Czytaj książkę: «The Sheriff Of Wickham Falls»

Chapter One

Tap! Tap! Tap!

Natalia Hawkins opened one eye and then the other, and stared up at the ceiling in her bedroom; staccato tapping had jolted her out of her much-needed sleep, and she wasn’t ready to accept that she’d moved into a house with a woodpecker living in a tree on the property.

Tap! Tap! Tap! Tap!

There it was again. After sitting up and sweeping off the sheet and lightweight blanket, Natalia swung her legs over the side of the bed. As soon as her bare feet touched the floor, she knew she would be up for the day. As a former ER doctor working in an overcrowded, understaffed Philadelphia municipal hospital, she was used to performing her duties on limited amounts of sleep.

She had believed Wickham Falls, a remote town in the Appalachian Mountains boasting a population of less than five thousand residents, was a place where she would no longer be jolted awake by honking horns from bumper-to-bumper rush hour traffic, the wailing of emergency vehicles’ sirens or her name coming through the hospital’s loudspeakers. She had left the noise of a large metropolitan city behind to get a peaceful night’s sleep, only to be awakened by an annoying bird.

Natalia opened the blinds and bright early morning sunlight flooded the space. Her gaze lingered on boxes lined up against a wall that were filled with linens, blankets, clothes and shoes. There also were boxes in the smaller bedroom, the kitchen, bathroom, and living and dining rooms. It had taken less than six weeks for her to box up her life to leave behind all that was familiar to move and become a small-town family doctor—something she had always wanted, even before graduating medical school.

Slipping her feet into a pair of fluffy yellow SpongeBob slippers that were a Christmas gift from her eight-year-old niece, she walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. Although the compact one-story house was larger than her condo in the luxurious high-rise building in Philadelphia, it did not have the open floor plan or panoramic views to which Natalia had become accustomed. That no longer mattered because as soon as she opened the door to walk into the house, it became her sanctuary. She did not have to gird herself for a confrontation with her fiancé who had managed to find fault in everything. After a while, Natalia preferred sleeping at the hospital rather than come home to a hostile environment that had become even worse instead of getting better. And thanks to his duplicity, Daryl made it very easy for Natalia to make a clean break with her place of birth to follow and fulfill her dream to live and work in a small town.

She brushed her teeth and then washed her face as she stared at her reflection in the oval mirror over the pedestal sink. Even though she didn’t look any different than she had in years, Natalia knew she wasn’t the same woman who’d gotten her wish to become a doctor, and fall in love with a man she had thought of as perfect. She was still dedicated to her profession; however, her personal life had been filled with angst and turmoil. Her fiancé abruptly moved out of the condo four months ago, taking her engagement ring and the dog he’d given her as a gift for her birthday.

Natalia wasn’t as upset about losing her ring as she had been about Daryl Owens taking Oreo, the dark-brown-and-white toy poodle that had been her constant companion. She’d promptly contacted the building’s management to change the locks on the unit because she didn’t want Daryl to return and renew what had become a toxic relationship where despite living under the same roof, they argued constantly and hadn’t made love in months. The first night Natalia went to bed and woke up alone signaled a new beginning for her. And it took only a few days to realize she had been reborn and she didn’t have to monitor every word or action because Daryl would invariably challenge and ridicule her.

Walking out of the bathroom, Natalia returned to the bedroom to make the bed. Normally she would head for the kitchen to brew a cup of coffee but that would have to be put off until she unpacked the coffee maker. She’d carefully planned her day to go into town for breakfast, and then stop at the hardware store to pick up paint, brushes and rollers to paint the kitchen. Shopping for groceries to stock the refrigerator and pantry was next on her to-do list, followed by unpacking as many boxes as she could to make her new home appear lived-in.

She fluffed up her pillows and positioned them against the wrought iron headboard, and had just opened the windows to let in fresh air when she heard a string of explosive expletives. Peering out the window, she saw a man holding his hand as he continued to spew curses, this time under his breath.

Instinct galvanized her into action as Natalia raced to the front door to see if the man had been seriously injured. She met a pair of light brown eyes in a face the color of golden-brown autumn leaves. He was tall, at least six inches above her five-five height, and powerfully built as evidenced by the white T-shirt stretched over a muscled chest and broad shoulders.

“Please, let me see your hand.”

* * *

Seth Collier stared at the woman who seemingly had appeared out of nowhere. The pain in his left thumb intensified, throbbing as if it had its own heartbeat. “Who are you?” he asked her.

“I’m a doctor, and it appears as if you’ve injured your hand.”

“You don’t say,” Seth drawled sarcastically. He’d accidently hit his thumb with the hammer when attempting to drive the last nail into the post for the birdhouse, fearing he had broken it. His gaze went from the face of the slightly built woman with a short natural hairstyle and a flawless complexion that looked like chocolate mousse to her chest. He had an unobstructed view of firm breasts in a floral tank top she had paired with red cotton lounging pajama pants. He averted his eyes before she caught him ogling her like a voyeur.

“Do you want me to look at your hand? There is a possibility that you have broken a bone.”

Seth extended his hand at the same time he bit down on his lower lip; the pain had intensified. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d injured himself while wielding a hammer. His general contractor father had taught him everything he needed to know about handling tools, but it was apparent he had temporarily forgotten the very important safety precautions. Seth blamed the accident on inattentiveness rather than fatigue. He’d left Savannah, Georgia, before midnight after spending a week with his mother and sisters, to drive back to Wickham Falls to arrive home at dawn. As soon as he pulled into his driveway, he saw the white BMW SUV parked next to the house that had been vacant for a year. His neighbor, who had planned to rent his house because he was out of the country, had asked him to watch his property. Not only was Seth surprised that someone had moved in, but as one of Wickham Falls’ deputy sheriffs, there was very little that went on in the town that he wasn’t aware of.

The second thing he noticed was the birdhouse he had put up once he’d moved back to The Falls was down again. Seth knew the boys who lived in the house on the street behind his tended to jump the fence rather than walk around the block, and in doing so knocked over the birdhouse. He had held off talking to their grandparents, who had taken in the boys while their parents were going through a contentious divorce, but now he knew he had to warn them about trespassing and vandalizing his property.

“Does that hurt?”

“No,” he said, as the doctor massaged his fingers. It wasn’t his hand but his thumb he’d injured, and thankfully he was right-handed or he wouldn’t be able to perform his duties. Seth had another two days before he was scheduled to return to work.

“Try opening and closing your hand,” she said in a quiet voice. Seth complied. “Lucky for you, you haven’t broken any bones. I’m going to spray your thumb with a solution that will temporarily numb the pain. You hit your thumb rather hard, so you’re going to experience some swelling. I recommend you apply ice several times a day to keep that down. Don’t move. I’ll be right back with the spray.”

Despite the discomfort in his thumb, Seth found that he couldn’t pull his gaze away from the sensual sway of her hips in the cotton pajama pants. He walked over to where she had parked her vehicle. The parking sticker from a Philadelphia medical center attached to the windshield with a caduceus verified she probably worked at a hospital. A hint of a smile touched the corners of his mouth. In that instant, having a medical professional as a neighbor was very convenient, otherwise he would have to wait for Dr. Henry Franklin to open his office or drive six miles to the county hospital.

The pretty physician returned, this time wearing an oversize T-shirt with a faded University of Pennsylvania logo. So, he mused, she was an Ivy Leaguer, blessed with both beauty and brains. Seth hoped she hadn’t noticed him staring at her breasts. He did not want her to believe she had moved next door to a pervert.

She sprayed his hand with an icy liquid, which miraculously alleviated the pain. “Now don’t forget to ice it.”

Seth flexed his thumb. Smiling, he said, “How much do I owe you?”

“Nothing, unless you wake me up again before seven in the morning with that annoying hammering.”

Seth managed to look contrite. “I’m sorry about that. The kids who live on Woodfield Road hopped my fence and knocked over the birdhouse. I was attempting to repair it.”

“You could’ve waited until later in the day to repair it,” she admonished in a quiet voice.

He stared at her back as she turned and walked away. “What’s your name, miss?” he called out.

She stopped, but did not turn around. “Dr. Hawkins.”

“Thank you, Dr. Hawkins.” When she didn’t acknowledge his offer of gratitude as she entered her house, he muttered “you’re welcome” under his breath.

Things usually moved at a snail’s pace in The Falls, but it was apparent it had only taken less than two weeks for him to get a new neighbor. And when Natalia identified herself as a doctor, Seth wondered if she was going to take over Dr. Franklin’s practice or join the staff at the county hospital.

After walking back to his driveway, he picked up the birdhouse and rested it against the side of the house. He wanted to delay putting it up again until he spoke to the grandparents of the teenage boys who used his backyard as a shortcut. Recalling Dr. Hawkins’s recommendation that he apply ice to his thumb, Seth opened the side door and went inside to follow her instructions.

* * *

Natalia parked the SUV in front of the hardware store. Downtown Wickham Falls reminded her of many of the bucolic East coast towns that were settled when the States were still British colonies. Vehicles were parked diagonally to maximize space along the four-block-long business district. Both sides of the three blocks were lined with mom-and-pop shops, a local bank, a supermarket, the post office, the fire department and government buildings that included the town hall, courthouse, sheriff’s department and jail. Dr. Franklin’s medical office was a one-story building flanked by a law office and a barbershop.

During her first trip to Wickham Falls in early March when she interviewed with Dr. Franklin, she had noticed there were no chain drugstores, big-box warehouses or fast-food restaurants. Not having easy access to delicatessens or coffee shops had her second-guessing whether she wanted to relocate to a town where she would have to get into her car and drive miles to find the nearest strip mall. It was only after contacting a local realtor and touring the town that Natalia was able to appreciate its quaint charm. It no longer mattered that railroad tracks dissected Main Street, or that there were only two stoplights: one in front of the fire department, and another near the school campus.

The woman had shown her two vacant homes that were up for sale, but Natalia knew she wasn’t ready to purchase a house, and then she asked if there were any that she could rent perhaps with the option to buy after a year. And within minutes of walking into the one-story, refurbished, furnished home with stark-white walls and updated appliances, she knew it would suit her needs. The owner had secured a two-year post teaching English at a Japanese university and had decided to rent the house in lieu of selling it. He’d been gone a year, which now allowed Natalia the next twelve months to decide on a permanent residence.

It was nine o’clock and the business district was waking up. Shopkeepers were sweeping and then hosing down sidewalks in front of their businesses. Natalia realized it would take her a while to get used to a lifestyle that seemed to move much slower than she was used to. She’d had to drive to a restaurant off the interstate for breakfast, because Ruthie’s, the local eating establishment, did not open to the public until eleven.

She walked into Grand Hardware and saw a man who looked like a department store Santa Claus without the red suit. His bright blue eyes sparkled like polished blue topaz when he smiled.

“Good morning, ma’am. How can I help you this morning?”

Natalia returned his friendly smile with one of her own. “I need two gallons of high-quality latex, semigloss paint, several brushes and some rollers with extension poles, a pan and liners, tape and drop cloths.”

The rotund middle-aged man with snow-white hair and a matching mustache and beard patted his belly over a bibbed apron. “What color are you looking for?”

The kitchen was a stark-white, a shade she found much too sterile. “Let me see your paint samples.” It took her less than five minutes to select a color labeled Harbor Mist. It was a pale blue-gray, a shade that would complement the stainless-steel appliances and bleached pine cabinetry. “Do have paint that can cover stains?”

“That means you need one with a primer. It will eliminate you applying more than one coat.”

Forty minutes after walking into the hardware store, Natalia had selected everything she needed to give the kitchen a new coat of paint, while Johnnie Lee Grand talked nonstop about the preparations for the town’s upcoming Memorial Day parade until he left her to wait on another customer.

She loaded her purchases in the cargo area of her SUV, and then drove down the street to the supermarket. An hour later, the shopping cart was nearly overflowing with items to stock the pantry and the refrigerator-freezer. Natalia generously tipped the young man who bagged and stacked the bags neatly in her vehicle. She was more than impressed with the selection of fresh meat and poultry in the butcher department. She could not remember the last time she would have structured her work hours where she would be able to come home and prepare dinner for herself. Natalia rarely ate fast food, and the hospital’s cafeteria menu, although deemed nutritious, rarely varied from day to day.

The downtown area was bustling with activity when she left the supermarket and headed back to the house. It was May 1, and while winter was just loosening it brutal grip on Philadelphia, spring was in full bloom in southeastern West Virginia. The daytime temperature was in the low seventies, trees had put forth their leaves as did flowering plants their colorful yield. The cacophony of bird chatter as they flitted from branch to branch had become music to Natalia’s ears.

I think I’m really going to like living in Wickham Falls, she mused as she maneuvered into the driveway to the house on Stewart Avenue. Most of the homes along the street sat on one-square-acre parcels that were larger than those in other areas of the town. And of all of the houses on the avenue, the one she occupied was the smallest.

She’d just exited the SUV when she saw her neighbor sitting on his porch. “How’s the thumb?”

He rose and leaned over the porch railing. “It’s still swollen, so I’m taking your advice and icing it.”

Natalia smiled. “That’s good.”

“Do you need help unloading your car?”

She shook her head. “No, thank you.”

“I think you do,” he countered when she set several bags on the ground.

“I’m really good here.” Her protestations were ignored when he came down off the porch and stood next to her.

“Why don’t you go and open the door and I’ll bring everything in?”

Natalia tilted her head and stared up at the man with balanced features and large golden-brown laughing eyes. Stubble on his strong, square jaw enhanced his overt virility. She had viewed more naked men than she could count since entering medical school, yet there was something about her neighbor’s physique that reminded her of the perfection of the male human body. And it was obvious he worked out because she couldn’t detect an ounce of fat on his torso under the white T-shirt.

“It’s all right, Mr.—”

“Collier,” he said, interrupting her. “The name is Seth Collier. And yours? Because as neighbors I shouldn’t have to refer to you as Dr. Hawkins.”

“It’s Natalia. I can take the bags. I don’t want you to reinjure your thumb.”

Seth smiled, exhibiting perfectly aligned white teeth. “And if I do, then you can tend to me again.”

Natalia returned his smile. “If I treat you again, then I’ll have to send you a bill.”

“That’s okay because I do have medical insurance. Now, please go and unlock your door so I can bring in your groceries.” He peered in one of the bags. “You need to put your perishables in the fridge before they go bad.”

“Okay.”

She walked up the porch to her house and unlocked the screen door, and then the inner door. Seth had brought in four bags, setting them on the floor in the living room, when she walked past him to bring in more.

“What are you painting?” he asked when he placed the paint cans next to the bag with the brushes and rollers.

“The kitchen.”

Seth crossed muscular arms over his chest. “Who’s going to do the painting?”

“I am.” Natalia picked up the bags with the dairy products and headed for the kitchen.

Seth followed, carrying two bags in each hand. “That’s not a small job.”

She smiled at him over her shoulder. “I know. It should take me a couple of days before I finish. I didn’t have to buy a ladder because I found one in the utility closet near the back door.”

“You could finish a lot sooner if I help you.”

Natalia gave Seth a lingering stare. She did not find him off-putting or even threatening, but she wasn’t used to strangers offering their services within hours of her meeting them. “Don’t you have a job, Mr. Collier?”

“It’s Seth, and yes, I have a job. Right now I’m on vacation, so I’m trying to be neighborly and also appreciative for you treating my hand. If you hadn’t, then I would’ve had to wait for Dr. Franklin to open his office before he could see me, or drive six miles to the county hospital and spend half the morning in the ER. You’re new to The Falls, and I want to let you know that folks here always help out their neighbors.”

She nodded. “You’re right. I am new here, so it’s going to take a while before I get used to your way of doing things. And how can I repay you if I allow you to help me?”

A hint of a smile tilted the corners of Seth’s firm mouth. “I’d like a home-cooked meal.”

A laugh slipped through Natalia’s parted lips. “You want me to cook for you?” Seth nodded. “How do you know if I can put together a palatable meal?”

His eyebrows lifted a fraction. “You didn’t buy all of this fresh food just to look at it. Otherwise you would’ve selected prepackaged meals.”

“What about your wife or your girlfriend, Seth? Do they cook for you?”

“No, because I don’t have a wife or a girlfriend. My cooking skills are passable, and when I don’t cook for myself, then I’ll occasionally eat at Ruthie’s or the Wolf Den. I’m certain you passed Ruthie’s on your way to the supermarket, while the Wolf Den is a sports bar located between here and Mineral Springs.”

Natalia began emptying the bag with milk, butter, eggs, yogurt and cheese. She could not begin to imagine why a man who looked like Seth wasn’t married or involved with a woman.

“What exactly do you do when you’re not on vacation?”

“I’m a deputy.”

She blinked slowly. “You’re a US deputy marshal?”

“No. I’m Wickham Falls’ deputy sheriff. And what brings you to The Falls?”

Natalia opened the French door refrigerator and then moved several open boxes of baking soda to the back before she stored the perishables on shelves and in drawers. “I’m here to assist Dr. Franklin.”

Seth applauded. “Well, it’s about time he hired someone to help him out. Folks have been known to spend hours in his office waiting for him to see them just for a follow-up visit.”

“That’s because he’s very thorough,” Natalia said in defense of her new boss. She’d watched him examine one of his patients who had come in complaining of back pain.

“Thorough and very, very slow,” Seth countered. “When do you want to start painting?” he asked.

“Today,” she confirmed.

“If we work together I’m certain we can finish today.”

Natalia wanted to tell Seth that she still had to unpack boxes, but didn’t want to appear ungrateful. “If I’m going to spend the entire afternoon painting, then I can’t cook for you.”

“That’s not a problem. I’ll take you to the Wolf Den tonight and you can cook for me tomorrow.”

Natalia did not want to believe her neighbor had mentioned taking her out to eat as if it was something they’d done before. And she hoped he didn’t think of it as a date, because she wasn’t ready to date any man, even one as attractive as her next-door neighbor. “You’re really on this kick for me to cook for you.”

“I told you it’s been a while since I’ve had a decent home-cooked meal.”

Despite his obvious arrogance, Natalia did not want to believe she had hit the jackpot when it came to a neighbor. Not only was he tall, dark and deliciously handsome, but he was also willing to donate his time to help her paint. “Do you usually moonlight as a painter in your spare time?”

Throwing back his head, Seth laughed loudly. “Not quite. My dad was a local handyman.” He held up his left hand when Natalia opened her mouth. “Don’t say it,” he warned softly.

“Don’t say what?” she said as she struggled not to smile.

“You were going to mention my hitting my hand instead of the nail.”

“That’s called an accident,” she said, rather than tease him about his mishap with the hammer. “Give me about twenty minutes to put everything away and for me to change my clothes, and then we can begin painting. I’ll leave the door unlocked for you.”

Her eyes met Seth’s. The magnetism coming off him in waves held her captive until Natalia dropped her gaze. She could feel pinpoints of heat stinging her face and she was grateful for her darker complexion to conceal what would’ve been an obvious blush. And she also prayed he hadn’t caught her staring at him like a starstruck groupie coming face-to-face with her idol.

Seth gave her a mock salute. “I’ll see you later.”

Natalia exhaled an audible breath of relief when Seth walked out of the kitchen. She had relocated to Wickham Falls to become a small-town doctor, and had no intention of falling under the spell of her sexy neighbor.