Prince Charming Wears a Badge (6 page)

Tyler was waiting for her, looking extremely appealing in his dark jeans and deep navy T-shirt that hugged his torso as well as his biceps.

“You look great,” he said to her before she could say it to him.

“Thanks. You, too.” His hair was damp, as if he'd taken a shower. The scent of his manly soap was intoxicating as she got closer to him. Riding in his truck was going to be pure torture. “I hope you haven't been waiting long.”

He held the screen door open for her. “Absolutely not.” He looked at a pretend watch on his wrist and then winked at her. “At least not more than an hour or two.”

Her mouth opened and her eyes narrowed. “As long as I didn't make you wait too long.”

He chuckled at her comeback and then put a hand to her lower back to usher her out the front door. “You know, you're not so bad when you relax.” He was so close behind her that his warm, fresh breath tickled her neck.

She ignored the goose bumps he raised. He had a good sense of humor and that went a long way with her. Until just now, she'd only witnessed it with his daughters and others. She was beginning to think being around him tonight wouldn't be so bad. Especially when he opened her truck door and assisted her in.

Sitting that close to him on the drive to the bar made her acutely aware of him. The combination of his natural scent and the soap he'd used were enough to make the short trip a cruel form of torture.

“There you are!” From the table Riva and a few others had taken over at Abbott's Pub, her old friend saw them as soon as they entered. She waved as she came to greet them at the door. “We've got a couple of pitchers going,” she told them over her shoulder as she led them to the table. “One's a wheat and the other's an IPA. Way too hoppy for me.” She said the last almost under her breath.

When they reached the table, Callie recognized a few people she hadn't seen since high school. Riva introduced everyone, although it was difficult to hear because the bar was so noisy. While everyone shifted seats to make room for Tyler and Callie, Tyler poured them each a glass of beer. “Wheat?” he asked close to her ear, holding the glass out to her.

She took the cold glass, noting he'd poured it perfectly without too much foam. “Thanks.” She took a sip, wondering how he knew her preference of beer. “How did you know I wanted this one?”

His lips curved slightly upward. “I poured one of each. If you wanted the IPA, then I would have been happy with the wheat beer.”

“Oh.” She had nothing else to say. He could be quite the gentleman when he wanted to be.

She took a minute to finally look around. Like the drugstore, Abbott's had also remained the same. The dark brown Colonial-style tables and chairs were marred with scratches, the paneled walls had numerous illuminated beer logos covering them, and the long, aged bar was lined with patrons quenching their thirst. Since it was Friday night, the small corner stage had a three-piece band playing classic rock.

Callie had left town at eighteen, too young to be served a drink here, but she and her friends had come many times for the food. They made the best onion rings, perfect with a burger after a high school football or basketball game.

Before she knew it, Riva pulled her close to speak to her privately. “So what's up with you two?” she said in a stage whisper so as to be heard over the live music and conversations going on around them. “I saw you walk in together. Did you finally get the guy you lusted after back in high school?”

“Shh!” Callie looked over her shoulder to see if Tyler had overheard. “No, we're not together. We just drove in his truck because we're both living in the same house.”

“The same house!” Riva's voice was definitely louder than a whisper that time.

Callie reached out to squeeze Riva's forearm. “Be quiet!” She felt like she was back in high school again. “We're both renting rooms from his aunt.”

“You're not staying with your family?”

Callie shook her head. Riva knew some, but not all, of the details about her former home life and now was not the time to fill her in. Riva only knew how mean Wendy was to her when she'd seen it firsthand at school or out in public.

“I prefer having my own place,” Callie told her. “And this way I'm not inconveniencing anyone.” She needed to move the subject away from such a depressing topic. “Tell me what you've been doing. I didn't realize you were living here in Whittler's Creek.”

Riva nodded. “I moved back about a year ago. Chuck and I divorced.”

“I'm sorry to hear that.”

“My mother broke her ankle and I came back to help her. Once she recovered enough, I realized I had nothing to go back to in upstate New York where I kept running into Chuck and his girlfriend of the month.”

Callie didn't know what to say. Her life before coming back to Whittler's Creek had been comparatively good, with little chance of running into her ex. As long as she stayed out of the courthouse.

She took a long drink of her beer and realized her glass was nearly empty. She needed to slow down, even if she wasn't the one driving. At least she'd gotten dinner when they ate leftovers at the community center after everyone in need had eaten their fill.

As if reading her mind, Tyler came up behind her with a pitcher. He poured the rest of its contents into her glass, making it come up to halfway. “Thank you,” she said. “You're better than a server.”

He grinned then said to Riva, “I'll get us another pitcher and be right back with it.”

Riva held up her glass that was three-quarters full. “I'm good for now.”

He gave her a thumbs-up and left them alone again as he headed to the bar.

Riva leaned in. “He's
so
hot!” She sounded breathless. “If you're not interested, then at least let me take a shot.”

Callie was caught off balance. Luckily, she didn't need to reply because Riva was pulled away by someone else in the group.

“Need more?” Tyler appeared with a full pitcher, interrupting her thoughts about him and Riva.

She shook her head, covering her glass with her hand. She wondered why she had even hesitated about giving Riva the go-ahead when it came to Tyler. “I'm okay. I drank the first glass pretty quickly.”

He shrugged. “I'm driving.” He showed her the glass of soda in his other hand.

“I know. I'm just a lightweight.” And she didn't like to be out of control. She reached for her purse. “I need to give you some money. How much was the pitcher you bought?”

“Seven bucks, but don't worry about it.”

She'd forgotten how much less expensive things were in this part of the state. “I can pay my own way.”

He stared her down. “I'm sure you can.” His look dared her to say more. “If you insist on making everything fifty-fifty, then you can buy more beer for Poppy's. The fridge is in the basement.” He named a local brewery that he liked. “But feel free to buy whatever you'll drink, too.”

“That seems like a fair deal.” She sipped her beer because she suddenly felt tongue-tied. He had a way of looking at her. As if he could see right through her skin to her core. As if he recognized her inability to talk about her past and her close-to-insane need to be in control.

And now she was pretty sure he could see how attracted to him she was.

CHAPTER SIX

“D
INNER
WAS
DELICIOUS
,” Gino told Poppy when they sat in her living room long after Alexis and Madison were settled into bed. “Your lasagna was even better than I remembered.”

“Thank you.” She took the glass of wine he'd poured her and sat on the opposite end of the couch from him. Her face heated at the compliment. She knew she was a decent cook, but somehow hearing it from Gino made her feel both proud and a little embarrassed.

Unlike Tyler and Callie who'd stayed behind and eaten leftovers at the community center, Poppy had planned ahead and made lasagna. She and Gino had been eating a late dinner when Tyler and Callie had come home to change before going out.

“Those girls are very well behaved,” he said, setting his wineglass on a coaster on the coffee table. “I can't imagine how difficult it's been on them and Tyler. Being a single parent isn't easy. My daughter did that for a while when her husband was deployed, and with three kids under five, it took a lot out of her.”

Poppy nodded. “Tyler's a good father. Everything he's done has been for them.”

“So tell me, what made you decide to run a boardinghouse after Jeffrey died?”

Gino and her husband had been good friends. When Jeffrey died five years ago, Gino had been nearly as grief-stricken as Poppy.

She shrugged. “I guess I needed people around me. I was in my midfifties at the time and I thought if the house was full again, like when the children were growing up, then I'd survive on my own.” Her breathing accelerated and her hands shook. She placed her wineglass next to Gino's on the coffee table. “You never told me why you're back in town.”

Gino picked up his glass, took a long swallow, and set it down again as if delaying his answer. “It's a business deal I've got going on. If it works out, then I'll settle down here for good.”

“That would be nice,” Poppy told him. “We haven't seen you much over the years.”

He looked directly into her eyes. “You have to know that it killed me coming back and seeing you and Jeffrey so happy.”

A huge lump formed in Poppy's throat. She'd dated Gino before Jeffrey. They'd even talked about marriage and their future together. “You made choices,” she reminded him. “You chose to leave me behind.”

“And I'll never forgive myself for that.” He'd moved to Canada for a business opportunity instead of staying with her. Poppy couldn't leave her mother at the time because she'd had terminal cancer.

“You should. It's all in the past. You and Maura were happily married for a long time. And you have three wonderful children.” She didn't bring up that Maura had taken her own life a year before Jeffrey died. She'd battled depression since the birth of their first child.

“I'd like another chance, Poppy.” His statement caught her by surprise. “Tell me it's not too late for us.”

“I don't know—”

He quickly rose from his seat and sat next to her on the couch. He took her face in both hands and stared into her eyes. Then he placed his lips on hers.

For the first time in decades, she felt truly wanted.

* * *

T
YLER
WAS
GLAD
he'd agreed to go to Abbott's. He'd spent very little time with anyone outside of work besides Poppy and his daughters since he'd returned to Whittler's Creek. Tonight he was enjoying catching up with old friends and getting to know the others at the table a little better.

A few minutes ago Riva had pulled Callie away from him. The group's conversations had divided into women at one end of the long table and men at the opposite end. He couldn't help himself when he was tempted to watch Callie. Every once in a while she would look his way and catch him. He'd give her a smile or a wink or a little wave. Her embarrassed expression at getting caught looking at him made her all the more sexy.

After a heated discussion about the looming baseball trade deadline, Tyler realized the women were getting up from their seats. He caught Callie's eye and they nodded to each other to indicate they were both ready to take off.

“It was great seeing you guys,” Tyler told the group.

Pete, an old high school buddy, said, “You should join us more often. In fact, we're all meeting at the park on Sunday for a cookout. It'd be great if you came, too. We're each bringing our own food and drinks.” He gestured in Callie's direction. “Feel free to bring someone with you.” He waggled his eyebrows. “She's always welcome.”

Tyler decided to ignore Pete's obvious interest in Callie and asked, “Will there be kids there?”

“Sure. Several of all ages.” Pete pointed around the table, listing the adults who had kids. “That's right. You have a couple of kids, too, don't you?” Pete not only had no children, but no wife or girlfriend, either.

Tyler nodded. “Two daughters, six and four.”

“Bring 'em along. The kids all have a great time together. We like to organize games with them.”

Tyler said his final good-night to everyone and he and Callie left together. He waited until they were in his truck to broach the subject of Sunday's get-together.

“A cookout?” Callie repeated.

“Yes. You know. Hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta salad a dozen ways, watermelon, as well as ants and flies.”

The last made her chuckle, which was his intent. He was finding that she loosened up greatly if he kept her off guard with humor.

“Except for the bugs, it all sounds great,” she said. “But what about my community service hours?”

“What about them?”

“Don't you have something for me to do on Sunday? I want to get through them quickly so I can return to my life.”

Her statement jolted him back to reality. Of course she'd be anxious to leave. “I figured you'd need the weekend to recover. There's really nowhere to assign you when people are mostly off from work and businesses are either on reduced hours or closed.”

“Oh.”

They were almost back to Poppy's and he didn't want to leave things awkward between them. “Remember, I told you I'd give you credit for the time you spend having fun and relaxing.”

“I thought you only said that to get me to come out tonight.”

“That was my original plan, but I'm willing to extend it to Sunday's picnic.”

She paused for longer than he liked. “In that case, I accept.” They spent the next few minutes talking about what food they could make that they both liked and that Alexis and Madison wouldn't balk at.

Tyler parked his truck in front of Aunt Poppy's and turned off the engine. Callie immediately unbuckled her seat belt and had her hand on the door handle. “Wait.” He reached across the split bench seat and placed a hand on her upper arm.

She turned her head in his direction. “What is it?”

“I wanted to thank you for tonight.” He dropped his hand from her arm.

“I didn't do anything.”

“Yes, you did.” He swallowed. “I've been so wrapped up in family and work that I haven't taken the time to go out and enjoy myself with other adults. So thank you for going along. I'm not sure I would have gone alone.”

“Really? You seemed anxious to go when Riva asked us.”

“That was for your sake. You needed a break.” He shrugged. “Turns out, so did I.”

The clouds uncovered the moon and her face was illuminated. He leaned closer and touched his mouth to hers. He'd been wanting to do that all night. As soon as their mouths met, he knew it was a mistake. This wasn't the one chaste kiss they'd shared in high school. This was the real thing. The sparks that flew would grow to a full-blown inferno between them, if allowed to.

He was sure she was about to end the kiss until she placed her palm on the side of his head, covering his ear. Her thumb caressed his cheek. He tilted his head and deepened the kiss. Her mouth was hot and tantalizing, and she was kissing him back with fervor.

Wanting to pull her closer to him, he reached for her right thigh but his seat belt stopped him. He reached between them to release it while not breaking contact with Callie, but she pulled away. “What are you doing?” she asked, peering at the seat.

He undid the seat belt with a click and let it rewind out of his way. “I was trying to unbuckle so I could get closer to you. I guess I'm out of practice making out in a vehicle.” He laughed at himself and she smiled.

“Maybe that's a sign,” she suggested.

Not what he wanted to hear. “A sign?”

“More like a reminder. That this is just temporary. As soon as I finish what I came here to do, I'll be leaving Whittler's Creek.”

“You mean your service hours?”

She didn't answer right away. “My service hours are just part of the reason I had to come here.”

He waited for her to continue. He remembered their conversation about her talking to her family. Her paperwork had also said she had issues to deal with concerning them.

“I still need to visit my family.”

“You haven't seen them since you've been back?”

“No.”

“Have you spoken to them? On the phone? By email?”

She shook her head, only visible because of the moonlight.

“Besides your sister, do they even know you're in town?”

“Stepsister,”
she corrected sternly. “I don't know. It depends on whether Wendy told her mother or my father that she saw me.”

“So is that your plan for tomorrow—go see them?”

She shrugged. “I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess tomorrow is as good as any other time if you have nothing for me to do. I have to do it before I speak to my therapist again, so if we're picnicking Sunday, then tomorrow is the only day I'll be free.”

“Will you give them a heads-up that you're coming?” He could only imagine the shock of seeing Callie after all these years.

“I hadn't thought about that, either. I guess I could call.” She paused. “I went to go see them when I first came to town. I even pulled into the driveway.”

“What happened? Were they not home?”

“I don't know.” Her voice lowered to a whisper. “I chickened out.”

“That's hard to believe.” She always came off as strong enough to deal with anyone or anything.

She shook her head. “I couldn't go through with it.”

“Do you think you'll be able to do it tomorrow?”

“What choice do I have? I can't leave town until I've done everything my therapist thinks I need to do.”

* * *

A
FEW
MINUTES
later Callie was alone in her bedroom. She hadn't wanted to discuss her family situation with Tyler any longer, so she'd said good-night and walked into the house.

More than anything, she'd wanted him to kiss her again. The truth was that she wanted Tyler. There was no denying it. And this wasn't her teenage fantasy anymore. This was a red-blooded woman wanting an extremely hot man.

A man she couldn't have. Correction. She
could
have him—he'd made that clear in his kiss—but that didn't make it a smart idea.

She had to face the fact that she would be leaving Whittler's Creek as soon as she possibly could. And Tyler was settled into the town, along with his daughters. The daughters he didn't want her to be alone with.

She went into her bathroom to wash her face and brush her teeth. She'd been about to change into her nightshirt when there was a quiet knock on her door.

Her heart sped up, anticipating Tyler at her door. Who else could it be? She automatically fluffed her hair and went to answer the knock.

“Hi,” he greeted her.

“Hi.”

He pulled something from behind his back. “You left this in my car.” He was holding her cell phone.

She took it, their fingers sparking as they grazed. Heat traveled through her at an alarming rate. “Thank you. It must have slipped out of my purse.” The words were barely a whisper as she focused on his mouth.

The mouth she so wanted to taste again.

“You're welcome,” he whispered back and then their mouths met in a bone-searing kiss.

They weren't in his truck anymore. They were standing and he'd pulled her body tight to his. She ran her hands over his back, loving the play of his muscles, and he grabbed her backside and lifted her off the ground. Her legs came around his waist and she slid her arms around his neck when he stepped into her room and closed her bedroom door with his foot. He tasted hot and sexy, and he was easily the best kisser she'd ever come in contact with.

Just as she was imagining what he looked like naked, he slowly lowered her until her feet touched the floor. He leaned his forehead against hers. “I should go.”

That wasn't what she'd expected or even wanted to hear. She didn't say anything.

He took a step back. She wanted to grab him and press herself into his hard and hot body.

But she didn't.

Instead she stood there like an idiot, not saying a word. Not telling him he didn't have to go, that he could stay.

“This is where you tell me I don't have to go,” he said as if reading her mind. He smiled. When she still didn't say anything, he added, “My girls...”

She nodded, unable to speak. His daughters were the perfect excuse for him to leave.

“So you're visiting your family tomorrow?” Good way for him to get her out of the mood.

“I guess so. What are you up to?”

“I need to check on my house.”

“Your house?”

He nodded. “I bought the old McCutcheon house and I'm having work done on it before the girls and I move in. That's why we're living here.”

That answered the question she'd had when she'd first discovered he was staying at Poppy's. The McCutcheons had lived on the hill overlooking the town. Every Christmas they would light up their house with thousands of little white lights and you could see it from anywhere in town.