The Map Home (Collier’s Creek Christmas)

Chapter 10

TEN

Tad

Tad was starting to get seriously cold, but he was avoiding his parents by lurking in an alcove across from CCs and waiting for them to leave or turn their heads so he could take a few more shots of the tree all lit up. There’d been so many folks at the festival yesterday, and he thought a solitary shot would look great on the front page.

He sent another quick thank you that he’d seen Penny and Waylon first up to whoever was watching over him. The last thing he needed was his mom gushing and getting loudly sentimental about Tad’s work while his dad felt obligated to bang him on the shoulder and say, “That’s my boy.”

They were sitting close together, almost like kids on a date, bundled up underneath an outdoor heater in front of the coffee shop. They both had coffees, and Tad could seriously use one about now, but it really wasn’t worth being embarrassed in public and made to feel as if he were a kindergartner. He dragged a fingertip across his upper lip, feeling the mustache growing there. If his folks couldn’t see him as a full-grown adult, how was Dakota ever going to accept that Tad knew what he wanted? And what he wanted was Kota.

Also, what were they doing in town so early on a Sunday? Whatever the reason, they were having an intense conversation, and he realized he could probably walk right past them and they wouldn’t notice him. That almost made him quit lurking and go find out what was up.

“Tad Gillespie, are you loitering? There’s a law against that in this town. Maybe I should arrest you.”

Tad muffled a squeak as he just about jumped out of his skin. “Fucking hell, Kota, you scared me!” He turned to face Dakota.

“Sorry.” Dakota had a small grin playing on his lips and did not look sorry at all.

Tad let his gaze rake over Dakota. He looked good in his deputy uniform. Really good. For the thousandth time, Tad reminded himself about the Friend Zone, even if he did have dibs on marrying Dakota when they were thirty. It was less than five years away. Maybe a marriage of convenience wouldn’t be that bad.

“You aren’t sorry at all,” he said.

“Nope, guess not,” Dakota agreed, still smirking.

Together, they looked out onto the square. Again, Tad noted how easy it was for him to be quiet around Dakota. He didn’t feel like he had to fill in empty spaces with meaningless words, like he sometimes did with his other friends or with customers at Jake’s. With Dakota, he could just be his slightly nerdy, goofy, uncool self.

Friend .

Instrumental holiday music drifted on the breeze from one of the now open stores that had outdoor speakers going. Unaware of Tad or Dakota, his parents stood up from their seats and tossed their empty cups into the recycling. Still talking, his mom looking determined and his dad resigned. Not that unusual, but why? He’d call them later and find out.

“You’re on foot patrol again today? Like an old-time copper in London?”

“Yeah. Morgan has me walking around this morning. I’ll be in the cruiser later. It’s going to be a long day, for sure. What about you?”

“You know, human interest stories, that kind of thing.”

He was tempted to tell Dakota that Curtis had asked him to help with the land development story, but Curtis liked to keep things close to his chest until he was ready to publish. Tad didn’t think Dakota would say anything, but he wasn’t going to let Curtis down.

“Did you hear that the donated toys were stolen?” Dakota asked.

Tad swung around to stare at him. “Are you fucking kidding me?” That could explain his parents being in town.

Dakota nodded, looking grim now. “They were discovered missing early this morning. I was just talking to a kid who might have seen something, but honestly? We don’t know when they were taken. It could’ve been any time after people went home yesterday. Fuck, it could’ve been right afterward, there were so many people milling around.”

“Crud. Mom is going to be devastated.” Tad glanced across the square where his parents were still standing. Their conversation seemed intense. “But maybe they already know.”

Dakota followed his gaze. “I imagine they do.”

“That’s probably why Mom’s upset. I bet that’s why they’re in town too.” Tad narrowed his eyes. “We have to try and find them—the toys, I mean. And return them to the donation box.” Tad thought a bit further. “Why would someone take them? I mean, the ones Mom donated were just teddy bears for little kids.”

“Who knows? Could’ve been a prank, or a dare.”

“I hope they aren’t trashed.” This was the first year for the toy drive, and some jerk stealing the donations wasn’t going to be helpful in selling the county council on doing it again.

“We have no idea what the motive was, honestly. That’s why Morgan has me out here keeping my eye out. He figures I might see something out of the ordinary. But it’s not like we can spend a lot of time looking for them. We’re short-staffed, and there’s a missing person too.”

While they watched, Tad’s dad answered a call on his cell phone. Waylon spoke briefly and then tucked his phone away again. Leaving the front of the coffee shop, Tad’s parents started toward city hall.

“Yep, they definitely know the toys are gone,” Tad said.

A voice from behind them said, “What are you two doing?”

This time, the interloper was Boone. Tad tried to tamp down the automatic surge of irritation he felt toward his older brother and Dakota’s expression hardened. He and Boone did not get along.

“What are you doing here, Boone?” Tad asked, cranky that Boone had interrupted them.

“It’s a free country, baby brother. I can walk around town if I want to,” his brother said somewhat belligerently.

Tad eyed Boone. He knew his brother well, and Boone looked like he was up to something. His hands were stuffed into the pockets of his coat, his shoulders were rounded, and he had an overall furtive air about him.

“Where’s Amanda?” Tad asked. “Have you popped the question yet?”

The question made Boone look even shiftier. Had the idiot managed to mess it up with Amanda already?

“Did you do something stupid? Where is she, anyway? I haven’t seen her in ages.”

Tad liked Amanda. Weirdly, she seemed to like his brother, but maybe she liked being the one in charge because everybody knew it wasn’t going to be Boone. He talked big but pretty much wanted Amanda to make all the decisions. Which was Boone being smart, in Tad’s opinion.

“Fuck off. No, I haven’t asked her yet. I’m waiting for the perfect moment. She and Sara drove into Jackson Hole yesterday and stayed over, not that it’s any business of yours. What are you doing here?”

“Talking to Dakota, what does it look like?”

Boone rolled his eyes. “Dakota.”

“Boone,” Dakota said.

“What are you doing standing around? Don’t you have criminals to chase after, parking tickets to hand out?”

It seemed to Tad that his irritating brother was trying to shift the conversation away from himself and Amanda by starting something with Dakota. Since it was Boone, he wasn’t sure if he was being suspicious or clueless.

“Did you hear that all the toys for kids were stolen?” Tad interjected. “Mom and Dad are in town this morning, and they don’t look happy.”

“Did you talk to them already?” Boone asked, shifting from one booted foot to the other, his attention somewhere over Tad’s left shoulder.

“I’m working on a story for Curtis,” Tad said by way of answer. Boone was up to something, and he didn’t want their folks to know what it was. Well, Tad was going to find out before he did something epically stupid.

“Newsboy,” Boone sneered and rolled his eyes. It was no secret what he thought of Tad’s chosen career.

“You know what, Boone?” Dakota had been quiet, but now he pulled himself to his full height, clearly done with Boone’s attitude. After a post-high school growth spurt, Dakota had finally topped out at six foot four inches, and he towered over Boone. Which Boone hated. He towered over Tad too—but Tad liked it.

“I don’t give a fuck what you think about me, but Tad is really good at what he does. Good enough that Curtis trusts him to take over the paper while he’s recovering from his accident and surgery. What’s your problem with that? Is it that you aren’t brave enough to do something on your own? Are you jealous that Tad has his own career and isn’t working for Mommy and Daddy like you?”

Boone’s eyes narrowed and he recoiled, stung by the accusation. A heavy silence blocked out the tinkling holiday music and chatter from people nearby.

Tad’s lungs started to hurt. He realized he was holding his breath, wondering what the hell was going to happen next, while also memorizing the compliment so he could recall it later.

“Fuck you, Dakota,” Boone finally snarled. “You’re just a screwed-up loser. You’re lucky to be wearing a uniform. Sheriff Morgan felt sorry for you, that’s the only explanation. It’s no wonder your mo?—”

Tad interrupted his brother before he could say any more. “Do not finish that sentence, Boone. Go away and leave us alone. Go do whatever you came to town for and then go back to the ranch. Maybe they need you there for something.” He couldn’t imagine what it could be, but anything was better than having Boone anywhere near Dakota and him.

Forcing himself not to look over at Dakota, Tad glared at his brother, silently begging him to shut the fuck up and leave.

Boone seemed to get the message. Or, at least, he thought better of pursuing the current line of conversation. Without saying goodbye, he stomped off in the same direction their parents had gone. Tad almost said something about running into their folks. Almost. But hey, Boone was a grown man, and he could deal with Mom and Dad on his own.

“He is such an asshole,” Tad said. “Sometimes I wonder if he’s even related to the rest of us.”

“Boone looks just like your dad,” Dakota pointed out.

“Yeah, I know. It’s depressing.”

“You know,” Dakota began, “you don’t need to stand up for me. I can do it for myself. I’m perfectly aware that many people, including Boone, think I got the job as a favor or something.”

“But you didn’t get it as a favor. You worked hard, you proved yourself.”

Tad was worked up, angry with his stupid brother for trying to hurt Dakota, for trying to make him feel less and reduce him down to a kid whose mother had abandoned him. All thoughts of water rights and maybe-shady developments and missing toys had been banished from his thoughts.

“I hate that people might think that, and about you , of all people. People are so stupid! Especially Boone. I think Mom dropped him on his head and forgot to tell anyone.”

A funny, unnamable smile quirked Dakota’s lips as he watched Tad wind himself up for a rant.

“Tad,” Dakota said quietly, stopping him before he could really get started.

“What?” he snapped.

They were standing in the shadows of the old Mercks building, a gorgeous red brick structure that had housed the other newspaper back when Collier’s Creek had two of them. That paper had been gone since before Tad was born.

Dakota was staring at him, the strange expression still on his face.

“What?” Tad repeated impatiently.

Dakota stepped into Tad’s space. He almost moved backward, but at the last second, he held his ground. Still not answering him, Dakota reached out to grip Tad’s chin. Then, slowly—in slow motion, rather—Dakota lowered his head and brushed his lips across Tad’s.

The contact was so fleeting that Tad could almost have convinced himself it hadn’t happened. But it had.

Dakota straightened to his full height, that damned complicated expression fading away. “Thanks for having my back,” he said before turning and striding away.

Tad’s heart was pounding as if he’d run a race, or at least a couple of long blocks. Had that happened? For real? He lifted his hand, touching his lips as if he could physically feel the kiss Dakota had given him underneath his fingertips. Dakota Green had kissed him.

There was hope. Dakota had given him hope that he, Tad Gillespie, meant something more than trusty sidekick. Right? Unfortunately, the logical side of his brain, which Tad was usually happy to ignore, poked at him. It was probably nothing. Just a kiss. A thank you for telling Boone to fuck off.

Okay. But what guy kissed another guy as a thank you?

None, that’s what. Therefore, there was hope, so fuck off, logical brain. Even if it had just been a brief kiss, it was a kiss.

Blinking and shaking his head, Tad forced himself to return to earth. Dakota was long gone. The sidewalks were getting more crowded, with early shoppers who carried bags bulging with what Tad assumed were gifts, along with long rolls of brightly colored wrapping paper. The holiday music suddenly seemed louder, and at the other end of the square, the tree lights had been turned on even though it wasn’t even lunchtime yet.

Yes. Tad now had hope that he wasn’t truly in the Friend Zone. But he also had a job to do for Curtis Lewis. Peter Kline wasn’t going to get away with bulldozing the valley, and someone had to find the missing toys. Or at least find the thief.

Another little voice, the irritatingly logical one again, pointed out that maybe he should leave the toy theft to the Sheriff’s Office. Crime was their specialty, after all. But as Dakota had said, they were perennially short-staffed, so it wouldn’t hurt for Tad to poke around on that mystery too.

Handing the solved case to Dakota all wrapped up would be Tad’s gift to him this year.

Could be.

Movement ahead of him caught Tad’s attention. Squinting into the shadows, he spotted Honey Sweeting coming from the direction of city hall. On a Sunday? Something about her demeanor had Tad thinking the gossip columnist was up to no good. He usually did his best to stay off her radar, but maybe he could head her off and slip in a question or two about Peter Kline. He seemed like the kind of person she would know about. Before he could call out, though, she disappeared around another corner.