Barbara McMahon - Truth Be Told

She considered going back, but couldn’t face Maddie. She wouldn’t blame the woman if she never wanted to see her again. And that hurt. Far more than Jo expected. She yearned for the relationship she’d seen between April and Eliza and Maddie. Comfortable with one another. Loving.

Heading for her car, Jo had to decide what to do next. Usually she had every bit of her life laid out—she needed to have plans and backups for the undercover work she did. But now she’d accomplished what she’d set out to do. Feeling deflated and unfulfilled, she wasn’t sure what to do next. She wished she hadn’t agreed to stay for the next few days. Heading back to Los Angeles seemed a brilliant idea right now.

She climbed into the bright red convertible, started the engine and peeled out of the parking lot. She headed out of town, going faster than was safe, as if she could outrun her demons. She hadn’t gotten five miles before she heard the wail of a siren. Looking in the rearview mirror, she saw the flashing lights of a police car. Great, just what she didn’t need!

She checked her speedometer and discovered she was going way over the limit. She hit the brakes and slowly, gradually, pulled to the side of the road, resigned to get a ticket and probably a lecture from the deputy. She could imagine the hoots and hollers of her friends at the department if they ever heard about it. Some of them routinely had tickets, speed acting as an adrenaline release. But she’d never had one before.

She looked in her side mirror as the man got out of the vehicle, lights still flashing. Jo almost groaned when she recognized Sam Witt. He placed his hat on his head, hefted the ticket book and walked to the side of her car.

“Do things a bit differently in California?” he asked when he drew even with her.

“No.”

“Speeding is against the law.”

“So write me a ticket.”

He held out his hand for her license. Jo knew the drill, although she had only worked traffic for six months some years back. She held it out for him to take, then reached over to the glove compartment to withdraw her rental papers. She handed them over, as well, looking straight ahead, fuming. Not at Sam—he was just doing his job.

She was mad at herself. She should never have expected things to change just because she offered an apology. Maddie couldn’t even talk. Did she remember all the hateful words Jo had flung that long-ago day? Why had she thought an apology would fix anything?

SAM STUDIED HER LICENSE. The face on the laminated card was unsmiling. He glanced at her.

Jo gripped the steering wheel so tightly her fingers were white. Staring straight ahead, she didn’t move when he returned her paperwork. He was surprised she didn’t try to talk herself out of a ticket. Usually when caught speeding, cops tried to appeal to the brotherhood of the badge and get out of getting written up. Not Jo.

Sam almost wrote her up, but something held him back. Instead, the rigid way she held herself alerted him something was wrong.

He looked down the highway. It headed north, nothing on it for about forty miles.

“Out seeing the sights?” he asked.

She shook her head. “I’m just driving.”

“When you take off from here, are you going to keep the speed below the limit posted?” he asked, wishing she’d open up a little.

She nodded. Sighing softly, she looked at him wryly. “I’ll return to town. Driving isn’t going to solve my problem.”

“And what is that problem?”

“Nothing that can be fixed,” she said. “Give me the ticket and I promise not to be caught speeding in your jurisdiction again.”

“Caught speeding? Or won’t speed again, period?”

“Whatever. I’m heading out soon.”

“I thought you were going to help in the Independence Day fund-raiser for Maddie Oglethorpe,” he said. “And I know all about the wedding—I’m Jack’s best man.”

She eyed the ticket pad, then looked at him.

“I’ll give a donation and send the happy couple a gift.”

“Your presence is what Eliza and April want.”

“Yeah, like that’s going to help anything.”

He tapped the closed ticket book against the edge of the car. “Take it easy, Jo. I’m giving you a warning. Don’t speed in my county.”

“That’s it, no ticket?”

“Call it professional courtesy to a fellow officer.”

“One who should know better,” she muttered. He could tell she was embarrassed and angry.

“What are you doing working traffic, anyway?” she said when he stepped back to let her go on her way.

“I’m not. I’m on my way to take a report of a break-in at a farm just up ahead. Saw you taking off like a bat out of hell so I stopped you.”

“I was upset, which is a stupid time to be driving.”

“Right. Not upset now?”

She squinted up against the glare of the sun. “I’m still angry, but I’ll control my driving.”

He touched the edge of his hat and turned to head back to the patrol vehicle.

“Hey, Sheriff,” she called, leaning out of the window.

He turned.

“Thanks. I appreciate it.”

He nodded, wondering again what it was about her that intrigued him. She wasn’t his usual type, if indeed he even had one. He liked small, blond women who loved to cook and had the flesh on their bones to prove it. Like Patty. Not that he was interested in Jo in a personal way. He still loved his wife and couldn’t imagine moving on and opening himself up to a potential loss again. Still, if he never saw Jo Hunter again, he thought he’d miss something.

He continued to the patrol car and got in. Jo took off, driving just under the speed limit. He smiled. That speed would probably last only as long as she stayed in sight.

He had work to do. Pulling away from the side of the road, he soon passed her. She waved but did not increase her speed.

HER SPEEDING WAS STUPID, Jo thought as she watched Sam’s car disappear into the distance. She knew better than most that excessive speed was the cause of most road accidents; she’d cleared her share of bodies from automobile crashes.

On impulse, she checked to make sure there was no traffic, then made a U-turn in the middle of the highway. Heading back to town, she made up her mind. She would stay around and help out at the Independence Day picnic. She owed it to Maddie. And she wanted to visit with Eliza and April just a little longer. She’d missed them so much over the years.

If April still wanted her for the wedding, she’d stay for that, as well. Any hardships, she’d view as penance for her sins.

When she turned into the driveway, she remembered abandoning Eliza and April at the hospital. Eliza’s van was gone now. Obviously they’d found a ride home or walked. Eliza had told Jo about starting a catering business in Maraville. She sounded as if she had the credentials to work anyplace she wanted. Jo couldn’t believe she’d chosen Maraville. Some things still had the power to surprise her.

The sound of construction filled the air. She saw that some of the windows were open, letting out the cool air and the sound. It would be another week or two before the crew finished.

Then the house was scheduled to be approved as a home for unwed, pregnant teens who had nowhere else to turn.

She slowly climbed the three shallow steps to the porch, the din in the house uninviting. Where was April? Had she come home with Eliza or gone off to see Jack? For the first time since leaving Maraville all those years ago, Jo wished she had someone special herself. Someone she could talk to about how she felt. Someone whose advice she could seek to help her decide what to do next. Someone who would accept her just as she was and like her.

A few minutes later, determining April wasn’t around, Jo was at loose ends. She headed back to town. Might as well while away the time walking around and reacquainting herself with Maraville. Maybe she’d run into an old school friend or two.