Love & Secrets

by Elizabeth Lennox

She frowned up at him as if he’d just said the most ridiculous thing. “You know where we are, right?”

  “Yes,” he replied, not sure where she was going with this.

  “There’s so little crime in LowPoint, I don’t worry about leaving my purse or my briefcase out. And besides,” she chuckled, “we’re in a church!”

  He looked around, admiring the stained glass windows and the freshly painted walls. “I’ll concede that there is less crime here in LowPoint than in other areas, but believe me, there is crime. And leaving your purse out like this could be…”

  She laughed and he stopped, struck by the lovely sound. She was even more beautiful when she laughed.

  “Please! As if Sheriff Jansing would allow anything bad to happen in this town!” Shaking her head, she continued to laugh. “Emerson is amazing! He used to be New York City SWAT, and so was his Deputy, Mark. So no, there’s no crime here in town. The worst that happens is that Ms. Scarlett gets bored and starts thinking about her next prank.” She hefted her briefcase onto her shoulder. “The last time that happened, all the tools in the shop class at the high school were painted pink.” She laughed again and his gut tightened. “You should have seen the look on the shop teacher’s face when he came to the town council meeting!” She shook her head. “It was hilarious! He demanded that Ms. Scarlett and her cohorts get rid of the paint. Emerson asked if the teacher had any evidence that Ms. Scarlett had done…”

  She stopped suddenly and looked up at him, shielding her eyes from the bright sunshine since they were outside now.

  “What happened?” he prompted, delighted with the tale. In his line of work, it was nice to hear stories about simple life. Life that was unsullied by the manipulations of corrupt governments or drug lords or mafia bosses that had been crossed. He didn’t get to hear much about the day to day challenges of regular life. When someone called his company for help, the resolution usually called for more drastic measures than simple paint thinner. He regularly coordinated his efforts with military commanders and leaders of the free world.

  She must have realized that their conversations seemed cordial, suddenly remembering that they were enemies. “Well, Sheriff Jansing sort of has a soft spot for Ms. Scarlett and he runs interference.”

  “That’s nice,” he said and touched her arm, guiding her around a broken patch of the sidewalk. “Even so…”

  “No,” she snapped, pulling back. “You’re not going to convince me that this town is evil.” She huffed a bit, then reached into her purse, pulling out sunglasses and sliding them onto her nose. He didn’t like that, loving the way her emotions played out in her pretty eyes. “This is a good town,” she told him forcefully.

  “I don’t doubt it.”

  “So don’t try and convince people not to trust each other.”

  “Trust your friends. Don’t trust strangers.”

  She pulled her car keys out. “You don’t get it. This is LowPoint.”

  “And?”

  “And…here in LowPoint, everyone is your friend. If they aren’t, then you just haven’t met them yet.” She pointed her key fob towards the sporty sedan. “Please don’t try to scare me,” she urged. “In my line of work, I need to believe in the goodness of humanity. Otherwise, I’ll just…” she stopped, not finishing that sentence. “I like people. I have to believe in their inherent goodness.”

  With that, she walked to her car, tossing her briefcase and purse into the back, then slipping into the driver’s seat. He watched her the whole time, amazed and impressed. After this morning’s town council meeting, he knew that the lovely Charlotte was more than just looks. She had brains to go with her beauty. And even more dangerous, she had a heart!

  Very dangerous!

  But Oz enjoyed danger. He thrived on it! She didn’t stand a chance.

  Charlotte pulled out of the parking lot, amazed that she didn’t crash into anything. The trembling from that interlude with Naked Man was intense. As soon as she was away, she pulled over and parked, leaning her forehead against the steering wheel and taking deep breaths.

  “I’m not going there!” she whispered firmly. “He is definitely not the man of my dreams! He isn’t for me, so no thinking about him!”

  A tapping on her window jerked her upright. Sheriff Jansing was standing beside her car and she quickly rolled down the window. “Good morning!” she gushed, her heart pounding again, but for a completely different reason.

  The tall, handsome, and quiet sheriff pushed his glasses higher up on the bridge of his nose, but she could feel the concern. “Charlotte, are you okay?”

  “Of course!” she replied, probably with a bit too much enthusiasm. “Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

  “Because you’re pulled over on the side of the road with your head down on the steering wheel.” He tilted his head slightly. “That’s usually a sign that something isn’t quite right.”

  She chuckled quietly. “I can see your point. Body language does have a tendency to scream the truth, doesn’t it?”

  “In my experience, yes.”

  She smiled and took a deep breath. “I just met with the town council about the community center. So, I’m a bit frazzled at the moment.”

  He nodded. “Joe give you a hard time about the last bit of funding?” he asked gently. “Don’t let him rile you. The funding will come.”

  She brightened with that question. “Actually, we just found a generous donor who put up the last half million dollars needed! So we’re set! We can buy the property and…well, a new site.”

  “I suggested to the council that the property over by the high school was a better spot,” he offered. “They said it was more expensive.”

  She sighed. “Yeah. That was our main objection as well,” she replied, looking down to hide her irritation. Then she brightened. It didn’t matter why, the point was, the kids were getting their community center and this was a good thing. A wonderful thing! “But that’s where it’s going. That same donor offered to pay the difference in cost.”

  There was a long silence as the tall, handsome sheriff smiled slightly. “Oz Cole, right?”

  Charlotte was startled. “Um, actually, I don’t know his name.” She blinked, thinking hard. She’d seen the guy naked and she didn’t yet know his name?! How ridiculous was that? “I suppose it could be Mr. Cole.”

  “He bought the land adjacent to your place and built that modern-looking house.” He nodded. “Good man.”

  Charlotte squinted up at the sheriff. “You know him?”

  “I’ve met him, but I mostly know him by reputation. You couldn’t asked for a better neighbor. His reputation tells me that he’s the kind of man I would want next door to me. You’re lucky.”

  Charlotte smiled weakly. “Nice to know,” she replied, not completely convinced. “I’d better get to work. Sorry for worrying you.”

  “That’s my job, Charlotte. Have a good one,” and he stepped back from her car but waited until she pulled back onto the street before walking to his SUV.

  “Good grief,” she muttered as she pulled onto the road heading to her office. “A recommendation by Sheriff Jansing, no less. This is going to be complicated.”

  Chapter 3

  Charlotte flipped through the patient files on her desk, stuffing some into her briefcase and stacking the rest up for Nancy, her assistant, to file away. She was eager to finish up so that she could relax for the afternoon. It had been a tough week with a child in crisis that had required her to be at the hospital for most of a night. But now it was finally Friday afternoon and she was going to take the afternoon off so that she could just…do nothing.

  Her plans were simple, just a bottle of wine, snuggling with Bart and binge watching romantic comedies. There might be a pint of cherry ice cream included. Or maybe she’d stop by Jane’s bakery and get some of those chocolate scones! Oh my! That would really….

  Her phone buzzed and dread settled in her chest. Her assistant knew that she was trying to get out for the day
so any interruption was probably another crisis. “Please let Dennis be okay,” she whispered as she lifted the receiver.

  “What’s up, Nancy?” she asked, trying to add a bit of enthusiasm to her voice.

  “Sorry, I know that you’re trying to get out for the day but…”

  “It’s okay. What’s going on?”

  “Well,” Charlotte’s dread intensified. “There’s a man here. And he has a bottle of wine.”

  Silence. Charlotte pictured a tall, dark haired man with green eyes. But maybe it was that guy from the supermarket last week. He had been nice. A polite gentleman.

  Unfortunately, the grocery store guy hadn’t sparked even the slightest interest in her.

  Not that Naked Man had sparked anything in her other than irritation. Nope, she wasn’t saying that!

  “Are you there?” Nancy asked.

  Charlotte jerked back to the present. “Um…yeah. I’ll be right out.”

  “No need,” she laughed. Giggled really, and that sent a spark of fear throughout her whole body. The guy from the grocery store would never generate that kind of reaction in a woman. Only a guy like…

  Her office door opened and, sure enough, the tall, handsome man entered.

  “Don’t get angry,” he cautioned, grinning. “I’ve brought a peace offering.”

  With that announcement, he lifted up a bottle of wine. “We’re not at war,” she countered, leaning back in her chair as she watched him walk in. He was a man with cat-like grace and confidence that wasn’t normal. Most people hesitated when they entered a room. Not this man.

  He walked over and set the bottle of wine down on her desk. “We haven’t been formally introduced. I’m Oz Cole. And you’re Charlotte Bixbey. Doctor Charlotte Bixbey.”

  Charlotte tilted her head slightly, looking up at the man and trying to hide her intense reaction to the man. Even fully clothed, he was hot and sexy and…huge! She wondered again about the scars on his chest and arms and the therapist in her wanted to ask him questions. But the look in his eyes…maybe that wasn’t a good idea. Focus on the present, she reminded herself firmly. “You looked me up.”

  “I have a few resources,” he replied and sat down in one of the empty chairs in front of her desk, looking around at her office. “This is nice. I like the stuffed animals. Are they for the kids?”

  Bart walked up to him and sniffed the fabric of his slacks. Charlotte gave the guy kudos for understanding a dog’s needs. Instead of just reaching out to pet Bart, he lowered his hand and allowed Bart to sniff it before he started scratching. Bart wouldn’t bite him even if he had ignored the sniffing/getting-to-know-you moment. Bart didn’t bite anyone. Her sweet, ugly dog looked mean, but he was really a soft, gooey marshmallow inside. But still, the man understood dog language and sniffing was their way of understanding a human.

  “Why are you here?” she asked when he looked up again.

  “Because we’re neighbors.”

  She wasn’t sure that was the whole reason. Looking into his eyes, she sensed an ulterior motive. “And?”

  He laughed and she couldn’t stop the throbbing down low in her belly when he made that sound.

  “And, I think we should get to know each other. You know, in case you need to borrow a cup of sugar. You need to get to know me in order to feel comfortable enough to just pop over and ask for something.”

  She saw the sparkle of mischief in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t talking about sugar. The man was intriguing, she’d give him that. “I don’t bake.”

  “Well, then we need to get to know each other so that I will know that.”

  “I just told you.” Charlotte shifted in her chair, pretending to be annoyed. The man was…darn it, she should just kick him out of her office and get back to her regularly scheduled night of wine and cheesy movies. “So there’s no need to pop, walk, or otherwise come over for sugar.”

  His grin widened. “I love to bake. So now that you know, you should have…sugar on hand so that I can borrow some.” The mischievous sparkle in those green eyes intensified. “I love sugar.”

  She couldn’t stop a smile when he said that. She suspected he was playing on the southern slang, referring to kisses as “sugar”.

  “Sugar is bad for you.”

  “Ah, then you’re not using it properly,” he teased.

  Charlotte fought laughter at his quick responses. “Causes cavities.”

  He leaned forward and she heard Bart’s sound of happiness as the man continued to scratch the dog’s ears. “Only if you’re not paying attention.” He winked and she couldn’t stop the laugh. “And trust me, I always pay attention.”

  “Part of the job?”

  Instantly, she saw his expression close off and her curiosity piqued.

  “I’m careful in life.”

  “Is that why you think that there’s a crime spree about to happen in LowPoint?” she asked, leaning back and crossing her hands over her stomach.

  “There’s crime everywhere. Not necessarily a spree.”

  She eyed him carefully. “What sorts of crimes do you confront in your job?” she asked, and when his features closed down further, she knew that she’d hit the target. Whatever his job was, it was dangerous and she shivered, remembering the scars that covered his chest and arms. “How many times have you been shot?” she asked.

  He leaned back. “I’d think that once is too many times, wouldn’t you?”

  “Most definitely.” She didn’t call him on the non-answer, intrigued at his skill at deflecting.

  He stood up and leaned forward, bracing his hands on her desk. “Don’t analyze me, Doctor Bixbey,” he warned softly. “I’m not that interesting.”

  Her curiosity shifted, and not in a good way. No longer was she curious about the man’s mind. At this particular moment, she was curious about what it would be like to kiss him. For some reason, the word “dangerous” popped into her mind.

  “I think you might be the most fascinating man I’ve ever met,” she murmured. She was shocked when she heard those words echoing in the tense silence of her office. Pulling back, she took a deep breath. “Not fascinating in the way you are thinking,” she told him and stood up.

  He laughed. “I think you’re hiding from something.”

  She shivered, shocked by his perceptiveness. “I don’t think you know me well enough to say that.”

  “So have dinner with me tonight and let me get to know you.”

  “I don’t think so,” she replied, knowing that getting to know him wouldn’t be a good thing. Once again, an image of the grocery store guy popped into her mind. He was steady. He was the kind of man she should be looking to date. Not a guy like Oz who…well, she wasn’t completely sure what his agenda was, but she was fairly certain it wasn’t hearth and home, kids, ballet classes, scouts, and soccer practices.

  He looked more like the one night, love ‘em and leave ‘em kind of guy.

  “You’re scared.”

  She pulled back. “I’m not scared!” she argued, even though that wasn’t completely the truth.

  “Then have dinner with me. I already know that you were packing things up early and heading home. Why not spend your extra free time getting to know your handsome neighbor?”

  “Because there’s really no reason why we should get to know each other.”

  “Sure there is,” he said and lifted her briefcase for her. “Our dogs are in love with each other, we’re neighbors and one of us might need a cup of sugar. The dog issue is probably primary though,” he teased. “The past two mornings, they’ve seen each other and bolted. We really should get them together, have a date night or something. And we both know that they can’t be left alone. Which means we should chaperone them tonight.”

  She couldn’t help it. His argument was just so ridiculous! “Our dogs are not in love.”

  He grinned. “In lust then. Even more reason why they need a chaperone. Lust only leads to one thing.”

  She walked out of her
office and he grabbed the bottle of wine as he followed her. It was amazing that he seemed to be protective, his shoulders instinctively blocking her from harm, even if that harm might be imaginary. Charlotte couldn’t help but notice these small things – most of the time, she watched a person’s body language more than listening to their words. Both were important to understand what was hurting a person, but the body language was more honest. One could fake body language only for limited amounts of time.

  And this man’s body language told her that he was instinctively protective. A nice character trait in a man – or a woman – but with his big shoulders and all of those muscles, she thought it was extra sweet.

  “I doubt that Bart would take to being chaperoned. He’s…,” she started to say something, but glanced down to make sure Bart was following. He grinned up at her with his mashed-in black snout, hopeful and eager. He wasn’t helping her argument much, she thought. But Charlotte persevered. “It would be smarter to keep them apart if they are in lust.”

  “Right. And how are we supposed to do that?”

  “They aren’t teenagers,” she admonished. “We can keep our dogs on a leash.”

  He laughed softly. “Because that’s worked out so well the past two mornings?”

  He had a point. When she realized where her mind was going, she shook her head. “Mr. Cole…”

  “Call me Oz.” He lifted her briefcase and set it in the back of her car.

  She wasn’t going to do that. For some reason, calling him by his first name seemed too intimate. “We don’t need to socialize our dogs.”

  “Socialize?” he repeated, smiling. “Is that what you’re calling it these days?”

  She blushed and looked away. “Whatever you want to call it, I’ll keep Bart on a leash and you keep Betty on a leash until she’s done…” she realized something. “You didn’t fix Betty?” she gasped.

  “Of course not! That’s just…weird.” He looked at Bart who had already leapt into the back seat and taken his usual position, staring at both of them as he patiently waited for Charlotte to get into the car as well. “Tell me you didn’t…” he waved his hand down at his own groin area, “do that to Bart. He’s still,” Oz leaned forward, “a man, right?”