Chapter 7

7

"How's it going, son?" Ryan's dad asked. "You ready to come home yet?"

Leaning against his kitchen counter, nursing his third cup of coffee of the morning, Ryan stifled a laugh.

When he'd decided to take the job with the Marion police, Ryan had every intention of renting a place for a year. Just to be sure the move had been the right decision. This two-bedroom, one-bath Craftsman with a huge front porch had changed his mind. The price had been a refreshing change from the prices back home too. Before long, he was touring it with a real estate agent, falling in love with the small backyard lined with an ancient black iron fence, and dreaming of one day coming home to a wife waiting for him on the front porch. Next thing he knew, he was putting 20 percent down and filling out change of address cards.

None of it was like him. It was shocking, really. His big family still acted like he'd lost his mind.

"I'm good here, Dad."

"Come on. Kentucky can't actually be agreeing with you."

"It actually is. You need to come out and see this place for yourself." Frowning at the empty room, he added, "I mean, as soon as I buy some furniture."

"You should've rented a place," he chided. "That's what you said you were going to do."

"I like this house, Dad." After walking to the set of windows that faced his backyard, he grinned at the pair of rabbits sleeping in the middle of the lawn. He'd never been a fan of rabbits until now. "Mom would've liked it too."

"Your mother would've liked anything you liked." He grunted. "But she would've agreed with me. If you're not getting fresh fish from the bay, you're missing out. There's no fresh seafood in Kentucky, son."

"It's got rivers and lakes, Dad."

"Hmph."

"How's everything been going for you?" His father was semiretired and took vacationers out fishing a couple of days a week.

"Good. Going well enough to support my needs. Fish are biting."

"And the tours? Everyone treating you good?"

He cackled. "Well enough there too. Son, stop fussing and worrying."

"I can't help it, Dad. You're on your own."

"I've got two of your nosy brothers and a sister within driving distance. They'll stop by if I call them."

"You know you won't."

"They've got families to tend to. Besides, Wallace and Jeanie have been coming over. I'm not on my own all that much."

His father's neighbors were good people, but friends and neighbors were just that. They weren't family, which meant that neither Wallace nor his wife were going to lose any sleep if Jack Mulaney wasn't seen on a walk for a couple of days. "Why don't you plan on coming down to visit?" Mentally calculating his paychecks, he said, "Maybe at Thanksgiving? I'll have a couch by then."

"I've got a couch here, son."

"The weather's good too. Folks have told me that I won't have to worry about a jacket until October."

"Ryan, you aren't going to be needin' me to wander around on the streets while you're out working. Next thing we know, I'll be picked up for jaywalking and mistaken for a vagrant."

He laughed. "First of all, no one's going to be taking you down to the police station for that. Secondly, I would be the one who picks you up, and I'll let you cross the street wherever you want."

"There's that, I suppose."

"You could try out some of the local fishing holes. We could have supper together."

"I like being home, Ryan. Your mother's things are all right here. You have to understand that."

"I do."

"Good. Now are you sure you can't share anything good with me? You don't have any good stories?"

Like always, his dad enjoyed hearing about his days. He used to light up whenever Ryan was involved in a particularly difficult case. "The only job out of the ordinary is that I've been escorting the current Miss Crittenden County to her various events around the area."

As Ryan hoped, his father chuckled. "Good for you. I bet she's a sweet young thing."

"She is. Emphasis on sweet too. She's a nice girl."

"Does she have a man?"

"A boyfriend? I don't think so. We haven't got that far in our conversations."

"You ought to do that, son. It's time."

During the same six-month span, Ryan's mother had died of cancer and Chloe Anderson, his on-again-off-again girlfriend of three years, had broken up with him for good. Ever since then, he'd been in a fog. He knew it wasn't just because Chloe had ended things, though the breakup had hurt. The fog wasn't even because of his mother dying. She'd been fighting cancer for several years and had overcome a lot of obstacles, living a full two years longer than anticipated. But those two things, along with being passed up for a promotion, had made him eager for a change. He'd certainly gotten that here in Marion.

"I know, Dad. When I meet the right woman, I'll know."

"Maybe, though you might not know if it's the right one at first," he said in a soft tone. "You might even wonder if that person is the wrong one."

Ryan chuckled. "Until she proves you wrong?"

"Or your heart gets involved. That's what happened with your mother and me."

All six of the kids in the family knew the story of their parents' romance well. "Dad, you two were college sweethearts."

"Not at first. At first, she was my French tutor."

Loving the new, warm thread that crept into his father's voice, Ryan felt the knot between his shoulders ease. "I don't remember you telling me that, Dad."

"Yeah. Foreign language was a requirement, and French sounded awesome. I, um, just had no idea how hard it was to speak."

"And Mom knew how to speak French?" How come he'd never heard this? Or was it that he'd only listened with half an ear?

"Of course your mother knew. She was the smartest girl in her sorority. She started tutoring me on Wednesday nights."

Ryan could hear a smile in his father's voice. "And one thing led to another?" he asked as he sat down on the barstool next to the kitchen counter.

"No. One thing led to my roommate taking her to a mixer. That led to me getting jealous enough to ask her out."

"And the rest is history."

"Darn right." He lowered his voice. "That's why, Ryan, when I tell you to keep an open mind, it's good advice. I know what I'm talking about."

"I guess you do. But Candace isn't the one."

"Her name is Candace, hmm? That's a pretty name."

"Like I said, she's young. And she's hiding something too." Then there was the certain feeling he had about her that had nothing to do with his job or her adorableness and everything to do with her secrets.

"Of course she's hiding something."

Again, he was surprised. His father usually talked fish and football. Not love and romance. "Why do you sound like that's not a bad thing?"

"Because everyone hides things, son. Especially with someone new."

"True."

"And if she's not the one, someone else will be."

"Yes, sir."

"Be patient and keep your eyes open. It'll happen."

"Dad, I don't know when you became Dear Abby, but I have to tell you that you're pretty good."

"If you'd listened to me when you were fifteen, it would've saved you a lot of grief."

Ryan had loved pushing boundaries back then. Every other weekend he'd been grounded—and forced to clean his father's fishing boat. "Don't remind me. I'm going to let you go. Love you, Dad."

"Always, son. Always and no matter what."

Ryan hung up with a lump in his throat. He was a lucky man. Blessed to have wonderful parents. True role models. But it wasn't easy hoping to measure up to them. Their bar was set far too high to reach easily.

Moments later when he stepped outside onto his front porch, some of his neighbors were out walking. Others were working on their flower beds. His yard looked pretty spartan in comparison.

Thinking he needed a project to keep him occupied when he wasn't working, he went into the garage and found a shovel, determined to expand the flower bed in front of his bay windows. But when he dug the shovel in, the ground barely gave way; it felt like he was digging into cement.

It seemed he had a lot to learn about his new town—the soil and the people.

After a few more haphazard attempts, he propped the shovel on the side of the house and sat down on the front step. He had big plans for a future in this house and in this town. He just hoped he could make a go of it.

When a woman about his father's age walked by with her dog, she paused. "Hi there, Officer Mulaney. How are you?"

He stood up. "I'm just fine. And you?"

"Me and Trixi are out for our morning constitutional." She chuckled. "Do you need anything? Are you eating?"

His neighbors had all brought him coffee cakes and lasagnas when he'd moved in. "Yes, ma'am. I'm eating plenty. Don't need a thing."

"We're glad you're here. Don't be a stranger, hear?"

"Yes, ma'am."

With a wave of her hand, she started walking again.

Leaving Ryan once again with the feeling that he'd done the right thing by moving to Crittenden County. Somehow, someway, he was going to make a life here.

All he needed to do was pray and give it some time. He could do both.