Page 32 of Chasing Kaylee Kringle

“It’s cool. I was just thinking about hitting the Tater This and getting some tots, but those look good.”

“They’re awesome. Perfect combo on a cold night.” She nodded her head toward Kaylee. “You wear down our girl yet?”

Rick caught his retort seconds before it flew out of his mouth. She’s not our girl. She wasn’t even Rick’s. As protective as he might be of Kaylee, she still betrayed him. He couldn’t imagine trusting her again, especially with how hard she’d fought him on testifying.

She’s scared. Maybe you ought to put yourself in her shoes.

Even with the threat of death hanging over his head, Rick knew he’d still risk it all to put bad guys away. That’s why he’d wanted to be in the FBI to begin with.

“I’m working on it. She definitely doesn’t appreciate my crashing on her couch.”

Paulette waved a french fry at him. “Just make sure you’re being a gentleman. We all like Kaylee, and fed or not, if you hurt her in any way, you might end up in a frozen lake.”

“Really, threatening a federal agent?”

Paulette snorted. “Absolutely. I already told you, this is my town and my people. No one is going to come in here and make them feel unsafe.”

Rick could respect her passion and determination to keep her family and friends safe. That’s another reason why he’d joined the bureau: to help others. To ensure that victims could seek justice.

“She’s safe with me, always.”

“Well, all right, then. I guess I’d better go find my husband. He took our twins over to see Santa, and I just know they’re probably planning something diabolical to get on the naughty list. They have tried for the last three years, but Santa keeps giving them gifts. It’s a shame.”

“Sounds like it,” Rick said, chuckling.

She shot him a grin before taking off, and Rick scanned the crowd for Kaylee, who was standing with her friend Josie and a few others, eating a baked potato with a fork. She wrapped her mouth around the plastic, dragging it out of her mouth until every bit of potato was gone. Her full lips spread into a smile at something someone else said, and his chest ached, wishing they’d met under different circumstances and that they weren’t on opposite ends of this current issue.

Rick went to the nearest food truck and ordered a corn dog with cheese inside and a soda, watching Kaylee as he ate. He knew that she noticed because she kept glancing over at him to see if he was there.

I told you I’m not going anywhere, sweetheart. When are you going to realize that?

Chapter Seventeen

Kaylee

The crowd in the square was thinning out when Kaylee let out a yawn, making Josie and Curtis laugh. The rest of their friends had already taken off, but Curtis hung around because Kaylee suspected he liked Josie. The three of them were standing on the edge of the grass, and there was an unspoken question hanging in the air. The other two shuffled their feet until Kaylee wanted to shove them together and holler Get on with it!

“You mind if I walk you ladies home?” Curtis asked.

“If I can join you.”

Kaylee whirled around to find Rick behind her, both hands in his pockets, smirking. He’d been keeping his distance most of the night, but she’d continuously felt his gaze on her, watching her every move, and while she should have found it creepy, it actually made her feel safe.

“Sure,” Josie said, grinning. “Since we’re all going in the same direction, that would be nice.”

Curtis held out his hand to Rick. A burly man who worked at Butcher and Baker, he looked better suited for construction or Ultimate Wrestling than baking, but his sourdough was to die for. Best she’d had since she left California.

“I’m Curtis Hill.”

“Rick Diaz.

“Great,” Josie said, stepping onto the sidewalk and a few more steps backward toward the direction of their street, “you guys know each other now. Can we get moving before I freeze to death?”

Curtis caught up to her with a chuckle, tossing his arm around her shoulders. “I’ll keep you warm.”

Kaylee snorted, following behind them, and Rick fell into step with her.

“So, Curtis, what do you do?” Rick asked.