Page 89 of Faking I Do
My dad glanced back over his shoulder. “I’m not going to let you take me down.”
I wouldn’t have to. “Watch out!” I yelled the warning in time but it was too late. Dad didn’t see the hose someone had stretched out to fill the pool. His boot caught on it, sending him tumbling to the ground. He fell on his arm, collapsing onto his chest and rolling right into the deep end of Buck Little’s pool.
I didn’t hesitate. I dove in, headfirst, scrambling to reach the spot where my dad sputtered and splashed. By the time I had an arm around my dad’s shoulders Sheriff Suarez had grabbed the life ring hanging from the fence and flung it toward us.
“Dad, grab on to the ring.” I pushed the ring into my dad’s chest. The stubborn man wouldn’t take it.
“Just let me drown,” my dad wailed.
“You don’t really mean that.” I dragged him to the side of the pool, where the deputies hauled him out of the water.
I climbed out and took the towel Sheriff Suarez handed me. “We can take it from here, Deputy Phillips.”
Nodding, I turned toward my dad. “I’m sorry.”
“I hope you’re happy, son.” Dad huddled on the edge of a lounge chair. “You know Buck was just the front man, don’t you?”
“Doesn’t matter. I did what I needed to do to clear my conscience.”
Dad shook his head. “You turned your back on your family. I thought I’d trained you better than that.”
“No, Dad. You trained me worse. But despite that, I still managed to do the right thing. I wish you luck.” I waited while one of my fellow deputies snapped a set of handcuffs on my dad’s wrists. Then I turned and walked toward the gate, myheart free from the burden of feeling responsible for my family, but heavy at the thought of what this decision had cost me.
As I walked down the driveway of Mayor Little’s home—make that the ex-mayor’s home—I breathed in a sigh of relief. Lacey was safe. The threat Buck had issued was null and void. The only person I wanted to see was Lacey. But she was off-limits. I couldn’t unload everything that had just happened on her, not when she’d never been aware of the threats Buck had issued in the first place. So I turned my truck toward home, where at least one warm body waited for me—albeit a four-legged one.
CHAPTER 44
LACEY
I skippedup the steps to Bodie’s place, hardly able to contain my excitement. I hadn’t seen him or heard from him since he walked out on the interview a few days ago. Work must have been keeping him extremely busy. I didn’t want to bother him, but with the big day barreling toward us, I had to share my news.
I knocked on the door, too excited to stand still. “Bodie? I know you’re in there, your truck’s outside.”
The door opened a crack. “What do you need?”
“Bodie?” I tried to peer into the darkness. He must have had all the shades pulled.
“Yeah?” His voice came out rough, like he hadn’t used it for a while.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine. What’s up? I didn’t miss anything, did I? Wedding’s not for another week, right?” He shielded his eyes from the sun as I pushed the door open a bit more.
“What’s going on?” The stale smell of air that had been undisturbed for too long wafted past me. I wedged my way between the door and the frame. “I’m coming in.”
“Oh, that’s not necessary. I need to clean up first. Place isn’t fit to be seen?—”
I elbowed my way past him into the foyer. He had on a pair of shorts, no shirt. I sucked in a breath at the sight of his bare chest. My gaze moved from the scruff covering his chin to the pizza boxes littering the kitchen counter. The thrill of sharing my news faded. “What the heck is going on?”
“It’s fine, really. Just taking some time to work through some stuff.”
“What kind of stuff? Why didn’t you come talk to me? To Dad?” I turned on him. “What’s happening with you?”
“Nothing. Just doing my part to keep the good folks of Idont safe.”
“Ido,” I whispered.
“That’s right.” The edges of his mouth tipped up in a flimsy smile. “Have I told you how proud I am of you?”
