Chapter 3

 

Nothing could have prepared Hannah for the sight of Chase with an apron wrapped around his waist and a baseball cap perched backwards on his head. Visions of Luke Danes from Gilmore Girls brought a huge smile to her face. Both men managed to make pouring a cup of coffee look manly and sexy as hell.

She ended up doing all the cooking for both the breakfast and lunch rushes—which were considerable after news of last night’s incident had spread through town. Since Hannah loved to cook and rarely had the opportunity to do so at the diner, she’d enjoyed herself immensely. And she had to give Chase a lot of credit. He’d been on his feet taking orders and waiting tables without complaint for nearly nine hours, and that’s after working an extra half-shift at the station last night. With the realization he was mostly doing this for her, she would definitely have to find a way to repay him.

Miles finally called to let her know he’d gone up to the UP of Michigan with his father and brothers for a fishing trip and wouldn’t be back until Sunday. But thankfully, Jason stopped in around two to find out what had happened, then agreed to stay and close up with the new waitress, Kelly, so that Hutch didn’t lose anymore income than he already had. They all cared fiercely for the old guy.

Chase strode up and set another order on the counter. “I also need a cheeseburger and fries to go, no mustard on the burger.”

Hannah picked up the order and smiled at him. “You’ve been great. I have no idea what I would have done without you today.”

“You wouldn’t have come in. No way would I have let you work the diner alone after last night.”

Her smile faded. “Well, you sure know how to ruin the mood.”

He laughed. “Sorry, but you know I couldn’t have let you come alone after—”

“I know, I know, after what happened. Good Lord, at some point, you’re going to have to get over it.”

He gave her a considering look. “And at some point, you’re going to have to deal with it and quit acting like such a tough girl. The place was robbed, you were threatened, people you care about were hurt; are still in the hospital, in fact, and you act as if—”

“Is Max still in the hospital?” My God, how could that have slipped my mind? The thought of what Lauren must be going through…Hannah felt like the world’s worst friend. “I meant to give Lauren a call this morning and ask how he’s doing, but it’s been so busy I completely forgot.”

Chase’s expression softened. “It’s almost three, and it’s slowed down a lot, so Kelly will be fine for the few hours until close. Why don’t we head on over to the hospital to check on Hutch; you can give Lauren a call on the way.”

She gave a quick nod, afraid if she opened her mouth a choked sob would escape. It’s not as if she weren’t affected by what happened. It’s all she could frickin’ think about, truth be told. It’s just…if she thought about it too much she’d drive herself crazy worrying about the thief and the threats he’d made.

For all her brave talk after the robbery, Hannah was grateful Chase had insisted on staying at the house with her until Drew, Lindy, and her dad got back from L.A.

Chase called the station and assigned one of his officers to escort Miles to the bank after closing time, and for that, Hannah was grateful. She was also more than ready to go see her dear friend and assure him they had everything under control.

She pulled out her cell phone on the way to Chase’s truck and dialed Lauren’s number. After being assured that Max was fine and already home from the hospital, Hannah breathed a deep sigh of relief. She disconnected the call, leaned back against the headrest and closed her eyes.

“He’s a tough kid,” Chase observed as he eased into traffic. “Just like his mother.”

Hannah agreed; she turned to gaze up at him. “I can’t tell you how relieved I am. They clocked him so hard…he went down like a ton of bricks.”

Without taking his eyes from the road, Chase reach over and gave her hand a squeeze. “He’s fine, and that’s all that matters. And I swear to you, Hannah, I will find those sons of bitches. They’re going to pay for what they did.”

Of that Hannah had no doubt. Chase was the best cop on the force, which is why he’d climbed the ranks so fast. As fair and impartial as the day was long, he simply cared about everyone. He’d been serving the town of Redemption for over a decade now, and the man was easily one of the most liked people in town. Everyone loved Chase. Everyone—

Her eyes shot open in surprise when the truck came to a stop in the hospital’s parking lot. Her thoughts had almost started to wander into dangerous territory. She cleared her throat and opened the door before Chase could come around and open it for her. The man was a gentleman through and through, but it made her a tad uncomfortable to have someone open doors for her. Maybe she was too self-sufficient for her own good.

He escorted her inside, and after a quick stop at the information desk and then the gift shop, they headed to the third floor with a cheerful houseplant and a ‘Get Well’ Mylar balloon.

Hannah wasn’t prepared for the sight of Hutch lying on the hospital bed, his head covered in a thick bandage, his eyes closed as he either rested or slept.

She approached the bed quietly, not wanting to wake him if he was sleeping, and walked around him to set the planter down on the window ledge.

“You should’ve just put up the ‘Closed’ sign.”

Hannah spun around at the raspy complaint. “How are you feeling?”

“Guilty. This should’ve been your weekend off.”

She shot a quick glance to Chase, who seemed to be hiding a smile as he approached the bed on the opposite side.

“I wasn’t about to let those scumbags steal another day’s earnings from you.”

Hutch turned to look at Chase. “Got a heart of gold, this one.”

Chase met her gaze. “That she does.”

She fiddled with her ponytail, uncomfortable with their praise. “It wasn’t a big deal. I had nothing to do this weekend anyway with Dad and Drew in L.A.” Focusing her attention back on Hutch, she said, “Miles is closing tonight.”

“He’s a good one, too.” Hutch scrunched his eyes at the plant. “You didn’t have to buy me a gift.”

“Of course I did. Who comes to visit a friend in the hospital and doesn’t bring a gift?”

“I’m just saying your money could have been better spent on something else.”

She scowled as she moved in to grasp his hand. “I can’t think of anything better, you ungrateful old coot.”

Hutch smiled and gripped her fingers. His voice was a raspy grate as he said, “That’s just how she would have said it, you know.”

“I know,” Hannah whispered right back.

It had been about a year since Rosalee Hunter, Caleb’s mother and the love of Hutch’s life, had passed on, and Hannah knew how much Hutch missed her. Hannah missed her as well since she’d known Rosalee most of her life.

After a moment, Chase took a step forward and gave Hutch’s shoulder a gentle pat. “Listen, if you’re feeling up to it, I’d like to ask you a few questions about last night.”

The old man nodded. Hannah released his hand and took a step back.

Chase pulled out a pad and a pen. “Hannah already filled us in on most of the details, so I just wanted to follow up with you, make sure we have all the facts before I start this investigation. Did you happen to recognize either of the robbers?”

The old man gave his head a slow shake, but then he looked at Hannah with an almost quizzical expression. “They were wearing masks, but…I thought the one who spoke sounded familiar. Thought about it all day, but I just can’t figure it out to save my life.”

Chase glanced over at her. “Did you recognize the guy’s voice? I assume he’s the one who threatened you?”

“He threatened you? When?” Hutch demanded.

Hannah leveled Chase with an incredulous lift of her brows. “Really? In his condition you had to bring that up?”

“I’m sorry, but you didn’t tell me he didn’t know,” Chase quickly defended.

She turned back to Hutch with a reassuring smile. “I’m fine. Please calm down.”

“I’m as calm as I can be under the circumstances.” He closed his eyes for a brief moment, let out a weak sigh, and relaxed back into the pillow. “Tell me what happened.”

“The taller one said I was high and mighty or something like that. Said he knew where I lived and not to give him a reason to make a late night visit.”

A scowl twisted the gruff old man’s face. “Those nasty little punks.” He shot a meaningful glance at Chase. “Promise me you won’t stop until you have those two behind bars.”

“There’s not a chance in hell I’m gonna let them get away with this,” Chase assured him. “And if you remember anything else, you let me know, hear?”

“Of course.”

Chase nodded and gave Hutch a pat on the arm. “Appreciate it.”

“So,” Hannah said, giving his hand a squeeze. “When are they going to spring you?”

“Today, if you don’t mind sneaking me out of here.”

Hannah couldn’t help but grin at Hutch’s deadpan expression. “Nice try, but you’re going to stay as long as they say you need to.”

“Well, I’m certainly glad to hear that.”

Hannah looked up to a see a doctor striding toward the bed. A very handsome doctor at that. He wore the customary white coat, stethoscope wrapped around his neck, and a clipboard in his hand. 

“I’m Dr. Bowman.” He held out his hand to first Chase, then Hannah. “I was just explaining to Mr. Hutchinson that I’d like to run a few more tests before he’s released. Just as a precautionary measure.”

Concern gripped her as a million questions flooded her mind. But she didn’t want to worry Hutch, so she held the older man’s gaze and said, “Sounds reasonable to me. You need this time to rest anyway. Rosalee would agree with me,” she added with a stubborn tilt of her head when he opened his mouth to argue.

Hutch’s face fell, and he huffed out an exaggerated sigh.

Deep down, Hannah knew he was happy to have a couple days of bed rest. Even if it happened to be in a hospital. He was much too proud—and lonely—to take a day off work. With no children of his own, Hutch had very little to occupy his time. Other than Caleb, Lauren, and the kids, but they had busy lives of their own.

“Smart lady. So is this your daughter?”

Dr. Bowman smiled at her, and Hannah found herself smiling right back. Out of the corner of her eye, she realized Chase was regarding the doctor with barely concealed annoyance, though she couldn’t imagine why.

“This beautiful snippet is Hannah Porter. She’s been working for me for years. And this is our sheriff, Chase Lowell.”

Dr. Bowman nodded at Chase. “Sheriff. Miss Porter. It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” He returned his attention to Hutch. “I’ll probably release you Tuesday, maybe even Monday if you have someone at home to take care of you…?”

“Caleb and Lauren already made the offer.”

“And I’ll take care of the diner,” Hannah assured him, “so don’t you worry about that.”

“Great. It was nice meeting you both. Hutch, get some rest, and I’ll be back to check on you later.” With that, Dr. Bowman left the room.

Hannah gave Hutch’s shoulder a quick pat. “Would you like us to stay for a bit?”

“No, please. You must be tired after working all day.” He looked over at Chase. “You make sure she gets home safe and sound. And if you wouldn’t mind, I’d appreciate you checking up on her until Drew and Andy get back from California.” He glanced back at Hannah. “You did call and tell them what happened…?”

“Uh, no, I didn’t.” She chanced a quick glance at Chase. “You know they would’ve cut their trip short if I had. And Dad really needed the time away after…well, you know.” Her mother’s death had hit them all hard, but her father had nearly gone into a depression over the loss of his soul mate.

Hutch gave a curt nod. “That I do. Better than most.”

“Chase graciously offered to stay at the house until they get home.”

“In Drew’s old room,” Chase quickly amended.

Was it Hannah’s imagination, or were his cheeks flushed? She almost laughed out loud at the thought.

Hutch didn’t say anything for moment, merely ping-ponged a look between them. Finally, he cleared his throat and cast Chase what could only be called a meaningful glance. “I’m sure the Porter men will be glad to know she’s in such good hands. Can’t get much safer than shacking up with the sheriff.”

“Oh, we’re not shacking up,” Hannah quickly corrected. “It was the only way Chase would agree not to call them. I really wanted my dad to have this time away, plus he has that work seminar. And Lindy was so excited to see her parents after the interview fiasco last month, so I know—”

“I think he gets the drift,” Chase cut in, stopping her mid-ramble.

Hannah bit the bottom corner of her lip and smiled a bit sheepishly.

“Go on,” Hutch said. “Take her home. If she’s dead set on opening the diner tomorrow, she’ll need a good night’s sleep.”

“Yes, Dad.” Hannah leaned over and kissed Hutch on the cheek. “And you get some rest yourself. I know Caleb and Lauren will take good care of you, but if you need anything please let me know.”

“I will.” He smiled gratefully, then closed his eyes and shooed them out.

Chase didn’t say a word until they were sitting in his truck. “Since neither of us had a chance to eat lunch, what do you say I take you out for an early dinner? Anywhere you’d like.”

“Honestly, I’d rather just head home and make something.”

He raised a brow. “After cooking all day? You sure?”

“Positive. I can kick off my shoes and get comfy. Besides, I love to cook.”

“You always did.” He winked at her. “Okay, I’m game. What are you gonna make for us?”

She turned to face him, excited with the opportunity to cook for this man, show off her talents a bit. “I have some beautiful center-cut pork chops to grill, and I’ll make my mushroom risotto to go with them. Oh, and fresh asparagus with homemade hollandaise sauce.”

“Homemade hollandaise sauce?” he repeated with a doubtful lift of his brow.

Hannah lifted her chin a notch. “Yes, homemade. Dad loves eggs benedict, and that powdered mix is such crap. I’ve been making it for years.”

“And risotto? Fancy. Someone’s been watching a lot of cooking shows. Don’t suppose you make simple stuff anymore like spaghetti or lasagna, or fried chicken?”

“Of course I do. Dad and Drew beg for lasagna on a weekly basis, and polish off the entire pan in a night.”

“You do make a damn good pan of lasagna.”

“Thank you. It’s so nice to feel appreciated.”

“Feed me something besides the frozen pizza and TV dinners I usually eat, and I’ll appreciate you like no one ever has.”