It Had to Be Love (An It Had to Be Novel) (13 page)

“An understanding.” Ryan’s grandmother slowly nodded. “Well, that just told me everything I wanted to know right there. I’ll ask you to be careful with his heart, Tara. He’s got a good one that doesn’t deserve to be broken again.”

“You’re talking about Sarah. What went wrong there? No one has ever said.”

“A little too much of that analyzing before doing. She got tired of waiting, I suspect. But if you ask me? She wasn’t really right for him anyway. He needs someone who coaxes him out of that shell. Like you do.”

Thankfully it was time to finish Mrs. Anderson’s temp. “He’s moving away soon anyway, so I’m pretty sure it’s a moot point.” She slowly tilted the chair back again and adjusted the light above. “Open again, please. Just a little tuning up and then you can get back to fueling that ‘damn coffee habit’ of yours.”

Mrs. Anderson laughed. “I like you, Tara Carter. And I don’t often say that to people because most of them annoy me.”

“I like you too. Except I think I like you better when my fingers are in your mouth so you can’t pry. Now I see where Ryan gets that annoying habit from.”

Smiling, the old woman said, “Yup, you’re just the one to kick Ryan’s ass. This should be fun to watch.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement.

Tara had nothing, so she just said, “Hmmm.”

After Tara had finished the sandwich she’d made herself for dinner, she grabbed Sherlock’s leash. “Want to go—”

She couldn’t even get the sentence out before her puppy was at her feet chasing his tail in excitement. “I’ll take that as a yes.”

She’d been thinking about what Ryan had said earlier. About it being her choice if anything more happened between them. They needed to have a little chat about that. So maybe she and her puppy would walk by Ryan’s house and see if he was back yet. If not, they’d take a spin around the lake and then check again.

While she was convinced
she’d
be better off casually dating, she didn’t believe Ryan would be happy doing that. So why his sudden change of heart? It didn’t sit right with her. She intended to get to the bottom of it.

They walked down the hill to Ryan’s house. His big truck was in the drive, so she and Sherlock hopped up on the porch. The front door stood open, so that boded well.

Just as she lifted her hand to knock on the screen, the mayor’s loud voice thundered, “Dammit, Ryan. The digging nonsense has to stop. You don’t do it, and I’ll make sure from here on out that anyone who’s caught loses their profit-sharing privileges.”

Ryan said, “Do that, and I guarantee someone will go to the rags with celebrity pictures and ruin it for everyone. I’ll handle it my way.”

“Like you handled that call earlier? You let those kids go without even a slap on the wrist. They deserved punishment for their crime.”

“They’re just a couple of kids trying to find a map—besides being your grandchildren.”

The screen door flew open and barely missed Tara’s face. “They’ll be stealing cars next, knowing their soft-hearted uncle will let them off the hook. Fix this!” The mayor stomped down the steps. “Maybe you can talk some sense into him, Tara.”

Ryan’s jaw clenched as he poked the screen open for her. “Sorry. Come in.”

Sherlock didn’t hesitate and pulled her inside with him. “Bad time?”

“Nope.” He closed his eyes and ran a hand down his face.

Yes it was. Their talk could wait a bit.

She whispered, “I’m sorry about . . . that.”

He shrugged. “No big deal. I’m used to it.”

That broke her heart. And made her appreciate her scheming parents a bit more. “So, on a happier note I hope, did you guys have fun today? Everyone stay in the raft?”

“Yeah.” He smiled. “Eric loved it.” He threw his thumb over a shoulder toward the kitchen. “Have you eaten? I was just about to make some dinner.”

Sherlock couldn’t stand being well mannered any longer and jumped up on Ryan, hoping for a rub.

“Sherlock, sit!” Pleased when he promptly listened to her, proving her puppy wasn’t all the way spoiled, she smiled and said, “Does a PB&J count as dinner?”

“If you’re in the third grade.” Ryan leaned down and pet Sherlock, who rolled onto his back for a belly rub.

“It’s not nice to make fun of the cooking impaired.”

“But it’s fun.” He quirked a brow. “Watch and learn, grasshopper.”

“Fine.” In the kitchen, she hopped up on a barstool as Ryan unclipped Sherlock’s leash and then set him up with a bowl of water. It warmed her heart he’d think to do that for her puppy. “So, are we having that cooking date now, Sherriff?”

His eyes locked with hers. “It’s whatever you want it to be, Tara.”

He’d said the same thing about their relationship. That it was her choice.

It’d be nice if she had a clear answer.

Jamie McDaniel would have loved to be with Ryan. But Tara Carter shouldn’t.

R
yan leaned over Tara’s shoulder as she attempted to roll out biscuits. She really was clueless in the kitchen. “Nope. Like this.” He wrapped his arms around her and took the ball of dough from her hands. “Punch it out flat and then be sure you have enough flour on the rolling pin or it’ll stick.”

She huffed out a breath. “How about I run over to the diner and pick up some biscuits from Gloria? It’d be so much easier.”

“That’d be cheating.” He laid his hands over hers on the rolling pin and quickly rolled out the dough. “See? It’s all in the wrist.”

Man, her hair smelled nice. And she’d pulled it back into a ponytail, exposing her long, kissable neck.

Tempting.

He quickly released her hands and took a step back. She hadn’t given him the green light yet. He wished she’d say something about their relationship. That is, if they were even going to have a relationship. He didn’t know how to bring something like that up again.

She swiveled her chin over her shoulder and beamed a pretty smile at him. “Okay. What next?”

He slid his hands into his jeans pockets so he wouldn’t be tempted to touch her. “Use the cutter, then put them on the pan.”

“That seems easy enough.” Tara cut out the biscuits. They mostly stayed together as she laid them on the sheet. After she’d closed the oven door, he set the timer.

“When these are done, you can pull everything else out of the
oven. About ten min—” A loud squawk sounded. “Sheriff? You copy?”

It was Mike.

Ryan crossed the kitchen and picked up the radio. “Go.”

“Got a call from Mrs. Elliott. Ed’s on a tear. She’s worried for Sarah. Need some backup, pronto.”

“Be right there.” He ran upstairs to grab his gun. He didn’t want to take the time to change, so he slipped his leather belt on over his jeans and headed toward the door. He called out to Tara, “Don’t know how long I’ll be. Can you turn off the oven before you leave?”

He didn’t wait for an answer. When Ed drank he got mean. He hadn’t hit Sarah yet, as far as Ryan knew, but he’d always feared for her safety. Ed was a loose cannon. Unpredictable.

Ryan jumped into his truck and tore up his driveway. Would Sarah ever wise up and leave the man?

He soon hit the short dirt drive that led up to Sarah and Ed’s log cabin. Mike was just ahead of him. At least Mike had followed the rules for a change. Domestics always required at least two officers.

They pulled up side by side and hopped out. As they approached the front door together, Ed was screaming something about “damn kids.” Ryan pounded a fist on the door. “Police. Open up!”

The screaming stopped, only to be replaced by a blue streak of cursing before the door swung open. Ed leaned against the doorjamb in his grimy work clothes with a beer in his hand. “What?”

Ryan glanced past Ed to see if Sarah was there. The living room was empty. “Got a complaint about excessive noise. I need to see Sarah too. Now.”

Ed called out, “Sarah? Your ex-boyfriend is here to see you!” He stared into Ryan’s eyes as he took a long drink from his beer bottle. Then he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I was just watching a movie. Enjoying a brew after a long day’s work. No harm in that, is there, Sheriff?”

Ryan wished he could smack the self-satisfied grin right off the lying bastard’s face.

Mike said, “That wasn’t a movie we heard, Ed. It was you, screaming your ass off.”

Mike had about as much tolerance for Ed as Ryan did.

Sarah finally appeared. Her eyes were red as if she’d been crying. “Hi, guys. What’s the problem?” She sent Ryan a half smile before quickly looking away. If Ed had hurt her, Ryan wouldn’t stop until he found a way to lock the man up forever. “Mike’s going to talk to Ed. Sarah, can you please come outside and talk to me?”

Ed scowled. “Sarah don’t want to talk to you, Ryan. She chose me, not you, loser.”

“Ed, please.” Sarah slanted a look at her husband before she quickly slipped past him.

“Don’t make this worse.”

Ryan walked beside her down the drive a bit, slowing next to his truck. Why did Sarah put up with Ed’s verbal abuse? Why couldn’t she be more like Tara? She’d never allow a man to treat her that way.

Ed called out, “That’s far enough. I’d better not see you touching my wife, Sheriff.”

He ignored the ass and turned to Sarah. She stood with her arms crossed, staring at her tennis shoes. “We were just having a disagreement.”

“A loud one, apparently. Look at me, Sarah.” She slowly tilted up her chin. When he noticed a dark spot on her cheekbone, partially hidden by makeup, anger speared through him. But by the coloring, the bruise didn’t look fresh. “What happened to your face?”

“Oh, this?” Her hand reached up and quickly covered her cheek. “That happened at work. I was trying to get a game off the top shelf. The perils of being so short. I ended up pulling three boxes down along with it. Didn’t get out of the way fast enough.”

That was possible. She worked at the toy store in town. He’d be sure to check her story out with the owner.

“Ed doesn’t hit me, if that’s what you were thinking, Ry. He yells, especially after a bad day like today, but he doesn’t physically harm me. I’m fine.” She laid a hand on his arm. “Thank you for still worrying about me.” She sent him a shy smile.

In the past, when she used to look at him like that with those big brown eyes, he would have done anything for her. Now he wanted to shake some sense into her. Why would she stay with a guy like Ed? “You’re sure?”

She nodded. “I’ve been wanting a baby. He doesn’t think we can afford one. It’s an old argument. I should’ve realized it was a bad time to bring it up again.”

“You want me to drive you over to Meg’s for the night? Give Ed some time to cool off?” His sister would get the truth out of Sarah, if there was any more to tell.

She shook her head. “That would just make Ed angrier. Sorry to disturb you. Night, Ry.” She turned and walked back to the porch.

He couldn’t help someone if they wouldn’t take it. Anyone as mean and spiteful as Ed was bound to break one day. Moving away might be for the best. He’d have a hard time not beating the living crap out of Ed if he ever laid a hand on Sarah.

Mike walked down the steps and joined Ryan. “I gave him a warning, but I wish he would’ve taken a swing at me so I could arrest him.”

“Yep. Now all you get is the satisfaction of filling out the call report. See you later.”

Ryan climbed into his truck, backed down the drive, and headed toward home. Would Tara still be there? A smile formed at the thought. She was the one person he actually enjoyed talking to. Even though most of the time she corrected his bad habits and teased him.

He pulled his truck into the garage and then headed inside. The aroma of freshly baked biscuits filled the air. Hopefully they’d taste as good as they smelled. He hung up his gun belt on the coatrack by the door.

Sherlock came bounding over to greet him.

Nice not to come home to a quiet, empty house for a change.

Tara laid down the book she’d been reading. “That was quick. So Sarah’s okay?”

“She’s fine. Ed was just being an ass, as usual. Did you eat?”

“No . . . well, yes. Sort of. You
have
to try one of my awesome biscuits!”

“Can’t wait.” It was cute how excited Tara was about something so simple.

Tara had cleaned up the kitchen and put all the food away. She’d placed the biscuits in a covered bowl on top of the cooling stove to keep them warm. After she buttered one up and handed it over, she said, “So? What do you think?”

He took a bite of the light, flaky, buttery bread. It
was
awesome. “I think I’m a damned good teacher.”

“That you are. This was the most productive date I’ve ever been on. And the most fattening—I ate five of those darn biscuits.” Tara grabbed a dish from the fridge and popped it in the microwave. “I wasn’t sure how long you’d be, so I made you a plate. I think I may get hooked on this cooking thing now. Who knew I could make a whole meal like this? Thank you!”

“Welcome.” As he enjoyed his ham, mashed potatoes with gravy, and green beans from his grandmother’s garden, he thought about Sarah again. And how he’d let her slip away because he hadn’t acted quickly enough.

He needed to suck it up and talk to Tara about their relationship. “So, have you
thought any more about what I said earlier? About us moving to the next level?”

“Yes, and I’m confused.” Tara wiped down the counter before she slid onto the stool next to his. “Why the change of heart?”

“I still want to find the right woman and have kids one day. That’s not changed. But I’m attracted to you, and moving away soon, so if you want to sleep with me as much as I’d like to sleep with you, it makes sense to keep our hearts out of it. So what do you say? Want to sleep with me, Tara?”

That hadn’t come out right at all, dammit!

“Geez, you must be taking blunt lessons from your grandmother.” She laughed as she crossed to the front door and picked up Sherlock’s leash. “I need to think this through some more.” She clipped Sherlock in.

He stood and joined her. “It’s what you wanted, right? No-strings-attached sex?”

“Yeah.” Her forehead crinkled. “But I didn’t picture having it
with someone I actually liked so much, Ryan. It could get confusing.”

Picture it? “So you haven’t slept with anyone since your divorce?”

Tara’s cheeks pinked up. “Well . . . no.”

“So all that talk about sleeping around was just that, huh?” He moved so his mouth was a fraction of an inch next to hers, then stopped. “Talk?”

She nodded as they stood toe-to-toe, staring into each other’s eyes. He wanted to kiss her, but she might not be ready for him to make the first move yet. He didn’t want to mess up his chances with her, so he whispered, “I think you should kiss me again, Tara. Let me convince you.”

Eyes still locked with his, she slipped a hand around the back of his neck and laid her perfect, sweet lips against his.

Thank God.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. Her tall, curvy body drove him nuts. His hands ached to explore. To caress every inch of her.

When she deepened their kiss as if starving for more, it took all his control to hold back. He didn’t want to scare her off by going too fast, yet she was all he could think about at night. What it’d be like to have her sexy body wrapped around him as he made love to her.

Giving in to his cravings, he let his hands wander to her perfect rear end, gently kneading. When she let out a low, quiet moan, it tempted him to throw her over his shoulder and take her upstairs. Instead he slowly backed her up against the door and took her soft face in his hands. Staring into her pretty blue eyes, he whispered, “Convinced yet?”

She smiled. “Nope.”

He ignored Sherlock jumping on his leg to get into the action, and gently kissed her jawline. Savoring the sweet, flowery scent of her skin, he took his time as he made his way to her ear. When he playfully nibbled on her lobe, she shivered.

Caressing her pretty skin with his lips, he kissed his way down her neck, to her collarbone. Tara let her head fall back against the door to allow him greater access and whispered, “Ryan?”

“Ummm?” He released the top two buttons on her blouse and laid soft kisses in the valley between her breasts as his fingers danced lightly over the silky lace of her bra. Then he filled his palm and gently squeezed.

Her back arched as she gasped, “I’m . . .”

He moved his mouth to hers and was just about to kiss her again when he saw the answer in her eyes. “Not ready yet?”

“No.” She slowly shook her head. “Sorry. I just wanted to see if that ‘thing’ that happened last time we kissed was still there.”

What happened both times they’d kissed was a whole lot more than a “thing,” if anyone asked him. He reined in his disappointment as he buttoned up her shirt. “And?”

“Yeah, it’s still there. And still confusing. What time shall I pick you up for the wedding on Friday?”

Changing the subject—again.

He blew out a long breath. Her ex had really played a number on her, so he’d be patient. “How about I drive?”

“Is this another of your fifties throwback rules? The man always drives?”

“I didn’t realize you had your helicopter pilot’s license too. Because that’s how I planned to get to Denver on Friday. My family keeps a car at the airport.”

“Oh. That’ll be fun. And so much faster. What time?”

“One o’clock work?”

“Yep. See you then. Goodnight
fake
wedding date.”

“Bye.” He walked them out to the porch and then watched her and Sherlock until they disappeared around the corner.

Hopefully he wouldn’t be a fake
anything
much longer. And maybe he’d just cancel that job interview in Denver. It wasn’t the one he really wanted anyway.