Close To Danger (Westen #4)(58)
Melissa quickly pulled her hand out of his and stepped back until she was arm’s length from him, no longer making eye-contact. “Yes. I just wanted to make sure I understood my responsibilities. By the way, it’s Ms. Davis now. I’m no longer married and don’t want to be reminded of my marriage, so I went back to my maiden name.”
“Okay, Ms. Davis. I’ll check on you both in the morning,” Daniel said, slipping out the backdoor. He stood on the porch a moment hearing both deadbolts on the door lock behind him.
Melissa might not want any reminders of her marriage, but the extra lock on the door and the way she quickly put space between them, spoke volumes. Years of fear and self-protection were not easily put behind her.
Pulling on his gloves and his scarf up to cover his nose, mouth and chin from the dropping temperatures, he hurried to his car. He had to relieve the sheriff over at the office. The rest of his shift he was going to spend investigating what information he could find on the internet and in their files about drug trafficking in the area.
*
“What news from command central?” Bobby asked with a smile as her husband walked in from the back of the station, shedding his heavy winter jacket and gloves.
Gage stopped at her desk and planted a kiss on her, letting his cold hands cup her face. “Command central?” he asked as he stepped back.
“That’s what I’m calling Tobias and the town council.”
“I like it,” he said with a laugh as he hung up his coat then sat at his desk.
“I wouldn’t look so smug, if I were you,” she said fighting back a grin.
He zeroed in those sexy forest green eyes of his on her, sending the usually thrill of desire coursing through her. “And why is that?”
“Because for this particular state of emergency, you and Deke are part of command central.”
Her husband groaned. “Don’t tell Deke. We spent all our teenage years avoiding Tobias and his yuppie friends. Knowing we’re part of the Mayor’s in-crowd might make Deke and I have to move out of town.”
Bobby laughed and tossed a wad of paper at Gage. “Oh, stop it. Neither one of you is going to no more move away from Westen than catch a spaceship to Mars.”
“I might if you go with me. Imagine sex in zero gravity,” he said with a lascivious grin and a wiggle of his eyebrows.
Bobby shook her head even as her cheeks flushed. Time to get the big guy’s brain back on more important things. “Seriously, how are things?”
Gage ran his hand through his thick hair, a sure sign of his concern. “Better than we expected. There’s about fifty families without electricity. The older families have their wood-burning stoves and fireplaces for heat and cooking. Cleetus said everyone he talked to northeast of town also had their generators working. He did bring in two elderly couples, the McKibbens and the Carsons, who weren’t feeling well. Clint checked them over and Libby has them housed in the Senior Center under temporary housing.”
“What else?” she asked.
“The newer families over in the two housing developments were hit the hardest. Deke and his firefighters moved those without heat or power into the high school gym. Lorna sent Kyle and Rachel over with food for dinner.”
“Oh, no, all those poor people having to sleep on the floor.”
“They’re not,” Gage said, going to the coffee maker and pouring himself a cup. “When we figured out we were going to have to put them somewhere, Joe over at the Knobs & Knockers showed up with camping cots. He had that carpenter, Nick Fisher and the music teacher, Holly Murphy with him. They set up the cots in family groups. Apparently, Holly knows most of the kids, so she planned to stay and keep them busy so the parents could get some rest.”
“I bet Nick and his daughter stay, too,” Bobby said, smiling.
“Why do you think that? Their power wasn’t out.”
Bobby shrugged. “Given his reaction to her after she was nearly attacked during the Yuletide Jubilee last month, I suspect there will be another wedding sometime soon between Nick and Holly.”
Gage nodded as the information hit home. “And if she’s staying in the gym, then he’s sticking close by, with his daughter added in the mix.”
Before she could congratulate him on his deductive reasoning, Daniel entered from the back of the station, stomping his way to his desk.
“What’s up Daniel?” Bobby asked, exchanging a what’s-gotten-into-him look with her husband, who just shrugged.
“Some people shouldn’t be allowed to have kids,” the other deputy said as he pulled off his jacket and tossed it into the straight-back metal chair next to his desk. He sat in his rolling chair and clicked on his computer, his face as hard as stone.
Never in her nine months of knowing Daniel L?we had Bobby ever seen him this angry. Normally, she’d give him time to cool off before asking questions, but frankly she was exhausted, wanted nothing more than to go home and snuggle in her husband’s arms. Patiently waiting for him to fill them in wasn’t in her wheelhouse of skills right now.
“When I was a teacher, I often said the same thing.” She folded her arms onto her desk and leaned forward. “Want to fill us in on who has your knickers in a twist tonight?”
“Rose Cochran,” Daniel nearly spit out the name.