Rocky Ride (Thompson & Sons) (13 page)

M
ITCH CRANKED
up the heater in his truck a notch and cursed the weather. Early December wasn’t supposed to be this cold, but they were stuck in a hellish deep freeze. Not even halfway through the month, and the cold snap that had set in was breaking records.

In some ways, Mitch didn’t mind. He had the warm garage to work in, and the hotter-than-hell moments with Anna. The moments spent with her were truly becoming the highlights of his week, and wasn’t that the most goddamn, pathetic, pussy-whipped thing.

If any of his brothers had a girl they were this besotted with, he’d be tormenting them night and day. As it was, the guys were too into their own heads at the moment to even notice Mitch’s obsession. Dealing in their own ways with their concern over their little sister, and the missing parts of their lives.

Mitch adjusted the heater again, blasting hot air toward his feet while he considered the truth. For a close-knit family, they were still a bunch of tight-lipped individuals. Not even their regular Thursday-night family dinner seemed to change that.

Of course, some of the secret-keeping made sense. Like after his little incident at the salvage yard. Clay had been the one to grab the company truck from the impound lot, saving Mitch the trip back to the scene of the crime. Between Clay, Mitch and their dad, they’d kept Katy and the younger guys from finding out anything had gone sideways. Just announced Thompson and Sons were using a new yard in the future, and that was that.

Such a simple solution to what could have become a huge deal. He hoped the current cluster-fuck with Anna’s work would settle out as smoothly.

The final stretch of highway appeared ahead of him. The long trip to pick up supplies at the border had eaten up his entire day when all he really wanted was to get back to Anna. Other than the one text message, she hadn’t called, and he didn’t want to interrupt her.

Dusk turned the world around him into a surreal murder mystery, or post-apocalyptic wasteland, painting the snowfields red and grey. Dark clouds hovering above the treetops warned of an approaching snowstorm. Even the strange beauty couldn’t distract him from his goal, though, as his anxiety increased.

He needed to get home to find out what had happened with Anna.

He’d just turned the corner off the main highway, headed toward Rocky, when flashing lights once again showed up in his rearview mirror.

Mitch cursed loudly, eyeing his speedometer. What the hell? He knew it wasn’t Anna pulling him over for a joke, because she was at his place waiting for him, and there was no way he’d been speeding.

If it had been sixty seconds later, he might have been caught with his foot to the floorboards. This section of highway was straight and smooth, and Mitch had a tendency to use it to test his vehicle’s acceleration. But today? Nope—not guilty.

He pulled over to the side and put the truck in park, grabbing registration papers as he waited for the RCMP to join him. The motion was getting far too familiar.

When he rolled down his window and discovered Nick Dowes with flashlight in hand, another curse escaped, only this one under his breath. This couldn’t be good.

“Nick.”

“Mitch.” Nick cleared his throat. “Sorry about the unorthodox method of getting your attention, but I need to speak with you.”

Fuck.

“No problem. Okay if I join you out there?” Because the last thing he needed was to be sitting in his truck like a schoolboy while being lectured by the man.

In answer, Nick stepped to the front of the vehicle. Mitch opened his door and followed him. Nick shifted uneasily in the headlight’s beam, his breath escaping in puffs of white.

Mitch eased a hip against his truck bumper, ignoring the cold soaking through his jeans. “What’s on your mind?” he asked.

Nick faced Mitch straight on. “This is awkward, and I’ve thought hard if I should even say anything, but in the end I feel it’s only right for Anna’s sake.”

What the hell had gone down at the station today? Mitch chose his words with caution just in case this was about something else. “Are you warning me off dating her because you think you’d be better for her?”

Nick looked stunned for a second before blinking, a hint of amusement twisting his expression. “You think I’m jealous that you’re seeing her? Oh, no. Anna’s not my type.”

The near lighthearted response was totally unexpected. Mitch’s brain struggled to keep up, because now so much of Nick’s behaviors made no sense. “If you’re not angling to get together with her, then what’s the issue?”

“I think you’re a decent enough guy, and I figured since you are a decent guy, you’d like to know something. Chances are she’s going to lose out on a big promotion because of you.”

And with one statement, Nick knocked the wind from Mitch’s sails. “Is she in trouble at work?”

Nick looked sheepish. “Someone messed up their filing, and I ended up with papers that weren’t supposed to be on my desk. I think you’re trustworthy enough, and you’re smart enough to hear what I’m telling you. Anna’s been shortlisted for a promotion, one that would push her up the ranks, and could possibly mean not only an advancement but a chance to head up her own division.”

The wintery air seeped through Mitch’s jacket. That had to be the reason his blood had gone cold. This wasn’t about him and Anna, but about her getting to shine in a job he knew she loved. “Not a better job right here in Rocky, but headquartered somewhere else?”

Nick nodded. “We usually transfer fairly often as it is, although up to now Anna’s remained stationed in Rocky for longer than most. She’s far enough down the radar she’s skipped being reassigned.”

Mitch dragged a hand through his hair as he thought through this new revelation. The dilemma made his brain ache. Only he glanced at Nick with reservations. “Why are you telling me this? You don’t even like me. You’ve been on my ass since before I started dating Anna.”

“I don’t dislike you. I think dating you makes Anna look bad, and that in turn makes our entire department look bad.”

Jeez
. “That’s blunt.”

The RCMP shrugged.

“When do you know more about the promotions?” Mitch asked.

Nick stared over Mitch’s head. “The spring is when they’ll make the announcements. For the next six months our commander is supposed to gather all kinds of information regarding her work, and her personal situations, and all of it gets sent off to the main office to be considered.”

The implications were clear enough. Someone else would be making the decisions. Someone in an office far away, which meant the words on the page would be read as stated. There’d be no considering the situations, or the settings, if there were anything unusual listed like being caught in the middle of a wild Friday night party. Or that her boyfriend had been arrested under suspicion of grand theft auto. Or any of a number of crazy situations he’d led her into over the past months.

Nick hadn’t mentioned anything specific regarding him and Anna’s incident the previous night at Traders. Mitch hoped that meant no one knew, but the fact remained…

If Anna was going to make the promotion, she’d have to have a squeaky clean record. Her job that she’d worked so hard to achieve, and all the privileges it afforded her. The respect.

Mitch wanted to throw something. He wanted to use his fists, burn off the rising frustration.

He was trapped.

Nick glanced at him, concern etched onto his face. “You can’t mention anything about the promotion. No one but you and I know, and the staff sergeant, of course.”

Getting away from Nick to deal with this became more urgent by the minute. Mitch stood and nodded curtly. “Thanks for the info.”

Nick patted Mitch’s arm as he passed, pacing back to his cruiser.

Yet long after Nick had driven off Mitch still stood in the headlights of his truck at the side of the highway. The icy-cold December wind picked up, but he seemed unable to move, allowing the freezing gusts to stroke his cheeks, to tangle his hair.

His heart frozen as cold as the landscape around him.

Chapter Ten

S
HE WENT TO HIS HOUSE.
Let herself in and waited for him to return.

They needed to figure out what came next, but the options seemed so limited. All she knew for sure was he’d made a difference in her life, and she wasn’t about to bail on him. He’d proven he was more than a town bad boy, just like he’d said he would.

He deserved her respect for that. Respect, and maybe more.

The lights of his truck shone through the window, bouncing slightly as he drove the narrow approach and parked. Anna smoothed her sweater over her hips, nervously pacing to the front door to greet him. Stepping back before he could open the door so as not to be too needy.

The instant he was through the door she wanted to blurt everything out, but she held on. Waited until he stalked across the room and took her in his arms.

Somehow being held gave her hope. Anna slid his zipper down and buried her arms under his jacket, nestling in tight to his rock-solid chest and resting her cheek on him.

She found both warmth and comfort in the position. Maybe if she stayed like that for the next month, the nightmare hanging over her would vanish.

All too soon, though, Mitch kissed the top of her head and tugged himself free, stripping off his jacket and shoes and bringing her into the living room with him. He settled her close and kept her fingers in his hand. “What happened?”

Anna took a bracing breath. “I’m on report. Nothing official, but only because I was lucky. The staff sergeant said if I stay clean for a while, he’ll remove all mention of my ‘indiscretion’ from the file.”

His serious expression remained. “Nothing else? Nothing about us?”

She shook her head. The staff sergeant hadn’t come out and told her not to see Mitch.

There were always going to be people who didn’t like Mitch. Who would be suspicious of him, no matter what his actions proved. The decision she’d been struggling over was suddenly crystal clear. “We’re okay,” she insisted. “I know better than to act the fool in public. I just wasn’t thinking.”

He made a rude noise. “Our brains weren’t the most active part at that particular moment, no.” Mitch paused. “How long?”

“How long am I on report?” Anna shrugged. “He didn’t say.”

Mitch stared out the front window, his body stiff beside her. “I was so damn stupid, and the consequences could have been far worse.”

“Hey, but they weren’t.” She stroked his fingers lightly. “I’ll admit it, I was worried about my job, but you’re worth it…” Confessing this much—she had to do it. “I’d risk it for you.”

The golden flecks in his dark eyes seemed to fade. Mitch’s answer came soft, nearly a whisper. “I don’t want you to.”

She stopped breathing. “Mitch?”

His entire body was so tight he looked ready to break. “Dammit, Anna, this changes everything. I like you. A lot. But I’m not worth you losing your job over, and I refuse to be the one to make that happen.”

“I’m not losing my job.” His surprising response toppled her confidence again. “We can just tone it down. Hell, it’s not as if we can’t fool around in private all we want.”

He shook his head slowly, as if considering her words. “You’re right. Contrary to how we’ve been acting, we’re not teenagers. But we need to think this through hard.”

Her soul dropped to her toes. “Mitch, you’re the one who started this relationship. You’re the one who said you wanted to be with me for more than sex. The past months have proved that I want to be with you as well. So…”

The next words stuck in her throat, though. What if she offered to take it to the next level, and he only wanted to stay at their current status?

“I did start this. And I think, and this is fucked up, but hear me out. I think we should stop seeing each other for a while.”

Ice curled around her heart. “Because of my
job
?”

He snorted. “Because I can’t keep my bloody hands off you in public, if you really want an excuse.”

“Mitch, I was as much to blame as you were.”’

“So if the two of us can’t control ourselves, that’s all the more reason we should take a break for a while.”