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Her hand lifted to knock on the door, but it swung out and she had to pull away quick before she got pushed to the ground.
“Officer Bella?” Nick’s worried face appeared behind it. “Good. It’s you. Come here.”
She laughed. “What’s the matter, Nick. Is everything okay?”
“Just come here.” He ducked back inside.
Bella looked over her shoulder, not seeing anyone. She wasn’t sure where Grant was if he wasn’t inside the RV. She pulled the door open and poked her head inside. “Is your dad here?”
“He went to the house for something.” Nick sat down on the top step of the RV. “I need your help.” He pointed to his untied shoes. “I don’t know how to tie them. My dad got me new shoes and I can’t tie them. Nana says if I’m not a good boy, he might leave me again.”
The boy’s confession spilled from his lips, the terror in his voice unmistakable.
“Oh, honey. Your dad isn’t going to leave you if you can’t tie your shoes.”
“He left my mom because she wasn’t good enough. Now he’s going to leave me.”
Bella’s heart broke as she sat on the bottom step. “Your dad loves you. He would never leave.”
Nick lifted his tear-stained cheeks. “I know he loves me. But Nana?—”
“Don’t worry about what your nana said. She’s probably just scared that you’re going to leave. Did you think about that? Not all nanas get to live by their grandkids. Sometimes they live really far. I bet you anything your nana was just worried about you.”
Bella’s rationalization made more sense to her than the ramblings of a six-year-old. But it did make her wonder about the differing descriptions of what had happened nearly seven years ago. Was it possible that Grant was trying to play to her trusting side and make her believe he was nothing but a pawn in his ex’s game? No. What did he have to gain in lying to her?
But what did Charlotte have to gain in scaring her grandson? The woman needed to put her own concerns in check. Nick was impressionable. He didn’t need to worry about this sort of thing.
“Tell you what, kiddo. I’ll tie these for you now. But I want you to ask your dad to teach you the next time you have to put them on, deal?”
Nick didn’t seem confident at all, but he nodded anyway.
“Good. Now, let’s go find your dad so we can go on that nature walk.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Grant wasn’t sure what prompted him to swing by the sheriff’s station after dropping Nick off at school. Nor did he know what he was doing when he made an impromptu stop over at the coffee shop down the street first.
For all he knew, Bella wasn’t even working today. Or she was on a run. There was a possibility he'd end up missing her and the whole town would end up hearing about it.
This time, he didn’t care. If the whole town of Rocky Ridge wanted to gossip about how close he and the deputy were getting, he’d let them. Right now, he was on cloud nine.
His boots clipped against the sidewalk as he headed for the door. When he pulled it open, a whoosh of cool air came around him. The station was quiet, but that was to be expected on a lazy Monday morning in their small town. Not even the issues at Sagebrush typically occurred until it got dark.
Grant headed for the reception area and offered a smile at the officer behind his desk. “Do you know where I can find Bella?”
The man’s name tag read Shelley. He leaned back in his seat, glancing around him, then came forward. “I don’t think she’s come in yet.”
“But she’s scheduled for today?”
Officer Shelley nodded. “She is. Can I leave her a message?”
Grant shook his head. “I can wait for a little while.”
The door opened and Bella hurried into the station, her bright voice calling out, “Hey, Tom! Sorry I’m late.”
“I think we can let you off with a warning,” Officer Shelley quipped. “Someone is here to see you.”
Her head whipped around as she backtracked a few paces and her gaze locked with his. “Well, Mr. Shaw. It’s a pleasure to see you this morning. What can I do for you?”
