Passion in Bloom (Hometown Heartstrings #2)

Chapter 4

Roarke

T his situation with Heather didn’t sit well with me. I didn’t like how she cowered in fear and hunkered down in some sort of traumatized status of panic when that man had shown up. She hadn’t invited my opinions about anything that happened to her. All she was clear about was how she desired her privacy.

I had no business butting into her business, but dammit, how could I not? Even if I wasn’t attracted to her, even if I wasn’t her neighbor, I would’ve done the same thing all over again.

Wanting to help a person stay safe from a controlling man was a fundamental status of giving a shit. Of human decency. It was the simplest sign of goodwill, and it didn’t matter how much Heather welcomed me into her life or into her business, there was no way to shut that off. At the basis of my motivation to stand up to that asshole was this drive to do good. I wanted to believe everyone had the capacity to act like that. It was the same reason why I always made sure that Nevaeh knew she could crash on my couch. If she ever felt like she was completely out of options or had nowhere to go, she could fall back to me.

I didn’t care if she didn’t want me to be her hero. I had to do something .

But I couldn’t take the first step yet.

All day at work, I was deprived of finding out anything from Eric. Heather’s cousin was off sick and had been since yesterday. Gavin wasn’t in either, tied up taking Wendy to an appointment or something like that.

I didn’t have anyone to talk to. No one to commiserate with. Todd came by during the workday but he didn’t say much.

“I ordered a coupla security things,” he drawled.

“Cameras?” I asked.

He nodded, switching his chew to the other side of his cheek. “They’re sensors and whatnot. Goes to some newfangled app or some shit like that. And I’ll wrangle some of them trail cams too.”

“Good. Thanks,” I said.

“You wanna set ’em up? Or you want me to?”

I envisioned how mad Heather might be to know that I’d rigged actual devices to maintain surveillance over where she lived. My actions would be intrusive. But if Todd handled it, he’d have every right, acting as the man in charge on the cabin sites on behalf of the Grand River owners.

“You,” I replied.

He nodded. “I’ll do ’em tonight.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You know anything about that dumbass?”

I shook my head.

“Hmm.”

“But I’m going to talk with Marty as soon as I’m done here.” I wiped my brow clear of sweat. It was hot back here in the barns, but at least I wasn’t far out dealing with fence. “Do you want to come with me and tell him about it?”

He shook his head and clapped me on the back. “Nah. He can hear it from you. I’ll see him ’round sooner or later and I’ll catch up with him when I do.”

“All right. I’ll let you know what he tells me.”

The second I was done working, I drove into town. Since some things were shuffled around at the ranch, I actually had the chance to leave earlier than usual. Heather wasn’t parked at her cabin. I cruised by to check. No one was there, and no one—especially a car I wouldn’t recognize—was parked at any other cabin.

How the hell did he find her, anyway?

Heather was so private, a hermit, that she didn’t put herself out there at all. I hated the idea of someone following her, and I loathed the thought that someone in Burton could have told this asshole where Heather was staying.

Sure, Gavin made it sound like she wasn’t welcome when she was younger. It sounded like there was a lot of family history to unpack. But from what I’ve noticed, aside from some snide remarks from Ashley who seemed annoyed with everyone, no one minded Heather coming back to town.

Just to check up on her, I drove down Main Street so I’d pass the parking lot that the bank employees used too. I saw her car there, and it filled me with a sense of relief that she was with others.

Not vulnerable or alone. Like at her cabin.

No, wait. That’s not right.

She didn’t have to be alone out there either.

My cabin wasn’t far.

Satisfied that Heather wasn’t alone at work, I drove the rest of the way to the very small police station. Marty was working, and I was glad that it was his shift. Brent, the other cop, wasn’t that bad of a guy, but I automatically never liked him too much because he was Jerry’s brother.

“Hey. How’s it going?” Marty asked when he looked up from the front desk where he was checking something. The receptionist walked back with a coffee in hand. “Oh, hey, Roarke.” She grinned and then winked at me.

“Hi.” I could not remember her name, and I wasn’t about to butcher it in guessing. “You got a minute, Marty?”

“Sure.” He raised his brows in question. “You wanna talk out here, or in my office?”

“The office is better,” I replied.

His brows shot up higher.

Once we were in his small office, he closed the door and I sat.

“What’s going on?” he asked as he rounded the desk and then sat in his ugly-ass but seemingly comfortable chair. He swore he’d never get rid of the squeaky thing, a hand-me-down from the previous cop who used to take this tiny office space.

“Some asshole showed up at Heather’s cabin yesterday.” I blew out a deep breath and launched into explaining all that I could. What the blond-haired asswipe looked like. The make and model of the car he parked further from her cabin. How he talked. What he said.

“She was terrified and stood behind me.”

“But she knew him?” Marty asked, pausing in jotting notes.

“Yeah. She did. Somehow.”

He frowned. “She didn’t say who he was, though?”

I shook my head. “She clarified that he wasn’t her boyfriend. But I don’t know if that means he is her ex. Or just some pushy asshole who was bothering and targeting her.” I ran my hand over my face, still unused to the lack of a beard. “He was adamant that he was her boyfriend, but she didn’t give any indication that was true.”

“Well, what did she say?” he asked.

“Fucking nothing, man. She was scared, that was obvious. And thankful.” I rolled my eyes. “She was grateful that Todd showed up and had that gun on him.”

He smirked. “Well, this isn’t going to turn into me reminding him that he’s gotta be careful about how he keeps that damn rifle in his truck like that...”

I doubted it would. Todd was too damn old to be “policed” by men a third his age.

“You said he was driving a black Ford?”

I nodded. “I didn’t catch a good look at the license plate.”

“No need to. He’s gotta be the arrogant asshole I’ve pulled over for speeding.” He typed on his computer and turned the monitor around for me to see. “This the guy?”

I nodded, angry all over again at the sight of his gelled blond hair, the smug smile in his ID picture. “That’s him.” I narrowed my eyes. David Kenning. Hmm. I supposed it served a purpose to be able to put a name to his face.

“I already looked him up. I ran him for speeding multiple times. He didn’t care that I ticketed him twice already.”

“Smug bastard.”

“Sounds like it. But I was curious what a fancy lawyer from Chicago would be doing around here.”

“He’s a lawyer?”

He nodded, reclining in his chair. “And a squeaky clean one. No record at all. Not even a speeding ticket, and that alone shocks me for how much of a lead foot he seems to have around here.” Sitting up, he gave me a serious look. “And since Heather just came back from Chicago, I got a little interested if that could be a coincidence. I pulled her up, too.”

“And?” Not for one second would I suspect Heather could be running from a crime. She didn’t look like someone who’d break the law.

“Nothing.” Marty shook his head again. “Not a thing on either of their records, but their addresses did link to the same apartment building.”

“They were neighbors?”

“No, not according to the numbers in their addresses, but it sounds like they lived in the same building.”

I rubbed my chin, considering all of this news—or the lack of it.

“I’ll talk to Todd. Next time I see David, I’ll talk to him as well. But my hands are tied, Roarke. Until the guy actually does something more than showing up at her door and talking. Until I have evidence, not just a statement, I can’t do anything without cause.”

I sighed, figuring he’d be obligated to say something like that. The law could be lenient around here, but that didn’t mean Marty abused his power. Not at all. He was a good officer, even if I wished he could go look for David right now and haul him in for talking to Heather like that.

“But,” he added as he pushed to stand, “I don’t see why I can’t start somewhere else. I could go swing by her place and chat with her. I could see what kind of light she might shed on the situation.”

I shook my head, knowing how poorly that would go over.

“I could do a check-in and make sure she doesn’t need help or anything.”

I rose to my feet, sighing and wishing this didn’t have to be so complicated. “She won’t say anything. She won’t open up or tell me a single damn thing. Just that she’s done with men.”

“You trying to start something with her?” he asked, not harshly but curiously.

Start? We’d already done something. Many kisses were shared between us. I went down on her with her seated on that high table like she was a feast laid bare just for me.

I shrugged, following him out the door. “I’m...”

“Because I thought you didn’t want drama with women anymore,” he reminded me.

I didn’t. “I don’t.”

“But?”

I gritted my teeth. “Let’s just check on her. See if she’ll answer any of your questions.”

That was what had to happen. I didn’t need Marty asking me a single question—especially not one geared to getting me to own up to wanting her.