Susan Sleeman - Christmas Hideout

“What look?”

“The one that says I’ve been out of law enforcement too long and don’t know what I’m talking about.” Matt’s granddad crossed his arms. “I can read people as well as I used to, and there’s something about that young lady that rings true.”

“You only saw her for like a minute,” Matt’s father said.

He tightened his arms. “That’s all it took.”

Matt’s father turned his attention to Matt. “What’s your gut feel on this? Do you buy her story?”

“The background check I ran on her last night leaves me leaning toward believing her, but I don’t know her well enough to be sure.” Matt pushed off the wall. “Still, with a child in the picture, we need to err on the side of caution. I’d like her to stay here until the car’s ready. Not only because Nicole doesn’t have her wallet to pay for a motel, but also if a cop is stalking her, she won’t fare very well on her own.”

His mother sighed. “I don’t like this. Not one bit. If this guy is after her, it doesn’t seem very wise for her to take off before you look into this stalker. Especially when she can stay here with you all to look out for her.”

“Problem is, Mom, she doesn’t trust law enforcement. Means she doesn’t trust me.”

She gritted her teeth. “I wish I could tell her what a fine man you are. That you’re an upstanding deputy and would give your life for her if needed.”

Someone cleared their voice in the foyer, and he turned to find Nicole standing there, her assessing gaze fixed on him.

“Sorry to intrude.” She held his gaze. “But I wondered if I might use your telephone to call my sister in Austin. I promised to check in with her by now, and she’s likely worried. Thankfully, I’m a teacher and we’re on Christmas break, so I don’t need to call into work, too.”

“You’re welcome to use the phone,” his mother said before Matt could get a word out to warn against it.

“I don’t know if that’s such a good idea,” he said. “As a police officer, Harmon could track the call.”

Nicole chewed on her lip for a moment. “Piper’s at work by now, and she’s employed by a huge company. Wouldn’t the call just show as coming in on the main company line? Nothing direct to Piper.”

“Depends on the system,” Matt said. “It could also show a linked call to her extension. But still, I think the odds of Harmon getting access to the company phone logs is minimal. Just don’t call her at home.”

“Then thank you for the offer of the phone.” The words came out on a sigh of relief, and Matt hated that she was having to go through this. “Maybe Piper can come up with an idea of how to get my wallet to me, too. I’d ask the bank to send a new card or have Piper send me the money, but that would take days, maybe weeks.”

“Why doesn’t Matt go get your wallet?” his granddad suggested.

“I was thinking the same thing,” Matt said. It would also allow him to verify her story about the hunting knife and picture if Harmon hadn’t gone back to remove it.

She arched a delicate eyebrow. “You wouldn’t mind?”

He shook his head. “I’m off today and was just going to work on campaign stuff.”

“That can wait,” his father said. “The election is almost a year away, and a day off now shouldn’t be a problem.”

“Dad’s the sheriff, and he’s retiring,” Matt told Nicole. “I’m running for his office. Granddad was the sheriff before him.”

“Oh.” Her tone was flat and didn’t give away even a hint of what she thought about his statement.

He honestly hoped it would help sway her opinion of him, but he knew that she needed to see his actions not just hear his statements to earn her trust. “I’ll head out after I arrange for your car to be towed.”

She nodded. “You’ll be careful, won’t you? I mean, I’d hate for you to be hurt.”

“I can tag along so someone has your back,” his granddad said.

“Another good idea.” Matt smiled at his grandfather, who would do just about anything to stay involved in law enforcement work. Matt didn’t think there would be any trouble, but he’d love to have the company. “We’ll take the farm truck instead of the squad car to keep from drawing attention to ourselves.”

His granddad got a grin on his face. “But we’ll be carrying.”

Matt nodded. “That goes without saying.”

“And you’ll be careful that Grady doesn’t follow you back here, right?” Nicole bit down on her lower lip.

“Now, little lady, don’t you worry.” Granddad puffed up his chest. “Matt’s a fine deputy in a long line of fine deputies. He won’t let this fella tail him. That you can be sure of. You need someone on your side, and the McKades are here for you. You can trust us.”

Nicole nodded, but ongoing skepticism lingered in her expression. He hated seeing it. Not only as a deputy, and if he was honest, even more as a man who found himself interested in her. Not that he had time to court a woman or raise a family. He worked full-time as a deputy, often working overtime as it was, and then there was his campaign. He couldn’t get distracted and lose the office his father and granddad had held for so many years and let them down.

So much pressure, but even if they had wanted this for him, he wanted the job for himself ever since he was a kid and looked up to his dad and granddad. He’d given up serious relationships to attain this goal, and once he was the best sheriff he could be, then he would look to his personal life.

So he needed to keep his mind on the job here. Only on the job. “If you’ll give me your keys, I’ll drop them at the garage before Granddad and I take off for Austin. Is there anything I can tell the mechanic about what happened before the car died?”

“Um, well...” She tilted her head, resembling Emilie when she’d peered up at him with her question about the horses.

“There was one thing,” she said. “The headlights flickered a few times.”

“Sounds like the alternator,” his granddad said.

“If so, will that take long to repair?” she asked.

Granddad shook his head. “An hour or so if Clem has the part.”

Matt expected that hearing she could leave town today would lighten Nicole’s distress, but her eyes narrowed. “Where might I call my sister?”

Matt’s mother stood. “Every bedroom has a phone, and I’m glad to keep an eye on Emilie while you make that call.”

Nicole smiled. “She should be done eating by now, so that would be wonderful, thank you.”

“Do you have other family in the area that you might need to call?” his mother asked.

Nicole shook her head. “Our parents live in Minnesota, and I don’t want to worry them with this.”

“Of course,” his mother said.

They departed together, and Matt faced his father. “You’ll be around to keep an eye out for Nicole while I’m gone?”

His father nodded. “But be careful, son.”

Matt resented his father’s warning. Matt was a good deputy and didn’t need his father to tell him how to do his job. Matt had skills his father had never had at his age, but he’d never disrespect his dad by telling him that. “I’m always careful.”

“I’m not talking about the job.”

Oh?

His dad stood, planted his feet wide in the same stance most law enforcement officers used when confronting a problem, and Matt knew he wouldn’t like what his dad had to say. “You’re looking at the woman like a man on a desert island who hasn’t seen a female in years. It could cloud your judgment.”

“I’m not—”

“No point in denying it,” his granddad interrupted. “Your dad is right. It’s not hard to see. However, I don’t happen to think that’s a bad thing, because it’s high time you started living life instead of living for your job. Seeing you interested in a woman for a change gives me hope.”