An old life

Versus a new love...

Past haunts are troubling former army man Gary Guzman enough that he turns to top officer Leann Bailey. Gary’s transition to civilian life is eased by his growing feelings for the single mother—Sarasota Falls’s first female cop. But when their investigation of his father’s disappearance unearths decades-old secrets, Gary will have to fight even harder for a future with Leann.

PAMELA TRACY is a USA TODAY bestselling author who lives with her husband (the inspiration for most of her heroes) and son (the interference for most of her writing time). Since 1999, she has published more than twenty-five books and sold more than a million copies. She’s a RITA® Award finalist and a winner of the American Christian Fiction Writers’ Book of the Year Award.

Also by Pamela Tracy

Harlequin Heartwarming

Safe in Sarasota Falls

Holding Out for a Hero

The Woman Most Wanted

Scorpion Ridge, Arizona

The Missing Twin

TownSmall-Town Secrets

What Janie Saw

Holiday Homecoming

Katie’s Rescue

Discover more at millsandboon.co.uk.

The Soldier’s Valentine

Pamela Tracy

www.millsandboon.co.uk

ISBN: 978-1-474-09602-7

THE SOLDIER’S VALENTINE

© 2019 Pamela Tracy Osback

Published in Great Britain 2019

by Mills & Boon, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street, London, SE1 9GF

All rights reserved including the right of reproduction in whole or in part in any form. This edition is published by arrangement with Harlequin Books S.A.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, locations and incidents are purely fictional and bear no relationship to any real life individuals, living or dead, or to any actual places, business establishments, locations, events or incidents. Any resemblance is entirely coincidental.

By payment of the required fees, you are granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right and licence to download and install this e-book on your personal computer, tablet computer, smart phone or other electronic reading device only (each a “Licensed Device”) and to access, display and read the text of this e-book on-screen on your Licensed Device. Except to the extent any of these acts shall be permitted pursuant to any mandatory provision of applicable law but no further, no part of this e-book or its text or images may be reproduced, transmitted, distributed, translated, converted or adapted for use on another file format, communicated to the public, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of publisher.

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Version: 2020-03-02

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Leann stepped closer, still swaying, seeming not to care that he was holding both her hands.

They were soft and warm, and he had the feeling that if he let go, he would spend the rest of the night trying to reclaim them. He could tell she didn’t want him to do anything but what they were doing. Standing on the dance floor, gazing at each other, touching, with a half smile on her face.

He got it. She was as torn as he was.

But she still didn’t move away from him. Maybe because they were in a sea of adolescents, maybe because the music was a little nostalgic, maybe because she was off duty as a cop or maybe because she wasn’t sure who he really was: friend, foe, stranger, admirer.

Sometimes he wasn’t sure, either.

And Gary’s feet refused to leave the dance floor.

Dear Reader,

Welcome to book three of the Safe in Sarasota Falls series, set near the Jemez Mountains in New Mexico.

Leann Bailey, our heroine, is a bit different than the ones from my earlier books. She’s a cop, so her job is keeping other people safe, especially her two sons. She’s too busy for romance and she has trust issues. Things become even trickier when Gary Guzman shows up in town and she can’t seem to avoid him. Soon she doesn’t want to. But falling in love means her heart isn’t safe.

Leann is my second cop heroine. She’s tough but fun. It’s a balance most women have to manage. “Hey, Mom, you’re tough but fun.” “Hey, professor, you’re tough but fun.” “Hey, editor, you’re tough but fun.” I could go on.

Above all, this is a romance, and when Leann falls for ex-soldier Gary, she’s met her match in the “tough but fun” arena. Hmm, maybe those three words could be in their wedding vows! “Dearly beloved, we are gathered together to take these two tough but fun...”

I enjoy hearing from my readers. Please visit me at pamelatracy.com to find out about my other Harlequin Heartwarming books.

Pamela

To the Haag family: Stephanie, Steve and Nolan.

I get to write adventures for Harlequin,

but I get to live adventures—camping,

body surfing, Universal Studios, Legoland

and more—with the best traveling buddies

in the world. Most excellent of all,

the adventures are filled with laughter.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

About the Author

Booklist

Title Page

Copyright

Introduction

Dear Reader

Dedication

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

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

EPILOGUE

Extract

About the Publisher

CHAPTER ONE

THE ONLY THING Officer Leann Bailey hated more than domestic disturbance calls were domestic disturbance calls that involved her family.

She pulled into the familiar parking lot of Meteor Park, located a mere block away from where she’d grown up.

Evening on a school night meant plenty of empty spaces. She pulled into one and turned off the engine.

Leann had chosen to return to the small town of Sarasota Falls and raise her boys. She had not chosen to return to the neighborhood of her childhood, a house that wasn’t a home and siblings as damaged as she was.

Thanks to her spoiled, slightly neurotic younger sister, she didn’t always have a choice.

“I can deal with this,” Leann muttered to herself, yet she didn’t move from behind the wheel. Every time, every single time, she was called to this side of town, to deal with Gail’s issues, it was a step back in time: a time she didn’t want to remember yet alone police.

Her badge grew heavier on her chest as the toxic bubble of childhood memories appeared. Her parents, Ted and Allison Crabtree, served on various boards, gave to charity, threw great parties and were respected by everyone in town—except their own children.

“Silver-spooned kids, didn’t none of them live up to their parents’ expectations,” Leann had overheard her doctor’s receptionist say somewhat sadly.

It was true, the silver spoon part.

Clark, her older brother, had moved to Los Angeles, gotten a degree from a small college and now was a private accountant. He’d not returned ever, even at Christmas. His silver spoon was tarnished.

Leann, instead of becoming a doctor, lawyer or at least marrying well and staying married, had become a cop. Her silver spoon had been pawned to help pay the bills when her oldest boy was a baby.

Still, she’d done better than her sister Gail who was on husband number three and lived in their parents’ guesthouse. Gail lived under the misguided belief that she deserved more than one silver spoon.

“Move,” Leann told herself, trying to shake away the invisible restraints keeping her from exiting her vehicle. Unless she missed her guess, she was due a front-row seat as Gail’s husband number three was promoted—or would that be demoted?—to ex-husband number three.

As the crisp New Mexico air permeated, battling the smell of oil, sweat and metal, she took yet another precious moment to organize her thoughts, assess the situation.

The moon was full in the sky, casting gray shadows on the skateboarders who sailed across the concrete area designated for their use. Only the older kids remained, those who were out of school or who didn’t care about school. Leann rolled down her window and listened to their muted laughter. A small late-night birthday party was winding down as parents packed up gifts and food. A limp piñata hung from a tree about to lose its tentative connection to a low-hanging branch, and a young child’s tired whine provided background music.

A young couple sat very close together on a bench. They paid no attention to the family, skateboarders or argument happening in the distance. Leann envied them. They were so into each other that their love drowned out reality.

Leann wasn’t so lucky; she could hear her sister’s voice, could even make out the words.

“You absolute jerk! You quit your job without reason and now want me to lend you money so you can make a car payment?”

Leann knew exactly where her sister was: to the left of the birthday party, straight behind the lovebird couple and on the playground. It had been a favorite getaway for her and Gail during their youth.

Leann’s ex-husband, Ryan, had proposed to her there—she’d been sitting on the swing; he’d been kneeling before her in the sand—on a moonlit night just like this one, a week before high school graduation.

She’d been newly turned eighteen, pregnant and willing to dream. He’d been six months into eighteen, pressured by his parents to do the right thing and about to get to boot camp.

Gail’s voice grew even louder. “Loser!”

This shrill exclamation interrupted the young couple, who stood, gave Leann a what are you waiting for? stare and walked slowly away.

“I can’t believe I married you!”

The birthday party parents started moving faster, perhaps inspired by the rising tone of Gail’s voice, and gathered their kids, ice chest and limp piñata before hurrying down the sidewalk toward the small man-made lake. Ever a cop, Leann scanned the parking lot to see if a minivan was waiting for them. No, so they must live nearby. Besides her squad car, there was a dark blue Ford truck, New Mexico plates, with a good-sized dent in the left side. Hmm, not a vehicle she recognized. Could be one of the skateboarders had finally gotten a job and some transportation. She hoped so, because otherwise it might be a recent acquire of her brother-in-law’s and the vehicle payment he needed to make.

Leann checked the computer for anything new and then radioed in her time of arrival: nine fifteen. She’d get a few smirks when she got back to the station. Gail and Ray’s feuding was legendary in Sarasota Falls.

No sense delaying. She opened the door and almost got one leg out when she saw a dark mass heading in her direction, moving fast across the grass, not making a sound. Her mind reached for possibilities even as she returned her leg to the vehicle and reached out to close the door.

She didn’t have a chance.

The dog nudged the door the rest of the way open, his head butting its way in, and then stopped—butt outside but head inside. “Woof!”

“What the—?”

“Wilma, come!” A man’s voice, louder than her sister’s even, came sharp and clear, commanding.

Wilma? This dog’s name was Wilma? Based on its size, it should be Brute or Thor, Cujo or Genghis Khan. Not Wilma. Wilma was the nice Flintstone.

“Off,” she ordered.

The dog didn’t budge, just grinned at her, openmouthed, tongue out, drool dripping, weighing at least sixty pounds she guessed. It was big, brown and reminded Leann of a dog she’d had years ago. Without thinking, she said, “Varaus,” meaning “Off” in German. At the same time, she pushed and the dog retreated maybe two steps where it remained, head tilted to the side as if expecting more.

“Wilma, come!” The voice, louder this time, was deep and rich, without temper. If her dog, Peaches, acted so wild and wooly, she’d be adding a little sass and showing her who was boss.

“Gey,” she said, and surprisingly, the dog fully backed away from the vehicle, so she could extract herself just in time for the owner to finally jog into view. He was almost six foot, dark, possibly Hispanic, and had straight black hair. “The harness broke,” he explained.

“What you should be saying,” Leann suggested, the foul mood caused by her sister making her use a tone she normally wouldn’t have used, “is, thank you, Officer. I needed the help.”

He looked at her, eyes penetrating. A wave of emotion—long suppressed—reached the part of her that still believed in Prince Charming. Wow. Her hormones hadn’t taken notice like this since she’d turned fifteen and realized kissing wouldn’t be so weird.

He attached the leash to the harness circling the dog’s upper body before saying, “Thank you, Officer.”

She was about to cajole him into adding “I needed the help,” but she heard Ray finally hit his breaking point with Gail by shouting, “You weak-kneed princess. I know—”

Leann quickly jogged up a small embankment, hurried down the grassy knoll and, not even out of breath, announced, “You know nothing.” Hmm, she’d left the door to the squad car open. If the dog hopped in, good. When she got back, she’d assist Mr. I-Don’t-Need-Help with manouevering the dog out again. That would be way more fun than stepping into the middle of this dispute.

She skidded to a stop next to her brother-in-law. “Ray, calm down. Gail, don’t you think there’s a better place for you to have this fight, er...discussion?”

“I didn’t want Mama to hear,” Gail said softly. Tears rolled down her face.

Leann wasn’t moved. Gail should have been a movie star. She cried at will, no effort or emotion necessary. Also, she was a master at being the center of attention.

“I didn’t quit my job, Le—, er, Officer Bailey,” Ray grumped. “I got laid off. There’s a difference. I’ll start looking for a new job come Monday.”

Leann made sure her face didn’t so much as twitch. She was a cop more than she was family just then. Good thing, too, because she suspected he hadn’t been laid off; he’d most likely been fired for lack of effort if experience counted for anything.

Gail had a right to be annoyed. Ray worked for a leasing agency doing landscaping and repairs on their real estate property and rentals. Leaves didn’t stop needing to be raked, and trash didn’t carry itself to the bin.

A snort sounded to Leann’s left. She looked, realizing the sound had come from Wilma the dog. She moved her gaze up the grassy knoll to Wilma’s owner, who sported a look of disdain. Great, even total strangers could look at her family and guess “dysfunctional” almost immediately.

Wilma strained at her leash and tried to pull the man toward Leann, who took a few steps closer to the swing set.

“Bleip,” she ordered the dog, telling it to stay. Turning to the man, she said, “Control your dog, sir. And if you have no business with these folks, could you please move along.” Then she turned back to face her sister, and said, “Gail, you head home, not the guesthouse, but the main house. I’ll call Clarissa and tell her you’re on the way. Ray, go to your brother’s house for the night.”

“No, I’m going to my own house,” Ray said.

Gail immediately protested, “It’s not your house. Tell him, Leann.”

“Or I can bring you both into the station and book the pair of you for disturbing the peace.” Leann shrugged.

Ray mouthed a word that Leann pretended not to hear. “Fine. I’m going.”

Gail marched away. In a matter of minutes, she was nearing the sidewalk by the softball field. She had only a block to go to arrive at their parents’ home.

“I got laid off,” Ray said to the man holding onto the dog. “It happens.”

The man didn’t so much as shrug.

Leann took out her cell phone and hit a button. Clarissa answered at the first ring, her voice—as always—upbeat and reassuring. Leann knew at least one person in the Crabtree home had her back.

“Gail’s coming to see you. Let her in the back door, give her some cookies and coffee, listen to her cry and please try to calm her down.”

The housekeeper laughed, like she always did with their overly dramatic episodes, and promised warm cookies for Leann, too, if she wanted them. She did; her thighs didn’t.

After ending the call, Leann studied the man and dog. Wilma promptly dropped to the ground, rolled onto her back and waved paws in the air. She either wanted her stomach rubbed or she was having a fit.

Leann admonished, “It’s not wise to follow a police offer to an incident.”

He nodded, his face somber, but one corner of his mouth twitched a bit. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to make sure...” His words trailed off. “I’ve just never seen an incident handled quite like that. You able to boss the entire town? Is that why even Wilma listens to you?”

Leann didn’t answer. She was tired and it was none of his business. She assessed the situation. “Do you not have someplace you should be?”

Something changed in his eyes, a wariness that hadn’t been there before. Nevertheless, he chuckled. “I’m staying over at Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast. You can call her if you want.”

“I might do that.”

He fell in step beside her as she made her way back to the police cruiser.

The nearness of him, how the night shadows swayed, made her walk faster. She wasn’t scared of him; after all, she held the baton, she had a Glock and his dog listened to her more than it did to him.

No, with him beside her, she felt a little more worried about her reaction to him. It had been a long time since she’d been around a man who made her notice his nearness, made her aware of the heady scent of masculinity and how fun a walk in the park could be. So, she walked faster. When she got to her cruiser, he stayed on the sidewalk and watched as she opened the door.

He stopped her right before she got in the car with, “Was that German?”

“Yes.”

“How did you know to give Wilma orders in German? I’ve had her a week and it never occurred to me.”

She didn’t want to share her past, about living in Germany, the military life and leaving her ex-husband, so she merely quipped, “Guess I’m smarter than you.”

He chuckled again, and it reminded her of the way he’d spoken to the dog, not losing his temper, not getting excited, just calm and low-key.

She slid behind the steering wheel, started the the engine and backed out of the parking lot. Heading in the direction of the station, she first quickly glanced in the rearview mirror.

He was gone.

Maybe she wasn’t smarter than him. After all, he’d gotten her name thanks to Gail and Ray, but she—a cop!—had neglected to find out his.

CHAPTER TWO

GERALDO “GARY” GUZMAN opened one eye and glanced at the clock. Just past four. That dog sure knows how to bark. His mind registered the fact even as his body automatically exited the bed. A whole month out of the service and he still had the soldier mind-set.

Once his feet hit the carpet, he grabbed a pair of old jeans from the floor, pulled them on and then took Wilma out to the back of his aunt Bianca’s bed-and-breakfast to do her business. She took her sweet time, exploring the bushes for the enemy, and then looking at him expectantly.

“Do your business,” he ordered. It was the one command she seemed to understand in English but only if he squatted, which made him feel like a three-year-old.

Hours later, it wasn’t her I-need-to-go-to-the-bathroom bark that woke him. It was a loud crunchy gnawing. He opened one eye, rolled over so he could see what she was doing and realized his tennis shoe was now mangled.

She also knew how to chew clothes, furniture and pretty much anything else in her path. And, she always decided to gnaw loudly on a bone or persistently bring a chew toy to his lap just as he’d settled down to watch television.

Gary realized if he was to save the other shoe, he had to do something to distract her. He got into his jeans again and led the dog to the back door, taking her outside. Once he’d let her run around for a while and sniff every inch of the backyard, he let her inside and turned to go upstairs. He wanted one more hour of sleep. That had been his goal since exiting the army. He wanted to sleep when he wanted to sleep, eat when he wanted to eat and do nothing when he wanted to do nothing.

Wilma was worse than his commanding officer.

He’d made it only halfway through the kitchen when he stepped on something: a mangled personalized Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast oversize coaster. His aunt was being a good sport, but she’d suffered from Wilma’s high jinks and had two guests complain about the dog’s barking.

“I’ll add dog friendly to the inn’s description,” she’d brushed it off when he’d apologized.

At least now, thanks to the cop from last night, Gary had an idea. He sat down at the computer in the family room, plugged in the inn’s password and started researching.

He’d just hit Print and the paper was still warm in his hand, when his aunt Bianca came up behind him.

“I just had two interesting phone calls, both concerning you.”

He turned around. “Really? Why? About the dog?”

“One of them was about the dog. Our neighbors who live in the green single-story a few houses down. Guess the husband’s having trouble hearing the television.”

As if knowing she were the topic of conversation, Wilma barked. Gary glanced down at his list, found the word for quiet and loudly said, “Ruhig.”

Bianca Flores raised an eyebrow, Wilma barked louder.

“I’m sorry,” Gary said but Aunt Bianca held up her hand.

“Don’t worry about it. The husband is the kind who’d complain about a crack in the sidewalk even if he’d been the one to put it there.”

“I’m working with her. She’ll learn. She’s smart.” He checked the paper in his hand and tried again. “Ruhig!” This time, the dog listened. She turned and headed for the door to the backyard, lay on her back and began chewing her own paw while a giant bone lay unloved right next to her.

At least she wasn’t barking.

“The second call,” Bianca continued, “was from one of our local police officers wanting to know if I had a thirty-something male with a dog staying here at the bed-and-breakfast.”

To his aunt Bianca’s credit, she didn’t show any more concern about the call from the police than she had about the noise complaint. She’d always been the aunt to step in when the Guzman brood needed a soft place to land. That didn’t mean, though, that she was blind to their faults.

Gary grinned. “Let me guess. It was an Officer Leann Bailey.”

Bianca nodded. “You were out late last night. Something happen?”

“Quite a bit.” He handed her the list of commands he’d just printed off. “Thanks to Officer Bailey I found out the dog understands and obeys—well, sometimes obeys—German. Who would have thought it?”

Bianca gave Wilma an appreciative look. “Leann lived in Germany for quite a while, I remember. So, how do you say, ‘Quit chewing the table leg’?”

Gary laughed. “Those words aren’t on the list.”

Bianca took the paper out of his hand, studied it and handed it back. “What happened last night that had you figuring out Wilma understands German?”

“How well do you know Officer Leann Bailey?”

“Her father used to be my financial adviser, so I know the family quite well.”

“Last night, Wilma and I had a little run-in with her at the park.”

“What—?”

This time it was Gary who held up a hand. “Nothing to worry about. Wilma took a liking to her, tried jumping into her squad car, but had to settle for giving her a hug.”

“Wilma probably smelled Peaches,” Bianca offered, heading for the kitchen, probably knowing Gary would follow. Gary followed.

“I didn’t notice the smell of peaches.” Gary thought back. He hadn’t noticed any smell except for the ripe grass and strong pine scent coming from the trees.

Bianca laughed as she started making lunch. “I’m talking about Leann’s dog. Peaches. She’s a big mutt, tough looking, like a bear, but gentle as a kitten.”

“And to think she made fun of Wilma’s name.” Gary sat at the table. It felt odd, not having anything to do, but he’d been out of the military only a month, and his mind hadn’t wrapped itself around the term civilian.

Bianca raised an eyebrow. “Oh, you had a whole conversation with Leann?”

“Just enough to figure out she can control Wilma better than I can.”

“How did the training go?”

“Not so good. I can’t believe Max neglected to tell me Wilma only understands German! I spent a whole hour ordering Wilma to sit and offering treats. She sat, but not when I asked her to, and she still expected the treats. She jumped on me a least a dozen times and almost dragged me down a small hill when she spotted a cat.”

“Now that you know about the German, it will help. What was Leann doing at the park?”

“Husband-and-wife dispute.”

“Ah,” Bianca said, “by the swings.”

“How did you know?”

“That would be Gail and Ray Goode. They argue at least twice a month and usually do so in the park. Gail doesn’t want her parents to hear. They’re the disapproving kind, not the helping kind.”

“Officer Bailey handled it differently than I would have, but she handled it well. She separated them, sent the husband to his brother’s and sent Gail to the main house and someone named Clarissa.”

“That would be the Crabtrees’ housekeeper.”

“Crabtree?”

“Gail’s parents, her maiden name.”

“They have a live-in housekeeper?”

Aunt Bianca nodded. “And a full-time groundskeeper.”

“So, they get special consideration from the cops?” Gary didn’t think his brother Oscar, who was also a part of the Sarasota Falls police department, would go for such behavior, but maybe Leann was different? Yet that hadn’t been the sense of her he had last night. He’d been impressed with the police woman and how she’d handled the scene with her sister.

Bianca deftly set bread on the cutting board—lunch meat to the left of it; cheese and tomato—and started making their lunch. “What I should have said just now was that Crabtree happens to be both Gail’s and Leann’s maiden name.”

“Sisters?” Gary sucked in his breath and relaxed a little. “That explains a lot.”

“I wonder why Leann called here instead of asking Oscar about you.”

“She was so busy with her sister, I think she forgot to ask my name so doesn’t know Oscar’s my brother. Not very cop-like.” Gary had been military police among other things.

“She’s a good cop, dedicated and—”

The bell over the front door rang. Bianca set down her knife, glanced out the window checking the dog’s whereabouts, quickly washed her hands and headed up front. Yesterday, she’d done the same thing and Wilma had snatched the bread.

Gary recognized the voice that said, “Hey, Bianca, good to see you.”

Leann Bailey in the flesh. Gary grinned. So, the lady had decided to follow up her phone call with a visit. He sometimes had an effect on women. Usually, though, it was when he was in uniform.

He followed his aunt to the foyer and studied the cop in question. He’d liked her better standing with the moon to her back. She was equal in height to his aunt, but where Bianca was soft and dark, Leann was toned and fair. He noted how well she wore her blue uniform.

“You looking for me?” he asked.

Bianca, a half frown on her face, told him. “I guess I didn’t take their complaint seriously enough. Officer Bailey’s here, something about a noise ordinance.”

Leann nodded. “Right now, I’m just issuing a warning, but—”

“I’m Gary Guzman. You met me last night.”

“Guzman,” Leann muttered before turning to Bianca. “I can’t believe I missed it. Oscar’s brother?”

“And my nephew. Younger than Oscar by two years,” Bianca supplied.

“Better-looking, too,” Gary put in.

He watched as a myriad of expressions crossed Leann’s face. There was surprise—probably a result of last night’s meeting or maybe his relationship to Oscar and Bianca. Annoyance—no doubt she didn’t like surprises. And detachment—she probably didn’t want to warm up to him while on duty.

“About Wilma,” Leann said. “You’re going to need to do something about her barking.”

“I’m working with her. Now that I know she understands German, I’ll be able to ratchet up the training.” He pulled the piece of paper from his back pocket and showed her.

Leann didn’t look impressed.

“It will just take a few days,” he promised. “She’s a good dog,” Gary inserted, “but I’ve only had her for a week.”

“Ah,” Leann said.

This time Gary could read her face. The smile reached her pretty green eyes, which suddenly registered a positive impression even as she said, “A rescue?”

“No,” Aunt Bianca said.

“More or less,” Gary put in.

Leann looked from one to the other.

“My friend Max has been in Germany the last three years, came stateside for a few months and was just deployed six days ago to a place he couldn’t take Wilma. It’s temporary.” Gary didn’t mention the arm-twisting from Max, or the adamant “No” consistently given by Gary, followed by Max finally showing up at the tiny apartment Gary was crashing at.

“Good of you to take in Wilma,” Leann said.

“No, good of me to take in Wilma.” Aunt Bianca shot Gary a look.

“I’ll let the neighbors know this is only temporary and that you’re working on the problem,” Leann said, suddenly back to being a cop. Gary liked the impressed lady better. He wanted that look back.

“We’ll think of something,” Aunt Bianca said.

Footsteps sounded on the porch. The bell over the door tinkled as a short man, definitely military, leading a midsize border collie, pushed his way in. Aunt Bianca immediately smiled and asked, “Do you need a room?”

“No, I’m looking for Gary Guzman.”

“That’s me,” Gary said, looking from the man to the dog. He didn’t recognize either and had the feeling he didn’t want to.

“I’m William Benedict, and I’m desperate,” the man began. “I got called up a week ago. I’m leaving in the morning and my sister just found out that she’s pregnant with triplets. She already has two kids not even in school. She can’t handle Goober now. I heard you took in Max Juergens’s dog.”

Aunt Bianca’s, Leann’s and Gary’s eyes all went to Goober, a beautiful black-and-white dog who didn’t look at all like a Goober.

“I’m staying with my aunt temporarily...” Gary said, noting the way Officer Leann Bailey watched him.

“Look,” William said, “my mother died six months ago. Goober was hers. I promised I’d take care of the mutt. I went online, and there’s places—families even—where I can board the dog, but, well—” his voice softened “—she was my mom’s, and Goober’s sensitive if not a little high-strung. She needs someone who will pay attention to her. I hear you have time.”

Time. Gary’s enemy right now because he just didn’t know what to do with it, how to spend it. One thing he could do was give good ole Max a call and a virtual kick in the butt.

“I’m not at a place where I can take care of...” Gary faltered as he noticed Aunt Bianca, who was shaking her head no. Unfortunately, standing next to Aunt Bianca was Leann, who was already bending down, stroking Goober’s ears and whispering, “Good girl. Such a good girl.” The dog—all bright-eyed with a ring of white around her nose, chest and both back feet—gave a polite woof and wagged her tail.

If Leann touched Gary that gently on the face, and if he’d had a tail, he’d be wagging it, too.

Leann switched her gaze from Goober to Gary, her eyes indicating disappointment. Great, she expected him to refuse to help.

He didn’t need, want, another dog, even temporarily, and especially not one “sensitive and a bit high-strung” and taken on just to impress a woman he barely knew. The way that William referred to Goober indicated he wasn’t attached to his mom’s dog. In the military, temporary could be years.

Gary made the mistake of looking at Goober, who was looking back at him as if she already knew and loved him. “Your mom named her Goober?” Gary asked.

Not a chance he could take the dog. Aunt Bianca was running out of coasters; Gary was already almost out of shoes.

“Actually, my mom let one of my sister’s kids named it.”

“She’s a great dog,” Leann said. She went to her knees in front of the dog, both hands streaming down the sides of Goober’s head.

William’s smile for Leann became a frown as he faced him. Gary quickly spoke up.

“I’m going to get a job. It’s just...” For some reason, Gary felt it important for Officer Leann Bailey to know he intended to be gainfully employed. For some reason, he didn’t see Leann as someone who would be impressed with a man taking a break to find himself.

Heck, he wasn’t always impressed with himself lately, either.

“It’s just that there are a few things Aunt Bianca wants to me do first,” he finished.

“Yes, and helping out at an inn really doesn’t give him much time to work with dogs.” Bianca focused on Leann and suggested, “Maybe you could take her?”

Leann stepped back from Goober and shook her head. “I’ve already got a dog, a turtle and hamster. All of which my sons promise to take care of, but I wind up doing most of it. Plus, when my boys go to stay with their grandparents while I’m on the job, they take Peaches. I doubt very much that they’d welcome a second dog.” With her hand still stroking the top of Goober’s head, she gave William a stern look. “Why on earth didn’t you call first and save yourself a trip?”

“I didn’t call,” William explained, looking solely at Gary, “because I was afraid you’d turn me down. I drove three hours to get here.”

As if cued, Goober gave a little bark and gazed adoringly up at Leann.

Gary rarely did anything rash. Being rash could put his team in danger, civilian lives in danger, but he wasn’t in Afghanistan or Syria now.

“What’s one more?” he said, reaching for the leash and bending down to pat Goober. “Come on over to the table—” Gary looked at the bag the man carried “—and let’s see what all you’ve brought with you.”

“Gary,” Aunt Bianca began. “I—”

“I promise I’ll make this good,” Gary said.

Benedict, clearly knowing when strategy was needed, jumped in with, “I’ve got her toys and favorite blanket in the car and enough food for a month.”

Gary led the way to the table. Behind him, Aunt Bianca coughed. She didn’t have a cold.

Without looking, Gary knew Officer Bailey was smiling. Still, he looked, and sure enough he’d managed to win her approval. Usually, his uniform or wit did the trick. This time, he’d needed Goober’s help.

No, more likely, Gary needed other types of help because he’d just taken on a dog he knew nothing about, from a person he knew nothing about, and all because he was trying to impress a woman he knew nothing about and who lived in a town Gary didn’t intend to make home.

He made the mistake of looking at her. She looked back and he was lost.

Man, she had beautiful eyes.

The cop, not Goober.

It’d be Gary’s luck, Goober probably obeyed commands issued in Chinese.

CHAPTER THREE

LEANN LEFT BIANCA’S Bed-and-Breakfast trying to wrap her mind around this newcomer. Gary Guzman was all hard edges and mystery. But, buried under all that baggage, he had heart. Otherwise, he’d not have taken Goober, or Wilma, for that matter.

She quickly filled out an incident report and then radioed the station to see what was up. It was the only thing she could think of to take her mind off the dark-haired, dark-eyed soldier who’d wandered into her town.

“Nothing’s happening,” said Lucas Stillwater. On the Sarasota Falls police roster, he had seniority. He’d been an officer for more than twenty years. He’d started talking retirement three years ago, had started the paperwork even, but then didn’t file. A month ago, the paperwork resurfaced, was updated and now waited in Lucas’s outbox: not turned in. Lucas was having a hard time retiring.

When he did, though, Leann was going to be a squeaky wheel. She’d done her time and was ready for a promotion.

Leann started her patrol vehicle and headed down the familiar road, driving by the town’s busiest convenience store, where she once prevented a robbery, then on past the high school, where the coach was always leaving lights on, either the stadium’s or his vehicle’s, and then she started thinking about lunch.

Oscar drove by in his cruiser, giving a honk and waving. She waved back. Why couldn’t he have been hired after Lucas retired?

She loved her job. Loved that as Sarasota Fall’s first and only female officer she had obligations that she met and that she made Sarasota Falls a better place, a safer place. Something changed inside her when she dressed for work. It was like she shed all her insecurities and became someone strong, someone to be respected.

Not because of who her parents were but because of who she was.

She needed that promotion, deserved it, so she could stand on her own two feet. Not that she didn’t appreciate her ex-husband’s parents, who provided free child care and unconditional love for her kids. Leann was the force that kept them from spoiling her boys the way they had their own son. Sometimes she succeeded.

She’d always be grateful for the school clothes they purchased, the sport fees they paid and the holiday meals. She just didn’t have the money—even with her job and with child support.

Ryan Bailey was an absentee father because of his military duties, but in his place were his very attentive parents.

They were a huge help. Although, the reality was that they were getting older and she had to think of the future. The extra income from the promotion would be enough to make a difference financially and help offset the cost of child care, if it came to that.

Until then she’d have to make do on her own.

Meanwhile, there was something—or rather someone—in her way. Gary Guzman, dog lover extraordinaire, had a brother named Oscar, who didn’t have her insecurities and who had a resume that made her work experience look like she was a trainee.

Goober. What a name for a dog?

Darn, here she was contemplating her promotion and thoughts of Gary Guzman interfered. Good thing he was aimless. Not a chance she’d ever be interested in him. She had a mortgage and two sons. She didn’t trust men as a rule, thanks to her own father and her ex-husband. She saw nothing to trust in Gary. And she was annoyed that he dared invade her thoughts—again. She stopped a driver and gave him a citation for having expired tags. Then, she wrote another quick incident report, circled Main Street once and headed for the Station Diner. She’d grab a bowl of soup and cup of coffee before continuing on. Who knows how many more expired tags she’d be battling today.

She pushed the door open and walked into the familiar diner. She’d started coming here in junior high with her best friend, Patsy, and Patsy’s family. Her parents wouldn’t deign to frequent a “dive” like this. Leann loved the place. If one of her children spilled a glass of water, a waitress handed over a towel and no white linens were ruined. Here, a person could joke with the folks at the next table because the tables were so close. The laughter was muted at the places her parents liked, and children were seen but not heard.

She shrugged out of her jacket, aware of the Glock 17 tucked in its holster, and looked down the aisle toward her favorite booth in the back.

William Benedict nodded at her and went back to his pancakes. If she’d just turned Peaches over to new owners, she’d be drowning her sorrows with chocolate. She supposed pancakes could do the trick, and Benedict did look a bit distressed.

“Coffee,” she called to Joe as he peeked his head around the door frame. He responded with, “You know where it is.”

She helped herself and headed for her favorite booth and the man who occupied it. “Mind if I join you?”

“Go ahead,” Benedict answered.

She settled in, added two packets of sugar to her coffee and studied the soldier across from her. He wasn’t lean like Gary. Benedict was more the compact but stocky type. He’d be fast and furious, she figured. Not like Gary, who’d be fast and fluid. Benedict had a regulation buzz cut and she wondered if Gary’s hair had stood up that straight. Now it was short, but not military short.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the image of Gary. She wanted to talk to Benedict.

He apparently wanted to talk to her. “Will Goober be all right with Guzman? I mean, why were you there?”

Leann immediately flashed on Gary and Wilma from last night. Gary might not be the most polished handler, but he’d been out with his dog, trying his best. In her book, that took heart. She blew a mist of steam from the top of her coffee, took a sip, still too hot, and said, “Someone complained about barking. It’s nothing. Goober will be fine, but I really think it’s strange you took a chance driving all this way to drop off a dog with a complete stranger. What if Gary said no?”

“My orders were not to take no for an answer,” Benedict said, wiping a smudge of syrup from his shirt.

“Orders?”

“Guzman’s commanding officer is worried about him. He told me to take the dog, leave it in Gary’s truck if I had to, and retreat.”

Leann almost spit out the coffee she’d just inhaled. “Retreat? What?”

“Gary’s having a bit of trouble adjusting to civilian life. We all do. When Max told the commander how much time Gary was spending with Wilma, Commander thought another dog would be just the thing.”

“That’s pretty presumptuous,” Leann noted.

“You’re telling me. And, just how the commander knew I had a dog I didn’t want is pretty amazing, too.”

“How could you not want Goober?”

Benedict merely shrugged. “I’m never home.”

“Was Goober really your mother’s?”

“Nah, she was my sister’s, who really is pregnant with triplets. Her youngest boy, turns out, has asthma, so I took the dog to help them out. Which,” he added, “I have done.”

“Do you even know Gary?” Leann asked.

“No, we’ve had different deployments. I hear he’s a decent guy.”

Leann couldn’t respond to that. She knew a few decent men, worked with them. She didn’t want to continue that thread because one of those decent guys might get her promotion.

Benedict rolled his eyes. “I was going to put Goober up on Craigslist. Last time Goober had puppies, that’s what my sister did. But, I could never disobey an order from the commander.”

Leann thought back to Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast this morning and wondered what demons were chasing Gary that had his former commanding officer sending him dogs to take care of.

* * *

GARY REREAD CHAPTER FOUR AGAIN. It had a checklist for training an adult dog. Unfortunately, the author of How to Train Your Dog in Three Days hadn’t taken into account a dog that only understood German. So far today, Gary had requested that Wilma come a dozen times. Wilma ignored him a dozen times.

Instead, she ran back and forth across his aunt Bianca’s backyard, skidding up dirt and leaving a gift in the garden that Gary quickly cleaned up.

“Any progress?” Bianca called as she stepped onto the back porch.

“No.”

“It will happen.”

“I’m not so sure.”

“I remember when your dad was about twelve, and he came home with some old mutt he’d found abandoned by the railroad tracks.”

Gary stopped. His aunt rarely mentioned his father. Sometimes he even forgot that his father was Aunt Bianca’s little brother. She seemed so much like everyone else, the good side, his mom’s side.

“The dog, oh, I don’t remember his name,” she continued, “but he’d obviously been on his own for a long time. He had no social graces.”

“Like Wilma?” Gary said, trying to bring the conversation back to now, these dogs, himself, not his dad.

“No, Wilma’s a good dog. She just misses her owner. Berto’s dog was missing half its fur and half an ear. It would run around in circles, jumping for hours.” Aunt Bianca laughed. “Drove our mother crazy. But, your father never gave up. By the time he got finished with that dog, you’d never have known he was a wild stray. Roberto was always trying to take care of animals and people.”

Gary almost pointed out how his father hadn’t taken much care of his own family. But, something in Aunt Bianca’s expression changed his mind, so instead he changed the subject and said, “Goober doesn’t act like Wilma.”

Aunt Bianca glanced over at Goober, who followed at Wilma’s heels, herding the other dog. “She’s older.”

He turned his attention back to Wilma, who’d given up trying to impress them with her running and turning skills and was now rolling on her back.

Gary patted his left leg and once again called for Wilma in German. The dog remained on its haunches. Goober, however, trotted obediently over and looked up at Gary.

“You so remind me of Berto,” Aunt Bianca said.

Gary felt a knot forming between his shoulder blades. He shook his head. “No, I’m not like him.”

“You are. More than any of the others—”

“Aunt Bianca, I’m not like him.”

“Anna’s about to graduate college. Hector’s finishing his doctorate. You and Oscar are here. It’s time to think about the past, about your father. I’ve never believed he just walked away. He came here all those years ago, and it was like he was on a mission. There was something going on. I just wish I knew what happened.”

The knot tightened and so did his stomach. “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Aunt Bianca stopped rustling the fur on top of Goober’s head. “That’s the problem. We didn’t talk about it enough. Your mother and I were so careful not to upset you kids. We should have questioned things more when your father disappeared.”

Gary froze.

“Do you remember that your father was last seen here in Sarasota Falls?” Aunt Bianca queried.

Gary did know that.

“I just think,” Aunt Bianca continued, “there’s more to find.”

Gary really wanted to run, disappear, which he was good at. But he was stuck and, unfortunately, starting to think of a few what-ifs. “No,” he finally said. “My mom tried to find him, waited and...”

The expression on Bianca’s face said differently. “Aunt Bianca, I know that my dad’s leaving was bad, but that doesn’t mean we didn’t care or notice him gone. And, I’m sure the police—”

Aunt Bianca interrupted with “could have done more.”

Where was this coming from? Why now? Taking a deep breath, he walked toward his aunt and put an arm around her shoulder. “Aunt Bianca, your family helped settle Sarasota Falls. No way would an effort not be made to find him. As for me and my siblings, we missed him every single day. But, we got by. Sometimes that’s the best you can do.” Gary bent down, picked up one of Wilma’s toys and threw it as far as he could. Wilma took off running.

“No.” Bianca’s voice was now matter-of-fact. “It’s not the best. It’s the easiest.”

Gary hated this, hated that she was taking him to a dark place he’d not revisited in a long, long time.

“Your mother too easily believed that he’d left her. I questioned his leaving, and at first she listened. But as more time went by, she stopped believing in him. But why? Something kept him from coming back.”

“Maybe because he had a girlfriend,” Gary ground out. It’s what he’d always thought, feared, but never mentioned to his mother. Instead, he’d internalized it. Maybe that’s why he’d never wanted to marry and made darn sure to never get close to someone who wanted to marry him.

Aunt Bianca shook her head. “No, not a girlfriend.”

“Maybe it was because he was tired of having all us kids. Oscar remembers the last fight our parents had.”

“He’d never walk out on you children.”

“He did,” Gary insisted. “My mother was beyond hurt and she didn’t declare him dead for years.”

Aunt Bianca raised her hand. “The family needs closure. Think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

Wilma whined a bit and this time when Gary took the toy and threw it, it sailed over the back fence, no chance for Wilma to retrieve.

“Look,” Aunt Bianca said, relaxing a little, “Goober’s owner said it best. You have time. So, I’m now asking for a favor. Figure out what really happened.”

“Almost twenty years later?”

“Yes, if anyone can do it, you can. You can ask Leann to help. She’s trying to make a name for herself. Solving a cold case might be the very thing.”

Working a cold case alongside a pretty detective was not a good idea. Of that, Gary was sure.

CHAPTER FOUR

WEDNESDAY WAS LEANN’S day off.

In truth, as she turned into the elementary school’s parking lot, she mused how this day probably wouldn’t be too relaxing. Number one on her schedule was to switch her cop persona for her mom persona.

If she were lucky, she’d do a decent job.

The problem with being a cop, Leann thought while standing at the back of her son’s sixth-grade classroom, was she’d grown used to issuing orders and having them immediately obeyed.

That didn’t work in a sixth-grade classroom, especially when she was dressed in tennis shoes, old jeans and a bright red button-down.

“Mom,” Tim whispered, “don’t embarrass me.”

She shot him a look that had just last week sent a computer hacker to his knees in fear. Tim, however, was made of sterner stuff and huffed away. Honestly, working a ten-hour shift yesterday bringing down bad guys—Gary, dog owner extraordinaire; the outdated tag guy; and two speeders—was easier than helping in her older son’s class. And, to add insult to injury, she was helping with a Valentine’s Day art project. First problem—Leann wasn’t artistic. Second problem—she’d not been anyone’s Valentine in—she quickly counted in her head—five years.

No, six.

“Mom,” came a groan.

For the next hour, Leann worked her station. Every fifteen minutes she got a new group of eleven-and twelve-year-olds. She provided paint, clean paintbrushes and wipes to clean their hands with. Pinecones went from brittle brown to bright pink or red. Some pinecones were saturated; others were spotty. Most of the girls didn’t get any paint on their hands but cleaned them anyway. Most of the boys got paint on their hands, shirts and pants. Tim—she was no longer allowed to call him Bug, her pet name for him—managed to get paint on his ear. She quickly whipped out her cell phone and took a photo, which earned yet another roll of the eyes and an exasperated, “Moooom!”

Finally, the kids trudged off to PE and she and Patsy, the mother who’d thought up this punishment, helped the teacher clean up. In two days—once the paint dried—the students would glue on fake eyes and kissy lips and add pipe cleaners for arms and legs. Then they’d add a heart to the Valentine people. Leann figured it would have been easier to hand them a piece of paper and some colored pencils.

Patsy Newcastle, mom and Pinterest fan extraordinaire, never lacked for ideas. She’d found the Valentine’s people art project on Pinterest and had fallen in love. No surprise. Last year, Leann had helped the sixth-graders—then fifth-graders—make flowerpot people for Christmas, pinto bean turkeys for Thanksgiving and giant, hanging black licorice spiders for Halloween.

Leann felt sorry for Aaron in fourth grade. Anything art related was really limited, so Leanne usually took home extra unused material from Tim’s class so she and Aaron could make the projects. He liked making the giant licorice spider the best and probably would still have it hanging from his ceiling if he hadn’t eaten it.

She wasn’t so sure she still liked Patsy, who was saying, “I’ve already got an idea for Easter.”

“Are we even allowed to celebrate Easter in school?” Leann cautioned.

Patsy narrowed her eyes. “I’ll take responsibility.”

And, Leann would back her up. Patsy had been her best friend since their own sixth-grade year. The only private school in town had closed down, and, gasp, the Crabtree children had been forced into attending public school.

Leann loved it. The first day, she’d sat across from Patsy, who secretly passed her a stick of gum, and their friendship had been cemented. They’d become even closer when they gave birth to their first babies on the same day. Ryan hadn’t made it back to town and to the hospital until it was time to drive Leann and little Ryan—her ex insisted on naming the baby after himself—home. Patsy’s husband, however, had bounced between rooms, handing out chocolate cigars to visitors—Patsy had dozens; Leann had two: Patsy’s husband and Gail—and making sure both women had plenty of chocolate. Later, Patsy confided that half the time when he handed out a cigar, he’d said, “We have a boy! And so does Leann.”

The day Leann’s divorce finalized she stopped calling Ryan by his first name and switched to his middle name of Timothy, now Tim. So far, he hadn’t questioned it.

Exiting the classroom, they made their way past the playground—earning Leann a “Hi, Mom!” from Aaron, who was swinging and not embarrassed of her at all—and through the school office to their cars. Patsy wasn’t going back to work. She’d married a doctor and now acted as his receptionist, meaning she could make her own hours.

“I’ve got your boys after school,” Patsy reminded her. “Don’t worry. I’m thinking pizza and Star Wars.”

“I’m thinking pizza and homework,” Leann countered.

“I’m thinking a free babysitter is worth the price.” Patsy’s laugh choked off almost before it started. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t tease about this.”

Leann shook her head. “Don’t be. I knew Ryan would exit out eventually.”

“Nothing will change,” Patsy predicted. Her tone, however, didn’t support her words. “When do you see the lawyer about the new custody arrangements?”

“Tomorrow.”

“I can come with you.”

“No, I’ll be fine.”

“You don’t have to always do everything by yourself. You have friends.” Patsy got in her car, rolled down her window and added, “I certainly don’t hesitate to make you do things with me, even if you’d rather do anything else. Don’t forget you’re both attending and helping with the Mother/Son Valentine’s Day dance Saturday after this one.”

“No kidding,” Leann said. “Both my boys have offered their opinions about my presence. Aaron thinks it’s cool, but Tim assures me no one will be attending. No one. He insists the school will be empty.”

“Being a sixth-grader’s mom is not for wimps,” Patsy cautioned. “Neither is being a cop. I hear there’s a good-looking newcomer in town and that twice you’ve threatened to arrest him.”

“What?”

“I gave you every opportunity to bring it up,” Patsy said. “You could have mentioned Gary Guzman when we were setting up the art project or just now as we’re fixing to leave, but no, not a word. I have to bring it up. What kind of best friend are you?”

“The kind that doesn’t bring up unimportant things. The kind who doesn’t go around arresting good-looking newcomers.”

“Ah, so you admit he’s good-looking.” Patsy emphasized the word. “Leann, I’ve seen him walking his dog. The man is gorgeous.”

“Dogs,” Leann corrected. “Now he has dogs. As in more than one. And, he’s unemployed and ex-military. I’ve already been a military wife. Rewarding, but she wanted a personal challenge for herself. Nope, nope, not the man for me. I could never trust him. I can’t believe you want me to go all doe-eyed over someone I’d never be able to trust.”

“Actually, yes, I do. You need a life, especially now that Ryan’s moving back.” Patsy’s voice practically oozed as she tried to add humor to what Leann considered the worst news ever. “Gary is Oscar’s brother, which means he’s nothing like your ex, and I’m sure he’s a good guy. Go have some fun. At the very least, Gary could remind Ryan what a mistake he made letting you go.”

Leann shook her head. Patsy watched way too many romance movies and truly believed in heroes. Leann knew better. What she didn’t share with Patsy was that the gorgeous—and yes he was—Gary Guzman, however, wasn’t just unemployed. He was also living on his aunt’s charity and, by his own account, was not at a place he could take care of others.

“Ahem!” Patsy was louder this time. “You’re off in la-la land, definitely not like you.”

“Sorry,” Leann said. “I’ve got a lot on my mind.”

“Any of it have to do with Geraldo Guzman?”

“Geraldo?”

“That is his first name. You knew that, right?”

“No.” Since the first meeting, she’d been one step behind. First, not getting his name at all and now not having the whole name.

“It’s a manly name.”

Leann almost gagged. One thing was for sure, Patsy wasn’t subtle. She was trying to get a rise out of Leann, but it wasn’t going to happen. “I... Oh, never mind. I need to get back to work.” Then, she rolled up her window and drove away, making sure not to look in the rearview mirror, where she’d see Patsy either bent over laughing or, worse, with a contemplative look on her face as she tried to figure out ways to get Leann and Gary together.

Not happening.

Worst timing ever.

Patsy had always dragged Leann into activities she’d never have ventured into on her own. And, Patsy had what looked like a perfect life. Her two children, a boy and girl, had been blessed with the willing-to-do-homework gene. Leann’s two boys hadn’t. Tim on a good day remembered he had homework but didn’t do it. Aaron, a fourth-grader, couldn’t even spell homework, so he claimed.

She didn’t pressure her boys. She expected them to do their best, worked with them when they struggled, and pushed only when she had to. They knew they were loved.

Something that, when she was their age, she’d not experienced. And, quite honestly, she’d not experienced it as an adult either. She doubted she ever would.

* * *

A NOISE REVERBERATED, LOUDLY. Gary’s eyes snapped open; sleep interrupted. He rolled and in one fluid motion crouched facing the door. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light so he could note windows with their blinds down but allowing in sunshine—too bright to signal morning—that accentuated a light burgundy door with a glass ornate knob. A white robe advertising Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast hung on a hook.

It took a few deep breaths before his heartbeat slowed and the adrenaline rush ebbed. He could accept that he was in Sarasota Falls, in a bedroom.

Downstairs came voices, his aunt greeting new guests and the chaos new guests carried with them; simultaneously, Wilma began to bark.

It was a safe kind of chaos, which, unfortunately, had induced Gary to head upstairs a few hours ago to check his cell phone and make a few calls. He remembered lying down, thinking to be lazy as he checked his phone but falling asleep for no reason...

The way his heart was beating, he knew he’d not fall back to sleep, not that he wanted to, and he needed to get Wilma quieted before the neighbors called the police again.

Hmm, would Leann be the responder?

No, his luck wouldn’t work that way. This time he’d get his brother. Come to think of it, he didn’t want to tell either of them that he’d been napping away the late afternoon with nothing to do and no one to notice.

Quickly, Gary changed out of his jeans and into shorts, T-shirt and his jogging shoes.

His workout routine had the additional perk of making his aunt Bianca laugh. Something about his having a Bianca’s Bed-and-Breakfast bath towel spread on the backyard grass, jumping over it and doing squats, tickled her funny bone. Then, Wilma gave him grief when he’d added her to the jogging regimen. Their time leash jogging had been a combination of his forcefully dragging her along or giving up and letting the dog sniff and meander whenever she wanted.

It meant Gary got half a workout.

Gary did, however, understand and appreciate the solid offensive stance Wilma assumed during cat reconnaissance.

Today, though, newcomer Goober proved to be a willing participant and eagerly took to the harness.

When Gary started his run, Goober trotted alongside in perfect sync. Surprise, surprise, Wilma followed Goober’s example. Maybe tomorrow he’d ditch Wilma, just take Goober, and see if he could do a four-minute mile, weighed down by a sixty-pound backpack and with a collie as his formation.

Something about the evening felt right, so instead of heading to the park and jogging the trail, Gary headed through some residential areas where cars were turning into driveways and individuals or families were exiting: parents who just finished work or parents who’d finished work, picked up kids and finally arrived home.

He and his siblings had walked back and forth to school, no need for keys as four houses in a row, on their street, had belonged to relatives. There’d always been an aunt with a cookie or an uncle wanting Gary to help rake the leaves. Plus, there was a key under a rock in the backyard. Probably still there.

The neighborhood changed, the houses got smaller and the yards looked more lived in. Gary’s jog turned into a slow trot as his conversation with Aunt Bianca reared its head and memories materialized. The home he’d grown up in had been the last on the block, the old farm of some long-ago immigrant, and it had been added to by so many generations that it looked like three houses all leaning against each other.

He stopped, no longer smelling the juniper or feeling the faint pain in his thigh where a piece of shrapnel had carved a quarter-sized hole.

Theirs had been the house with the best yard. He’d grown up playing kickball, dodgeball and hide-and-seek, until his father had disappeared and hide-and-seek became a term his mother used disparagingly.

“Hey!”

The word wasn’t directed at him, but it was loud enough to get Gary’s attention. Goober’s ears perked up. Wilma was too busy investigating a patch of grass to notice.

Two boys tumbled from a house about four lots away from where he stood. The older one clutched a football. Squaring off in the front yard, they began tossing. Within a minute, Gary could see that the taller one clearly had skill but no patience with the younger one, who seemed better at chasing the ball than catching it. The younger boy also had zero control when throwing.

“Hey!” The word became the chant of the older one as he got more and more frustrated.

Gary smiled. This could have been a scene from his childhood. He and Oscar with their younger brother, Hector, who’d always been more brainy than brawny.

“Hey!” Not a chance was the older boy going to get a workout. He seemed to know it, and his cheeks went slightly red even as his lips pressed together in ire. “I might as well be playing with a girl,” he finally spat.

Gary almost laughed. His sister, Anna, ran faster than big brother Oscar, threw farther than baby brother Hector and caught better than Gary—not that he’d ever admit the defect.

“I’m telling Mom,” the little guy croaked.

“No need,” said a familiar voice.

What? Did the woman have a beacon that drew him to her? Gary watched as Leann stepped out from the front door. Her hair was longer than he’d thought, and a bit redder, like mahogany. He moved off the sidewalk and onto grass where he watched from a safe distance, somewhat hidden by a tree. Goober obediently sat at his feet. Wilma pulled at the leash, heading toward Leann and her sons. Not a chance. Gary liked where he was, what he was watching.

The older boy made a strange hissing sound. Gary recognized it. It was the sound of a youngster who knew he was about to be bested and didn’t like it one bit.

“You don’t count, Mom,” the kid said. “You’re a cop. That means you can throw a football.”

“I could throw a football long before I became a cop,” Leann responded. “And, I’ve never, not once, thrown a football at a criminal.”

Gary had a sudden image of Leann throwing a football at some punk running away from a convenience store robbery.

“I have, however,” Leann said, “thrown footballs at my boys. Both of them!” With that, she snagged the football from the younger boy’s hands and spiraled it to the older boy, who jumped, managed to get his hands almost on the sides but lost his grip.

“Ha!” Leann said.

“Ha,” the younger boy echoed.

For the next few minutes, the front yard was filled with the younger boy tripping over his feet; the older boy scrambling, trying to catch easily and throw fiercely; and his mother not giving an inch until finally when the ball landed in a neighbor’s yard. All three of them charged for it and fell in a heap, laughing, until the younger boy’s hand shot in the air, ball carefully balanced.

Goober let out a low whine expressing her desire to inch closer, get to know them, play. Gary understood. He wanted to join in the fray, too.

What was it his aunt had said? Oh, yeah, that Leann had a story worth telling.

Gary turned and walked away. He knew all about stories, especially the kind his aunt read. She still believed in happily-ever-after. He wanted to, thought maybe his brother Oscar had managed to find it, but Gary too vividly remembered his mother’s love story, which ended with his father walking off the page. Never returning.

Aunt Bianca believed Gary could actually find out what happened to his father. Maybe that’s what he should focus on because he sure didn’t need to be focusing on single mother Leann Bailey, who was all I-can-out-football-you-and-look-great-doing-it.

She was all about stability; he was all about just making it from one day to the next.

CHAPTER FIVE

“HE FILED HIS PAPERWORK.”

Leann didn’t let her steps falter or her face register surprise when Oscar Guzman made the announcement the moment she entered the station late Thursday afternoon.

“When?” she asked.

“Yesterday at the close of his shift.”

Leann knew Lieutenant Lucas Stillwater had been on duty until almost midnight because of an automobile accident with serious injuries.

“Chief Riley say anything yet about it?”

“No.”

She and Oscar looked at each other, something vaguely different in the air. Just yesterday, they’d been contemporaries looking toward the future when they both would want the same promotion. Now, they were competitors, each wanting—no, needing—the same job.

“Thanks for letting me know,” she said.

Oscar nodded.

Leann headed for the restroom, where she checked her hair and uniform. She was the first female cop in Sarasota Falls’ history. She had to shine because she not only wanted to prove herself, but she also hoped to pave the way for the next female officer.

Her years on the force had been an uphill battle that she’d won! Was still winning.

Next, she sat at her desk, logging onto her computer while also listening to the messages on her phone. They were brief and unimportant. She spent a few moments reading the two priority calls—nothing pending. Oscar, who managed to get to work ten minutes before shift began, filled her in on a malicious destruction of property incident.

Preliminary work done, she stood and headed for the cruiser. She checked the backseat and trunk before finally sliding behind the wheel ready to start her shift.

The malicious destruction of property had to do with a woman Leann knew through her youngest son. Just one more happily-ever-after that wasn’t going to happen. The divorce had finalized yesterday, and the husband wasn’t taking it well.

Once again, Leann sent up a quick thank-you prayer that for the majority of her children’s growing-up years, her husband had been across the ocean.

That was all about to change, and in two hours she’d be sitting across from her lawyer and finding out the changes her ex-husband wanted since he was moving back to Sarasota Falls.

The car in front of her ran the red light at Main. She hit the siren and then issued a warning to the driver. Leann then drove to the high school and cruised the parking lot. Following that, she did a wellness check on Sarasota Falls’ oldest resident, who lived alone and who sometimes forgot to go grocery shopping. After ascertaining the lady was keeping company with a bowl of cereal and watching a rerun of Judge Judy on TV, Leann called in a seven and headed for City Hall for her appointment at the law office of Fred Balliard.

Swallowing, she made herself rethink “her” boys and changed it to “their” boys. Ryan, at first, had paid a bit more child support because she’d returned to Sarasota Falls without a college diploma or much work experience. When she’d made it through the academy and was hired by the police department, his support had lessened. He’d also tried to get his payments down by claiming his parents were acting on his behalf and shared custody.

Now he was exiting out, wanting to negotiate the future and share custody. Leann was worried about losing child support. She really needed the lieutenant position.

She was also worried that Ryan would dash into his sons’ lives, make a splash and then disappear. She didn’t trust him to stay.

He hadn’t stayed with her.

* * *

SURE MADE GIVING a ticket over expired tags seem trivial.

An hour later, she was greeted and offered a bottled water by the receptionist. Leann took a long drink before choosing a too-hard chair in a too-fancy waiting room, cooling her heels and worrying.

The door opened and Tom Riley, the chief of police, walked in. He was in street clothes, coming in on his own time because a cop’s time was never really their own.

“I didn’t know you had an appointment today,” Leann said.

“Last-minute thing. You okay?” He stopped in front of her.

“I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” he observed.

“I’m still pretty amazed that Ryan’s not only leaving the military but returning here.” Amazed was a good word: dismayed a better one. She’d wanted him to be career: always gone, seldom around.

Chief Riley smiled, greeted the receptionist, refused a bottled water, took the seat next to Leann and wisely changed the subject. “I hear you met Oscar’s brother Gary.”

“At the park Monday night. Then, yesterday again because his dog was barking.”

“Today it’s both dogs,” Chief Tom Riley corrected. “I fielded a call today from their neighbors.”

“They complain about everything.”

“What’s your impression of Gary?”

“He’s very different from Oscar.”

“How?”

Leann thought a moment and then shrugged. She had no real answer, just an uncomfortable feeling that she’d met a man she couldn’t figure out. “I don’t know. Call it intuition.”

Chief Riley merely smiled. He’d gotten so much easier to get along with since he’d married last month. Oscar said that having someone to go home to was making Chief Riley soft.

Tom had overheard and accused Oscar of the same thing. Oscar, married just over a year, didn’t deny it.

Sitting in her lawyer’s office, about to face life changes thanks to the return of her ex-husband, Leann knew there wasn’t a man alive she’d trust enough to marry.

The silence ticked by. Even the receptionist’s fingers, flying across the keyboard, seemed muted. Finally, Chief Riley asked, “You had a chance to check out the whereabouts of Jace Blackgoat?”

“I thought I’d try to head out to Russell’s later. See if Jace has been around,” Leann said.

Russell Blackgoat was the grandfather Leann wished she had. “How much trouble is Jace in?”

“Did you read the report?”

“I know he’s been in a bar fight over in Taber, but that’s two hundred miles away.”

Chief Riley nodded, and Leann wondered why the chief was so concerned. Not only was Sarasota Falls safe compared with many of the cities surrounding it, but the police force was top-notch and thankfully, well-funded. They’d even hired a new officer just last month. Zack Bridges might not look old enough to wear the badge but he’d gone through the police academy and was sincere.

A loud ping sounded. The receptionist hurried back into the room, picked up the phone and said, “Yes, Mr. Balliard.” She listened for a moment, and then said, “Leann, you can go on in.”

Leann gave a tight smile and entered Balliard’s office.

Except for white and dark brown—paint, carpeting and woodworking—the only bright color in the room came from a picture of the American flag that hung behind the desk.

“Please sit down, Leann.” Balliard, a tall African American man wearing a dark suit, striped tie and white shirt, shook her hand and directed her to the seat in front of him.

She sat and looked at the lawyer who would be representing her now that her ex was trying to reestablish a connection with his sons. He shuffled a few papers and then smiled at her, waiting.

“What I really want,” Leann said, “is for custody, visitation, child support and such to continue as it is now.”

“I have to be candid, Leann, that’s unlikely,” Balliard said.

“What does Ryan’s lawyer have to say?”

“Ryan’s moving back home, already has gainful employment and intends to be an involved parent.”

“I don’t trust him,” Leann said. “He forgets birthdays.” She didn’t add that when Tim was a baby, Ryan wouldn’t even change a diaper. Her main memory of his early parenting was asking her to keep Tim quiet, so the baby wouldn’t interrupt Ryan’s TV watching or video gaming.

“Honorable discharge, commendations and a paper trail of consistent child support. Add in his parents assisting with the boys’ care, and Ryan’s got a good case.”

Leann sighed. Joint custody would definitely mean less or no child support: her biggest fear. She’d been raised never having to worry about money. Then she’d married Ryan and worried a little bit, but the military offered base housing, a decent salary, and so on, and the fact that their bank account wasn’t something to brag about didn’t bother her. When she’d divorced Ryan, though, she’d discovered what having no money really meant.

She’d called her parents for help once. She’d never do that again.

She didn’t care, not for herself, but she did for her boys.

Words Leann didn’t allow her children to say almost bubbled out. She’d had a plan. Ryan said he’d be giving Uncle Sam twenty years. Had he stayed true to that plan, Tim would be nineteen and Aaron seventeen. No worries, not really. Now, Ryan was exiting before he’d put in twenty years, affecting his pension and retirement.

“Okay,” she said, keeping her voice strong, “what are my options?”

Balliard folded his hands and leaned forward. “Leann, more than a lawyer, I’m your friend. I’ve known Ryan as long as I’ve known you. Try to work this out without lawyers. What you’ll pay us might equal Aaron’s first semester in college. Talk with Ryan, maybe the two of you can be reasonable. Consider the man he is today rather than the boy you married and divorced. Remember, what you decide affects the boys.”

“They only know him from brief visits.”

“You have to be realistic. Ryan’s parents have told your boys all about his glory days. I’ve been to that house. It has to what amounts to an only-child hall of fame.”

Leann closed her eyes, pictured the hallway, which indeed boasted Ryan’s history from birth to deployment. The only photo they’d taken down was the one of Ryan and Leann’s wedding. It hadn’t been a fancy ceremony since they’d gotten married by the justice of the peace. She’d been three months pregnant. The ink on his enlistment papers was still wet.

Sometimes she wondered how they’d have done if she and Ryan had waited. If she’d gone off to college while he put in his first four years. They’d have matured, had time to be kids before they had kids.

Balliard broke into her thoughts. “You need to prepare for his return home and the loss of some support.”

Tears welled, spilled over, and Leann fought to keep her voice steady. “I can do that.”

Balliard reached across the desk and put his hand on hers. “Look, from here on out, every move you make, every concession you give, should be for the well-being of Tim and Aaron. If you keep that in mind, your ex-husband will have to do the same, because if he doesn’t, the courts won’t look favorably on him.” He held up a hand, anticipating her retort. “If the courts don’t look favorably on him, neither will your sons, and no matter what, he’s their father.”

The one thing Ryan had done extremely well: fathered two awesome kids. For the next few minutes, Balliard went over the custody agreement from a decade earlier, letting her know what she could expect to stay the same and what she’d have to be willing to negotiate.

She struggled as Balliard’s words meant giving up control, meant trusting her ex-husband. Finally, her lawyer ended the session, asking her to schedule another appointment after Ryan returned.

She exited Balliard’s office and headed for the lobby. She’d known Ryan all her life, had been his science partner at Sarasota Falls Elementary when he’d been struggling to get passing grades. He’d given her a used eraser as a thank-you. In high school, junior year, he’d sat in front of her every class. She’d been a Crabtree, and he’d been a Bailey. It had been the beginning of their relationship and what seemed like her quickest ticket out of town.

She’d always known that in some ways she’d orchestrated their romance, had wanted it more than he did. She’d wanted away from her parents’ house and to not be dependent on them for anything. College would have been on their dime and their terms. She wanted to stand on her own. She’d also been in love and thought it would be better to have Ryan at her side. Then, she’d gotten pregnant and college had been a distant dream, rather than immediate one.

She owed him and could be the bigger man, er, woman.

In the waiting room, Chief Riley was on his cell phone, giving someone directions. Good, she didn’t want to answer his questions.

Leann pushed open the door to the hallway, hurried to the drinking fountain and took a long drink, hoping to open her airway, push away the raw feeling that had accompanied her from the lawyer’s office.

Detachment. They’d pounded her over the head with the word at the academy. She could do it.

“You okay?”

She recognized the voice. The phrase “kicked when you’re down” crossed her mind. Gary wasn’t the last person in the world she wanted to see at the moment. That would be her ex-husband.

“Fine.”

“You look a little frazzled,” he said, matter-of-factly. His eyes glittered, dark and moody, in the same way they had that night he watched her sister and brother-in-law fight/whine on the playground. “Come to think of it, the first time I met you, you looked frazzled.”

She frowned.

“You need to sit down or something?” he queried.

“No, I’m fine.”

He looked over her head, studying occupants’ names as well as their office numbers.

“Why are you here?” she asked.

“I’m looking for Frederick Balliard.”

“He’s the third door on the left.”

“Drei?” he queried.

She stepped back and almost smiled.

“That’s right,” he said. “I’ve started learning German online. Thanks to you and Wilma.”

Against her better judgment, Leann had to admit that Gary’s appearance wasn’t the only thing she admired. She also admired his quiet confidence.

Something about him felt familiar. If Leann were the trusting type, given time, she might be able to become close with him. But, no.

She trusted his brother Oscar, somewhat. After all, they had foiled robberies, pulled children from an overturned school bus and even busted a meth lab last month. The Sarasota Falls Police Department was small. Until Zack’s hiring, she and Oscar were the newest officers. She’d signed on over five years ago when Ryan was just entering first grade. Oscar was on his second year now. There had to be a tiny shred of trust involved in their relationship.

She and Gary, however, had no relationship.

“Did you just come out of Balliard’s office?” he asked.

“Fred’s office. I’ve known him all my life.”

“And even though you’ve just left the office of a man you’ve known since childhood, you’re tightly wired and exasperated. So, you were in there because of some case you’re working on.”

He hadn’t asked a question. No, he’d made a statement, and she could answer honestly. “No, not a case I’m working on. Something else.”

“Something else, eh? Something personal.”

She opened her mouth, intent on dismissing him, with attitude, but Gary reached out and carefully tucked a strand of hair over her left ear. “I believe you have white paint on your ear.”

Then, he walked around her and headed down the hall and through the door she’d just exited.

She frowned, annoyed that he’d left her speechless, and wondering why no one else had mentioned the paint on her ear. Well, if she knew anything it was that doing an art project in her son’s class was bound to leave behind residual damage. How she’d missed paint on her ear, though, was beyond her.

Almost against her will, she fingered the top of her ear, the ear that still held the heat of his touch.

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