by Shayla Black
Her phone lit up, flashing Detective Walters across the screen.
Trevor’s work phone.
She cringed and scooped it up. “Hello?”
“Hey, is this a good time?” Trevor asked.
Willow glanced down at herself wearing nothing but panties and a bra. “Uh, kind of.”
“Got a call. You coming or passing?”
She groaned and blew out a breath. Of course her first detective-in-training opportunity would happen now of all times.
“Yes, I just need to change. Any idea what we’re walking into?” She turned toward her closet and zeroed in on the slacks and sweater.
“Dispatch didn’t have much to say, but we’re headed over to Bunny’s house. See you in five.”
“Wait—” She pulled the phone away from her face and frowned at it.
Bunny Foster was the first female mayor of Ransom and had held the position for almost twenty years before deciding to retire and passing the mantle on. That didn’t mean Bunny wasn’t still very much in charge when it came to some circles. In fact, she was the undisputed leader of the L.O.L.s.
Why did Willow have a sneaking suspicion this wasn’t a real call at all?
Five minutes later she answered the doorbell dressed in her boring outfit and armed with her purse and badge.
“Sorry,” Trevor said as he walked her to his SUV. “Dina’s at home getting ready for the party, too.”
“It’s fine. You’re rescuing me from an hour of indecision.”
“Dina’s the worst. It’s why her closet’s the guest bedroom.” Trevor shook his head.
A few minutes later they pulled up in front of the historic Foster house. This time of year the yard was decorated in lights, the porch railing in garland, and a big wreath hung on the door.
Willow recalled being a kid and coming here to get candy at Halloween, then during Christmas Keegan would no doubt rope her into caroling. Bunny always had the best candy and during the cold spells she’d offer them hot chocolate. That was the real reason Keegan had always gotten her to go and they both knew it.
She hung back as Trevor led the way to the front door and knocked. It swung open almost immediately.
Bunny was a petite woman, barely up to Willow’s shoulder. Her silver hair was close-cropped on the sides and curly on top. She wore a gingerbread-print apron over her festive red track suit.
“There you are.” Bunny wiped her hands on the apron and peered past Trevor at Willow.
She waved and hoped there was a real reason for being summoned. She immediately felt guilty about wishing ill on the kind old woman and settled in to be miserable no matter what.
“What’s the problem, Bunny?” Trevor stepped inside.
Willow followed, content to play shadow.
“Someone was in the backyard.” Bunny pointed to the back of the large house, her eyes wide.
“Anyone you recognized? Did they do anything?” Trevor led the way. Like most who’d grown up in Ransom, they’d all been in the Foster house at some point or other.
“I don’t know, young man. That’s why I called you.” Bunny stopped at the sunroom door and shooed Trevor on. “Willow can stay here with me in case I remember anything.”
Trevor glanced back, brows lifted.
In that moment they all knew this was a farce, but was Trevor going to call Bunny on it?
Willow held her breath.
“Okay,” he said. “I’ll go have a look around.”
Shit.
Willow stared at Trevor’s back, willing him to order her to do something, but he just walked out into the backyard.
A beeping sound from the kitchen drew their attention.
Bunny patted Willow’s hand. “Come in here and help me get these out of the oven.”
Willow followed, dutifully took the oven mitts, and helped unload the oven of two sheets of gingerbread cookies.
“Did your mother ever bake cookies with you?” Bunny asked.
Willow would have liked to think she was beyond the pain, but she wasn’t. She sighed and set the sheets down.
“No, she didn’t,” Willow admitted.
“I figured. You don’t speak to your parents, do you?”
“No, ma’am.” She braced herself for a dressing down. There was only so much respect-your-elders talk she could take.
Bunny nodded her head once. “Good for you.”
Willow blinked a few times, taken aback by Bunny’s statement. The older woman bustled about, pouring a small cup of milk, then opening a glass dome to retrieve an artfully iced cookie.
“Here you are, dear.” Bunny set the treat and milk on the bar out of the way.
“Thank you.”
“I’ve always liked you,” Bunny announced.
“Oh? Um, thank you?”
She chuckled and began pulling cookies off the sheets and onto cooling racks. “You were dealt an unfair start in life and you’ve grown into a wonderful young woman. You should be proud of yourself.”
“Thanks, that means a lot coming from you.”
Bunny stopped and peered at Willow. “People around here got a hard lesson in what holding on to grudges and cruelty can cost you. I’m glad to see that most people have taken that to heart, but there are still some who are slow to change and accept others.”
“I don’t think I follow,” Willow said slowly.
“I heard what Coralee was saying about you and the preacher’s son. I’ve talked to her, set her straight, and she shouldn’t bother you anymore. If she does”—Bunny winked—“let me know?”
Willow’s throat closed up and her eyes prickled with impending tears.
The only people who’d ever stood up for her were Keegan and her uncle.
“Y-you didn’t have to do that,” she said.
“One of my goals as mayor was to create the kind of community I wanted to retire in, grow older in, and be proud of. I can’t do that if I know cruelty is allowed to persist.”
“Thank you,” was all Willow could say.
A fat tear slid down her cheek.
“Oh, don’t do that. Not with your face all pretty.” Bunny crossed the kitchen and wrapped her arms around Willow.
She closed her eyes and breathed in the scents of cinnamon, ginger, and the holidays.
The catch was, to be happy, to have the man her heart loved and the life she’d fought to build, she’d have to do something that broke all the rules and tarnished her integrity.
Life wasn’t fair. She couldn’t have her happiness and her clear conscience.
It was time to choose.
Keegan leaned against the car and breathed in the chilly air. The weather was turning from balmy to frigid. No doubt it would be downright bitterly cold come Christmas. They might even get a little frost.
He was disappointed that whatever Willow had gotten pulled into work over meant they couldn’t do dinner. He’d have liked a quiet moment to talk about the stuff with his family. Dad hadn’t said much. He just walked around the house with a dazed look on his face, which was better than getting lectured.
Maybe the old man was really thinking about what Keegan had said.
An SUV pulled into the parking lot outside the Ransom Police Station. While he didn’t recognize the woman sitting in the passenger seat, that was Trevor driving. That had to be Trevor’s girlfriend.
Keegan straightened and watched as three doors opened.
Willow got out of the back seat, straightening and picking at her clothes. His heart warmed just seeing her. She glanced up when he was halfway to her. The swift smile that lit her face took his breath away.
“Hey, wait long?” She forgot about her clothes and focused on him. There was something…different about her. A glowy look lit her up from the inside.
“No, not long at all.” He edged in closer and slid an arm around her waist.
Willow lifted up on tiptoe and kissed him briefly.
“Everything okay?” he asked.
She flattened he
r hands against his chest. “Yeah. I think everything’s okay.”
He wanted to ask questions, but with it being police stuff, he didn’t want to pry.
“Let’s get inside before all the food’s gone,” Trevor said.
Willow turned and held out her hand. Keegan took it and grinned at her. There was no hesitation in the way she reached for him or how she held on to him.
They followed Trevor and Dina inside the building, then heard the sounds of the party. Someone had taped lights and streamers to the walls, around signs proclaiming codes and reminders.
A few guys in uniform passed them going the other direction, armed with cookies and steaming cups.
They entered a large room. The desks had been pushed up against the walls in favor of a row of folding tables laden with dishes of food and drink. A Christmas tree sat on one side with a moat of presents around it. A sign around it read: SUPPORT LOCAL CHILDREN’S HOME THIS HOLIDAY!
It was details like this that made Keegan miss his hometown.
They didn’t move toward the food. Instead a few people Keegan recognized waved them over to a round of high fives and catching up. He didn’t miss the curious stares, but neither did he mind them.
“Hey?” Willow glanced up at him. “I’m going to the ladies’ room across the building. You going to be okay here?”
“I think I can manage.” He bent his head and bussed her lips.
He let her go, but watched her as she slipped through the crowd and out of sight.
A man stepped into his line of sight. It took a moment for Keegan’s gaze to properly focus on the blond-haired man staring back at him.
“Liam Jones.” Keegan held out his hand and grinned.
“Keegan. Hey.” Liam’s response was more measured. “Heard you were in town.”
“Yeah, kind of a last-minute thing.”
Liam hooked his thumbs in the front loops of his jeans. “You and our Willow, huh?”
“Our Willow?” Keegan glanced at the men to his right. He hadn’t paid them much mind until now, when he realized they were watching him.
Liam took a step closer. “I know you two were close back in school, but you haven’t been around much since then.”
Keegan took a deep breath. He didn’t much care for the possessive way Liam was talking about Willow, at least not at first. But under that?
He turned his head and looked at each of the men in turn.
These were the men she worked with. The ones she worked alongside. It was their acceptance and respect she’d earned by proving herself every single day. And they cared enough about her to say something.
Unlike them, Keegan knew Willow wouldn’t take too kindly to being looked after like this. Still, it mattered to him that she had people in her corner who’d been there for her when he couldn’t. At least not physically.
Keegan turned his attention back to Liam and smiled. “Whoever said we stopped being close?”
“Boys,” a man drawled.
Keegan glanced the other direction and found Police Chief Taylor looking straight at him.
Just the man he wanted to see.
“Chief, I was hoping to run into you.” Keegan offered Willow’s uncle his hand. “Think we could talk?”
Chief Taylor glanced at Liam and the others, then to Keegan. “I suppose.”
“Great.”
Keegan followed the old cowboy to the punch bowl. They both picked up glasses and sipped the sweet, fizzy liquid.
“What’d you want to talk about?” Chief Taylor asked, studying Keegan openly.
“I don’t have a lot of time here before I have to leave again, which means I don’t have the luxury of easing into this conversation.” Keegan set his half-drunk glass down and faced the only family Willow claimed. “Someday I want to ask Willow to marry me and I’d like your blessing.”
Chief Taylor’s eyes went wide.
“We haven’t talked about this and she doesn’t know,” Keegan added.
“Well.” Chief Taylor sipped his drink. “That’s a mighty big step.”
“Maybe, but I’ve known Willow my whole life. For me, she’s always been it.” The more Keegan got to say it out loud, the more right it felt. Willow was his future.
“If that’s what Willow wants, who am I to stand in her way?” Chief Taylor offered Keegan his hand. “If she’ll have you, I’m happy for you both.”
Keegan shook the old man’s weathered hand. Chief Taylor hung on a bit too tight and a little longer.
“I should have been there for her more, you know?” he said softly.
“Maybe, but would she have been open to your help? Willow does what Willow wants in her own time.”
“That she does.” Chief Taylor chuckled. “I’m damn proud of what she’s done, and I hope you two work out. It would be nice to see her settled with someone who is good to her.”
“I sincerely hope that’s me, sir.”
Chief Taylor finally let go of Keegan’s hand. “I guess that means your old man will start pestering me about being a better parishioner.”
Keegan laughed at that. He was looking forward to navigating family dynamics. Especially that whole part about starting his own family.
6
Willow strode through the halls. Things were mostly deserted in favor of the party. Even departments that were open round the clock were cycling a few off-hours to allow everyone to enjoy the festivities.
She had about half an hour before the ladies who worked the evidence desk would reopen. That meant half an hour to find Jace’s confiscated belongings and dispose of them.
The hall was completely devoid of people and music.
She stood there a moment longer, part of her wishing one of the evidence clerks would show up early. But none did.
Willow blew out a breath and pushed the door open. The small space was standing room only, with a narrow ledge that was multi-purpose when it came to filling out paperwork and sorting evidence to be checked-in. Forms were neatly lined up and pens at the ready.
She circled around behind the desk and went to a knee.
Everyone knew the key for the evidence closet was kept under the counter on a bungee cord. It was necessary to know for those who worked overnight and might need to log something during one of the clerk’s lunch breaks or while they were in the restroom.
Willow used the key to unlock the closet and stepped inside.
She shut the door and stared around at the boxes. Ransom wasn’t a high-crime area, so there wasn’t much being held. It only took her a few minutes to locate the plastic evidence bags containing Jace’s things.
Tears prickled her eyes.
Damn Jace.
She picked up the bag and stared at, well, she wasn’t sure what it was. Clothes? Pocket junk?
If she did this, even if no one found out, she’d carry the guilt with her for the rest of her life. But she’d get to keep her job and Keegan would never have a reason to look at her differently.
If she didn’t do this, if Jace spread the pictures around, she knew her uncle would blame her. It would be labeled as behavior unbecoming a public servant and she’d most likely lose her job. Then what would Keegan think of her?
She dropped the bag back into the bin, covered her mouth, and tried to muffle the sob.
All she had to do was take the bags with her.
It was easy.
But then what else would she do? Where would it stop?
Without thinking, Willow turned and fled the evidence closet, barely pausing to twist the lock into place, and dashed out into the hall. Footsteps and voices drifted toward her. Probably the clerks.
She lunged for the women’s locker room door and threw herself inside, staggering into the wall. She covered her face with her hands and sank to the floor.
Her world was over.
No matter what she decided to do, she’d have to live with the consequences of her own decisions.
“Hey? Hey, what’s wrong?”
Willo
w gasped and looked up at a blonde woman with green eyes behind a pair of bright purple frames.
Jenna Myers. The SWAT tactical medic.
God, if anyone understood the catch-22 situation Willow was in, it would be her.
“Here.” Jenna thrust a crumpled napkin at Willow. “What’s wrong? Who do I need to beat up?”
Willow choked out a laugh and swiped at her face. She didn’t know Jenna well, mostly by reputation as an utter badass of the highest degree.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Willow muttered.
“Bullshit.” Jenna sank down to sit next to her. The large wedding ring on her left finger glittered in the light.
“Congratulations,” Willow said.
“Oh. Thanks.” Jenna held up her hand. “It’s still weird.”
Willow’s heart throbbed painfully. Her chances of having a happy future were diminishing.
“Seriously, whose ass am I kicking?” Jenna nudged Willow with her shoulder.
“No one. I just… I have a tough decision to make.” And maybe what she needed was some advice from someone who’d been there. “Someone has some…compromising pictures of me from when I was eighteen. They want me to do something for them and I don’t feel comfortable doing it.”
“They’re blackmailing you?”
“No,” Willow said.
“That’s what blackmail is.”
“Maybe, but no matter what I do—I’m screwed. You know my uncle. If he gets even a whiff of those pictures, it’s my fault. My chance at detective will be gone. I’d be lucky if I keep my job.”
“What’s the alternative?” Jenna asked.
“Doing something that will make me feel like a terrible person for the rest of my life.”
Jenna stared at Willow for several moments. “I don’t know you very well, but if I were you? I’d tell whoever this is to shove it. Be like that celebrity, who was that? The one who totally owned their stolen pictures? You were a kid. It wasn’t smart. But so what?”
Willow nodded.
Deep down she’d made up her mind. The moment she’d walked into the evidence closet she’d known she couldn’t do it. She’d fought to get where she was, and no one was going to take her integrity from her. Not at any price. Not even for Keegan. Because how could she love him while knowing it was all founded on a lie?