B.J. Daniels - The New Deputy in Town

As Glen left looking like a whipped puppy, Nick checked. Sure enough, there’d been an assault every Saturday night for apparently the last four weeks.

But this Saturday everyone would be in Old Town Whitehorse at Maddie Cavanaugh’s engagement party. At least this afternoon.

As he stood to leave for the party, Nick thought of Maddie. That young woman was in some kind of trouble. But he didn’t know what to do about it if she wasn’t willing to tell him.

He considered confiding in Maddie’s cousin Laney, telling her his concerns, and quickly nixed the idea. He didn’t know Laney Cavanaugh, although he felt as if he did. Crazy.

Still he couldn’t shake the thought of inviting her to town for dinner one night and seeing what he could find out about the cousin and her fiancé. Maybe he’d ask Laney at the party. Maybe while they were dancing.

Just a man doing his job .

As he started to leave his office, he glanced back at his desk. Time for a reality check, he thought as he walked back and unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk. The cell phone he’d bought when he’d left California was right where he’d put it. He only turned it on to check for messages once a day.

He hadn’t checked it yet today. Hell, he’d forgotten for a while there what he was doing in Montana. He picked up the phone and turned it on. No messages.

Nick breathed a sigh of relief although he knew it was just a matter of time before he got the call. One that would tell him it was time to return to California. Or a call that would tell him his cover was blown and to run.

He turned off the cell phone and put it back in the bottom drawer, locked the drawer and stood for a moment, hesitating. Just checking the phone had been a reminder how foolish it would be for him to get too involved, either in his work or with anyone while in Montana.

That was why he should just back off. If Maddie Cavanaugh really was in trouble, then let her come to him. And as for Laney Cavanaugh… He shook his head, reminding himself that his life here was one big fat lie. The closer he got to Laney Cavanaugh, the greater his chance of being found out. And if that happened, he was as good as dead.

DURING THE WEEK, news of the engagement party for Maddie Cavanaugh and Bo Evans spread like wildfire through the county. Few people were apt to turn down a party, especially one being thrown by a Cavanaugh. Some just wanted to come to critique Laci Cavanaugh’s cuisine. There was a rumor going round that she was planning to start her own catering business and was trying out recipes at the party.

Only two of the people who heard about the party were upset.

Arlene Evans was insulted that she hadn’t been asked to at least bring some of the food for the party. After all, she had taken the most blue ribbons at the Phillips County Fair and the Whitehorse Fourth of July picnic.

And in case no one had noticed, Bo was her son.

“The mother of the groom isn’t allowed to throw the engagement party,” Alice Miller told her one afternoon at the Whitehorse Sewing Circle. “Actually, you shouldn’t even be allowed to work on your daughter-in-law’s wedding quilt, but since we’re shorthanded with Lila Bailey and Pearl Cavanaugh gone…”

That had distracted Arlene. “I still can’t believe that Lila Bailey would just up and run off like she did.” She waited a moment for the other women in the circle to jump in. Arlene lowered her voice. “I always wondered about the paternity of her oldest daughter, Eve. She didn’t look anything like the rest of them.”

“Arlene,” Geraldine Shaw said impatiently and totally out of character. Pearl was the one who usually chastised Arlene for talking about anything interesting. “You missed a stitch. Perhaps you should tend to your quilting.”

Geraldine’s rebuff was so unexpected that Arlene was at a loss for words.

DOWN THE ROAD FROM WHITEHORSE, Maddie Cavanaugh took the news of the engagement party even harder.

“No, that’s not possible. Laci can’t, I mean, she didn’t say anything about—”

“It’s wonderful that your cousin is doing this for you,” her mother said, cutting her off. “You should be thankful.”

Since Sarah Cavanaugh had married into the family, she’d been trying to gain her rightful place. While she lived in a nice enough house to the east of Old Town Whitehorse, she had always been overshadowed by Titus and Pearl Cavanaugh, who were like royalty in this part of the county.

Sarah had felt slighted even though she’d tried to be part of this community and the Cavanaugh family. This party for her daughter though would finally put her part of the family in the limelight. It was only right that she and Maddie would get some attention. It angered her that Maddie didn’t want the party—and she said as much to her.

“It just seems…premature,” Maddie said.

“Premature? You’ve been engaged for over a month.”

“Bo and I haven’t even set a date.”

“Well, then I suggest you do. You can announce it at the party,” Sarah said.

“I wish Laci had asked me about this,” Maddie said. “Saturday? I had plans that night.”

“The party’s in the afternoon. But even if it runs into evening, you can just change your plans,” Sarah said gruffly, frowning at her daughter who had once been so malleable.

Sarah blamed it on the fact that Maddie had been spending way too much time away from her fiancé. Sarah had hoped Bo would be able to handle Maddie. But she’d heard her daughter had been seen at the bars, dancing with older men. If she hadn’t known how much Maddie loved Bo and needed him, Sarah Cavanaugh would have been worried.

Chapter Four

All week, Laci had been baking, forcing anyone who came by to try her treats. From candy to cookies to tarts and turnovers, and individual cobblers and cheesecakes, she’d worked to come up with the perfect dessert menu with growing expectation of Saturday’s event.

Laney had her own expectations as the day finally arrived. She hadn’t seen Deputy Nick Rogers, wasn’t even sure he would show for the party, but she was still anxious anyway—and upset with herself for being so excited about seeing him again. She’d seen the man only once, had barely said two words to him. This was so unlike her to be excited about a man she’d just met. Unlike her younger sister, she always looked before she leaped. But this time, she just wanted to jump—and that should have scared her.

Maddie had stopped by the day after Laci had started inviting everyone to the engagement party.

“I wish you’d mentioned a party to me,” Maddie had said. “Not that I don’t love the idea.”

Laney had seen that Maddie was anything but delighted with the party idea.

“Don’t thank me,” Laci had said, giving her cousin a hug. “I just wanted to do something special for you. Because you’re special.”

Maddie’s blue eyes had filled with tears. She’d bit her lip and said nothing more.

But Laney had seen her expression. Maddie wasn’t just displeased about the party, she seemed… worried. Since that day, Maddie hadn’t been by, which was strange in itself.

When Laney had called to make sure she was all right, Maddie had told her she’d taken a job helping Geraldine Shaw clean out her attic.

“I like this kind of work. I think it might be like accounting,” her cousin had said. “Something that actually makes sense, you know?”

“Maddie, is anything wrong?” Laney had asked. “Because if you need someone to talk to—”

“Wrong? Of course not. Everything is wonderful. I’m marrying Bo.” Laney had heard the catch in her cousin’s voice. “I can’t imagine life without him.”

“You don’t have to,” Laney had said.