Page 58 of Stormswept Colorado (Hart County #3)

FORTY-NINE

Teller

Three Months Later

“Step right up!” Dane shouted. “Who wants to see Police Chief Landry all wet? All proceeds go to charity, but come on, like you need an excuse.”

I rolled my eyes at the blue summer sky, fighting back a smile.

There were cheers as the next contestant paid for a chance to dunk me. Nobody had managed it yet. It was early, the mountain air chilly in the morning even in July, but the sun poured warmth onto my head.

Then I saw who was winding up to take a shot.

“I’ve got this,” Ayla said, to a chorus of encouragement. More than one onlooker had their phone up filming, but nobody was filming me. Nope, every eye was on the stunning blond in the baseball cap. She had a tendency to turn heads wherever she went.

Especially mine.

“I’ll believe it when I see it, sweetheart,” I taunted.

Laughter. Shouts. Ayla’s emerald eyes gleamed.

She threw once. Missed. I wasn’t a boastful guy, so I just shrugged. All confident in my swim trunks and Silver Ridge PD T-shirt .

Her next ball thunked into the target.

Splash .

The crowd went wild, though I could barely hear them over my own sputtering and laughing.

As I climbed out, Dane met me with a towel and a grin. “We’re even now. That was so satisfying to watch.”

“Yeah, yeah.” I swiped the towel over my wet face.

“The Silver Ridge Children’s Center thanks you.”

Ayla waved from the side, along with Grace, Emma, Maisie, and Piper.

All of them whooping and clapping. A bodyguard stood subtly a few yards away, keeping an eye on everything, but the summer festival attendees were behaving themselves.

I waved back at my audience and climbed onto my perch for the next person to take a shot at dunking me again.

And I didn’t mind at all.

I’d been adjusting to my new life over the last several months. A life as Ayla Maxwell’s other half.

A lot of the time, it felt like a dream. If it was, I never wanted to wake up.

We’d been traveling between Silver Ridge and Los Angeles, spending several weeks at a time in each place. At first, in the spring, I had quite a bit to settle here in town. Cooperating with the state investigators on Finn Mackie’s case. Transitioning away from my role as chief of police.

It hadn’t been easy to say goodbye to my team. But after the upheaval they’d experienced with Finn/Jarod’s betrayal and Seth’s murder, it was time for a clean slate anyway. Mayor Barker had officially appointed Susan the new chief, and I made sure she got off to a great start in her role.

Since then, Chief Nichols had been doing a fantastic job. Though she still liked to give me grief. But now I had to listen, since I was just Officer Landry.

In Los Angeles, I’d slowly been getting used to a very different way of doing things. The traffic. The sheer number of people. At least Ayla’s home, our home, in Malibu was quiet and secluded. The Mexican food was phenomenal, and I’d taken up running on the beach.

In the mornings, yoga with Ayla on the deck was one of my favorite things. Always put us both in the mood to jump back in bed.

I’d also taken over coordinating Ayla’s security detail, and that was a job that suited me.

The couple of red-carpet events I’d attended had not been my favorite, but hey, anything for my Troublemaker. At least the media was getting more used to me. I was no longer a top story.

Also, it turned out I looked pretty good in a tuxedo. Who knew?

Ayla and I had sat down for an interview where she explained everything that happened in Silver Ridge with her stalker.

And I’d held her hand while she tearfully shared the truth about her childhood.

How her father had emotionally abused her.

How he’d kicked her out at sixteen, and how the shame of that had made Ayla avoid her sister Lori for so many years.

She’d never spoken about those events publicly before. I knew it had been cathartic for her, and I just hoped having me there made it easier.

During the interview, we’d also officially told the world about our relationship. I’d looked into her eyes and had the privilege of saying how much I loved her for all the world to hear.

That little moment went viral on social media when the interviewer posted it. Or so I’d heard.

Since then, she and I had both declined any further questions about Jarod Carpenter or our romance. We got followed by paparazzi on a regular basis, but Ayla’s security detail had never been more airtight. If I said so myself.

I still hated being in the spotlight. But I loved being her man.

And anybody who ever dared to try coming between us would have to deal with a very growly former Green Beret.

That night, I stepped into Hearthstone Brewing and scanned the tables, looking for my friends.

Callum was setting up a few tables in the corner. Looked like he and I were the first to arrive. Ayla was spending time at Ashford and Emma’s place, and would head over to meet us later.

I had confidence no street riots would interrupt our plans. Ashford and Emma had already promised to drive Ayla here. No repeats of what happened at the start of their wedding weekend. Even though that weekend had turned out well, all in all.

As a very part-time Silver Ridge PD officer, I technically had the power to place people under arrest. If I ever put Ayla in handcuffs again, it might happen in the bedroom, but not on a public street.

Callum grinned when he saw me and clapped me on the back. “Hey, you’re actually here for trivia? Let me guess. Ayla made you come tonight.”

“No,” I grumbled. “It was my idea.”

“How about that. Was it your idea to overdo the sun today, too?” He gestured at my nose. “Ouch. Too much time in the dunk tank?”

“Sunblock wears off in water. I blame Dane.”

Callum laughed. “At least it was for a good cause.”

After my shift in the dunk tank, Ayla and I had strolled through the festival with Ollie and Maisie. Well, more like chased than strolled. Those two kids had been hopped up on cotton candy and ice cream. The bodyguard tailing us today—we had a rotating crew—had to stay on his toes to keep up.

We’d seen Callum at the fire department booth, spreading community cheer with the other firefighters. Ollie had greeted Cal with a big hug.

“Hey, before the others get here, I wanted to thank you for spending time with Ollie lately,” I said. “Especially when I’ve been away. It means a lot to him.”

Callum grabbed an extra chair to add to our tables. “No need to thank me. I like doing it. Ollie’s a great kid.”

“He is.”

Not seeing Ollie had been one of the hardest adjustments to make.

When I was out of town, I still spoke to my nephew almost every single day.

Piper had all but given up on getting her ex-husband Danny to participate in their son’s life.

Danny was missing out on a lot, and I would never understand it.

Thank goodness for Callum, along with Ashford and Dane, who’d all become fixtures in Ollie’s world.

My nephew and I had finished his treehouse, and just a couple of weeks ago, he’d confessed that he liked hanging out with Maisie more than those middle-school boys from down the street. At least that much hadn’t changed.

Uncle Tell, they were being mean to Maisie and calling her a baby , he’d said. So I told them I won’t skateboard with them anymore. Not until they’re nicer to her .

I’d ruffled his hair. I’m proud of you, buddy .

And I was. So damn proud of my family and our growing circle of friends here and in LA.

Back when I was Chief Landry, it was hard to see past that title. Chief of Police . I thought I had to keep myself apart in order to take care of my town. Be the stoic, responsible one.

But falling in love with Ayla made me realize I had room for a lot of love in my heart. And being away from Silver Ridge had just proved how much I valued the people of this town.

I was still gruff, but nobody had accused me of being surly for a while.

“Do we need snacks or anything?” I asked Callum. “I’m buying.”

“Then I’m definitely glad you came. Yeah. Feel free to order some apps for when everyone gets here.” Then he scowled, glancing over at the bar. “Though maybe I would’ve preferred a change in location tonight if I’d known who would be working.”

I followed his gaze to an attractive woman I didn’t know. Long black hair, striking features. But there was something familiar about her. “Problems at the office? You still work here, right? I haven’t been gone that much.”

“Yeah, I still work here,” Callum snapped. “Unfortunately, now she does too. Not sure there’s room for both of us.”

The raven-haired beauty caught Callum looking and sent a withering glare right back. Yikes .

“I’m guessing there’s history between you two?” I asked. “Unless you already did something to make an enemy of the woman. I thought you were the love doctor .” I added air quotes.

“Love has nothing to do with it. We went to high school together, and she has some kind of grudge against me. Zandra Alvarez.”

“Oh, sure. Rosie’s niece.” The Alvarez family also owned Hearthstone. “Didn’t she get a business degree from some top-tier school? Thought she’d settled in a big city. I didn’t know she was back home. Or interested in the family brewery.”

“Well, she is. I was hoping to get the manager position that opened up, but Zandra will probably take it just because she’s the owner’s granddaughter. And she hates me.”

“Why? There must be a reason.”

Color crept up his neck. “I didn’t do anything. She’s nice enough to everyone else. But not me. She might spit in my beer. Wouldn’t put it past her.” The poor guy sounded genuinely hurt.

“Then I can order your beer for you when I get the apps. I’m sure you and Zandra will sort out your issues.”

“We’ll see.” Callum’s smile returned. “I like the new, friendlier Teller Landry. Seems like being Mr. Maxwell is working out for you.”

“It is.”

Ayla showed up a little while later with Ashford and Emma. I ordered nachos, potato skins, and soft pretzels, which were Ayla’s favorite.