Page 3 of One Tough Love

“You need to report the theft.” He said casually breaking the suggestive moment.

“I know.” She replied hesitantly. As if on cue a loud siren burst behind them with two whoop-whoop sounds.

“Oh - oh.” Jo grumbled more to herself than to Wes.

Wes stood up and helped Jo to stand up out of her seat.

“No, Jo this is good. He can take your report.” Wes looked at the beautiful, disheveled young woman and watched her tuck in her blouse and pull down on her skirt nervously.

Jo shook her head. “Uh, yeah but…”

The officer approached them and when he saw Jo he got a shit eating grin on his sour face.

Chapter 2

Wes

Wes looked at the cop and then back to Jo, who appeared to be very uncomfortable in the officer's presence. Now was the time where he would normally walk away. He’d done a good deed, helping a lady in distress, his Dad would have been proud. However, Wes had noticed how Jo’s body had tensed up when she saw the officer, and he instinctively knew something was off, so he decided to stick around.

The officer, ticket book in hand, swaggered to them, clucking his tongue on the roof of his mouth so it made a tsk, tsk, tsk, sound.

“Well if it isn’t B.J. Ross.”

Wes was watching Jo intently. When he heard what the officer had called her he tried to recall where he had heard the name before, but he just couldn't remember. He was too focused on the dynamics between the woman he had just met and one of Morgis' finest.

“Officer Laramie.” She replied almost timidly. It wasn’t lost on Wes that she knew the officer.

“So, parked in front a hydrant.” Laramie nodded at the red hydrant and then checked a box on his pad. Jo remained quiet.

“Blocking traffic.” He checked another box off.

Wes watched as Jo cringed, thoroughly baffled as to why she was not even trying to defend herself. The cop was deliberately baiting her and she wasn’t even trying to explain herself.

“Officer.” He said hoping to help. “I think you have misinterpreted what has happened here.”

“I think you need to mind your own business.” Officer Laramie replied testily, perusing the scene, obviously looking for more violations.

“Excuse me?” Wes said politely, slightly taken back. He had dealt with all kinds of people, so one little Napoleon complex cop was not going to get a rise out of him.

"You heard me." The officer said, not even look up as he continued to make notations in his book.

“Officer, Ms. Ross.” Wes said, using the name the Officer had used and nodding at Jo. “Is the victim of a robbery.”

“Is that so?” The officer said not in the least concerned.

“Wes, it’s okay. I’m just going to take my tickets and go.”

“Jo you were robbed.”

Jo placed her hand on Wes’ forearm sending him a silent plea to let it go.

Wes looked at Officer Laramie with disgust as the man resumed filling out his ticket book. Jo’s hand on his forearm had stopped him from continuing. He searched her face for a sign, or any indication, that she needed his help, but he saw nothing. Her face was void of any expression, and for some reason Wes didn’t like it. He didn't like it at all.

“It’s okay Wes, really.” The defeated attitude she was presenting shook him. He wanted to defend her to the cop, but something in her eyes made him stay quiet.

Officer Laramie ripped off the tickets from his book, and gruffly told her to move her car before he Booted it. He then returned to his car, but he did not pull out. Instead he remained behind Jo’s car watching them. Wes knew he was hoping she would pull away and not use her blinker or find another infraction that he could site her for.

“Wes, thank you again.” Jo said as she slid tiredly down into her seat and pulled in her legs to shut the door.

---