"No. It was stupid. The situation unfolded without a plan."
"Oh well, if that"s all."
"Wife."
She raised her brows and jutted her chin. "Don"t tell me how to do my job."
"No, of course not." Only she could abuse those words so thoroughly.
"I apprehended an entire drug ring." He winced as the tiny shift in position shot pain through the rib.
"About that ... I should have said three three dead." She stroked his arm. "Officer Moser came to tell you Greggor didn"t make it. Shrapnel from the explosion and burns." dead." She stroked his arm. "Officer Moser came to tell you Greggor didn"t make it. Shrapnel from the explosion and burns."
Jonah looked down. "When?"
"About an hour ago. You were sleeping."
Three dead. And she was right. Besides the gunshot and the pursuant blood loss, he had a minor burn and cuts on one arm, a bruised spine and kidney. Kevlar would have been prudent.
"Officer Donnelly came with Officer Moser. She"s desperate to see you."
Jonah scratched his jaw. He"d have to deal with that, but right now he"d leave her to Moser. He lay back and closed his eyes. "Ti?"
"Hmm?" She ran her fingers through his hair.
"Did you marry me? Or am I dreaming?"
"If it were my dream?" She leaned in and whispered in his ear.
Suddenly very much alive, he gripped the nape of her neck, his kiss long and deep.
Liz formed a smile for the woman who came in Monday morning with her Himalayan cat in a fancy carrier.
The woman smiled back. "Mary Carson. I have an appointment for Chelsea."
"I"m all ready for her."
Mrs. Carson glanced at the small television playing the news. "We"ve certainly hit the map with that story, haven"t we?"
Liz had watched the aerial shot of flames, the burnt shack, and of course Chief of Police Jonah Westfall in the hospital, saying, "Redford doesn"t tolerate crime." Again and again.
"We"re lucky he wasn"t killed. But I must say I"m less surprised by that whole affair than his getting married."
Liz stiffened. "His what?"
"Wedding. Right there in the hospital room. To my dear friend, Tia. I guess in life and death moments, you realize what really matters."
Life and death moments. What really matters.
The woman prattled on as Liz administered Chelsea"s shots and performed the physical. She must have made the appropriate responses because Mrs. Carson paid and left, satisfied that her pet had been properly cared for. And it had. She was a good vet.
"I"m sorry, Lizzie." Lucy"s voice was hardly more than a breath in her ear. It was the first time she"d risen from her bed in a long while.
"He deserves her. They deserve each other."
She would have cared for him as she cared for Lucy, unflinchingly, unsparingly, selflessly. She had seen the haunting in his eyes, yearning for what should not be. Now he had succ.u.mbed to Tia as to the bottle, sating himself, oblivious of the wreckage to come. She could have saved him.
"It"s all right to cry."
Liz turned. "I would never cry for him."
Lucy stroked her face. "So strong. So brave."
"You"re the brave one, Lucy." She had almost lost sight of that, so brave and precious, so indispensable.
"It"s easy to be brave when I have you."
They embraced. Lucy had her, but how much longer would she have Lucy?
After seeing that Scout and Enola had everything they needed and that the pup was at least responsive, Tia brought Sarge his egg salad sandwich. She sat down with a mug of hot chocolate, wishing her husband had sent her anywhere but here. Dying a thousand deaths, she said, "I don"t know if Jonah told you-"
"That he went and married you?"
"Yes, that."
"I suppose you"ll be taking over here now?"
"I certainly hope not."
He frowned at her. "I know you."
"No, Sarge, I don"t think you do. You know my mother"s version. And guess what? She never knew me either."
He growled, "What"s your point?"
"My point is I think we both deserve to be taken at face value, where we are now, who we are today. Jonah will be more peaceful if you and I find a way to get along."
He studied her. "You love him?"
"I always have."
"Then I accept your recommendation. He"s one of the few people I admire."
"He feels the same about you."
Sarge looked away. "Guess this wasn"t how you imagined starting out together."
"I"m learning to take whatever comes and be glad for it."
"One tough cookie, huh?"
She shrugged. "When I have to be."
He turned back and studied her even harder. "You"re more like your mother than I realized."
"Why would you say that?"
He shrugged. "She took things head on, just like you. After the affair, I thought she"d end the marriage."
"Affair?"
"But, being pregnant, she chose to stick it out, showed some real-"
"Are you saying my dad cheated?"
"Well, that depends." Sarge scratched his bristled jaw. "Which dad you mean."
Tia sat mute, unable to request clarification.
He grasped his mug and drank, then set it clumsily down. "I a.s.sumed you knew."
She started to shake. "My mother mother had an affair?" A dark shade seemed to come down, while at the same time everything grew clear. Her mother"s hatred, her dad"s disinterest. The projection of immorality onto her before she even knew right from wrong. had an affair?" A dark shade seemed to come down, while at the same time everything grew clear. Her mother"s hatred, her dad"s disinterest. The projection of immorality onto her before she even knew right from wrong.
Why had Sarge sprung this on her the second day of her own marriage? But she saw in his face that he had believed she knew, had not intended to insult her. She pushed back from the table, went outside, and staggered to the creek. She looked up through the pines, to the leaden sky, drawing damp air into her lungs, at once dazed and vindicated.
It had not been her behavior or her nature or anything about her Stella rejected. No matter who she was, her mother would have hated her, the reminder of her sin-or of what she"d given up because of her. She pressed her hands to her face. Daughter of infidelity, destined to the same?
No. She would not put her sin on her mother as her mother had on her. She and Jonah had failed and paid for it. But she had paid for her mother"s sin as well. How cruel and unfair was that?
She blinked back tears. "Lord." What would she tell someone calling for prayer? G.o.d is bigger than the storm, his grace a haven from the tempest. If life throws you overboard, then swim! She clenched her fists.
G.o.d had loved and forgiven her. He had given her hope and wisdom and purpose. With Jonah, she"d already found joy. How could she possibly care who had impregnated her mother? And yet ...
She went inside and, gripping her mug, sat across from Sarge, who looked as if he wished he"d beaten a quick retreat. She appreciated that he hadn"t. After releasing her top lip from her teeth, she asked, "Who was it?"
At the bakery counter, Piper placed the last selection into the box, drew a deep breath, and looked up at Miles, the only person there after closing time. "Tell me if I"ve completely lost my mind."
"Not completely. I could make a logarithm to determine the percentage of mind loss at any given time, but it"s a constantly shifting, dynamic variable."
"What percentage of crazy am I now?"
"Just enough."
"I want Sarge to still feel a part of this. It"s his business."
"He put you in charge."
She slid the box lid on. "Yep. And raised me one whole dollar every hour."
"That makes you the manager."
She beamed at him for not belittling her wage. It was ridiculous, she knew. But she was proud of that dollar.
"When he came in that one time, it seemed like he was telling the bakery good-bye. I hate that. It"s hard enough knowing Tia won"t be working next door."
"You should expand."
"What?"
"You could open the wall and triple your seating and add more menu options."
She looked at the brick wall between the businesses. "Make it a bakery bistro?"
"Soup and salads."
"And quiche."
"And desserts."
She bit her lower lip. "And hire someone to work the counter and wait tables. Want a job?"
He looked aghast.
"Kidding."
"I know. But it"s no less horrifying."
She took the money pouch out of the safe. She"d make the deposit on the way to Jonah"s-Tia"s-the Westfall"s house. "With that kind of business, I might make tips or have a real salary. I could afford to stay."
"You shouldn"t delay. Once something else goes in, the chance is gone." Miles looked ready to take the wall down the minute she said the word.
"Sarge will have to love the idea-and he"ll need money to expand."
"Or have a partner."
"My three cents won"t go very far."
"What about your family?"
She shook her head. "They offer all the time, but I can"t take it. You know why." Since he"d been so open with her, she"d given him the same.
"A silent partner then. Someone who finances but isn"t involved in the business-unless you wanted him to design the expansion and give an opinion on menu items."
Her mouth dropped open. "You?"
"Is that going too far? Did I overstep?"
"No, it"s it"s I don"t know what it is."