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“Why don’t you like Samuel?”
“I don’t like what he’s doing to this town.” He sounded disgusted.
She angled her head in question. Why did he think there was something wrong about Cold Plains? “Who wouldn’t want to live here?” This was paradise compared to where she’d come from.
He leaned against a post supporting her covered patio. “It wasn’t always this way.”
“What way? Perfect? Idyllic? Safe?” At least it had been up until Jed showed up.
“This town was full of crime and cowboys before investors came and turned it into a tourist attraction.”
He didn’t like that? “What’s wrong with improving things?” Gemma asked.
“Nothing.”
She was pretty sure he thought there was something wrong with it. Why was he a cop here if he hated it so much? “You’d rather have it full of crime?”
“No.”
“Then …?”
He stared at her for a long time. “You’re new here.”
What was that supposed to mean? Old-timers knew something she didn’t? She found that so hard to comprehend. Cold Plains was a haven for her.
Straightening from the post, he walked with slow, sure strides to the patio door. “I’ll drive you and Lacy to the community center.”
Following him into her house, she wondered if the reason he didn’t like talking about his family situation had anything to do with his opinion of Cold Plains. She sensed a strong connection between the two. Was he here to right a wrong? Or did he have some kind of vendetta against certain people? Against Samuel Grayson?
Or Bo Fargo? She’d seen the way he’d looked at the man and it hadn’t been friendly. Ford didn’t respect the police chief. But why? He wouldn’t tell her if she asked. He’d already cut the conversation off.
He led her out the front door and she locked it behind her, watching him scan the neighborhood with trained eyes. She wished he didn’t attract her so much. His mysteries kept mounting. And now he’d warned her to be careful who she befriended. Was he one of those she should steer clear of? Instinct told her no. Her heart was drawn to him for some reason. Then again, her heart had been drawn to Jed, too.
She’d be careful all right. She’d be careful not to get too starry-eyed over Ford, police officer or not.
Chapter 3
Gemma entered Cold Plains Coffee as Ford held the door for her. Dismissing the gentlemanly gesture, she looked for Lacy. She couldn’t wait to go to tonight’s seminar, not for the content, rather, for the break it would give her from the constant temptation to let go of inhibitions.
Rich wood blinds with swooping maroon drapes accented the western decor of Lacy’s shop. Buffalo-plaid-patterned chairs and sofas created nooks where patrons could gather. In the center, rugged wooden tables surrounded by cushioned chairs sat beneath exposed beams. The acoustics of the architecture kept the mixture of voices in the half-full space to a muted level.
A middle-aged couple saw them and, after staring a bit, the woman leaned closer to the man and said something that made the man nod and look over again. An elderly woman with a floral sun visor sat at a table and smiled her approval. At first Gemma thought the older woman liked seeing a police officer in the shop, but then she stood in her baby-blue jogging suit and headed toward them, white tennis shoes bright and clean.
“Anna,” Ford said flatly.
“Ford,” Anna greeted, leaning toward him to plant a kiss on his cheek, Ford lowering his head to accommodate her. “I didn’t know you were coming here.”
With an affectionate frown, Ford said, “I highly doubt that. What are you doing here, Anna?”
She ignored him and turned to Gemma. “I’ve heard all about your trouble, dear. And I couldn’t be prouder of Ford for helping you.”
“I’m very grateful for his protection,” Gemma said.
“I told you, I’m working,” Ford said.
“That’s what you always say. This, however, is different. You call living with a woman working?” Anna gave Gemma a close and deliberate inspection. “A pretty one, too.”
“I’m not living with her. I’m staying with her for a while. For her protection. I’m a police officer.”
“And a good one, too.”
“Why did you come here? And tell me the truth.”
Anna smiled and gave the air in front of her body a sweep with her hands. “I went for a jog. You know I always jog in the evening.”
Ford chuckled, a deep, affectionate sound. “So, you decided to stop in for coffee? After a jog?”
“No harm in that.” Her eyes twinkled with delight.
“You never drink coffee at night. Especially when you jog, Anna.”
Anna laughed, the aged sound adorable. The love between them was obvious. She could do no wrong in Ford’s eyes. The woman had to be in her seventies and had the energy of a woman twenty years younger. Athletic and thin and nowhere near frail, she was an inspiration.
“I came here to see her for myself.”
The entire exchange touched Gemma, and also revealed a side to Ford she didn’t think emerged often. The soft light in his eyes, the soft light of love.
“Anna …?” Ford warned in a teasing way.
“Do you think I’d pass up a chance to meet your new girl? I knew you wouldn’t tell me about her and I couldn’t wait.”
“She isn’t my girl.”
“No, but you desperately need one.” She patted his muscular bicep.
His affection disappeared behind a lowered brow and intensifying eyes. Even with the one person he loved like a mother, he still kept his boundaries firmly in place. Whatever haunted him, it was significant.
“Why don’t you bring her by the house this weekend? I’ll make us something special for the Fourth of July. You can grill some ribs. Your favorite. I don’t feel like attending the fireworks this year. It’s changed so much …”
“Anna …” Ford cautioned again. “I told you, I’m working.”
“Oh, all right, then when you’re finished working, bring her by the house. When will that be? Is August enough lead time?”
Ford sighed. “Anna …?”
Lighthearted laughter answered him before she turned to Gemma. “Good to meet you, dear.”
Gemma shook her hand, feeling the strength in it. With that, Anna headed for the door. But over her shoulder she called, “When your work is finished, you bring her to see me.”
Ford gave her a salute with two fingers, and muttered to Gemma, “She doesn’t understand that when my work is finished, I won’t be staying with you anymore.”
“No?”
He turned a startled look to her. She was just as startled.
“I heard that,” Lacy said as she approached, sparing Gemma further embarrassment.
She couldn’t believe what she’d said. Of course, she didn’t want Ford to stay after his work was finished … after Jed was taken care of. It was just that Anna seemed so sure.
Hooking her arm with Gemma’s, Lacy was about to take her toward the door when all three of them saw Anna pass outside the café window. She winked.
“She may have a point,” Lacy said.
“What point?” Gemma asked.
“Are you two ready to go?” Ford stopped the banter irritably.
“When I told her you were staying with Gemma her whole face lit up and she went into this long explanation about how she thought fate had finally stepped in to guide you.”
“When did you tell her that?” Gemma asked while Ford’s mood darkened all over is face and body language.
“This morning when she came in for coffee.”
“That sounds like Anna,” Ford said, his mood boomeranging in a way that captivated Gemma.
Lacy grinned her entertainment. “I told her about the day the two of you met. Imagine how intrigued she was.”
Ford’s mood returned to annoyance. “No imagination necessary. Are you two ready to go now?”
Gemma wasn’t. “What did you tell her?”
“Exactly what I saw.” Her now mischievous grin left no doubt as to her meaning.
She and Ford had noticed each other. “Ford has orders to stay with me. There’s nothing more going on than that.”
“Orders,” Lacy cooed. “Now that’s romantic! Anna thinks so, too.”
“You’re going to be late.”
Gemma noticed Ford’s more consistently flat demeanor and Gemma, seeing that, asked, “Are you sure you want to drive us?”
“I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t.” He looked right at Lacy.
Lacy breathed a single laugh and, arm still hooked with Gemma’s, headed toward the door.
Ford followed them outside, scanning the street for anything suspicious. He opened the passenger-side door for Gemma. Lacy opened the rear door herself, beaming a knowing smile.
“In all seriousness, Ford,” Lacy said from the backseat, “It’s truly impressive how well Bo Fargo runs that police department. Gemma is a lucky woman to have your protection.”
Only Ford’s eyes moved to the rearview mirror.
“You must be so relieved, Gemma. I don’t know what I’d do if a man came after me like that. It’s so rare when we have that sort of thing in this town. But so comforting to know we have policemen like you, Ford.”
Again, Ford’s eyes shifted to the rearview mirror. The compliment rolled off him as though he didn’t believe her. Didn’t he think Lacy was being sincere? Wasn’t she?
Gemma looked into the backseat. Lacy’s eyes shifted from the rearview mirror. Her smile seemed genuine but her gaze held something else. She turned to the window, leaving Gemma wondering what she was thinking as Ford pulled to a stop in front of the community center.
“I’ll be waiting for you when you get out,” he said.
Jed would be foolish to try and attack her in a crowd.
“Why don’t you come in with us?” Lacy gathered up her purse.
“I don’t attend these seminars.”
“There’s something for everyone. You really should try it,” Lacy said.
“No thanks.” His gaze pinned her in the rearview mirror.
Gemma stepped out of the front seat and waited for Lacy to come around the SUV, watching Ford walk toward the café where he’d questioned her.
“He’s always been the quiet, brooding type,” Lacy said as she joined Gemma. “Sexy, though.”
Gemma headed for the community center entrance. She refused to talk about sexy. There was something that she did need to know, though. “What happened to his parents?”
“His whole family was murdered when he was a teenager.”
Gemma sucked in a breath while Lacy opened one of the community center doors. Murdered? His entire family? No wonder he didn’t want to talk about it.
“You can read about it in the newspaper archives at the library. Everybody knows about it. I’m surprised you don’t by now.”
That was because Ford couldn’t talk about it. He kept the pain locked inside.
“There’s no question about why he became a cop. And it’s no wonder the crime rate in Cold Plains is so low. Ford may not talk about losing his family the way he did, but everybody knows that’s why he’s such a stickler for the law. Everyone likes that about him. Crime doesn’t fit here and he keeps it away.”
Gemma liked that about him, too. And Cold Plains as a whole. How could she not? She may have inadvertently led crime to this quiet, peaceful town, but Ford would fight it for her.
She walked beside Lacy into the bustling community center. People were everywhere. Leaving or entering the building, emerging from a hallway, moving into an auditorium and socializing near the tonic-water counter. Lacy told her the water came from Cold Plains Creek and had some kind of healing power. Fountain-of-youth type of thing. She’d have to remember to buy another case of it. At twenty-five dollars a bottle, Jed would be furious if he ever knew.
“I could see you winding up with someone like him,” Lacy said, waving to a woman holding a bottle of tonic water.
“Ford?” They entered the auditorium where tonight’s seminar was being held.
“He’s a cop and he’s great-looking.”
Yes, a little too much of both. “I don’t want to see anyone for a while. I’m still so messed up. I need to figure myself out first, you know?”
Lacy smiled and they took a seat. “Well, you’re off to a good start by coming here.”
