The Lawman's Surprise
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Catherine Mann
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14
Chapter One
Charlotte Pace wasn’t a morning person.
And pregnancy had made her double down on those feelings.
If only she could just lie under the covers and nurse the saltine crackers for another half hour until it was time for work. But the insistent knocking on her cabin door couldn’t be ignored.
She swung her feet to the floor and gripped the edge of the mattress, willing her crackers and flat ginger ale to stay down. Fingers curled into the plush mattress topper and the flower-patterned quilt. Her doctor assured her the nausea would likely ease in her second trimester, but right now she didn’t feel on the upswing to better. A deep breath later, Charlotte stood, thankful she didn’t have to search for a robe since she’d fallen asleep in an overlong T-shirt and a pair of running shorts—drawstring loosened to accommodate her three-month baby belly.
Another round of knocking echoed through the two-bedroom cabin.
Too bad her teenage brother who lived with her couldn’t be bothered to roll out of bed up in his loft room. His surly attitude grew worse by the day since he’d started living with her. She’d known becoming his guardian four months ago when their mother entered a psychiatric facility would be difficult. Her brother—Rory—had always been a handful. But she’d had no idea how out of control he’d become. She wanted to sit down with him, talk things out... But at the moment, that went on the list of things she just didn’t have the time or energy for.
Fishing under the iron bed, she found her favorite gardening Crocs, the once-bright daisy pattern dulled long ago. Still, she associated them so strongly with gardens that she smiled just at the sight of them. Her soul sang when she had her hands buried in the earth. She’d majored in horticulture in college. Now, she was head landscaper at the Top Dog Dude Ranch, the Smoky Mountain Tennessee soil giving her the perfect canvas to create.
She’d left her previous—better-paying—job for the position at the Top Dog Dude Ranch to help her mom. The job came with a flexible schedule, a cabin and access to the ranch’s meal plan—a bonus since even last year her mom was already struggling. That flexibility sure would be stretched to the max after the baby arrived.
Worry dumped acid on her already churning stomach.
Crocs in hand, Charlotte stood while her fluffy pup uncurled all twelve pounds of herself from the floral quilt. Covered in long white-and-black fur, Primrose was some kind of Maltese mix with expressive brown eyes.
“Rosie girl, do you think you could run over to Rory’s room and scratch on his door until he wakes up?” Charlotte stuffed her feet in her shoes. “We shouldn’t be the only ones up so early.”
The dog tipped her head to the side, showcasing a thatch of fur tied with a pink ribbon. Primrose jumped from the mattress, to the bench at the foot of the bed, then to the floor, tail wagging in a fan of fur as she waited by Charlotte’s feet.
Kneeling, she straightened Primrose’s bow. “I know, girl, I love you, too.” Standing, she left her bedroom and wove around the sofa, calling out, “Hold on. I’m coming.”
And Primrose kept on trotting alongside her. Not surprising. She was the epitome of a Velcro dog. Thank goodness she could come to work with Charlotte or the pup would grow so anxious she would chew holes in couch cushions and pull the stuffing out.
Tiny dog nails clicked along the planked floor. Charlotte hadn’t been able to resist painting the nails pink.
Like a little girl.
A lump lodged in her throat as she wondered about her own baby. Taking in a dog two months ago probably hadn’t been the wisest move, given she’d just found out about the pregnancy. But when she’d gone to visit her mom, she’d discovered that her mother had a new roommate at the psychiatric center who had been despondent over losing her pet. Worse yet, her kids had dropped off the senior dog at the shelter.
Even knowing her life was already too busy, Charlotte had made a detour on her way home. Just to look at the pup. Simply to reassure the women that her dog was fine. Hoping the pet had already been scooped up by some wonderful family. Only to learn that at nine years old, little Primrose didn’t stand much of a chance of finding a new forever home.
The second she’d seen Primrose sitting all soggy in her water bowl, Charlotte had been hooked. Even the name Primrose seemed like kismet for a horticulturist like her. Sure, she didn’t need a dog. She was overwhelmed with her job, the pregnancy, caring for her brother and her mom.
But she wanted Primrose. Her heart was still broken from her failed relationship with her baby’s father. Seeing Primrose made her smile for the first time since Sheriff Declan Winslow had walked out of her life a month prior, their breakup irreparable. She’d hoped having him called up for National Guard duty would give her heart the time and distance to heal.
She’d been wrong.
“Primrose, stay,” she told the dog, unlocking the dead bolt and swinging the door wide.
Only to have her breath catch in her throat.
Her brother hadn’t answered the door because he hadn’t been in his bedroom. Rory was standing on the porch, shuffling his feet behind Moonlight Ridge’s very own Sheriff Declan Winslow. Her baby daddy. Back in town, not that he’d bothered to tell her. Looking too tall, lean and handsome in his tan uniform, with his wide-brimmed hat held against his broad chest. His hair was trimmed even shorter, no doubt from his Guard time.
Her mind echoed with strains of their final fight. While she knew he was an honorable man, she’d gotten frustrated with the way he always held back a part of himself. Then he’d told her he wasn’t the white-picket-fence, family-man type.
Words that still squeezed her heart.
And with her waistline expanding, she was fast running out of time to tell him that family man or not, he was going to become a father.
Declan Winslow had struggled to find a way to let Charlotte know he’d returned from National Guard duty. In all the half-baked plans he’d made, he sure hadn’t expected it to look like this. Standing on her porch bringing her delinquent brother home.
A phone call would have been better, yet he’d procrastinated. Now, here he stood, struggling to maintain objectivity in the face of her rumpled appeal. Her blond hair was tousled, a long T-shirt grazing her curves.
Deep blue eyes studying him with wary suspicion.
He deserved that. He wasn’t proud of the way he’d broken off their relationship, but he didn’t regret it. He wasn’t the man for her. Not by a long shot.
A little furball of a dog shot through the door. A stray? People dumped their animals at the ranch far too often. The Maltese mix ran circles around Charlotte’s ankles, leaping back and forth over her Crocs, drawing Charlotte’s attention away. Snapping the thread of tension. Declan drew in his first full breath since he’d laid eyes on her.
The scent of mountain air, of a spring morning, filled his lungs. Small-town Moonlight Ridge, Tennessee, was his home and he loved it. Although being sheriff now that the Top Dog Dude Ranch was expanding brought a host of complications to his job with so many tourists. At least the ranch honored the landscape and the values of the area.
Charlotte knelt to scoop up the dog, cuddling it close to her chest before meeting his gaze again. “What’s wrong?” She angled toward her brother. “Rory? Is everyone okay?”
Declan gestured to the ranch guests beginning to trickle from their cabins to greet the day. “Do you mind if we step inside? We’re, uh, garnering quite a bit of attention out here.”
“Of course,” she said nervously. “Thanks for noticing. The last thing I want is gossip in my workplace.”
Nodding, he gestured to her brother, who carried his teenage attitude like an imaginary overstuffed book bag slouching his posture and slowing his steps. “After you, kiddo.”
Rory shot him a scowl before his gaze slid away and he shouldered past. “I’m not a kid.”
The teen was no doubt using defiance to cover up the fact that he was nervous. And he should be. Declan wanted to clap him on the back and reassure him, but he also knew it was time for this teen to meet tough love. He’d gone too far this time, way beyond just sneaking out in the middle of the night.
Declan followed the boy over the threshold and inside. The cabin looked much like others at the ranch, with log walls and a rustic decor. But the space carried the imprint of Charlotte as well, in the arrangements of dried flowers filling the air with hints of lavender and evergreen.
His eyes drifted to the white sofa with her pink floral throw blanket, a phantom image of the two of them sharing stories late into the night drifting into his mind.
A defeated sigh brought him back to the present.
Charlotte cradled the dog closer, fidgeting with the bow on the canine’s head. “So clearly Rory snuck out again.”
Again? “It was more than just slipping out.” He steeled himself for what he would have to say next, hating that it would hurt her. “Rory was caught breaking into the Top Dog gift shop.”
Her knees folded and Charlotte dropped to the sofa, floral throw pillows spilling away. “Rory, what were you thinking?”
The teen shrugged, staring at his untied high tops, laces covered in mud and speckles of paint. His lanky body radiated surliness. But Declan knew from experience that was likely a blanket to cover a more vulnerable emotion.
Charlotte’s hands shook as she stroked the dog repeatedly, as if for comfort. “Oh, Rory. You’ve pulled pranks before. But breaking and entering? Potentially theft? This takes things to a whole other level. One that can ruin your future.”
“It’s no big deal,” her brother said belligerently. “Everybody does stuff like that. It’s just kid stuff.”
Charlotte’s mouth dropped open and she blinked fast, her eyes stunned, before she set her jaw in a firm line. “I thought you weren’t a kid.”
Growling, Rory pivoted away and stomped up the steps to his loft bedroom, slamming the door.
“Rory,” she called out, standing. “Come back down here.”
But the door stayed closed. The music started. Loudly. Dried flowers vibrated ever so slightly.
Sighing, Charlotte swayed, then reached behind to brace herself as she sat again. Worry creased her already weary face.
Declan understood her worry—and he shared it. Rory was a kid in crisis, teetering on the edge of no return. He needed an intervention.
Sooner rather than later.
Declan hooked his hat on an antler coat tree on the wall. “I would let him cool off for now. It’ll give us a chance to talk.”
“Um, thank you. For bringing him home.” She stayed seated, holding the pup close like a comforting pillow against her stomach. “And I’m sorry you had to deal with him.”
Declan sat in a fat leather chair across from her. Sitting beside her would be too risky. Too tempting to reach out and comfort her. He needed to embrace professional distance. “Rory didn’t take anything.” This time. “He and his friends—Truitt and Kai—were painting graffiti on a wall. The alarm went off in the shop, which alerted the police department. I was at the station, so I took the call. Rory and I both tried to call you, but it went straight to voice mail.”
Declan hadn’t dated Charlotte long, only a few months, but long enough to be a part of Rory’s life. To get to know him, to see firsthand how he was struggling with the move, sneaking out at night and hanging with the wrong crowd. And Declan hated the feeling of failure right now, telling him that he should have seen this coming. Should have been able to prevent it. That he’d let the teen down by not staying in touch after the breakup.
She chewed her bottom lip. “I was worn out and had the ringer off. Lucky thing you were back in town,” she said, with a tinge of accusation in her voice. “I realize this could have been worse.”
Maybe he should have called to tell her that he was back, but it wasn’t like they were a couple anymore. They hadn’t spoken since he left town.
Until this morning, he hadn’t thought about how that would have affected Rory too, feeling let down by another adult that waltzed out. “I know he’s a good kid at heart, but I can’t help him much longer if he doesn’t find his way to a serious course correction soon.”
“Understood.” She pressed a hand to her forehead, her face turning even paler. “I’m not making excuses. I get that I need to do better.”
“Rory needs to do better.” He leaned forward, elbows on his knees. He hated that she was taking the burden of this all on herself. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”
An awkward silence settled between them, here in this room where they’d spent evenings with her cuddled against him on the sofa, a fire in the fireplace, a bowl of popcorn—extra butter and a sprinkle of cayenne pepper—in her lap while they watched a movie.
She fidgeted with the dog’s paw, her thumb stroking the pink polished nail. “I didn’t know you’d gotten back.”
“I returned about a week ago.”
Surprise flickered across her face. And something else. Disappointment? Once again, he kicked himself for not figuring out a way to let her know he’d returned. Not that he expected to pick up where they’d left off. She’d asked for a break, a breather, and instead, he’d ended things completely.
He cleared his throat and pointed to the furry scrap. “New stray at the ranch?”
“No, I adopted her from the shelter. Her name’s Primrose.” Charlotte smoothed her fingers over the graying fur on the dog’s muzzle. “She’s nine. I was worried no one would take her.”
Signature Charlotte move. A big heart for the strays in life, like him.
He was treading into dangerous territory here. Back to business. Declan sat straighter in his seat. “So, returning to the problem at hand with Rory.”
“What happens now? Is there going to be a court date?” Her voice went higher, her fidgety hands landing on a pack of crackers on the end table, gripping, twitching. “Do I need to get a lawyer?”
“No lawyer needed. Rory got off lucky.” He didn’t know many people who would be as forgiving as the Top Dog owners had been. That small-town community spirit—looking out for a neighbor, giving people second chances—was a large part of what drew Declan to leave the big city and take the job here, even if it paid less. Some things in life went beyond any price tag. “Hollie and Jacob said they don’t want to press charges. They asked me to reassure you they don’t blame you and this will have no bearing on your job.”
“Seriously?” Her blue eyes went wide, long lashes sweeping upward. “That simple?”
“Yes. And no.” He waggled his hand. “Jacob wants Rory to do volunteer hours to show he’s sorry.”
“That’s all? No time behind bars? No court-appointed community service?”
“More of an informal community service. Each kid has been assigned a different task—we figured less time together might be warranted. Truitt will be picking up trash and Kai will be painting over the damage in the shop. Rory will muck out stalls in the stables.”
Her mouth twitched. “He would probably rather go to juvie.”
A chill settled inside him. “Not if he ever toured the place. Trust me, this is a cake walk comparatively.”
She reached out. “I didn’t mean—”
“It’s okay. I understand what you meant. You’ve been woken up fast to a difficult situation with no morning cup of coffee.” He knew how she woke up slowly, needing two cups of java on her front porch to greet the day. There was still so much he remembered about her—and now that they were face-to-face, he realized he was doing a lousy job of making himself forget. Telling himself that he was getting over her had been a lot easier with distance between them.
“It was an...unexpected way to greet the day. I wouldn’t have minded an extra half hour, that’s for sure.”
It struck him again how tired she looked, pale, holding on to her dog for dear life. Concern tugged at him. He wanted to ask how her mother was doing. If Charlotte was taking time for herself.
But that wasn’t his business anymore. He pushed to his feet. “I haven’t told Rory about the arrangement. I figured he needed to sweat for a while. I’ll be in touch later today to make sure everything’s all set with the O’Briens.”
“Thank you again. I don’t even want to think of how bad this could have been if you hadn’t been the one to catch the call and smooth things over.” She stood, swaying for a moment, before continuing, “I don’t know what I would have done if I lost my job.”
Unable to resist, he cupped her shoulder. A simple touch. Plenty of space between them. Her eyes held his, her gaze filled with so much worry it was all he could do not to haul her to his chest and reassure her again that all was well with the owners of the ranch. They were good, fair people.
Like Charlotte.
She deserved better than he had to offer. Better than him.
Backing a step away from her before he said or did something they would both regret, he swept his hat off the coatrack. “Try to get some sleep. You’re looking pretty...” Pretty. Just pretty. “Looking pretty exhausted.”
