All that mattered was this moment, this man.
She gradually realized his breathing had grown ragged and he’d pulled away a bit. Just enough to bring her back to the present. And to the problems that still hounded her.
She tore her lips from his. They felt somehow fuller and more tender than she’d ever remembered. “Sorry.”
“For what? For being the only woman I’ve ever loved? For giving me the most perfect son a man could have?” He cupped her face in his hands and stared into her eyes. “I love you, Jane Hardy. I’m not going anywhere. Not ever. You’re going to marry me and Will, and we’ll live here for the rest of our lives, God willing. But you’re hard to resist, and I was beginning to forget you don’t have a ring on your finger yet.”
Tears flooded her eyes. “I don’t deserve you, Reid. I’d better get home before I lose all reason. Otherwise I might forget about that ring too.”
His crooked smile made her heart melt. She pulled herself out of the warm security of his embrace and wobbled to her feet. She had maybe an ounce of resistance left, and she knew she’d better make use of it and get home.
Parker gave her a reproachful stare as he followed her to the door. This living in two separate houses would need to end soon.
Sixteen
There she was. Seated in the back corner of Pelican Brews, Reid lifted two cups of coffee in the air to show Jane he’d already gotten their breakfast. She looked fresh and alert in her crisp uniform. Ready to take on the problems facing them.
If anyone else was chief of police in town, he’d be even more worried.
She spoke to a few people on her way in and stopped to let a little girl pet Parker before she arrived at their table and slipped into the chair beside him. “Been here long?”
“About ten minutes.”
“Where’s Will?”
“Still asleep. Your dad’s going to take him fishing after he gets up. It’s been a grueling time for him, and he may sleep until noon.”
She took the coffee he offered and sipped it. “I needed that.”
“Receive the autopsy yet?”
“Not yet. I should get the report shortly.” Her hazel eyes held a shadow. “Augusta requested a search warrant for your place to look for any possible weapon.”
Reid winced. “Any fallout from the mayor yet?”
“Not yet, but it’s coming.” Recognition lit her face as she looked toward the door and lifted a hand in greeting.
Henry Williamson headed her way, winding his way through the tables to reach them. The confident way he walked told everyone he was bigger than his five-five stature.
“Good morning, Congressman,” Jane said.
He nodded to her and Reid. “Chief, Mr. Dixon. I heard about the problem with your son, and I wanted to let you know my office stands ready to help in any way we can. He’s just a boy, and I’m sure this misunderstanding will be cleared up soon.”
“Thank you, sir. The investigation is in good hands with Detective Richards. The deceased attacked Will without provocation, and I’m sure the truth will come out.”
Reid appreciated the way she was turning the fault back on Lauren. It was the truth, and he hadn’t liked the way Augusta had made it seem like Will had been the aggressor. She’d just been doing her job, but Reid didn’t have to agree with it.
“Is the autopsy back yet?”
“Not yet.”
“I’ll put in a call and see if they can expedite it. You’re a good chief, and I don’t like this cloud hanging over you and your family.”
“Thank you.”
The congressman nodded again and went to join his aide, who was in line for coffee.
“Nice of him to try to help,” Jane said.
“You know how politicians can be.”
She smiled. “You sound jaded, Mr. Dixon.”
He grinned at her light tone. “Maybe so. Politicians get my back up.”
“He’s a nice guy.”
“I was trying to say he’s better than most.” He saw the mayor’s neatly coiffed dark hair enter the shop and she looked their way. “Uh-oh. Here comes Chapman. She looks ready to tackle an angry bear.”
The fifty-something mayor held her head high, and her dark eyes blazed with determination.
“I need more coffee first.” Jane took a gulp of her coffee. “Good morning, Lisa.”
In high heels Lisa looked intimidating. “I wouldn’t think you’d see anything good about it. I heard about Will, but I had to learn about it from my neighbor, of all people.”
“Augusta is heading the investigation, of course. I’m not running it.”
“You should have called me as soon as this went down. Your maverick attitude has to stop, Jane. You answer to me. After Victor Armstrong’s arrest, the town can’t afford more bad publicity.”
Victor had been part of the city council, and he’d been behind the plot to blow up the oil platform. The news had shaken the community.
Reid saw the war battling behind Jane’s eyes, and he logged the moment her anger won when her eyes narrowed.
“Look, Lisa, I’ve performed my job well ever since you hired me. There hasn’t been a single time I’ve acted unprofessionally. If you want to replace me, then do it. Otherwise, get off my back and trust me to be impartial and fair. If you can’t, then I’m not the right person for the job.”
The mayor’s mouth gaped, but she recovered her composure quickly. “I’m only asking you to keep me in the loop.”
“My son was attacked. I had a few more things on my mind than making a call that wasn’t pertinent to the investigation. I had a missing woman to find, and Parker did just that. I told you this morning via email. If you check your computer when you get to the office, you’ll find a message from me running down everything we know so far.”
Lisa’s scowl eased. “Fine. When you keep me out of the loop, I feel hung out to dry when someone in my town knows more than I do about a crime. Any major crime. Surely you can understand that.”
She didn’t wait for Jane to answer but whirled on her heels and walked off to place an order at the counter.
Jane sagged back in her chair as her phone indicated a message. She glanced at it, then over to Reid. “Augusta got the search warrant for your place.”
“We have nothing to hide.”
She held his gaze. “I think we do, Reid. This feels like someone is deliberately framing Will. Can’t you feel it? I sense walls closing in around us, hemming us in, trying to get us to make a mistake. This is too important not to take seriously.”
“I am taking it seriously. I don’t get why anyone would want to frame Will though. Me, sure. That would make sense. But Will is a kid.”
“And he’s my kid. My family has been attacked multiple times over the past few months, and I’m beginning to believe there’s some purpose behind all of it.”
He could see why she might think that. It had been intense. “What purpose?”
“I wish I knew.” She picked up her coffee and rose. “I’d better get to the office. Keep an eye on Will. Maybe it would be better to keep him with you instead of letting him go with my dad. My family seems to be the center of this attack.”