve got left now is forgiveness. Do you hear me?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Good. I’ll sleep a little easier knowing that.” She looked around. “Have you seen my glasses?

  “They’re on the top of your head.”

  “Oh. I forget sometimes.” She turned the CD player back on. “Listen to this with me.”

  He sat and listened to his father’s voice, and something inside him snapped, something he had been holding on to for a long time with a deathly grip—his anger. It disappeared into his father’s melodious voice and Bo didn’t try to grab it back. He didn’t need it anymore.

  After a while his grandmother turned the CD player off and she talked about her son. Bo listened with an open heart. He didn’t want to gag and run away from the words. It was almost the same thing she’d told him before, but he let her talk.

  When she stopped, he said, “Grandma, I’m gonna go now, but I’ll be back.”

  “You always were such a good boy.”

  He didn’t know about that. He was just trying to find his way right now. After kissing her forehead, he started for the door.

  “Wait, Beauregard. Did you take my pants back?”

  “Huh… I gave you the money for them, remember? So I wouldn’t have to come back.”

  “No, you didn’t. You’re supposed to use your gun and badge to get my money back.”

  “It doesn’t work like that. Grandma…” A smart man always knew when he’d been conned and he knew he’d been had by his grandmother. He pulled out his wallet and handed her ten dollars.

  “Plus tax.”

  He gritted his teeth and handed her another dollar.

  “Did you tell them they were uncomfortable?”

  The trash can hadn’t responded when he threw them away, so he replied, “You got your money back so be grateful for that.”

  “You bet I am.”

  He leaned over and whispered in her ear. “Never try to con a cop.”

  She chuckled as he went out the door and he was glad she was in a better mood. But the worst was yet to come.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  BECKY LOOKED OUT the window to see if Bo was home, and his truck still wasn’t there. It was getting late and she wondered where he could be. She gave Luci a bath and tucked her in. Her baby was tired and fell asleep almost instantly.

  The next time she peeped out the window she saw Bo’s truck. “Dad, I’m going over to talk to Bo. Listen for Luci.”

  “Use your charm. He won’t know what hit him.”

  “Dad!”

  She didn’t know she had that kind of charm anymore, and she certainly wasn’t using it on Bo. After last night, he’d probably laugh at her about-face. But her dad was right. She had gotten all bent out of shape over something trivial, though little things could mean a lot to a seventeen-year-old girl.

  She knocked at the front door and waited. She knocked again.

  “It’s open.” She heard Bo’s deep voice.

  Becky tentatively opened the door and walked in. Bo was sprawled on the couch. His head rested on one of the cushions and his legs stretched out in front of him. He’d taken his boots off and he had a look on his face she’d seen many times. He was in pain. The pain that could only be caused by one person—his father.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked, as if they were the best of friends.

  He sat up and rubbed his hands between his knees. “A whole lot of heartache, Bec. That’s what’s wrong.”

  He wasn’t making any sense. She sat beside him and she couldn’t believe how her emotions were focused totally on him now. “What happened?”

  “My dad has three months to live.”

  She touched his arm. “I’m sorry.”

  “Yeah, everybody is. My mom wants me to talk to him. My sister wants me to go with her to see him and my grandma wants me to forgive him. They’re in my face, but they don’t understand how hard that is for me, even though I know the past didn’t happen exactly as I remember it.”

  She bit her lip, trying not to give him advice, but she couldn’t help herself. “I think you’ll regret it if you don’t see him one last time.”

  “He’ll only say he’s sorry, which is something I’ve heard many times.”

  “Then listen to him say it one more time. He needs to say it and you need to hear it.”

  He looked at her and the pain in his dark eyes made her tremble. “I thought you weren’t talking to me.”

  “I… I didn’t say I wouldn’t talk to you.” She was trying to find an explanation for her actions and she couldn’t. “Okay, I was out of line last night and overreacted, but when you said you never thought of me, I turned into that seventeen-year-old girl who was across the street crying her eyes out. I really have matured beyond that.”

  “Really?”

  She lifted her chin. “Yes.”

  He didn’t come back with a sarcastic retort. He rubbed his hands together once again and stared at them. “I don’t think I can do what my mother, sister and grandmother want me to do.”

  She touched his leg. “Yes, you can. You’re stronger than that, Bo.”

  He reached out and pulled her close, and she leaned against him as if she was starving for his touch. Her head rested just below his chin and the musky masculine scent reached senses that had been dead for too many years. She’d missed him and she hadn’t realized until that moment just how much. She’d heard it said that love hurt—she could honestly say that it did.

  He leaned back with her in his arms and they sat there for a long time as she listened to the beat of his heart. They used to sit like this in his truck, on her sofa, and talk. They could talk about anything and it was one of the things she’d loved most about him.

  He kissed her forehead. “This is nice. I’d rather do this than argue with you.”

  She would, too, but she didn’t say the words.

  “We can’t go back, Bo. We have different lives now.”

  “Yeah. I’m like my grandma. I sometimes forget.”

  That ache in his voice was almost her undoing. She patted his chest and resisted the urge to let her hands linger. “You’ll do fine talking to your father. Just listen and don’t react out of anger. This will be your last chance and you need to take it. Tell him how you feel and how you felt all those years when he would leave. That’s all you have to do.”

  He lifted her chin and kissed her for a brief moment, and she was lost in all the emotions that he created in her. It was nice. It was perfect. And she just wanted to go with the moment and not think about anything else. But then there was Luci…

  She slid out of his arms and got to her feet. “I better go.”

  “Did you come over here for a reason?”

  A few minutes in his arms and she’d forgotten all about it. She was a total mess.

  “Yeah.” She slipped her hands into the pockets of her shorts. “I wanted to ask you a favor.”

  “A favor?”

  “Luci has a three o’clock appointment tomorrow in Austin.”

  “Okay. I won’t come over tomorrow.”

  “No, that’s not it. Since the accident, my dad doesn’t like to drive in heavy traffic and I was hoping you’d bring Luci to Austin for me.”

  He got to his feet. “You trust me with
her?”

  “Of course. Why wouldn’t I? You saved her life and I know you wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize it.”

  “I guess I can work it into my busy schedule.” That confident gleam was back in his eyes.

  “If you want, you can stay and visit with the doctor and therapist with me, so you’ll know what’s going on with Luci.”

  “I’d like that. Thank you for asking me.”

  His soft demeanor was weakening every bit of resolve in her, but she felt this could only be a good thing. She pulled out her phone. “Can I have your cell number, please?”

  They exchange numbers and Becky opened the door to go. “Oh, I should probably tell you not to mention doctor or therapist to Luci. If she knows she’s going to see them, she will cry and plead and beg until your ears ring from all the drama.”

  “I’ve been thrown to the wolves, huh?”

  She smiled and it felt good. Bo used to make her smile all the time and she’d missed that, too. “I’ll send the doctor’s address and meet you there.”

  “Thanks, Bec.” He brushed a hand through his dark hair and she had the urge to stay a little longer just to make sure he was okay. Bo was strong enough to handle his own battles and she knew he would make the right decisions concerning his father. She just hoped she’d done the right thing by inviting Bo back into her life.

  * * *

  BO WAS UP early the next morning. He wanted to talk to his mother. They sat at the kitchen table eating breakfast.

  “Tell me about Mason.” The words were easy to say and his mother was eager to talk. They were basically the same things his grandmother had told him. Bo’s grandpa had called Mason all kinds of names when he was younger. Grandpa never let up on trying to make Mason into the kind of “man” Grandpa thought he should be.

  “He made our lives miserable,” his mom said. “Remember that time you caught your father in bed with that woman?”

  “It’s burned into my memory, Mom.”

  “Your grandfather showed up a little later. Do you remember that?”

  “Yeah. He was cussing and calling Mason names because of what he’d done.” It was exactly what Bo had wanted to hear. He’d wanted his father to hurt like he was hurting.

  “I asked him to leave.”

  Bo frowned. “You did? I don’t remember that.”

  “Yes, after what my son had been put through it angered me that Sam thought he had a right to come in here and take over. He pointed a finger at me and said no woman told him what to do. I then told him that if he didn’t leave I would call the sheriff.

  “He left in a huff. I didn’t care. I didn’t want you to listen to that kind of talk. Sam had always been a thorn in our marriage. I know Mason caused a lot of our problems, but if he hadn’t heard he was a loser, half a man and good for nothing all his life, he might have turned out differently.”

  Bo took a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know if I can see him and talk to him. I’m struggling with that. I just want to be honest with you.”

  His mother patted his hand on the table. “You do what you feel you have to. I’ll understand.”

  “Grandma says forgiveness is all I have left.”

  “She might be right.” His mom got up and gave him a quick hug. “I have to go to work.”

  Bo stood and stretched, feeling like his brain was going to explode. He needed a distraction. He sat on the sofa, pulled out his phone and called Hutch. “Hey, how’s it going?”

  “Like always. We had a convenience store robbery and the guy was still in there holding the clerk as hostage. We had to go in and take him. It went smoothly. He’s sitting in a jail cell now.”

  “No one got hurt?”

  “No. We can actually run a call without you, Sarge. The lieutenant kept him talking while Cruz and I snuck in the back and took him down within seconds. Then the rest of the team rushed in and took charge of the scene.”

  “Good job. I just wanted you and the guys to know I won’t be back for another week. I have some family matters I need to take care of.”

  “Sorry to hear that, Sarge. Just get back as soon as you can. It’s not the same without you.”

  Bo ended the call with a smile. They could do very well without him; they were all highly trained professionals. But the words were good to hear.

  He slipped on his shorts and T-shirt, and drove into Temple to get a haircut, first one in over two months. The stylist left a little length and combed it all back. He then stopped and bought a car seat, and installed it in his truck. When he got home, he shaved off his beard. He stared a moment at the man in the mirror, hardly recognizing him. He had been a little shaggy lately and now he was squeaky clean, just like Cole.

  He made a sandwich and drank a glass of milk with his eye on the clock. Luci woke up about one thirty and they had to leave before two. Actually, he wanted to leave earlier so he could deal with Luci.

  His phone pinged. Pulling it out of his pocket, he saw it was a text from Becky. It provided the address of the doctor’s office and he knew exactly where it was.

  There was a note beneath: When she sees the office, she’ll know where she is and she’ll probably throw a hissy fit. Don’t let her cry too much.

  He texted back: I can handle it.

  She texted: You’re in for such a surprise.

  He tapped a smiley emoji and put the phone in his pocket. Marching across the street, a smile spread across his face. Becky and her notes. She was very organized and he remembered it had driven him crazy in high school. Craig opened the door with Luci in his arms. She rubbed her eyes, still sleepy.

  Craig handed him a note. It was a list from Becky of things he needed to do. Like what clothes for Luci to wear.

  “Are you kidding me? What’s wrong with the clothes she has on?”

  Craig shrugged. “I put the pink bows around her pigtails that came undone while she was sleeping and combed her hair. I do that every morning anyway.”

  Luci’s feet were bare. “Where’s your shoes, little angel?”

  Luci pointed to her room.

  It took a minute to put on her white sandals. He glanced at the white shorts and a pink top that had a white heart and colorful flowers. It looked fine to him. He lifted the girl into his arms.

  “Ready to go with Bo?”

  She nodded.

  Before he could open the door, Craig was there with a large bag.

  “What’s that?” Bo asked.

  “Luci’s bag. Her water and juice are in there and an extra set of clothes if she has an accident. Some wipes and…”

  “I got it,” Bo interrupted.

  “I already took her to the potty so you’re set to go.”

  An accident? Potty? When he and Luci played outside and she had to potty, she would go inside and Craig was there to help her. Now Bo had to do that? He was totally clueless and out of his comfort zone.

  “You can take the car seat out of my car,” Craig said.

  “I bought one,” Bo replied, going out the door.

  With Luci secure in her car seat they were off.

  “Where. Bo?”

  “We’re going for a drive.” He evaded the question.

  “Play.”

  “Not today, little angel. We have something more important to do.”

  Luci watched the traffic and didn’t say anything else. Soon she was sound asleep. It didn’t take him long to find the glass-and-brick building that housed doctors’ offices near the hospital. When he parked and turned off the engine, Luci woke up and looked around.

  “No! Home!”

  Bo got out and went around and opened the door so he could talk to her. “What’s wrong?”

  Luci shook her head. “No!”

  When he tried to take her out of the seat, she pulled away. “No!”

  This was a prob
lem. He wasn’t used to disciplining children, but if he could discipline men he should be able to handle this.

  “Luci, look at me.”

  She turned her head, a big frown on her face.

  “Everybody has to see the doctor. Even I have to see the doctor. I’m a cop so I have to go to the doctor for checkups to make sure I’m healthy. And that’s what we’re going to do today to make sure you’re healthy. You told me once that you were different. The only way to change that is to see the doctor so we can make sure that you’re not different anymore.”

  “Mean!”

  “Me or the doctor?”

  “You!”

  He was the bad guy now, but he knew how to deal with this little angel. He squatted and placed a hand over his heart. “That breaks my heart and makes me so sad. I guess you’re not my friend anymore and we can’t play together.”

  “No! No! You. My. Friend.”

  “Then we’re going to go see the doctor and afterward we’ll get an ice cream, any kind you want.”

  She stretched out her arms. “Big.”

  “As big as you want.” He reached in, unhooked her from the car seat and made his way to the entrance. Luci buried her face in his neck, whimpering. It shook his strong resolve.

  He patted her back. “You’re not going to cry on me, are you?”

  Luci didn’t say anything and they went up in the elevator to the designated floor. Inside the office, two mothers, each with a child on her lap, sat in chairs, but Becky wasn’t there. He started to call her, but decided to wait.

  “Potty,” Luci whispered in his ear.

  Oh, man. He’d have to wing this.

  He asked the receptionist where the bathroom was and she pointed to the hallway. Once inside Luci wiggled down from his arms.

  “Me. Do.” She went to the children’s toilet and pushed her shorts and panties down. “No. Look.”

  He turned around to face the door, smiling. “Do you need any help?”

  “No.”

  A tinkling sound filled the room and he peeked to see if she needed help. But she hopped down and pulled her panties and shorts up, although they were crooked.

  “Can I turn around?”

  “Yes. Wash. Hands.”