Riverbend Road (4 page)

Her pocket jangled suddenly and she knew by the ringtone it was her mother. Shoot. She'd meant to call Charlene the moment she got home. As the widow of a fallen police officer and the bereaved mother of another, her mother had every right to her worry and Wyn felt bad for adding to it.

“Mom. Hi. I'm sorry I missed your call. It's been a...crazy afternoon.”

“Oh honey. I've been frantic! I called the ER, I called the station, I called your house. Finally I called Cade and he told me what happened and assured me you were all right.”

“I am. A little smoke inhalation but I was treated and released at the scene.”

“So it's true. You really ran into a burning building to save a couple of juvenile delinquents.”

She thought of those poor, scared little boys, each trying to shoulder the blame for the accident in order to take the burden from the other.

“Something like that.”

“Oh honey.”

She heard a sniffle and could guess her mother was trying to hold back the tears she had probably been crying all afternoon. Charlene had lots of practice sitting at home and worrying. Guilt pinched at her again. She should have called the moment the EMTs took away the oxygen mask.

“I'm coming over to make sure you're okay,” her mother insisted.

“It's not necessary, really. I'm fine.”

“You say that, but I don't believe you for a minute. I can hear it in your voice. Mother's intuition is never wrong, honey. You're upset and you need me there.”

She closed her eyes, loath to hurt her mother's feelings by telling her the reality was exactly the opposite.

She loved her mother, she did. Charlene was sweet and earnest and she loved nothing more than to fuss over her family. Wynona mostly found it exhausting.

For two years, her mother had turned those energies to caring for her husband after his brain injury. Charlene visited him daily in the nursing home and had been a dedicated and selfless caregiver. Wyn admired her greatly for it. Since John's death, though, her mother had tried to shift all those caregiving energies to her children—whether they needed it or not.

She couldn't deal with Charlene today. She
couldn't
.

“I'm actually on my way out,” she lied.

Charlene paused. When her mother spoke again, Wyn couldn't miss the eagerness in her voice. “A date?”

Gah. She suspected her mother thought that the very day she would turn thirty—in four months, one week and two days—she would become a dried-up old maid.

“Afraid not. I've, um, got some things to do for McKenzie's wedding,” she improvised quickly. “A bridesmaid thing.”

Yes. That's right. She was nearly thirty years old and still lied to her mother.

“What time will you be home? I'll bring dinner. I'm making lasagna.”

She did love her mother's lasagna, flavored with fresh herbs and home-canned tomatoes and deliciousness. It was fantastic—but not quite worth everything that would come along with it.

“Thanks a million, Mom. That's really sweet of you, but I'll probably just grab something while I'm out.”

“Okay. If you're sure.”

Wyn could clearly hear her mother's wounded feelings in the words and she swallowed a heavy sigh.

“Aunt Jenny wants to have us all over for dinner,” she offered as a salve. “I'll try to coordinate with Marsh and Kat and see when the whole gang can make it. How would that work?”

“Oh, that would be lovely. We live so close together, it's a shame we can't find more time for family dinners. Though, of course, it won't feel the same without Elliot. Don't forget Marshall's birthday next Sunday.”

“Maybe Jenny can join us for that.”

“I already asked her. She'll be there.”

“Great. I can't wait. I've got to go, Mom. I need to jump in the shower and wash some of this smoke out. Love you.”

She hung up before her mother could press her. After a quick shower and shampoo, she felt a million times better. She was throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt when her phone rang again. To her relief, it wasn't her mother's customized ringtone but the one for her friend McKenzie.

“Hey, Kenz.”

“Wynona Jane Bailey!” McKenzie Shaw exclaimed. “If you didn't want to be a bridesmaid for me, you could have just told me! You didn't have to risk your life and nearly die to get out of it, a month before the wedding!”

She made a face as she combed through her hair. “I didn't risk anything. Good grief. Does everyone in town know?”

“LG called me five minutes before Cade did.”

Lindy-Grace worked for McKenzie at her gift shop and they were good friends, so it only made sense she would let her know what happened.

“You will be at the top of Lindy-Grace's Christmas list for the rest of your life,” McKenzie went on. “You know that, don't you?”

“Lucky me. She gives the
best
presents.”

“And the top of ours as well. Ben and I have a very soft spot in our hearts for those boys. We would have been devastated if anything had happened to them. The whole town would have been devastated.”

“Everything ended well and now we can all move on.”

She was already tired of all the hullabaloo, especially for a decision that she was beginning to accept might not have been the smartest one she'd ever made.

“Not everything. I understand Chief Emmett suspended you from the department for a week without pay.”

Ugh. Small towns! A dog couldn't pass gas without people talking about it.

“Does everybody know that too?”

“Cade called to tell me personally before the rumors started flying.”

Of course. McKenzie was the mayor of Haven Point and Cade technically reported to her. Apparently he had been very busy on the phone all afternoon, between her mother and her dear friend.

“I told him that didn't sound like a good idea to me,” McKenzie said. “I can word my opposition more strongly, if you want.”

“Heavens no! I don't need my friends fighting my battle for me.”

“Your
friend
happens to be his boss, in a roundabout way.”

“All the more reason to keep your mouth shut. Please, Kenz.”

“It doesn't seem right to me. You saved the lives of two boys and shouldn't be punished for that.”

“I'm looking at it as a nice vacation,” she lied. “I'll finally have the chance to catch up with things around here. Plus, it will give me more time to help Devin with the final plans for your bridal shower.”

“You two are taking this bridal shower
way
too seriously. It's beginning to scare me.”

“Don't worry. This is just practice. You and I can do the same for Dev and her sexy rancher when they tie the knot.”

“Good point,” McKenzie said and Wynona could hear the smile in her voice. In the background she heard someone else talking to her friend and a moment later, McKenzie came back on the line. “I've got to go. Somebody is here to make a special floral order.”

“No problem. I have to go too. Young Pete needs to go out again.”

“I'm just going to say this again. It's time you dropped the descriptor. Young Pete has prostate issues, like other dudes of a certain age,” McKenzie muttered.

She smiled and hung up after exchanging goodbyes, deeply grateful for her friends. Yes, she had been a bridesmaid five times in the last two years—it would be six after Devin's wedding in a few more months. She was getting a little tired of it, but she would be lost without her friends, who had lifted her through more than they even knew.

“You might not be young anymore,” she told Pete, “but you're still worth a dozen puppies.”

He wagged his tail, still standing by the door, patiently waiting for her to open it.

“You know what we both need?” she decided on impulse. “A little walk to clear our heads. Somewhere out of cell range, preferably.”

Pete seemed to be in full agreement, especially when she slipped on her walking shoes and grabbed the little pack she always kept stocked with a flashlight, water bottle and granola bar.

She decided to head for their favorite walk, along the Mount Solace trail that would take them across the Hell's Fury River and up into the mountains above town. The bridge that led to the trailhead was just on the other side of Cade's house so she didn't bother with Pete's leash, though she brought it along and stuffed it in the pack.

The dog stayed by her side as they walked down the street with the sound of the river accompanying them. When they reached the little Craftsman, she saw a slight woman with auburn hair unpacking groceries from the minivan, aided by a little boy of about four and a girl a few years older.

Pete, ever friendly, wandered over to say hello with his tail wagging a hundred beats a minute. The boy let out a shriek and hid between his mother and the minivan.

Shoot. She should have used the leash. She forgot there were new people in the neighborhood who didn't adore him yet like everybody else did.

“Pete, get back here,” she called. After a reluctant moment, the dog wandered back to meet her as she approached the little family and she gripped his collar tightly.

“Sorry about that,” she said. “He loves to meet new people and can be a little too friendly sometimes. Hi. I'm Wynona Bailey. I live just down the street in the stone house with the green shutters. Welcome to Haven Point.”

The woman didn't answer her smile. Her features were closed, unapproachable, her green eyes arctic.

“Isn't there some sort of leash law in Haven Point?” she asked in a stiff voice.

So. Not the friendliest of new neighbors. Too bad. The kids were adorable, with auburn hair like their mother's. The boy's was curly and the girl wore hers in two long, thick braids.

“Technically, yes,” she answered. “I've got a leash here. But since we were just walking from our house to the trailhead just up ahead, I decided not to use it.”

“My son is afraid of dogs. Especially big, ill-behaved, dangerous dogs.”

She had to blink at that. No one in his right mind could possibly call a big, furry sweet-tempered guy like Young Pete dangerous
or
ill-behaved. He only wanted to say hello, for heaven's sake.

“Sorry again. I'll try to keep him out of your way. Come on, Petey.” She grabbed the leash out of the pocket of the backpack and clipped it on him. The little boy had emerged from behind his mother and gave her a tentative smile and she couldn't help smiling back.

“It was great to meet you all,” she said, even though she hadn't really met them.
Meeting someone
implied an exchange of names, which the woman had quite pointedly not shared.

She waved at the children. The boy waved back and it looked like his sister wanted to, but at the last minute she stuck her hand in her pocket. Their mother had turned away to unpack groceries.

Wyn gave a mental shrug and headed past Cade's log home to the beginning of the trailhead up into the mountains. As soon as she and Pete crossed the bridge, she unclipped his leash with a defiant look back at the family, but they had disappeared into the house.

CHAPTER FOUR

I
T
DIDN
'
T
TAKE
long for the sheer beauty of her surroundings to siphon away the unpleasantness of the encounter with her new neighbors.

She had grown up hiking the foothills all around Haven Point but this was indisputably her favorite walk. The trail to Mount Solace was an easy but steady climb through stands of fragrant pines and firs and a thick forest of aspens with leaves that fluttered and danced on the slightest breeze. Amid the trees were several wide meadows bursting with wildflowers this time of year—columbine and kittentails, Indian paintbrush and delicate Queen Anne's lace.

She loved the solitude and the serenity she always found in the mountains and as she walked, she felt the tension in her shoulders begin to ease. Pete enjoyed it, too, sniffing from tree trunk to flower patch to granite boulder.

An hour later, she felt much more centered and calm. Yes, she had a close call today. Yes, it probably had been a mistake to run into that barn and especially to turn off her comm while she did it, but she would never regret rescuing Lucas and Caleb, no matter what Cade said.

The sun was beginning to slide behind the mountains and her stomach reminded her she still needed to think about dinner.

“What do you think? Should we go home, Petey?”

The dog's ears perked up and he inclined his head down the trail, just in case she had forgotten the way back.

She had to smile. “Thanks. Lead on.”

The dog obediently took point and they made their way back down. She loved the uphill trail for the burn it gave her quads and thighs and the sense of accomplishment, but the real reward came from the walk back down, when she caught occasional glimpses through the trees of the lake and the silvery twist of river and the town she had sworn to serve and protect.

She had hiked higher than she intended, she realized, as the shadows lengthened and the temperatures began to drop. She picked up her pace. Just before she hit the relatively flat part of the trail that paralleled the river, she heard voices ahead of her—unhappy voices, by the sound of it. A couple of upset children.

Remembering her new neighbors, she called Pete over to her and clipped his leash onto his collar.

“Sorry, dude. Better safe than sorry, right?”

Pete huffed out a breath but he was so easygoing that he never minded the leash much. They continued walking along the trail that curved with the river, following those voices.

Finally, they rounded a bend where she discovered the new occupant of the cute Craftsman sitting on the trail with her right leg stretched out in front of her and her children hovering close.

Wyn did a quick situation assessment and saw the woman's ankle was swollen and beginning to bruise. She had a vague sense of déjà vu. Apparently this was her designated day to deal with injured limbs.

Her children knelt beside her in the dirt. The little boy's face was streaked with tears and the girl was holding her mother's hand, though she also looked pale and frightened.

The woman caught sight of Wyn and her distressed features closed up.

“Oh. It's you.”

The woman tried to struggle to her feet as if she didn't want to be caught in any kind of vulnerability and Wynona hurried forward.

“Please, don't get up. That looks nasty!” Grateful for the impulse she'd had to put on Pete's leash, she moved closer so she could have a better look at the injury. “I'm guessing the rock over there was the culprit. I stumbled over the same one on my way up.”

She pointed to one of those basketball-sized rocks that sometimes seemed to spring out of the ground overnight along these mountain trails, like mushrooms after a rain.

“We were watching a pretty bluebird on the trail and my mama didn't see the rock. She says she sprained her ankle,” the girl offered.

“That was probably a mountain bluebird. They're my very favorite bird.”

“I liked it too,” the girl said. “It sounded nice. I like your dog. She's pretty.”

“She's a he, actually. This is Young Pete and I'm Wynona Bailey. Wyn.”

“I remember. You said so before. My name is Chloe Montgomery. This is my brother, Will, and my mom, Andrea. I'm six years old and Will is four. My mom is thirty.”

Ah. Andrea Montgomery. That was the name of the woman who was now frowning at her daughter like she had just revealed state secrets.

Or maybe Wyn was being too suspicious. Maybe the woman was merely grimacing in pain.

“Do you mind if I take a look?” she asked Andrea Montgomery. “I'm a police officer here in Haven Point, trained as an EMT too.”

This was the second time that day she had been grateful that Cade insisted everyone in the department go through the necessary basic training in first aid. Haven Point was a small town, he had always explained, and sometimes his officers were on an accident scene alone for several minutes before the volunteer fire department could mobilize. A little knowledge might even mean the difference between life and death.

If she hoped the other woman would be relieved to find out she had basic medic experience, Wyn would have been sadly disappointed. If anything, the woman's features tightened even further and she avoided Wyn's gaze.

“That's not necessary, Officer Bailey. It's not broken. I only twisted it a little. I was catching my breath a moment before we head back home. I'll put some ice on it when we get home.”

“I'm not an expert but that looks like a sprain to me. Even if it's only twisted, you might have some tendon and ligament damage. You could make it worse, if you're not very careful.”

“I'm fine, really. Sorry we're in your way. You can just go around me.”

As if Wyn could ever leave a neighbor—even a prickly one—sprawled out in the dirt. The woman obviously didn't want her help but beneath the coldness, she sensed something else, a hint of another emotion that smelled to her cop's nose suspiciously like fear.

She couldn't begin to guess why her neighbor might be afraid of
her
but it made her intensely curious.

“You've got at least a quarter-mile walk back to your place. Even if the ankle is only twisted a little, that's going to be a long, hard slog with two kids by yourself. You won't make it before dark. Do you have a flashlight?”

The woman still continued to avoid her gaze but shook her head, just as Wyn would have guessed.

“Look, at least let me try to find a walking stick you can use for support.”

After a pause, Andrea Montgomery relented slightly. “That might be helpful.”

“Great. Kids, can you help me? I'm looking for a walking stick that's about this tall and this big.” She held her hand at shoulder height and made a wide circle with her thumb and forefinger.

The boy—Will, his sister had said—found one first and produced it triumphantly.

“That looks great,” Wyn exclaimed.

“Thanks, honey,” Andrea said with a soft smile for her son that contrasted starkly with her attitude toward Wynona. “Let's see if it works.”

She gripped the walking stick and used it to pull herself to her feet. “Look at that. Perfect.”

Her son preened as if he had just single-handedly shot down the Death Star and Wyn had to smile. Yeah, Andrea might be a cool customer to
her
but the woman seemed like a loving mother.

“Thank you,” the woman said. “I think we'll probably be fine now. You don't have to wait for us. I'm sure you have somewhere to go.”

“Not at all,” she answered, which was the unvarnished truth, though it was a little depressing.

She had no one to blame but herself for that state of affairs, really. Kat had offered to bring dinner and so had Charlene. McKenzie likely would have been more than thrilled to come over. Given half a chance, Lindy-Grace probably would have thrown a parade down Lakeside Drive.

She had shut everybody down, so it was her own fault she had no dinner plans.

“Young Pete and I aren't in a hurry,” she assured her new neighbor. “We were taking our time ambling home with no particular schedule and a few moments more won't matter to us. I don't feel good about leaving you here when you're injured. If you don't mind, I'll just stick with you so I can be sure you make it home.”

The woman looked as if she minded very much but she must have realized Wyn wouldn't back down. She finally gave a shrug and started making her painstaking way down the trail.

It was clear after just a few steps that Andrea Montgomery was in considerable pain but she stubbornly continued on.

They walked slowly back with Andrea leading the way and Chloe behind her, holding her brother's hand. The boy seemed to be warming up a little to Pete and no longer looked completely panic-stricken, though he continued to keep a safe distance between them. Wynona, in the rear, kept up a running commentary with the children, identifying some of the birds that flitted through the trees and different varieties of wildflowers they passed.

They still had several hundred yards to walk before they reached the bridge when Andrea stumbled again and let out a gasp of pain.

Wyn decided it was time for a little more firm intervention.

“Chloe, I know your brother isn't very crazy about dogs,” she said. “What about you?”

“Oh, I love them,” she declared. “We used to have a big dog named Magnus but my dad found him a new home without kids after he bit Will when he was little.”

This earned the girl a swift look from her mother, whose features were white with pain. Was it because the girl mentioned her dad? Where
was
the man? And was he the reason Andrea Montgomery seemed determined to keep her distance?

“That's good to know. Do you think you could hold on to Pete here while I help your mom?”

“Oh yes!” Chloe exclaimed. “May I?”

“I don't need help,” Andrea said stiffly.

Wynona ignored her and handed Pete's leash to the eager girl, then stepped forward to the woman's side.

“Don't be a hero. Trust me, that gets old after a while. Just lean on me. I'll help you back to your house. I know you don't know me, but, I promise, I'm harmless. I'm only trying to help. I don't want you falling again and making things worse for yourself.”

The woman's mouth tightened, whether from irritation or pain, Wyn couldn't tell. She had a feeling she was better off not knowing. They made their way to the bridge and over it, then only had the short distance to the family's new house. By now, the children were in front of them and both of them were giggling at Pete. Will seemed to have completely warmed up to the dog—Pete's sweet nature had a way of winning over even the wariest of hearts.

“Your children are adorable,” Wyn said after a moment.

Andrea's features softened. “Thanks. I'm pretty crazy about them.”

It was another point in her favor, along with her strength and stubbornness, which seemed more than a little familiar to Wynona.

If Andrea hadn't made it so clear that she didn't want to have anything to do with her, Wyn might have thought they had a good chance of becoming friends.

“I'm sorry your introduction to the Haven Point backcountry didn't end well. When your ankle feels better, you'll have to try the trail again. It's a little bit of a climb but Mount Solace is stunning this time of year. If you keep going up this trail, you'll eventually come to a beautiful waterfall. It's not huge but it's definitely worth the effort.”

“I'll keep that in mind,” she answered.

“Another good trail is Crimson Ridge,” she went on, mostly to distract the woman from the pain of hobbling along on her sprained ankle. “The trailhead for that one is just past Redemption Bay. It's one of my favorites, especially in late summer when it's wild-blackberry season. In the fall, the sugar maples up there turn amazing colors, which is where the trail gets its name.”

“Are you...from here?” Andrea Montgomery asked. Though pale, she didn't falter once. Another point in her favor.

“Yep. Born and raised. It's a really nice community, full of good people.”

“If everyone here is good, why do they need a police department?”

She laughed. “Okay,
most
of the people are good. We've got a few bad eggs but they're the minority.”

Andrea's new house was in sight now, which seemed to give the woman a little extra strength.

“You picked a great time to move here,” Wynona continued. “In a couple of weeks, we'll have our annual Lake Haven Days and wooden-boat show. Your kids will love it, trust me. There's a pancake breakfast, a big parade, a craft fair and all kinds of activities for children. They can even make their own wooden boats and have races in the marina.”

“Sounds...nice.”

“Oh, it is. And at Christmastime, you can't miss the Lights on the Lake Festival. People come from miles around to see local boat owners decorate their watercraft and parade from here to Shelter Springs and back. It's quite a spectacle.”

“We'll plan on it.”

“So where are you from and what brings you and your family to Haven Point?”

She meant the question to be casual and conversational, a subtle little probe, but Andrea Montgomery instantly tensed.

“The Pacific Northwest,” she said, the words as sharp as pine needles.

That was certainly deliberately nonspecific. The polite thing would be to let the subject rest but that wasn't in her nature, police officer or not.

“What part?” she asked.

For a long moment, the other woman didn't answer. She glanced at the children then back down in front of her.

“Near Portland,” she finally said.

“Oh, that's a beautiful area,” Wyn said, hoping to put her at ease again. “I drove through there when I was in college on the way to the coast with friends. I loved it. I especially remember how green it was and all the beautiful gardens. I was struck by the gorgeous masses of flowers in baskets hanging from the streetlamps.”