Maid by Mistake

by Miley Maine

  It wasn’t a lot, but I knew that much about being a mother already -- I knew I would never let my child feel like I was interested in his or her life. And I might hire a nanny to watch my child while I worked, but when I was off, the baby would be with me.

  I put my hand on my stomach. “I won’t abandon you,” I murmured. “And I won’t be shitty like my parents were and make money and power my priority over you.”

  In the distance, a cow mooed, and I laughed out loud. Here in Pine Hills, it seemed like an easy promise to keep.

  Chapter Twenty

  Tyler

  On Thanksgiving Day, the house was packed. My mother and my sister were both there of course, and Barrett. And Mrs. Smith came too, as well as Joe, the fire chief. The chief was single, but had a four-year-old daughter that stayed with him on the holidays, and he figured she’d have a much better time with us than alone at home with him and a frozen meal.

  So it was only eight people, but it felt like a thousand to me. However, Ava looked like she was in her element, so the noise and commotion was worth every second.

  I didn’t really care about the food, but Ava was thrilled. Every dish was cooked to perfection.

  Over and over, the guests praised the turkey and the dressing, and the sweet potatoes. During the main course, I heard gravel crunch outside. I was still cautious, so I went straight to the door. But it was our other deputy, Thomas, the one who served as our detective. He didn’t ring the doorbell, but only knocked. Sadie hopped up from her spot under the table, and barked.

  “I’ll be right back,” I said. “Don’t start on the pie without me.”

  I opened the door, assuming he’d just stopped by because there was nothing going on during his holiday shift, and he’d heard Ava talk plenty about how much food she was cooking. “Hey man. You want to come in? Ava cooked everything from scratch.”

  “I wish I could.” Instead of smiling, he grimaced. “Look. I think I spotted one of the guys from the mug shots you showed me.”

  “Here? In Pine Hills? Where?”

  “Yeah,” he said. “At the old motel on the edge of town. I didn’t even want to risk putting it on the radio, or even calling on a cell phone. I’ve got eyes on him over there.”

  “Okay. Thanks. I’m coming now.”

  The detective glanced around me into the house. “You bringing Barrett too?”

  “No. I want him to stay here with Ava. My sister’s here too, and my mom. So are Joe and his little girl.”

  “Shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Good plan though, keeping them all in one place.”

  My appetite vanished. There would be no pecan pie for me. My senses heightened, just like they had during a conflict when I was deployed.

  Already mentally retreating, I walked to the dining room. “I’m sorry guys. I’ve got a work emergency.”

  Ava pushed her chair back. Alarm was written all over her face. “Is it…” She didn’t finish.

  I held up one hand. “No. It’s not.” I didn’t want her to worry, and I didn’t want to ruin her perfect Thanksgiving Day. Hopefully we could apprehend this guy and I could let Ava know the details once it was over.

  Barrett frowned. He got up from the table, but I didn’t stop him. “I’ll walk you out,” he said.

  My sister also hopped up, and she hugged me. “Be careful,” she whispered.

  I patted her back. “I always am.”

  “I'm serious,” she said.

  I don't know how she could tell that this wasn't my run of the mill issue with rowdy teenagers or vandalism on the side of the county courthouse, but she could.

  She sat back down, casting a wary glance in my direction.

  I didn't want to leave Ava, but I wasn't going to let this bastard get away. I turned and walked out of the room but just as I reached the front door, I heard footsteps behind me.

  “Tyler, Wait,” Ava said. “It’s really not them?”

  I wished I could tell her the truth, but I just couldn't, not about this. “No, but Barrett’s going to stay here with you and my mom and my sister. Don't let Miss Smith leave either.”

  “What is going on exactly?”

  “The detective from our department said there’s a disturbance on the edge of town. I don't have the details yet. He's going to catch me up on the way.”

  “He's here? Is he going with you?”

  “Yes, I'll have backup.”

  Her eyes fell shut. “Please,” she said. “Please be careful. I couldn't stand it if something happened to you.”

  I rested my chin on top of her head. “I'm pretty tough. I've seen combat.”

  “I know you've been in war. But that doesn't make this any less scary to me.”

  I hugged her tighter. This was the first time since she’d lived here that someone had showed up and pulled me away from our home. It was pretty alarming.

  * * *

  The detective knocked on my door again. I'm sure he was tired of waiting. He probably hadn't anticipated my lengthy goodbye. I certainly wasn't known for dragging them out. I usually just said bye and left the room without worrying about the etiquette, but Ava had changed that for me. Any Sheriff knew, just like any soldier, that each day could be our last. She deserved a decent goodbye from me.

  “I'm coming,” I called out to the detective.

  I kissed her forehead. “I'm going to go take care of this. You stay here and you stay with Barrett. Promise me. No sneaking out.”

  “I promise.”

  Her beautiful eyes were full of tears, but they didn't spill over. I kissed her forehead one more time, breathing in the scent of cherry pie that clung to her hair, and pulled away. As much as I didn't want to leave her it was necessary. I was not going to let this fucker get away. He was never going to have the chance to harm Ava.

  The detective was in his police cruiser, so I got in the passenger seat.

  “It sucks that you had to leave your fancy Thanksgiving meal,” he said.

  “At least I got to have the turkey and dressing.” I said.

  Thomas chuckled. “I bet she'll make it again at Christmas since you liked it so much.”

  Now that was a nice thought. Christmas with Ava here. I didn't seem very likely. What would happen if I asked her to stay?

  “Where are we headed?'' I asked Thomas. “You said you didn't think he'd leave for a while.”

  “The motel over on the outskirts of town. Apparently the owner paid attention when you showed off those mugshots last month. Right before I came here, I got a call from the owner. He said one of the men from the mug shots was at the hotel. I went straight over. I looked in the window and I could see him lying on the bed. I hope maybe he passed out for a while and he’ll still be there.”

  “Any backup?”

  “Yeah, I have an officer from the next town over watching in his patrol car.”

  “Good,” I said. “What ID did he use to check in?”

  “He didn’t. He paid cash.”

  “Shit.”

  “I took a photo.” He handed me his phone. “Visibility was clear. Dumbass should have closed his curtain.”

  I took his phone and studied the photo. It was definitely Christopher. The likeness was exact. “Good thinking. Thank you for doing all this for me.”

  “It is my job.”

  “Yeah it is, but you are going above and beyond to keep Ava safe, and I appreciate it.”

  “I'll let you return the favor sometime,” he said.

  “I will definitely accept that challenge.”

  Before I knew it, we’d arrived at the dilapidated motel. I was surprised it hadn't been condemned, but there were cars in the parking lot so I guessed they had regular customers, even though it was on the outskirts of town. The place was at least fifty-years-old.

  The exterior was a dingy white, and the doors were all painted a putrid orange. It should have been condemned years ago.

  “He’s in room twelve,” Thomas said.

&nbs
p; “I need to call for a warrant,” I said. “Since this is an emergency, the judge will take our testimony over the phone. I don’t want this asshole using any loopholes. We’re doing this the right way.”

  Thomas shoved my shoulder. “Sheriff, do you think I was born yesterday? I already called when I was on the way to your house. The warrant should be in my email now. The asshole wasn’t supposed to leave Cook County, Chicago. Those were the terms of his bail.”

  He pulled his phone out and checked his work email. “There it is,” he said, showing me the phone screen. Sure enough, it was a signed warrant from the local county judge.

  “Thanks man.”

  “No problem. I like that you’re a stickler for the rules. Makes things easier.”

  I was a stickler, always had been, from my earliest days in the SEALs; I believed in the rule of law. But I was prepared to bend or break any rules if it meant keeping Ava safe from harm. It was the first time in my life I’d ever felt that way about another person.

  We got out of the car with our weapons drawn. “Is there a window on the other side of the room?” I was not going to allow him any route to escape.

  “Yeah. I already checked that. I’ll head around that direction. Keep your radio on,” he said.

  I knocked on the door and identified myself. “Christoper Moore, this is Sheriff Tyler Whittaker from Pine Hills. I have a warrant for your arrest.”

  If he didn’t answer, I was going to pry the doorknob off with a crowbar. I knew for a fact Thomas had one in the trunk of his patrol car.

  Before I could even rattle the doorknob, or announce myself again, a piece of the door blasted out, stinging my skin with tiny shards of hard metal.

  Fuck. He’d shot through the door. At me.

  I crouched down low, to the side of the door and I lifted my gun. I hit my radio button and called Thomas, letting him know what happened. Thomas was on the other side of the room, guarding the window. I didn’t want him to get shot through the glass.

  A loud crashing sound came from inside the room.

  “Drop your weapon,” I shouted.

  I didn’t have any gear on. No bullet proof vest, no helmet. But I was ready to bust my way into that room. If he’d shot at me, sight unseen, there was no telling what he’d do to her. Whatever happened to me, it would be worth it to save Ava.

  There was another crashing sound, and the motel door ripped off its hinges, and half of a dresser came flying out of the door. It hit me in the leg, and knocked me on my ass.

  Fuck.

  He’d figured out where I was, and shoved the dresser in front of himself.

  I got up and ran. He was already running, full tilt across the parking lot. He had a handgun, and he was randomly firing behind himself as he ran.

  Goddammit. Now he was going to hurt an innocent person. Thank God no one was outside the motel. I radioed Thomas again, and he responded that he was on his way.

  A bullet hit the asphalt near me, and then it hit a car window in the parking lot, shattering the glass. The car alarm went off, and it blared non stop.

  He made it to the edge of the parking lot. I thought he’d go into the woods, but he turned, and headed to the other side of the motel, where an empty swimming pool sat.

  This bastard wasn’t getting away. I picked up speed, and I flung my body forward, arms outstretched. I tackled him to the ground. We rolled across the asphalt. As we rolled, I grabbed the gun with both of my hands and flung it.

  He couldn't fight me off, and the gun flew, skittering across the pavement. Thank God it didn’t discharge.

  All I had to do was keep him down until the detective could get back over here.

  He wasn’t well trained, but he was strong. He slammed my head against the pavement. My ears rang. My eyes watered.

  He kicked me in the knee, but I didn’t let go. His arm twitched. He didn’t have a gun now, but he did have a knife.

  Fuck.

  I heard Thomas’s footsteps pounding on the pavement. He was yelling at this asshole to put his hands in the air. He was close. The last thing I remembered was the flash of a blade, then a searing pain.

  Despite the burning agony, I wrapped my arms around his middle.

  Don’t let go.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Ava

  I couldn’t stop looking at the clock. Tyler had been gone for two hours.

  I brought out the pies I’d made, which included pecan, pumpkin and cherry cobbler. I’d made the pecan for him. I just hoped he got to eat it.

  Stop it. You’re being melodramatic. He was in an actual war zone. Right now he’s in Pine Hills. It’s fine.

  He’d assured me this was a normal call, not related to Christopher. Had he been telling the truth? I could hardly blame him if he lied to me.

  Maybe the hormones were making me worry more. Everyone dug into the pies, chattering about how good they were. I took a slice of the pumpkin pie, mainly because I’d never had it before. And if I didn’t, everyone would notice and try to force more food on me.

  That seemed to be a staple here in the south, especially at a holiday -- making sure everyone got more than enough to eat. There was no such thing as moderation at Thanksgiving.

  I tried to smile along with everyone else as they groaned about being too full, but my smile felt fake even to me.

  I barely tasted the pie. His mother noticed me watching the time. She put her hand on my shoulder and leaned in close. “It could be much longer before we hear from him.”

  “I’m not good at waiting.”

  She patted my back. “It gets easier,” she said in a soft voice.

  After Thanksgiving dinner was over, Abigail took Joe, the fire chief, and his daughter into the living area to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and play Candyland.

  I knew I couldn’t sit still like that. I went to the table and started picking up dishes. Tyler had vowed that he’d handle all the clean up, since I cooked. But he wasn’t here, because he was out risking his life. He could die, and I hadn’t even told him about the baby.

  I hadn’t even told him he was going to be a father.

  I’d deprived him of that.

  I blinked hard, willing away any possible tears.

  Barrett appeared next to me. He took the heavy stack of ceramic plates. “Let me clean up.”

  “I need something to do.” I looked up at him. “Really.”

  He shrugged. “If you say so. But I had to offer. Otherwise Tyler would kick my ass for not helping.”

  Abigail appeared briefly to refill her iced tea. She jabbed Barrett in the ribs. “Yeah, because he knows you have the manners of a wild boar.”

  “Is that so?” Barrett chased her into the den, where they continued to make the little girl laugh.

  Finally I was alone with only Mrs. Whittaker, who’d returned with a laundry basket.

  She gathered up all the cloth napkins and tossed them in, then moved on to collecting the glasses from the table. "Tyler seems so much happier since you’ve been here.”

  A wave of nausea passed over me. I felt guilty, standing here with this woman who was my child’s grandmother. I made myself move, turning on the hot water and filling the sink. There were too many dishes to use the dishwasher, and besides, I wasn’t going to shove his mother’s crystal into the dishwasher to get banged up.

  I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to find out more about him. “Was he unhappy before?”

  “No. He wasn’t unhappy. But he was isolated. He was alone, here in this house. It was such a drastic change from being part of a SEAL unit where he was never alone.”

  Once the sink was filled, I shut the water off. “It’s obvious everyone in this town loves him. I’ve seen that when we’re out together.”

  His mother joined me at the sink. She pulled a dishcloth out of the drawer. “You’re right. Did he tell you how he became sheriff?”

  “No.”

  “Of course he didn’t. He’s always been so modest.”
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br />   “I’d love to hear the story.”

  “I'll tell you the story. But you really should go rest in the den. You did the hard part. I can make Abigail and Barrett come help me with this.”

  Could she somehow sense that I was pregnant? I'd never had anyone suggest that I rest before so insistently until now. “No. Everyone helped with the meal. And I need something to do.”

  She gently nudged me to the other side of the sink with a smile. “I understand that. I’ll wash. You can dry.”

  Again, my eyes stung with unshed tears. This was the moment I’d always wanted from a family. In the books I’d read as a kid, and the movies I’d watched, the family members might not always get along, but they spent time together, and did tasks together, but that never happened in my family.

  Holidays had been for showing off. No relationships were ever built. No connections were forged. Instead, petty grievances were aired, control was exerted, and extreme dysfunction was the overall theme of any gathering with my family. I knew that my father loved me. He promised that he would walk away from the gambling ring. He only did that to protect me.

  I knew that he cared about me. And I knew that he would probably die for me. And I was glad to have that, because it was more than some people had. But it wasn't the same as having a parent who was invested in your day to day life.

  A sense of melancholy replaced the nausea I’d been feeling. I owed my child a better life. He or she could have that life here in Pine Hills, with a kind father, a playful aunt, and a loving grandmother. But where was my role in all this?

  Would Tyler ever really trust me? I still hadn’t told him about Jenny, and now it might be too late. I hadn't told him about the baby either and now it might be too late for that too.

  Mrs. Whittaker’s arm came up around me. She pulled me close. “I’m sorry, honey. For whatever’s wrong.”

  I sniffed. “I’ll be fine. Let’s get these dishes washed. And you tell me about how Tyler became the sheriff.”

  She described how he’d moved home, into his grandparent’s farm house so he could be alone. And that within a short time, he was already solving problems for people in the town.