Sheriff in Her Stocking (11 page)

A memory washed
through him like a warm breeze on a summer day.  He couldn’t help but
smile as the images unfolded in his mind like the pages of a book. “One day, we
must have been about twelve, he caught us smoking in the alley behind the
store. He promptly march us inside, sat us down and made us smoke an entire
pack of cigarettes each in one sitting.”  He laughed. “I’ve never been so
sick in my life I thought I was going to die.”  He exhaled a deep breath.

“I never smoked
again. He was a mentor to us. My dad was a good man but he was working all the time,
mom waited tables at a diner. Jake and I didn’t become thugs mainly because of
Mr. C, but also because I knew it would break my mother’s heart. One day some
cops came to our school and talked about the police force. Since college wasn’t
an option, we decide to go to the Police Academy. After the academy, Jake and I
joined the Chicago PD. He was my partner, my best friend. We’d been working a
case for a few months trying to nail a drug dealer.

Over time I
noticed Jake always had extra money in his pockets. He bought himself an
expensive car, on his off hours he dressed like a fashion plate, silk ties, and
cashmere coats. I couldn’t figure out how he could buy those things on a cop’s
salary. When I asked him about it he joked and reminded me about Mr. C always
telling us to put some money aside for a rainy day. Since he didn’t know when
or if that rainy day was coming he thought he’d enjoy it right now”

Rick sipped his
beer. “I believed him. But what’s more, I trusted him. One day, Mr. C had
closed up the store and was walking home. He lived only a couple of blocks from
the store, but I guess he was in a hurry that day because he cut through an
alley on his way home.”  The memory of that horrible day felt cold and
hard. “When he entered the alley, he walked into the middle of a drug deal
between Jake and this goon. Jake was selling him a kilo of crack cocaine. Mr. C
yelled at Jake asking him what the hell he was doing. Then he grabbed a pipe
lying on the ground and came at them to break them apart. The goon pulled a gun
and shot Mr. C clear through the head. Jake and the guy ran leaving him to
bleed to death.”

Tears burned
Rick’s eyes and a lump of old grief pushed into his throat. He inhaled and
exhaled a ragged breath trying to grasp hold of his emotions. Delaney stood up
from her chair and sat in Rick’s lap. She laid her head on his shoulder, put
her arms around him. He closed his eyes and let the warm comfort of her body
ease away the pain of the past.

“I’m so sorry,
Rick. You must have been devastated.”

He wrapped his
arms around her. “Yeah, to this day I still can’t believe what Jake did. You
think you know someone and then you discover you don’t know them at all.”

“I guess that’s
why you left. It would have been hard to stay.”

“I stayed until
the guy Jake was doing business with was caught.”

Delaney laid her
palm on his chest over his heart. “How did you find out what really happened?”

Anger replaced
his grief and sadness over the loss of his friend.  He felt the emotion
burn through him once more. “Jake banged on my door that night so scared he
puked. He was wild eyed, shaking all over. Put on quite a show with tears
streaming down his face. He confessed the whole thing. He said he just couldn’t
resist all that money. Cop’s salary isn’t much. I knew that. Most of the guys
on the force worked another job to support their families. A beat cop makes
next to nothing. Then he told me Mr. C was dead. He begged me not to rat on
him. He had a wife and a little boy. His wife, Gail was pregnant with their
second child. He swore the whole thing was an accident.

When internal
affairs questioned me I told them nothing. I wanted to for Mr. C’s sake for
that sweet old man who never hurt anybody. I had to be satisfied with getting
the other guy instead. I A was relentless. They really did a number making
everybody suspicious of me. They never believed Jake acted on his own. I don’t
think he did either but I could never convince them I wasn’t involved and knew
nothing about it. I got suspended for a while then they took me off the street
and stuck me on desk duty. I pushed paper for two months until I couldn’t take
it any more. Then I put out some feelers and heard about this job in Avery. I’d
rather be respected rather than branded a dirty cop. I gave Jake my friendship and
my loyalty. Taught me a hard lesson. Loyalty to a friend got me in big trouble.
I was guilty by association.”

Rick looked into
her eyes. “Delaney, I’ve never told anyone this story not even my family. All
the mayor knows is that I wanted a break from being a big city cop. I’d
appreciate it if you didn’t--”

She pressed two
fingers against his lips. “I’ll never tell anyone.”

He wasn’t so
sure he’d done the right thing but then he thought about Jake behind bars and
he shuddered. A cop going to jail was a death sentence. He didn’t even know if
Jake was still alive.

“Rick, loyalty
is important, it’s a virtue. Don’t give up on it just because of the actions of
one person. What you did was right. Not ratting on a friend is commendable.”

“You’re an
incredible woman, Delaney Moore.”  He lowered his head and kissed
her.  Her lips parted beneath his and he slid his tongue inside her mouth.
Her taste, her scent clouded his brain.  She was the sexiest woman he’d
ever known but more important she made him want to believe in the value of
loyalty again and allow himself to trust again. But he knew once the town’s
project was complete she would get another job and leave town. Unable to stop
it from happening, he felt another piece of his heart surrender to her. 

Chapter Six

Lenore drove her
SUV down the highway just outside of Avery. She tapped a freshly manicured nail
against the steering wheel and hummed along to Santa Baby blaring from the
radio. She was on her way home from Christmas shopping and a beauty salon appointment
in Billings. Some gaily wrapped packages were piled in the back but a special
one she’d purchased just for Rick sat next to her on the passenger seat.

As she neared
the turn off for Rick’s house, she flipped on the turn signal and slowed a bit
intending to stop and place the gift on his front porch. Afterward, she’d go by
the sheriff’s office and drop a few hints about her gift waiting for him at
home. Lenore smiled to herself. She fully expected him to give her a nice
present as well despite what he said about ending their relationship. He didn’t
mean it. He’d grow tired of Delaney Moore and her rather earthy inelegance, she
was sure of it.

Just as she
turned onto the unpaved road leading up to Rick’s house, a wave of shock hit
her in the chest squeezing her heart in a cruel vice as she watched Rick and
Delaney step out of his house arm in arm and head toward the squad car.

Lenore slammed
on the breaks, hard, sending packages into the rear floorboard of the car. Her
mouth opened and her eyes widened as jealousy oozed in a green flood through
her veins.  She couldn’t see Rick’s face because he had his head turned
toward Delaney who smiled up at him. Lenore’s fingers tightened around the
steering wheel until her knuckles turned white. She stared in hurt and anger as
Rick leaned toward Delaney and gave her a lingering kiss.

Unable to bear
watching them another moment, she checked for oncoming traffic on the highway
before slamming the gear into reverse and pointing the front of her vehicle
toward Avery. Anger and jealousy melded together making her blood boil. Furious
tears stung her eyes and a sob burned the back of her throat making it feel
tight and sore. She swiped at her tears with the back of her right hand and
heaved a ragged breath determined not to allow Delaney Moore, a woman not
worthy to wipe the dust from her shoes, to humiliate her.

She slammed her
palm against the steering wheel. “Damn Delaney,” she said aloud. Damn her for
coming to Avery. Lenore had just gotten Rick where she wanted him. It had taken
her some time, but she was certain if Delaney hadn’t waltzed into town they
would have been sleeping together by now. She had let Rick know she was
definitely interested in sex, but for some odd reason he kept holding her off.

He told her it was
because he wasn’t sure if she was truly over her husband’s death and he didn’t
want to take advantage of her or the situation. She did her best to assure him
she was ready, but he never gave her more than a kiss or two. Finally, just as
she was certain she’d convinced him to take their relationship to the next
level, Delaney arrived in town blowing a big hole in her well conceived plan.

When Lenore
reached Avery, she followed the main road through the middle of town until she
pulled up in front of the diner. With a snap, she shoved the gear into park and
cut the engine.

“Time to teach
Delaney a lesson,” she murmured to herself as she checked her hair and makeup
in the vanity mirror on the back of the driver’s side visor. She’d had her hair
done and made a special trip to the cosmetic counter at Dillard’s to pick up a
new eye shadow. Her eyes appeared sultry and sexy, not to mention the new
outfit she wore. How could Rick even want to look at Delaney? 

 She
climbed from the truck, slammed the door and headed inside the diner. It was
high time little miss thunder thighs lost favor in Rick’s eyes and the best way
to do that was with the citizens of Avery. Lenore smiled as a satisfying
thought filled her head. She had a distinct advantage over Delaney because she
had lived in Avery since she was four. Everyone knew her and respected her.
Delaney was a stranger and it wouldn’t take much to discredit her reputation.

Lenore had
coffee in a corner booth and dropped a few derogatory statements about Delaney.
She made absolutely sure everyone believed Delaney considered Avery a hick
town, unworthy of living here and the only reason she was helping the town was
for the money and temporary itch for Rick. By the time Lenore headed back to
the B&B there was a big smile on her face and a lilt of satisfaction in her
heart. Yes, Delaney Moore’s days in Avery were numbered. Everyone had been
properly shocked, appalled and even hurt which Lenore of course soothed as best
she could.

* * * * *

The next morning,
Delaney rose early, stretched and winced at the slight tenderness between her
legs. Rick was an ardent lover. She had never been so well loved in her life.
After taking a shower, she dressed and made a bee line for the diner. A
brilliant blue sky soared overhead while the sun drenched the town in golden
rays. The temperature at risen into the low fifties bringing much needed relief
from the bitter cold of the last few days. Everyone had better enjoy it because
tomorrow more snow was expected.

Delaney pushed
open the door of the diner and stepped inside. She threw Louie, the manager
sitting beside the cash register a smile and friendly hello. He spared her a
sharp glance and barely nodded at her cheerful greeting. Instead, he picked up
a copy of the Avery Gazette and pretended to read it.

Dismayed and
confused by his cool reception, she grabbed a menu from the stack sitting on
the counter and found an empty booth. She took off her jacket, sat down and
tried to concentrate on the menu. Despite her best efforts her gaze kept
shifting to the manager who continued to ignore her. After a moment, the head
waitress, Nadine, strolled over.

“Hi Nadine, how
are you today?”

Nadine threw her
a frosty glare. “Fine.”  She rapidly tapped the end of her pen on her pad.
“I’m waiting.”

Delaney put down
the menu and looked up at Nadine. “Is something wrong?”

Nadine pursed
her lips as a flash of icy contempt gleamed in her brown eyes. “I’m sorry, I
didn’t hear you. Did you say you wanted coffee?”

Delaney exhaled
a deep breath. “No, I asked if something was wrong.”

Nadine arched a
brow and stared at Delaney. “Why would anything be wrong?

Delaney lifted
her right hand palm up. “I have no idea, it’s just that--“

“I’m really busy
so if you’d like to order something--please do.”

Delaney looked
around the diner at the empty booths and tables yet to be filled and wondered
what she had done to cause this sudden shift in attitude toward her. Could her
relationship with Rick have something to do with it?  Was everyone hoping
he and Lenore would end up together?   Well, she’d be damned if she
was going to get permission from Avery’s citizens regarding her love life.
Delaney slid the menu across the table toward Nadine. “Coffee with cream,
French toast and a side of bacon.”

Without a word,
Nadine strode away with her nose scraping the ceiling. In a few minutes, she
came back with a pot of coffee. Nadine stood beside Delaney holding the pot in
her hand and glancing surreptitiously at Delaney’s lap.  For a long,
anxious moment, Delaney was afraid Nadine might dump the hot coffee in her lap.
To Delaney’s relief, she filled her cup instead. Then without so much as a
glance in her direction, she walked away.

Delaney poured a
generous amount of cream in her coffee and stirred in two heaping spoonfuls of
sugar, the spoon clanking against the sides of the cup. She frowned, her gaze
moving from Louie at the front of the diner to Nadine in the back chatting and
smiling at an older couple seated in a booth. What the heck was going on? 
What had she done to offend them? 

Everyone had
been so nice to her up until now. A feeling of disappointment mixed with
sadness filled her. Maybe Avery wasn’t the place for her after all. Never one
to dwell on the negative, she decided to enjoy the time she had with Rick and
then move on. Just because she didn’t have a job waiting for her in New York
didn’t mean she couldn’t go. She could always find a job however temporary
until the one she really wanted came along. In the meantime, the mayor had
agreed to pay her for helping them beautify the town. Glad that she’d made a
decision to head for New York, she rested her hands on the table’s surface and
waited for Nadine to serve her food.