Tied With a Bow and No Place to Go (Tizzy/Ridge Trilogy Book 3) (3 page)

Once the units hummed, she hurried home and opened the door.
Annie Mae stood at the kitchen sink.

Gracie, still in her Cinderella pajamas, ran to Tizzy,
wrapping her four-year-old body around her leg. “Hi Momma. See what I drawed.”

Tizzy set the box of strawberries and champagne on the
kitchen counter, then knelt next to her daughter and stared at stick figures.
“Is this you and me?” She pointed at the two with long dark hair and big brown
eyes.

Cuddles, the family cat, joined them and rubbed against
Tizzy’s ankle.

“Uh-huh. Daddy says I’m boo-ti-ful like you. Do you see my
crown? I’m a princess.”

“I love it. And you gave me a green dress, my favorite
color.”

“Mine’s pink.”

“Are these your daddies?”

“Uh-huh.” She pointed to the one with green eyes and light
brown hair. “This is my first daddy. He always has sunshine around him.” Then
she placed a finger on the larger figure, with blue eyes and dark hair. “And
this one, with the badge is my second daddy.”

Tizzy handed the paper to Gracie. “Why don’t you put it on
the refrigerator?”

“Okay. Do you want to draw a picture?”

“Sure. Go get me some paper while I talk to Annie Mae a
minute.”

Gracie rushed away and Cuddles followed.

Tizzy stood and wrapped her arms around the large woman. She
had her black, wiry hair slicked tight into a bun at the nape of her neck,
where strands escaped and stuck out like antennas. Tizzy held on longer than
she intended, but the embrace brought back memories of when Tizzy was a child
and Annie Mae cared for her.

Annie Mae rubbed Tizzy’s back. “What’s wrong, Baby Girl? You
had a rough morning?”

“Yes, but just like always, your hug makes it better.” She
pushed away and planted a kiss on the housekeeper’s cheek.

“So y’all found Jay Roy Hobbs dead in a field?” Annie Mae
asked.

“Sure did, and Dan doesn’t think it’s from natural causes.”

“Why not?”

When Tizzy finished the story, the round woman laughed out
loud. “Lawd, will wonders ever cease?”

“Ridge will be home in an hour. I’m going to meet him next
door because we need to talk before he gets tied up in Jay Roy’s case. Will you
put a couple of champagne glasses in a bag and make some fresh whipped cream
while I get a few things from the bedroom, please?”

“Sure, Sweetie.”

“Thank you.”

Annie Mae smiled at her and eyed the bakery box. “Hmmm,
sweets, champagne and whipped cream makes me think there ain’t gonna be much
talking.”

Tizzy winked. “That’s the plan.”

The text read: we need to talk. Ridge Cooper’s heart
lurched. Shit. Well, he couldn’t blame Tizzy. He hadn’t been giving his bride
the attention she deserved. The damn case in Gun Barrel City consumed him.
Thank God, it was finished.

As he drove past Brownsboro’s city limit sign, he remembered
the day he arrived over a year ago and how he’d labeled the place a Podunk town
with nothing to offer. Located a hundred and twenty miles east of Dallas, with
a total area of two square miles, it had one main street, one red light, one
caution light—and one perfect woman.

He thought back to when he saw her for the first time. The
shirt she wore that day with Sweet Thangs Bakery spelled out in glitter
stretched across her breasts got his attention. He sucked in air and brought
his mind back to the crisis at hand. He had to take care of business. Before
facing his wife, he’d stop by the police station, because knowing her, his
afternoon might not be productive once she got done with him. He wheeled his
cruiser into the lot and parked near the front door. He settled his hat and
made his way into the building.

Dispatcher, Rita Pridmore, short and round as a teapot, sat
at her desk munching apple slices and drinking diet root beer. A bright pink patch
covered her left eye. She focused her other eye on Ridge.

“Hi, Rita. What’s with the patch? Something happen?”

“No. I had surgery to fix my lazy eye.”

He studied the fruit. “That’s not your typical snack.”

“I’m becoming a better me. I’ve given up the Little
Debbies.”

“Anybody here but you?”

She pointed down the hall, but before she spoke a shrill
voice came from that direction.
“Help! I need to pee. Help! I need to pee.”

Ridge spun toward the sound, and then swung back to Rita.
“What the hell was that?”

“Willie Nelson, the parrot. One of the nursing homes in
Athens wanted to get rid of him. He’s an African Gray and according to my
research they have vast vocabularies.”

Ridge rolled his eyes. “So he’s the new office pet?”

“For the time being. I can’t take him home, because my cats
will go nuts. I’m putting an ad on craigslist to find him a new owner.”

“You’re not fooling me. You don’t want to listen to that
constant squawking when you’re off duty. Can’t say that I blame you.”

“Help! Help! I need to pee.”

“Well, so far,” Ridge said, “his vocabulary isn’t
extensive.”

“Just wait. His original owner was a big Willie fan, so he
can cuss and announce song titles his namesake either recorded or wrote. Go on
back, Bubba’s in the break room.”

“Good thing nobody’s in the holding cell. They’d claim cruel
and unusual punishment.” Ridge walked away, eyed the bird, then Bubba as he
finished a text and stuck the phone in his pocket.

“Got anything on the dead guy y’all found this morning?”
Ridge went to the coffee pot, poured himself a cup, and joined the deputy at
the table.

“Not much. Jay Roy Hobbs. Age fifty-four. Found him on the
south side of his land laid out under a tree wearing nothing but cowboy boots.”

“Don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys. Help.
Dammit!”

The two men looked toward the sound, and then Bubba
continued. “Dan stayed with the body until the crime scene investigators
arrived, which was two hours ago.”

“The message Dan sent didn’t give me many details. How’d he
die? Gunshot?”

“Naw. No blood. It may even be natural causes. But
considering the picnic basket and the bow, Dan’s pretty sure Jay Roy expected
company.”

“The bow? Like in shooting arrows or wrapping presents?”

“He had a blue ribbon tied around his dick.”

Ridge sputtered a laugh. “You’re shittin’ me.” During his
ten year career, he’d investigated a lot of strange cases. Bodies posed in
awkward positions. Messages left in orifices. Faces painted like clowns. But
this was his first ribbon on a penis.

“Nope. Tied with a bow and no place to go,” Bubba laughed
with him. “We’re not releasing the blue ribbon info yet.”

“Release me! Hell dammit! Help! Help!”

“Does the bird screech all day?”

Bubba wagged his head. “He’s quiet until somebody talks,
then he wants attention.”

“Well, speaking of that, Tizzy wants to talk before I start
on the case. That’s never a good sign. So I got to hit the road.”

“On the road again! Shit, shit, shit! On the road again!”

Bubba shrugged. “Hell, must be something in the water.
Rayann’s been acting weird, too.”

“I’ll see you later.”

Back at Rita’s desk, Ridge found her applying lipstick.

“Okay, what’s going on? Surgery, diet, make-up, a better me?
I’ve never seen you act this way. Makes me wonder if you’ve got your eye on a
man—no pun intended.”

She spun in her chair. “Why does everybody keep asking me
that? Can’t a woman decide to take charge of her life without a man being
involved?”

“Sorry.” Ridge threw his hands up in surrender. If Rita’s
reaction was any indication of how his contact with women would go this
morning, he was in a shit load of trouble. “Forget I said anything. Dan texted
and said I should consider the former classmates coming into town for a
reunion. All girls. Can I get a list of them without you biting my head off?”

Rita put away the compact and lipstick, then shuffled
through a stack of papers and handed a sheet to him. “Sorry. I’m going through
sugar withdrawal, so I’m on edge. I figured you’d ask for the names, so here
they are in alphabetical order with a star by his former wives, two stars by
the one he married twice.”

He smiled. “Thanks. You’re the best.” He read over the list,
folded the paper and stuck it in his shirt pocket.

“Why are you smiling?” Rita asked.

“It just hit me. You, an eye patch, and a parrot. Yo-ho-ho,
do you have a bottle of rum in your desk?”

“Funny, Ridge. Real funny.”

He wheeled around and spoke over his shoulder. “Arrrrgh!
I’ll see you later.”

She giggled. “Aye, aye, captain!”

Five minutes later, Ridge pulled into the driveway at
Browning House, gravel crunching beneath the weight of his car. The old home
served two purposes when it came to his wife, either a battleground or love
nest. He took a deep breath, steeled his shoulders and prepared for combat.

Wanting to postpone the argument as long as possible, he
ambled past the L-shaped porch where suspended baskets of Boston ferns twirled
in the breeze. Her favorite tree, a big magnolia, at the end of the drive stood
ready to burst into full bloom, fragrance already wafting in the air from
hundreds of buds.

When he opened the door and stepped inside, the house was
quiet except for the hum of air conditioning units. Easing down the hall, he
stopped and stared at the soft light flickering through the doorway. He dealt
with thieves, murderers, and druggies every day, but the sassy brown-eyed
beauty waiting put the fear of God in him.

Before he moved, she appeared. His heart slammed against his
chest. Her long, dark hair fell loose against her shoulders. The dim glow
outlined her luscious curves. She slid her hands up the doorjamb. The tail of
the white shirt she wore lifted to an X-rated level.

“Jesus. This is not what I expected,” he gasped.

Her fingers went to the top of her shirt and undid the top
button. “What are you talking about?”

Blood pooled between his legs. “You. Half-naked. I thought
you were going to jump my ass.”

She released the second button. “Oh—I am. So get in here.”

When she headed toward the bedroom, he followed. As soon as
he crossed the threshold, she slipped her hands around his neck and pressed
their bodies together until they were heart to heart. Then she kissed him.

He felt the urgency of her mouth; lips hot, tongue sliding
over his, hands pulling him closer. He placed his palms beneath the hem of her
shirt, molded them to her bare bottom and pressed her against the hardest
erection he’d had in days.

After ending the kiss, he scooped her up and tossed her onto
the bed. A throaty giggle floated to him on a wave of passion, as she hooked
her fingers in his pants and pulled him close again. Twenty minutes later, he flopped
on the bed next to her and tried to get his breath back. The woman had stamina,
or was it the seven year age difference taking its toll? She rolled up on her
elbow and rested chin in hand.

He stared at her. “Damn, if you’re not the most beautiful creature
I’ve ever seen.”

“Creature?”

“Oh yeah,” he wheezed. “What you just did to me couldn’t
have been from a mere mortal. Damn, Darlin’, I’ve got to take better care of
you. That was like letting a wild animal out of a cage.”

She rolled over and swung her feet to the floor, grabbed the
bowl of chocolate-covered strawberries and whipped cream from the nightstand,
and faced him again. She dipped a berry in the cream, shoved it in his mouth,
and then licked the excess from his lips.

“You understand all the licking in the world won’t get any
more action from me right now. Hell, it may be a week before I’m able to help
you out again.”

She collapsed onto the pillow. “A week! Listen, Mister. I’m
patient, but I need more than I’m getting from you right now. These long dry
spells are killing me. I’m still trying to catch up for all that lost time
being a widow.”

“Is this the talk you wanted? When you texted, my heart
stopped. We need 2 talk are four words a man never wants to hear.”

“Oh really? I thought the most dreaded four words for a man
was
is it in yet?
” She tossed her head with laugher, tangled curls
flying in every direction.

God, he loved hearing her laugh. Loved everything about her.
Loved her so much sometimes he couldn’t breathe. Still in their first year of
marriage, he wondered if that would ever change. No, it wasn’t possible,
because he loved her more each day. He pinned her hands above her head. “You
think you’re funny, don’t you?”

She squirmed and tried to break free. “I am funny!”

He pulled her into another kiss and when it ended, he said,
“I’m so in love with you.”

“I love you, too.” She rested her head on his chest.

“Do we need to talk about something else, or was the text
your ploy to get me home so you could seduce me?”

“Seduction was the main reason, but there are two items for
discussion.”

He relaxed and snuggled her closer. “Okay, shoot.”

“The adoption papers came. You’re now Gracie’s legal
father.”

That made him smile. “As far as I’m concerned she’s always
been mine, but it was important to give her my name.”

“She loved you from the beginning. That’s why I fell in love
with you.”

“I thought it was because I’m such a badass.”

She giggled and he hugged her tighter. She felt so damn good
in his arms, soft and warm, the fullness of her breasts pressed against him,
her leg draped over his, he wanted to stay that way forever. Then he came to
his senses. “You said two things. What else you got?”

She pushed away and glared. “Who’s Vienna?”

Oh shit. His heart stopped and his mouth went dry. “How do
you know about her?”