Dumbstruck, Rayne watched Jericho leave her house. She was shocked that he’d seen her in Baltimore. Everybody thought he hadn’t been anywhere near Calhoun Corners after he moved west, but obviously he had visited friends here on the East Coast. When she’d lived in Baltimore she’d had a totally different life. She’d gone to lots of parties, worn bright, sometimes revealing clothes, had an expense account, lived with a man.
She drew a long breath. A man who had ultimately hurt her. And Jericho Capriotti would hurt her, too. Except…
She needed to know if her dad really had been protecting her rather than deserting her, when he’d left Calhoun Corners. She didn’t want to carry around the empty, lonely feeling of being abandoned if it wasn’t true. But if he had deserted her, she needed to move on.
But she couldn’t do either until she knew the truth and she wouldn’t know the truth until she found her dad. And she couldn’t find her dad without help. Rayne was smart enough to figure out that when Jericho said searching for her dad would be a long process, he was also saying the process would be even longer if she hired less than the best private investigator. So she needed the best, somebody like his skip tracer friend.
But when she’d told Mac she couldn’t pay his fee up front, he’d been agreeable to a payment plan as long as she passed a credit check. But she hadn’t passed the credit check because technically she didn’t have an income. At least not as long as she stayed at the Chronicle.
But if Jericho vouched for her, saying that she was good for the money, his friend might go to work on the promise of being paid later.
But Jericho wouldn’t vouch for her if they weren’t friends. Or something.
The “or something” made her swallow. It wasn’t her intention to sleep with Jericho Capriotti, but his kissing her proved that he felt something for her and a little flirting might inspire him to put in a good word for her with his friend. She wasn’t worried that their flirtation would go any further than that. From the way he’d run out of her house after kissing her, it was clear he didn’t want to follow through on the attraction he felt for her. His family didn’t like her and he wouldn’t want to upset them. She couldn’t blame him for that. But she and Jericho could indulge in a private flirtation and he could even do her a private favor without anyone in the Capriotti clan discovering.
Her reasoning made so much sense she ran up the steps and down the short hall to her bedroom. She ripped open the closet door and rummaged past her few normal clothes—the bland, oversize T-shirts and jeans she wore now—until she got to the things in the back.
At the sudden sight of so much color she caught her breath, remembering how she had behaved, the person she had been wearing those clothes. She couldn’t believe she was considering turning into that other person again. But if she wanted to find out the truth, she had to be willing to do this.
She reached for a pretty peacock-blue suit.
The next morning Jericho walked into the borough building with a splitting headache. He hadn’t slept much the night before. He’d kept going over that kiss and the reasons for it until eventually he realized both he and Rayne were victims of emotional overwhelm. Since the end result of his tossing and turning the night before was that he had absolved himself of any guilt for kissing Rayne, Jericho was fine with a little headache.
After handling his typical morning routine, he rode with Martha for the school patrol. When he returned to the borough building, he found his brother Rick sitting on the corner of Greg’s desk entertaining him with stories about his daughter Ruthie.
“What’s up?” he asked, walking up the aisle between the four desks.
Rick rose. “Nothing. Ashley took Ruthie shopping and I thought I’d check on you.”
Jericho laughed. “You? Check on me?”
“Hey, I’m the settled one now. Officially the family good child.”
“Tia’s officially the family good child. Always has been. Always will be.”
“Okay, then I’m officially the family good boy.”
“Mom sent you, didn’t she?”
Rick grimaced. “Yes. She says you do nothing but work and she’s worried.”
Jericho laughed. “Wow. How times have changed.”
“I know,” Rick agreed. “They used to wonder if we’d ever be able to hold down a job. Now Mom’s worried that you work too much.” He slapped Jericho on the back. “So, let’s have a late breakfast together, then I can go to Mom’s and at least tell her you stop for meals.”
Jericho glanced at his watch. Nine o’clock. The breakfast rush would be over at the diner, and he hadn’t yet eaten. A break for food wasn’t such a bad idea. “You buying?”
Rich shrugged. “I guess it’s the least I can do for a poorly paid public servant.”
“My thought exactly.” He turned to Greg. “I’ll be back in an hour.”
“Right, Chief.”
They walked out into the warm November day and Rick said, “Does that bother you?”
“What?”
“That everybody calls you Chief?”
“I’m getting accustomed to it,” Jericho said, stepping to the side to let Emma Jean Johnson pass.
“Morning, Chief,” she said, and Rick laughed.
“I guess you have to get accustomed to it or spend the rest of your life here angry.”
“There’s nothing wrong with being a little angry,” Jericho said, pushing open the diner door. “Keeps a guy on his toes.”
“Also keeps a guy broke and in jail.”
When Jericho opened his mouth to rebut his statement, Rick held up a hand. “You’ve been to jail. We’ve both spent a night or two in jail for fighting. Don’t deny it.”
“I can’t deny it,” Jericho said as Elaine motioned for them to seat themselves since the diner was now fairly empty. “I can’t deny that I’m reformed. But I’m also not going to turn into a sap.”
“A sap?”
“You know,” Jericho said, sliding onto the bench seat of the booth. “One of those guys who thinks growing up means he has to be nice to everybody.”
“You wouldn’t by any chance be throwing slings and arrows my way?”
Jericho’s brow furrowed and he stared at Rick. “For what?”
“Are you backhandedly telling me I got soft just because I stopped getting arrested for bar fights?”
“No,” Jericho said, then he laughed. “Actually, Rick, it seems to me you’ve got the world by a string. You found somebody and you also found your calling. You didn’t let the gossip push you around, or your past dictate who you have to be. And you didn’t have to strap on a badge to prove anything.”
“Do you think you did?”
Jericho glanced around the nearly empty diner. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think people would like you less if you weren’t the chief of police?”
“No. I think coming back as a respected member of law enforcement has made it easy for people to accept me. Now, I want to keep their respect.”
Rick shrugged. “Nothing wrong with that.”
Elaine came over and took their order. She didn’t seem angry today, and Jericho assumed he’d been forgiven. After she left, the conversation shifted to Rick’s plans for Seven Hills and Jericho felt a wave of respect for his brother. Only Rick could fall in love with a debutante, be deeded half of a multimillion-dollar business as an engagement present and not give a damn what anybody thought. He loved Ashley. He intended to make a life with her. He no longer felt the need to prove himself.
Jericho didn’t exactly believe he had to prove himself, but he didn’t want anybody confusing him with the troublemaker he had been in the past. At the same time, he couldn’t let anybody think that straightening out his life had weakened him. If anything, he wanted them to realize that the straight and narrow path he’d chosen had made him stronger.
After they ate, Elaine brought their check and Rick grabbed it. Jericho tried to take it from him. “I was kidding when I said breakfast was on you.”
“I know. But I wasn’t kidding when I said I was paying. So finish your coffee and let’s get going.”
Knowing there was no point arguing with his pig-headed brother, Jericho picked up his white mug to drain the last of his coffee, glancing over at the diner door as it opened. Rayne entered. When he saw her bright blue suit, with a skirt that ended far enough above to knee to remind him that she had great legs, his mug stopped halfway to his mouth.
Rick said, “What?” then turned and followed the direction of Jericho’s gaze. When he saw Rayne, he burst out laughing. “I’ll be damned.”
“Shut up, Rick!”
“What?” Rick said, giving Jericho a curious look before angling his body to get another peek at Rayne. As she walked to the counter, Rick studied her enough that Jericho felt like reaching across the table and forcing him to turn around.
“Aren’t you engaged?”
“I’m not looking because I’m interested. I’m looking because I’m confused. What the hell has gotten into her?”
At the complete lack of attraction in Rick’s voice, Jericho relaxed. “Her dad left her with a business that’s failing. I think she has a right to be a little confused.”
“She doesn’t look confused to me. She looks very comfortable in that…that…”
“Color?” Jericho asked pointedly, and Rick again hooted with laughter.
“You like her!”
“No, I do not like her. I feel sorry for her. And believe me I have reason, which I am not going to tell you.”
“Don’t want to be part of the gossip mill?”
Jericho shook his head. “No. Don’t want to break a confidence.”
“A confidence.” Rick whistled. “Wow. A confidence with a Fegan. That’s gotta be against one of Dad’s rules.”
“It’s more of a chief-of-police confidence than a Capriotti confidence. So stop. And stop staring.”
Rick turned from staring at Rayne and grinned at his brother.
“Grow up, Rick.”
Rick shook his head. “Are you nuts? I’m teasing you.”
“Whatever.”
“Boy, either you really like this woman or you’re more sensitive about coming home to your hell-raising roots than I thought.”
“I’m not interested.”
He might be physically attracted to Rayne, but he didn’t like her. As if to prove it, he rose from the booth and walked to the counter.
“My brother’s paying,” he told Elaine before he casually turned to Rayne, if only to show his damned brother that he could be in the same room with a pretty female without being overwhelmed with lust like a randy teenager.
But when she smiled up at him, his breath stuttered. Lord, she was beautiful. Her contacts didn’t diminish the bright color of her blue eyes the way the thick lenses of her glasses did. Without the distraction of her glasses it was also easy to see her flawless complexion. Add that to the way her yellow hair tumbled to her shoulders and the way the color of the suit just made her look pretty, and Jericho fell speechless.
Rick nudged him in the back. “Yeah, I’m paying because I’m not so sure my brother can figure out the tip right now.”
He said it as if he were teasing, but Jericho knew that Rick was right and it infuriated him. He was behaving like an idiot. And it had to stop.
He said, “Good morning, Rayne,” then turned and slapped Rick on the back. “I’ll see you later. Thanks for breakfast.”
He walked out into the sunny November morning without another word. He wasn’t mad at Rick for teasing him. Teasing was what brothers did. He wasn’t angry with Rayne for dressing up. If he were the suspicious type, he would think that now that she knew he found her attractive she was taunting him. But he wasn’t a sixteen-year-old. He didn’t believe the whole world revolved around him or his sex life. He knew Rayne had personal problems. He knew she was confused. And as a mature, intelligent man with a town to protect, he was taking the logical route and deciding she’d worn something pretty to cheer herself up. End of story.
When Jericho and Rick left the diner, Elaine handed Rayne her cup of coffee. “Here you are, sweetie.”
Striving to be casual, Rayne paid for the coffee with coins she found in a cup behind some things in the pantry and casually said, “No comment about my suit?”
Elaine tilted her head, studying Rayne. “That color is very good on you.”
“Nothing else?”
Elaine smiled. “Honey, I know you’re upset. I know your daddy left you with bills. I even suspect that when you come in here you’d like to buy the Danish you used to get every morning, but you don’t have the money.”
When Rayne went to protest, Elaine stopped her. “You don’t have to admit or deny anything. I know the whole town thinks I’m a gossip—and I guess I am—but there are some things I consider sacred. A woman struggling to get past something she didn’t bring on herself is one of them.”
“Thanks.”
“So, I understand the dressing up. You’re keeping up your spirits. Or maybe you’re trying to impress a new advertiser. Whatever it is, honey, I’m behind you.”
Rayne smiled, pleased that Elaine had picked an explanation for her fancy clothes that made complete sense—even if it was wrong—because that was the tale Elaine would spread and most people would believe it.
“And if I thought you’d take the Danish, I’d give you one.”
Rayne shook her head. “Can’t do that.”
“Well, if the day comes when you think you could take the Danish,” Elaine said, squeezing Rayne’s arm, “you let me know.”
“Okay.”
Rayne left the diner and began the walk to her office almost cheering for joy. Not only did she have Elaine in her corner, but she hadn’t missed the way Jericho’s mouth had fallen open when he’d seen her. She had absolutely no idea what she was doing. Back in Baltimore, she’d been dressing for a specific man. He’d been calling the shots, virtually telling her what to do. She didn’t have a coach here, but she was a smart woman, and from Jericho’s reaction she had more than a sneaking suspicion she wasn’t doing so badly by simply winging it.
Rayne didn’t merely consider it a lucky break when she received two checks in Friday’s mail; Monday morning when she was able to withdraw cash without a hassle, she decided it was a sign. It bothered her that Jericho realized how broke she was. Given time to think through the situation, she recognized his bringing her food was another clue that he had a soft spot for her, but she also didn’t want him thinking she was weak. She didn’t want to get his help out of weakness. Eventually she would have money to pay his friend. And that was the real bottom line. She wasn’t asking for charity. She was asking for deferred payments. So tonight, she would show Jericho she didn’t need charity. Then, when she asked him to ask his friend to help her, he’d be confident she was good for the money.
Knowing that Jericho gave everybody Monday evening off because everyone worked extra shifts on the weekend, and would be in the borough building alone, Rayne made her plan.
Late that afternoon she had bought two sandwiches from Elaine, packed a picnic basket, and put on a pair of tight jeans with a torso-caressing blue lace top. She covered them with her big wool coat, but that wasn’t because she didn’t have a prettier coat. It was a strategy.
Entering the silent borough building, she saw the four gray metal desks that created a square of sorts in the center of the large main room. Bright overhead lights exaggerated the fact that all four were empty. The scent of overbrewed coffee wafted from the coffeemaker on the window ledge.
“Anybody here?” she called, feeling foolish. She knew Jericho gave his team Monday night off, but couldn’t believe he would leave the borough building unlocked when he was out on patrol. She gingerly made her way to the back office, just as he walked through the door.
“Rayne?”
“Hey,” she said, so nervous she was surprised her voice didn’t shiver. She held up the picnic basket. “I brought you supper since you brought me lunch last week.” She shrugged. “Turnabout is fair play.”
She hadn’t missed the fact that Jericho had taken a quick inventory of her face before his gaze had stalled on her hair, which she had curled but otherwise left in sexy disarray.
Knowing there was no time like the present, she set her basket on one of the desks and slipped off her coat, then watched his gaze fall to her bright blue U-necked top then tight, low-rise jeans.
He cleared his throat. “What did you bring?”
Thankful that he wasn’t going to make this difficult by asking for an explanation, she smiled. “I’m not very creative. Since I knew you liked roast beef, I had Elaine make the same sandwiches you brought me the other day.” Honesty and gratitude collided in her chest and forced her to add, “And I wanted to thank you again.”
He caught her gaze. “You didn’t have to.”
She shrugged. “I pay my debts.”
“It wasn’t a debt.”
“Okay, then, how about if we say that I just like to return favors?”
Enough time passed that Rayne thought he would refuse her. But he took a breath and shrugged. “I am hungry.”
“Good.” Deciding to move as quickly as possible before he changed his mind, Rayne picked up the basket again. “Is there an empty desk we can use out here, or do you want to go into your office?”
“I don’t like to use anybody else’s desk for anything. I like my people to have a sense of privacy and place.” He motioned to his office behind him. “So let’s go back here.”
She nodded and walked toward him, realizing that in his usual gentlemanly way he was waiting for her to precede him. But the minute she passed him she also realized that her short top provided him with a very clear view of her backside, and her face flared with color.
Jericho had never been more confused in his life. He understood Rayne wanting to pay him back for the food he had brought to her. He also understood that she would come right out and say it. Pride was something he knew well and he was comfortable dealing with it. What he didn’t understand was her change of dress, except that it was mighty suspicious that she dressed as the woman he remembered right after he told her he had seen her in Baltimore, admitted he’d found her attractive and kissed her.
For that reason he darned near took the sandwich and sent her packing. But understanding her pride, he couldn’t do that. Her dad had left her alone with a failing business and a bushel of debt and she needed to show everybody she was strong.
He caught a glimpse of her bottom as she walked into his office and because he was behind her he lifted his eyes to the heavens. Being in the same room with her dressed like his fantasy girl was not going to be easy, and he genuinely wished he wasn’t so understanding. But he wasn’t in emotional overload tonight. He didn’t have to worry that his base instincts would get the better of him. He didn’t have to worry that he’d have to kiss her to prove a point. Things would be fine.
“I’m surprised you’re not hard at work.” That was the first thing that had come to his mind and also a topic he felt safe discussing.
“The paper has to be at the printer first thing Monday morning,” she said, setting her picnic basket on his desk. “Technically this is my only night off.”
“Right.” Jericho glanced around the room, feeling awkward, but also recognizing that taking the time to be nice to her was a good thing for both of them. They might not ever be able to be real friends, but they didn’t have to be enemies, either.
Rayne pulled a thermos from the basket. “I hope you like cocoa.”
“Cocoa,” he said, shaking his head, surprised because he considered cocoa a drink for kids. “I haven’t had cocoa in years.”
“Then I’ve got perfect timing,” she said, taking two mugs from the basket.
With nothing to do but watch her, Jericho could see that her hands were small and tonight her fingernails were painted a pretty pale pink. Tonight, everything about her looked soft and feminine, and he felt himself slipping again, but he saw the small can of cocoa she pulled from the basket and he laughed.
“You use real cocoa,” he said, amazed.
She turned and smiled. “The stuff that you make by adding hot water is good in a pinch but I like real cocoa.”
Jericho stared at her, his heart pumping. He could swear she was flirting with him and, without warning, he was back at the party, looking at the girl in the tight red dress, remembering how she smiled, how she laughed, how she flirted.
The room became unbearably warm. Rayne might claim that woman wasn’t the real her, but either she had only been kidding herself or his imagination was pretty damned good. To him she seemed perfectly at home in these clothes, making cocoa and casual conversation, and he suddenly realized it wasn’t wise for him to be so close to her no matter how good his intentions.
He glanced at the door. “You know what? Maybe I should just save the sandwich for later.”
“Why?” she asked, laughing, continuing to sound like the woman at the party, and everything inside Jericho responded. He wanted to know her. He wanted to laugh with her. He wanted to figure out why this Rayne could be happy and the other one couldn’t be anything but serious.
She smiled prettily. “Our families aren’t exactly friends, but nobody has to know that we eat sandwiches together.”
Desperate to keep his perspective, he reminded himself that his dad had been recovering from a heart attack when her dad had raked him over hot coals in the paper.
“Nobody needs to told, but somebody always finds out.”
She walked over to him and smiled up at him. “Afraid?”
Jericho could smell her soft, floral scent and his brain froze.
“There’s something between us and though you’re probably right, we can’t pursue that, we can at least be friends.”
“I’m just supposed to forget what your dad did to mine?”
“You read my dad’s note. He was trapped. He thought he had no choice but to make the only deal being offered.”
Jericho hadn’t forgotten or downplayed that part of the note. He had considered it sleazy and manipulative that Mark had used the newspaper to undermine his dad’s bid for reelection as a way to save himself. But though he could picture Mark Fegan cheating, and he could even picture teenage Rayne, the adolescent who adored her dad, following his every order, he couldn’t picture this Rayne, the one who was soft-spoken, intelligent and educated, manipulating the truth or using the newspaper for personal gain. And that was really why he couldn’t easily turn her away. Those actions didn’t fit with the woman he’d seen in Baltimore any more than they fit the smart, determined Rayne he’d seen glimpses of since her father’s disappearance. Reminding himself of her part in things didn’t diminish his attraction because it didn’t make sense. This Rayne wouldn’t be so easily taken in my her dad and Jericho needed to understand why she had helped him.
“So why did you want Auggie Malloy in?”
“I didn’t. But when I came back from Baltimore, I was devastated and I didn’t have the mental energy to think through the things my dad was asking me to research.” She caught his gaze and Jericho had to fight not to swallow hard. She was so beautiful.
“Your father had also had his heart attack. He was sick and because I was vulnerable it wasn’t difficult for my dad to convince me that it was time for new leadership, if only because your dad wasn’t healthy enough to be mayor anymore.” She looked down as if ashamed, but returned her gaze to his before she added, “It wasn’t my job to question my dad. He was my boss. I was an employee. And your dad was sick. Maybe too sick to run an entire town.”
Jericho swallowed. It seemed that every time she held his gaze for more than three seconds he saw the woman he perceived to be the real Rayne, and he simply wanted to enjoy her. But even with her part in the election explained, there were a million other reasons not to pursue their attraction.
First, Rayne was the same age as his baby sister, which made her too much younger than he was. Second, her dad’s name wasn’t a good word in his parents’ household. Third, she didn’t believe she was the girl he kept seeing. She’d even told him she didn’t want to be that girl. Fourth, he did not want another relationship. Living with Laura Beth had turned him into somebody who couldn’t handle a simple breakup without spending two years in a bottle. He didn’t want to go back to being that person. He was chief of police in this town. He had to be strong.
He took a step back, away from her. “I’ve got to make a patrol.” He nodded in the direction of his desk, said, “Thanks for the sandwich,” then turned and walked out of his office.