Jenna Mindel - The Deputy's New Family

“It’s not that.” A crease of worry marred her otherwise-perfect forehead. “Nothing serious?”

He let out a bark of laughter. “Maybe for the drunk and disorderly seventy-eight-year-old woman who refused to get out of the vehicle of the man who picked her up hitchhiking. The poor guy didn’t dare touch her, so he called us. I thought the whole thing was pretty funny.”

That didn’t earn him any points. Beth’s gaze grew cool. Icy. “Have you been using the books I sent home with Corey?”

He nodded. “Every night before bed we read one of those storybooks.” Nick enjoyed revisiting that quiet time together.

“Who’s doing the reading?” Her gaze narrowed.

“Both of us. Corey struggles, but I help him out.” What was up with this woman? Two days ago she sent home the books. Why the grief when he followed her directions?

“They’re barely first-grade level.” Her voice had dropped to nearly a whisper.

The rain pounded the ground, but that was nothing compared to the bomb his son’s teacher had thrown at him. “But I’ve seen him reading the backs of cereal boxes, and comic books.”

“Probably following the pictures.”

Nick stared at her with dread crawling up his spine. He didn’t know what kinds of books kids read in what grades. Nick clenched his fists. Had she sent those books home to entrap him? To prove her point? That wasn’t fair. Not fair to his son. To him.

At that moment Corey flew out the door. “Hi, Dad.”

Nick looked at his boy. “Corey, can you wait in the car?”

His son glanced at Beth and then back at him. “Okay....”

“I’ll only be a minute. Don’t touch anything.”

Corey’s shoulders slumped and he flipped up the hood of his rain slicker and dashed for the vehicle.

Nick watched him get into the SUV cruiser and then focused on Beth. “There has to be something I can do.”

“This late in the school year, I don’t know. I’m sorry.” Beth Ryken didn’t beat around the bush, that was for sure.

“But there has to be something—”

The front screen door opened with a squeak, and Mary Ryken had a loaded plate wrapped in foil. Dinner? “We had more than enough.”

Mary had made enough for both him and Corey to take home the previous night, too. “Thank you.”

Nick’s focus followed to where Beth pointed, toward the sheriff patrol vehicle. Corey was messing with something. “I’ve got to go.” He stared hard at his son’s teacher. “But this conversation is far from over.”

He saw how Beth’s eyes widened, but she didn’t say another word as he ran for the car. His uniform got soaked in the process.

Nick slipped behind the wheel and set the foil-wrapped plate on the backseat. “I asked you not to touch anything.”

Corey looked at him. “Are there games on this?”

Nick turned his computer monitor back around. “No. No games.”

As Nick backed out of the Rykens’ driveway, he glanced at the porch. Beth waved. Corey waved back. “What did you do at Mary’s today?”

“I was at school with Miss Ryken.”

“How come?”

Corey shrugged.

Nick drove with care, slow and sure. “Did she ask you to read?”

His boy’s face fell. “Yeah.”

“And you had trouble, huh? Like with the books we have.”

More dejection. “Yeah.”

Nick swallowed hard. “Corey, why didn’t you tell me you were having a hard time reading words? I could have helped.”

“You weren’t there.”

The barb hit hard and true, piercing his heart with bitter regret. “Grandma and Grandpa would have helped you to read better.”

Corey shrugged again.

It wasn’t the kid’s fault. Why hadn’t Susan’s parents picked up on it? Nick rubbed the bridge of his nose. They were dealing, too. He couldn’t blame them. Maybe if he’d made Corey read more. If he’d been around...

“Dad?”

“What?”

“I think I made Miss Ryken mad.”

Nick felt himself frown. “I’m sure you didn’t, son.”

“But she slammed the plates on the table. But not like Mom. Miss Ryken didn’t break any.”

Nick couldn’t breathe. He never had the right words to explain Susan’s odd behavior. Couldn’t excuse it, either. They’d argued so much toward the end. Way too much.

“Don’t worry. Miss Ryken wasn’t mad at you.” She was probably madder than a hornet at him, though, for letting his boy down. And rightly so.

Nick turned left onto the road that took them north of town to where they now lived. He needed to talk to Beth Ryken.

“Hey, bud, do you have recess before your lunch break or after?”

“After,” Corey said. “Why?”

“Just wondered.”

Nick knew his son ate lunch around noontime. So, maybe he’d stop by tomorrow. And see if he couldn’t have a chat with Miss Ryken.

* * *

Beth checked her watch and growled. She was late. Way too late for her early-morning dentist appointment. She pushed down on the gas pedal and picked up speed. And then spotted the flashing lights.

“Really?” Beth slowed and pulled over to the side of the road.

Another growl escaped while she checked her glove box for registration and proof of insurance. Beth jumped at the quick tap to her driver’s-side window. And then her stomach sank.

Deputy Officer Nick Grey with a shining gold star on his chest opened the door for her. He stood there tall and solemn. His mouth twisted into a crooked grin. “In a hurry this morning, Miss Ryken?”

Her stomach, which had dropped somewhere near her sandal-clad feet, now fluttered back to life. Why’d the man have to look so good in that brown uniform?

She let out a sigh. “Late for an appointment. I guess I was going a little too fast, but there’s no point now—I’ll never make it in time.”

“Do you know what the speed limit is on these roads?”

She squinted at him. Seriously? “My dad was a cop, remember? Fifty-five.”

He cocked one eyebrow, but there was a definite twinkle in his eye. “I clocked you at sixty-eight. Not wise on back roads with deer roaming in the fields.”

Irritation filled her. Irritation that she’d get a ticket, irritation that Nick Grey might be a low-down scoundrel who not only scared his little boy but didn’t attend to his education. Even more irritating still was despite all that, Nick Grey grew more attractive every time she looked. “Just give me the ticket and we’ll both be on our way.”

“Would you step out of the car?”

Her eyes flew wide. “What! Why? I’ve got my papers right here. Look me up and you’ll see I don’t have a history of speeding tickets. This will be my first one.”

His brows drew together and he looked stern. Downright scary, too. For a skinny guy, Nick was pretty intimidating. “I’m not giving you a ticket.”

“Then why...?”

“I need to talk to you. Please?”

Oh, there was no denying that pleading look he gave her. And that only fueled the anger simmering inside. She got out of her car and slammed the door harder than she’d intended. “What do you want?”

“What’s with the attitude?”

Beth didn’t hold back. “I saw fear in your son’s eyes last night and I’d like to know why.”

Again the man only cocked one eyebrow, cool as can be. “When you slammed the plates on the table?”

Beth gasped and then sputtered, “I, uh—”

“Corey told me. Look, Miss Ryken, there’s something you should probably know. My wife had mood swings. During one of her more manic ones, she smashed a stack of plates because I was late for dinner. Corey’s a little sensitive.”

Beth’s mouth dropped open, and she slapped her hand over it. She was going to be sick. Corey wasn’t afraid of his father; he’d been afraid of her!