Chapter Four
Nate waved good-bye to Bella and climbed into his cruiser. That had worked out well. Confused and a little pissed by her constant duck and weave, he’d been waiting for the chance to tackle her about it.
The drapes twitched across the road.
“Good night, Mrs. Powell,” he called, and then, because he knew she would be watching as well, “ ’Night, Liz.”
When they were kids, he’d known about Bella’s crush. Who the hell hadn’t? The way she’d looked at him, it was impossible to miss. As she was the closest thing to a positive influence in his life, some part of his teenage self had recognized that and wanted to hold on to it. And he’d liked Bella, really liked her. Liked her enough to recognize she was just about the sweetest thing in Ghost Falls and he had no business messing with that.
She still smelled awesome. Like honey and flowers and a touch of spice that the horndog in him had always appreciated.
Through the wild years, the one thing he’d prided himself on was not taking her up on that silent, tempting offer. Bella’s honey ran all the way to the bone, and he’d crushed more than his share of hearts. You didn’t put a spun-sugar fairy into a pair of Neanderthal hands and expect it to survive.
With Bella, he hadn’t pushed the friendship thing too hard either. He didn’t do friendships with women anyway because it got too complicated. Marriage was not in the cards for him; he didn’t do that sort of love. The sort of love that left his mom a wreck after his dad died. The sort of love that had tied his dad in knots when he was still alive. Nate had told her the truth tonight. He couldn’t be the guy she saw because he didn’t have it in him.
God, the people in this county must have been desperate to elect him. He thanked God they were, though. He liked his job, loved it. It beat the crap out of working in the city. When this gig had come up, he couldn’t get out of the Special Victims Task Force fast enough. Women and kids, the kind of breathing victims that tore your heart out and stamped on it.
He started the cruiser and eased into the street. Light shone from the houses on either side. He caught glimpses of life inside those houses. Pat and Karen Kenny and their three kids, sitting around the dinner table. He remembered rushing Pat to the hospital in time for Karen to deliver their first.
Old Man Sharp, nursing his one whiskey from the porch, raised his hand as Nate passed.
Ghost Falls was special. One of a handful of disappearing towns across the country. Stuff like morals, family, and integrity still meant something here. If you fell on the sidewalk, somebody would help you up. People still had block parties and knew the names of all their neighbors. It was more than a town, it was a community, and it was his job to keep it that way.
Two kids loitered at the stop sign between Wolverine and Elkhart. Nate rolled down his window. “Hey, Maddie, Whitney. Shouldn’t you girls be heading home?”
“Yes, Sheriff.” Whitney gave him a killer smile that would take knees out in about fifteen years.
Fifteen years from now, he’d be into his late forties. Jesus, what a depressing thought. Because he might be almost exactly where he was now, except older.
Giggling and whispering to each other, the girls ran across the street.
Life moved on all around him. Even Bella was moving on. He’d like to see that. Inside the good girl Bella had always been, he sensed a little something wild lurking. His phone ringing provided a welcome distraction. “Yup.”
“Nate?” The voice sounded vaguely familiar and he checked caller ID. An unknown number.
“Yup.”
“Hey! So this is Daniel. Daniel Carver.”
Holy shit. He pulled the cruiser over to the side before he crashed into something. “Daniel Carver? Last I heard you were doing five to ten.”
“Yeah.” Daniel chuckled. “Well, I’ve done them and now I’m out.”
Shit, Daniel Carver. His near miss. His wake-up call. He and Daniel had run crazy through Ghost Falls until old Sheriff Wheeler gave them both a way out. Nate took the hand offered. Daniel went his own way. A rush of old anger and teenage need to kick out at something clenched in his gut. He took a deep breath. He didn’t have to be that kid anymore, but Daniel Carver . . .
“So, your brother gave me your number,” Daniel said.
Had to be Matt, who never saw the bad side of anyone. “What can I do for you?”
“First off, I’m checking in with the sheriff.” Daniel chuckled. “Sheriff ? What the hell, bud, didn’t see that one coming.”
“People change.” The pissy in his voice made him even madder.
“Yeah, they do.” Daniel sighed down the line. “You’ve done well, Nate. You made a smart move.”
“Thanks.” He breathed deep. This past blast unsettled him. “So, you’re back in Ghost Falls.”
“Yeah. My folks died while I was inside. They left me their apartment.”
“I know. I’ve been keeping an eye on it. Not me; the department.”
“Thanks,” Daniel said. “So, any chance we could meet up? Have a drink? A cup of coffee? I’d really like to connect with you again.”
What the hell for? Meeting Daniel Carver was not something he wanted to do. “Why?”
“I’m not the same man either, Nate,” he said. “I’d like the chance to prove it to you.”
“Okay.” Who the hell was he to say no if the man was really changed and reaching out? If Sheriff Wheeler hadn’t reached out to him as a kid, he would have headed straight behind bars with Daniel. “Sure, let’s meet.”