Santa's Posse Read online

  “Who was the little freckled face kid?” she asked then, remembering that he apparently knew the boy.

  He sighed. “He’s the son of a cop who was…” He raked a hand through his hair. “He was killed in the line of duty eight months ago.”

  Kellie gasped, her heart instantly going out to the little boy.

  “Daniel and his dad were close. He’s having a hard time—acting out, getting into trouble at school. Today was the first I’ve seen him running with that crowd. I intend to put a stop to that particular association.”

  She nodded. She hoped the little boy could be helped before he got into even bigger trouble. Poor little guy.

  He watched her face, taking in the sympathetic green eyes against a perfect peaches and cream complexion. Her full lips were currently set in a frown. “Aren’t you going to eat?” he prompted.

  Absently, she took a dainty bite from the sandwich. She was lost to her thoughts, but his deep voice penetrated.

  “What is it you do?” he asked again, watching her with a ghost of a smile on his face.

  “I’m a Navy Seal,” she told him, keeping her face impassive as she spoke.

  “Really?”

  “No, but I could be.”

  He laughed, a deep, throaty chuckle. “Okay, point taken. What do you do?”

  “I’m a firefighter.”

  “You are?”

  “No. But I could be.”

  “Okay, okay, I give.” He raised his hands in surrender. “I’m really sorry if I offended you. I don’t mean to suggest you’re anything but a capable individual, however, we all have our limitations. And I just hope that in the future, if you encounter a group of violent boys, you’ll call the law, rather than rush headlong into a very dangerous situation.”

  “I didn’t…” Her words dwindled, and then she nodded. “I’ll be more careful.”

  He nodded, seeming pleased with her admission.

  “Can we get to that statement?” she asked. “I really need to get back to work.”

  He checked his watch then and let out a long sigh. “I need to move, too. I have a one o’clock meeting. If you don’t mind, I will take a brief statement, and if we need anything more from you, I can give you a call later.”

  Pulling out a pad, he asked her a series of questions, which she answered quickly and concisely. When he snapped the notebook closed, Kellie rose from the table. “Thanks for lunch,” she said.

  “Anytime.”

  As she walked away and toward her office, he called out to her. “And hey, no more heroics!”

  She didn’t respond. She wasn’t making any promises.

  Chapter Two

  As Kellie dashed into her office, she shot a harried glance at her assistant Jill. “Sorry I’m late,” she told the middle-aged brunette.

  Jill gave her a high-voltage smile. “You’re the boss, remember? You can be late if you want to,” she said, simultaneously passing her a stack of messages on sticky notes. “Besides, your one ‘o clock hasn’t arrived yet.”

  “Good, good,” she said absently, scanning her messages. “Who did you say I’m meeting with?”

  “Oooh, you are in for a treat!” she answered in a sing-song voice. “The commander of our very own mall precinct is stopping by to talk to you.”

  “Hmmm,” she mused. “Wonder what he wants to talk about?”

  Her assistant shrugged. “Who knows? Who cares?”

  Kellie shot her a quizzical glance.

  “When you get a look at him, you’ll understand what I’m talking about. He’s a heapin’ servin’ of eye candy. When he talks, I see his mouth moving but I just can’t hear anything he says. All I can see is that gorgeous face, that broad chest, and those arms. Oh, my, those arms…”

  Kellie burst out with a giggle, which she quickly stifled. “A heapin’ servin’ of eye candy, eh? Sounds like I am in for a treat.”

  “That you are. He’s a nice guy, too,” Jill said. “Single, too! Single…” she added.

  Kellie was still chuckling as she stepped into her office and took a seat behind the desk. She consulted a desk-top calendar, on which her predecessor had written a series of notes about upcoming mall events and to-do items. On today’s date, he had written in crisp lettering, “Discuss Santa’s Posse with the commander.”

  She eyed the words. What the heck was Santa’s Posse?

  Jill tapped on her door, and then pushed it open with a grin. “Commander Eye Candy is here,” she whispered, too loudly.

  Kellie gave her a meaningful stare, which only prompted the older woman to chuckle. She didn’t look the least bit repentant as Commander … Miles Blake stepped into the room.

  Like hers, his jaw dropped the instant his blue eyes lit on her face. “You’re…” he began, but his sentence died before he could finish it.

  She rose from her chair and extended a hand to him. “Mall director,” she told him.

  He dropped into a chair with a gulp. “So you’re…”

  “The mall director,” she repeated. “I started two day ago.”

  He nodded his head in measured intervals. “So essentially you are in charge of mall security,” he murmured with a smile. “I mean, technically, you’re the director of the director of mall security. Are you a Navy Seal, too? A volunteer firefighter in your off hours?”

  “No,” she laughed as she sat down in her chair. “But I could be. What can I do for you?” she asked, meeting his still surprised gaze.

  He didn’t immediately respond, but continued to watch her speculatively—his blue eyes narrowed in apparent confusion. He seemed to have lost the power of speech, which gave Kellie pause. Although she was one of the youngest mall directors in the business, she didn’t think he should find her presence in the job so startling. She’d worked hard to earn the position, having worked at a series of malls since she’d earned a Masters degree in Business Management at the age of twenty-four.

  “Is there a problem?” she asked, wondering when the man planned to speak again.

  “No, no, it’s just…” He smiled sheepishly. “You look all of twenty-two years old.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I’m flattered … I guess. I’m twenty-nine.”

  “Good,” he said with a grin, which became rueful when he realized he’d spoken the word aloud. “I mean… Uh, well, I don’t know what I mean…” Suddenly, he thrust a piece of paper at her. “Would you mind taking a look at this?”

  She took the paper from him and read it. “Santa’s Posse,” she said aloud, now understanding what the words referred to. It seemed the sheriff’s office, along with both mall and community volunteers, assembled and delivered meals and gifts to needy families each holiday season. The sheet of paper was a letter intended for local businesses as a means to drum up both community support and donated items.

  She glanced up and met his gaze. “Sounds like a commendable undertaking,” she observed.

  “Right up your alley, I’d guess,” he said, and she eyed him quizzically. He only smiled in return.

  She sat quietly, waiting for him to speak. It occurred to her she wasn’t the only one who was younger than might be expected in a position of authority.

  “You’re a commander,” she mused, not realizing she’d spoken the words aloud.

  “Yes.”

  “Aren’t you awfully young to be a commander?” she asked, turning the tables on him.

  “I’m thirty-four.”

  She nodded, and then passed the sheet of paper back to him. “Was there something else?”

  “Well, I was wondering if I could send out a copy of this letter to all the stores in the mall—see if we can drum up any donations.”

  “Sounds fine,” she said. “If you’d like to print up a hundred copies, I’d be glad to send them out for you.”

  “You would?” he asked, his eyes registering surprise.

  “Sure.”

  “Okay,” he said with a quick grin. “I can get those copies to you ASAP.” He rose from th
e chair. “Wow, that was easy.”

  She watched him curiously. “Did you expect me to say no?”

  “Oh, no, not that. It’s just, well, the guy in the position before you was a micro manager—had to know each and every detail before he’d give a stamp of approval to anything. He was, well, intense.”

  Kellie heard something in the commander’s voice, and it was evident to her that he hadn’t particularly liked her predecessor, but then, the word around the mall was, not many people had. She hoped the mall’s occupants would find her management style more to their liking.

  “Okay, then,” she said crisply, “just leave those letters with Jill and we’ll get them sent out. You may want to follow up with additional letters as we get closer to the holiday. Wait, it’s only October. Aren’t you starting kind of early?”

  He shook his head. “Heck, no. There are people involved with Santa’s Posse who work the whole year long getting things ready. Besides, Christmas is just around the corner.”

  “No, Halloween is just around the corner,” she told him with a smile.

  He smiled back, and she found herself staring into his striking blue eyes. Jill had called him gorgeous, and there was no denying the man was attractive. Kellie had noticed before that he was tall, blond, and handsome, but she hadn’t been certain if she liked him much. She hadn’t been able to discern if he was being condescending to her before, or protective, or … what?

  “So, you’re the new sheriff in town?” he said with a grin, drawing her out of her thoughts.

  She angled a glance at him, and then laughed outright. “In a manner of speaking, I guess. I suppose the mall is a sort of town, with all the stores and restaurants. We even have a hotel on the northern end of the property, and a gas station, so, yes, in a way, we’re a town…”

  He laughed. “Just remember, you might be the sheriff in your mall town, but I’m the commander of the precinct, and the one with real police powers. When you want someone arrested, or evicted from the mall, call me, please.”

  She nodded as he rose to leave. With a final glance at her, he left her office. She saw him again through her office window as he strode along a short hallway to the mall’s main, interior corridor. Although she could see out, the window blinds didn’t permit people outside to see in. She watched after him. He sure looked good in that uniform.

  The errant thought startled her. He wasn’t her type, and she had never been particularly swayed by a man in uniform. Besides, she still wasn’t sure whether she even liked him. Although she had to concede now that it hadn’t been her smartest move to confront the boys earlier, she had only done what any caring person would have done. She feared that had she hesitated, the group of boys could have seriously harmed the lone teen.

  Did the commander think she was weak because she was a woman? Because if he did, he had another think coming.

  ***

  Soon after her meeting with the commander, Kellie stood at a vacant store front, clipboard in hand, and waiting for a prospective tenant to arrive. She had expected the woman to arrive at two, but it was already two-twenty.

  Perhaps the woman had changed her mind about seeing the property, Kellie mused. She had mentioned something about meeting with her investors a final time. Perhaps things hadn’t gone as planned. Whatever the reason, she should have called her to let her know she was going to be late for the appointment.

  With a sigh, she took a seat on a nearby bench and scanned the mall. She noted she was currently sitting directly across from the mall precinct. Absently, she looked inside, noting several occupied cubicles within the space. She saw a desk manned by a receptionist, and spied two or three deputies milling around. Suddenly, one of the men snapped his radio off his belt and dashed out a door she suspected led to the parking lot.

  Vaguely she could make out the shape of Commander Blake’s well-formed head through the glass window in his office. Like her own office, his window afforded a view of the mall, but unlike her window, which did not allow others to see in, she could easily see him. He was currently in a meeting, and she could just make out the bright red hair of the little boy sitting across from his desk. Her heart went out to the child.

  Soon, the commander rose and the boy did the same. Kellie watched the door swing open and the commander led him into the lobby with a gentle hand on his shoulder. When he pulled the boy into a quick embrace, she felt her heart tug. It was evident he cared about the child.

  He gestured for him to take a seat in the lobby, and it wasn’t long before a woman, apparently the boy’s mother, arrived. By the harried clip of her walk, it was clear she was eager to reach her son.

  When the boy spied his mother, he slumped dejectedly in the chair. She said a few words to him, aimed a warning finger his way, and then hurried into the commander’s office.

  Kellie noticed the child casting worried glances toward the office. On one hand, she felt bad for him, but on the other, he’d done the crime, so he would have to do the time.

  Finally, she checked her watch and decided she wouldn’t waste another minute waiting on her two o’clock appointment. The woman was now more than thirty minutes late. Instead, she dashed into a nearby cookie store and purchased half a dozen chocolate chip cookies. She grabbed a handful of napkins and then headed toward her office to share her bounty with Jill. Although she’d only started the job two days before, she was certain she and her new administrative assistant were going to be great friends.

  On a whim, she detoured to the mall precinct. She crossed the threshold of the wide entrance and walked the short distance to the little boy. She wasn’t sure what prompted her to offer him a cookie. She nudged his shoulder with her arm, simultaneously passing him the treat.

  He glanced up, startled, spied the cookie, and gave her a curious glance.

  “Take it. You look hungry. Did you eat lunch today?”

  He shook his head. “No.” He accepted the cookie and she passed him a napkin, along with a second cookie. He nodded his thanks, looking for all intents and purposes like a sweet, freckled-faced eleven-year-old.

  “Crime doesn’t pay,” she said sternly, wagging a finger at him. “Stay out of trouble, okay? Skipping school is a bad idea,” she added for good measure.

  He nodded numbly and watched her walk away. She was halfway back to her office when she heard a deep, masculine voice call her name. She turned and watched the commander stride toward her, a broad smile spanning his face.

  “Apparently crime does pay,” he said when he reached her. She paused and gave him a quizzical glance, but then remembered her remark to the little boy. “Apparently it pays in chocolate chip cookies,” he told her with a grin.

  She smiled ruefully. “He looked hungry.”

  “He was. I should have fed him something. I didn’t think about it,” he admitted.

  “I suppose I could have offered him something more nutritious than cookies.”

  “He was happy enough with the cookies,” he assured her.

  “They’re good cookies.” She reached into the bag and passed him one, which he accepted with a smile.

  “Are you sure you have enough? I’d hate to eat the last one.”

  “That’s the beauty of working at the mall,” she said, matching his grin. “Chocolate chip cookies are only a short walk from my office. And speaking of my office, I’d better get back.”

  To her surprise, he accompanied her there. At the door, he paused and sought her eyes. “I don’t suppose … you’d like to join me for dinner?”

  “You already bought my lunch,” she reminded him.

  “Then you can buy,” he said with a grin.

  She shrugged apologetically. “I’m sorry. I can’t.”

  “Plans?”

  She nodded, but refrained from mentioning her plans involved unpacking stacks of boxes and attempting to assemble a new bed frame that came with a new bedroom suite. The cherry furniture had been an impromptu purchase from the mall furniture store yesterday—which the sto
re manager had delivered in quick order—and although she adored the chest of drawers, mirror, and armoire, the bed frame with the headboard was presently a bit of an assembly nightmare.

  “Another time then,” he said good-naturedly.

  “Sure.”

  She stepped into her office to find Jill standing desk side, watching her wide-eyed and mouth-agape. “Did Miles Blake just ask you to dinner?” she asked excitedly. “Are my ears working properly? Did he just ask you out?”

  Kellie was slightly taken aback by her assistant’s behavior. She nodded, and then lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Yes. So?”

  “And you said no?” she said shrilly. “Tell me I didn’t hear you say no.”

  “I said no. I have plans.”

  “Break ‘em!” she cried, but then took a deep breath, as if she remembered she was presently at her workplace and behaving in an unprofessional manner toward her new boss. “Kellie,” she said in measured tones, “I know you and I have only worked together the past two days, and while I may very well be overstepping my bounds, I have to say this to you. Go to dinner with him!”

  Kellie chuckled uneasily. “Jill, why are you so bound and determined that I go out with him?”

  “Miles doesn’t date,” she informed. “You see, his wife was killed in a car accident five years ago. I understand he was terribly grief stricken and if the rumors are true, he hasn’t seen anyone romantically since. Poor man,” she added. “Poor gorgeous, gorgeous man.”

  Kellie gave her a rueful glance. “How can you possibly know he doesn’t date?”

  “I hear things,” she answered with a crisp nod of her head. “Mall talk.”

  She laughed skeptically. “Well, as I understand it, the precinct has only been on-site for the past six months, so how can anyone possibly know if he dates or not. He could be a real ladies man, for all you know. Besides, I don’t care one way or the other,” she said with a neither-here-nor-there shrug.