1
“I’m going to kill him!”
Ally Kendal ripped the slim plastic bag
from under her windshield wiper and stuffed it into her pocket. She
got into her battered truck, backed out of her driveway with a
screech of tires, and drove the five minutes into the center of
Spring Falls. She was barely aware of anything except the red mist
before her eyes and the urge to wrap her fingers around Rob Ward’s
neck and finish him off once and for all.
There was only one parking space left
outside the small historic building that doubled as the courthouse
and the sheriff’s department. She slammed out of the truck, into
the reception area, and straight through the metal detector, which
thankfully didn’t go off.
“Hey, miss, hold up.”
Too intent on her prey, Ally ignored
the uniformed officer and headed down the narrow hallway to the
door marked SHERIFF’S OFFICE.
She entered without knocking, saw the
source of her troubles sitting at his desk, and marched right on up
to him. He flicked a glance at her.
“Hey, Rich, can I call you back?
Something’s come up.”
He put the phone down with a decisive
click and looked beyond her to the officer who had just caught up
to her at the door.
“I’ve got this, Jeff. You can go back
out front.”
His pale blue eyes contained no hint of
his feelings as he turned to study her from head to
toe.
“What can I do for you, Ms.
Kendal?”
His polite, lazy drawl made her clench
her jaw so hard her teeth hurt. She yanked the plastic bag out of
her pocket and held it out.
“You can stop giving me frickin’
tickets!”
His frown was so genuine that if she
hadn’t known him better, she might have doubted
herself.
“I haven’t given you a ticket since the
day you arrived back in town.”
“Yeah, when I had to park on the street
for a pathetic half hour while I cleared a
space on the driveway.” She waved the bag. “So what’s this? A
mirage?”
He held out his hand, and she tossed
the package onto his desk and waited, her foot tapping as he
unfolded the single sheet of paper.
“Did you actually read this? It isn’t
from the Spring Falls Sheriff’s Department.”
Ally leaned across and snatched the
paper from his unresisting fingers. His smile was so condescending
she wanted to scream.
“It’s from your local homeowners
association. They want you to water your lawn every night and put
your trash cans away after the garbage collection.”
She bent her head to read the note,
allowing her long dark hair to shield her blush. After reluctantly
paying the first ticket, she’d chucked the rest of the letters
unopened in the garbage without reading them. Shit,
now what was she going to do?
“Can these people actually enforce
this?”
He regarded her steadily, then leaned
back and put his hands behind his head. Damn, he looked good. He
was thirty: Why couldn’t he have developed a paunch and thinning
hair like most guys his age while she’d been gone? It was typical
of him to try and undermine her by still looking hot.
“It depends. Was your mom’s place part
of a homeowners association?”
She put her hands on her hips. “How
would I know?”
“If you’re getting mail from them, I’d
assume it was. You’ll need to check.”
“But I don’t intend to live in the
house, just clear it out, sell, and leave.”
Rob raised his eyebrows. “You’re gonna
leave again? Who’d have thought it?”
Ally sighed. “Don’t try and be
sarcastic, Rob. What did you expect me to do? Settle
down?”
“Why not? Even though my parents have
retired to Florida, Spring Falls is a great place to live. That’s
why I’m still here.”
God, he was so arrogant. “Why is that?
I thought you were planning to go away to college with me and never
come back.”
He shrugged. “Things changed after you
dumped me. I didn’t want you to think you’d run me out of my own
hometown as well. After college, I decided I’d rather come back and
live in the place I loved.”
“After I left, I
never thought about you at all.”
His blue gaze sharpened. “Yeah, I
should imagine guilt does that to a person. Much easier to pretend
you never slept with my best friend and dumped me right before our
engagement party.”
Ally took a deep, calming breath and
wished she’d kept her mouth shut. “All I want to know is if this
stupid homeowners association can actually bring charges against me
for not watering my lawn. Can you at least do your civic duty and
tell me that?”
“Actually, it’s got nothing to do with
me. You might consider getting a lawyer.”
“Rob . . .”
He sat up straight and folded his hands
on the desk. “It depends on the agreement your mother signed. They
might just fine you or get it done themselves and send you the
bill. Ted Davis is the guy in charge of your neighborhood. Try
asking him.”
The anger had gone from his eyes, and
his voice was as bland as pureed carrots. Ally, braced for further
confrontation, unaccountably felt let down. “I remember Ted; he
lived just down the street from my mom’s. Is he still
there?”
“Of course he is. You know what it’s
like here—nothing much changes.”
She held his gaze, fascinated by the
subtle alterations in his face, the laugh lines around his pale
blue eyes and the corners of his mobile mouth, the slight shadow of
his dark stubble. Ten years had only added to his allure,
strengthened his features and made him a man to be reckoned
with.
“I’m not intending to stay here long.
As soon as I can sell the house, I’ll be off again.”
He inclined his head an inch. “So you
said. Good luck with that in this market.”
She raised her chin. “I just need to
fix it up a little and it’ll sell. My mom inherited it outright
eighteen years ago, so it must be worth something,
remember?”
“How could I forget?”
How could she forget either? He’d been
her first friend, the first person to punch another kid in her
defense, and the first boy to kiss her. She shook back the memories
and took a deep breath. “Rob, why haven’t you returned my
calls?”
He frowned at her. “What calls? What
the hell did you want to talk to me about?”
Ally turned on her heel and headed for
the door. She grabbed the door handle but couldn’t resist a last
look over her shoulder. Rob was standing as if he meant to come
after her, his fingers drumming on the desk.
“I sure don’t remember you being
willing to talk much, Ally, before you walked out on
me.”
“That’s because you’d already told me
what you thought of me. Perhaps I knew there was nothing more to
say.”
He shrugged. “So it’s all my fault
now?”
“That’s not what I said.” Ally sighed.
“God, why are you doing this? You’re supposed to be the law around
here. If you don’t choose to answer my calls, why aren’t you at
least out catching those idiots who scrawl stuff on my car and
break my windows rather than fixating on the past?”
“What idiots?”
“The ones I’ve reported at least six
times since I got back. Some people obviously aren’t as pleased
that I’ve returned as you are.”
“I didn’t say I was pleased about
it.”
Ally barely resisted the urge to bang
her head against the door.
“Okay, I get
it—just do your job, won’t you?”
“Hold up a minute.”
He moved so fast that he was beside her
before she even fully got the door open.
“Jenny!”
His shout echoed down the narrow
magnolia-painted hallway, making Ally wince.
“In here, Sheriff.”
Ally tried to squeeze past, but Rob
held on to her upper arm and propelled her alongside him into
another office. A familiar elderly woman with large blue-rimmed
spectacles and white bouffant hair looked up. A cloud of cheap
perfume surrounded her like a poisonous shield. Her expression
hardened when she saw Ally.
“What does she
want?”
Rob didn’t relax his grip on Ally’s
arm. “Miss Kendal says she has attempted to contact me here on more
than one occasion. Why haven’t I seen a message or a
report?”
Jenny folded her hands in her lap. “I
didn’t want to bother you with such minor issues, Boss. We all know
how busy you are.”
Ally glared at the older woman. Yeah,
she bet that was it. It had nothing to do with the fact that Jenny
had always disliked Ruth, Ally’s mom, and was obviously itching to
get back at Ruth’s equally faithless daughter.
Rob didn’t look pleased, and that made
Ally want to smile. He’d always been a big believer in telling the
truth and doing the right thing, and he hated being in the
wrong.
“I like to see every report and every
message that comes through here, Jenny. Please remember that in the
future.”
Jenny pursed her thin lips. “I make
sure Deputy Smith gets all that information. I thought he would’ve
passed it on to you, but maybe he didn’t think it was important
either?”
“He’s been out of town for the last
three weeks, so nothing’s been getting through him. That’s why it’s
important that you copy me.”
Ally frowned. Smith was a common name,
but somehow from the way Jenny was smirking at her, she guessed it
wasn’t just any old Deputy Smith being talked about. Rob put a hand
in the small of her back and maneuvered her out into the hallway.
She turned to face him, aware of his height and breadth, and
inhaled a hint of the citrus aftershave he’d always
worn.
“Don’t tell me—Deputy Smith is Jackson.
Right?”
“Yeah.”
“Right.”
He raised his eyebrows. “It’s a small
town, Ally. Everyone comes back eventually.”
“And I bet you were a lot more pleased
to see Jackson than you were me.”
She started to walk away from him, but
he followed her, pushing open the door to allow them both out into
the parking lot.
“Yeah, I was pleased to see
him—eventually. So what?”
“So how come you welcome him back with
open arms and can’t wait for me to leave? There were two of us in
that bed, you know.”
A muscle flicked in his cheek as he
stared at her, his arms crossed over his chest.
“I didn’t exactly welcome him back. We
worked it out eventually. Jackson and I have been friends for
years.”
Ally swallowed hard. “And we weren’t?
God, Rob, you have such double standards.”
“And you don’t? Hell, you’re the one
who fucked him, not me.”
Ally bit down hard on her lip. There
was so much she yearned to say to him, but was there any point?
She’d been judged and condemned years ago, and he had a right to be
angry. She glanced around at all the open doors. This definitely
wasn’t the place to have a heart-to-heart. She’d have to wait until
they were in a far more neutral place to broach that idea. There
was no way she was giving him the satisfaction of using his power
over her as sheriff. She pulled her keys out of her pocket and
headed for her ancient Toyota truck.
“Ally, I’m sorry that I didn’t get your
messages. You’re right. We do need to talk.”
His voice stopped her. She stared at
his reflection in the dirty window of her truck and tried to
imagine he was really only eight inches tall. He still looked too
big and intimidating. This time she wasn’t going to turn around and
make him think she wanted to listen to him.
“Okay.” She opened the door and stepped
up into the cab. “You take my complaints seriously and I’ll talk to
you.”
She started the engine and backed
carefully out of the parking space. Rob tapped on her window, and
she reluctantly opened it.
“Don’t park there again, honey. That’s
Jackson’s spot.”
“Don’t call me honey.” She glared at
him as she gunned the engine. “What are you going to do, give me
another ticket?”
“Sure I will. That’s my job, and I’m
not letting you get any ideas about taking up any of Jackson’s
space again.”
This time his smile didn’t reach his
husky-dog-blue eyes, and it transformed his face into a man she
hardly recognized. She swallowed hard.
“Jackson’s a big boy. I’m sure he can
take care of himself.”
Rob’s expression didn’t change. “He’s
not the same, Ally. The army nearly destroyed him.”
“Jackson enlisted?”
He shrugged. “Yeah, right after you
left. He was honorably discharged about three years ago. After he
got his shit together, I was able to offer him a job as a
deputy.”
Ally fought an impulse to cry and bit
the inside of her cheek instead.
“I suppose you blame me for that as
well, don’t you?”
Rob sighed. “You asked. I’m just
telling you what happened.”
“Well, thanks, I’ll see you
around.”
She pressed her foot on the gas and
roared out of the parking lot. A stupid thing to do in front of the
sheriff, but she had to get away. As she drove, she wondered about
Jackson. Had he left because of her? He’d known where she was
headed, but he hadn’t bothered to keep in touch. Was that why? Had
he been too busy getting shot at?
Tears stung at her eyes as the familiar
tree-lined streets unrolled around her until she found herself
parked in her mother’s driveway. She stared at the single-story
ranch house and groaned. It needed painting both inside and out,
the floors required refinishing, and the plumbing was a disaster.
Her plans to run in, sell the house, and get out had taken a big
hit. In the current market, there was no way the house would ever
sell.
Ally got out of the truck and headed
for the peeling front door. An all-too-familiar burning sensation
gripped her stomach, and she struggled to force it down. There was
no way she’d allow her mother’s unwelcome legacy to defeat her.
And, if she was honest, she hadn’t come back for the house or for
her mom. She’d come back to face the people she’d hurt, which was
way more frightening than she could ever have
imagined.
Rob Ward watched Ally’s dented green
truck screech out of the parking lot and head out of town. In her
pink T-shirt and cutoff jeans, she’d looked way too thin and pale
for his liking. His memories of her were warmer, her skin tanned
all over from the California sun, her cheeks sunburned and her dark
hair held back in a long braid.
He smiled slowly as he headed back into
his office. Whether they realized it or not, the homeowners
association had done him a favor. Rob had wanted Ally’s attention
and now he’d gotten it. Her expression when she realized she’d come
after him and he hadn’t been hounding her after all had been
priceless. Rob’s grin faded as he shut the door to his office and
sat down.
Why the hell had she contacted him?
He’d half hoped she would and yet had half dreaded it. Okay, so
she’d looked tired, but he still wanted her. Wanted those long legs
wrapped around his hips while he fucked her stupid. His cock
stirred at the image, and he smoothed his palm over his impatient
shaft.
He still had no idea why she’d come
back to sell her deceased mother’s house. It wasn’t as if they’d
ever been close. He frowned as he remembered the scandal of her
departure, Susan Evans’s death that had followed, and Ally’s
mother’s defiant disregard for everyone in the town. Was there
something at her mother’s house Ally wanted? Surely she didn’t need
the money. From what he read in the tabloids, she earned more in a
year modeling than he would probably make in a
lifetime.
And why the hell was she driving that
ancient truck? Something wasn’t right. He glanced down at his brown
uniform pants, which were now tented. He thought she’d ripped his
heart out when she’d run out on him, but time had shown him that
wasn’t true. He’d moved on, hadn’t he? Fucked other women,
eventually made things right with Jackson, created a new life and
career for himself. . .
So why did he care whether Ally was
back or not? Because she was unfinished business and she knew how
he felt about that. She’d probably say it was because he’d never
gotten over being dumped, and maybe she had a point.
But it was a lot more complicated than
that. He’d missed her, and not just for the sex. She was right.
She’d been a part of him for too long for it just to be about
that.
He turned on his computer. Yeah, it was
definitely time to seek closure with Ally. He’d been semihard ever
since he heard she was back, and that wasn’t good for a man. Sure,
there were plenty of women who’d be glad to help him out with his
problem, but now his dreams were all of Ally, of her on her knees
begging his forgiveness before he gave in and fucked
her.
And there was Jackson to consider. How
the hell would he feel about Ally’s return? Her scathing comment
about his forgiving Jackson and not her stung. Why was it so much
more difficult to forgive Ally than his oldest friend? Jackson had
betrayed him as well.
Rob pretended to check his e-mail, but
he wasn’t really in the mood. It had taken him a long time to even
consider trusting Jackson again. Would he be able to start afresh
with Ally? The idea was tantalizing and too damned attractive to
ignore. Whatever happened, the next few weeks were sure going to be
interesting.