Tool Belt Defender

Brittany walked him to her front door where he turned and touched her lightly on the tip of her nose. “You’ll be okay. Go shopping, buy yourself something completely frivolous. That’s always made you feel better in the past.”

She watched him as he walked toward the path to his patrol car parked at the curb. She knew he meant well. All of her brothers did, but they all interacted with her as if she were the same person she’d been before the kidnapping, and she wasn’t.

She closed the door and locked it, then returned to the kitchen and grabbed her coffee cup. She walked to the back window and stared out at the patio.

A little over eight months ago, before she’d been taken captive, she’d been a spoiled, indulged princess. She’d loved hanging out with her friends at Harley’s Bar, a rough-and-tumble tavern that boasted live music on the weekends. She’d loved shopping and lunch out and dating men that weren’t necessarily husband material.

She’d often been late to work, knowing that her brothers would cover for her, and living each moment without thought for the next had been her specialty.

She wasn’t that woman anymore, but her brothers had failed to see that although her life had been spared, the immature, irresponsible girl she’d been had been killed, leaving her floundering to discover exactly who she was now.

She rubbed her eyes, feeling the grit of exhaustion. The balloon had been gone when she’d gotten up that morning, but the sight of it had kept her awake far too long the night before. She hadn’t been able to shake a sense of foreboding that in the light of day seemed rather silly.

She jumped as her phone rang. She didn’t recognize the number, but picked it up and answered.

“Brittany, it’s Alex.”

His deep voice washed over her with a welcome heat and she reminded herself that he was a married man. “Hi, what’s up?”

“I thought I’d let you know that the supplies should be delivered around noon today and if you don’t mind I’d like to be there when they drop them off.”

“No problem. I just can’t wait for the project to be done.”

“Then I’ll see you just before noon.”

She hung up and smiled ruefully. It was just her luck that after everything she’d been through the first man who sparked any kind of interest in her was totally off-limits.

Reminding herself that the last thing she needed at this moment in her life was a man, she set about making herself breakfast.

It was about midday when she looked out her back window and saw Alex seated in one of the chairs on her patio. She opened the back door and stepped outside.

“You should have told me you were here,” she said as he smiled at her and stood.

“I didn’t want to bother you. They told me the delivery would be around noon, but that usually means anywhere between noon and four.”

She waved him back down and sank into the chair opposite his and tried not to notice that he looked just as handsome today as he had the day before. “Would you like something to drink?” she asked.

“No, thanks. I’m good.”

He was better than good, she thought. “It’s a gorgeous day to start the project,” she said.

He smiled. “Nothing better than a perfect spring day for a little work outside.”

“Have you had a chance to explore Black Rock?” She just wanted to make conversation, to have a reason to remain sitting across from him and enjoy the view.

“We’ve definitely discovered Izzy’s Ice Cream Parlor. I think it’s going to be our favorite hangout until winter comes.”

“When winter does arrive then you’ll have to go out to Mathew’s pond on the north side of town. If the temperature is right he sets up fire barrels around the edge of the pond and half the town shows up there on the weekends to ice-skate.”

“Sounds like fun.”

“How’s your wife coping with small-town life?” she asked, needing to remind herself that that he was a married man and then maybe that thousand-watt smile of his wouldn’t have so much power over her.

“Actually, I lost my wife almost two years ago. Being a single parent was part of my reason for changing careers and deciding to move here. My wife’s mother lives here and I thought my daughter could use the support of a loving grandmother.”

“I’m so sorry,” Brittany said, knowing the simple words weren’t adequate for the depth of loss he’d suffered. Her heart went out to him. He had not only lost the woman he loved, but apparently had made the choice to leave his career behind and move because in his mind it was the best thing he could do for his daughter.

Someplace in the back of her mind she realized this meant that Alex was a single man. Not that it mattered to her. No matter how hot he was, she just wasn’t ready for a man in her life.

All she wanted from Alex was a deck where she could have her friends and family over for barbecues and good times. Beyond that she knew what she needed most was time to heal, and that was something she had to do all alone.

“It’s all right,” he replied. “Time passes and life goes on. My main goal is just to make sure that Emily is okay. Emily is my six-year-old daughter.”

Now she understood why he didn’t work weekends and worked relatively short days. “You mentioned that your wife’s mother lives here. Would I have known your wife?”

He shook his head. “Linda never lived here in Black Rock. Her parents, Rose and Harry, moved here after Linda and I got married.”

“Rose Tyler,” Brittany said.

“That’s right.”

Brittany smiled. “She’s a nice lady. She does a lot of charity work here in town.”

“She’s the greatest,” he agreed. “And best of all she’s a babysitter who never complains about long hours.”

“What about your parents?” she asked.

“They live a wonderful life in Italy. They weren’t exactly what you’d call doting parents and so I knew not to turn to them when Linda died.”

At that moment the conversation was cut short as the truck from the lumberyard arrived. Brittany stood to the side and watched as it was unloaded. The truth of the matter was she watched Alex as he helped Ed Burton from the lumberyard unload. She watched in fascination as his T-shirt stretched taut across his back with each load he lifted.

She’d found the tidbit of information about his parents intriguing but told herself she didn’t want to know more intimate details of his life.

Even if she were ready for a man in her life and even though she found Alex incredibly sexy, she still wouldn’t want to have any relationship with him.

Brittany wasn’t sure she wanted children of her own. There was no way she’d want to take on somebody else’s. She still needed to work on herself and wouldn’t have the time or energy to deal with a grieving child.

No, she would be happy to admire Alex’s taut body over the next couple of days but there wouldn’t be anything more between them, not that he’d made any sign that he was even remotely interested in her.

Within twenty minutes everything was off the truck and stacked neatly on one side of the yard and Ed Burton drove away. Brittany was surprised when Buck Harmon and another young man appeared in the backyard.

“There you are,” Alex said with a smile to the two young men.

“Sorry we’re late. Gary had to stuff his face with a sandwich before we left his house,” Buck said. He raised a hand to Brittany in greeting.

“These are my helpers,” Alex said. “I’m assuming you know Buck and Gary.”

“I know Buck,” she replied. And what she knew of him she didn’t like. At twenty-four years old Buck had a reputation for trouble. He worked odd jobs, drank more than he should and could be a hothead. More than once as a deputy she’d had to give him a stern warning about some infraction or another. “But I don’t believe I’ve met Gary before,” she added.

“Gary Cox.” He strode over to her and held out his hand. The freckles on his face danced as he offered her a friendly smile and shook her hand with an adult firmness. His coppery hair gleamed in the sunlight as he stepped back from her. “I’m Buck’s friend and I’ve been helping Alex on some of his jobs.”

He looked like an odd companion for Buck. Gary gave the impression of being a puppy dog, eager to please and slightly goofy. “Nice to meet you, Gary,” she said.

“Now that the introductions are out of the way, it’s time to get to work,” Alex said.

“And I’ll just get out of your way,” Brittany replied. She went back inside the house but stood at the back window and watched as Alex and the younger men got to work.

She wondered if Alex knew that Buck wasn’t the most trustworthy person in town. Buck had had more than his share of run-ins with all of the Graysons. If she got a chance she’d mention her concerns about him to Alex, but in the meantime she watched as the work began on the dream that had helped keep her sane through her months of captivity.

Watching Alex work should become a national pastime, she thought as she watched him pick up a hole digger and hand it to Buck.

She turned away, deciding she needed to stop watching Alex and find something more constructive to do. She’d been meaning to clean out her closet since moving back into the house. She’d lost about fifteen pounds while being held by The Professional and intended to donate a lot of the clothes that were now too big for her to charity.

She kept her mind blank as she worked, knowing that if she gave it free rein it always went back to the filthy cell where she’d been held, counting the days, the very minutes to death.

It was just after three when she heard a knock on her back door and hurried to answer. Once again a rivulet of warmth wiggled through her as she saw Alex.

“We’re knocking off for the day,” he said when she opened the door. “We’ve got the posts up but they need to set. Since tomorrow is Saturday we’ll give them the weekend and we’ll be here bright and early on Monday morning.”

“Sounds good,” she replied. “Then I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Have a good weekend,” he said and then he was gone.

She hadn’t realized how much the sound of the male voices coming from the backyard throughout the afternoon had comforted her.

Now she found the silence slightly oppressive. She moved the box of oversize clothing she’d packed next to the front door and then called a local charity for a pickup the next day.

Sitting down on the sofa, she punched the remote control to turn on the television, just wanting the noise to fill the emptiness of the otherwise silent house.

For almost three months she’d been alone in the shed, with only the sound of The Professional’s voice to occasionally break the silence with his taunts and threats. She’d discovered that now she didn’t do silence well.

Her thoughts instantly drifted back to Alex. There was no question that she felt a visceral physical pull toward him. And why shouldn’t she? He was definitely attractive and she was definitely lonely.

She only left the house for grocery shopping and then only when it was absolutely necessary. She told herself it wasn’t fear that kept her inside but rather the stares and whispers that followed her anywhere she went.

A couple of the friends she’d had before being kidnapped had contacted her after her rescue, but she’d realized they seemed more interested in finding out the grisly details of the crime than her well-being.

Although she was happy that her brothers had all found love while she’d been gone, the fact that they were now building lives with loved ones and had a place where they belonged only made her loneliness deeper. She didn’t know where she belonged anymore.

The late afternoon and evening crept by. She fixed herself a salad for dinner, then watched some more TV. Finally at nine o’clock she went into her bedroom and got ready for bed.

She’d just turned out the light and closed her eyes when her phone rang. Fumbling on the nightstand, she turned on the lamp next to the bed and looked at the caller ID on the phone.

Anonymous caller.

She frowned and sat up. Probably a sales call or some stupid survey, she thought as she grabbed the receiver.

“Hello?”

Nobody replied, although she knew somebody was on the other end. She could hear the soft sound of breathing. “Hello?” she repeated, this time more firmly. “Who is this?”

Still nobody answered, but the breathing grew louder and she was suddenly cast back in time, back to when The Professional would breathe a little harder, a little faster as he talked about the party of death he intended.

Trapped in a moment of sheer terror, her heart beat frantically and she couldn’t catch her breath. Frozen with fear she heard nothing but the sound of the caller breathing … and waiting.

She finally managed to crash the receiver back into the cradle.

She drew several deep breaths and then released a shaky laugh. The Professional was dead. She was safe and a prank phone call had nothing to do with the man who had once planned her death.

The phone call, along with the balloon, had been nothing more than coincidences that had triggered bad memories. There was absolutely no reason for her to be afraid, yet she couldn’t stop shaking and she couldn’t quiet the dreadful sense of foreboding that slithered through her.

It took a very long time for her heart to finally return to a normal rhythm and even longer before she was ready to turn out the light.

Alex spent much of Saturday working in the yard with Emily. He cut the grass while she raked and bagged the clippings and then they went to the local nursery and picked out flowers to plant along the walk leading from the street to the house.

As they worked Emily kept up a string of chatter, asking him if there were flowers in Heaven, what kinds of flowers they were planting and anything else that entered her brilliant little mind.

It was after dinner and cleanup that he announced he thought a trip to Izzy’s was in order to reward them for all their hard work during the day.

At just after seven they left the house and headed down the sidewalk toward Main Street. It was a beautiful spring evening, unusually warm and with the scent of newly bloomed flowers hanging in the air.

Emily alternated between hopping and skipping next to him. She was a child that rarely just walked. She oozed energy and an exuberant happiness that filled Alex’s soul. In the weeks immediately following Linda’s death he’d feared that his daughter would never know real happiness again, but she was a testimony to the resilience of the human spirit.

“I’m thinking strawberry,” she said thoughtfully as she jumped over a crack in the sidewalk.

“Really?” he replied with amusement. They had this conversation each time they walked to Izzy’s. She professed to be thinking about eating some flavor of ice cream but always opted for chocolate ice cream with sprinkles when they got there.

“What are you thinking, Daddy?” she asked.

This was also part of the tradition that had been established in their walks to Izzy’s. Alex frowned in mock thoughtfulness. “I’m thinking maybe worm-flavored ice cream.”

He was rewarded by her infectious giggles. “Daddy, that’s so gross,” she exclaimed.

As they walked in front of Brittany’s house he was surprised to see her sitting on her porch. “Wait up, Emily,” he said. He jogged up the walk to her porch. “Good evening, Ms. Grayson.”

“Good evening to you, Mr. Crawford.”

Her smile warmed him as Emily came running to join him. “Emily, this is Ms. Grayson,” he said. “My daughter, Emily.”

“Hi, Emily. You can call me Brittany,” she replied.

“We’re going to get ice cream at Izzy’s. Want to come with us?” Emily asked.

“Oh, I don’t think so. I don’t go into town much,” Brittany replied, but Alex thought he saw a touch of wistfulness momentarily flit across her beautiful dark eyes.

“Emily, why don’t you show Brittany how you can do a cartwheel in the grass?” Alex said.

Emily’s face lit up. There was nothing she loved more than showing off her gymnastic skills. “Okay.” As she raced off the porch Alex turned back to Brittany.

“And why don’t you go into town much?” he asked.

“Watch this, Brittany,” Emily yelled from the yard.

She focused her attention on Emily. “You’ve probably heard about what happened to me.”

“I’ve heard a little bit about it,” he admitted.

“That’s super, Emily,” she called out as Emily performed two perfectly executed cartwheels. “People stare and whisper,” she said softly. “It makes me uncomfortable so I just don’t go out much.”

He heard a hint of loneliness in her voice and it called to his own loneliness. “We’re not going to traipse down Main Street in a parade. We’re just going to Izzy’s for some ice cream.”

“This time I’m going to do four cartwheels in a row,” Emily yelled.

“Tell you what,” Alex continued. “If you feel somebody staring at you and you get all uncomfortable, I’ll stick an ice cream cone on my nose and cover my head with sprinkles. Trust me, nobody will be staring at you after that.”

She looked at him in surprise and then laughed. By that time Emily had rejoined them. “Did you see me do four cartwheels?”

“I did,” Brittany replied. “That was so totally awesome.”

“So are you joining us?” Alex asked, vaguely surprised at how much he wanted her to come with them.

She hesitated a long moment and then nodded. “Okay, just let me grab my purse.”

“She’s pretty,” Emily said as Brittany disappeared through her front door.

“Yes, she is,” Alex agreed.

“Do you like her?” Emily slid him a sly glance.

“I’m building a deck on the back of her house so she’s kind of like my boss right now.” The last thing he wanted was for Emily to get any ideas about a budding relationship between him and Brittany.

Since they’d moved to Black Rock Emily had learned about stepmoms and had decided it would be nice to have one. Alex had explained to his daughter that finding a perfect stepmother was more difficult than it seemed and that she shouldn’t count on it ever happening.

Brittany stepped back out the front door with her purse slung over her shoulder. “All set.”

The two of them fell into step on the sidewalk while Emily danced just ahead of them. “What kind of ice cream do you like, Brittany?” she asked.

“I’m definitely a chocolate lover,” Brittany replied.

“Me, too!” Emily exclaimed. “Daddy says he’s going to get worm-flavored ice cream today.”

“That’s gross,” Brittany replied.

Once again Emily laughed in delight. “That’s what I told him.” She fell into step next to Brittany and gazed up at her. “Since you’re daddy’s boss, maybe you could tell him that he should let me get two scoops of ice cream instead of just one.”

Brittany laughed again and Alex thought he could listen to her laugh for a long time. He was also aware of the scent of her, a clean, fresh floral with a touch of jasmine that teased his senses.

“Let’s see when we get there how much arm-twisting we need to do to get your daddy to agree to two scoops,” she said.

Emily nodded and then once again danced ahead of them along the sidewalk. “She’s a doll,” Brittany said.

“She’s far too smart for her own good, as stubborn as the day is long, but best of all she’s my heart,” he replied.

“That’s nice. Every little girl needs a father in her life.”

“Are your parents here in town?” he asked.

She shook her head, her rich dark hair gleaming in the sunshine. “My parents died a long time ago, but I have four brothers who stepped into the role of father figure and sometimes that feels like four too many,” she said ruefully.

He grinned. “One of them is the sheriff, right?”

“Yes, that’s Tom. Then there’s Jacob, Benjamin and Caleb. Right now they all work as deputies, but Benjamin is quitting in a couple of weeks to ranch full-time.”

“And from what I’ve heard you were also a deputy at one time.”

“Before the incident.” Her voice held a slight edge of stress. The incident—such pitiful words to use to describe what she’d gone through.

“It’s been a beautiful day, hasn’t it?” He quickly changed the subject. The last thing he wanted to do was ruin this time with her by discussing something she didn’t want to talk about. “Emily and I spent the afternoon planting flowers along the walkway to our front door.”

“We got flowers with a name like what my daddy sometimes calls me,” Emily quipped. “Impatients.”

Brittany laughed again and Alex could tell she was relaxing with each minute that passed. There was something tragic about a woman who had lived through what she had and wound up being afraid to leave her own house because of the whispers and stares of the other people in town.

“Once you have my deck up I intend to plant flowers everywhere in the backyard,” she said. “I want that deck to be the prettiest place on the planet.”

“Then I’ll have to make sure that I’m on top of my game and give you a deck that will be the envy of everyone in town,” he replied.

By that time they’d reached Izzy’s. The ice-cream parlor was a small shop with half a dozen small round peppermint-pink tables inside and a long refrigerated counter displaying almost every flavor of ice cream imaginable. Much to Alex’s mock dismay and Emily’s giggles, they had no worm-flavored.

They were the only customers inside, and once they’d ordered and been served the three of them sat at a table near the window where the last of the day’s sun was visible, slowly sinking lower onto the horizon.

The conversation centered on the merits of ice cream and the variety of flavors available. Brittany was good with Emily, talking to her with an easiness and respect that Emily responded to in the same way.

There was no question that he was drawn to Brittany. Her thick, shiny hair begged him to tangle his hands in it, her plump lips seemed to ask for a kiss and that scent of her half dizzied him with a simmering desire to seek its source.

He didn’t know if his reaction to her was just a manifestation of his loneliness. Or maybe he was drawn to her because she seemed so different from his wife. A core of inner strength shone from Brittany’s eyes, a strength he found vastly appealing.

“This was nice,” Brittany said as they left Izzy’s and began the short walk home. Twilight had fallen and night shadows were beginning to creep in.

“I’m glad you came with us,” he replied.

“Me, too,” Emily added. “I think you should come with us every time we go to get ice cream.”

Brittany smiled at her. “That’s just because you got two scoops with me along.”

Emily giggled and then sobered a bit. “But I also like you because you’re really pretty and you make my dad smile really big.”

Alex felt his cheeks warm and tried to find something to say, but Emily wasn’t finished yet. “Did you know my mommy is in Heaven?” she asked Brittany.

“Yes, your daddy told me that,” Brittany replied.

“Do you think there’s ice cream in Heaven?”

Alex saw a whisper of compassion in Brittany’s eyes at Emily’s question. She stopped walking and crouched down to Emily’s level.

“I’d like to think there’s ice cream in Heaven. You know, my mommy died, too. Maybe your mommy and mine are having ice cream together right now.”

“That would be good,” Emily replied with a little smile. “Now, watch how I can jump the cracks in the sidewalk really fast.” She raced ahead of them, her pigtails dancing.

“That was nice,” he said to Brittany.

She nodded. “It must be tough to be a single dad.”

“Emily makes it relatively easy. She’s a good kid. Would you like to have dinner with me tomorrow night? I cook a mean steak.”

He wasn’t sure who was more surprised by the invitation, Brittany or himself. The words had just tumbled out of his mouth as if with a life of their own.

“Thank you, but I always have Sunday dinner with my brothers and their families,” she replied.