Page 14 of Clara's Secure Hideaway

“Policeman!” Avery squealed and ran toward Heath with her arms spread wide and drool trailing over her chin.

Clara made a move to step in front of him and intercept the dirty child, but he plucked the little girl off the floor and whirled her in the air before holding her securely in his strong arms.

“Did you help bake, too, little lady?” he asked Avery, tapping the tip of her upturned nose with his finger.

She shook her head. “Eated them, policeman.”

Clara couldn’t help but laugh. “Honey, his name is Deputy Sterling.”

Avery frowned and shook her head. “No. Policeman.”

The sound of his warm laughter skimmed over Clara like a jolt of electricity, making sparks of life erupt in the pit of her stomach.

“You can call me whatever you like, but how about Heath? I like that better than policeman.”

“Heath,” Avery said, a little lisp slurring the name. She twisted her mouth back and forth as though giving the matter serious consideration.

Davey took a step forward, head tilted to the side. “Can I call you Heath?”

“You all can,” he said. “Even your mama calls me Heath. That’s what friends do, right?” He shot her a look with his dark eyebrows raised in a silent question.

Something in her soul settled at the idea of having him as a friend—having him in her corner. She wasn’t sure why or how but over the months of pouring his coffee and closing his tab, he’d become her friend. Had become someone she trusted. And for the first time in a long time, it was like luck was on her side.

“Yes, Heath, that’s what friends do.”

6

Déjà vu altered Heath’s sense of reality as he found himself back in his cruiser with Clara. The giggles and chatter of children from the night before were gone, but her wide eyes and clenched hands on her lap were the same.

She stared out the passenger window as he drove away from the shelter. “I hate leaving the kids here alone.”

“They aren’t alone. They have Mrs. Collins and Elsie, two strong and capable women to protect them. Mrs. Collins assured us they’d keep the alarm system on and the kids inside. Everything will be fine.” He flicked his gaze to the rearview mirror and his stomach dipped as the house got smaller and smaller.

He hoped he wasn’t feeding Clara bullshit, but having the kids stay at the shelter was the best option. If Mitch had broken into their home, there was no telling what they’d walk into when they got there. And he needed Clara to tell him if anything else was missing from the property.

Then he could pin Mitch’s ass to the ground.

“I hope you’re right, because it doesn’t feel like anything will ever be fine.” She sighed and leaned her head against the seat. “I thought I’d have a few more years before I had to deal with any of this. By then, I’d hoped…. hell, I don’t know what I hoped. No matter when Mitch got free, he’d come after me and the kids. I should have been prepared for this.”

He hated the uncertainty in her voice. He fought the urge to glance her way, choosing instead to stare ahead at the country road that wound around the mountain. Towering pine trees clustered together, blocking the inner sanctum of the forest beyond. “You have prepared.”

Her derisive snort raised his hackles. “Sure looks like it.”

“Don’t sell yourself short. You’ve provided for you and your kids, you’ve made a happy life for your family. You’ve shown Davey and Avery what a strong woman you are, how you’re willing and able to go up against a bully and fight for what’s right.”

At her silence, he peeked her way for a beat. Her full lips were parted and gaze latched on his, as if the words had come from the mouth of a unicorn.

Shit. He’d gone too far. He’d only recently earned her trust enough for her to let her guard down. To share a laugh over a joke or not tremble when delivering his breakfast. Now he looked like a creeper who’d said too much and probably scared her to death.

“Sorry,” he said. “I just mean you seem like a great mom with two good kids. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You were in really bad situation and you’re doing what you can to stay out of it.”

“Sometimes I feel like everyone in this town is silently judging me for getting myself into this abusive relationship—for allowing my children to witness it for as long as they did. No one understands how hard it is to break the cycle you’re trapped in.” Her voice quivered and she sniffled. “God, I’m a mess. You’re going to regret offering to help me if I keep breaking down.”

“Never. I’m doing my job, and I’m glad to do it.” He held back the rest of what he really wanted to say. To explain his own past, his own experience. To let her know he understood all too well how she found herself in this mess, and he’d never judge her for it.

But he couldn’t. He was a deputy assisting a civilian. Anything more would be unethical.

Silence fell between them. The landscape morphed from untouched wilderness to large houses on sprawling lawns to the gridded streets of downtown Water’s Edge. “I’m not sure where you live.”

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