A Time for Home: A Snowberry Creek Novel (9 page)

He laughed and resumed running. “Guess we’d better get going, then.”

•   •   •

All things considered, Nick was just as glad to cut his run short, not that he’d admit it to Callie. A man had his pride, but he’d been up much of the night. The second lock hadn’t taken him all that long to install, but he’d been unable to unwind enough to sleep.

Knowing there had been eyes out there watching the house, watching him, had brought back the familiar burn of adrenaline, ramping up all his predatory instincts. The compulsion to hunt the enemy had kept him and Mooch out prowling the woods until well after midnight. He just wished he knew if the threat was real or if it was all in his head.

Despite hitting the rack so late, he’d been awake since before sunrise. He’d been sitting on the front porch steps with his first cup of coffee when Mooch had sounded the alarm that Callie was on the move. He hadn’t planned to run this morning but couldn’t deny the dog the chance to spend time with her. After all, the more attached Callie got to Mooch, the better the chance she’d be willing to give the dog a permanent home.

Lucky dog.

But Nick was definitely feeling the lack of sleep. As soon as they finished their outing, he’d take a long shower and then crash for a couple of hours. But tired or not, running with Callie felt damned good. They continued through the town past the school Gage’s daughter attended and on out beyond the high school football field. Nick slowed at the corner for a logging truck to rumble by before crossing the street. Mooch sat down and waited patiently for the all clear to cross.

As they turned back toward the business district, Callie nodded toward the dog. “I hadn’t thought. We can’t take Mooch inside the shop.”

“You’re right. We could tie him up outside, but he hates that. If you trust me to get the right muffins, I’ll go inside and get our stuff to go.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Then Callie pointed down the street. “There are a couple of picnic tables over by the creek where we can eat unless you’re in a hurry to get back to the house.”

“No hurry. Let’s enjoy the sunshine.”

“Great!” She held out her hand for the leash. “Mooch and I will go stake out a spot and wait for you there.”

When he handed off the leash, he asked, “One muffin or two? And if there aren’t any peach left, what flavor do you want?”

“I’ll take two, although I shouldn’t. Blueberry or raspberry are my second choices, and I’d like a tall drip, two sugars, light on the cream.”

“Got it.”

They separated just short of the coffee shop. After she took off with Mooch, Nick slowed to jog in place, unable to resist enjoying the view. Callie ran with a smooth gait, but right now he was more interested in the way those shorts cupped her backside than in how she moved. Hot damn, he’d like to spend hours running his hands along her body.

And he had no right to be thinking that way.

“Sorry, Spence,” he murmured. With renewed resolve to behave himself, he stepped into the cool interior of the coffee shop.

•   •   •

Luck was with him. Bridey had just taken a batch of peach muffins out of the oven. He ordered six to go along with his iced coffee and the drip Callie wanted. He’d keep any leftover muffins for breakfast in the morning—if they lasted that long.

“Have a nice day, Nick.”

“You, too, Bridey.” He picked up his bag of muffins, which smelled heavenly. “I might have to take up running full-time if I keep coming in here.”

She laughed and handed him his change. “Try working here. If I had a lick of sense, I’d close up shop and run with you. Unfortunately, I need to make a living and these babies don’t bake themselves. Tell Callie hi for me.”

“Will do.”

He turned in the direction of the small park, walking fast rather than running to avoid spilling the coffee. It didn’t take him long to spot Callie, but she wasn’t alone. She was talking to a man, and there was no sign of Mooch anywhere.

Didn’t that damn mutt know he was supposed to act as chaperone when Nick wasn’t there?

As he watched, the man took off his ball cap and used it to wave at someone hidden by a tall stand of bushes. Nick’s irritation faded slightly when he realized the intruder was the police chief. Sure enough, a few seconds later, Mooch came bounding into sight with Gage’s daughter holding the dog’s leash and running hard to keep up.

Mooch was obviously having a great time, too. Come to think of it, this was the probably the first time he’d ever had the chance to play with a child. As Sydney’s happy laughter rang out across the park, Nick stopped to enjoy the moment.

“Spence, your dream for Mooch looks like it’s playing out just the way you imagined it would.”

He realized Callie was watching him with a puzzled look on her face, probably worried that Nick had gotten lost in the past again. As he started forward, it occurred to him that it was Saturday, which probably accounted for the chief of police’s casual attire. No doubt it was his day off, and he was out for a morning walk with Syd.

However, that didn’t explain why the man was standing so close to Callie. The man had to be a good ten years older than she was. What was he thinking?

Hopefully not about how good she looked in those track shorts and with her hair up in that ponytail, emphasizing the graceful curve of her neck. Holding the bag of muffins and the coffee tray with a white-knuckled death grip, Nick hustled faster. No use in letting the coffee get cold, right?

Mooch finally spotted Nick, barking happily as he charged toward him, dragging Syd along in his wake. She waved as soon as she recognized him.

“Hey, Nick! You didn’t tell me you had such a cool dog!”

He wasn’t sure about the cool part, but right now the dog was acting like a complete idiot. He’d already circled around Nick twice, effectively tying his legs together with the leash.

“Mooch! Settle down.”

The dog ignored him, clearly too caught up in the joy of having a new playmate to behave. If he kept this up, Nick was likely to take a header. Just what he needed with both Callie and Gage watching. At least the lawman wasn’t laughing, although Nick suspected it was a struggle. Callie, on the other hand, had a big grin on her face as she waited to see how he’d manage to extricate himself without spilling their breakfast on the ground.

He tried again, this time barking Mooch’s name like an order. “Mooch, sit. Now.”

The dog belatedly realized that he was in trouble and immediately dropped to the ground. He wasn’t completely repentant, because his tail was doing a slow sweep across the grass as if he were plotting his next attack.

“Syd, can you untangle Mooch’s leash for me?”

“Sure thing.”

As soon as she was done, she and Mooch were off and running again. Such simple pleasures. He envied them.

W
hen everyone was seated at the picnic table, Callie handed out the napkins and then divvied up the peach muffins.

“Are you sure we’re not stealing your breakfast?” Gage asked. “Although I’m not sure I care. I love these things.”

“I get that,” Nick said, smiling. “But I bought extra. If I’d known you were going to join us, I would’ve bought you one of those iced coffees you like, too.”

Gage got busy peeling the paper off his muffin. “I’ve already had one this morning while I was making rounds.”

Their conversation came as a surprise. Callie knew the two men had met the day Gage had stopped by when Nick had been mowing the grass. It seemed unlikely that conversation would have included a discussion about their coffee preferences. If they’d run into each other again, it seemed a bit odd that Nick hadn’t mentioned it.

She wasn’t a suspicious person by nature, but something was telling her that any other meeting between Nick and Gage hadn’t been by accident. The only question was which one had sought out the other. If she’d had to guess, Nick had gone looking for the lawman at some point in the past few days. If they didn’t explain themselves on their own, maybe she’d corner Nick about it later.

“Syd, slow down before you choke yourself. At least pretend you have some manners.” Gage tugged on his daughter’s braid and softened his comment with a smile.

Gage’s daughter had been about to take another bite, but she slowly lowered the muffin back down to the table. Looking genuinely perplexed, she apologized. “Sorry, Dad. You always say that it’s rude to keep someone waiting, even if you do it all the time yourself.”

Then she pointed at her furry friend. “Mooch is waiting for me.”

Nick coughed and covered his mouth, probably trying to disguise his smile. Sipping her coffee served the same purpose. It was amusing to watch the big, tough police officer fumbling for an answer.

Gage shook his head with a sigh. “You’re right, of course, Syd. It is rude to keep someone waiting, which is why I apologized for keeping you waiting at school. However, in this instance, I’m sure Mooch won’t mind waiting a little longer for you to finish eating.”

Then he gave her a hard look. “But before you take off running, you might want to ask Nick if it’s okay. He and Callie might have plans that don’t include hanging out here watching you play.”

Syd’s eyes widened in worry as she swallowed her last bite. Until she could talk, her eyes bounced back and forth between the three adults.

“Can I please play with Mooch a little more?”

Nick held up his coffee. “I can’t run and drink this at the same time. I’d really appreciate it if you’d give Mooch a good workout while I finish my coffee. That is, if it’s all right with your dad.”

“Go ahead, Syd, but stay in sight.”

The little girl bounced up as if she were spring-loaded. “I will, Dad. Thanks, Nick.”

She and Mooch were off and running. The three adults watched them for several seconds. As promised, Syd turned back before they reached the bend in the creek. Evidently satisfied that the pair would follow the rules, Gage picked up his own muffin and peeled away more of the paper.

“I swear I can’t remember ever having that much energy, but my mother says I was worse.”

Callie watched as the little girl threw a stick for Mooch. When he returned it, she petted him and then threw it again. “Syd is adorable, Gage. You and her mother must be so proud of her.”

“I am.” As he spoke, Gage stared down at the muffin in his hand. “Her mother is no longer with us.”

Nothing like stomping on what was obviously a painful memory. Callie instinctively reached out to put her hand on Gage’s wrist. “I’m sorry, Gage.”

His eyes were bleak when he met her gaze. “Thanks. At least I have Syd to remind me of her.”

Callie didn’t know what to say. She happened to glance toward Nick only to realize he was staring at her hand, which still rested on Gage’s arm, with the oddest expression on his face. What was he thinking that had him looking so angry? When he realized she was watching him, he got up and walked a short distance away, shifting his focus away from her and Gage over toward where Mooch and Syd were playing.

Moving slowly, she withdrew her hand from Gage’s arm to pick up her drink. She’d only meant to offer Gage a small bit of comfort, nothing more. And what business was it of Nick’s anyway? After taking a second sip of her coffee, she set it back down. Right now not even some of Bridey’s best tasted good.

Maybe it was time to get back home.

She stood up. “If you’ll excuse me, Gage, I should get going.”

Nick must have heard her, because he started to turn around. She headed him off at the pass. “Don’t cut Syd’s time with Mooch short because of me. I’ll see you both later.”

She dropped her coffee and half-eaten muffin in the trash and jogged off down the path back to the road through town. Maybe later she would be able to figure out what had just happened, but this hot-and-cold crap with Nick was getting old.

When she was out of sight, she paused long enough to turn on her MP3 player before resuming her run. She picked a playlist that featured all of her favorite female singers. Right now, she was in no mood to listen to anything the male half of the species might have to say.

•   •   •

“Don’t look at me, dog.”

Nick laid on the couch and stared up at the ceiling. “I know I’m an idiot. I don’t need you to remind me.”

Mooch woofed softly from his position on the back of the couch. He laid his head down on his front paws, his dark eyes watching Nick’s every move.

“Callie did nothing wrong. It was all me.”

Whoever said confession was good for the soul didn’t know what the hell they were talking about. No matter how many times he admitted his actions had driven Callie away that morning, he didn’t feel one iota better about it. Of course, maybe she should be the one he apologized to, not the silent emptiness that surrounded him.

After she’d taken off, he’d hung around with Gage for another half hour trying to act as if her desertion hadn’t mattered. Unfortunately, Gage had a cop’s talent for reading people and saw right through his ruse. He’d waited until Syd had surrendered Mooch’s leash to Nick before saying, “I don’t know what happened just now with Callie, Nick. And God knows I’m no expert, but I always find groveling works best.”

Then with a wave, he and his daughter walked away, the girl babbling happily about what fun she’d had playing with the dog. Mooch had whined as they left, clearly preferring Syd’s company to Nick’s. But after a couple of tugs on his leash, the dog had given in and joined Nick on the run back to Spence’s place. They’d spent the afternoon working in the yard, stopping only when hunger had driven Nick inside.

As tired as he was, he couldn’t risk talking to Callie right now. Maybe after that nap he’d been promising himself all day, he’d be in better shape to face her. He could only hope so.

The trouble was he was still too wired to relax, maybe in part because this place held so many reminders of Spence. Sure, Nick got a real kick out of all the pictures of his friend as a kid; on the flipside, he could see the man in the boy, in the kid’s wide grin and gleam of devilment in his eyes. God, he missed his friend. He rolled over onto his side, hoping to find a more comfortable position. If that didn’t work, he’d try sleeping somewhere else, maybe using a couple of blankets to make a pallet out on the porch.

As soon as he forced his eyes to close, the image of Callie’s hand resting on Gage’s arm popped into his mind. No doubt that had been her way of apologizing to the man for treading on what obviously had been a sensitive subject. But even if that were true, Nick didn’t like it, not one bit. Watching her touch another man had twisted in his gut like a knife.

And how fucked-up was that? He had no claim on her and would be driving away soon, leaving Snowberry Creek and everyone in it in his rearview mirror. Gage might have no interest in Callie, but that wasn’t the real issue. What mattered was that he’d still be there when Nick was gone. Who knew what would happen then?

Son of a bitch! Nick sat up, frustrated and angry, mostly with himself but also with the situation. He’d come here to honor his friend and to find a home for Mooch. Two sides of the same coin. A simple enough mission.

So maybe he should start thinking about all of this in terms of an objective to be reached, no different from any other mission he’d been assigned over the years. He needed to assess the situation, look at it from all angles, figure out what needed to be done, and then get busy.

Grabbing a pad of paper and a pencil, he headed outside to study the yard and then the house. The grass would need mowing again soon. He jotted that down. The front beds were weeded, but they wouldn’t stay that way unless he put down some decorative bark or gravel. So noted. Both of the side yards needed work, nothing he couldn’t finish in a long afternoon. They each got added to the list.

That left the backyard.

Which reminded him. “Come on, Mooch. Let’s see if our late-night visitor left any tracks this time.”

The dog bounded off toward the trees. Halfway there, he froze briefly before charging forward again, barking his fool head off. No doubt a contingent of squirrels had once again invaded his territory. Nick let him have his fun while he did some hunting of his own.

Making his way just inside the edge of the trees, he studied the terrain to pick out the optimal position for watching the house. It seemed doubtful that anyone staking out the place would stand where he could see only the back door. Nick kept moving, studying the ground and even the bark on the trees in hope that the intruder had left some visible sign of his presence.

Nothing.

Nick moved deeper into the trees. The view was more restrictive, but the thicker foliage would provide better cover. An experienced hunter weighed all the options and chose what best fit his purpose.

Even though this was the back of the property, the house was situated in such a way that it faced the thicket that ran along the shared property line with Callie’s house. Since this stand of trees faced the short end of the house, it was possible to see both the front and backyards pretty much from one position.

It was what Nick would do if he were on the hunt. He slowed down to study the ground inch by inch. No footprints. No broken twigs, no overturned rocks or convenient threads caught on the rough bark of the firs. But someone had been there. Maybe. Hell, he didn’t know. Granted, Mooch had thought so, too, but he could have just as easily been reacting to some four-legged varmint. All of this was new to the dog, so anything was likely to set him off.

And after living on high alert for months, Nick’s own inability to shut off his hair-trigger reactions to strange noises could have him jumping at shadows. He wished like hell he could convince himself he’d imagined the whole thing. The lack of hard evidence should trump the distant sound of an engine starting, the only other indication he’d had that someone had been watching the house. Sheer stubbornness kept him moving deeper until the trees thinned out again.

“Well, what do you know.”

The fresh tire tracks provided at least some vindication. He stepped out of the trees to study the narrow dirt road. A short distance to the left, it came to an abrupt end. He had to guess that in the other direction it would lead back toward one of the back roads. Either way, he’d been right about someone being back there.

He wished the knowledge made him happier, but those tracks didn’t answer the questions about who had been behind the wheel and what they’d been doing there in the first place. Worst-case scenario, someone was watching the house, but it could just as easily be a couple of teenagers looking for a bit of privacy. He grinned. He and his high school girlfriend had spent a lot of quality time parked on a road just like this one.

Good times and good memories.

He’d learned all he could for the moment. Mooch sat a short distance away staring up at a squirrel. The tree-climbing rodent stared right back, its tail flicking back and forth as it chittered loud insults at the dog.

“Come on, Mooch. Ignore the little bastard. We’ve got work to do.”

Nick kept walking, figuring the dog would catch up with him eventually. Back in Spence’s yard, Nick dropped down on the back steps to work on his list. After writing down everything that needed to be done, he thought about what he could accomplish on his own. He studied the yard as it now existed and thought about what changes he would make if it were his. There was a whole world of possibilities that Callie could do without it costing too much. The place could be a real showcase. It didn’t take long before he was sketching out some suggestions for Callie.

He flipped back to the list of basic cleanup work he’d offered to do. Even if the weather cooperated, it would take him the better part of a week to finish just that much, and he hadn’t even gotten around to the house itself.

How long did he want to stay? He had a few weeks left before he had to report back, thanks to a combination of accrued leave and time off for his arm to heal completely.