Chapter 12
Cruz whistled as he worked under his truck. Turned out, the thing was due for an oil change after all. Good thing he’d thought of it last night in his futile efforts to stop mentally undressing Rosie.
He carefully removed the used oil filter and slid the pan in place to catch all the grubby, sediment-filled remains from the reservoir. God, that woman. He’d been seconds from fucking her up against his truck. And judging from her breathy moans and roaming hands, she was thinking along the same lines.
Soon. Maybe? He didn’t want to be an ass. But she ignited a crazy need to touch, to protect, to make her his. Top that off with her sass and sweetness, and he didn’t think he could stay away.
The rumble of an engine pulling into the driveway behind him pulled him from his thoughts. Huh. He wasn’t expecting any visitors, and this vehicle sounded way more powerful than Rosie’s little Ford. He scooted out from under his truck, eyes adjusting to the bright morning sun.
Parked in the driveway was a dark blue SUV marked Redemption County K9 Unit. Well, shit. Cruz wiped his hands on a rag, guessing the visitor’s identity.
A man got out with eyes that matched Rosie’s blue ones, only his hair was close cropped and brown. He whistled, and the biggest German shepherd Cruz had ever seen bounded out behind him.
“Zaffino?” The man wore jeans and a gray T-shirt, but had the air of someone used to giving commands and being listened to.
“That’s me.” Cruz fought an instinctual, building distrust. He’d dealt with cops for so long, none of their interactions good. And the faults lay on both sides.
“Shane Marlow.”
“Nice to meet you.” Cruz spoke the words out of habit and, for Rosie’s sake, he hoped it would be. He eyed Shane, who was as tall as Cruz and had a similar build. No paunchy belly for this cop. “What brings you out here?”
Shane pinned steely eyes on Cruz. “What brings me out here is a photo someone texted me.” He pulled his phone from a pocket, scrolled, and turned the phone around.
Cruz leaned in, holding up a hand to shield the screen from the sun’s glare. It showed a text message displaying the name Charmaine at the top. Below was a photo of Cruz and Rosie, laughing as they ate dinner last night. A text bubble read “Thought you’d want to see who Rosie is with at the fair right now. Do you know this guy?”
Cruz took a step back, noting that the dog had leaned forward at the same moment he had. Now, it settled back. He idly wondered what the dog had decided. “Wow.” He didn’t know whether to be impressed or pissed that small town rumor mills were aided by cell phones. Or should he be happy that Rosie had people looking out for her? Still, no one had been looking out for her the night he’d met her. Moreover, he couldn’t read Shane. So he waited.
“So you went to the fair.” Shane put his phone away. “One of Rosie’s favorite places.” He studied the small rental house behind Cruz. “Not sure how to say this. But she’s my only sister.”
She’s an adult too. Cruz bit his tongue.
“She can be too trusting,” Shane went on. “Sees the good in people before she’ll ever see the bad. I don’t want anything to happen to her.” His dog took that moment to park its furry butt on the driveway.
“Neither do I.” Cruz forced calm into his voice.
Shane glanced from the animal to Cruz. “She told me what you did for her, the night after she walked out of work alone. I owe you a huge thank you.”
Cruz nodded, surprised at the unexpected gratitude. “It was the least I could do. Those fuckers gave her shit the whole night.”
Shane’s fist clenched. “Goddamn it. She told me you beat them all up.”
“Well, two of them. One turned chicken shit and ran.”
He shook his head. “I should have been there.”
“She said she usually walks out with someone, but they’d gone home sick. And that this has never happened before.”
A flash of anguish colored the cop’s face, only for a second. “Told her to call me if she ever has to walk out alone again.”
Cruz thought about telling him that he told Rosie the same thing, but decided not to. The guy clearly felt some responsibility, deserved or not. “I have a younger sister too. I get it.”
“Well, that’s one thing we have in common.” Shane raised a brow. “I looked you up online.”
Shit, the man was as direct as Rosie. Cruz had to admire that. It was way better than people who played mind games or beat around the topic. “I know.”
“I read all the articles, plus I know you have a sealed juvie record that the prosecution wasn’t able to get open.” Shane set his hands on his hips. “I’ve been a cop long enough to see the difference in men who’ve done hard time. It changes you.”
Cruz’s skin flushed with anger. This guy may be Rosie’s beloved brother, but what the fuck? “Do you have a point, ‘cause I’m about ready to finish up this oil change.”
“I wanted to put an actual face with the name. And to remind you that people keep an eye out for Rosie. And, you know, like I said, to say thanks.”
Well that was the oddest mix of reasons to meet someone he’d ever heard. “All right. Nice meeting you then.”
“Likewise.” Shane uttered a gruff command in a foreign language, and the shepherd jumped back into the SUV, which the door still hung wide open. In seconds, they were backing out and disappeared down the street.
Cruz shook his head. He knew he’d stick out like a sore thumb here, at least at first. But gauging these folks wasn’t easy. Friendliness could be coated in saccharine falseness. He couldn’t tell if Shane thought he was an ass or tolerable.
But then there was Rosie. And everything was uncomplicated around her.
Cruz’s phone rang a couple hours later as he stepped out of the shower. The screen lit up with a familiar number. He wrapped a towel around his hips and answered. “Hey, Rosie.”
“Good morning.” Her sunny smile carried through the phone. “Well, I guess it’s almost noon by now. Have you had lunch?”
“Nope.” He grabbed another towel to dry his hair. “You wanna get a bite to eat?”
“Well, I’m making grilled cheese. I know it’s like, kid food, but I just had a taste for it. Want to join me?”
“Sure. And it sure as hell isn’t just kid food. Homemade grilled cheese is the best.”
“Oh, good. Come over any time.”
“You need me to bring anything?”
“Umm… no, I’ve got all the fixings.”
Christ, his mom and grandma said fixings. Every word out of her mouth endeared her more. “Okay. I’ll be there soon.” He‘d wait until he saw her to tell her about Shane’s visit.
“Okay, bye.” She ended the call.
Ten minutes later, Cruz found himself again in Rosie’s extensive driveway. The sun had stayed out and the spring weather had coaxed forth all kinds of blooms. Towering trees with big white flowers marked the edges of her yard.
He parked and strode up to her door. The main door was open, and only the screen door was closed. He knocked loudly on the frame. “Hello?”
“Come on in!” she called from somewhere within the house.
He let himself into the small foyer. Maple hardwood floors stretched beneath his feet. To his left was a tidy living room, to his right was an equally tidy dining room. He followed a hallway straight back and found himself in a kitchen that was a hodgepodge of old and new.
Cheery yellow walls reached up to a border along the ceiling with white and yellow flowers. Modern white appliances mixed with a big white sink and a huge window at the back wall. A tiny table that looked older than Rosie perched under the window. He peered closer. The glass was almost wavy at the bottom, the way really old windows were.
And at the tan-flecked laminate counter was Rosie, buttering slices of bread. “Hi there,” she said with a huge smile.
Her hair was in a ponytail, but tendrils escaped to frame her face. She wore a bright pink V neck top and tan cropped pants. She was barefoot, her tiny toenails painted cherry red.
“Hi, yourself.” He leaned against the fridge. “Nice house.”
“Thanks. It’s been in my family for a long time.” She pulled a frying pan from a lower cabinet and set it on the stove. “It belonged to my grandparents. When they passed, my parents were slow to sell it. They kinda didn’t want to, and neither did I. Then I decided I could swing the money for the property taxes. I convinced them to keep it and I moved in.”
“Lotta memories here, huh?”
“Oh, yeah. Me and Shane got into all kinds of trouble, catching frogs and snakes when we’d come here.”
He grinned at the thought of a little blond-haired pigtailed Rosie. Bet she was just as determined to catch frogs as her brother.
“How about your family? They still live in the city?” She dropped a dollop of butter in and cranked the burner.
“Yep. My grandma is in a two flat that she’s had forever. She rents out the bottom part. My mom and sister live in a newer condo.” Finally. They’d lived in enough shitty apartments over the years.
Rosie chattered on as she expertly cooked the best grilled cheese he’d ever had, filling him in on the adventures she had with Shane growing up. He couldn’t help but appreciate their closeness. Hell, he was close to his sister, Jenna, too. So close that his own experience had fueled her career choice of being a criminal defense attorney.
They had devoured most of Rosie’s sandwiches by the time she stopped to just sit quietly. And he didn’t mind. She idly pushed a potato chip around on her plate. “My gosh, I’ve talked your ear off,” she said.
“It’s all right,” he said. “Not too much to add. Been a quiet morning.”
“Yeah? What’d ya do?”
“Went for a run. Changed the oil in my truck.” He sat back in his chair. “Had a surprise visitor.”
“Really? Who was it?” She crunched her chip.
“Your brother.”
“What?” She coughed and grabbed a sip of lemonade. “Are you serious?”
“Absolutely.”
“Oh my god.” She covered her mouth and coughed again. “What happened? He just …showed up?”
“Pretty much. He came in his patrol car along with one of the biggest dogs I’ve ever seen.”
“Oh, that’s Denver,” she said. “His partner.”
“I gathered that, from the K9 painted on the side of the car,” Cruz said wryly. “You didn’t mention he has a killer German shepherd.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to not say it.” She scrunched her nose. “They’ve been working together so long, like any other police partners. I forget to specify Shane’s partner has four legs instead of two.”
“It turned out fine. I’m here in one piece.”
Rosie scanned his arms and chest. “Wait. What did he do?”
“The dog?”
“Yeah.”
“What do you mean? He just sat there.” Cruz frowned. “Was he supposed to bark or something?”
“He sat?” Rosie repeated, wide eyed.
“Uh…” Cruz thought back. “Yep. He sat down on the driveway.”
“Oh my god. Cruz! That’s great news!”
Cruz took in her jubilant expression with confusion. “It is?”
“Yes!” She leaned forward. “That dog has an uncanny sense of threats. And if he thought you were a threat in any way? He never, ever would have sat down. He would have remained standing, eyes on you, the whole time.”
“Really. Shit.”
“He wouldn’t have attacked, mind you, not without Shane giving a command, but he would have been ready to.”
“Glad you’re telling me this now, after the fact.” Cruz rubbed the back of his neck. Not sure how he would have reacted to a canine cop who made it clear he didn’t trust him. The human ones were bad enough.
“This is so great. Oh my gosh. I’m gonna save red meat scraps from the Grille for him for a week.” She sat back in her chair. “And believe me—that fact was not lost on Shane.” She nodded smugly. “Smartest dog ever.”
“Glad I got the dog’s approval,” he said. “Not sure about your brother’s.”
She closed her eyes for a second, then opened them. “I can’t believe he came to your house. What did he say?”
“He started off by showing me a picture on his phone, that Charmaine texted him. It was us at the fair. She said she wanted him to know who you were hanging around with.”
“Oh my god. This nosiness has got to stop.”
“Are she and Shane close?”
“No. He knows what a snoop she is.” She shook her head. “Normally I bet he wouldn’t care. But she knows anything about me would get under his skin.”
Cruz studied her, debating how much of the conversation to share. Would she be mad at her brother for coming over, or for saying she was too trusting? The last thing he wanted to do was create friction between her and anyone.
“What else did he say?” she asked.
“He said he doesn’t want anything to happen to you, and I told him neither do I.”
A tiny smile tilted her lips. “He’s so over protective. Anything else?”
“He thanked me for being there for you after work the other week.”
“Well, that’s good. At least he remembered some manners. I bet he drove up, all business like, all, ‘I’m Shane Marlow.’”
“Pretty much.”
“I’m sorry. It doesn’t sound like a good way to start the day.”
He chuckled. “Believe me, I’ve had worse.”
She winced. “I’m sorry. Of course you have. That was dumb.”
“No, it wasn’t. And you know what, I get where he’s coming from. I feel that way about my sister.”
“You’re not living in her town, though.”
“No.” He looked outside to a flock of sparrows flitting from one tree to another. “She did fine without me for ten damn years. She told me she loves me, but I don’t have to hover.”
Rosie laughed. “An honest sister.”
“Do they come any other way?” he grinned.
Her smile morphed from genuine to strained in a heartbeat. “Um…nope,” she said in the flattest tone he’d ever heard her use.
He studied her, and it was like watching her sunny nature deflate. He waited a beat before pushing to see what the hell had just shifted. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
“I may not have known you long but I can tell that’s not the case,” he said gently.