Merry with a Lawman (Love Beach, Holiday Collection)

18. Sinking Feeling

EIGHTEEN

SINKING FEELING

DAVIS

No sooner do I plunk down onto a blanket with Belle after a long walk along the shore, than a wet golden lab runs up to us on the mostly deserted beach. The dog drops a slobbery tennis ball at my feet.

“Hey, Tawny,” I greet her, scratching her behind the ears. She eats up all the attention any of us will give her. I gladly reach down for the ball. With the official title as the Town Dog, no one seems to know who owned her first. She’s like a free spirit, bringing joy to anyone who needs it, and we all take care of her. Businesses leave water bowls out on the sidewalks, some give her food, and the local vet gives her regular care for free. I throw the ball into the ocean and she takes off after it, tail wagging like crazy.

“Why don’t you just adopt her since you want a dog so badly?” Belle suggests.

“I tried taking her home once with me, but she escaped,” I explain.

“Let her be. It’s part of her charm. Tawny will let no one possess her,” Jackson says.

“Kind of like you, playboy?” Gigi asserts. Jackson turns red. The rest of us laugh at them, but our time here is nearing the end with the sun going down. It’s been a great day.

Belle snuggles closer to me on our blanket. “What is it with you and wanting a dog, anyway?”

“I asked for one when I was little, but, you know, Dad was reluctant to feed another mouth. Let’s just say he harshly put the thought out of my head.” I swallow against the memory. I rarely allow myself to go back in time and think of anything that happened prior to that final fateful night where he beat the shit out of me.

Belle places her hand on my cheek, drawing my attention back to her.

“I wish I could have helped you back then.” She stops and tears up. I swipe my thumb across the drop that forms at the corner of her eye. I hate she feels bad about my miserable life; that was long before her, and I prefer only to see her pretty face beaming at me, and to think about our future, whatever that may be.

“I want my feet in the water one more time,” Addie calls out. Beau helps pull her by the arms out of the chair. “Everyone coming?”

Belle hops up quickly and joins them, and doesn’t realize her phone falls out of her back pocket onto the blanket.

I see it though, as the screen lights up with several notifications. I squint and have a closer look, only to find a name I don’t want to see on my girlfriend’s phone.

Richardson.

Richardson.

Richardson.

“What the fuck?” I exclaim loudly.

“Davis?” She turns back to the blanket and stands there wide-eyed as I hold her phone.

“Explain this. Why is he texting you?” My voice shakes, and my heart rattles like a window being shaken by a hurricane.

“Um. Well. I ran into Richardson the other day in town. He said I’d been avoiding him, and I have, for obvious reasons. So I told him you and I were back together. He didn’t seem pleased as he walked away.”

I scoff. “This isn’t the first time he’s texted you since then, I’m guessing.”

She lowers her eyes and shakes her head. Gigi comes to her side, putting an arm around her.

I pinch the bridge of my nose. “What are we talking about? Stalker-level texts? You should have told me with the first one.”

“He just keeps begging me to see him.”

“That’s not happening.” With one warning glance, I remind her she’s mine and I leap up from the blanket.

“Of course it’s not. I’ve been ignoring his texts, just wishing he’d get the message to stop contacting me. In fact, I’ll block him right now.” She holds her hand out for the phone.

“I’ll give him a message all right.” My jaw clicks. Jackson grabs me by the arm before I can take one step to leave.

“Stop, man. Think about what you’re doing.” He tries to reason with me.

“Hey, how about you let me do my job, okay? This douchebag is harassing my girlfriend. You think I’m just going to put up with that?”

Belle steps up to me, her hands landing on my chest. “He’s leaving, anyway. He has a flight to New York tonight, he said, to be with his daughter for the holidays. I’m sure he’ll stop trying to contact me.”

My nostrils flare. A plan forms in my head. I’ll call Noah Dawson or Parker Alden to go to his house, watch for him, and make sure he gets all the way to the airport and out of my town.

“Hey, Davis, look at me. Calm down, please.” Belle wraps her arms around me, her head landing on my chest, just below my chin. The others fold blankets and gather our stuff, giving us a moment alone.

“Now that I have you, I guess there is something I fear. Losing you.” I can’t even believe my voice stating that out loud. I embrace her, threading my fingers through her hair, to the back of her head.

“You won’t. I’m here. Davis, I lo?—”

I don’t give her room to finish, pulling her head back so I can dip down and cover her mouth with mine, delivering a searing kiss that should claim her once and for all. When she’s here in my arms, I have nothing to fear because I can protect her. But what about when we’re apart?

Later, I drive Belle back to town on my way into the station for duty. I make sure she gets inside with all of her things. We spend way too long at her front door, kissing and holding each other until the last minute, when I need to go.

“I’ll be back here before you know it and we’ll have the rest of Christmas Day to spend together.” I kiss her one more time and saunter down the steps. At the bottom, I turn and look at her as I always do. She takes my breath away, with the light glowing behind her, giving her red hair extra brilliance. She’d changed when we first arrived into a comfy pair of red sweats, with the saying on the front “Be Santa’s Little Ho, Ho, Ho.” Makes me smile, but thinking back to this morning and that little emerald bodysuit she wore threatens to make my pants tight.

“I can’t wait, officer. I’ll be here.” She waves.

“Get some rest, baby. You’re gonna need it for what I have planned.” I wink and jog away to my truck. I’m already cutting it close to arrive on time for work.

Only about an hour into my shift, my heart stops. Something doesn’t feel right. “Fuck.” I forgot to tell Belle to lock her doors. I always wait and make sure she does before I leave, but tonight I didn’t.

I grab my phone and call her, but she doesn’t answer, so I leave a message. “Hey. It’s me. Don’t forget to lock your doors. Windows, too. Call me when you get this.”

Dammit. I’m forever telling her she can’t be so trusting anymore of the people in this small town. And now with a potential stalker? The cartel? I don’t care if Richardson’s out-of-town tonight. She needs to lock her doors and make it a habit.

A half hour goes by and I don’t hear from her. I text and leave another message, but still nothing back from her. The seconds tick by, clicking in my head like a hammer beating down on a nail; I’m not due to go out on patrols in town for another two hours, stuck here manning the station.

I call Gigi, not even giving her a chance to say hello when she picks up. “I need you to go check on your sister.”

“What? What time is it?” By the sound of her groggy voice, I woke her up.

“Something’s not right. She’s not returning my calls or texts. Please, Gigi, go check on her. Right now. Hurry.”

“Okay, listen. This possessive boyfriend act you have is going to take some getting used to.”

“I’m not joking. Gigi. Go. Now. Something’s wrong. I can feel it.”

“Now you’re scaring me, Davis.” I’ve got her up and riled. I hear her reaching for her keys.

“Call me back as soon as you get there.”

I figure tops, she’ll be at her sister’s house in fifteen minutes. The most agonizing fifteen minutes ever as I sit here helpless, drumming the desk impatiently. What if something happens to her?