Shielding You (Baytown Boys Book 13) Read online

  Parking outside the jail, she opened the back door and assisted the man in handcuffs to his feet. “Come on, Roland. You know the drill.”

  The man offered a rueful sigh and said, “You know I’ll have the money. I just have to move a few things around.”

  Roland Bertram had been writing bad checks for as many years as she could remember. He always claimed it was just until he could shift his money around, but the reality was he tended to drink his Social Security check away, then write bad checks for the groceries. Most businesses knew to watch out for him, but a new teenage checkout clerk was caught unaware.

  Leading him inside the cool interior of the back entrance where the prisoners were processed, she waved at the guard as they went through. Once she provided the paperwork, he turned and looked over his shoulder at her before being led away.

  “You know, Chief Freeman, you may always be coming after me, but you’re a good officer… a good woman.”

  Chuckling, she waved at Roland and said, “I’ll call SueEllen and let her know where you are.” In a small town, she saved him a phone call to his wife, knowing SueEllen would get the ball rolling to get him out.

  He waved in return, and she turned to leave when she spied Margaret Anderson walking in with a young man in tow. Margaret made eye contact and her smile widened.

  “Chief Freeman, how nice to see you.”

  “Margaret. Good to see you, too.”

  Margaret, wearing green scrubs, turned to the similarly dressed man next to her and asked, “Have you met our new medic? This is Luke Perdue.”

  He was tall and muscular. His dark hair was trimmed short and his dark eyes met hers as he offered a chin lift. Stepping forward, she extended her hand. “Nice to meet you, Luke. I’m Hannah Freeman, Chief of Police for Easton.”

  “Nice to meet you, Ma’am.”

  “I hope you’re settling in well.”

  “Yes, Ma’am, I am.”

  “I understand that you’re from Hope City originally. So am I,” she added.

  He nodded but offered no other comment.

  She turned her attention toward Margaret. “I’m sure it’s good for you to have the assistance.”

  Margaret offered an emphatic nod. “Absolutely! Luke is catching on to everything quickly, and it’s making things easier for me and taking some of the stress off my shoulders.”

  “I’m glad. Well, I’ve got to get back to the station. Margaret, it was nice to see you, and Luke, it was nice to meet you.” With a wave, she walked back down the hall. It was shift-change time, and she grimaced as she saw one of the guards walking down the hall toward her.

  “My lucky day! I get to see the gorgeous Chief Freeman!”

  Gary Perkins was the kind of man that made her skin crawl. Nothing to complain about but just smarmy enough to make Hannah want to take a shower after she met him. “Perkins,” she said, offering no more than a curt nod.

  He laughed as though he hadn’t just been dismissed and said, “One of these days I’ll get you to go out with me.”

  She continued out the door, mumbling, “When pigs fly.” Walking back across the parking lot, she passed the new county courthouse on her way to the police station. Hearing her name called, she looked to the side and saw Ginny McFarlane and Grant Wilder coming down the front steps. Grant, like Ginny, was one of the officers in Baytown. “Hey. Got court today?”

  Both nodded as they reached the bottom of the steps and the trio stood for several minutes, chatting.

  “Sorry to run, but Jillian’s got a doctor’s appointment,” Grant said, dropping his sunglasses over his eyes.

  “Hope everything is okay.”

  His wide grin answered her concern, but he replied, “She and baby are perfect. Just a checkup.” Waving goodbye, he called back, “See you at the AL game on Saturday.”

  The American Legion based out of Baytown was very active. The monthly meetings drew a large crowd of men and women who had served in the Armed Forces. The Auxiliary for family members was equally as active. One of the programs they ran was the youth baseball league, providing coaches and teams for young people of all ages, regardless of their family’s ability to financially support them. They planned to hold a fundraising game, where the players consisted of the Legionnaires themselves. To keep the teams even, their names would be randomly drawn just before the game.

  Standing under a shade tree with Ginny, Hannah asked, “How’s your baby?”

  Her smile split her face and Ginny gushed, “Gorgeous. Beautiful. Growing.” Rolling her eyes, she added, “You should see Brogan. I swear he fretted over getting the nursery complete before she arrived and now has it set up like a princess’ castle.”

  At first, it had been hard for Hannah to imagine the large, tatted, brooding pub owner becoming a father to a little girl. Then, when she’d seen him for the first time cradling his daughter in his arms, her heart melted. And she had to admit her heart pinged just a little for what she hoped would be hers someday. “Are you going to be on one of the teams for the game?”

  “Oh, yeah. We both will. But believe me, Brogan’s mom, Corrine, will relish the chance to hang with her grandchildren.”

  Before Ginny had a chance to respond, her eyes shifted over Hannah’s shoulder, and she smiled. “Hey, Dylan.”

  Hannah jerked around, unable to hide the surprise on her face. “Uh… hi, Dylan.”

  “Hate to rush off, but I’ve gotta get back to town. Bye, Dylan. See you at the shower, Hannah.” Ginny tossed up her hand as she jogged over to her vehicle, leaving Hannah alone on the sidewalk with him.

  “What’s up?” she asked, her smile genuine.

  “Had to meet with the magistrate.” He grinned and stepped closer. “I’m glad I ran into you. I wanted to make sure you were playing on Saturday.”

  “That seems to be what everyone is talking about today,” she laughed, “but yeah, I’ll be there.”

  He took another step forward, and she tilted her head back to hold his gaze, surprised he was so close. In the sunlight, his eyes appeared more green than hazel, and she remembered how they darkened when he held her close.

  “Earth to Hannah.”

  Realizing he had spoken, she blushed. “I’m sorry?”

  “I said maybe we’ll be on the same team.” His eyes twinkled and his voice held mirth.

  Cocking her head to the side, she narrowed her gaze. “Just what do you have up your sleeve?”

  “What makes you think I’m up to something?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, noting the tingle that shot through her at his close proximity. Ever since the wedding when he’d held her in his arms again, it was as though her body had reawakened to the feelings she had tried so long to bury.

  His teeth landed on his bottom lip as he held her gaze. “If we’re on the same team—and of course, we’ll win—then we could have a drink to celebrate.”

  “And if we’re on different teams?” she asked, mesmerized by the slight redness of his lips.

  “Well, we could celebrate my team’s undoubted win with a drink.”

  Barking out a laugh, she said, “I’m not sure I see what kind of deal that is. Either way, we go get drinks.”

  He reached out his forefinger and tapped her nose, winking. “Exactly. And I accept your invitation.” He turned and walked off, leaving her staring at his back, wondering what had just happened.

  Now, standing alone on the sidewalk, she shook her head before turning in the other direction and making her way back to the station, her mind filled with the notion that her well-ordered life was changing.

  Dylan stood outside the Shore Mini-Mart, legs apart and fists on his hips, glaring at the two teenagers in front of him. They were not small, but neither their bodies nor their brains had yet fully grown into manhood. They were sitting on the sidewalk, hands cuffed behind their backs. The chin of one quivered, trying to be brave in the face of being arrested for stealing a six-pack of beer. The other one was starting to expose a cr
ack in his defiance.

  “I want to know what made you get up this morning and suddenly have the shit-for-brains idea to shoplift a fuckin’ six-pack of beer?” Receiving no answer, he pressed the one he thought might speak up. “Bill?”

  Shoulders hefted in front of him, Bill shook his head. “I don’t know, Chief Hunt,” he said, his voice shaky. He glanced to the side at his friend and said, “We thought we could get away with it.”

  “And why was that?”

  “You know Old Man Jefferson. He can hardly hear and can hardly see.”

  “Oh, so instead of two upstanding young men in the community deciding to help out an older man whose retirement years are spent having to run the store because he’s got no other livelihood, you decided to take advantage of him. Now, what the hell does that tell me about what kind of boys you are?” Seeing Todd’s glare shoot up toward him, he continued, “Yeah, boys. Because you sure as hell aren’t men yet. Not the kind of men I want to know. Not the kind of men I want in my town.”

  “I’m sorry, Chief Hunt.” Bill twisted his head around and wiped his nose on his shoulder. “It was stupid. It was wrong, and it was stupid.”

  “That’s the smartest thing I’ve heard you say, Bill.”

  Before Dylan had a chance to say more, Todd erupted, “This whole place is stupid.”

  Dylan didn’t speak but crossed his arms over his chest and waited, his stare heavy on the young man.

  “What the hell are we supposed to do? Born and raised in a little podunk town. My dad’s a shopkeeper selling tackle and bait to a bunch of fishermen. My granddad started the store. They think that’s what I’ll do when I graduate.” He huffed, his frustration evident on his face. “Hell, there’s nothing else to do in this town.”

  A bark of laughter erupted from Dylan, drawing stares from the two boys. Figuring they wondered if he’d lost his mind, he explained. “Y’all know I was born and raised here. You think I didn’t have the same thoughts? I can tell you for sure that fishing was not in my blood. But I sure as hell didn’t go around trying to rob stores! I figured out what I could do, what I was interested in, and worked to get there.”

  “You were in the Navy. That’s what I heard,” Bill said, wiping his nose again.

  “Yeah, I was. I wanted to get off the Eastern Shore. I wanted to see more of the world. I wanted to find what else was out there for me to do.”

  A derisive snort came from Todd. “Must not have been much if you ended up back here.”

  “For me, I realized that the chance to be close to family while doing something I loved, away from the hustle and bustle of big crowds, out where I can breathe clean air free and easy was all I needed. For you? Maybe leaving and finding something else out there is exactly what you need. But you’re not going to be able to do that if you’re sitting in jail for being a thief and a dumbass.”

  Bill’s eyes jerked open wide, fear evident. Todd’s face carried more emotion—fear, still mixed with defiance. And anger. Anger at what, Dylan wasn’t sure. Maybe anger at himself or maybe just anger that he got caught.

  Any further talking was interrupted when another police vehicle pulled up in front of the small convenience store. Without having to look, he knew Lynette had arrived to assist.

  She climbed out of the SUV and stomped over, her stance appearing much like Dylan’s with her hands planted on her hips. “Seriously? Seriously?” Her voice rose on the second word.

  “What’s gonna happen to us?” Bill asked, his gaze shooting between the two officers. “Are we going to jail?”

  “You sure as hell aren’t going to Disneyland,” Lynette bit out, bending forward and hefting Bill to his feet. She shot a glance toward Dylan and he nodded. The boys were sixteen, and Dylan had already indicated they would go to the holding cell and wait until their parents picked them up. She put Bill into the back of her vehicle, and he hauled Todd to the station. The other option was to drive them all the way to the Norfolk Juvenile Detention Center, which he’d done on many occasions when necessary. Where possible, they would release youth to their parents until a court date was set.

  The rest of his afternoon was spent with Bill’s parents and Todd’s father. Bill’s parents were upset with their son, terrified of what might happen, and immediately placed him on their own version of house arrest as well as making a stop at the Mini-Mart to apologize to the owner. Dylan handled the paperwork, told them they’d be contacted by court services, and released him to his parents.

  Todd’s father was also angry, but Dylan didn’t get a good feeling about the situation. The man was large, fists like hammers, clenching and unclenching, and Dylan had no doubt imagining the man using those fists later on Todd. Going over the same information with them that he did with Bill’s parents, he noticed the man’s anger seemed to be directed at Todd getting caught, not so much that he was stealing, to begin with. As he released Todd, he threw out his own condition. “Todd, until your hearing, I want you coming by the station every day to check in with me.”

  Todd’s gaze jumped to his, and something akin to relief seemed to flash through his eyes. His father opened his mouth, and Dylan was sure he was going to complain, but he pushed on, not giving the man a chance to speak.

  “You’ll be in school every day, and then you’ll stop by here after school. Every single day. You’ll check in with me and that will give me a chance to check in with you.” He swung his gaze to Todd’s father and held it.

  The man grumbled but finally nodded before following Todd out of the station. Dylan stood in the doorway and watched them leave, hearing someone come up behind him but not wanting to take his eyes off the man until they were out of sight.

  “You think he’ll hurt him?” Lynette asked.

  “I don’t know. But if he knows his son is going to come in here every day after school to meet with me, he’s gonna have to think twice about taking his fists to him.”

  “That was a smart move, Chief. A good move.”

  He turned and looked at her and chuckled. “I do occasionally have a smart idea.”

  She threw her head back and laughed before pushing on the door and walking out to her vehicle.

  Driving home that night, he thought about his encounter with Hannah. He hadn’t planned on seeing her, but that had been a fortuitous bonus. Now that he knew she was going to be at the game, he just needed to figure out a way to spend more time with her.

  As the evening sun dipped into the west, he sat on his back deck with his bare feet resting on the railing. The breeze was growing cooler; fall was in the air. He tilted his head back, taking another long pull of his beer.

  Hannah had never been to his house. It had taken him almost a year to build, doing a lot of the work himself in the evenings and weekends when he wasn’t working. For a moment, he wondered how different the house might have been designed if they had stayed together. For a fleeting second, the sharp prick of disappointment twinged.

  For a year after they first broke up, every time he saw her, it was a stab straight to his heart. Eventually, the pain had lessened, but the desire to be with her had not. But he’d seen the wisdom of her decision. They both had new, difficult, consuming jobs that needed their attention. And while it galled him at the time to realize, he needed to grow the fuck up.

  He thought about the game again, and his offer to get drinks. She didn’t turn me down. Maybe, just maybe, the time is right. Tipping the bottle up again, the last dregs of the beer slid down his throat. Planting his feet on the wooden deck, he stood, looked out over the dark water, felt the cool breeze on his face, and grinned. “I do occasionally have a smart idea.”

  9

  Hannah could understand why Carrie wanted to host the group baby shower. Colt’s house—or rather, Colt and Carrie’s house now—was easily able to hold the large gathering of friends. The living room flowed into a wide dining room, which flowed into a massive kitchen. The counter held food, the type that made it easy to go back and continually fill your plate.
She only hoped no one noticed how often she’d done that.

  The group shower was an interesting concept. With Jillian, Lia, Jade, Rose, and Belle all expecting within the next couple of months, none of them wanted their friends to break the bank trying to host individual showers. Some of the women from the Auxiliary had provided the food, leaving Carrie with little to do but arrange her rooms in a way that made for ease of movement. Tables had been set up along one wall of the living room, gift bags piled high, a random number from one to five attached.

  The five women opened the gifts with their designated number, each getting a multitude of items they needed. Occasionally, one of them received a gift that they already had, and fun trading began. Baby clothes, bedding, diapers, carry wraps, teething rings, stuffed animals, and a multitude of other gifts spilled out in piles around each expectant friend. Tori’s son and Katelyn’s son ran around, tossing the ribbons and balloons into the air much to the delight of Ginny’s daughter.

  Enjoying herself more than she thought she might, Hannah wandered out onto the patio for a breath of fresh air. Carrie had lights strung around the patio and a few of the trees, casting a fairy-like glow over the area. She glanced to one side of the expansive yard, remembering the area set up for dancing at their wedding. Closing her eyes, she could almost hear the music whispering through the trees, the feel of Dylan’s hand on her waist pulling her close while holding her other hand tightly between them. She had never thought to be in his arms again after so much time had passed. But she couldn’t deny how right it had felt.

  Hearing a noise beside her, she looked over her shoulder and spied Ginny, Belle, and Samantha stepping out onto the patio as well. Samantha Collins was the local veterinarian and they had bonded when she’d first brought Percy to her.

  “Oh, did you want to be alone?” Belle asked, stopping just outside the door. Her dark hair was pulled back away from her face with a ribbon matching her dress, giving her a Snow White appearance. Well, a pregnant Snow White.