Snakes Among Sweet Flowers (15 page)

“Yeah.” Cam nodded. “I figure your mom will want to meet me.”

They all seemed confused by Cam’s logic but didn’t question him. Jackson backed out of the driveway and started toward town. After a few moments in silence, Cam glanced over at Jackson.

“So tell me about their daddy.” Cam kept his voice at a level he hoped would avoid the conversation attracting the children’s interest.

Jackson cut his gaze over to Cam, then turned his attention back to the road. “Junior’s a few years older than me. Got a drinking problem. Not a real nice guy at times. Why?”

“No, I mean…. Okay, if you were on a gladiator show and you had to fight him, would you win?”

Jackson glanced over again, this time as if he were evaluating Cam for the mental ward, but he answered. “Without a doubt.”

“Good to know.”

“Why? What do you have planned?” Jackson was now alternating his attention between Cam and the road.

Cam smiled. “Do you trust me?”

Both Jackson’s eyebrows lifted as high as they could and his voice got loud enough to get the kids’ attention. “NO!”

“Then just look at this as a trust-building exercise, okay? I need you to count to a hundred once you first start thinking you need to step in. Got it?”

Jackson was just pulling into the driveway, and as he pushed the car into park, he asked again, “What are you planning?”

The kids all piled out, and Cam opened his door, leaning back in before he closed it behind him. “Just get the kids in the house for me and trust me. They got bruises, Jackson.” He closed the door before Jackson could say any more and walked briskly up to the porch where a man was sitting in a rocker with a glass of tea. As he approached, a small woman with a baby on her hip came to the screen door, and four other kids pushed past her to meet up with Tony, Galen, and Luanne.

As Cam reached the first step, Jackson pushed past him, arms out to catch all the kids. “Got a minute, Ruby? I just needed to ask you something inside.”

Cam held out his hand for the man, who he assumed must be Junior.

The man looked him up and down and finally pushed himself up from the chair and offered his hand. “Who are you, and what do you want?”

Cam’s grin was more a showing of gritted teeth. He took the hand in his own and squeezed until he felt the bones grind, then used it to steer Junior back and against the side of the house, out of view of the screen door.

“Cam Sanders. You these kids’ daddy?”

Junior grunted and tried to pull his hand away. Cam pulled him a couple of inches from the wall and then shoved him back against it. “Only polite to answer a man when he introduces himself.”

“Yeah. What the fuck do you want?” Junior was still struggling but not hard enough to make any difference.

Cam leaned in closer and whispered, “When I was a little boy, my father liked to drink and beat on me.”

“What has that—?”

Cam slammed him against the wall again. “Don’t interrupt.” Cam looked him dead in the eye. “I never got a chance to get even with him ’cause he died while I was in prison.” Cam offered the man a grin that he’d perfected to frighten much larger men.

Junior stopped struggling but called out, “Jackson!”

“Here’s what we’re gonna do,” Cam continued. “The kids are going to keep coming over, and you are going to never touch them again. Or your wife. If I hear a whisper of anything like that happening, I’ll come back for another visit. Got it?”

“Officer Rhodes!”

Cam slammed him against the wall again. “I asked you a question.”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it,” Junior said, and Cam stepped back just as Jackson came out the screen door with Ruby right behind.

Cam gave Ruby a genuine smile and shook her hand while Jackson ignored any complaints that Junior tried to raise. After speaking with Ruby about the kids, Cam waved and smiled to the three.

“See you tomorrow morning,” he said and then climbed in the police car with Jackson.

DROPS OF
rain hit the windshield as they pulled away from the Watson house. Jackson steered the car to the side of the road and stopped once he’d gotten far enough away, then turned to Cam with a frown on his face.

“What do you think you were doing back there?”

Cam shrugged. “Just having a conversation with the man.”

Jackson threw his hands up and let them fall with a thump on the steering wheel. “I can’t let you go around threatening violence.”

“All I threatened was that I’d come back and visit,” Cam responded.

“But the threat of violence was implied,” Jackson explained.

“You think that’s what Junior got out of what I said?”

“Yes! That’s exactly what he got out of that.” It was frustrating that he had to explain this to Cam.

“Good. Then my work here is done.” Cam grinned and nudged Jackson. “Haven’t you ever wanted to punch him in the face?”

Jackson sighed. “Every time I see him. But I’m a policeman. I can’t do that.”

“And he can’t beat his kids either. Someone needs to stand up to him.”

“I try. But we have to have evidence and we have to follow the laws. If CPS gets involved, most likely Ruby is going to lose those kids and they are going to get split up into foster homes who knows where. Sometimes right is a complicated thing.”

Cam nodded solemnly. “Ain’t that the truth. And they got a whole herd of kids too.”

Jackson agreed wholeheartedly with that. He pulled back onto the road and they both stewed in their own juices as the rain beat down harder.

Cam pointed out the window as they drove through town. The diner sign was glowing bright in the downpour. “Hey, can we stop and let me order some food to take home?”

Jackson pulled into an open parking space on the street. “Sounds like a good idea. I think I’ll get something too.”

They ran through the rain, meeting at the door and chuckling as they shook like dogs to get some of the water off themselves. The bell rang as they entered, the air-conditioning making it a little chilly after getting soaked. Heading straight to the register, Cam picked up a menu and looked it over. Jackson shivered and rubbed his arms. He hadn’t planned on being soaked to the skin. He had a police-issued rain slicker in the trunk, but he probably would have gotten even wetter just trying to get to it.

The waitress came by and smiled. She reached under the counter and handed each of them a clean hand towel as she spoke. “Hey, guys. Have a seat and wait this out. I’ll bring you a cup of coffee while you decide.”

Jackson raised a brow and looked at Cam questioningly as he ran the towel across his still-dripping hair.

Cam shrugged and headed for a booth, holding his menu and patting his face with the towel. “Probably drown the food trying to get it home right now.”

Jackson had to agree with that. He slid into the booth across from Cam and pulled a menu from the holder on the table. He about had it memorized, but it gave him something to focus on that wasn’t Camden Sanders, and that was a good thing. The man was far too handsome with those glowing ice blue eyes and chiseled features. Not to mention the way his wet clothes clung to his body.

Jackson shook his head and huffed out a breath. He had no business even thinking such thoughts. It would lead to nothing but trouble.

The waitress appeared at that moment, sliding a cup of coffee in front of each of them and placing a cream pitcher between them. “Y’all know what you want?”

“Does the meatloaf come with gravy?” Cam asked.

“It’s a special red gravy, real flavorful,” she answered, leaning against the table with her pen and pad ready.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I want that and mashed potatoes and lima beans. Can you make it a double serving of meatloaf? And sweet tea too.”

She nodded and turned to Jackson. “What can I get you? Gonna have the regular, Jackson?”

“Is it chicken and dressing night?” Jackson looked up over the menu. He knew it was. He wasn’t sure what was with him right then, but he felt odd sitting out in public with Cam, like everyone would know they had done something together.

“Yes, sir.” She grinned and winked.

“Then that’s what I’ll have. With green beans and cream corn. And I’ll take a sweet tea too.” He had no excuse for the menu anymore, so he put it back in the holder and stirred a little cream into his coffee. It felt good just holding the cup between his hands.

With the waitress gone, it got quiet for a moment or two as they each sipped at the coffee. Finally, Cam looked up with a smile. A smile that could ensure the man got away with murder. That thought almost stopped Jackson’s heart. What if Cam had killed people? But it didn’t take more than a second for Jackson to come to the conclusion that Cam couldn’t do something like that. He was still off in his own thoughts when Cam spoke, and brought his attention back to here and now.

“So, Sheriff, I guess you always lived here in Hog Mountain?”

Jackson huffed at the nickname but let it go. “Yeah, born and raised. Not many move to Hog Mountain, mostly away. Unless it’s to those new subdivisions, that is.”

“But they aren’t
really
Hog Mountain, are they?” Cam asked.

“That’s according to how you mean. They are within my jurisdiction, but do they represent what I think of as Hog Mountain?” Jackson shrugged. “I don’t think so.” Most of the town wasn’t happy about the new additions to their town. They worried at the changes that would come, but no one was refusing the taxes and extra revenue coming from their new citizens.

Cam turned the cream pitcher in circles, and Jackson couldn’t help admiring the callused hands. They weren’t big and burly like one would expect from a mechanic. In fact, they were a bit delicate, if you could call a hand covered in tattoos that. Cam’s fingers were long and slender. Jackson could imagine them gliding over a piano’s keys or playing an intricate piece on the violin or driving him insane with long strokes.

“I guess you don’t think I’m Hog Mountain material either, then?” Cam asked.

Jackson opened his mouth to give some quick platitude, some assurance that wasn’t thought out or sincere, but stopped himself. There was no easy answer to that question, was there? “I guess that remains to be seen, Mr. Sanders,” he finally answered, then leaned in to take a sip of his coffee.

The jingle of bells announced the opening of the door to the diner, but since Jackson had his back to the entrance, he didn’t bother looking to see who was coming in. He’d hoped, with the weather the way it was, he wouldn’t have a lot of people in the diner to see him having dinner with Cam Sanders. But as he looked up, he found Grant Moore staring down at them, his eyes narrowed.

“Look what the cat dragged in,” Grant said loud enough for everyone to hear. Somehow Grant had made it into the diner without getting wet. Of course, Grant never looked like a hair was out of place. It was a little creepy, but still a bit enviable.

Before Jackson could come up with a response, Cam grinned, a smile far different from the one he had used when talking to Jackson. This one was just a little frightening, making a person wonder what kind of thoughts were lurking in that mind of his.

“Grant! What a surprise.” Cam’s voice was just as loud as Grant’s, and the few people in the diner were turning to look. “Thanks for the house call the other night. I sure slept like a baby. How about you?”

Jackson made himself busy adding more cream to coffee that didn’t need it. If he could have climbed under the table, he would have.

Grant blanched, turned to see who was listening, then leaned closer to hiss at Cam. “You better watch yourself, Cam Sanders. I know about you.”

Cam leaned in too, as if sharing a juicy secret, and stage-whispered, “I know about you too, Grant. And I’m not trying to convince anyone I’m anything other than what I am.” Then Cam’s smile grew bigger and he pushed himself up from the table. “Come eat with us,” he said louder, thumping Grant on the back a little harder than necessary.

Grant shrugged out from under Cam’s hold and sneered at both of them before heading toward the back of the diner, not saying another word.

“Well, that was special. What did we see in him? I guess an available hole?” Cam mused.

Jackson turned red and glanced around, then leaned across the table, speaking through clenched teeth, “I know you are used to Atlanta, where anything goes, but this is Hog Mountain. And gossip gets around faster than you can drive ’cross town. Shut down whatever you got going, you hear?”

Cam huffed and deflated a little. “Yeah, I get it. But it sure was fun screwing with Grant.”

After a moment, Jackson grinned and chuckled. “Yeah, seeing him the color of paste was a real treat. Not many he can’t control.”

Cam laughed. “I don’t like threats, Jackson. They stick in my craw. But I also don’t want to throw you under the bus. You’re all right in my opinion. I’ll watch myself.”

“Thanks,” Jackson responded, trying not to blush for God’s sake. The waitress came with their food and saved him from further embarrassment. As he dug into his dinner, he caught Grant giving them a nasty look from a table toward the back. If Jackson knew Grant, they hadn’t heard the last of this.

THE RAIN
had slowed to a drizzle as they drove toward Cam’s house, both full and quiet. When Jackson pulled into the driveway as close as he could to the front porch, Cam let out a gasp, sitting up straight.

“Shit!” Cam pushed the door open and jumped out as soon as the car stopped moving.

Jackson quickly assessed the situation, searching for the cause of alarm, but relaxed when he discovered that Cam’s upset came from the wet cat sitting beside the door, a look of indignation on her furry face.

Cam shoved the door open and let the cat inside, then leaned back out to wave Jackson in.

Jackson knew it was a bad idea. He should refuse and head for home, but Cam was like a siren or something. As much as he didn’t want to like him, he was finding that he did. A little. With a sigh, he popped open his door and climbed out.

Cam was kneeling in the living room with a towel, drying off the old orange tabby that had probably lived outside in all kinds of weather for years. Cam seemed to really like the cat.