How to Land Her Lawman (12 page)

“That it does.”

“How you doin', Sheriff?”

Will shrugged. “Can't complain.”

“How's that nephew of yours?”

“He's a great kid.” Thanks to everyone but him, Will thought, because he'd been career focused. “Kim's done an amazing job with him. And she couldn't have done it without Dad.”

Hank nodded. “I wouldn't have chosen this path for her, but I couldn't be prouder of the way she handled a difficult situation. And she gave me my grandson.”

“Now she's getting married. The years sure have gone by fast.” Brew shook his head in amazement. “How's the weddin' stuff coming along?”

“Good,” Will answered. “I guess.”

Hank laughed. “If you spent more time at the house instead of escaping to April's every night, you'd know for sure that all is well. And you're her man of honor.” Before Brewster could ask, he added, “That's like a maid of honor except a man is doing the honor stuff.”

Brewster rubbed a hand across the full beard on his chin. “I'm not sure what to say about that except that you'll look fetching in the dress.”

“Very funny.” Will was glad he'd picked that to comment on and not his relationship with April. He didn't want to put a finer point on what was going on with them.

“I'm a regular comedian.” Brew grinned. “So you're spendin' a lot of time with our favorite photographer?”

So much for dodging the subject. “We're friends.”

“Hmm.” The older man looked at his dad. “You buying that?”

“I stay out of things unless invited in,” Hank said.

“Fair enough.” The other man looked from one to the other. “What can I do for you fellas today?”

“Going fishing,” Hank said. “We need to rent equipment and a rowboat.”

“How come you don't have your own?” Brewster asked.

“Never had time. Now I'm recuperating.” He looked at Will. “We need two rods, tackle, lures and the whole nine yards. And that rowboat. I'll handle the oars. It's part of my cardiac rehab.”

“Good,” Will said.

“Okay, then.”

Brewster gathered a couple of fishing rods and a tackle box with everything they'd need, then wrote up a receipt and took Will's credit card for all charges. They carried everything to the slip on the dock where the boat was tied up and his dad rowed them out of the marina and to a place not far away that most tourists didn't know about. Cutter's Cove was a locals' secret and shared only with a trusted few out-of-towners. Hank stopped and stowed the oars, then each of them took a rod and got it ready. In a few minutes they'd dropped their lines, then sat in companionable silence.

Will adjusted the baseball cap he wore and looked up at the blue sky. Not a single cloud to break up the expanse—only the mountain peaks did that. The surface of the water was like blue glass while birds chirped and called overhead and from trees on the shore. He let out a breath and with it went a whole lot of accumulated tension.

“This was a great idea, Dad.”

“Thought you could use it, son.” Hank reeled in his line, then cast it out again in an easy, experienced single movement of his wrist.

“Yeah. I've missed this.”

“How's the job going?”

“Good, I'd say. Why?” He looked at his dad. “Are people complaining about me and begging you to come back?”

“No.” He laughed. “It's just you haven't said much. I'm feeling a little guilty for pulling you away from big city detective work. Do you miss it?”

Did he? Will hadn't really thought about it. His time and energy had gone into taking care of Blackwater Lake and...

April.

“It's not a good sign when that much time goes by without an answer.”

Will looked at his father, who was also wearing a baseball hat and aviator sunglasses. Even with all his detective experience he couldn't tell what this man was thinking. And he didn't know how he felt, but his dad hadn't asked him to compare and contrast his job in Chicago with the one here in Blackwater Lake. So he'd decided to focus on how the current assignment was going instead of whether or not he missed his job in Chicago.

“I helped two teenagers see the error of their ways,” he started. “Caught them in the act of egging a car and they pretty much admitted spray painting barns because they were bored.”

“Yeah. Heard that before.”

“I bet you have.” Will grinned. “The cool thing is that I got their confession while making them clean up their mess.”

“Very badass of you, son.”

“I'm glad you approve.” Will chuckled, then his amusement disappeared as he thought about what might have happened in CPD jurisdiction. His dad hadn't asked him to compare and contrast, but he did automatically. “I didn't have to arrest those kids and start a paper trail that could follow them for a long time. There were no loopholes in the law or plea deals with a prosecutor that put dangerous people back on the street who should stay locked up.”

“We're not talking Blackwater Lake now, are we?”

Will sighed, but all he said was, “Justice and punishment aren't so swift and tidy in Chicago. Here I made a difference on a basic level. I made a positive difference in two lives and didn't have to jail a couple of juveniles and put them in the system. That carries a lot of satisfaction for me. I called their parents and something tells me that will be enough.”

Hank nodded thoughtfully. “If they reoffend, you won't know. You'll be back in Chicago.”

He waited to feel the thrill of excitement at the thought of going back, but it never came. Without much enthusiasm he said, “Yeah.”

Hank set his fishing rod in the bottom of the rowboat and braced it against the side, then reached into their rented cooler filled with ice and pulled out two cold bottles of water. He handed one to Will.

“Is it possible that you're experiencing job burnout?”

“I don't know.”

Will liked being a detective. Putting forensic evidence together with witness statements and interviews to come to a conclusion and take a bad guy off the street. It was a satisfying career. At least it had been. But since coming back home, he'd seen that there were holes in his life, gaps that he'd been successfully able to ignore for a long time.

An image came to mind of the pleasure on April's face when he was buried deep inside her. Her beautiful dark hair spread over the rose-print pillow case. Their naked bodies pressed together, becoming one. It was going to be hard to walk away from her. And he'd seen for himself how people cared about their
favorite photographer
. In the end, she would dump him and avoid the town pity party. But in Chicago, no one would give a damn that he'd been publicly put in his place. He opened the bottle and took a long, cold drink.

“The thing is, son, that heart problem I had made me realize a lot of things.”

“I bet,” Will said. “Anything specific?”

“Yeah. How much I love my family and that I'd like to be around for a while. I'm willing to go along with the good Lord's plan when He's ready to take me, but I can't think of any reason to make it easy on Him, or go sooner than necessary.”

“You're taking care of yourself now,” Will said. “Eating right and exercising.”

“There's something else.” Hank rested his elbows on his knees and dangled the water bottle between them. “I'm giving a lot of thought to retiring.”

“Makes sense.” But Will remembered his dad talking about this and knew where he was going.

“I think so. The thing is, though, I want to leave the town in good hands. Your hands, son.”

“You can find someone better than me,” he said.

Here's where the compare-and-contrast thing went the other way. In Chicago the system was so big that the general population had no clue what went on unless it was breaking news. You put your nose to the grindstone and worked hard. In Blackwater Lake it was personal. If he let people down, they were friends and neighbors.

“I don't think there is anyone better,” Hank said. “Folks know and trust you because you were born and raised here.”

“That doesn't automatically qualify me to be the best person for the job. What about Eddie?”

His father snorted. “He's smart and eager, but young and green. He could grow into the job but not soon enough. And I believe you have more experience and training.”

“Even if I wanted to do it, don't folks get a vote?”

“There would be a special election, but half the people in town won't even know it isn't me on the ballot.”

“Yeah,” Will said wryly, “because we look so much alike.”

“Actually, I'm better looking,” his father teased.

This was a lot to think about. That day he'd gone to Mercy Medical Clinic with his father for the checkup, his dad had hinted that this was coming. Now that he'd voiced it to the universe, Will couldn't ignore the subject any longer.

“I don't know about this, Dad.” He waited for the same arm-twisting guilt trip his sister had put on him when his father ended up in the hospital before the surgery.

“Just one more thing, son.” His father took off his sunglasses and there was a look in his eyes impossible to ignore. “I know you always wanted a career in law enforcement since you were a little guy. As you grew up it became clear that you didn't want to do that in my shadow, so Chicago was where you set your sights. And you've done that. I'm real proud of you, Will. Always have been and always will be.”

That meant a lot to him. Will made every decision by asking himself whether or not it would make his dad proud or disappointed in him.

“Thanks, Dad.”

“Just think about the sheriff's job, Will. Maybe it's something you didn't even realize you want.”

Will waited for more, hoping to have something to get defensive about. He should have known better because that had never been his dad's style.

Damn it.

Chapter Twelve

A
pril thought Kim was surprisingly calm considering this was her wedding day. She'd gotten dressed at the Blackwater Lake Lodge where the ceremony and reception would take place soon. This suite was where she would spend her first night with her new husband. Her family was all here: the man of honor, her dad and son.

It was April's job to take candid photos, so that's what she was doing. Trying to be like a fly on the wall and not attract notice. She was constantly adjusting the lens and depth of field to bring one or another of the Fletchers into sharp relief while blurring the background of the shot. The four of them were laughing, teasing, joking.
Family
.

Something April had longed for all her life. But no matter how much she wished it could be different, she was on the outside looking in. And that sounded pathetic. She didn't mean it to be. Her best friend was happy and April couldn't be more pleased.

She took some random shots of the suite's living room with its sofa, love seat, and mahogany coffee and end tables. There was a wet bar and small kitchenette with microwave. A doorway led to the bedroom, which she knew looked like a tornado had hit it. There were pictures as proof. It was important to her that Kim have photographic evidence of every part of this day, even the untidy parts because that's what made the memory real.

When her view was suddenly blocked, she lowered the camera. Will was standing in front of her looking so handsome in his traditional black tuxedo.
Be still my heart
, she thought, then adjusted her own attitude the way she would a lens on her camera. It was important he not know how profoundly he affected her.

“You need a break,” he said. “Stand down for a few minutes. It's going to be a long night.”

“But I might miss the perfect shot,” she protested.

“If you do, no one will ever know. Put down the camera.”

“Or what, Sheriff?”

“I'll have to take you in.” His voice was slightly north of normal, tipping into seductive territory.

“That could be interesting.” But she set down her camera on the coffee table.

Behind them came the sound of metal on glass. Kim was signaling for attention. Her blonde hair hung to her shoulders in layers that framed her pretty face. A crystal-encrusted comb secured the veil that hung to the middle of her back. She looked like a princess in her full-skirted white gown with the lace bodice, sweetheart neckline and cap sleeves.

“I'd like to make a toast if someone will open the champagne.”

“I can handle that.” Hank twisted off the metal wire on the mouth of the bottle, then used his thumbs to pop the cork. After pouring some into five flutes, he handed them out, including one for April. He looked at his grandson. “Just a sip for you.”

“I know, Granddad.” But the teenager looked eager.

As Kim held up her glass, the emotion in her eyes bordered on tearful. “In this room is everyone I love.”

“What about Luke?” Will asked.

“Everyone except Luke, smart aleck. I wouldn't be here without you guys.” She looked at each of them. “Here's to all of you. Especially to Will for carrying a bouquet when he walks down the aisle in front of me.”

“To Will,” they all said.

“They” included everyone
but
Will. “I'm not drinking to the bouquet part of that toast, only to the love and walking down the aisle in front of you part. And, in my opinion, that's going above and beyond the call of brotherly duty.”

“It wouldn't hurt you to get in touch with your feminine side,” Kim teased.

“Are you sure about that?” Will asked. “It could be psychologically damaging to me. Therapy's looking pretty attractive right now.”

“Oh, man up, Will.” Kim grinned at him.

“That's the problem,” he said, clearly enjoying the pushback. “It's bad enough that you talked me into filling a traditionally female role in your wedding, which, by the way, goes against all the rules of manhood. Then you spring this bouquet thing on me in a family toast. That's very underhanded, by the way. I draw the line at carrying flowers. It's just not manly.”

“Really, Will—” Kim tsked.

“Dad, help me out here.” He looked from his father to his nephew. “Tim?”

“You're on your own, dude.” The teen shrugged. “She's my mom. I'm not stupid.”

“Okay. I understand.” Will nodded. “I get the parent/child bond. So, Dad, feel free to jump in here anytime and back me up on this.”

“Well, son—” There was a twinkle in his father's eyes. “The things we don't want to do are usually the ones that build character.”

“Since when is a wedding a teachable moment?” Will looked at his family. “It's a conspiracy. I'm ashamed of you guys.” He met April's gaze. “I know my sister is your best friend, but you're sensible. Probably the only one in this room besides me who is. You don't think I should carry flowers down the aisle, do you?”

Four pairs of eyes belonging to the people she cared most about in the world were watching her. She knew this whole silly conversation was a tension reliever for the bride, who in five minutes would descend the lodge staircase and take her vows. The Fletcher family didn't take it lightly. Will had told her as much when confessing his own feelings of failure about his marriage. Kim intended to only do this once, hence the tension.

So, April responded in the spirit of fun. “Come on, Will. You face armed criminals without batting an eye. It's flowers, not pantyhose, high heels and a tiara.”

All of them stared at her for a moment, then cracked up. Will laughed the hardest.

Kim waved her hand in front of her eyes. “Laughing till you cry is still crying. I'm going to ruin my makeup.”

Just then there was a knock on the door and Hank opened it. Hadley Michaels, Blackwater Lake Lodge's manager and events coordinator, stood there. She had auburn hair and turquoise eyes. In her navy jacket, skirt and matching low-heeled pumps she exuded an air of prim and proper that was far more mature than she should be at twenty-six. “Five minutes, everyone. We need to get you all in the staging area. There's a schedule to maintain.”

April grabbed her camera and followed the others out the door of the suite, snapping pictures of their backs as they walked down the hall to the elevator.

Will took his sister's hand and tucked it into the bend of his elbow. “I'm drawing a line in the sand. No bouquet carrying.”

She touched the white rosebud boutonniere on his jacket. “Okay, but you could pull it off no problem. Next to Luke, you're the manliest man I know.”

The tender brother/sister moment brought tears to April's eyes. Fortunately the lens didn't have emotions to cloud the issue and clearly captured the moment for posterity.

They rode down to the second floor and April got out first, then backed up to take pictures. She got one of them lined up at the top of the stairs with Will waiting to lead everyone down.

She looked at him. “Okay, give me a couple of minutes to get in position.”

Will winked at her. “Roger that.”

Something about the way he looked, the man himself, slammed her heart and her first thought was,
This can't be
. Anything more than friendship was against the rules. But when she hurried downstairs, the area around the fireplace was filled with friends who were there to wish Kim and Luke every happiness in their married life. Weddings were a seething cauldron of emotion and that's why she'd suddenly been overwhelmed with feeling something deeper for Will. It would pass.

She focused on the minister and Luke, who were waiting in front of about thirty people sitting in folding chairs set out for the event. To the left was a trio of female musicians, one on violin, another playing the flute and a harpist. There were flowers everywhere—roses, lilies, baby's breath. It smelled like a garden and her only regret was that her camera couldn't capture the wonderful, sweet scent.

April did a quick pan around the room to capture the spectators, knowing Kim wouldn't be able to take it in now. Then the trio started the wedding march and the bride began her stairway descent with her brother in the lead and flanked by her father and son. She adjusted her lens and settings to get close-ups of their expressions, then pulled back to take in the flower garland and white bows decorating the banister.

April moved quickly to get a signature shot. Everyone was looking at the bride and she wanted to capture the expression on her groom's face when he got his first glimpse of the woman who would be his wife. Money shot, she thought, snapping the exact moment Luke looked dazzled, happy and head over heels in love. Then she zoomed in on Kim's face filled with absolute joy at the sight of the man she was about to marry.

Will was first down the aisle between the chairs and took his place beside Reverend Owen Thurmond from the nondenominational church in Blackwater Lake. The pastor was in his midforties and had kids who went to the local high school where the bride and groom worked.

Then Hank and Tim escorted Kim down the aisle, stopping right where they were supposed to.

The pastor asked, “Who gives this woman to be married to this man?”

Hank smiled lovingly down at his daughter, then kissed her cheek. He nodded at his grandson before meeting the minister's gaze. “Her son and I do.”

Luke moved closer, held out his hand and her father tucked his daughter's fingers into it, into the safekeeping of her husband-to-be. They walked the several steps and stood facing the minister.

“We are gathered together in the sight of God to join this man and this woman in marriage. I think I speak for the whole town of Blackwater Lake when I say that in terms of finding a soul mate right under your nose, it took you two long enough.”

“We needed a little push,” Kim said, blowing a kiss to her son, who now stood beside the minister in the best-man spot.

“I don't have to tell you both that marriage is an institution of respect because the fact that you waited so long for the right person speaks to your high regard.”

April happened to have her lens on Will and pressed the shutter. For just a moment there was a look in his eyes that she now knew was about his regret at the failure of his own marriage.

“Still,” the minister continued, “relationships are like a garden—pleasing at first bloom but eventually needing attention to maintain its lush beauty. In other words it needs work.” He looked at each of them. “I understand you've written your own vows?”

“We have,” Luke said.

Kim held out her bouquet to Will and shrugged. “I swear holding this is in the job description.”

“Okay.” He gave her a grin.

April took multiple shots of that, wishing some of the criminals he'd put away could see the badass detective in touch with his feminine side.

Kim had unfolded a sheet of paper and started to read. “Please indulge me in my cheat sheet but I was afraid nerves would make me draw a blank. I'm only doing this once and wanted the vows to be as perfect as I could get them.” She turned and smiled at her groom. “On top of that pressure, there's also the fact that I teach English and I struggled to make my vows as eloquent as I urge my students to be. I wanted to do justice to what I feel in my heart. As much as I respect language, there are no words to tell you how much I love you. But I promise to show you every day how deeply I care. I will support you and take care of you the best way I know how. And I will go to every football game, and cheer for you and the team more enthusiastically than anyone else.”

Luke laughed but his eyes were suspiciously bright, which would be a fantastic picture. “I'm a football coach, which makes me competitive, so I memorized my vows. Not the best game play because, Kim, you're so beautiful that I'm at a loss for words. I've completely forgotten what I planned to say.” There was a chorus of laughter and
aww
s from the guests. “But here's the substance of it. I'm the luckiest man in the world. I promise to be the best husband possible and a father to your son. I love him as if he were my own. And I love you. I will cherish you as long as I live. And yeah, I'm going to put a spin on the traditional vows because I promise to obey.”

“Brave words, Luke.” The minister chuckled along with the guests looking on. “May the spirit of your words as you promise to love each other sustain you throughout your life together. Do you have the rings?”

“I do.” Will smiled, then said, “Yes.”

Owen took them and gave the smaller one to Luke. “Do you take Kim to be your wife?”

“I do.” He slipped the simple band on her left ring finger.

“Kim, do you take Luke to be your husband?”

“I do.” Her hands trembled as she slid the band on Luke's finger. Then he took her hands in his to steady them.

“It's official.” Owen looked at everyone gathered to witness the ceremony. “I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Luke Miller. Luke, you may kiss your bride.”

When he did, the spectators stood and applauded. April captured everything she could, but found she kept straying back to Will. She reminded herself to be professional. Newlyweds first, family second. But her eye kept searching out Will.

Because he would be gone soon and she wouldn't be able to search him out at all.

* * *

“This dress cost me blood, sweat and tears, not to mention sleep,” Kim said to her new husband. “I'm not taking it off.”

“No, that would be my job now.” Luke smiled, a suggestive look in his eyes.

April was standing right there at the edge of the dance floor where they'd had their first dance as husband and wife. He'd made a comment about the impressive circumference of her gown and the challenges of navigating it gracefully. She continued to snap pictures and got the laughter, love and intimacy after this brief back-and-forth. Now the new Mr. and Mrs. were working the room, which was beautifully decorated with white linens on the tables, flowers and flameless candles everywhere. In the corner, a table for wedding gifts was full and people had put presents on the floor surrounding it.