A Better Man

CHAPTER FOUR

JOSH SLAMMED into the kitchen Saturday morning, startling Piper into splashing liquid over the rim of the hummingbird feeder. But then Josh slammed everywhere these days. He seemed to always be in a hurry. And she was preoccupied.

“Good morning, Josh,” she said over her shoulder, feigning calm she was far from feeling. Anger at her father had kept her up most the night. She didn’t want him anywhere near her or her son. But how could she keep them apart? Josh worshipped his grandfather—a man whose soul had been blackened by dishonesty. Not a good role model.

“You aren’t ready,” Josh said with eleven-year-old angst and flung himself against the counter.

The bicycle helmet on his head sent her stomach plummeting. She and Josh rode every Saturday she didn’t have to work unless it was pouring rain. Why couldn’t it have rained today?

Her mind raced. They could hardly tool around town and then calmly have breakfast at the diner with her father the way they had in the past. Not without her pretending everything was normal, and not without running the risk of bumping into Roth. She wasn’t eager to see either man at the moment.

Searching her brain for an excuse that Josh would accept, she capped the feeder and rinsed the sticky solution from her hands.

“Grandma asked me to set up the hummingbird feeders. The birds usually come back around the first of April. After I finish I thought we’d drive into Raleigh for a movie.”

“There’s nothing good playing, and I told Will I’d go with him to check the trotlines later. If we catch any catfish, can I eat dinner with him? His mom’s fried catfish is the best!”

“Last week you said your grandfather’s fried catfish was the best. And you’ve been begging for new shoes.”

“Oh, man. Do we have to do that today?”

“I have time today. Next weekend the clinic’s open on Saturday. I’ll have to work.”

“What about breakfast with Grandpa?”

“He can eat without us.”

And tomorrow she’d have to figure out somewhere else she and Josh could go where they’d be unlikely to encounter either of the men on her Dislike list.

Josh stubbed the toe of his sneaker into the tile floor. “Okay.”

“Call Will and tell him about your change of plans.”

“Will has a cell phone.”

She welcomed the old argument—anything to keep her mind off the ache in her heart. “You’re eleven. You don’t need a phone. Besides, you know I can’t afford one for you right now.”

He shuffled out of the room, his slouching shoulders revealing his lack of enthusiasm over spending a day with his mother. She’d try to make it up to him by letting him have lunch in the mall food court. There were no fast-food joints in Quincey.

One potential disaster averted. For now. That left tomorrow to rearrange. She wasn’t sure how long she could cocoon Josh before he figured out something was wrong. But what choice did she have? She wanted to avoid Roth as long as possible.

Avoiding him could prove expensive if she had to keep carting Josh out of town for extracurricular activities. But if she was lucky, Roth would run out of patience with Quincey before she ran out of money and ways to dodge him.

* * *

THE BELL TINKLED with obnoxious cheer above Roth’s head as he let himself into Ann Marie Hamilton’s real estate office on Saturday morning. Her assistant, the same woman from twelve years ago, sat behind the desk acting as gatekeeper. He couldn’t recall her name.

Her automatic smile slipped when she recognized him. “May I help you?”

“I need to talk to Mrs. Hamilton.”

“May I tell her what it’s about?”

Fishing for gossip. Typical. “I can do that myself.”

The woman bristled, her round face turning red to the dark roots of her dyed blond hair, and Roth realized he’d better try harder to cover his irritation with busybodies if he wanted the populace to be cooperative and to look out for his mother after he left.

“I’m interested in rental houses.”

“Doyle’s apartment not good enough for you?”

Snide witch. “It’s fine. Short term. But if a man wants to put down roots, he needs something more permanent.”

He was blowing smoke out his ass since he had no intention of staying in this godforsaken town one day longer than necessary, but he’d have to do plenty of evasive double-talk during his dealings with Ann Marie if he wanted to pump her for information about Piper.

“A rental’s still a rental.”

Enough. “Is Ann Marie available?”

“I’ll check.” The woman rose, slowly strolling the three steps to the open office door then paused. “Roth Sterling would like to speak to you about rental homes. Do you have a moment?”

As if Piper’s mother hadn’t overheard the entire conversation and the parking spaces outside her building weren’t empty. Moments later Ann Marie appeared. She looked exactly as he expected Piper to look in twenty years or so. Only unlike her daughter, Ann Marie was dressed for success, her face and chin-length hair immaculate. Piper had always dressed for comfort and preferred to keep her hair out of the way.

Twelve years ago he’d stolen countless hairclips so he could run his fingers through Piper’s golden strands—especially when they’d made love. Those long locks had felt damned good dragging across his skin. The memory sent a rush of heat through him. When he’d packed his bag for boot camp he’d left all the clips and bands behind. What had his mother done with the stolen treasures?

“Good morning, Mr. Sterling.”

Mr. Sterling? He’d find more warmth in a polar icecap than her voice, and her forced smile didn’t fool him for a second. “Mrs. Hamilton. I see you’re still the only real estate agent in town.”

“I am. Come in. Have a seat and tell me what you need.”

Her office was girlie, decorated with flowers, pale colors and delicate furniture that made him wonder if the pieces could hold his weight. He gingerly lowered himself into one of the fragile-looking chairs.

“I’m interested in leasing a house preferably with an option to buy in a neighborhood with people my age, like Piper.”

“Piper lives with me. Our neighborhood is quite diverse, but there are no rental properties.”

“She’s back at the old home place?” And back under Daddy’s heavy thumb?

“No.”

That raised a few questions. “You and the chief moved?”

“I moved. Lou did not.”

Piper’s parents had split? More questions wrestled for priority. Not wanting to put Ann Marie on the defensive, he reined them in. “I noticed a few new houses when I drove around town—on Roth land.”

“Your mother sold parcels, I’m assuming to support herself? But I can’t be certain.”

He linked his fingers in his lap and kept his mouth shut since he didn’t know the answers to her questions. He’d learned in the course of his career that a silent stare often loosened lips.

“You moved into your apartment two days ago. What about your lease?”

“I’m renting month to month until something better comes along.” Like an opportunity to return to Charlotte.

“I heard your mother was moving back. You could stay with her.”

“No.” He almost barked the word, then took a moment to gather his composure. “My father will be with her.”

Mrs. Hamilton’s face paled ever so slightly. “Seth is getting out?”

So the people of Quincy hadn’t heard. Hadn’t they been following the release logs as religiously as Roth had? Weren’t they concerned about keeping that evil spawn out of town?

“Scheduled for parole the last day of May. Released early for good behavior.” What a load of garbage.

“I see. Well…” She pulled a flowered pad of paper forward and clicked her pink pen. Three times. “How many bedrooms would you like?”

He shrugged. “Doesn’t really matter.”

“Will someone be helping you choose your next residence?”

Smooth, Mrs. H. “No. Just me. For now.”

He deliberately tacked on the last to keep her guessing.

“And what do you think a house will give you that an apartment won’t? You have a pool now. None of the houses around Quincey have pools. And there’s the extra work of yard upkeep, lawn mowers and whatnot to buy.”

“Swimming in the river’s fine with me, and I’ve never minded hard work. I’m looking for space. A place to cook out on the grill with my friends and my coworkers. I believe in team building.”

The corners of her lips turned down, reminding him his team had once been her husband’s, and she’d been the one to cook for them. “Will you have friends staying over? Is that why you need the extra space?”

He had to fight a smile at her not-so-subtle inquisition. “Not sure yet. But it’s best to be prepared. It was good seeing Piper yesterday. She mentioned her fiancé.”

Ann Marie blinked. Twice. “Yes. Tragic, how their love was cut short.”

“Did you and the chief like him?”

Six pendulum swings of the grandmother clock in the corner marked her hesitation. “We unfortunately never had the opportunity to meet him before his…accident. They lived so far away and Lou doesn’t fly.”

Roth’s antennae sparked. Piper had said her father approved of the guy. So one of them was lying. But who? He’d guess Piper. What would Ann Marie gain by saying she’d never met her future son-in-law?

“Piper didn’t mention what kind of accident, and I didn’t want to pry and upset her about…what was his name?”

Click. Click. “Rick. And it was a motorcycle accident. You know Florida doesn’t have helmet laws?” She straightened her pen and paper. “Roth, Piper doesn’t need you…toying with her affections again. She’s made a good life here for herself and her son.”

Her words shocked him like a Taser. “Piper has a son?”

Ann Marie nodded stiffly. “Rick was killed just days before their wedding, leaving Piper pregnant. They were so in love and in such a rush to start their lives together that they jumped the gun a bit.”

“That so?” Jealousy burned like a gas main break in his gut. He wanted to punch something, to shoot something, to annihilate something. He struggled to rein in his reaction. He’d vowed he’d never be the kind of man who could be ruled by his emotions.

Obviously her fiancé hadn’t been the white trash she’d accused Roth of being since she hadn’t aborted Rick’s kid.

Click. Click. “So please, don’t try to resurrect anything.”

He tried to focus on Ann Marie’s last statement rather than the bombshell she’d dropped. “Reuniting with Piper is not part of my plan.”

As Piper had said, the past was over. There would be no attempt at reconciliation. Loving and losing her had sent him to a very dangerous place mentally—one where he hadn’t cared whether he lived or died. And it had taken him a long time to crawl out of that dark hole.

Ann Marie searched his face then nodded. “All right. There are not a lot of rental units available despite the market downturn. But I can make up a list of the houses that are available.”

Roth had learned far more than he’d bargained for and he needed to leave to process it. He rose on legs that felt as stiff as telephone poles. “Do that, and I’ll give them a drive-by. If any of them grabs my interest, then I’ll be in touch.”

He left the office determined to find Piper. At least now he knew what she was trying to hide.

Piper had moved on. She’d had another man’s child.

So where was the relief he should be experiencing?

* * *

“YOU DID WHAT!” The plate slipped from Piper’s hands and splashed into the sink filled with soapy water, shattering the peace of their Saturday-night after-dinner washing-up ritual.

Her mother actually looked quite smug. “I told Roth our story.”

“Why?”

“Because Quincey has limited places to hide. He was going to find out about Josh sooner or later. It’s best to send him down the wrong path before he jumps to conclusions and finds the right one. And I wanted to warn him off.”

Piper didn’t like the sound of that. Roth had never been one to back down from a challenge. “Warn him off how exactly?”

“He needs to know you haven’t been pining away for him.”

But she had. Despite the anger and hurt, for years she’d waited for him to find her and tell her he’d made a mistake. That he loved her. Wanted to marry her and raise their child together. Eventually that love had turned to disappointment then to anger and finally to determination. She didn’t need him to make a good life for herself and Josh.

“Mom, I wish you wouldn’t volunteer information. The less we say the better. Roth has always been a genius at figuring out puzzles. That’s what made him such a good mechanic. If we don’t sync our stories perfectly, he’ll root out the inconsistencies.”

“We’ve discussed this too many times to make mistakes, and to be on the safe side, I told Roth your father and I had never met Rick. That way our descriptions of him won’t contradict each other.”

Piper’s stomach sank as if she’d swallowed lead. “Roth asked me if Dad approved of Rick. I said yes. Yes implies you’d met him. Our story is already getting tangled.”

Had Roth caught that small contradiction? Was it enough to spark his curiosity? Would he even care? She hoped not. Otherwise, she could be in big trouble.

“I’ll have to think of a story to cover that.”

“Mom, telling more lies is not the answer.”

“Then what is, Piper? I don’t put much faith in your belief that Roth won’t be interested in his own son.”

“He wasn’t when I told him I was pregnant. Why would that have changed? If he confronts me, I’ll make it clear I want nothing from him. Him or Dad. In fact, I’d be happy not to lay eyes on either of the traitors again.”

“If only life were as easy as ignoring what we don’t want to see. But it isn’t, sweetie. And we learn the most from our toughest obstacles. Avoiding your father is not the answer. He’s upset that you stood him up for breakfast today.”

“He’s upset? After what he did? I don’t want him anywhere near us.”

“Piper, I’ll be the first to admit he’s a bullheaded idiot sometimes. But he is your father and he loves you.”

“He proved that well—by running off the man I wanted to marry.”

“Lou did what he thought he had to do to protect you.”

“He could have given Roth and me a chance to work things out.” She regretted voicing the old hurt the moment the words left her lips.

“Oh, baby, do you honestly think time would have made a difference? If Roth had wanted to contact you, he could have found a way—even with you in Florida. You had friends who would have forwarded a letter or given him your number. But he didn’t call and he didn’t write.”

“Neither did Daddy—until you threatened to move to Florida to be with Josh and me.”

“Whether you choose to forgive your father or not, we need him in our corner right now. He still has legal connections we might need if Roth isn’t as disinterested as you think.”

“You expect me to forgive and forget Daddy’s betrayal just like that?”

“No. But please don’t shut your father out. You may not need him. But Lou has lost everything that matters to him. He needs you and Josh. He has nothing else to live for.”

The words landed like an avalanche of guilt on Piper’s shoulders. “You don’t think he’d hurt himself?”

“I don’t know. I’ve never seen him like this, and I’m worried.”

Piper might not ever forgive her father. But she would never forgive herself if he did something stupid because she shut him out of hers and Josh’s lives.

“Okay. I’ll call him. And I’ll let him spend time with Josh. But I won’t trust him.”

* * *

“WHY IS EVERYBODY acting so weird?”

Josh’s plaintive question stalled Piper’s heart. “What do you mean weird?”

“You’re all antsy. You can’t sit still. Like Will when he hasn’t taken his ADD medication. And Grandpa keeps looking down the road like he’s expecting somebody to run us off. And why are we fishing here anyway? This isn’t our lucky spot.”

Her son was too perceptive. Piper looked at her father, silently pleading for help. She could hardly tell Josh they’d chosen the isolated spot because they were hiding from the new chief or that she’d tagged along on what was usually a male-only fishing trip because she was ticked at her father.

Lou snapped to attention. “I heard a rumor of a big catfish wallering in the mud under that downed tree. You plan on standing here chattering all day or are we gonna bait up and cast a line to see who catches him first?”

The distraction worked like a charm. Josh hustled to his grandfather’s side. Her father glanced her way and Piper nodded her thanks.

As a result of his stroke her father had lost dexterity in his left hand, and while he’d regained a lot of control, some of his fine motor skills were still lacking. Piper bit her lip and resisted the urge to help.

Luckily, Josh took over, grabbing the beef liver as soon as her father cut it and threading the chunks onto the barbed hooks. “I don’t know why we can’t just set trotlines like Will.”

“Trotlines are lazy-man’s fishing. You set ’em and come back the next day. Where’s the sport in that? Catching a big’un with a rod and reel takes skill and patience. You have to outsmart that bottom dweller and muscle him into your frying pan. Now that’s fishing. Not fetching.”

“If I catch him, what will you give me?” Josh taunted.

Piper’s father smiled, the left side of his mouth turning up slightly less than the right. “The best fried catfish dinner you ever had. Will’s mama has nothing on my secret recipe, and you can tell her I said so.”

Their banter thawed Piper’s heart slightly. There was no doubting her father’s love for his only grandchild. Josh desperately needed a male influence and without her father she wasn’t sure where he’d get it. Was she making a mistake in trying to keep Josh and Roth apart?

No. For a lot of reasons, involvement with Roth wouldn’t be good for Josh. That meant she’d have to contain her anger and disappointment and let him spend as much time with his grandfather as he needed.

They strolled toward the riverbank with their rods in hand. Piper caught her breath when she recognized Josh’s stride. He walked like his father. In the twelve years Roth had been out of her life, she’d forgotten his walk—it was one of the few details she’d been able to wipe from her mind. Until now.

Her father put his hand on Josh’s shoulder. “Listen up, Josh, starting tomorrow my deputies will be adjusting to the new chief and learning his ways. Don’t know how he feels about ’em giving civilians a ride. So take the bus home from school. Don’t be hitchin’ a ride, ya hear?”

“I hate the bus. And why do we have to have a new chief?”

“’Cuz I’m not one hundred percent healed yet. And Quincey needs someone to run the department until I am.”

“You don’t like being retired?”

“It’s like summer vacation. You know how you get bored by the end? I can’t fish every day. There are more important matters to tend to, an’ I can’t do ’em sitting in my recliner.”

Piper heard the frustration in his voice that his reassuring smile couldn’t hide, and her heart ached for him. No matter how furious she was, she didn’t wish him ill. And yes, she supposed a part of her still loved him and wanted the old chief back.

She especially wanted the new chief gone. The sooner the better. She just didn’t know how to convince Roth there was nothing here for him now.

But if there was a way, she’d find it. And she needed to do it soon.

* * *

ROTH STOOD OUTSIDE the squat brick building housing the Quincey P.D. early Monday morning, eager to get this show on the road. The sooner he took control and assessed his officers the sooner he’d know who he could trust—and who he couldn’t.

Quincey’s mayor climbed from his Tahoe and joined Roth on the sidewalk.

“Snodgrass, you might have warned me that you’d forced Chief Hamilton to resign.”

“Former Chief Hamilton has been a figurehead since his stroke. He’s been unable to perform his duties, and his prolonged visits to the station keep the deputies who sit on their behinds entertaining him from doing theirs. The council’s decision was the best one for Quincey.”

Two of the town council members joined them, then shadowed them on their trek up the sidewalk. The mayor paused outside the door. “We’ve had an increase in petty crime of late, primarily vandalism and some spray painting.”

“Gangs?”

“Doubtful. It’s not gang signs. But if the officers are here playing cards with the former chief, they are not out looking for our troublemakers.”

“You are aware that I was once one of Quincey’s troublemakers.”

Snodgrass’s expression turned wily. “That should give you an advantage in ferreting out ours.”

“Still, I would have appreciated a heads-up about the hostility.”

“You’re a Marine. You can handle hostile natives, can’t you?”

Oohrah. “Absolutely.”

“And it is only the natives who will require…let’s call it an adjustment period. The newer citizens aren’t as backwoods or close-minded.”

Had the man read his résumé? “I am one of the backwoods natives.”

“You were. We are hoping your combination of native know-how and military and police experience will have widened your view and will help us run things more efficiently. Quincey’s police force has become…complacent.

“As for your deputies, the only one to watch is Butch White. He has seniority and has been acting unofficially as interim chief. He wanted this job and was convinced he was entitled to it.”

Snodgrass nodded and one of his minions jumped to open the door, then the mayor motioned for Roth to precede him. The trio of new blood followed Roth in like fish in a school.