She crossed the grass with him and when she tried releasing his hand he held firm.
“C’mon, sweetheart. I like holding hands with you.”
Emma sighed. “You’re incorrigible.”
He smiled. “Only where you’re concerned.” As they strolled past picnickers, Emma decided to let herself enjoy the moment. She knew she had never been happier. She had friends in Maddy and Dory, and was developing a community with the townspeople. She had never felt like she belonged someplace, but she did now. And topping it all like a bright shiny crown was Bradley Gallagher.
She had told him the bare bones of her past and he’d acted like it didn’t matter. Now he wanted her for his girlfriend. But she couldn’t help thinking maybe it was all an illusion. She would have to tell him the rest, and when he knew everything, he’d likely feel differently.
A tempting thought occurred to her. What if she didn’t tell him the rest? All of that seemed so removed from her now. What if it didn’t matter? She’d dealt with it, hadn’t she? When she’d first met Brad, she’d had a hard time seeing past the cop. But by simply being who he was, she’d been able to see the man behind the badge. Now it would be so easy to let that part of her life lie dead, to leave it behind her and build on a new foundation.
She couldn’t let him kiss her senseless and have sexy nighttime phone conversations if she didn’t want to build a relationship with him. And something inside her yearned for him, for everything he embodied. He was strong and caring, a leader in the community, and he made her feel like she had never felt before. That by simply being herself, she mattered.
Not telling him every detail of her past wasn’t deception, but a niggling doubt said it wasn’t honesty, either. Brad had the right to know.
She had to face the reality she was falling hard for him. The possibility he felt the same thrilled, and at the same time frightened her senseless. She didn’t want to step back. She wanted to experience this, to see where it would go.
Brad led her across the grass in a direction opposite from the way Maddy and Logan had gone. People called to him when they passed and he responded with a quick wave or a nod, but didn’t stop until an officer in uniform approached. Emma recognized Jack Morgan. He nodded to Emma, then turned to his boss.
“Truckload of hands from the Broken Arrow have shown up.”
Brad raised a brow. “And?”
Jack shrugged. “There’s some troublemakers at that ranch. I’ll keep an eye on them.”
“Don’t hassle them because you’re pissed at Eli MacElvoy, Jack. He’s a good man. They’re here to have a good time like everyone else.”
Jack scowled, but nodded. “Pissed doesn’t even come close. But I won’t hassle them unless they cause trouble.”
A Frisbee flew through the air and landed at Jack’s feet. He bent to scoop it up at the same time a small form barreled toward them, skidding to a stop in front of Jack. Adrian Calderon stood stock-still, brown eyes wide, expression wary.
“This yours?” Jack asked, holding up the Frisbee.
Dory trotted toward them, an arm going around Adrian’s shoulder. “Sorry, that was my poor Frisbee throwing skill.”
“No problem.” Jack eyed the boy. “You want your Frisbee back?”
Adrian stood staring for a long minute, backed up a step, then turned and raced off. Bert Morales and a gray-haired woman Emma guessed was Dory’s mother sat across the grass in camp chairs. Adrian climbed onto his grandfather’s lap and wrapped his arms around his neck.
Dory uttered a soft sigh.
“What’s wrong with Adrian?” Brad asked.
“He’s dealing with some issues,” Dory muttered. Jack handed Dory the Frisbee. “He looked scared of me. Tell him I don’t gobble up little kids.” He nodded at the group and walked away.
Dory tapped her forehead with a closed fist, frustration evident.
“You okay?” Emma asked.
“I’m not sure.” Dory’s gaze was on her son sitting on his grandfather’s lap. “About the only man Adrian trusts right now is Dad. He seems to particularly distrust big men, men who are like his father.”
“Would he talk to me? I’m not as big as Rod or Jack. I might be able to get him to open up,” Brad offered.
Emma let out a snorting laugh, and Dory gave an answering smile. “Yeah, right. You’re quite diminutive at what, six two? But thanks, Brad. I’m taking him to a therapist. If she recommends that he should interact with adult men to get over his fear, you’re the first guy I’ll call.”
“Anytime.”
As they waved good-bye to Dory, Emma realized that Brad meant exactly that. Anytime Dory, or anyone for that matter, needed help, Brad was their guy.
They continued their walk, and Emma couldn’t help noticing the interested looks sent her way when people spotted her hand held securely in Brad’s. It felt so good to be with him she knew she was being sucked into the fantasy. Who was she kidding? She should get it over with and tell him. The man valued honesty and would never accept her holding back from him. “We can’t do this.” Emma pulled Brad to a stop.
“What? Walk in the park holding hands?”
“Yes. We can’t act like we’re together. Your family thinks we’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Every one of the townspeople here who sees us together is going to tell someone else. ‘Look at Chief Gallagher and flighty Trudy Kincaid’s daughter, holding hands. What’s he thinking?’”
His expression remained mild. “I don’t mind if people know I’m with you. And when people see you they see Emmaline Kincaid, not Trudy Kincaid’s daughter.”
“Maybe in L.A., Brad, but not here in small-town America. People here knew my grandparents and they knew my mother. They knew she got knocked up and lit out of town. They know my grandfather died without family around to take care of him and they will judge me for that. It’s human nature.”
“Once you tell folks that your mom was sick at the same time as your grandfather, they’ll understand.”
“It’s not only that.” She looked at him solemnly. “There are other reasons we can’t be together.”
“Emmaline, let’s leave it for now.” He pulled up her clasped hand and rubbed his lips across her knuckles. “I know you want to talk, and that you’re not comfortable with our relationship, but let’s take today as it comes.” He looked at her with those steady green eyes, and Emma felt her determination waver. “We’ll eat some barbecue, drink a little beer, and enjoy the people. We’ll have that conversation soon, but let’s take today to enjoy being together.”
Emma ground her teeth in frustration. “But Brad, I—”
“Please, Emmaline,” he interrupted, gaze intent.
She knew she was a coward but found herself nodding reluctantly. She let out a breath she hadn’t been aware of holding. “Okay, we’ll enjoy the day.”
By the time they made their way back to the picnic table, Maddy had returned and Logan was in conversation with Derek, who held a match to the charcoal in the portable barbecue. Maddy glanced at Emma and at her questioning look, Maddy shrugged. “He can eat with us because he’s Brad’s friend, but that doesn’t mean I have to like it.”
Emma worked with Maddy and Trish, and soon potato salad, watermelon, and the fixings for burgers and grilled Polish sausages were laid out on the table. Brad grabbed three beers, popped the tops, and handed over one each to Derek and Logan.
Maddy muttered, “Why is it that it takes three men to barbecue a bunch of hamburger patties and grill a couple of dogs?”
Emma shrugged; she could tell that some of the shine had come off Maddy’s day.
Maddy continued, “I’ll tell you why, because men are jerks and it’s their way of trying to look busy so they won’t be asked to do anything else.”
Emma nodded her agreement. “But Brad said Logan is taking a turn in the dunk tank. I’m sure the water is beyond cold. Maybe you can dunk him.”
Maddy brightened considerably.
In short order, Emma found herself at the picnic table, wedged between Brad and Jenny, enjoying tasty potato salad and a grilled burger. Maddy was careful to sit at the far end of the table well away from Logan Ross.
The fruit salad Emma had brought was a hit, and Brad heaped the berries, melon, and mango onto his plate. She liked watching the interaction between the members of the Gallagher family. Trish held baby Brandon while his parents ate, feeding him a bottle while she chatted with Derek. Emma could feel the deep and abiding love shared by the family. She couldn’t imagine growing up like this, knowing without doubt you were safe and loved. The clutch around her heart wasn’t envy, but gratitude that such love existed. Simply knowing it was there made the world a better place.
Logan sat at Emma’s end of the table, deep in conversation with Brad about the developer’s proposed plans for Hangman’s Loss. It was obvious Logan wasn’t too pleased with the idea his hometown might be in for major changes. Brad’s arm came to rest around her shoulders. She glanced up at him and he leaned to whisper in her ear. “You look sad.”
She shook her head. “Not sad, thinking. You have a beautiful family.”
He raised his brows. “Yeah, I do. You okay?”
She nodded. She was a bit sad. The future she had mapped out for herself suddenly looked lonely. Determined to shake off the feeling, she turned to Trish and offered to feed the baby so she could eat. Emma caught Brad’s thoughtful gaze as she nuzzled the baby’s neck, breathing in the soft scents of milk and powder.
After the meal, Maddy corralled Emma to play catch. She knew Maddy’s real motive was to see whether Emma would be of any use in the softball game. She smiled to herself. She’d followed baseball avidly from the time she was ten, and had been on the softball teams in middle and high school. She’d always looked for ways to extend her school day, to delay returning to whatever run-down apartment or motel she and her mother were living in, and playing ball had been a lot of fun. With the today being warm enough for shirtsleeves, the smell of pine in the air, and a deep blue mountain sky, she considered it perfect for a ballgame.
She lifted her borrowed mitt to snag the high, arcing ball Maddy lobbed, then arrowed it back where it hit Maddy’s glove with a smack.
“Yeah, baby. I think I’ll put you at third. Caroline Johnson called third but she wants to pat the guys’ butts when they run the bases. I want to win.”
“Great. Now you’ll have her mad at me and I don’t even know her.”
“Nah. She won’t be mad. I’ll put her out in center field with a couple of cute guys in right and left. She’ll be in pretty-girl heaven.”
Emma noticed Brad and Logan trooping off toward the dunk tank. “There they go, ready to make great sacrifices for the public good.”
“Let’s go buy our tickets. I’m going to make sure Logan Ross is sorry he ever came back to Hangman’s Loss.”
Emma eyed her friend cautiously. “You sure don’t hold back when you dislike someone, do you? What happened between the two of you?”
“Too much to forgive. He’s a lying, cheating snake without an honorable bone in his body.”
“Brad’s about the most upstanding person I know. I’m surprised he’s friends with someone like that.”
“Well, you’re right about my brother. Honesty and integrity ooze from his pores. But he’s also loyal to a fault. Once he believes in someone it’s almost impossible to get him to change his mind. He refuses to see Logan for what he really is.”
While Emma pondered Maddy’s assessment, the two women made their way over to the dunk tank, where a short line had formed. She wondered if that loyalty would blind Brad to the reasons they couldn’t be together. Her heart wrenched when she realized how much she would miss him. When she saw him on a daily basis, regardless if some days it was only for a few minutes, he always managed to make her feel special, like she lit up his day simply by being. Beyond that, his constant support since they met had helped integrate her into the community. She knew people now, people spoke to her when she walked into the grocery store or stopped at the gas station, and she was pretty sure the reason they were so accepting had to do with the small-town news that the chief of police had a thing for the new girl.
As she stood in line to pay for her ticket, another idea chased the first. Was Maddy as loyal as her brother? Would she end her friendship with Emma once it became apparent that she and Brad weren’t together? Emma sincerely hoped not. She’d had few true friends in her life and didn’t want to lose Maddy.
Feeling glum, Emma paid her five dollars for a chance to throw three balls while Maddy laid down a twenty-dollar bill. “Twenty dollars? How many guys are you planning to dunk?”
“Just one dirty rat,” Maddy replied with a scowl and picked up her tickets.
Emma stared at her friend in amazement. “Those are all for Logan? What are you planning? To drown him?”
“That would work,” Maddy replied.
The rules were that each participant got three balls for their five dollars, but only one dunk. If you dunked the hunk on the first try, you couldn’t throw the other two balls. Apparently, that didn’t mean you couldn’t have another go with an additional three-ball purchase.
They joined the line next to a hand-painted sign that read, “Dunk a Hunk and Support Hangman’s Finest!” The picture showed a muscle-bound man, dressed in a Hangman’s Loss police uniform, flexing his biceps while a ball sailed toward him.
Brad sat on the seat over the tank dressed in athletic shorts and a black t-shirt while Bert Morales, the first person in line, tossed a ball lightly in the air and waited for the event to start. Emma recognized the young officer, Warren, who was taking the tickets and making sure those with the balls were behind the limit line.
“Dunk the hunk, folks,” he called out. “Has the chief ever written you a speeding ticket? Nabbed you for running a red light? Well, here’s your chance to get back at him.”
Brad cupped his hands and yelled at Warren, “You’re not thinking of a promotion any time soon, are you, Warren?”
This was met with hoots and laughs from those in line while a small crowd gathered to watch. The mayor approached the table and paid for three balls. In pressed jeans and a sequined blouse, Marla obviously thought she had dressed casually, but to Emma she still looked like a politician, always on the job.
Marla walked to the front of the line, past those already waiting. “Would you folks mind if I went ahead of you? I’m meeting with some businessmen in town in half an hour but I wanted my chance to support the police department.”
“Can you believe the nerve of her,” Maddy muttered. “She doesn’t have a clue how obnoxious she comes across. And I know what she really wants.”
“What’s that?” Emma asked.
“Remember what I told you before? About the kiss?”
“What kiss?”
“The tradition is that the hunk gets to kiss the first woman to dunk him.”
“Oh.” Marla’s cut to the front of the line now took on greater meaning. “She means to get that kiss from Brad?”
“You got it, sister. But I really don’t think you have anything to worry about. Marla always sucked at softball.”
Emma had to agree when Marla gave the ball an awkward toss that landed in the grass well short of its target.
“See? She throws like a wuss. She should throw like a girl.”
Emma laughed.
Marla’s next toss nearly hit Warren, who stood well away from the tank. Brad looked relaxed on the seat, probably realizing he would stay dry as long as the mayor was throwing.
The third ball took him by surprise. Marla gave it a good toss and it actually hit the target, but not with enough force to send Brad into the tank.
Marla’s shrug looked good-natured, but Emma saw from the glitter in her eyes she had desperately wanted to nail it.
Bert Morales was up next and while he threw with more consistency than Marla, the target was small and Brad stayed out of the water. Next up was a little girl of about ten who managed to hit the target but again without the force necessary to trigger the mechanism.
Then it was Emma’s turn. Brad flashed her a broad grin. “Hey, sweetheart. This water is damned cold so you’re going to be nice, right?”
Emma returned his smile, set a pitcher’s stance, wound up, and hurled the ball. It hit the target and Brad hit the water. Someone yelled, “Get ready to pucker up, young lady.”
To the sound of Maddy’s cheering and the clapping of the crowd, Emma handed the extra two balls over to Warren. “My job here is done,” she said smugly.
Brad stood up in the tank, water streaming as he climbed back on the platform. He’d managed to keep his head out of the water but was soaked from the chest down. “I’ll pay you back, Emmaline,” he called out to her.
Smiling sweetly at him, she said, “Now, now. The police chief shouldn’t make threats.”
His laugh reached her before he turned his attention to his sister. “Remember when I beat up that bully when you were in seventh grade, Maddy? You owe me.”
“You’re such a big brother, Brad. And I’ve more than paid you back with coffee from the café. But don’t worry, you’re safe from me. I’ve got other fish to fry or, in this case, dunk.”
Maddy was next in line, but she allowed others to take their turns until Brad’s time in the tank was up. He’d managed to stay out of the water for the rest of his shift but with the steady breeze he had to be getting chilled. When he climbed down from the tank, Logan prepared to climb up. Brad walked to a curtained enclosure behind the tank while Warren handed Maddy her three balls in exchange for her ticket.
Logan eyed Maddy as she tossed a ball up, then caught it. “Still an ace with the ball, Blondie?”
“Yep. Prepare for your weekly bath, big guy.” There was a little mean in Maddy’s smile.
“Come on, now. I’m doing this for the police department. For my good friend, Brad. And these are borrowed shorts.” He apparently hadn’t found a shirt to borrow because he climbed up onto the platform shirtless. Strong muscles bunched and stretched as he heaved himself up, a tattoo of a snake coiled on one shoulder. The black hair combed back from his forehead added to the bad boy look.
At Maddy’s determined expression he called out, “Give it the best you got, darlin’. It’s been a while since high school softball. You might have lost your edge.”
“You’re going down.” Maddy’s first ball flew hard toward the target but sailed over it.
Emma watched in fascination at Maddy’s concentration. She had no doubt that Logan would end up in the water. The next ball clipped the top edge of the target without triggering the mechanism.
“Last shot, Blondie. I think I’m starting to burn sitting out here in the sun.” Logan shifted in his seat, making himself comfortable while Maddy wound up for another throw. This one nailed it and Logan splashed into the tank.
Emma expected the cold water to cut some of the bravado. But he stood, water glistening on his chest, a wolfish smile on his face. “Well, I guess that means a kiss. Me and Madison Gallagher.”