Her Lawman Protector

“You should be,” she quipped, then opened her door and got out of the car.

“Why’s that?” he asked as he joined her outside in the evening chill.

“Because you’re about to tell the Hyltons that you’re dating me,” she replied with a low laugh. “And every single one of them is going to have a strong opinion about that.”

“For or against?” he asked.

She shrugged. “A bit of both, I imagine. But Hyltons are nothing if not passionate people.”

Her choice of words piqued his interest. Passionate, were they? He’d always suspected that under that polished veneer of hers there was some smolder—the kind that might get tugged along into an ill-advised plan for the sake of love. Or money. Or both. He glanced over at her, but she didn’t seem to catch the double entendre in her own words.

“They’ve got a fire going in the backyard,” Liv said.

“No time like the present.” He held out a hand toward her, and she hesitated.

“Oh, that’s right, look the part,” she said, and her cheeks tinged pink. She seemed so innocent and sweet like this—and he was going to have to be careful not to fall for his own undercover work.

“That okay?” He dropped his hand. “I’d just assumed. Or we could be a more distanced couple. That’s fine, too.”

The soft murmur of voices punctuated by laughter floated to them over the breeze, and Liv’s expression hardened. “No, you’re right.”

And she slipped her soft, cool fingers into his palm, shooting him a wary look. “I’m sick of their pity. I want to give them something a little juicier to talk about. But no kissing. And your hand stays at my waist and doesn’t wander.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” He gave her a quizzical look. “I’m a cop, Liv. I’m not taking advantage.”

“Just making sure.” She gave his hand a squeeze. “Okay, let’s go.”

As they crossed the road and headed around the house to the backyard, the voices grew stronger, and he could smell the savory aroma of cooking meat. The backyard was larger than he’d thought. A fire pit in the center crackled and popped. There was a large barbecue next to the rear door of the house, and light from the back windows glowed out onto the lawn. The door stood open, and a woman came out with a platter of burger buns but stopped short when she saw them. People sat around on lawn chairs with cans of pop and beer in their hands, and as Jack and Liv approached, they started looking up and taking notice. The chatter fell silent, and then a child’s voice rang out with, “Who’s the guy with Aunt Liv?”

That was the beginning of introductions. A few older men shook his hand very firmly—with enough strength behind their grips that they seemed to be trying to prove something. The older ladies smiled sweetly, murmured things into Liv’s ear and cast Jack some sidelong looks. There were a few younger couples who said hello and smiled appropriately, and a small herd of kids who were playing together and stopped to stare. All the while, Jack tried to survey the different groups and sort out who, if anyone, might have a more businesslike relationship with Liv than the others. The chief was right—if Liv was connected to her ex-husband’s affairs, it might be through other family members. Evan had been part of this family for ten years. There might be a few in-law relationships that deserved his attention. Families could be close—his sure had been. So he understood how those dynamics worked.

“The food is set out,” a plump older woman said, shooing them toward a folding table covered in Tupperware and casserole dishes. “Go get something now. Paper plates are in the bag on the seat, there...”

As they headed toward the food, Jack leaned in.

“Was Evan close to any of your family?”

Liv shrugged. “He got along with everyone. He used to hang out with my brother, Steve, when we visited.”

“Is Steve here?” Jack asked.

“Not today. He’s on duty at the fire station.”

A brother who was a firefighter, an ex-husband who was a cop... People didn’t usually link public servants who risked their lives for their community to fraud, but it happened too often. Firefighters and cops didn’t make a whole lot of money, and like anyone, financial pressure sometimes got to them.

“If Evan were harassing me,” Liv said, her voice low, “my brother wouldn’t be helping him. Trust me. Steve’s always been a protective big brother.”

And now she was protecting her brother. That piqued his interest, too.

“Is he married?” Jack asked. “Kids?”

“His wife is the pregnant one over there.” She jutted her chin in the direction of a blonde woman with a large belly sitting in a lawn chair by the fire with two small kids. They all had plates of food in front of them. She was chatting with some other women close by, interspersing her conversation with admonitions to the kids not to spill, or to sit back down.

“What about you?” she asked. “Siblings?”

Jack eyed her.

“Tit for tat,” she said with a small smile.

He smiled grudgingly. “Fine. Yes, I have two brothers. One is married with kids. They’re in Denver.” He’d been closer with his cousin Berto, though. They’d grown up together and had been closer in age.

“So you’re Uncle Jack.”

“I’m Uncle Jack. I’m good for cash on birthdays and rides in my cruiser. Those kids take way too much pleasure in the back of a squad car.”

Liv laughed, her eyes sparkling as she dished herself up some potato salad. “For you?” He held out his plate, and she gave him a spoonful. “Avoid the jelly salad. I don’t know what Bernice does to it, but it’s always off.”

Jack took her advice, looking up to see a thin woman in her early sixties approaching with a platter of fresh ribs.

“This is my aunt Marie,” Liv said. “Marie, this is Jack.”

“So you’re...a boyfriend, we assume?” Marie asked with a tight smile. This would be one who didn’t approve, apparently.

“That’s me,” Jack said. “Nice to meet you.”

“How long have you been together, exactly?” Marie turned her attention to Liv. “You’ve never once mentioned this man.”

“Eleven months,” Liv replied. She took some ribs onto her plate, and Jack followed suit. The food did look delicious. Marie’s gaze followed the food to Liv’s plate, then stayed fixed there, her lips pursed. Liv regarded her aunt for a moment, then handed her plate to Jack. “Hold this, would you?”

She licked off her fingers and then pulled her purse off her shoulder and started to rummage through it.

“It’s so nice that Liv has met someone,” Marie said, shooting Jack a smile. “What do you do?”

“I’m a cop. I just transferred to Eagle’s Rest,” Jack replied.

“And before this...?”

“I was in Denver.”

“Oh...” Marie looked at Liv, her eyes widening. He could see what was happening here, the subtle undermining of Liv’s fake good fortune. Every family had an aunt like this, and apparently, Marie was the Hyltons’.

“And yes, I know her ex-husband,” Jack said. This was the good part of them having some shared history—if word got back to Evan, it wouldn’t be inconceivable.

“Hmm.” Marie glanced down at Liv’s plate again, then said, “Dear, that potato salad has full-fat mayonnaise. Just thought I’d let you know.”

At that moment, Liv pulled a sheaf of papers out of her purse and handed them to the older woman.

“For you, Auntie,” she said with a bright smile. “I promised to print off those articles, remember?”