Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

Jackson

With the best damn cup of hot cocoa I’d ever had in hand, I tried to appear relaxed and into the movie Allison obviously adored. But my mind was a million miles away.

This whole thing stunk of Russell. I wouldn’t mention him to her until I was sure, but he was my number-one suspect. It was exactly like him to break in here and look around just to show me that nothing of mine was off-limits to him.

Not that Allison was mine. But we’d hung out publicly almost every night since she’d arrived in town. Half of Rosemary Mountain had probably jumped to the conclusion that we were together, no matter how often we denied it. Russell would make that assumption, too. And if he wanted to get back at me, he might strike out at her.

First thing in the morning, I would go to Greg and tell him everything. It was one thing when Russell was just harassing me. It was another thing altogether for him to involve Allison. And considering the conflict of interest, I couldn’t investigate this alone. Maybe not at all, depending on how Greg decided to handle it. It might be out of my hands completely come tomorrow.

Though that sure wouldn’t stop me from looking into things in my off time. Or spending as much time as possible with Allison to make sure she was safe.

Part of me wanted to rush out to find Russell right now and demand that he tell me where he had been tonight. But I knew that was a rash decision. The worst thing I could do was leave Allison alone right now. Partly because it was clear as all get-out that she wouldn’t know how to defend herself if whoever this was broke back in again. And partly because I had seen the fear on her face when she thought I was leaving. She had put on a brave front, pretending she was blowing the whole thing off as a nosy neighbor. But the truth was in her eyes. This had shaken her more than she wanted to admit.

When she said she was going to go to bed, it was clear as day she was too nervous to actually sleep. So I’d sit here and watch every Jane Austen movie there was with her until she was relaxed enough to actually rest, if that’s what it took.

But it only took thirty minutes for her to fall asleep, curled up in a tight ball on the other end of the couch. I couldn’t bring myself to wake her, so I covered her with the blanket she had brought for me, turned the TV off, and stretched out on the rug beside the couch.

I stared at her for a little while, wondering if this was what it was like for couples like Willa and Cole. Feeling so comfortable and safe with your partner that you just relaxed and fell asleep easily.

Allison wouldn’t know this, but I had never spent the night with a woman before. It was a firm rule I had with dates. No sleeping over. The nightmares that still occasionally plagued me were too humiliating. I would never want a date to witness that.

Yet here I was, volunteering to spend the night at Allison’s house, and not even bothering to make sure we were in separate rooms. Somehow, I knew I wouldn’t have nightmares tonight. Not with her right there. I had stayed to make her feel safe, but something about her presence made me feel safe too.

The floor was hard, but the pillow smelled like her. And before long, I was deep into the most restful sleep I’d had in years. Instead of nightmares, my dreams were sweet—and they all featured a certain golden-haired beauty curled up beside me.

I woke the next morning to Allison’s surprised cry. “What is it?” I asked, jumping up.

“I’m so sorry!” she said. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep here. Did you sleep on the floor all night?”

I stretched out, popping my back and neck. “Yeah. It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine,” she said, giving me a stern look, “and based on the sounds your body is making, I’m the worst doctor in the world for making you do that.”

“You didn’t make me.” I rubbed my hand over my face, trying to wake up. “You were sleeping so peacefully I couldn’t bring myself to wake you.” I opened my eyes to see her smiling at me.

“That’s sweet of you,” she said. “But next time? Wake me. And sit up, with your back to me.”

I gave her a confused look but did what she’d said. She immediately put her hands on my neck, startling me.

“Good grief,” she said. “You’re ridiculously knotted up. Jackson, I’m so sorry. Let me see if I can work some of these out for you.” She went to work kneading the knots in my neck with her thumbs, providing both pain and relief at the same time.

“Um. Thanks,” I said, reminding myself that she was a doctor who probably didn’t think twice about putting her hands on her patients. I, on the other hand, had just spent a night enveloped in her incredible scent, sleeping close enough to her that I had to stop myself from reaching up and pulling her down on top of me, and now her hands were doing magical things to my neck.

She trusted me, and I’d die before breaking that trust. So I jumped up, away from those hands I wanted on me more than I could possibly say. “Coffee,” I said, struggling to speak. “Need coffee.”

She gave me a weird look. “Oh. Yeah, of course. I’ll put on a pot. Are you one of those people who can’t even string a sentence together in the mornings without it?”

I nodded, even though it wasn’t true at all. I loved my coffee, but I often went on my morning run before I had my first cup. Caffeine deprivation wasn’t the reason I was flustered beyond belief this morning, but it made a damn good excuse. An excuse that didn’t break our pact.

I folded up the blanket and hid in the bathroom like a coward while Allison made coffee. The guilt was killing me. I had to get over these feelings she was stirring up in me.

Was it just because I couldn’t have her? I thought it over as I did my best at brushing my teeth with some toothpaste on my finger. As an adult, I’d never really wanted a relationship. Never imagined a future with anyone or thought about what it might be like to set up house and start a family. Those dreams had died for me a long time ago.

But all of a sudden, my brain was trying to convince me I wanted the American dream after all. Was it because she was off-limits?

No. It was because she was her.

I sighed, splashing my face with cold water. “You need to get over this,” I warned my reflection in the mirror. That kind of life wasn’t meant for a man like me, and I’d made Allison a promise. I wasn’t going to mess things up now.

I just had to survive coffee, breakfast, and driving her to the clinic. Then I could get some space and finally think straight again.

Any relief I expected to feel when I dropped Allison off at the clinic was short-lived. I missed her like crazy the minute she was gone. When she climbed out of my truck, waved goodbye, and shot me a little smile over her shoulder as she disappeared into the clinic, it felt like the world had suddenly gotten darker and colder all at once, as if the sun had disappeared behind the clouds.

Allison was my sun. And that was a very dangerous thing.

But I had work to do, and while I hated that the work involved her, I was glad to have a distraction. I drove straight to the office and went right to Sheriff Morrison’s door.

“Come on in,” he called out.

“Morning, Sheriff.”

“Morning, Jackson,” he said with a smile. “Enjoyed meeting your friend last night. Sweet girl. Daphne and Willa both gave her their stamp of approval. Bring her to our get-togethers anytime.”

“Thanks,” I said before clearing my throat. “But I actually need to talk to you about something official.”

“Oh?” he asked, leaning back in his chair. He put his hands behind his head. “Go on.”

“Last night, I took Allison back to her house. Her window was open and the front door was unlocked.”

His smile turned to a frown. “Sit down.”

I took the seat across from him and waited for him to speak.

He studied me for a moment. “Any chance it was her being absent-minded?”

“No,” I said, shaking my head. “First, she’s not the type. Second, she moved here from Memphis. Locking up is second nature to her. Third, the window frame and doorknobs had both been wiped clean.”

“Ah,” he said, grimacing. “So no luck with prints at all?”

“None. And nothing was missing or out of place.”

“Suspects?”

I sighed. “There’s a few people who come to mind. Yesterday, Frank Cross was harassing her at the clinic because she refused to prescribe him the opioids he wanted. I basically pulled him off of her and told him to go cool off.”

Greg nodded. “That’s a good place to start. He’s got a temper, and if he’s desperate, he may have gone searching her house in hopes she had a supply there. Had the clinic been broken into as well?”

I winced, realizing I had missed something crucially important in my desperation to get away from Allison that morning. “I’ll check,” I said, pulling my phone out to shoot her a text.

She replied almost instantly.

“Clinic was fine, according to her. But I can swing by and take a look around, see if there’s any signs of disturbance she might not have noticed.”

“I’ll do it,” he said breezily. “I’m headed over that way in a little while anyway.” He grabbed a notepad and scratched down some notes to himself. “Any other suspects come to mind?”

“Well, if you remember, I heard Larry and Gus talking about her before she moved here. Larry acted like he wasn’t too happy and wanted her to leave.”

Greg mused. “Breaking in without actually damaging anything doesn’t seem like his style. He’s more the type to make a show of it. Jail time has never been much of a deterrent for him, so I can’t see him bothering to wipe his prints. But maybe.”

I nodded, knowing he was right. “It’s a long shot, but she also has an ex who wants her back. He called her at the party and apparently even called her mom, trying to get her to put in a good word. He wants her to move back to Memphis. From what she’s told me about him, he seems like a real prick.”

Greg’s mouth went flat and he shook his head. He leaned back again and put his pen in his mouth, chewing on the end of it. I knew to sit quietly while he thought things through. “Alright,” he finally said. “So let’s say, hypothetically, it’s the ex. He might not want to hurt her, but maybe he thinks he can scare her into running back to him. In that case, I still think he’d make it more obvious though. Mess some things up, make it look good.”

“Unless he wasn’t trying to make it obvious. Maybe he forgot about the window,” I said, shrugging. “Maybe it wasn’t a show at all, and he just wanted to do a little snooping. See what she’s up to, make sure she hasn’t moved on with someone else.” Even as I said it, it was clear I wasn’t convinced. The ex was just another person we’d have to rule out.

“Yeah,” Greg said doubtfully. “Like you said, long shot. I’m not really seeing it. But still something we’ll have to check into.”

“Yeah,” I said, swallowing hard. “Then there’s Russell.”

Greg leaned forward, putting his elbows on the desk. His face turned hard. “Russell? What does he have to do with this?”

“I’ve caught him following me a few times,” I said, shifting awkwardly in my seat. “Wants me to give him money and I won’t do it. He’s made some vague threats.”

“Why are you just now telling me this?” Greg’s voice was gruff, his normal cool gone.

“What was there to tell?” I lifted my hands in frustration. “My deadbeat dad wants money and is running his mouth. What’s new?”

Greg made a face, giving me the point. “Has he made any direct threats or tried to lay a hand on you?”

“No.” I knew Greg was asking more as a father figure than as a sheriff. “Nothing like that. You know his style. He’s too smart to come after me directly. But threaten someone I care about? Well, that’s as Russell Sharp as it gets.”

“Was the window closed when you picked Allison up yesterday?”

I shook my head. “I picked her up at the clinic. She hadn’t been home since that morning. It could have happened anytime between eight a.m. and nine thirty p.m.”

“Any clues on site?”

I reached into my pocket, pulling out an envelope to hand him. “Just this. Found it out back, behind her house. Can’t be sure it was from yesterday, but…”

He sighed as he took the clear plastic bag and stared at the cigarette butt inside. “That’s Russell’s brand.”

“Yeah, it is.”

He placed the bag on the desk. “You know it’s a conflict of interest for you to investigate this.”

“Yes, sir.”

“I also know you’re the best detective I have and that you aren’t going to have any peace of mind if I assign this to a lesser one.”

I nodded, grateful he understood.

“So, I’ll handle it myself,” he said in a tone that made it clear the matter was closed. “If there’s anything else I need to know, you come to me right away. Don’t approach Russell. Let me handle that. I’ll keep you in the loop. Anything else happens, you call me. Got it?”

“Got it.” I stood up to leave.

“And, Jackson?”

“Yeah?” I turned back to him.

“Keep your girl safe.”

I nodded, feeling a lump form in my throat. “I will, sir.”