Beautifully Broken Pieces (Sutter Lake, #1)(12)

I grinned. Noah seemed unable to call Austin anything but Bulldog, no matter how many times he was told he could call Austin by his given name. It was adorable. “Hey there, little man. He left this morning, I’m sorry.”

Noah’s face fell. No more one-on-one time with his hero. “Will he come back?”

“He just might. He liked Sutter Lake.”

“I’m glad he did, and that you do too,” Noah’s mother’s voice cut in. “Hey, Taylor. Thank you so much for being so sweet to my little fight fan here.”

“I’m not little!” Noah said with a stamp of his foot.

“Sorry. My big-boy fight fan here,” Jensen corrected with a grin.

“Not a problem. Austin loves to meet his younger fans.”

“I can’t say I’m crazy about Noah watching those fights, but at least this Bulldog is a stand-up character.”

I let out a light laugh. “The fights are definitely not for the faint of heart.”

Jensen grimaced. “So, are you settling in okay? Need help finding anything?”

“I am, but now that you mention it, is there a pool in town where I can swim laps?”

“Unfortunately, there’s no public pool since the lake is so popular, but we have one at the main house you can use.”

I pressed my lips together before answering. “That’s really kind of you, but I don’t want to disturb your family.”

“You wouldn’t be—”

Jensen was cut off by her mother putting an arm around her shoulders. My heart clenched. “Hey there, baby girl. I finally met Miss Taylor here.”

Jensen slipped an arm around her mother’s waist. It was an effortless gesture that spoke of years of comfort and love. Tears stung the backs of my eyes. “Good. I was just telling her that she could use our pool to swim laps.”

Sarah’s face brightened. “Oh, yes, please do. We put that thing in a few years ago for Noah, but it hardly gets any use. Come over anytime. It’d do my heart good to see someone enjoying it.”

I twisted the ring on my right hand. I really didn’t want to give anyone the chance to initiate curious conversation, but I worried I’d go crazy if I couldn’t swim. I could try the lake, but I wasn’t exactly keen on communing with the fishies while I tired myself out. I gave in. “Thank you. I think I’ll take you up on that. Do you want me to call you before I come over?”

Sarah waved a hand in front of her face. “Oh, no, that’s not necessary. People are constantly in and out and around the ranch house. Just come on over whenever you like. And we’d love to have you to dinner once you’re settled.”

I gave a noncommittal, “Thank you.” I didn’t want to answer the inevitable questions that were always asked. I didn’t want to see the looks of pity. I didn’t want to talk about any of it. Working here, the shop was busy enough that I doubted there would be time for any in-depth conversations, but a family dinner was a whole different ballgame.

I made a show of glancing at the clock on the wall. “Well, I better get going, finish my run.”

“She ran all the way here from the cabin,” Sarah told Jensen.

Jensen’s brows rose. “Whoa. You aren’t messing around.”

I gave another shrug. “I like to run.”

Sarah shook her head as if perplexed. “Just be careful on your way back. You have Jensen’s number if you need anything, right?”

“I do. Thanks for everything.”

“You’re very welcome. Hope to see you for dinner soon.”

Noah saved me by shouting from behind the bakery case. “Bye, Tay Tay!”

Jensen whirled. “Noah Nolan Cole, you better not be stealing treats out of there.”

With that, I made my escape.





7





Walker





Cool air rushed over me as I pulled open the door to the station, the smell of freshly brewed coffee wafting out.

“Good morning, Walker,” a soft voice called from behind the reception desk. Ashlee Elkins was as sweet as apple pie and as shy as a groundhog during a particularly long winter.

“Morning, Ashlee.”

“I have your cup of coffee,” she said, a blush staining her cheeks.

She also had what I was pretty sure was a massive crush on me. I gave her a kind smile. I didn’t want to encourage it, but I also didn’t want to be an asshole. It wasn’t that she wasn’t pretty, she was. In a sundress-wearing, church-every-Sunday kind of way. But she’d forever been like a little sister to me. It was just a no-go. I would never see her that way. Plus, her brother had recently started dating my sister, and that felt incestuous. “I told you, you don’t have to make my coffee.”

Her blush deepened. “I don’t mind.”

I dipped my chin. “Well, thank you.”

“You’re welcome. Also, the chief wanted a word when you got in.”

I nodded, taking the mug from her hand and heading towards Clark’s office. I rapped twice on the door. “Come in.”

I entered the room. “You wanted to see me, Chief?”

“Morning, Walker.” Clark Adams was a great Chief of Police for Sutter Lake, but as he got closer to retirement, he’d begun grooming me to take over the role. “Grab a seat.”