Page 27 of Mountain Man

The strange thing was that after he’d pulled Em and me over, I hadn’t gone more than three days without bumping into Reg at Rise and Grind or spotting him with his kids at Log Cabin Diner or driving along Belvedere—possibly on the lookout for other out-of-towners with lead feet. But lately…nothing.

I wondered if he’d taken a last-minute vacation, but school was about to start, and Reg didn’t seem like the type to take a week off on a whim. No, he was the guy who planned holidays months in advance—if he took them at all. Besides, I heard his name in passing often enough.

Three days ago, Dex had pointed out his special of the day, a rosemary olive oil donut, and mentioned that Wood Hollow’s police chief had tried one that morning and approved.

“I test the bounds of friendship every time I create a so-called ‘weird’ flavor.” Dex had chuckled, bouncing his beautiful golden-haired toddler on his hip. “This one got a reluctant stamp of approval from all the La Rues, including the chief. So, c’mon…try one.”

Yeah, I’d bought the donut, and it was delicious.

Two days ago, Davey had grumbled about the family of raccoons who’d made a mess of the trash. He’d personally spoken to Chief La Rue, though he wasn’t sure what he could do.

“Actually, I know exactly what Reg will say,” Davey had commented as he’d rung up my order. “ ‘Get better trash cans.’ He’s coming by this morning, so we’ll see. I hope he hurries. I’m off soon.”

I’d taken my time doctoring my latte, stopped to say hello to a logger, and even sat at one of the bistro tables, people-watching for a while. I’d told myself I was just taking in the sunshine on a well-deserved break, but the truth was…I’d been hoping for a peek at the silver fox in uniform. Just a peek. I’d eventually surrendered the table to a young mom balancing a tray of drinks while wrangling two kids.

Yesterday, I’d overheard Mandy gossiping with a customer at the market as she’d scanned groceries.

“Did you know that Rhys La Rue has a girlfriend? He was in Sadie’s line ten minutes ago with his dad. Sadie asked Rhys about her in front of Chief, and the poor kid turned bright red. It was so funny!”

Right. But if they’d been in line ten minutes ago, we’d have been in the store at the same time. And yet…I hadn’t seen him, hadn’t heard him.

If I didn’t know better, I’d have thought Reg was avoiding me.

Nah. That was silly. We’d left on cordial terms, and we’d been painfully honest with each other. We’d had sex. That was it. And it wasn’t going to happen again. Too bad, ’cause it had been pretty fucking amazing.

Maybe the alleged nail and screw caper would suss out the elusive police chief.

Or not.

A wiry man in his thirties with thinning hair, a long nose, and a nervous demeanor showed up within the hour. In a twist, Officer Pete was also Artie’s second cousin.

“On our mothers’ side of the family,” Artie explained.

“Yep. My mom is his mom’s first cousin. That’s how it works, right?” Pete wrinkled his brow in confusion.

The ensuing silence indicated they needed a moment to work out the logistics.

I cleared my throat and stepped aside. “Artie, you’ve got this. I’ll be in my office if you need anything.”

Artie frowned. “Don’t you think we should call Cooper? He’ll want to know about a theft.”

“I’ll take care of that. You take care of the report.”

It irked me that the guy second-guessed my every little decision. I’d bet he kept notes on all the ways I was fucking up the job that should have been his. I trudged up the stairs, wishing once again that I was in the forest with a buzz saw, building something or tearing something apart.

My cell buzzed on my way up the stairs. I smiled at the name on the caller ID and was immediately blindsided by a wicked case of homesickness.

“Hi, Uncle Way! Do you miss me?”

“I sure do, buddy. Tell me everything,” I urged, perching on the edge of my desk.

I didn’t have to do more than hum every once in a while to let Emmett know I was there, hanging on his every word.

He was starting school in two days, and Grandma had bought him new shoes and a new backpack. It was plain blue and he kind of wanted the one with Darth Maul on it, but Grandma thought it might be flashy. He wasn’t sure what that meant. His friend Kyle had cut his hair too short, and Emmett thought he looked funny. He wouldn’t laugh, though, and he was gonna be mad if anyone in their second-grade class laughed.

Emmett spoke in a rush, each thought building on the last.

He seemed happy. I wondered how my sister fit in…or if she did at all. I was afraid to ask and spoil his mood. Or mine. I was content to listen and soak up his sweetness, hoping it would get me through this lonely spell.