Читать книгу The Deputy's Perfect Match - Lisa Carter - Страница 14

Chapter Four

On Saturday morning, Charlie leaned across the truck cab and threw open the passenger door. “Hop in.”

The open door dinged. Evy hesitated. “Come on, Shorty.”

She sniffed and placed her shoe on the running board. Putting one hand on the seat and the other on the handle, she hauled herself onto the seat. “I prefer to think of myself as vertically challenged.”

He laughed and jumped out of the truck to come around and close the door for her.

“You didn’t have to do that, Charlie.”

He smiled. “It’s going to be a great day. Buckle up. Safety first.”

She smiled. “Will do, Officer.” She clicked her seat belt in place.

Charlie palmed the wheel as he maneuvered the rural road. “Glad to see you dressed appropriately.”

Evy extended her feet, toes pointed. “You don’t like the way I dress?”

He loved the way she dressed. The pencil skirts, high heels and silky blouses. But his favorite was the baby-blue cardigan she’d worn to the Chinese restaurant, which brought out the blue in her eyes. Charlie scrubbed a hand over his face. Since when did he have favorites where Evy Shaw was concerned?

Charlie stole a quick look at her. He liked her version of casual, too. The pink polka-dot Keds. The lime-green boatneck T-shirt. The cuffed jeans.

Only her ponytail retained her usual weekday appearance. And idly he wondered what her hair would look like spilling over her shoulders...gleaming in the sunshine...

His heartbeat staccato-stepped. “I like the way you dress just fine.”

Evy’s eyebrows rose as his voice went gravelly. He’d surprised her. Surprised him, too. Who would have guessed, in casual Kiptohanock, he’d take a shine to someone like Evy Shaw?

A shine... He lifted his ball cap off his head and resettled it. Where did that come from?

Sounded like something Charlie’s grandfather would’ve said fifty years ago. Evy had a way of bringing out the old-fashioned in him. She smiled at Charlie. And his heart flip-flopped inside his chest.

With effort, he refocused on the road. Was she happy to be riding in a truck with him? Or happy at the prospect of spending the day with the Duers? And if so, why?

Doubt ate at his stomach. He hadn’t always been so unsure of himself. But his confidence where women were concerned had taken a nosedive since his days with Honey.

He pulled into the long gravel driveway of the Keller farmhouse. Passing under the crossbars framing the entrance to the farm, the truck rattled over a cattle guard. Cedars and fencing lined the drive. Horses grazed in the pasture.

She sat forward on the seat. Her gaze flitted from side to side. Taking everything in. “I’ve never been here before.”

“Me neither.”

Her eyes darted to him. “You didn’t volunteer over the summer?”

“Nope. My first time to help out, too.”

“Oh.”

He’d have given a week’s salary to know what was going through that brilliant mind of hers. He didn’t have to wait long.

“Why not?”

He rapped his thumb against the steering wheel. “Too busy.”

“Too busy doing deputy stuff?”

“Something like that.”

He steered the truck beside a bevy of other vehicles outside the hip-roofed barn. “We’re here.” Parking, he allowed the swirl of dust heralding their arrival to settle.

Charlie spotted Sawyer Kole in the corral with a handful of children and a horse. The very pregnant Honey rested against the fence railing. Charlie was nervous. Nervous about what would happen next.

About how Honey would react to Evy being here. About how Sawyer would respond to him being here. Sure enough, when Charlie unfolded himself out of the truck, Sawyer’s arctic-blue eyes narrowed. Evy opened her door and got out.

Following her husband’s belligerent stare, Honey turned. “Charlie? What are—?”

Charlie knew the moment Evy stepped around the truck.

Because Honey went ramrod stiff. “What’s she doing here?”

Her husband refastened his gaze onto Evy. Sawyer took a step forward. Frowned. Halted in his tracks. The lead on the horse hung limply in his hand.

Charlie’s heart pounded. He didn’t like the intense look Sawyer gave Evy. Did they know each other?

Evy inched closer to Charlie. At his elbow, she shrunk into his side. Doing that melding thing she did. For protection? For invisibility?

Broadening his shoulders, Charlie creased the brim of his cap with his hand. “We came to volunteer. Heard you might need a few more hands with so many folks away for Labor Day weekend.”

Sawyer seemed to come to himself. “Don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure of meeting your friend.” He looped the lead around a fence post and came out of the corral. Wiping his palm on the side of his Wrangler jeans, Sawyer headed their way, hand extended to Evy. “I’m Sawyer.”

Charlie’s gaze bounced between Evy and Kole.

Behind the glasses, those enormous eyes of hers had fixed onto the cowboy. And she moved away from Charlie to grasp hold of Sawyer’s hand.

Charlie’s stomach cramped. Something curled in his chest. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to pick Evy up in his arms, plop her inside his truck and speed away.

Toward hot cups of tea, Chinese food and library books. He shouldn’t have brought her here. She—he—they didn’t belong here.

She’s mine, he wanted to shout. Not yours.

But he did none of that. Like an idiot, Charlie just stood there. Hands stuffed into his jeans pockets. Watching. While Sawyer Kole inexplicably took someone else from him.

“My name is Evy.” A shy smile, which twisted Charlie’s gut. “Evy Shaw.”

Sawyer’s brow knotted. “How is it, in a town the size of Kiptohanock, we haven’t met before, Miss Shaw?”

Charlie’s heart thumped in his chest. Honey followed on her husband’s boot heels. With one look at her face, Charlie could tell Honey was furious. At him.

“She’s the librarian.” Honey glowered. “No reason for you to have met.”

Charlie had wanted Sawyer and Evy to meet officially. He ought to have been more careful what he wished for. Sucker-punched by the unexpected sense of proprietorship toward Evy, he ground his heel into the dirt. She didn’t belong to him. He didn’t know why seeing her and Sawyer together disturbed him so much. Honey was right about it not being a romantic kind of connection. But there was a connection, something Charlie didn’t understand.

So he drew on his fallback emotion when it came to feeling out of control. Anger.

He inserted himself between the cowboy and Evy. “I guess not everyone is a reader like me.”

Evy’s gaze flicked to Charlie. “No.” A sweet smile for him. “That’s true.”

“I feel somehow, though, we’ve met before.” Sawyer tilted his head. “Do we know each other, Miss Shaw? From somewhere besides Kiptohanock?”

Charlie held his breath. Evy—with reluctance, he thought—shook her head. Disappointment spiraled. He let the breath trickle slowly between his clenched lips.

So this was about Evy. All about her. Not Kole. Which only made Charlie feel worse, not better. Honey had been right about Evy’s fixation on the Duer clan. Did Evy have a sinister motivation in coming to the Shore?

“Put us to work, Kole. That’s what we’re here for.” His mouth tightened. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

The look Sawyer sent his way could have scorched the earth. “That your way of talking so somebody like me can understand?” There’d never been any love lost between him and Charlie.

Honey gripped Sawyer’s sleeve. “Sawyer...”

“If the horseshoe fits.” Charlie jutted his jaw. “Then, yeah.”

He and Kole were never destined to be friends. Too much history. Bad history.

Sawyer pushed the brim of the Stetson higher onto his forehead.

Charlie frowned. Sawyer’s gesture seemed familiar. But he couldn’t place where or why.

“Maybe you and Miss Shaw could help Mr. Keller with the other group of kids by the creek.” The smile Sawyer threw his way wasn’t meant to be friendly. “And leave the cowboying to the real cowboys, Deputy.” His attention returning to Evy, Sawyer tipped his hat. “Ma’am.”

Charlie’s blood boiled. Cupping her elbow in his palm, he gritted his teeth and dragged Evy around the corner of the house.

He didn’t like the way Evy peered over her shoulder, focusing on Honey and Sawyer as they walked away. She stumbled.

“Watch where you’re going, Miss Shaw,” he growled.

Evy stopped. “Are you mad about something?” she whispered. “Mad at me?” She blinked rapidly behind the glass frames.

Charlie hated the uncertainty in her voice. And one look at those eyes of hers... He had no right to be angry at her.

No business taking out his angst about Sawyer Kole—Honey, too, if the whole truth were told—on Evy.

He let go of her. “Is there a reason I should be mad at you, Evy? You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”

The bridge between her perfectly arched brows pinched. “No, I guess not.” Biting her lip, her eyes skittered over the silver ribbon of the tidal creek.

She was lying. Or at best, hiding something.

Abruptly he veered toward the creek bank, where a cluster of children surrounded old Mr. Keller and a thirtysomething woman Charlie didn’t recognize. He left Evy to follow. Or not.

“Reinforcements. Hoorah.” Mr. Keller raised a child-sized fishing rod. “I was wondering how Felicia and I were going to drive the boat, bait hooks and make sure no one drowns.”

The lady helped a child thread his arms into a life preserver. “I’m Felicia Kerr. I’m a counselor with the county here to help the children get reacquainted with their siblings.”

“Charlie Pruitt.”

Mr. Keller handed around more life jackets. “Charlie is a deputy sheriff, kids.”

One or two of the children went motionless. Charlie understood. Some of these children’s only experience with a deputy had been the day when they’d been forcibly removed from their families for various reasons. He hoped by getting to know him, the children would gain more positive impressions of law enforcement.

Evy ventured onto the small dock. “I’m Evy Shaw.”

Charlie did his best to ignore the feelings—like dragonfly wings frolicking against his skin—her proximity evoked. He reached for the bait bucket. “We’re here to serve. Put us to work.”

Mr. Keller pointed his chin at Evy. “You’re the new librarian, aren’t you?”

“Guilty as charged. I’m afraid I’m not very water-savvy.” She wrinkled her nose at the fishy smell emanating from the bucket. “Or experienced in fishing. Are we going to have to touch those things?”

The children surged toward Charlie and peered at the contents of the bucket. “Oooh...gross...cool...”

A mocha-skinned little girl with colorful barrettes in the cornrows of her hair hung back. “I can’t get the buckle to click.”

Evy went down on one knee to inspect the orange life vest. “Let me see what I can do.” She untangled the clasp and clicked it closed. “There. What’s your name?”

“Latasha.” Her large brown eyes grew fearful. “I’ve never been on a boat before. S’pose I fall out?”

Evy took the child’s hand. “You hang on to me, and I’ll hang on to you. We’ll make sure neither one of us falls out, okay?”

Latasha hugged Evy’s hand. “Do you know how to swim?”

“Actually, not so well.” Evy gestured at Charlie. “But see this big guy here?”

Latasha gave Charlie a quick up-and-down appraisal.

“He knows how to rescue people.” Evy aimed her mouth in the direction of his ear. “You do know how to rescue people, don’t you?”

Charlie crouched beside Latasha. “I worked as a lifeguard at the pool when I was in high school.”

Evy smirked. “Of course you did.”

“Come on, Latasha,” called a boy, already seated in the boat.

“That’s my brother.” Latasha twined her fingers into Evy’s. “We don’t live together anymore.”

“You must miss him.” Evy stared at the water, glittering like diamonds in the early morning sun. “I sure would.”

Charlie stared at her. Something fretted at the edges of his consciousness.

She dropped her gaze. “I mean, if I had a brother.”

Latasha poked out her lips. “I miss my brother a lot.”

Evy’s eyes welled. “How wonderful it is, though, that you get to spend the weekend together at camp.”

Charlie reached for Evy’s other hand. “I think you’ll like fishing, Latasha, if you give it a chance. It’s pretty out on the water and peaceful waiting for the fish to bite.”

“Okay... I’ll try if you will, Evy.”

She didn’t let go of Evy’s hand as they stepped aboard Keller’s boat. The next few minutes were spent making sure everyone applied sunscreen.

As the boat chugged away from the dock, Keller pointed out the string of barrier islands across the tidal marsh, which emptied into the Atlantic. He increased the throttle as they left the shore behind. “I know a great little fishing hole, kids,” Keller shouted above the roar of the motor.

With the children laughing at the antics of shorebirds swooping in lazy figure eights over their heads in the bright September sky, Charlie propped his elbows against the railing. His favorite type of day. Out on the water.

He glanced over at Latasha perched in Evy’s lap. “Not so bad, see?”

The wind whipped through Evy’s hair and loosened her ponytail. She brushed a strand out of her eyes only to have it fly into her face again as the boat gained speed. She grimaced. He laughed and gave in to the urge to touch her hair.

He caught the silky blond lock between his thumb and forefinger. He tucked the tendril behind her ear, and his hand lingered. The bottom dropped out of his stomach. Looking into her eyes, he felt weightless.

Flushing, Charlie dropped his hand. And found Keller’s gaze on him. Keller winked.

The children squealed with excitement as the boat skimmed over the blue-green waves of the Machipongo Inlet. Evy did not. By the time Keller dropped anchor, she appeared a bit green herself.

Charlie, Keller and Felicia got busy showing the children how to bait their hooks. Latasha hopped off Evy’s lap and entered into the joy of the day. At first, Evy moved from one child to the next. Offering her encouragement, if not her expertise.

But finally she sank onto the seat at the railing. Her mouth thinned. A sheen of sweat broke out on her lip.

Charlie headed over to her. “Are you okay, Evy?”

She gave him a wobbly smile. “I—I don’t feel so good.”

“Try not to stare at the horizon. It’s the motion of the boat on the waves. It distorts your perspective and unsettles your equilibrium.”

She squeezed her eyes closed. She clutched her stomach.

“Mr. Deputy?”

He left Evy for a moment to help one youngster untangle his line.

Planting their feet even with their hips to widen their center of gravity, the children stood shoulder to shoulder around the perimeter of the boat. They called to each other, teasing each other, as the water tugged on their lines.

Latasha elbowed him. “Evy don’t look so good, Mr. Deputy.”

He pivoted. No, she didn’t. Then Evy leaned over the side of the boat and vomited.

He hurried over to her. “Evy?”

She retched again and again. He kept his hand on her shoulder. Silent tears rolling down her face, she emptied her stomach until dry heaves remained.

“I’m so sorry.” Embarrassment flushed her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

He ran his hand over the crown of her head. “It’s okay, Evy.”

“No,” her lips trembled. “It’s not.”

Felicia fished a tissue out of her jeans and gave it to Evy.

He extracted a bottle of water from the cooler. He unscrewed the cap. “Swish out your mouth and spit it over the side.”

Latasha left her fishing pole. “It’s okay, Evy,” She patted Evy’s back. “I’ll take care of you.” She sounded like a little mother.

Evy’s arm went around the child’s waist. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you, Latasha. Not the other way around.”

Latasha smiled. “We’ll take care of each other.”

“Sorry to be such a landlubber,” Evy whispered to him.

“It’s okay. Really. Most of us on the Shore have been out on the water since we could walk. You’ll get used to it.”

Evy’s eyes clouded. The supercompetent librarian didn’t like feeling inadequate.

“Once we get underway back to shore, it won’t be so bad.”

“I don’t want to cut short the children’s fun.”

Mr. Keller shook his head. “These small fry have been baking in the sun long enough. Time to get back for lunch.”

At his words, Evy moaned.

Charlie eased onto the seat beside her. “Did you eat anything this morning before we left?”

She shook her head.

“An empty stomach is the worst on the water.”

Evy looked at him as if she didn’t believe it.

“No, truly. Once you eat something, you’ll feel—”

She groaned. “I may never eat again.”

“Crackers. Baby steps before you decide to starve yourself forever.”

“Fine.” She put a hand to her head. “But can we stop talking about food?”

“Whatever you say.”

Evy’s mouth curved up. “I reserve the right to remind you of that later.”

He laughed. “Good to know you haven’t lost your sense of humor.”

She made a face. “Just my appetite and my pride.”

* * *

Evy held on to Charlie’s arm for support as they stepped onto dry land. Weaving, unsteady on her feet. If only the ground would stop moving.