Kitabı oku: «The Lawman's Yuletide Baby»

Chapter One

This couldn’t be happening.

Corinne Gallagher watched as the Realtor tacked a Sold sign on the year-round lakefront home less than a hundred feet from hers.

It wasn’t the sign that made her heart take notice.

It was the man shaking the Realtor’s hand.

New York State Trooper Gabe Cutler stood facing the real estate salesperson as if he’d just clinched the deal of a lifetime.

She swallowed hard as his gaze shifted from the Realtor to her.

Her heart ground to a painful stop.

So did her breath.

He stared at her, then her house, then her again.

She stood rooted to the ground, unable or maybe just unwilling to move.

Her twelve-year-old daughter had no such qualms. “Coach!” Theresa, known to the world as “Tee” Gallagher, streaked across the yard beneath a canopy of late October color. The blend of breeze and tinted leaves signaled another change of seasons.

Corinne was determined to ignore the passage of time.

It’s what she did best.

Day by day, year by year, she looked forward, making sure her children were grounded, faithful, safe and kind. She purposely didn’t look right or left. It was a job she did well because Corinne Gallagher did everything well.

“Coach, are you moving into the Penskis’ house for real? Callan won’t believe it!” Tee leaped at him, hugging the man who’d been coaching her brother for the last three years. Three very long years for Corinne to pretend she wasn’t attracted to the decorated state trooper. Three years of watching him counsel and teach youngsters the rules of the game...and the rules of life. Three years of maintaining a distance because she would never willingly put herself in the position to bury another man in uniform.

He couldn’t be moving in next door.

He lived nearly fifteen miles away, toward the south end of Canandaigua Lake, surrounded by vineyards. She’d Googled him on purpose during a weak moment.

Look at you. Stalking the baseball coach.

She hadn’t stalked him. Not really. She’d just been curious. And lonely. And possibly wondering about the man behind the uniform, behind the stubborn set of his jaw as they met weekly to firm up the plans before the upcoming holiday-themed Christkindl festival.

And here he was, one arm around Tee, gazing her way.

This couldn’t be happening.

And yet...it was.

“Coach, is that you?” Fourteen-year-old Callan poked his head out from the sliding glass door leading to the deck. “Are you kidding me? You’re moving in next door? That’s awesome!” The high school freshman loped across the yard, all arms and legs, a boy in the thick of adolescence. He pumped Gabe’s hand, excited, then shoved his hands into his pockets as if unsure what to do with them.

Tee had no such qualms. She kept her arm linked through Gabe’s as if she’d just acquired a new BFF. “Can you believe it, Mom?” She screeched the words as Corinne moved their way. “Coach is here! He’s moving in! Right next door!”

Tee lived in a world full of exclamation points. Nothing stagnated in Tee’s world. Her roller-coaster personality kept life humming around her, a total contrast to her more sober older brother.

Callan took after Corinne, focused and cautious and steadfast.

Tee was total Gallagher, a feminine image of the father she’d never known. She was a spontaneous, fearless know-it-all, and there wasn’t a day that went by when Corinne didn’t thank God for these kids. They were a piece of Dave to keep close by her side, but that honor came with mega responsibility, a task she never took lightly.

“So.” Gabe watched her approach.

Caramel-brown eyes, with hints of gold that brightened when he smiled. Medium brown hair, always cut short. Strong shoulders, a broad chest, made broader by his protective vest when he was in uniform.

But protective vests could only do so much. She’d found that out the hard way.

“We’ve just become neighbors.” He didn’t shift his gaze as she walked, and she didn’t hurry her steps because she needed every single second to grab hold of the calm facade she’d need for this new bend in the road.

She nodded to the Realtor to gain a few extra seconds, then faced Gabe directly. “So it would seem. I had no idea you were looking for a house, Gabe.”

He lifted one brow and paused, and when he did, her heart paused, too. “I didn’t want to make a big deal out of it. I’ve always wanted to live in a quiet spot on the water. To throw my boat in now and again and drop a line. When this came on the market three weeks back, I knew it was perfect.”

It wasn’t perfect.

Having the strong, stoic trooper next door was the exact opposite of perfect.

Perfect was her safe, sound world, surrounded by Gallagher family and friends, a low-risk pool of normal.

Perfect was her administrative position at the hospital, where she’d graduated from the ups and downs of crisis pregnancy care to being a very capable paper pusher.

Ideal was having as much quiet control as she could get while not appearing to be one of those helicopter parents, hovering around everything their children did, thought or tried.

She’d tucked herself into this quiet corner of the lake, her grandparents’ old house, determined to do things her way without appearing crazy neurotic.

Gabe Cutler’s arrival just rocked a boat she’d kept calm for a long, long time.

* * *

Gabe Cutler had spent years purposely keeping himself on life’s outer edges. He worked, he coached, he fished and he took good care of Tucker, his dog.

It was enough because he made it enough.

And now he’d managed to sign papers tucking him next door to Corinne Gallagher and her delightful kids, Callan and Tee.

How had this happened?

Corinne and the kids didn’t live on the water. They lived in a simple split-level just off Route 20A. He’d dropped Callan off there a couple of times the year before.

And yet...

Here they were.

The kids looked delighted to see him, because they’d been buds for several years. He’d coached Callan, and laughed over Tee’s antics.

Corinne looked surprised and maybe chagrined about the whole thing.

She helped with team stuff when she could. She organized fundraisers and structured team gatherings when they had out-of-town tournaments. She stayed friendly while keeping her distance, a neat trick she maneuvered well, which meant she was well practiced. Like him.

He smiled for a selfie with Callan, his star shortstop, then winced inside when Callan blasted the pic to the rest of the team with a wide, easy grin.

So much for keeping his private life private. A part of him wanted to sigh, because this was his fault for not checking the town’s records before signing the purchase offer.

He wouldn’t have chosen the house if he’d known Corinne and the kids lived next door. Gabe didn’t just like his privacy. He craved it. He needed that downtime, where he could split wood or fish or do whatever he needed to do to get through the calendar year. And now—

Two bright-eyed kids, kids that he liked, grinned up at him as if this was a wonderful turn of events.

It wasn’t anything of the kind.

“Is Tucker coming with you?”

The team loved his trusty mutt, a great dog. He’d rescued the tricolor collie mix from a shelter four years before, but it might have been the other way around. The goofy, loyal dog might have been the rescuer all along. “He is.”

“Yes!” Tee fist-pumped the air. “Can I take him swimming? And for walks along the road? Because there is like no one living down here in the winter, Coach.” She dramatized the words with perfect adolescent accentuation. “Well, a few people,” she conceded. “But most of them go to Florida for the winter, so the road is crazy quiet now!”

And with all of those quiet, empty cottages dotting the shore, the only affordable house that had gone up for sale along the waterfront was right next to a busy, vibrant family. Was God laughing right now?

Although if this was some sort of master plan, Gabe failed to see the purpose. Or the humor, for that matter. “Tee Gallagher and a quiet road?” He hiked a brow that actually made Corinne smile. “Why does that seem hard to compute?”

“Even I can’t make enough noise to liven up a whole road on my own,” the girl told him. “But I do my best.”

“That’s for sure.” Callan sent his text. He started to pocket his phone, but replies began flooding in, fast and furious. “My phone’s blowing up, Coach.” He laughed as he moved over to their honey-stained picnic table. “Gotta answer these.”

“If I had a phone, I could share this news, too.” Tee shifted her attention to Corinne.

“A conversation we’ve had way too often,” Corinne told her. “You don’t need a phone. When you’re in high school, yes. I’ll get you a phone and you can help pay for it. There’s no need to do that now.”

“Everyone in junior high has one. And I mean everyone.”

A stat that didn’t bode well in the school, Gabe knew. Some of those kids’ phones were being used for things far beyond what a seventh grader should be considering, much less doing. He respected Corinne for taking a stand that clearly made her unpopular with her strong-willed daughter.

“Junior high kids have survived without phones for centuries. You’ll be fine, Tee.”

“Laura Ingalls didn’t have a phone, so Tee Gallagher doesn’t get one?” Tee hiked both brows, then rolled her eyes. “That’s totally apples and oranges, Mom. Let’s stay in the current century for comparison’s sake.” She shot Corinne a dimpled look, and Gabe couldn’t hold back his smile.

The kid had sass.

She never gave up, she smiled a lot and she faced life fearlessly.

If Gracie had lived, he figured she’d be a lot like Tee Gallagher. But she didn’t live. Neither did her mother. He had a host of regrets a mile long about that.

He’d messed up once.

He’d broken a good woman’s heart and possibly her spirit, and the truth of that weighed heavily even nine years later.

He’d cost two lives that day. Three, if you counted his own by aftermath.

No, he couldn’t afford to let this sweet family get under his skin. They treated him like he was a stand-up guy.

That’s because they didn’t know the truth. If they did, they’d think differently.

“Coach, I am just so crazy excited to have you here!” Tee hugged his arm again, and the shot of pain that jabbed his chest was quite real.

He realized that Gracie would have been Tee’s age now. She would have had a mop of brown curls, and an unerring talent for winsome smiles, enough to grab his heart and hold it tight, all these years.

His chest constricted.

The real estate agent must have sensed the change in mood because she reached out a hand to Corinne. “You inherited this place from your parents, didn’t you, Mrs. Gallagher?”

Corinne accepted the light handshake. “My grandmother, actually. Gram wanted to keep it in the family, and my late husband loved the water. He said you could learn more about a woman by watching the lake change than any self-help book on the market.”

The Realtor laughed. “My husband would agree. Well, if you ever think about selling, give me a call.” She handed Corinne a business card. “I know you haven’t been back on the water for long, but we never have enough lakefront property to fill the demand. No pressure, of course.”

Corinne stared at the card, and Gabe felt like a complete jerk. Was she really that bothered because he moved in next door? Or because he’d disagreed with her stance on the Christmas festival committee the week before? Would she really stay upset about that?

He didn’t know her well enough to know, but he hoped not.

“Coach, when are you moving in?” Callan’s excitement lightened the moment. “I can help if it’s on the weekend.”

“I closed the deal this morning, and I’m working this weekend, so next weekend is move-in time.”

“Mom.” Callan swung around. “I bet me and some of the guys—”

“And me!” Tee cut in.

Callan frowned at her, then continued, “I bet we could help Coach get everything moved. What do you think?”

The kid meant well, but he’d just corralled his mother, so Gabe stepped in. “Listen, Corinne, if you’re working that weekend, it’s no problem.” He was offering her an out if she wanted to take it. “I know your schedule can get complicated.”

“Not anymore.” Tee caroled the words. “Mom isn’t doing regular nursing anymore. She’s got an office and she’s one of the people who make sure everything gets done right.”

“You’ve moved up?” She nodded, but looked more resigned than happy, as if moving up the ladder of success wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. “That’s a big change.”

“Takes some getting used to,” she told him, then directed her attention to Callan. “Cal, I think it would be great for you guys to help Coach move in. If he wants the help, that is.”

What could he say and not sound like a total curmudgeon? “I’d love it.”

“And then we can do hot dogs and stuff at our house if the weather stays nice,” Tee exclaimed. “Right, Mom? You’re here on the weekends now, and if the guys haul all Coach’s stuff, we can make food for them, just like Grandma does whenever we do things. She always makes it so special to help.”

“Your grandma has a way of putting a shine on life like no other woman I’ve ever known. Except possibly your Aunt Kimberly,” Corinne conceded. “Tee, that sounds like a great idea. If it’s all right with Coach.”

“What kind of guy would refuse an offer of help and food?” He gave Tee a half hug, then dropped his arm. “Sounds like a plan. And now.” He turned back to the Realtor. “I’ve got to head home and get ready for work. I’m on the late shift today.”

“Like at night?” Tee asked.

He nodded. “We switch things up. I don’t do nights as much as I used to, but I told them I’d help out as needed from now through December.” He didn’t mention that he grabbed whatever hours he could late in the year. Working didn’t just keep him busy during the deluge of holiday forums embraced by their sweet, small town. It kept him sane. “We’ve got a couple of guys who needed day shifts. And one who just had a baby, so he’s out for a couple of weeks. I think they were in your unit, actually.” He lifted his eyes to Corinne. “Jason and Shelly Montgomery. Shelly had some problems, and was in the hospital for the last four weeks, then the baby was in the NICU for a few weeks. But now everyone is home, no one is sleeping and life is good.”

“I heard they were a very nice couple. I didn’t know Jason was a trooper.”

That surprised him, because the baseball parents seemed to open up to Corinne, and then he put two and two together. “Of course, the new job. Off the floor. So you wouldn’t get to know people the same way. Well.” He stepped back. “Gotta go. I’ll see you guys at tomorrow night’s game.”

“Last game of fall ball,” said Tee. “And then we blast right into the holidays. This will be our first Christmas on the water! Maybe we can decorate the dock and everything, like Grandpa used to do!”

Callan reached out and pumped Gabe’s hand. “This is great, Coach! Really great! I can’t believe it!”

It wasn’t great. It was the opposite of great because Gabe Cutler didn’t do holidays. He didn’t do family gatherings or twinkle lights, and if he could disengage himself from endless loops of sappy carols, he’d do it in a heartbeat. Holidays forced him to think about what he’d lost.

And now he’d be next door to twinkle lights–loving Tee and her intrinsic optimism.

Corinne was watching him. Her brows shifted together in concern. Because he’d slipped and let his dark side show?

Maybe.

But then she hid that emotion and began backpedaling to her place. “Kids, let’s go so Coach can get to work. We’ve got homework and laundry waiting for us.”

“And then can we take the boat out?” Tee gazed at the water with longing. “You said we could this weekend. You promised.”

Corinne tapped her watch. “All depends on time, kid. Let’s roll.”

Callan strode back toward the house.

Tee slumped her shoulders. “I don’t know why we live on a lake when we can’t ever do anything on the lake.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Corinne reached to put an arm around Tee’s shoulders.

The girl shrugged her off, chin down.

Corinne looked at Tee, then him, then lifted her hands. “Welcome to the neighborhood, Gabe, where moods change faster than the weather, and that’s mighty fast around here.”

She was right. Weather on the water could be unpredictable. That’s one of the things he loved about it.

Would Gracie have loved the water like he did?

He’d never know. He’d never know her favorite color, her favorite song, her favorite dolls because she was gone too soon.

He wanted to remind Corinne how precious life was. He wanted to encourage her to leave the stupid laundry and fire up that outboard. The changing seasons meant fewer trips on the water.

He kept quiet on purpose.

She knew the pros and cons, just like he did. She’d also loved and lost, and didn’t need his advice. And after working together on the intertown baseball league, and then the festival committee, he was pretty sure she wouldn’t take his advice, anyway.

She wasn’t cool or judgmental or obnoxious, but she kept her guard in place.

Uptight people tended to annoy him because he’d grown up surrounded by them. His mother’s family lived their lives tightly wound about everything from religion to politics to food choices.

And yet, with all they had, all the blessings abounding, they were never satisfied. Never content. His mother wasn’t like that. Neither was Gabe.

He’d lost his contentment through his own fault. But it bothered him when folks didn’t understand the blessings of a child. Any child. And how, if he had it to do all over again, he’d make whatever sacrifice needed to keep a kid safe and happy and content.

So you’d give Tee a phone? Even though you know better?

He wouldn’t, he realized, as Tee stomped into her house. He’d do exactly what Corinne was doing, but he’d hate every single stinkin’ minute of it.

But it would never be an issue because he’d had his chance once and blew it. And that was that.

And here he was, next door to a woman who kept a cool distance in what she did. Not exactly an ice queen, but not all that warm, either.

The sale was complete.

The deed had changed hands. He’d have to make the best of it. So would she.

Corinne resisted change. She wasn’t a fighter, but she quietly blocked it in her own way.

Did she know how blessed she was to have those two kids? He couldn’t look at Tee and not remember Gracie. And a fine kid like Callan, hardworking and devoted to playing ball. A young man, ready to explore so much of the world around him.

Not your business.

He knew that. And it wouldn’t become his business, no matter how pretty those blue eyes were when she looked his way.

He’d made a promise when he laid his baby girl into the ground, a pledge he intended to keep. He’d been given the gold ring once and lost it by his lack of attention.

He’d laid flowers on her grave and promised God he’d never take that chance again, and he meant every word, but when Corinne Gallagher waved from her back deck, his fickle heart tried to pry itself open.

He slammed it shut.

He’d had it all once and ruined it. He had absolutely no right to wish for more than what he had now. A great job keeping people safe, a small boat and a house on the water.

A house that seemed pretty empty compared with the busy family living next door.