Gabe held open the door to the station for Mallory and her stepsons. Her head was bowed, the boys trailing behind her. “It wasn’t me on the tape. It was an audiobook,” she said.
“I didn’t think it was you.” Half the crowd gathered outside the diner had, but not him. Did he maybe fantasize that it was on his drive back to the station? Probably not a good idea to let your mind go there right now, he told himself. Especially with Mallory looking up at him with her windblown hair and flushed face.
He wondered if she had any idea how incredibly beautiful she was. He didn’t get the impression that she did. She was unassuming and soft-spoken. Unless you threatened her stepsons, he thought with an inward smile.
Even if he hadn’t appreciated her taking off with the boys in her sweet-looking black Jag, he’d admired the fire in her eyes when she’d gone all protective mama bear on him. Except she’d put him in a difficult situation. And the difficult part of the situation was sauntering toward them with a bowlegged gait.
“There you are, son. Wondered when you’d finally show your face,” former chief of police Owen Campbell said, looking like a villain in an old Western. All he needed to do to make the image complete was twirl the end of his silver handlebar mustache.
If someone were to have told Gabe that the former chief of police came with the job, he would’ve refused to take it. He’d liked the older man well enough when they first met, but that was before he became his shadow at work.
“Now, I’m not a man to tell someone how to do their job”—he told him every single day—“but just so you know for next time, it’s kinda frowned upon to let the suspect drive her and her victims to the station. Don’t worry though; I covered your behind with the gal from social services.”
“Mrs. Maitland’s not a suspect, and her boys aren’t victims, Owen. That was cleared up before I allowed her to drive the boys to the station.” An out-and-out lie, but the man was ticking him off. Besides that, Ruby was practically falling off her chair trying to hear what was said. No doubt to pass along to Dot, who Gabe was positive was on the other end of the phone Ruby had pressed to her ear.
Owen frowned and leaned to the right to get a look behind Gabe. It was then that Gabe realized he’d blocked the older man’s view of Mallory and her stepsons. As her gasp seconds before had indicated, she’d been able to hear what Owen said.
The older man paled, then tipped the brim of his cowboy hat at Mallory. “No one told me it was you they were bringing in.” He shot Ruby a glare over his shoulder and the woman shrugged, pointing to the phone still pressed to her ear. It seemed Dot had kept that bit of intel to herself.
Gabe stepped aside to usher Mallory and her stepsons into the station. His overly quiet station. He glanced to where several of his officers sat at their desks pretending to be working and not listening. Given the smell of pumpkin and apple pie permeating the air, they hadn’t been working much before he’d arrived. He couldn’t say he blamed them. Like him, they’d worked through Thanksgiving.
His in-laws, Karl and Diane, had his sons at their home in Atlanta. The closer proximity to Highland Falls, near where they’d once had a vacation home, was one of the reasons they’d pushed Gabe to put his name forward for chief of police. That and they hated New York. They blamed the city for the death of their beloved only child.
“Why don’t you boys come with me? I’ll take you on a tour of the station. Ruby there”—Owen hitched his thumb at the older woman hefting herself up from behind the desk—“she brought in pies and cookies from the bakery, and I might just know where they tried to hide them from me.”
If Gabe didn’t know better, he’d think Owen was trying to suck up to…
How could he have forgotten? Of course Owen was sucking up to Mallory. He’d been the one to call social services on Boyd Carlisle all those years before, a man who’d been his best friend. So, indirectly, some might say Owen was responsible for Mallory being put in foster care, and it was obvious the decision haunted him to this day.
Owen had relayed some of his history with the Carlisles to Gabe last summer when he’d tried to convince him to ignore Blair Maitland’s accusation of kidnapping against Mallory. There was a part of Gabe that wished he’d listened to him. But the problem was that Owen hadn’t been asking him to look the other way because he believed Mallory was innocent.
Oliver and Brooks looked at Mallory, and she looked at him. “It’s fine by me. The caseworker will want to talk with you separately anyway.”
Her full lips flattened at the reminder of why they were there. But she wasn’t just angry, he thought when he saw her rub her earlobe between her thumb and forefinger—he’d become familiar with her nervous habit last summer. Despite what other parts of his body seemed to think, it was probably a good thing he didn’t want to pursue a relationship with her. There was no way she’d want anything to do with him after today.
“I’ll take good care of your boys, Mallory. You have my word. And I’ll put in a good word for you too.” With his thumbs hitched in the belt loops of his jeans, Owen rocked on the heels of his cowboy boots and shot Gabe a sidelong glance. “Don’t know what he was thinking arresting you.”
Three pairs of blue eyes blinked up at Gabe, and he blew out a frustrated breath instead of the curse word that was on the tip of his tongue. “Does she look like she’s under arrest, Owen?” At the whispers coming from his officers, he raised his voice. “She’s not under arrest, and you can all share that with the rest of the town. If I arrest anyone, it’ll be Dot and her pals at the diner.”
“Easy now, son. You don’t want to mess with the senior citizens of Highland Falls. Trust me, they can make your life a living hell.” He grimaced and apologized to Mallory and the boys for his language.
“Oliver and Brooks, you can go with Mr. Campbell, if you’d like.” Mallory looked around. “I’ll be right here if—”
“If you need her, Mallory will be in my office,” Gabe informed the boys, who appeared torn between going and staying. He lifted his chin at the takeaway bags in their hands. “Owen will heat up your burgers and fries for you.”
“No, she won’t be in your office,” Mallory said once the boys walked off with Owen. “She’s waiting for her attorney.”
“Okay, look, Mallory, I get it. But this isn’t a big deal. It’s just a formality. The boys recanted their accusations. Besides, the woman has been waiting in my office for almost an hour. By the time your lawyer arrives from Atlanta—”
“My lawyer isn’t coming from Atlanta.” She nodded at the door. “And she’s here now.”
Gabe groaned when a pregnant blonde with a briefcase and a petite redhead with a dog in her purse walked into the station. Eden Mackenzie and her soon-to-be sister-in-law Abby Everhart gave him the evil eyes before rushing over to pull Mallory in for a hug.
Great. Now not only were the seniors of Highland Falls ticked at him, so were two prominent members of the Sisterhood. The Sisterhood that had been creating problems for him since his first day on the job. He rubbed the heel of his palm against his chest. It wasn’t Dot’s burger giving him heartburn; it was this town.
Mallory’s eyes narrowed on his hand, and he dropped it to his side while addressing the three women, who looked at him with less-than-impressed expressions on their faces. “Ladies, I don’t know what Mallory has told you but we’re all good here. We should be able to clear things up in the next twenty minutes or so. If you’d like, you can wait—”
“Oh no, Chief Buchanan,” said Abby, the redhead with the dog. “You are not getting rid of us that easily. My best friend doesn’t stand up for herself very well.…You know it’s true, Mal. You let everyone walk all over you, including those boys.” She waved off Mallory’s objections. “Yes, yes, I know they’ve been through a lot, and I sympathize with them, too, but that doesn’t mean they’re allowed to treat you like crap. Honestly, Mal, what if someone actually believed their accusation?”
“Obviously someone did. Several someones,” Mallory said, studiously avoiding his gaze.
“You’re right. But it’s okay. You’ve got Eden to take care of the legal end of things, and I’ll look after your reputation. Sorry, Bella Boo, Mommy needs her cell phone,” she said to the Yorkshire terrier as she dug around in a purse the size of a suitcase.
When she held up her phone, he said, “No way. You’re not filming any of this, Abby. And no disrespect intended, Eden. I know you’re a good lawyer, but you don’t practice family law so—”
Abby cut him off. “Eden’s an amazing lawyer, and because she is, as soon as she got off the phone with Mal, she called one of the best family attorneys in North Carolina, who just happens to be her bestie. They met—”
The woman could talk for hours. He had to get rid of her before she turned a simple situation into a Greek tragedy. As he racked his brain for a reason for her to leave, he remembered something his youngest had said when he’d called Gabe at the butt-crack of dawn that morning. “Aren’t you supposed to be filming behind-the-scenes footage of the Christmas parade for your YouTube channel?”
Teddy was a big fan of Abby Does Highland Falls and kept up a running commentary whenever he watched. Teddy was also a big fan of Highland Falls and Christmas, and he couldn’t wait to celebrate their first holiday here. Just the thought of which had Gabe rubbing his chest again.
They’d lost Lauren ten days before the holidays and hadn’t done much in the way of celebrating for the past three years. Teddy seemed determined to up the ante on their barely remembered traditions. About as determined as Gabe, Dylan, and Cody were to keep things status quo.
“Why, yes, I am, Chief Buchanan. Are you keeping tabs on me?” Abby grinned up at him.
“I’ll leave that to Hunter.” At his mention of her fiancé, Abby lit up like a Christmas tree, and Gabe decided to take advantage of the fact that she was head over heels. He’d feel guilty about it later. If she managed to talk her way into the meeting (and he knew from personal experience she was very good at talking her way into anything and everything), he’d be lucky to get home in time for his boys’ and in-laws’ arrival.
The last thing Gabe needed was to be late. In his mother-in-law’s eyes, it would be further proof that he was failing as a father. Diane had hinted on more than one occasion that the boys would be better off living permanently with her and Karl in Atlanta. After all, they had all the time in the world to devote to his sons. Money too, although she was too polite to point that out. Sometimes her hints sounded a lot like threats.
He glanced at his watch. “Speaking of Hunter, have you gotten him a Christmas present yet?”
Mallory and Eden shared a raised-eyebrow glance.
“Why? Did he drop a hint?” She made prayer-hands. “Please tell me he did, because I haven’t got a clue what to get him. You wouldn’t believe how difficult the man is to buy for. I’ve—”
Gabe cut her off before she went on for another five minutes. “Hunter didn’t mention anything to me, but Ed at the hardware store, he was showing this guy a carving knife he had on display the other day, and I immediately thought of Hunter.” That at least was true. Abby’s fiancé was a gifted wood-carver. His work was highly sought after. “It’s a beauty. If you want it, I’d head over there now seeing as it’s Black Friday.”
“You’re right, but I can’t leave Mal.” She chewed on her thumbnail. “You couldn’t wait to start the meeting, could you?”
“It’s okay, Abby. I’m good. Eden’s with me,” Mallory assured her best friend.
“Okay, if you’re positive you don’t mind. I’ll see you at your place in an hour. You’re going to fall in love with your new neighborhood.” She gave Mallory a hug, shooting Gabe a smile that made him nervous.
“That better not have just been a story to get rid of Abby, Gabe, or you’ll find yourself featured on her YouTube channel. Again,” Eden said as they walked to the back of the station.
“Don’t remind me.” He held open the door to his office. “I’m sorry to keep you waiting.…” Oh hell. “Hey, Kayla.” He walked in and shook the woman’s hand. She was attractive, with long dark hair and voluptuous red lips. He’d gone out on one coffee date with her and had spent the past month avoiding her and her phone calls. “Ruby didn’t mention you were the caseworker social services sent.”
“I didn’t give my name. I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable. You know, since she’s the one who’s been helping you avoid me.”
This was going to be worse than he’d anticipated. He glanced at Mallory and Eden as he shrugged out of his jacket to take a seat behind his desk. From where they now sat across from him, they looked intrigued as well as slightly concerned. They had reason to be.
The last thing Mallory needed was to plead her case to a woman who already appeared to have an ax to grind, even if that ax was with him. He rubbed his chest as the ache expanded. He blamed his mother-in-law for the mess he now found himself in.
To counter his fear of a custody battle with his in-laws, he’d stuck his toe in the dating pool. Now that he’d gotten a job closer to them and in a small town, he’d expected things to settle down. But he hadn’t been in Highland Falls three months when Diane began hinting that the boys needed a woman in their lives.
She’d probably meant herself, because God knew no one would ever be able to meet her exacting standards. But he couldn’t lay the blame entirely on his mother-in-law. His youngest had been hinting the same, and he was pretty sure Teddy had shared that with his grandma.
But as soon as Gabe had sat across from Kayla at Highland Brew, he’d known it was a mistake. There’d been no sparks, no instant attraction like he’d felt with Mallory. But worse than his lack of attraction to the woman was that every minute he’d been in her company he’d felt like he was betraying his wife.
Kayla looked at him with a thin black eyebrow raised, clearly expecting a response. Mallory distracted him by leaning over to place two tablets on his desk.
“For your indigestion,” she said at his questioning glance. “They’re just an over-the-counter antacid.”
“I didn’t think you were trying to poison me.” He smiled, then, remembering why they were there, cleared his throat. “It was a joke.”
Kayla looked from him to Mallory, and her lips pursed. “In light of the reason for this meeting, perhaps you should refrain from any further attempts at humor,” she said, implying she didn’t find him the least bit funny. That was something else he hadn’t enjoyed about his coffee date with Kayla: the woman didn’t have a sense of humor.
“You’re right. Sorry.” He had to fix this before Mallory paid the price. “And I’m glad it was you who social services sent so I have the opportunity to apologize in person for not returning your calls, Kayla. My plate’s been full these past few weeks, and I was waiting until I cleared off a couple things before giving you a call to set up another date.”
Yeah, yeah, I know it’s totally inappropriate, he thought in response to Mallory and Eden’s wide-eyed stares. He wasn’t any happier about it than they appeared to be. Thankfully, he hadn’t just trashed his professional credibility for nothing, because Kayla’s entire demeanor changed.
Pushing her long hair over her shoulder, she smiled. “We can talk about a time that works for both of us after we’re done here.”
“Sounds good,” Gabe said and made the introductions before bringing Kayla up to speed.
“I see.” She tapped a manicured finger against her lips. “So your opinion is that the boys made up the accusations of abuse simply to return to Atlanta and their stepmother’s care. Obviously, I’m referring to their father’s wife.”
“Mallory was their father’s wife. Just, ah, not the first one,” Gabe said.
“Actually, that’s not true, is it”—she swiped her finger across the iPad’s screen several times—“Ms. Carlisle?”