Chance of a Lifetime (40 page)

“You’ve got to go talk to her.” Rick took another step, knowing he wouldn’t let Sam out of the office to go anywhere. “You have to tell her how you feel.”

“I can’t. I never made nothing of myself like I told her I would. Besides, she knows how I feel. I wrote it down years ago in a set of books we both read. I promised I’d come back when I could take care of her.”

“That won’t matter to her. Go ahead, write her a note and ask her. She needs you living at Winter’s Inn. Mrs. Biggs told me you fix things around there and things always need fixing.” Rick pushed a legal pad across the desk as he stepped to Sam’s side and took the gun.

A heartbeat later, what seemed like half the town rushed into his office. Rick kept his hand on Sam’s shoulder as he faced them.

Alex listened to Rick’s low statement, handcuffed Sam, and said he could finish the letter to Martha Q over a warm cup of coffee in a dry cell. Sam didn’t put up any fight. He even apologized to Rick on his way out.

As the room cleared, Trace slipped through the door.

“About time you got here.” Rick stood and walked toward her. “Some bodyguard you turned out to be. I had to save myself.”

“How’d you do that, Matheson?”

“I talked my way out of it.”

She grinned. “Maybe you’re not as bad a lawyer as you think you are?”

“Maybe not.” He mentally patted himself on the back. “Where have you been? I was worried about you.”

“I found the darts in Sam’s locker at the library, but that wasn’t enough proof, so I went to his place. I watched the house for an hour, then saw him leave about midnight. He walked over to the B&B, but I think the alarm system kept him from stepping foot on the property. He slept in the arbor out back until dawn. When he saw you leave the house with Hank, he crossed through the trees and made it here before you did.”

“You knew he was coming after me. You knew he was armed, but you didn’t stop him.”

“We didn’t have enough on him to make anything stick, so arresting him would only make him madder.”

Rick frowned. “So your plan was to hang around and watch until he killed me so you’d have evidence.”

“Something like that.” She pulled her hand from her pocket and let bullets roll from her fingers onto the desk. “I hated the thought of more damage to that great body of yours, so I took these out of his gun while he was asleep. He even made it easy for me by leaving the gun next to him while he snored away.”

“Nice of you to tell me. I almost had a heart attack.”

“I couldn’t tell you. You had to be convincing. I was ten feet away, listening the whole time. Alex and I talked it over. Sam was like the town mole. If he knew we were chasing him, he’d go underground and we’d never find him.”

Rick took a deep breath. “It’s over. It’s finally over.”

“Yeah, but don’t think things will go back to normal. People are already waiting for you downstairs. You’re going to be busy, Counselor.”

He nodded. “Tell Alex I’ll be over as soon as I can to talk to Sam. I’ll do what I can for him.”

“I’m going to go back to the B&B to tell Martha Q a man was willing to kill for her. That should make her day.”

Rick touched her shoulder, surprised at how cold she
was. The knowledge registered. If Sam had stayed out all night, so had she. “How about a real date tonight? I’ll take you out to eat and we can spend the night discussing the case while I warm you up.”

She shook her head. “It’s time I moved on. My leave is up. I’ve got enough paperwork to keep me busy for a few hours, but I’ll drop by afterward to say good-bye, Rick.”

He fought down his answer. She’d kept her word—she said she’d say good-bye before she left him—but she was leaving him. In truth, he didn’t know what they would talk about now that Sam was caught. He ached to hold her, to feel that long, lean body wrapped around him, but they needed time to get to know one another and the clock had run out. “I’ll meet you back at the house when you finish. I’ll help you pack.” He could think of nothing else to say.

“Fair enough. I’ll call when I leave the sheriff’s office.”

He watched her leave, knowing that she’d probably be in every sexy dream he would have until he was eighty. They’d never talked of love or caring. It seemed out of place to talk of it now.

I
T WAS A LITTLE AFTER TEN WHEN
E
MILY GOT THE CALL
from Alex telling her that Sam Perkins had been arrested. When she told her staff, everyone cried. Emily, because she felt sorry for Sam. The rest of the staff, because it all seemed so sad, and Pamela Sue, because they no longer had a janitor.

The mood in the library was so down that Emily considered taking her first sick day, but she didn’t want to go home alone. Tannon told her he had work at his office and then planned to make the drive back to visit his mother. She thought of calling him, but she knew he was busy.

A few minutes later, the library phone rang. Pamela Sue, as always, jumped for it.

Emily moved away from the desk, picking up books that had been left on the study tables.

“Emily,” Pam shouted. “It’s a woman from Parker Trucking. She says she wants to talk to the librarian.”

Rushing over, she took the phone. “Yes, this is Miss Tomlinson. How may I help you?”

“Miss Tomlinson, I’m sorry to bother you and I may get fired for this, but Mr. Parker is upstairs and isn’t answering his phone. He’s missed two meetings. We’re afraid something is very wrong. He took a call on his cell phone an hour ago and walked out of his office looking very upset.”

“I’ll be right there.” Emily dropped the phone, grabbed her keys and ran.

Five minutes later, she was standing in front of the secretary’s desk. Half the staff were close enough to listen. They all looked worried, reminding Emily of soldiers without a leader.

The pretty secretary began. “Mr. Parker never misses a meeting, and he always answers his cell phone. In fact, he’s been known to fire people who didn’t make him aware of a problem with the company as soon as possible.” She looked around at the others. “When he didn’t come down or answer his phone, we decided to call you.”

“Why?” Emily said.

“You’re the only person he’s ever let in,” she answered simply.

Emily wasn’t sure if she meant into his living area or into his life, but it didn’t matter. She agreed—something was wrong. “Thank you for your concern. I’ll be right back.” Without another word, she walked to the elevator and pushed the button. It didn’t respond. Tannon had turned it off like he did every time they’d gone upstairs together.

She tried the door to the stairs leading up to his apartment. It was locked. She turned to the crowd she knew would be watching. “Do any of you have the key to this door?”

“I know where one is.” A man stepped forward. “I saw Mr. Parker put one here in case there was ever a fire.” He reached above the fire extinguisher and handed it to Emily.

Without hesitation, she opened the door and climbed the stairs.

Her relief when she saw Tannon standing by the window of his living area hit her like a tidal wave. “Tannon,” she whispered.

He looked over and smiled. “Hi, honey.” No
What are you doing here?
No anger.

As she walked to him, she saw a deep sadness in his eyes. “Are you all right?”

“I am now.” He leaned down and kissed her tenderly as if he’d been waiting all day just for her kiss.

She hugged him and whispered as the kiss ended, “I love you so much.”

He kissed the top of her head. “I know. I love you double that.”

She smiled. “Want to tell me what the call was about that sent you up here hiding?”

He pulled her closer. “I’m not hiding. I’m thinking. The call was from my mom’s doctor. We thought she was doing better, but she’s fighting with the doctors again, saying she’s not going to cooperate.”

“Tannon, what can I do to help?”

He shrugged. “Nothing, just ride out her moods with everyone else. It’s a lot to deal with. I didn’t want to lay my problem at your door. I have to take care of her. It’s not fair to get you mixed up in the drama of my mother.”

Emily knew it was time to make up her mind. “Your problem is my problem, Tannon. Let me be there for you. Don’t push me away like you do everyone else.”

He smiled down at her. “I’ve been thinking about doing just that. After the call I thought about pushing you into a safe place and out of this mess of a life, but I can’t. I need you too much. Without you, I’m not whole. I never have been. I know it’s not fair, but I can’t walk away and leave my duty and I can’t live without you in my life.”

She smiled. “I feel the same. Life can’t always be perfect. In fact, maybe it never is, but we can make it through.” She pulled away. “I’ll call the library and take a few days off. You go pack.”

“You bossing me around again?”

“Either you pack or I’ll pack for you, and if I do, I’m packing the Hawaiian shirt for you.”

He smiled. “I’ll pack and I’m taking the shirt, but not
for me, for you. We won’t be getting two rooms this time. You’re sleeping over in my room.”

Ten minutes later, they rode down in the elevator. Tannon slipped his arm around her shoulder as the door opened. All the staff was standing as if at attention.

He frowned, then forced a smile. “I’m leaving for a few days,” he said. “I know you all can handle things. My wife and I will be back soon.”

“Your wife?” The man who’d found the key to the stairs seemed to be the only member able to speak.

Tannon nodded once. “She will be as soon as I get her to the courthouse.”

His staff was too shocked to react. Tannon pulled Emily out of the office and ran for his truck.

Once they were driving away, she said, “You bossing me around, Tannon?”

“Nope, just stating a fact. I can’t live without you. You can’t live without me. We might as well get married.”

She laughed. “The office would never believe what a romantic you are.” Her mind drifted to the night when he’d held her so tenderly. “Say one romantic thing to me, Tannon.”

He reached for her hand and kissed it. “You hold my heart, honey. You always have.”

She sighed and moved beneath his shoulder.

R
ICK WORKED MOST OF THE DAY, LETTING ALL THE TENSION
slowly leave his body. The horror was over, and somehow he’d come through stronger. He almost wanted to thank Sam Perkins.

When he finally made it home, he found a cheery Martha Q waiting to talk. She told him how upset she’d been that the trouble he’d suffered was because of her. She wanted to hear every detail of what had happened in his office. When he finished, she told him that she felt it was her duty to write Sam; after all, she’d obviously broken his heart and driven him mad.

“I’ve had that effect on men before but never to this point. The thought of him pointing a gun at you and even thinking about firing frightens me.”

“At his age, Sam might never get out of jail.” When Martha Q looked like she might cry, Rick added, “Your letters will mean a great deal to him, I’m sure.”

Martha Q wanted to know if they allowed conjugal visits for pen pals.

Rick faked a cough and almost killed himself falling over furniture as he ran from the room.

When he made it to the kitchen, Mrs. Biggs was waiting with a glass of water.

“Thanks,” he managed.

“I’m sure she forgot to tell you, Mr. Matheson, that Trace Adams left about an hour ago. She said to tell you she couldn’t wait any longer to say good-bye.”

Rick took her words like a blow. He knew the marshal was leaving, but he’d thought he’d see her one last time.

Mrs. Biggs seemed to understand. “She said she was stopping by my grandson’s place. Said she promised him a ride on her bike.” Mrs. Biggs giggled. “I called my Border and told him to take his time on the bike. I’m guessing your girl is still waiting for him to come back.”

“She’s not my girl,” Rick answered as he handed her the glass and headed out.

“You’ll need these.” Mrs. Biggs handed him the keys to the Land Rover. “I’d go out the back if I were you. I don’t think Martha Q will be finished telling her thoughts for another decade.”

Rick walked out the back door and drove to the old duplex near the town square. When he pulled up, he saw Trace sitting on the porch listening to Beau play his guitar.