Sawyer’s cell rang as he took his morning run along the boardwalk. He pulled out his phone and jogged to the bench under a weeping willow. “Hey, Ma,” he answered with a smile as he took a seat. He knew why she was calling.
“Don’t you hey Ma me. I just got off the phone from the roofers and was told our bill had been paid in full. Sawyer, you have to stop. Charlie and I can afford—”
He stretched out his legs and cut her off. “I know you guys can take care of your own bills, but I like to help out when I can.” His mother had remarried and moved to Arizona eight years ago. Charlie was a great guy, but he was on a fixed income. Sawyer’s mother had raised him on her own, working two jobs to ensure he could play hockey. Now it was his turn to make life easier for her, and he’d continue doing so no matter how ticked she might get.
“Honey, you have to save your money. One day you’re going to have a family of your own. At least I hope you will.”
So did he. “You don’t have to worry about me, Ma.”
She sighed. “I complain, but I know how lucky I am to have a son who looks after his mama like you do. You always did. I brag about you all the time to my friends. Oh, that reminds me, next time you come for a visit two of the ladies at my bridge club want you to meet their daughters.”
“Thanks, but I think I can find a woman on my own.”
“You haven’t had much luck so far. I’d like to be a grandma before I’m too old to enjoy them, you know.”
He was about to give his usual comeback—you’re only fifty-seven—when he saw a woman jogging along the boardwalk. Her dark hair was in a messy topknot, she wore a pair of aviators, a long, black tank top, and Lycra shorts. In Sawyer’s mind, there was nothing more attractive than a woman in great shape, and she obviously was. As she drew closer, he admired the definition in her arms and legs, her strong, elegant stride. He wondered why he’d never seen… “Jill?” he choked out her name.
“What’s that about Jill, honey?”
“Ah, nothing, Ma. I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you in a couple days. Love ya.” He disconnected before she had a chance to respond. “Jill,” he called out again, wondering why she was ignoring him. Then he spied the buds in her ears.
As he got up from the bench, she glanced his way. “Hey,” she said, jogging past him.
Wait…what? Why wasn’t she stopping? He jogged after her, pulling a bud from her ear. “Hey, yourself. You don’t have time for your friends anymore?”
“I wanna get my run in before I head to the nursing home. I’ve gotta put in a few hours before my shift.” She tugged her earbud from his hand.
“Right, it’s the last day of your sensitivity training.” He nodded at the earbuds. “But you shouldn’t be running with those things in.”
She gave her head a slight irritated shake. “I’m running on the boardwalk, not on Main Street.”
“Still, someone could catch you unawares.”
“Seriously? I’m not ten. I think I can handle myself.”
Yeah, he could see that she wasn’t a kid anymore. Only he was doing his best to ignore the fact. “Nice morning for a run. How come I haven’t seen you out here before?” He ran every day at the same time.
“I usually run the trails behind my place, but Parks and Wildlife issued a warning about bears in the area.” She picked up speed. “Have a good one.”
He matched his stride to hers. “What’s up with you? Why are you giving me the brush-off?”
She sighed. “I told you I don’t have time to chat. I want to get in five miles before work.”
“Fine,” he said, breaking into a run. He smiled when he heard her coming up behind him. He knew she couldn’t resist the challenge. What he didn’t know was why he felt the need to challenge her. Before he had a chance to contemplate that further, and it was probably best that he didn’t, she passed him. The race was on. There weren’t many women, or men for that matter, who could keep up with him. But she did.
Five minutes later he glanced at her, hoping to see some sign she was ready to give up. She gave him a cocky smile and picked up speed. Then something caught her eye, and she slowed to a jog. She frowned, lifting her chin at a couple of kids making out on a blanket under a stand of trees. “Isn’t that Annie and Trent?”
Sawyer stopped and put his hands on his hips. “Hey you two, what do you think you’re doing?” They broke apart, jerking upright. Their faces red.
Jill shoved her aviators on top of her head and shot him a ticked-off look. “You couldn’t just clear your throat, make some noise? Now you’ve embarrassed them.”
“Are you kidding me? It’s broad daylight, and they’re making out in public.”
She raised an eyebrow at him.
“They’re sixteen,” he muttered, knowing full well what she was getting at. He followed her across the grass to where Annie and Trent were scrambling to their feet.
“Hey guys, aren’t you supposed to be in school?” Jill asked.
“Umm, we have a study period. Exams start next week,” Annie said, glancing from Jill to Sawyer.
He crossed his arms. “Yeah, it looked like you were…What was that for?” he said when Jill elbowed him. He rubbed his ribs.
“As long as your parents know where you are, I guess it’s okay then.” Jill tugged on his arm. “We’ll see you later. Good luck with exams,” she said, dragging him after her.
“Oh come on, you can’t seriously believe they’re going to study…” He trailed off as he glanced over his shoulder to see Annie and Trent pulling their books from their backpacks.
“You were saying?”
“They’ll be sucking face as soon as we round the corner.”
“No they won’t, because they’ve already been caught. Annie’s probably worried I’ll tell her dad, and no doubt Trent’s afraid you’ll tell Brandi. You won’t though, will you?”
“Damn straight I will.” She gave him a look. “Fine, I’ll have a talk with him.”
She nodded. “Probably a good idea.”
“Thanks. I’m glad you…Isn’t that Ty?” Sawyer asked, pointing to a guy in a purple Lycra tank top and matching shorts lying spread-eagle on the grass just off the path.
“Ty,” Jill called out as she jogged toward him.
The former Hollywood hairstylist, who now owned a salon in town, cracked one eye open behind his red, square-framed glasses as Sawyer and Jill knelt beside him. “If I’ve gone to Valhalla, don’t revive me,” he said.
Sawyer frowned. “What’s—”
“Viking heaven, right, Jill?” Ty said, moving his eyebrows up and down.
“Oh, okay, then,” Sawyer murmured, as his conversation with Mrs. Sharp came to mind. He glanced at Jill, wondering if she’d said the same to Ty. If she had…
“Ouch.” Ty rubbed his arm and glared at Jill. “You don’t pinch a dying man.”
Her face flushed. “You do when someone is faking and scares you half to death.”
“Aw, Jilly Bean, you were worried about me.” He grinned and pushed himself onto his elbows. “But I wasn’t faking. I was dizzy. Maybe I’m dehydrated.”
“How long have you been running?” she asked, avoiding Sawyer’s stare.
“Oh, about ten minutes, I think.”
Jill shook her head, then stood up and offered her hand. “Maybe you should try walking instead.”
Ty ignored Jill’s outstretched hand and raised his own to Sawyer, who hauled him to his feet. “Thanks,” Ty said, patting Sawyer’s chest. “Now what have you two been up to?” He waggled his eyebrows. “Anything to share with Uncle Ty?”
“Running, just running,” Sawyer said, a nervous hitch in his voice. All he’d need was for Ty to think something was going on between him and Jill. The hairstylist was as big a gossip as Nell McBride. Sawyer cleared his throat. “I better get going. You two have a good day.”
* * *
Ty looked at Jill. “Was it something I said?”
“You might as well just have told him that I’m in love with him and think he looks like a Norse god,” she muttered as she watched Sawyer jog away, taking in his powerfully muscled legs, tight butt, and broad shoulders. Since she’d been trying to play it cool earlier, she hadn’t had much of a chance to ogle him. Her lungs still burned from keeping up with him.
“I did not know this, Jilly Bean. You’ve been holding out on me.”
Wonderful, just flipping wonderful. She’d just outed herself to the second-biggest gossip in town. “But I thought…” She crossed her arms. “When we were at the school board meeting a few weeks ago, you told me I was in love with him.”
“Because you kept staring at him and Brandi, but I was just teasing you.”
“Oh, so what was the crack about Valhalla?”
“Please, the man looks like he walked off the set of a Viking movie.” Ty looked at her and grimaced.
“What’s with the face?”
He clasped his hands in front of his chest. “I don’t know how to tell you this, but Nell was in the salon the other day for her color. She was talking about the couple for the next book in the Christmas, Colorado series. It’s Sawyer and Brandi.”
Jill did her best not to react. Every couple Nell had used as the romantic leads in her books had ended up getting their happily ever after. Including Jack and Grace. Jill didn’t know why the thought bothered her as much as it did. She’d pretty much resigned herself to the fact that she didn’t stand a chance with Sawyer. But she supposed she shouldn’t be surprised by her reaction. When you’ve held a dream in your heart for as long as she had, it was tough to let it go.
“Oh, Jilly Bean, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
She shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I was going to find out anyway. Besides, Nell’s right. Brandi’s more his type.” His manager was beautiful, blond, and built. They also spent a lot of time together. Both at the bar and outside of it since Sawyer started coaching Trent. And Brandi was raising her son on her own. Everyone knew Sawyer had a soft spot for single mothers because of his own past.
Ty tapped a finger against his lips, looking her up and down. “I disagree. I’ve seen you together. You have a lot in common. You’re both athletic and competitive, and you’ve known each other for like forever.”
“Yeah, that’s kind of the problem. He still sees me as a kid and not a woman.”
Ty waved her comment off, his eyes roaming her face. “That’s an easy fix.” He nodded. “You know what, I’m totally up for this. Nell could use some competition. She’s not the only one with matchmaking creds. Who do you think got Easton and Chloe together? It sure as heck wasn’t Nell. She did her best to keep them apart,” he said, referring to the couple in Nell’s latest book, Kiss Me in Christmas. Ty clapped his hands. “This is going to be so much fun. Are you excited?”
“Uh, excited about what?”
He sighed. “Me taking on your case. I’m going to get you and Sawyer together. You can name your firstborn after me.” He grinned. “I can hardly wait to see Nell’s face when I tell her.”
“No, no telling anyone,” Jill said, unable to keep the panic from her voice. “I really appreciate you wanting to do this for…Who are you calling?” she asked when he put his cell phone to his ear.
“Chloe. She and Cat have another week left in their recovery, and Chloe’s bored.”
Jill imagined she was. The twins had had surgery a few weeks earlier when Chloe had donated her kidney to her sister. And while Chloe had become a friend, the thought of both her and Ty matchmaking on Jill’s behalf was enough to send her into a panic attack. It felt like everything was spiraling out of control, and Jill didn’t handle losing control well.
“Ty, hang up now,” she said in her cop’s voice.
He rolled his eyes. “Diva, guess what? We’re going to be Jill’s fairy godmothers!”
* * *
Jill felt a little emotional walking into Mountainview, and it had nothing to do with seemingly inheriting a couple of fairy godmothers. She’d threatened them with a lifetime of parking and speeding tickets if they breathed a word to anyone about her crush on Sawyer. She also planned to avoid them for the next month. Surely they’d forget about her by then.
No, the tightness in her chest was because this was officially her last day at the nursing home. If anyone had told her a couple of weeks ago that she would be feeling this way, she would have laughed. She hadn’t exactly been thrilled about the assignment. But in the end, Gage had done her a favor. After failing to live up to her domineering grandmother’s demanding expectations, and being reminded of it every day, Jill hadn’t exactly been a fan of the over-seventy crowd.
“Hey, Sandy,” she greeted the director as she walked toward her. Sandy wore her uniform of brown slacks and a cream blouse. Her auburn hair was pulled back in a tight bun, her tortoiseshell glasses resting at the end of her straight and narrow nose.
“I have some very sad residents at the home today,” she said to Jill.
“Oh no, did someone…die?”
“No silly, they’re sad it’s your last day with us. They’re very fond of you, Jill. I hope you won’t be a stranger.”
“Of course I won’t. I’ll stop by lots and play with them.”
Sandy choked on a laugh.
“You know what I mean,” Jill grumbled.
“Yes, I do. Your murder mystery game was a hit.”
Jill grinned. “I thought they’d enjoy it. They’re pretty bloodthirsty, you know.”
“We do have some characters,” she agreed, and then nodded at the dining hall. “They’re waiting for you. They’ve organized a breakfast in your honor. I hope you’re hungry.”
Her throat tightening with emotion, Jill didn’t think she’d be able to eat. “I’m always hungry,” she managed to say. But her ability to speak left her completely when she walked into the room and the seniors gave her a standing ovation.
“I have a couple calls to make. Stop by my office before you leave,” Sandy said as Mrs. Lynn and Mrs. Sharp came over to get Jill. They led her to a chair at the head of a table. The residents took their seats when she did. Sandy was right. They looked depressed.
Jill cleared her throat and stood. “I’m not really big on speeches, but I want you all to know how touched I am by this. Some of you probably heard that I was sent here at my boss’s directive. He thought I needed some help relating to the seniors in town.” She looked at their lined faces and smiled. “I wish they were like all of you. This was the best assignment I could have asked for. Thank you for—”
“If you love us so much, then you’d damn well stay and protect us,” Mr. Applebee said.
Jill frowned. “Protect you? Protect you from what?”
He lifted his arm. “Someone stole my watch.”
Jill moved to his side. “Who did this to you?” she asked, gently touching the bruise on his wrist.
“Must have been the same person who stole my watch,” he muttered.
“They stole my necklace and left a bruise right here,” an older woman said, pointing to her collarbone.
After a brief interrogation of the residents, Jill discovered two more victims from the weekend before. “Don’t worry, I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’m going to talk to Sandy.”
* * *
“For the third time, no, I’m not getting you a court order to search Mountainview. Jill, Sandy was practically in tears when she called. She said you terrified the staff.”
“I did not terrify the staff. All I did was ask a couple questions. But you know what, I don’t care if I did. I care about the residents of Mountainview and their well-being. They’re vulnerable, Gage. Half of them don’t even have family who visit.”
“Appears my experiment worked. But Jill, we’ve never had a complaint against Mountainview before. Sandy cares about the residents just as much as you.”
“If she did, she would have let me search the place without a court order. I think she’s hiding something.”
“Look, Sandy says the residents love you. So my read on the situation is this. They don’t want you to leave and have come up with a reason for you to stay. They know you’re a cop and you’ll do whatever you can to protect them.”
She thought about what Mr. Applebee said. It kind of supported Gage’s theory. But on the off chance he was wrong, Jill said, “Fine, but I plan on checking in on them every day, and Sandy better not put up a fuss.”
“It’ll have to be on your own time. I need you here. Paperwork’s piled up while you were off.”
She stood up. “I wasn’t exactly off, you know.”
“Yeah, I know. But if you want my job, you better get used to the paperwork.”
She sat back in the chair across from Gage’s desk. “I didn’t…Who told you?”
“Suze may have mentioned it,” he said with a grin.
That was the last time Jill was letting Suze look at her life-goal list. She was just lucky Jill didn’t rat her out to Gage. After all, Suze was the one who’d overheard his conversation and then blabbed the news to Jill. “It was just idle talk, you know. I didn’t mean anything by it. I’d never—”
He held up a hand. “Don’t worry about it, Jill. Word was bound to get out sooner or later.”
“So it’s true, you’re not running for another term?”
“It’s looking that way. My brothers made me an offer that’s tough to refuse.”
“That’s good, I guess. I mean, you’re happy about it, right?” She rubbed her hand over her face. She was babbling.
“You don’t have to be embarrassed that you want my job. I’d be more surprised if you didn’t.”
“Really? So, ah, what do you think my chances are? Of getting elected for sheriff, I mean.”
He looked at her, seemingly weighing out his words before he said, “There’s no doubt you have strong leadership and investigative skills. You’re honest. Take pride in your job. And no one in four counties can outrun, outdrive, or outshoot you.”
Wow, if that wasn’t a ringing endorsement, she didn’t know what was. It sounded like she had the job in the bag. She fought back a grin; she didn’t want to seem cocky. “Thank—”
“But you have to deal with the town council and the mayor, and you—”
“Your wife’s the mayor, and she likes me. She can always smooth things over with the—”
“We’re expecting another baby. Madison’s decided she won’t be running for reelection, either.”
“Oh, that’s great. Congrats. But I’m sure I can get along with whoever is elected.”
Gage rubbed the back of his neck. “That’s the problem, Jill. I’m not sure that you can. Diplomacy isn’t your strong suit. I had five complaints about you last month alone. Not to mention Sandy’s complaint today.”
Jill stiffened, heat rising to her cheeks. “I know. I’ve been working on it. And Sandy—”
“Look, the election isn’t until next spring. You have plenty of time to work on your image.”
“What’s wrong with my image?”
He tapped his pen on a stack of files. “Okay, don’t take this the wrong way, but you’re kind of a hardass, edgy. You need to…I don’t know, get a life maybe. All you do is work.”
“You’re lucky I do. Who else would you get to put in the overtime I do?”
“You’re right, I’m partly to blame. I’ve asked for an increase in our budget so I can hire another deputy part time, but since we just hired Brad, I doubt it will fly. You know my wife, she can be…” He cocked his head. “If you repeat what I’m about to say to you, I’ll deny it. But you remind me of Madison when she first came to Christmas. She gave off that don’t-mess-with-me vibe, and half the folks wanted to run her out of town. You felt the same, so don’t bother trying to deny it,” he said when Jill opened her mouth to refute the statement. Then he continued, “But once we started dating, she let her guard down and showed people her softer and gentler side.”
“Really, that’s your advice? You’re telling me that, if I want to get elected, I have to find a man like you? Someone everyone loves?” It was true. Everyone loved Gage McBride. Tall, dark, and handsome, he was also as nice as he was good-looking.
He looked completely unabashed. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
“That’s sexist. If Ray wanted to run for sheriff, you wouldn’t tell him to—” She began, referring to another of her coworkers.
“Ray’s married. And he doesn’t have any edges to start with. But don’t worry, you have lots of time before election day. Now get out of here, I’ve got work to do.”
If Gage was trying to make her feel better, it didn’t work. The conversation had ended up being more depressing than when it started.