Discovering Love on Cranberry Lane (Island County Book 11)

by Karice Bolton

  “Wow. Can I have some when I get home?”

  “Yup.”

  I turned into the parking lot where we lived and parked right in front of our door.

  Colby scrambled from the car before I even had a chance to help and scurried to the front door.

  “Halloween is only two days away. We’d better carve our pumpkins.”

  “Woohoo.” Colby squealed as we walked inside.

  I put the craft bag by the door and the bag full of tea in the kitchen before I started making Colby the hot chocolate.

  “What do you like most about living on Fireweed?” I asked Colby.

  “Aaron and his uncle.” Colby smiled and collapsed onto the couch.

  I was surprised he included Aaron’s uncle.

  “What do you like least about living on the island?” I asked.

  He shrugged. “Nothing.”

  Happiness filled me as I followed the instructions for the hot chocolate.

  “What time is it?” Colby asked.

  I glanced at the clock. “Six o’clock.”

  “Daddy told me to tell you hi, but I was supposed to do it at five.”

  A shiver ran through my spine as my hand holding the cup of hot chocolate started to tremble.

  “When did Daddy tell you that?” I asked, swallowing down the fear that nipped away at me.

  “At lunch today.”

  I set the cup back on the counter and took a deep breath. “How many times has Daddy visited you?”

  “Just this once.” Colby stood up and stretched. “He said he’d start coming here more, though.”

  “Oh,” I said softly.

  “Mommy?”

  “Yes, honey?”

  “He didn’t look right.”

  “How so?” I asked, trying not to sound alarmed.

  “His eyes.” Colby shook his head. “Aaron was scared of him.”

  I nodded slowly and let out a quiet breath, realizing my life here on Fireweed just became more complicated.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Colby and I showed up at Dwayne’s home promptly at four o’clock. I didn’t know where I expected Dwayne and Aaron to live, but this wasn’t it.

  Even though this house fit them both perfectly from the outside, I never expected the big, bad, burly sheriff to live somewhere so

  Charming.

  The house sat at the edge of Cranberry Lane with a short gravel driveway. A fence made of driftwood enclosed the yard, and a tiny pathway of stones led to the front entry. The house had a gabled roof and a covered wraparound porch with two rocking chairs.

  Like I said, charming.

  Bright orange pumpkins covered the steps leading to the doorway, and a skeleton hung on the siding screamed whenever Colby or I moved, so we stayed frozen waiting for someone to answer the door.

  I was determined not to ruin Colby’s first Halloween here on the island, but the moment I’d found that Marvin was on Fireweed, I’d made a call to Dwayne, and I knew we’d discuss it more tonight.

  The door opened, and Dwayne stood waving his arms to usher us inside.

  “Find it okay?” he asked, kissing my cheek as he took a large bag from me.

  “We did.” I looked around the foyer and saw more pumpkins. Some of these had been painted. A staircase leading up to the second floor had a banister wrapped in leaves.

  Aaron and Colby scurried off, and Dwayne led me in.

  “My sister always decorated for every holiday, and I wanted to keep the tradition alive for Aaron.”

  My stomach clenched, and I nodded in awe of the man standing in front of me.

  “You’ve done an incredible job.” I looked into the living room and saw glass pumpkins and leaves spread across the fireplace mantle.

  “Thanks.” His eyes stayed on mine for an extra minute. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  “I appreciate that because right now, I feel like I’ve been put through the wringer.”

  Dwayne nodded and drew a deep breath. “I bet you do. Did Colby say anything about his dad visiting today?”

  I shook my head, anxious to hear what Dwayne was going to say.

  “I checked with every B&B and hotel here on the island, and no Marvin Swanson is staying on Fireweed. I’ve started putting feelers out in Seattle, but that’s a lot more difficult without search warrants and—”

  I let out a sigh of relief. “Just hearing that he’s not traipsing around the island makes me feel like I can breathe again.”

  Dwayne set the bag down and wrapped his arms around my waist. I felt so small in his embrace, so protected.

  “I’m so sorry about all this.”

  He touched my chin and pulled my gaze to his. “What did I tell you about that? No saying sorry.”

  I nodded and rested my head against his chest. “But you’ve been through so much, and this just seems…petty compared to everything else.”

  He ran his arms up my body and kissed the top of my head. “Everyone has their own burdens to overcome. It doesn’t make one less important than the other.”

  I tilted my head up and locked my gaze on his. “It seems pretty insignificant to me, and that’s why I wish he’d just leave us alone. Life is so precious and—”

  He kissed the top of my head and squeezed me a little harder. “It is.”

  Dwayne’s arms loosened around me, and he stepped back. “And I’m constrained by certain legalities to solve this problem not how I’d like to.” He grinned, and I fell a little harder for him. “But we need to take this seriously.”

  I nodded in agreement.

  “But you’re safe here under my roof, so let’s get our craft party going.”

  I chuckled.

  “I can’t believe I just said that.” He slid his arm over my shoulder as he picked up the craft bag, and we wandered into the kitchen.

  The kitchen was as warm as the rest of the house. I spotted a pile of bright orange ghost-shaped cookies and laughed.

  “Please tell me you didn’t also find time to bake cookies while fighting crime for the rest of us mere mortals?”

  The boys came running into the kitchen, and he dropped his arm from my shoulders.

  “No, but the grocery store’s bakery department does a great job.” He grabbed a cookie and began emptying the contents of the bag onto the kitchen table.

  The kitchen’s alder cabinets and dark granite countertops made the kitchen feel cozy, and the delicious dinner in the oven made my stomach growl.

  “Dinner won’t be for about an hour.” Dwayne smiled. “You might want to take a cookie or two.”

  I laughed and grabbed three. “Don’t mind if I do.”

  “We ready?” Colby asked, climbing onto one of the chairs with Aaron following his lead.

  “We sure are.” I chuckled, finding the glue gun and plugging it in.

  “Wow.” Dwayne eyed me. “Is that how you see me?”

  I cocked my head slightly in confusion and then followed his gaze to all the gold glitter Colby and I had planned to stick on the badge.

  “Who said we’re mimicking you?” I teased.

  “I just thought it was the best form of flattery and all.” Dwayne’s smile deepened, and it took everything I had not to lean over and smooch the man on the lips.

  “Having an uncle who’s a cop is cool.” Colby grinned at Aaron.

  “Yup.” Aaron started reaching for cotton balls to glue on the front of his brown dinosaur costume.

  I was pretty sure there weren’t furry dinos back in the day, but I didn’t have the heart to tell him as he smooshed them onto the chest.

  Dwayne walked over to the oven and stirred the casserole, and I hid a smile.

  The way his jeans fit around his hips and his shirt clung to his waist and back, it was hard not to fantasize about what he looked like undressed.

  I put my mommy hat back on and shook myself out of it as I reached for the template for the police badge.

  “Okay, the hot glue gun is ready.” I helped squirt
the clear glue onto the badge as Colby sprinkled gobs and gobs of gold onto it.

  Dwayne walked over and folded his arms over his chest, nodding. “Looks really good.” He pushed his mouth into an impressed smile and looked over at Aaron.

  “And that’s the best teddy bear I’ve ever seen.”

  The table fell silent.

  “It’s not a teddy bear, Uncle Dwayne.”

  Colby grimaced. “It’s an Allosaurus.”

  Dwayne cocked his head to the left. “I think it’s the fluffy chest that’s throwing me, bud.”

  Aaron frowned at his uncle.

  “What if we paint the cotton balls brown?” I suggested. “Then it just provides texture.”

  Aaron smiled at me and nodded. “Yeah.”

  Dwayne let out a deep breath and quickly fled to find brown paint.

  “Uncle Dwayne is planning a surprise for you.” Aaron wiggled his brows.

  “Is that so?” I smiled, helping Colby cut out tools and weapons from cardboard for his police belt.

  “Yup. It’s a good one.” Aaron’s eyes sparkled.

  “How good?” I prodded.

  “Super good.”

  “Any hints?”

  Aaron shook his head as Dwayne wandered back into the kitchen. “Here ya go, bud.”

  “Will you help me?” Aaron asked his uncle, who quickly obliged.

  As the boys finished up their costumes, a comfortable silence spread around the table. Every once in a while, I’d look up to see Dwayne looking at me and smiling, which made me quickly look away, but it was just a lovely time, a family time.

  I looked over at Colby and smiled.

  “Okay, dinner is ready,” Dwayne said, standing from the table. “Who’s going to help clean off the table?”

  “We will,” both boys shouted.

  I helped move the costumes off the table so they wouldn’t get destroyed as the boys stuffed all the crafts back in the bag as I found silverware and set the table.

  The boys went down the hall to the powder room to wash their hands, and Dwayne came up behind me.

  “It’s so nice having you here.” He snuck a kiss just behind my ear, and a tingle of good things swept through my body.

  “Thanks for inviting us.” I turned around slowly and leaned against the counter. “Your home is amazing, and it feels so warm.”

  He smiled and started dishing up the plates as the boys piled back into the kitchen.

  We all took a seat around the table, and Aaron said a quick grace.

  “Amen,” Dwayne said as he winked at his nephew.

  Colby took a bite of the tetrazzini and then another. “This is so good.”

  Aaron nodded in agreement, and I took my first bite.

  “Well, I’m completely impressed.” I smiled at Dwayne, who looked relieved as we continued to eat dinner. The boys chatted about the Halloween party at school the next day, and I traded a glance with Dwayne every so often.

  Once the boys finished their meals, they wandered off to Aaron’s bedroom, where it sounded like they were playing with Aaron’s toy car collection.

  “Every day, you just impress me more and more.” I grinned, rinsing the plates off and putting them in the dishwasher.

  “You even made me tea from Maddie’s.” I grinned, taking another sip before reaching for another plate.

  He snatched the plate away from me and set it on the counter.

  “You’re too easily impressed,” he whispered, bringing his lips to my jawline and peppering soft kisses along my skin.

  A wave of tingles spread across me as I closed my eyes.

  “Your lips feel really nice,” I whispered, feeling a bit of his stubble along my cheek.

  Dwayne’s mouth found mine, and heated desire flashed through his gaze before I closed my eyes and fell into his kiss. He pulled me into him, his mouth more demanding as I ran my fingers under his shirt. I felt him smile against our kiss, and my stomach dipped and twirled in complete happiness.

  I curled my fingers through his hair, and our kisses continued as if he’d been waiting all day to hold me.

  When the noise upstairs stopped, Dwayne quickly broke away, but I felt dizzy with his absence. I held onto the counter to steady myself, and he flashed a smirk in my direction.

  “And that was only a kiss.” Dwayne winked at me and put the last plate in the dishwasher as the boys came rumbling down the stairs.

  “Hey, Uncle Dwayne?” Aaron began.

  “Yes?” Dwayne cleared his throat, and my gaze fell to the floor as I tried to pull myself together. My lips still burned from where his mouth left mine, and I wanted so much more.

  “There’s some guy outside with a flashlight, looking at our cars.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  My heart pounded in my chest as Dwayne called in the disturbance and went out the sliding back door to circle to the front.

  “Who’s outside, Mommy?” Colby’s big eyes searched mine for answers, and I hugged him tightly.

  “Probably just a Halloween prankster.” I hugged Colby as Aaron took the opportunity to snatch another cookie.

  I sat at the table so my knees wouldn’t shake and hoisted Colby onto my lap. He stared into my eyes and sucked on the collar of his shirt.

  “What’s wrong?” I whispered, hugging him tightly.

  He looked in the direction of Aaron, who seemed perfectly preoccupied with the cookies.

  “It looked like Dad.” He hugged me tighter, and I squeezed Colby, hoping he wouldn’t notice my trembling hands.

  “You wanna cookie?” Aaron asked, and Colby shook his head.

  “It’s dark outside. We can’t be sure,” I whispered, pressing my lips against his head.

  Colby never knew what I understood about his father, and I wanted to keep it that way. As far as Colby was concerned, his dad had to work late and travel most days of the month. I would never let Marvin crush his soul by telling him what he’d said to me over the years.

  I found myself rocking Colby, and strangely, Colby not fighting it as Aaron wandered back upstairs to his bedroom.

  The front door swung open, and I nearly fell off my chair from fright when Dwayne darted inside.

  “Whoever it was got away.” He glanced at Colby, noticing his reaction. “I’ve got two patrol units canvassing the area. Where’s Aaron?”

  “Upstairs,” I informed him.

  Colby let go of me and turned around to see Dwayne. “It looked like my dad.”

  Surprise registered on Dwayne’s face, and he came over, kneeling in front of us.

  “What makes you say that?” Dwayne asked tenderly.

  “He flashed the light on his face.” Colby swallowed and sniffled. “And I could tell by the way he walks.”

  “How does he walk?” Dwayne asked.

  Colby slid down from my lap and started moving toward the fridge with a limp, just like Marvin. My ex-husband had been in a bad skiing accident in his early twenties, and he’d never been able to walk without a limp since, but it was slight. I was shocked Colby had noticed it, actually.

  “Okay.” Dwayne stood and nodded, looking at me.

  I knew he wondered how much, if anything, I’d told my son about his dad.

  “Do you want to go play with Aaron?” I asked Colby.

  He nodded and smiled, but I could see something was still bothering him.

  “Take a cookie.” I hugged Colby before he went upstairs.

  “Do you think it was my ex?” I asked, dreading the answer.

  I had no reason not to believe Colby.

  Dwayne nodded and sat down at the table, pulling something out of his pocket.

  He tossed a wrench on the table.

  “Is he good with cars?” Dwayne asked.

  I shook my head. “Terrible.”

  “At least that’s in our favor.”

  “I don’t think he could change a tire if his life depended on it.” I scrunched my lips together.

  “Good, so he probably wouldn’t
know what to actually tamper with to make things dangerous.”

  I shrugged. “I doubt it, but—”

  “Exactly. But…” Dwayne crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m going to be honest.”

  I nodded. “Please.”

  “We are in that gray area right now.”

  “He thrives in the gray areas.” I let out a defeated sigh as I stared at the man I was falling for while dragging him into a life he didn’t deserve.

  “Well, I can too.” His jaw clenched, and he bobbed his foot up and down.

  “I don’t like that you see this side of…” I shrugged, and I stopped, feeling my throat close from holding back tears. “Me.”

  He came over and knelt in front of me. “This isn’t you. Don’t let this person dictate how you want to be seen in the world, how you want to behave.”

  I nodded, circling my arms around his neck as he stood, lifting me up in his arms.

  “Sheriff, I don’t think—”

  He kissed my lips softly as he carried me out of the kitchen.

  I blinked my eyes open when his mouth left mine as he took me into the family room off the kitchen.

  He brought me to a couch and set me down. “Are you about to throw down the therapy session?”

  Dwayne laughed and shook his head. “I hate to break it to you, but if you depend on me to give you good advice, we’ve got problems.”

  I giggled and pulled a blanket over my legs and watched him as he started a fire. “I bet you’re full of great advice.”

  The flames roared to life in the fireplace.

  “But you know how to start a good fire.”

  Dwayne nodded and sat on the opposite end of the couch. “I don’t think you should go back to your house tonight.”

  “I was wondering the same thing.”

  He let out a deep breath. “What does your husband do for a living?”

  “On the books, he owns a chain of jewelry stores.” I turned my attention to the fire.

  “And off the books?”

  My shoulders sagged, realizing the sheriff would probably think I was as awful as my husband. What woman sticks around a man who has so little regard for—

  “The more you help me, the more I can help you.”

  I brought my gaze back to Dwayne’s and shook my head. “But I hate that you have to help me.”