“I’m here to pick up an order. Should be under Santiago.”
Grace grabbed a large box from the top of a display case. “I’ve got it right here—an assortment of cookies, right?”
“That’s right.”
“What, no doughnuts?” Uh-oh, did she say that out loud?
He gave Cassie a long look before quirking up one side of his mouth. “Sorry to ruin the stereotype.”
Grace glared at Cassie before attempting to smooth things over. “Deputy Santiago, I’m Grace. I’m the one you spoke to earlier on the phone. And this is Dr. Cassie Marshall, our resident veterinarian.”
“Nice to meet you Grace, Dr. Marshall.” He nodded at each in turn. “And off duty it’s Alex, please.” He smiled then, a real smile, and suddenly the room was too warm, too charged, for comfort. The man’s smile was as lethal as the gun strapped to his hip—more potent than any Taser. Unsettled by her instant response, Cassie headed for the door. It wasn’t like her to speak without thinking; she needed to get out of there before she embarrassed herself more than she already had.
“Let me get that.” He reached the door before her, balancing the large cookie box in one hand and pulling open the door with the other. After her own snide comment, his politeness poked at her conscience.
“Sorry about the doughnut remark.” There, her conscience was clear.
“I’ve heard worse.” His expression hardened for a minute. “Don’t worry about it.”
She wouldn’t; she had way too many other concerns to keep her occupied. Including the meeting she was going to be late to, if she didn’t hurry. She nodded politely, then made a beeline for her hatchback. Setting the coffee in a cup holder, she cranked the engine and popped in a CD of popular love songs. She had less than ten minutes to put aside all the worries tumbling through her mind and get herself in a Valentine’s Day kind of mood.
* * *
Alex watched the silver hatchback drive away, noting she kept the small vehicle well under the speed limit. Few people were gutsy enough to speed in front of a sheriff’s deputy—but then again, the average person didn’t spout off jokes about cops to his face, either. There had been resentment in those blue eyes. She’d disliked him—or at the least the uniform—on sight. He was used to gang members and drug dealers treating him that way, but a cute veterinarian? His gut said there was a story there, but he didn’t need to make enemies in his new hometown. He had plenty of those back in Miami.
A loud bark snapped him out of his thoughts.
“I’m coming, boy.”
At this point, he and his canine partner, Rex, were in the honeymoon period of their relationship, and the dog still got excited whenever he saw Alex return. Unlocking the car, he couldn’t help but smile at the goofy expression on the German Shepherd’s face. As a trained K-9, Rex was a criminal’s worst nightmare, but to Alex he was the best part of his new job.
He’d never expected to live in a small-time town like Paradise, had never wanted to leave Miami. But when he testified against his partner, the department had turned against him. It didn’t matter that Rick was guilty. Alex was the one they turned on.
He’d known that refusing to lie during his deposition meant saying goodbye to any chance of promotion. He could live with that. But when his name and address were leaked to a local gang he’d investigated, things changed.
Putting his own life at risk, that was just part of the job. Messing with his family, that was a different story. When his mom had come home one day to find threats spray-painted on her walls and her house trashed, he’d known they couldn’t stay.
He could still see her standing in her ruined kitchen, white with fear. She’d aged ten years that humid night.
Guilt clawed at him. What kind of son was he to lead danger straight to her doorstep? He’d resigned the next day and spent his two-week notice hunting down the scum responsible.
Then he’d packed up and looked for a job, any job, where he could start fresh without a target on his back. When a position in the Palmetto County Sheriff’s office became open, he’d jumped on it. Working with a K-9 unit was a dream come true; he’d often volunteered time with the unit back home. That experience, plus a stellar record, had landed him the position.
Having the dog around eased the loneliness of being in a new city and made the long night shifts required of newbies seem a little shorter.
Thankfully, his mom had been willing to move, too. She’d lived in Miami ever since she and his father emigrated from Puerto Rico. He’d worried she would fight against leaving, but she’d agreed almost immediately. Her lack of argument told him she was more rattled than she’d admitted.
And of course there was Jessica, his younger sister, to think about, too. She was away at college, but still lived at home on school holidays. His mom wouldn’t want her in the line of fire, even if she wasn’t afraid for herself.
Now Paradise was their home and all that was behind them.
As he drove down what passed for Main Street, he scanned the tidy storefronts, more out of habit than caution. The tiny island community couldn’t be more different from fast-paced south Florida. Instead of high rises and strip malls, there were bungalows and family-owned shops. Miami had a vibrant, intoxicating culture, but working in law enforcement, he’d spent his hours in the less picturesque parts of town. Here, even the poorest neighborhoods were tidy and well kept.
Of course, nowhere was perfect, not even Paradise. Which was why he was missing valuable sleep in order to attend the Share the Love volunteer meeting. The sheriff’s department was pairing with the county’s department of children’s services in a fundraiser, a Valentine’s Day dance. The money raised would be used to start up a mentor program for at-risk kids. Some were in foster care and many had parents serving time or were in trouble themselves. When the department had posted a flier about the program, he’d been the first to volunteer. He’d been on the other side of that story; it was time to give back.
It took only a few minutes to cross the island and reach the Sandpiper Inn, the venue for tonight’s organizational meeting. The largest building on the island, it often was the site of community events.
Pulling into the gravel lot, he was surprised to see most of the parking spaces were full. Either the Sandpiper had a lot of midweek guests or the meeting was going to be larger than he’d expected.
He grabbed the box on the passenger seat and left the engine running, thankful for the special environmental controls that kept things safe for his furry partner. Late January in Florida tended to be mild, but could sometimes still hit dangerous temperatures. “Sorry, buddy, but I think this is a human-only kind of thing.”
Rex grumbled but settled down, his big head resting on his paws when Alex locked the car.
“Are you following me?” The voice came from behind him and sounded hauntingly familiar.
The prickly veterinarian from the bakery.
She was standing where the parking area opened onto the shaded path to the inn’s entrance. Her strawberry-blond hair caught the rays of the setting sun, strands blowing in her face with the breeze. Eyes snapping, she waited for him to respond.
“I’m not stalking you, if that’s what you mean.” His jaw clenched at the insinuation. “I’m a law enforcement officer, not a criminal.”
Her face softened slightly, and he caught a glimpse of sadness in