The Guarded Widow (9 page)

Gavin’s silence demanded a second, more thorough, inspection. His enraged expression stopped Ron’s typing altogether.

“What happened, Rafferty?”

Gavin swore under his breath. “Olivia Jones is what happened!”

Extremely interested by his friend’s unusual response to a female, Ron kicked his feet up on his desk. The toothpick he’d been mindlessly gnawing on now being twirled, back and forth, between his thumb and his forefinger.

“I just found her on the side of the road with two of her tires slashed,” Gavin gritted out from between his teeth.

“No kidding? Does she have any idea who might have it in for her?” Barton asked.

“No, she doesn’t have a clue.” Then, as means to alleviate his own concern, Gavin continued. “She had a security system installed today.”

“Well, that’s certainly a step in the right direction,” Ron replied before adding, “She’s got to be feeling pretty shook up living out in those woods all by herself.”

“Yeah,” Gavin mumbled. “That’s why she finally agreed to put in the security system I insisted on.”

“You insisted on the system, huh?” Ron asked, pausing to study his friend. “You’re also visibly angry and upset.”

He knew what the problem was, even if Gavin didn’t or wouldn’t admit it. Ron’s dark brown eyes gleamed mischievously as he slowly drawled, “Why Officer Rafferty, could it be that you care about Olivia Jones?”

Gavin glowered at him before unleashing some of his pent up frustration.

“Shut up, Barton! You know I care about all of the citizens in this community,” he barked. Then spun around and stalked right back out of the station.

Ron sat at his desk, staring, as he watched his normally level headed partner stomp out the front door. Seconds later, he threw his head back and roared with laughter.

He’d given her a five minute head start and by the time he’d discovered her along the dark forest road, a cop had already pulled over to help her. What freaking luck!

“Olivia Jones is proving to be a very difficult obstacle,” he muttered as he tossed back another shot, intending to drown himself in a whiskey induced stupor. I need those damned insurance policies. I’m going to have to up the ante.

Affectionately tracing the lip of his beloved shot glass with an index finger, a murderous smile suddenly erupted. I’m going to have to pay the pretty widow an unexpected visit at home; he decided and then toasted to Olivia Jones. With a final ceremonious shot, he sprawled flat on his back across the hotel bed and passed out cold.

Maddy arrived promptly at five o’clock. “I come bearing gifts,” she exclaimed gleefully as she burst through the front door.

“Michael, thank you for letting Maddy into our fortress,” Olivia called down the stairs.

James and Luke smelled the food and came rushing out into the kitchen.

“Yippee! Yes!” The boys were thrilled with the bucket of fried chicken and biscuits that graced the kitchen counter.

Maddy smiled as she asked James and Luke, “Is your Mom upstairs getting ready for her big date?”

“Yeah, dates are gross,” Luke muttered as he tried to get a peek of the food.

“We’ll eat once your Mom leaves,” she informed the hungry boys and then completed a hasty scan of the family room. “Where’s Tommy?

“Oh, he’s upstairs talking to Mom,” Michael mumbled, his reply virtually unheard. Anxious to return to his video game, he raced back into the family room in order to lay claim to his favorite controller.

Unaccustomed to physical warfare, Maddy cringed as she watched the twins wrestle over the remaining controller. James won the battle so Luke evened the score by picking up a decorative pillow and smashing him over the head with it.

“Knock it off, Luke!” James bellowed at the top of his lungs.

Maddy decided now was a good time to intervene. “Luke, let’s go find Tommy. After that, I’ll show you the cool movie I rented for tonight.”

But Luke had to land one more pillow strike against his brother before finally agreeing to follow his aunt up the stairs.

As they walked into the bedroom, Maddy nodded a greeting toward Tommy as he sat on the edge of his Mom’s bed.

“Nice bathrobe,” Maddy muttered to her sister, eyeing up the old tattered terry cloth robe. Olivia only smirked at younger her sister before walking over to hug her oldest son.

“I’m not looking to replace your Dad,” she finished telling Tommy. “I’m just going so I can enjoy some adult company. I wouldn’t have to go at all if Aunt Maddy wouldn’t have manipulated me into this,” Olivia said, playfully tugging on her sister’s hair.

“Aunt Maddy,” Luke’s eyes rounded as he innocently admonished her. “My mom says it’s not right to manipulate the people you love.”

Maddy hugged her nephew.

“Let’s just call it a loving push,” she said, giving Olivia a wide smile.

“Guys, I’ve got to get dressed,” Olivia said, insinuating they needed to exit her room now.

“Ok, boys out of here. It’s time for some girl talk.” Maddy knowingly chuckled as she watched them scurry off. She then sauntered over to the closet and with a dramatic sweep of her arms, swung the doors wide open. With one blood red polished nail tapping against a pearly white central incisor, she began sorting through her sister’s clothes. Within a minute, she selected a low cut red blouse and handed the shirt to Olivia.

“This would look really nice with a pair of black bootleg jeans.”

“I can get dressed all by myself, Maddy. I’d even managed to snag a husband on my own. Remember?”

Maddy rolled her eyes, disregarding the sarcastic comments. “Thad asked you to meet him at Mulligan’s at six o’clock for drinks and then dinner afterwards.”

She evaluated Olivia’s state of disarray.

“You’d better hurry up. Oh, and wear your black boots,” she called out, stifling a laugh as her sister shoved her through the bedroom doorway into the hall.

“Leave me alone,” Olivia warned, and then reluctantly entered her bathroom to finish preparing for her first date in well over twelve years.

Gavin had decided to go into work even though it was his day off because he wanted to investigate Olivia’s disturbances. After a few frustrating hours, he eventually made some headway after placing a phone call to Viccerroy Malpractice Group, Thomas Jones’s past employer. Apparently, there’d been some recent allegations that the late Tom Jones, and an unidentified partner, had been fabricating false insurance policies and then collecting those policies’ insurance premiums. The FBI had only recently opened an investigation into these serious accusations.

As Gavin hung up the phone, he wondered if Olivia even knew about her late husband’s alleged indiscretions. His thoughts were interrupted by Ron Barton carelessly tossing a bag of fast food at him.

“Dude, this is your day off. What are you still doing here?” Ron asked.

Since Ron had anticipated Gavin would still be at his desk, he’d grabbed his partner some dinner. On his way back he’d reluctantly decided to feed his friend first and then antagonize him with the juicy morsel of information he’d learned on his break.

However, given the circumstances, Ron just couldn’t contain himself. As soon as the bag skidded to a stop on Gavin’s desk, he pounced.

“I just saw Maddy, Olivia’s sister, while I was waiting for my food.” Barton said, conversationally.

Gavin glanced up and grumbled an unintelligible response before returning to the information on his computer screen.

Barton kicked back in his chair, tying a straw paper into a knot. He was so going to enjoy this.

“She said Olivia has a blind date tonight.”

I have his complete attention now, Ron thought with a chuckle as he watched Gavin’s head snap up.

“What the hell do you mean a blind date?” Gavin asked, twisting around at his desk in order to look Ron in the face.

“Oh! You don’t know what a blind date is? Well…”

Gavin cut him off with a growl.

“Don’t screw with me. That woman doesn’t have any common sense. Within a two week time period someone has stalked her, broke into her house, and slashed her tires. Now she decides to go on a date with someone she doesn’t even know?”

Gavin stood up and began pacing around their desks. He ran a hand over the shadow of dark prickly hair growing in on his face.

“Did Maddy happen to say where this blind date is taking place?” he demanded, not noticing how Ron Barton watched him, looking amused.

“Actually, I do believe Maddy said they’d be patronizing Mulligan’s this evening.”

Gavin grabbed his coat off the back of his chair and headed for the door.

“You on a surveillance detail tonight, Gav?” Ron called out, laughing. Then he reached over to Gavin’s desk and swiped off the unopened bag of food.

Olivia parked her SUV near the back of Mulligan’s crowded parking lot. It was a Saturday night and here she was sitting in her car, wishing she could be at home with her sons. I’m pathetic; she thought and took a final glimpse at her appearance in the rear view mirror.

At least she was pleased with what she saw.

Now feeling nervous and out of practice, she stepped out of the car.

When she entered Mulligan’s she began glancing around, wondering what Thad Wolfe even looked like. Then she saw a pleasant looking man nod at her, wearing a sincere smile, as he approached.

“You must be, Olivia. I’m Thad Wolfe,” he beamed and reached out to offer her his hand. She returned his greeting with a friendly smile and handshake, noting as his brown eyes crinkled at the corners it made him seem friendlier. He guided Olivia forward with a hand lightly placed at the small of her back.

“I took the liberty of speaking with the hostess. I figured since it’s a blind date, we’d both probably feel more comfortable eating in the bar at one of the side tables.”

“That sounds great to me,” she replied.

He nodded to the hostess and they proceeded to follow her to a table along the side of the bar. As Thad shrugged out of his jacket and slid up onto a chair, Olivia removed her long black coat to hang it on the back of another chair at their table. Shifting, she noticed the bar was packed tonight and began turning back toward Thad. As her eyes scanned over the crowd of people, they slammed to an abrupt halt, stopping on Gavin Rafferty.

Olivia cringed. He was sitting there, perfectly still, amidst the crowd of patrons with his intense blue eyes staring directly at her. His smoldering gaze started with her face, traveled down over her body, and then slowly lifted up to meet her eyes a second time. Then, to make matters worse, he picked up his draft of beer and gave her an arrogant nod of acknowledgment.

After staring back for a few startled seconds, Olivia narrowed her eyes and glared at him. What is he doing here? She wondered, sliding onto her barstool across from Thad.

The knowledge that Gavin was sitting at the bar, just a few feet away, suddenly made her palms begin to sweat. She wiped them on her pants, folded her hands on the table and then tried to concentrate on what Thad was saying to her. The waitress interrupted him, asking for their drink order.

“I’d like a glass of Pinot Grigio,” Olivia told her, needing it right away.

Forget first date jitters, she thought. The devastatingly handsome cop at the bar, watching her, evoked more nervousness than any blind date ever could.

“I’ll take a twenty two ounce draft of whatever you have on tap,” Thad informed the waitress and then focused his friendly brown eyes on her.

“So, you have four sons,” he said amicably as they began muddling their way through first date conversation.

“Yes, I do,” she replied, doing her very best to ignore Gavin Rafferty.

Gavin took a liberal sip of his beer and tried to watch the college football game playing on the bar television. It was a futile attempt.

Who is this guy? He wondered to himself as the bar tender placed an order of hot wings down in front of him. When Olivia had taken off her coat, he’d nearly choked on his swallow of beer.

The deep red shirt she had chosen was cut very low. It clung to her curves, accentuating them, all of them. He couldn’t help but stare at her, feeling a hot, tight knot of desire forming low in his stomach. And then she had glared at him with temper sparking in her eyes, and his only coherent thought was, she’s beautiful.

He didn’t know who Olivia’s blind date was, but Gavin had already decided, without meeting him, that he didn’t like him.

He can’t even keep his eyes on her face, Gavin angrily noted and watched as Thad’s gaze kept dropping repeatedly, lingering, on Olivia’s low cut blouse. I really don’t want her sitting there with him, he suddenly realized as a fierce surge of intense dislike coursed through him. Annoyed by the way she kept laughing and smiling at her date, Gavin decided he was going to need more than one beer and flagged down the bartender.

The night hasn’t been so bad, Olivia thought as she strolled with Thad toward the front door of Mulligan’s. Gavin had left the bar thirty minutes earlier and once he’d left, she had finally been able to relax, considerably. Thad held open the door for her as she stepped out of the restaurant.