Part 8 (1/2)

Chloe looked directly at her hostess. What, specifically, are you trying to tell me?

June flashed a Ches.h.i.+re cat smile. Oh, its a new day. And I often get to pondering after Ive had my first cup of Earl Grey. Think nothing of it.

Right. What did people want to tell Chloe about Mack, but felt they couldnt? Not directly, at least. Chloe grabbed her backpack to follow June downstairs. Then the inn owner headed for her guests in the dining room and Chloe turned toward the front parlor.

Mack sat sprawled in a chair too small for him, his head thrown back, sound asleep. Coffee and biscuits sat untouched on a nearby table. The man probably hadnt slept more than a couple of hours last night. If at all.

Deirdre Kinkaid would not like the emotion that welled up inside Chloe. It was one of those ahhh feelings better left to photos of kittens and teddy bears with hats. And strong men with the least show of vulnerability.

When she stepped forward, the heart-pine floorboards creaked and he woke up with a reflexive jerk. He narrowed his eyes as if he was struggling to recognize her.

Mack?

I was last I looked, he said, wincing as he ma.s.saged his arm. Come on. The cruiser needs a bath. He looked at her feet. Youre going to ruin those shoes. You got any real boots?

No.

Well take care of that.

We was a promising word.

The day had dawned bright and clear with only the damp earth strewn with shredded leaves and the distant sound of chain saws to indicate thered even been a storm the day before. Chloe knew, however, that not everyone was as lucky as those on Main Street.

Whats the damage update? she asked.

Power outages are still the biggest headache.

How are your parents?

Doing okay. His evasiveness hinted the truth might be something else.

And then he did something strange. He opened the pa.s.senger door of the patrol car for her. She was shocked into silence.

He didnt speak, either, during the drive to Wal-Mart, where he led her to the hunting-and-fis.h.i.+ng section and instructed her to try on, then purchase a pair of big black, rubber farm boots. Hands on hips, he stood in the parking lot until she put them on. Lord, the things were ugly. Was this some kind of practical joke?

The corner of Macks mouth twitched. Daisy Duke, youre not, he said. But youre ready for the car wash.

Why did it sting that he thought she was unattractive?

As they hit the road again, she tried to get her thoughts back to business. Ive interviewed the other deputies, she began. And you, of course. But can you tell me something about the sheriff?

The thing that tells the most about the sheriff is the department. Look at how it runs as a unit even when hes gone. Thats testament to his work.

I can see that, she said, irritated by his evasiveness and the fact that her backpack and now the enormous boots were reducing her legroom in the cruiser. But what about the personality that drives the man?

Do you need to know that?

I do if I want the public to read an in-depth and compelling article and not just a dry essay, she said, starting to put her feet up on the dashboard.

Hey, dont even think about it, Mack snapped, pointing at her oversize boots. At the self-service car wash, he pulled the cruiser into an empty bay on the end and cut the engine. When he looked at her, his expression was unreadable.

Whats Garrett like? he said. Let me put it this way. The honeymoon hes on makes the first two consecutive days of vacation hes ever taken.

Wow, Chloe breathed. His wife must be something.

She is, Mack replied with such conviction Chloe wondered if hed ever, at any time, had a romantic interest in the sheriffs wife. He plunked a roll of quarters in her hand before getting out of the car. Ill wash. Your job is to feed the meter.

She clambered out of the pa.s.senger side. The boots made it impossible to move with any speed or grace. For a job this simple she had to dress like a goober? She had the feeling that Macks tactic, after hed resigned himself to letting her follow him, was to keep her off balance.

That only fueled her instincts to dig deeper.

Heads up! Mack said, grabbing the power-wash wand and aiming it at the car. Chloe blinked as a fine mist drifted in her direction, and he caught himself paying less attention to the car and more attention to her, standing in some odd, safari-type outfit, in boots that swamped her. Looking very, very appealing. She radiated a freshness, appeared grounded as if she lived in a world that was explainable, manageable. Hed like to live in that world.

Why had he brought her to the car wash this morning? It was part of a deputys job, sure, but not a particularly important one. He could have let her sleep in after the work shed done yesterday. Could have brought her to the courthouse later when he was scheduled to pick up and distribute the civil processes. She hadnt seen that yet. So why had he brought her along now?

Because hed woken up this morning, wanting to see her.

This thing is beeping already, she called out. Do I feed it more money?

Yes. He hadnt even wet down the entire car yet. Only the front grille.

And she noticed. Deputy Whittaker, youre not making the most efficient use of county money. Shall we switch jobs?

Right, he replied, making broad sweeps with the wand. As if youd know what to do. When was the last time you washed that car of yours?

Never. Its a form of conservation. Very forward-thinking.

Having fed the meter, she grabbed a long-handled brush from a hook on the bay wall and began to scrub at resistant spots of mud. Her strawberry-blond hair had gone curly with the humidity and a lock dangled over one eye. She blew at it, but kept on scrubbing. What would it be like to kiss those lips now puckered in concentration? What kind of woman would she be in bed?

Bossy.

He chuckled.

Whats so funny?

Nothing. Especially if Garrett came home to find his deputy-in-charge had bedded the investigative reporter. Here, you missed a spot. And the coin machines beeping again.

Why do I get the feeling Im doing all the work? she groused, popping six quarters into the machine.

Because Im in charge.

The sudden flare of her nostrils spoke volumes. She did not relish being subordinate. He thought back to her reaction to the storm when they were in his mothers bas.e.m.e.nt. Apparently she didnt like events out of her control either. Who did? But what was ever under your control? he thought cynically.

The least you could do is answer some questions.

Okay. Her questions were probably safer than his wandering thoughts. Shoot.

When did you first want to follow a career in law enforcement?

Dont all boys grow up playing cops and robbers? I guess I never stopped.