Trouble in Blue
“I don’t have any reason to believe that you weren’t a random victim.” He studied her. “Do you have any reason to believe differently?”
“Of course not. I don’t even know anybody in this town. How could anybody be upset with me?”
He seemed to hesitate before smiling. “That’s what I thought. Do you need any help getting ready for bed?”
If she’d been revved up before, she was now a driver on the last leg of the course. Full throttle ahead. She might spontaneously combust and he hadn’t even touched her. “Uh...no.”
He stared at her. “There’s something here, isn’t there,” he said. “Between us. Something different.”
Her throat felt tight. “Different how?” she managed to say.
“Something different than what I’ve experienced before,” he said, his voice soft.
“Yeah. That’s what I thought you meant. Same,” she admitted.
“I thought so,” he said. He didn’t say it as if he was happy or sad, just accepting.
“What now?” she asked.
He reached out and with two fingers gently tipped her chin up. Then every bit as gently, he kissed her.
Dear Reader,
Trouble in Blue is the second book of the three-book Heroes of the Pacific Northwest miniseries set in fictional Knoware, Washington. At the peak of the summer tourist season, Marcus Price, interim police chief, receives word that there is a credible threat of an imminent terrorist attack and to be watchful of strangers. He doesn’t need any particular urging to pay attention to Erin McGarry, a stranger who has arrived to temporarily run her sister’s gift shop. Unfortunately, however, trouble has followed Erin to town, and neither Erin nor Marcus may survive it.
Trouble in Blue is ultimately the story of trust and forgiveness and having the courage to believe that your past does not have to dictate your future. It’s a story of friendships—those that have lasted a lifetime and those that are much newer. And, ultimately, a story of the joy of finding a great love when you weren’t really looking.
I hope you enjoy meeting Marcus and Erin.
All my best,
Beverly
TROUBLE IN BLUE
Beverly Long
Beverly Long enjoys the opportunity to write her own stories. She has both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in business and more than twenty years of experience as a human resources director. She considers her books to be a great success if they compel the reader to stay up way past their bedtime. Beverly loves to hear from readers. Visit beverlylong.com, or like her author fan page at Facebook.com/BeverlyLongAuthor/.
Books by Beverly Long
Harlequin Romantic Suspense
Heroes of the Pacific Northwest
A Firefighter’s Ultimate Duty
Trouble in Blue
The Coltons of Roaring Springs
A Colton Target
Wingman Security
Power Play
Bodyguard Reunion
Snowbound Security
Protecting the Boss
The Coltons of Grave Gulch
Agent Colton’s Takedown
Visit the Author Profile page at
Harlequin.com for more titles.
To my sisters, Mary, Linda and Karen. You taught me all the important things.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Excerpt from Snowed In With a Colton by Lisa Childs
Chapter 1
Erin stood in the dark alley, shifting from foot to foot, fumbling with the unfamiliar keys in her hand. Nerves. Scared for her sister, Morgan, who had been hospitalized two days ago. Twenty-six weeks along, much too early to have a baby. Scared, too, that she wasn’t up to the task of running her sister’s beautiful store for the foreseeable future.
She knew nothing about retail, nothing about the Pacific Northwest and the little town of Knoware. Other than it really was nowhere.
And that it had taken her more than twelve hours to get here.
What if she screwed it up? Morgan had assured her she wouldn’t when Erin peeked into her hospital room. But who really knew? She had a history.
She’d left her sister to sleep and accepted the keys to Tiddle’s Tidbits and Treasures from Brian. Her brother-in-law had told her to park in the alley and enter via the back door.
She tried a key. Then a second. She really should have listened to Brian’s explanation more closely. Put the third key in. Oh, good grief. She only had one more. Fortunately, that was all she needed because the lock clicked. She pushed the door open and walked inside. She’d been in the store only once before. And it had been at least a year. But she knew the back hall led to a storage room, a small kitchen and a restroom. The rest of the storefront was devoted to merchandise. She walked that direction.
A light was on above the cash register. The change drawer was open. That didn’t surprise her. Brian had told her that they took all the cash out every night. Everything in excess of a hundred dollars would be dropped in the night depository at the bank. The hundred, hopefully mostly in ones and fives with just a bit of change, would be left in a money bag and hidden in the tea cabinet in the kitchen.
She was hours too early but there’d been little to do except drop her suitcase off at Morgan and Brian’s house. She hadn’t even considered sitting down. Wasn’t going to risk falling asleep and opening late on her first day. Fortunately, she’d caught a few hours of rest on the first leg of the trip, but once she’d hit the States and caught a connecting flight that took her from New York to Seattle, she’d been too keyed up to even close her eyes.
Now she absolutely yearned for a cup of tea.
* * *
Marcus Price had been on duty for more than ten hours. Another two and he should be off. Should be. Not going to happen. It was the middle of June and the tourist season was in full swing. That always necessitated some extra shifts. Now, because he’d been named interim chief after his boss’s recent heart attack, he was pulling extra upon extra.
He had a whole host of new things on his plate. Certainly hadn’t needed the call from Homeland Security yesterday advising that law enforcement across the country needed to be on high alert. There was a credible threat about an impending terrorist attack on US soil.
Unfortunately, the actual target was unknown, which greatly complicated things. Meant that everywhere had to be watched at all times.
He wasn’t a novice when it came to responding to domestic terrorism. Ten-plus years of work experience in the Los Angeles Police Department had ensured that. And while much smaller and quieter Knoware, Washington, was unlikely to be a target, still, he had listened carefully to their direction. Be watchful. Extra diligent about following up on odd things. Overcommunicate information up the chain of command. Pay attention to strangers.
It was that last bit of advice that had him shaking his head. Knoware had about 1,500 year-round residents, but that tripled in the summer as tourists poured in. That meant that most of the people he saw were strangers.
Speaking of strange, he thought as a call came over his radio. The alarm at Tiddle’s Tidbits and Treasures had gone off. Calls had gone out to the store owner and there had been no response. Per protocol, the alarm company had notified the local police for follow-up.
He couldn’t recall that ever happening before. Just months ago, Marcus might have been less concerned. But then Gertie’s Café and Feisty Pete’s bar had been broken into and robbed. Those businesses sat on either side of Tiddle’s. The perpetrator had not been captured.
He left his lights and siren off. It was early enough that he didn’t need them to prompt traffic to get the hell out of his way. There was hardly anybody moving about in Knoware yet. He pulled into the alley. One car behind the three-story building. Tiddle’s was on the ground floor. Apartments on the second and third. He knew the residents parked in the corner lot, same place the help at Gertie’s parked. He got out, approached the door. No sign of damage. He put his hand on the knob.
It turned easily. That wasn’t good. It should have been locked.
He pulled his gun and stepped inside a dark hallway. He listened. Heard something in the room up the hall and to his left. Dim light spilled out into the hallway. He approached, hugging the wall. Rounded the corner.
And the woman in the middle of the room dropped her teacup. It hit the floor hard, but it did not break. Black tea spilled widely, including some splatters on her bare legs.
“Keep your hands in the air,” he said. He was confident that he’d never seen her before. She would not be easy to forget. Her reddish-gold hair hung to the middle of her back in ringlets. Her eyes were green and her skin was fair with a dusting of freckles. “Are you the only person in the building?” he asked.
“I’m not at all confident about the whole building. In this s
hop, yes, I’m fairly certain.”
He assessed her.
“Are you here to arrest me?” she asked, not sounding terribly concerned.
“That depends. Did you break in?”
“Absolutely not.”
“The burglar alarm rang. The police were called.”
“You responded to the wrong address,” she said, sounding satisfied. “No burglar alarm here.”
Gun still in hand, he motioned for her to follow him. Then he pointed to a panel on the wall, near the cash register.
“Well,” she said, her lips pursed. “I believe this is a salient detail that Brian neglected to impart. Understandable, you know. Has his mind on other things.”
He was generally pretty good with faces and the puzzle pieces started sliding into place. He slipped his gun back into his waist holster. “You’re Morgan Tiddle’s sister?”
“Guilty. Erin McGarry.”
“I’m Officer Marcus Price, Knoware Police Department. What are you doing here at barely six o’clock in the morning?”
“Can we have this conversation while I mop up my spilled tea?”
“Of course.” They returned to the small kitchen.
She grabbed paper towels from the counter. First she patted at her bare legs. “Well, it’s a good thing I’m not wearing pants,” she said.
Good, indeed. She had great-looking legs. Nicely shaped, very tan. She was wearing a blue-and-white-striped skirt, a white shirt and flat blue shoes. She wasn’t very tall, maybe five-three, not skinny but rather nicely proportioned.
She squatted down. Her thick hair fell in front of her face. She handed him the now-empty teacup. “Thank goodness this was made of sturdy stuff. Would hate to start breaking dishes on my first day.”
“Your first day?”
“Yes. My sister has been confined to bed rest for the duration of her pregnancy.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” he said. He liked Morgan Tiddle. Could always count on her store for a perfect gift. Her husband was also a nice guy. “I know both your sister and brother-in-law. In fact, my path crosses with Brian at city hall sometimes.”
“He told me once that he actually likes crunching numbers. Accountant extraordinaire, Morgan likes to say. Not that she isn’t pretty great herself. And if you know Morgan, you’ll know this to be true.”
“You’re filling in for her now?” he asked.
“Well, in Morgan’s generally unflappable and efficient way, she had secured someone to watch over the shop for a few months once the baby was born. But said person was anticipating mid-to late September, not early June. And she’s not available at this time. There’s a part-timer. Jo Marie. Perhaps you’ve met her. Anyway, she’s not interested in more than fifteen or twenty hours a week. Thus, I’ve been drafted, if you will, to steer the ship.”
She had a slight accent, but he couldn’t pin down the geography. He thought of the counsel he’d received just the previous night. Pay attention to strangers. “Where are you from?”
“That, my friend—can we assume we’re friends since you didn’t shoot me?—is a long story that I’m sure you do not have time for.”
“There would have been a lot of paperwork to do if I’d shot you,” he said.
She smiled and her face lit up. “Well, there is that.”
“It was good you could come,” he said, having some empathy for anybody suddenly asked to take on a new role. “Not easy I suspect for you to suddenly leave your job and your home. That’s quite an interruption to your life.”
She stared at him. The smile faded and her eyes looked sad. After a long pause, she answered. “Indeed. All kinds of interruptions in my life lately. But then again, those are stories best told over cocktails and a dinner that includes dessert,” she said with a wave of a hand.
“Tonight?” he asked.
“What? Oh my, I wasn’t angling for a dinner invitation. Erin McGarry can feed herself, thank you very much.”
“I did put my gun away,” he reminded her.
She cupped her chin in her hand and considered him. “This is a bit of a conundrum.”
“Conundrum,” he repeated.
“A difficult question, to which there is no easy or right answer,” she explained.
“I know what a conundrum is,” he said, slightly amused. “I’m just not used to having my dinner invitations labeled as such.”
“I’d like the day to think about it,” she said finally. “I’ve had no caffeine, no real food of any substance for more than twelve hours, and I’m a bit thrown off by my new responsibilities. I can’t make any more decisions.”
It stung a bit. “I’ll need an answer by four. It’s a Friday night, we’re in season and reservations are required at most restaurants.” It was a stretch. He could generally get a table most places, but there was no need for full disclosure.
“Four is adequate,” she said. “Shall I ring you?”
“Sure. Ring me,” he said. He pulled a business card from his pocket. Picked up a pen that was on the counter. He added his cell. “What’s your number?” he asked. “So I can recognize it when the call comes in,” he added.
She rattled if off and he entered it into his cell phone. “When you come in, make sure you lock the door behind yourself. In the last several months, we’ve had a couple break-ins on this block.”
“Morgan never mentioned that,” she said, looking concerned. “But it does explain the addition of the security alarm.”
“I don’t think there’s a need to worry. But it’s always good to be cautious.”
“Of course,” she said.
“If you need something to eat,” he said, “Gertie’s Café next door has the best breakfast in the area.”
“That is something that Morgan chatted on about. A meal sounds like a fine idea.”
“Dinner is a meal,” he said.
She said nothing.
He decided that he’d pressed hard enough. “Goodbye, Erin McGarry. Good luck on your first day.”
“Goodbye, Officer Marcus Price. Lovely to know you’re here to serve and protect.”
* * *
Two hours later, Marcus sat in Gertie’s Café, sipping his hot tea. Thinking about another hot tea that had been spilled next door. The door of Gertie’s opened and he found himself looking for a redhead.
Instead it was his friends Blade Savick and Jamie Weathers. They slid into the booth. Within seconds, Cheryl, their favorite server at Gertie’s, brought over two coffees. She had a cream pitcher for Jamie.
They placed their order and settled in to catch up. They’d been friends since kindergarten, but had all gone their separate ways after high school only to reconnect back in Knoware a few years ago. There’d been times over the years that they were out of contact for months. Now it seemed odd if they didn’t talk every couple of days.
It had been a week since he’d seen either of them. “How was the conference, Jamie?” Marcus asked.
“Good.”
“Did you present, Dr. Weathers?” Blade asked. “Brag about the emergency medicine department at Bigelow Memorial?”
“Not this time. The people who did were good and the weather in San Diego was, of course, wonderful. Got some sailing in.”
“I miss California,” Marcus admitted.
“Too many people,” Blade said. He liked small towns.
“How is Daisy feeling?” Marcus asked him.
“Sick every day,” Blade said. “But she’s a trouper. Wakes up, throws up a couple times, and then showers for work.”
“She’s just ten weeks along, right?” Jaime said. “Another month and she’ll likely be easing out of that phase.”
“That’s what she tells me,” Blade said. “She takes it in stride, but it’s driving me crazy. I wish we could have waited on the house, but it was perfect and we didn’t want to lose it. Plus, I had a buyer for my duplex.”
“With twins coming, you’ll need the space,” Marcus said. “Plus, you’re going to love the neighborhood.” Blade’s new two-story brick home was just two streets over from the house Marcus had been fixing up for the last two years. It had great character, beautiful woodwork and a chef’s kitchen that was as nice as his own and totally wasted on Blade.