Once Upon A Half-Time: A Secret Baby Romance (57 page)

Christ, why was she worrying about such bullshit?

“What happened? Why are you protecting yourself with a whisk?” I asked.

Josie pointed the rolling pin at me. “Whisks aren’t good weapons. I’d probably need a heavy spatula at least.”

“Sweets.”

“Or maybe a crème brûlée torch.”

“Josie.”

“Think I could get someone to stick their hand in a blender?”

“I’m serious. What’s got you spooked?”

Josie crossed her arms, hiding behind a white tank top and pink pajama bottoms, complete with embroidered cupcakes. Cute. Sweet. Just like her.

“Random people, banging on my door in the middle of the night?”

“It’s ten o’clock.”

“You remember Saint Christie, don’t you? Eight o’clock was for mischief. Nine o’clock is the witching hour. Bad news comes after dark.”

That wasn’t the reason she was scared. She knew it. I knew it.

That was why she changed the subject.

“What are you doing here?” she asked. My expression hadn’t shifted since Chelsea’s arrival, and I couldn’t soften my words. “Is everything okay?”

“No.” No sense lying. She’d find out soon enough. “I need you to tell me everything you remember about the night your shop burned down.”

That wasn’t a favorite topic, especially since she didn’t remember enough of it to piece together what’d happened. She refused, getting as tough as she could with me.

Wasn’t very tough.

But she never had to be with me.

“Maddox, no.” She shook her head. “You left here last night threatening to
murder
a man. I’m not telling you a damn thing that might endanger someone else or yourself. Even if it is Nolan’s life at risk.”

I couldn’t believe I was saying it. “Screw Nolan. Tell me what you remember.”

“Why?”

She deserved an answer, but I wasn’t giving it. Not yet. First, I had to know if I was right, and she was the only way I could prove my instincts wrong.

They had to be wrong.

Or we were both fucked.

“I pulled you from the shop,” I started for her. “I carried you outside. You’d fainted. I got burned. Who was the first person on the scene? Who else was there?”

“I don’t remember.”

“Are you sure?”

Josie bit her lip. “Everything is a blur. I just remember flashing lights. An ambulance. Waking up in the hospital.”

“The ambulance came later. After I got you out. Think, Sweets. Who was the first one on scene?”

Josie’s hands trembled. She blinked, struggling to talk through a painful memory. “Chief Craig was there. I think he was the one…”

“Yeah. He cuffed me, before the police or fire department arrived. What else?”

Her eyes widened. “I don’t remember, Maddox. Honestly.”

“Try. Who else was there? I wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important, Sweets.”

I encroached on her. Hated to do it, but I loved the results. Josie was weak for me, and I could push her. If I could force a memory and make her face the fire, we’d have our answers.

Her chest rose in fierce breaths. So did mine.

“Bob Ragen,” she said. “He…he was there. He called the police, I think.”

Son of a bitch. “He was in a property dispute with you, wasn’t he? What the hell was that drunk doing in his store and not in the bar so late at night?

Josie gave up. She headed for the arm of the couch and sat, staring at me with a furrowed brow and pouting lips.

“What are you getting at, Maddox?”

“Nolan wanted to buy the store. You refused him.”

“Yes.”

“And Chief Craig was the first man to respond on the scene, before the other police officers.”

“Yes?”

“Because Bob Ragen called 911 first.”

“You’re scaring me. Why are you…what are you thinking?”

I hated what I was about to say. I needed a drink and a good fuck, neither of which I’d find in Josie’s apartment, but that was fine. At least I was inside.

At least I could keep her safe.

“I think we have to be very careful, Sweets.”

“Why?”

“Because I’m not sure we’re right about Nolan.”

Josie frowned, her breath lost in a sharp exhale. “What are you talking about? Nolan burned down my shop.”

“Maybe.”

“
Maybe
?”

I took off my jacket, tossing it over her couch. She stood, but I pointed her to the bedroom. “I’ll sleep here tonight. You take the bed.”

“Maddox—”

“Don’t argue. You aren’t safe anymore. Neither am I.”

“Why?”

“Because someone in the town burned down your store with you inside, and they framed me for the crime.” The words embittered in my mouth. “And now I don’t know which son of a bitch is guilty.”

“
Y
ou think
Chief Craig
burned
down my store because he wanted to frame you for
arson
?”

It didn’t sound any less crazy in the morning, and even less likely after a full night’s sleep.

“I said I didn’t know.” Maddox brushed the towel over his head. He wore his jeans after his shower but nothing else. Droplets of water rolled over his thick muscles. “Something isn’t right, Josie. I’m not going to let you get caught in the middle.”

“If I was any more in the middle, I’d be squished.”

“Can’t have that.”

“You know it was Nolan.”

“Maybe.” He pitched the towel onto the floor. He never did remember to hang them up after he was done. “Maybe not.”

“You want to investigate the entire town?” I asked.

“If that’s what it takes to keep you safe.”

“Is it for my safety?” I took a breath. “Or is this about revenge?”

“Maybe it’s both.”

I bit my lip. Maddox’s chest raged with muscle, tattoos, and now…scars. Burn scars and flicks of cuts and scrapes that I didn’t remember. Injuries from prison.

Maddox acted like the world was out to get him. I hated that he was right. His family abused him. His gang used his strength for their crimes. The town feared him. And then…the prison sentence.

He should have been angrier. Harder. He should have hated me.

I couldn’t keep the secret forever. I only hoped that maybe he’d understand.

But even I wasn’t that naïve.

I avoided his gaze, but that meant staring at his ink. The raging stripes of color interspersed between the black, tribal curls over his biceps and abs. They were as amazing as they were frightening. I used to love tracing the markings. I loved the name tattooed over his heart more.

Josie
.

Just being near him distracted me. I’d longed for him in the shower and cut my ankle shaving. I’d burnt the toast—twice—because he sat once again at my breakfast table and waited for whatever I served. And now, I babbled like an idiot because his chest twitched when he crossed his arms. That hard-packed muscle was the only thing missing from my bed to make my temporary apartment feel like home.

But he hadn’t come to my bed last night, despite my every hope. It was a relief, but a lonely one. Sleeping with him wouldn’t solve our problems. But he wasn’t respecting my privacy. Had Maddox wanted me, he’d have taken me. He stayed away because he was keeping watch over me.

Like he expected something terrible to happen.

Well, I feared it too. The knocking at my door late at night came too soon after Nolan’s threats. I’d imagine him forcing his way inside. It wasn’t a good thought, but I felt safe with Maddox.

Always had.

“Okay,” I said. “I’ll go to the station and ask a
couple
questions, but you can’t expect me to believe that Chief Craig is some sort of arsonist. Why would he do such a thing?”

Maddox tugged a shirt over his head. I wished I hadn’t watched how his abs flexed.

Or how his scars shimmered.

“He has his reasons.” His voice dropped. “More than you would know.”

“So tell me.”

He ignored me. “Ready to go?”

“How am I supposed to tell the Chief of Police I suspect he was involved with the arson if I don’t know his motive?”

Maddox tossed me my coat. He held the door open. “I’m his motive.”

“This is Saint Christie, not New York City.”

“You’re right. It’s worse.”

“You’re keeping something from me.”

Maddox slammed the door closed. I stood my ground, waiting for his temper.

“You’re one to talk,” he said.

“What does the Chief have to do with me or you?”

“Who were you hiding from last night?” He shrugged. “And why?”

We both quieted. I twisted against the secret as he approached.

Maddox was a solid force of muscle and strength. He summoned every wicked and depraved fantasy I ever imagined, and we once acted on them.
All
of them. Even the ones that made me blush whenever I looked at the alligator clips closing a bag of chips.

Everything about him screamed dominance and fierceness, but also safety, protection, and desire.

He balanced that raw edge near me, for me, every day we had been together. We were so wrong for each other, but I still feared losing him, especially when so many secrets and lies separated us.

His arm looped around my back, and his hand gripped my hair. I swallowed as he lowered close to me, his words softer than his touch. I melted. Seized. Shattered.

“Are you in trouble, Sweets?” His whisper rumbled a quiet authority. I knew better than to disobey.

“Now I am.”

“You know you’re safe with me.”

“I can take care of myself.”

“I want to help. I’m doing this to protect you.”

I didn’t push him away, but I should have wiggled from his embrace before I dissolved into a sticky mess. His arms tightened, and I stared at his perfect lips, thin and pulled against a hard jaw and harder chin. He was close enough to kiss, just a brush or a nibble. His touch could deliver me from the insanity and back to the only part of my life that made sense.

Loving him.

“We have a lot of work to do,” I said, softly.

“Nothing is going to happen to you, Sweets.” His promise burned me, just as I knew it seared through him and the scars he earned saving my life. “I won’t let anything hurt you.”

“What if you hurt me?”

“Never.”

“Are you so sure?”

He didn’t give me warning. He captured my lips, stealing my kiss and seizing everything I offered. A timid mew. Trembling hands. His tongue hungered for mine, searching for what I kept hidden—a vow I hadn’t yet uttered.

His touch wasn’t just familiar, it was
right
. Better than the dash of hazelnut in my coffee or the caramel drizzle over a brownie. His single kiss forced him back into my life, my world. For a year, I struggled with an imaginary Maddox, someone I could summon and dismiss and control in my own fantasies at night when the loneliness took hold. But the real Maddox wasn’t tame or quiet, and that was why I needed to free myself from him.

It was too hard to push him away. I shuddered as the heat pulsed from my core. I was ready for him with only a kiss. Hell, who was I kidding? I
always
wanted him.

But I couldn’t risk his life just to pretend we’d have a perfect future.

I pulled from his arms. My lips hummed, swollen from his kiss. I used to feel that way all over when I was with him. Now I only felt hollow, and I hated it. Hated this.

“Let’s go.” I hid inside my coat and aimed for the door, without looking back, without getting caught in the intense, roiling fire of his eyes. “But you aren’t coming inside the station with me.”

“You aren’t doing this alone.”

“It’s Saint Christie, what could happen?”

He didn’t wait for me, shoving his hands in his pocket. “I’ve been asking myself that for a year. Just hope we don’t learn it the hard way. I’d rather not bleed today.”

Cheerful. I forgot how much of a morning person Maddox was.

I closed the door, but he didn’t let me walk away.

“Lock it.”

My stomach dropped. I hated that he was right. Even if no one else was dangerous in the town, I
knew
that Nolan was responsible for the fire. Who knew what he planned? The mayor and hopeful state representative already burned my business to the ground, lusted after me, and framed my ex-boyfriend for the crime. This wasn’t Granddad and Nana’s Saint Christie anymore.

Then again, most of Saint Christie would agree Maddox was the reason for the locked doors and security systems.

He walked at my side, but it only served as a deterrent for other residents. Mr. Wilkens and his morning jog detoured through the park, slippery with dew. He landed on his behind twice, but at least he didn’t have to face Maddox, even if Mr. Wilkens had yet to pay him the two hundred dollars owed for work he did before he went to jail.

Usually, I couldn’t make it into town without half of Saint Christie wishing me a good morning and begging for a cookie order. Now? No one looked up. It broke my heart. How was any man supposed to change his ways if no one would grant him the courtesy of a
hello
?

Cripes, even Mrs. Greentree took an ill-conceived detour with Millie, leading her beyond her usual territory and right into Benjamin Ducacas and Jean-Baptise.

And then the fur started to fly.

Millie growled, lunged, and yipped at the poodle, snipping at his prize-winning leg. Mrs. Greentree pulled on the leash, panicking as Benjamin tripped over Millie and lost a shoe to a mud-puddle.

Curses were exchanged.

Names were called.

Breeders insulted.

We stopped outside the police station to watch the ruckus. That’s when Mrs. Greentree informed all who watched the confrontation of Benjamin’s wife and her relapse with the bottle. Benjamin shouted back, insinuating the shih tzu was half an inch too short for the standard breed and that she added a disqualifying bow to the dog to trick the judges.

Suddenly, the dogs weren’t the only ones fighting.

“Holy shit.” Maddox snickered. “Someone call the national guard.”

The leashes tangled, and frail Mr. Yocum parked his truck in the middle of Main Street to help Benjamin untangle the poodle from Mrs. Greentree’s lead. A minute passed, and third grade teacher Miss Summers grabbed her pruning shears from her trunk to free Jean-Baptise before Millie made mince-meat from his leg.

Traffic stopped, and it was officially a disastrous day for the town of Saint Christie.

“I’ll be back.” I pointed Maddox to the bench outside the station. “Will you be okay out here?”

“I’m happy long as I’m not inside there.”

I wished that wasn’t the truth with him. He crossed his arms behind his head and watched as the dispatched volunteer firefighters rushed to the scene of the dogs. Mrs. Greentree nearly fainted. Benjamin threatened litigation.

Jean-Baptise howled.

“Kinda miss some of this shit sometimes,” Maddox said. “Feels good to be home.”

Yeah, now if we could just keep him here and not in jail, we’d be set.

I snuck inside the police station—the one place I should have visited long ago with my concerns. Nolan. His motive. The threats. The bruises on my wrist.

But I couldn’t share my suspicions about the damned Mayor, even if my case against Nolan was far stronger than Maddox’s bizarre accusations against Chief Craig.

The receptionist stayed on the phone, but she waved me through the offices. I knew the layout too well—hard to forget when I’d picked up Maddox so many times.

“Josie! Good morning!” Chief Craig welcomed me into his office. He nursed a coffee that wouldn’t do a damn thing to soften the rock he called a muffin on his desk. He laughed and shared my disgust. “I know. Darla made me take a healthy breakfast.”

“You might want to file for domestic abuse.”

He touched it. The top
flaked
off. That wasn’t right. He pitched it into the garbage, and no baked good should have
clanged
like that.

Chief Craig gestured for me to take a seat. “Anything I can help you with, sweetheart? Everything okay? Is it Maddox?”

Oh lord. I expected the question. I shook my head. “No…well, not really. I was just wondering if you had a minute. I had a couple questions about the, uh, fire.”

His eyebrows rose. “Sure, Josie. I have all the time in the world for you. I was only going to respond to the impromptu dog show on Main Street.”

“Millie is winning.”

“Ah, but Jean-Baptise has the heart of a champion.” He frowned. “So, what’s on your mind?”

I cautiously picked through my words. “I don’t remember much from that night.”

“You hit your head inside the shop and sucked down a lot of smoke, if I recall.”

“I think so.”

“You’re very lucky to be alive.”

“Maddox saved me.”

Chief Craig grunted. I took my shot.

“You were the first one on the scene, right?”

He nodded. “That’s right.”

“Did you write up the accident report? Could I get another copy?”

“Of course.” He turned to his computer, banging a few keys to bring up the official report. His receptionist had to unjam the paper in his printer, but he handed me the report within minutes. “Any questions you have in particular? The insurance giving you problems?”

“No, nothing like that.”

“Is it Maddox?”

I scanned the document and shook my head. The fire marshal said the fire started at approximately 10:15 PM, but Chief Craig was on scene at 10:23.

And I knew from the insurance investigation Bob Ragen didn’t call 911 until 10:28.

“I just…” Something didn’t sit right with me. Maddox’s paranoia didn’t belong in my head, but the chilled web of fear strung from one side of my mind to the other. “It happened so fast that night.”

“Went up like a tinderbox.” Chief Craig’s voice hardened. “It was intended to burn quick.”

“I’m just lucky you were there so quickly.”

“It’s my job, sweetheart.”

I bit my lip. “How
did
you get there so fast?”

Chief Craig leaned back in his chair, the leather squeaking. “What do you mean?”

“I didn’t think you’d be on duty so late at night. You’re usually out to tennis with Councilman Grossi by five on the dot.”

“Delta’s been snitching on us.”

“Nothing’s secret in this town.”

His smile faded. “Well, to be honest, I wasn’t dispatched.”

I didn’t react, but my stomach flipped like a pancake.

“I was in the neighborhood,” he said. “Doing a patrol. I thought something felt odd that night. You learn to trust your instincts in the line of duty.”

“And…what was your instinct?”

“That something bad was going to happen.”

He wasn’t wrong. Or was he? Would something bad have happened if he
weren’t
there?

Chief Craig sipped his coffee. He smacked his lips with a frown. “This town was relieved when you ditched Maddox. He left, but I knew he’d come back—a man like that wants what’s his, and most of the time it’s ill-intentioned. That boy was looking for revenge.”