Page 32 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
He ignored her. “Williams, secure the ATV. Call Daryl’s Garage. Have them haul it back to the shed.”
“Yes, sir. I’m on it.” Deputy Williams sounded excited to be on the case.
Daryl’s ChainUp and Go was the only tow service in town. They had a contract with the sheriff’s office. And honestly, they hadn’t needed anything towed since Williams got his SUV stuck in the ditch last winter.
When Parker wrapped up his phone conversation, Belle said, “Now we’re off to the hospital.” When he went to disagree, she held up her hand. “Don’t even think of arguing.”
His eyes momentarily widened. She’d done a good impression of his mother. It was very impressive or scary. He wasn’t quite sure which.
He didn’t know how he was supposed to do his job from the hospital. But by then, Belle was flanked by all three of his brothers. Parker expelled a sigh.
“Hey,” Michael said, “you have to do this if you’re going to charge him with assault.”
Parker had never thought of himself as a victim. He had always been on the other side of the badge. He didn’t like being a victim. Then again, he was quite certain no one wanted to wear the title either.
In the past, he’d been the one convincing victims to go to the hospital to be checked out. Now here he was fighting the thought of going to the ER.
It wasn’t the smell of antiseptic or the needles that had him fighting the trip to the hospital. It was the fact that he would have to acknowledge to himself that the suspect got the best of him. It was a blow to his pride. He wouldn’t make the mistake of underestimating this criminal again.
“Fine. Let’s go.”
Chapter Eleven
Itwasunnerving.
And that was putting it mildly.
Belle couldn’t believe that someone had broken into her house, not just once but twice. Who does that? At least now she knew why they wanted her at the Christmas party. They wanted her out of the house so they could what? Search it? But for what?
Even though she’d been at the hospital for a few hours while they checked out Parker, she still felt rattled. The good news was they released Parker, but she wasn’t sure if that was due to his condition or the fact that he told them point blank that he wasn’t staying. And nothing she said would sway him to stay a little longer.
And so it was after midnight when she drove him back to her place. From what Belle could gather from overhearing Parker’s phone conversations, the deputies were still there, processing the scene. It sounded like this break-in had been a lot more aggressive. To her, that meant there would be more damage. She dreaded seeing her home damaged.
Every time this person broke into her home, she felt as though she’d been exposed. They’d barged right into her living room, her bedroom, and nosed through her personal things. Just the thought sent a sense of revulsion through her.
In addition, with each home invasion, her sense of security eroded. Would she ever feel safe in her home again? She didn’t know.
But the worst was that they took her puppy. They had dangled the hope of getting Odie back to get her out of the house. And in the end, it was all a lie. Who does that?
The one positive thing that had come from this experience was that it brought her and Parker closer together. She honestly didn’t think that was possible. He was no longer the sheriff who was lying in wait to pull her over and ticket her.
Instead, he was actually a nice guy who perhaps clung to the rules and laws a little too tightly. But she supposed that everyone had their faults.
Of course, she knew this was all temporary. Come Monday, he’d go back to keeping the streets of Kringle Falls safe. And then she’d be home alone. She wondered if the person who broke in would come back. The thought sent a chill down her spine.
Was it possible that Parker would stay with her until the suspect was caught? Then she realized that wasn’t possible. He had to get back to work. He’d already gone out of his way for her.
She paused to give the circumstances of their new relationship some thought. What would you call it? Friends?No.That didn’t seem quite right. Frenemies?No.Because Parker was doing everything he could to help her. She didn’t think he was faking his kind gestures and friendliness. So, where did that leave them?
She didn’t know. She supposed they were still a work in progress.Yes.That sounded right. But where would they end up? As friends? She refused to even consider that they could aspire to something more.
She slowed down and turned into her driveway. There was only one police vehicle in the driveway. She was sure that the other deputy was back patrolling the streets of Kringle Falls. After all, she’d been taking up a lot of their time. Not that it was her fault. There was some horrible criminal who was trying to ruin her life.
Belle pulled the car to a stop and turned off the engine. She turned to Parker. “You heard what the doctor said. You need to rest. You just had twelve stitches put in your head.”
“I’m fine.” He opened the car door. “I have work to do.”
Before she could say more, he was already in the driveway. She rushed to catch up to him. In her hurry, she slipped. She went down, landing on her backside with anompf.
