Emma's Home (The Fairfield Series) Page 14

2. Someone was seen in the park, near the old hut before the fire

  3. Brad smelled like smoke.

  4. 2 kids end up with heroin laced weed.

  5. Jake, Tom, Mike are working on drugs coming into area being sold to teens.

  6. Ted doesn’t want me upsetting Brad.

  7. Ted doesn’t want me looking into “his boys”.

  Emma sat and looked at her list. She began to draw lines and arrows to what she thought was connected.

  “Damn!” she cursed loudly. No matter how much she looked at it, she couldn’t figure out how to connect the dots.

  No wonder Jake is the detective, not me.

  Thinking about Jake brought immediate guilt. Emma knew that he would be so furious to find out that she had hidden the threatening notes, but still was not willing to see anyone hurt. Stretching to ease her aching back, she put her paper away. It was now in the wee hours of Saturday morning and she realized how very tired she was. Knowing that Jake would be coming over later, she folded up her list and put it with the notes in the bookshelf. Checking the house one more time for safety, she took a quick shower before crawling into bed. Mister jumped on the bed, turning around a few times before settling in next to her pillow. She strangely felt comforted just by his presence, and drifted into a fitful sleep.

  Chapter 14

  The holidays were upon them, and Emma was excited to be spending it with friends. Mac and Bernadette had a small barn on their property that was close to the back of their house. They converted it years ago into a family rec room and at Thanksgiving they would invite family, friends, and any of the young firefighters who did not have family around. They had three picnic tables pushed together, plus several others brought card tables and chairs.

  Laurie and Emma were out of school that week and went over to help Bernie set up. With green tablecloths on all the surfaces, splashes of yellow and orange fall mums on the tables, and pumpkins on hay bales, the place was transformed from a barn to an inviting Thanksgiving dinner scene worthy of Norman Rockwell.

  On Thanksgiving morning, Jake came by to pick her up. Mary had already been picked up earlier by Mac so that she could help Bernie with the turkey. Jake let himself in with his key and heard singing coming from the kitchen. Walking in, he leaned against the door frame and watch Emma’s hips swaying in time to the tunes coming from her ipod. Emma, not knowing Jake was there, continued to stir the green beans on the stovetop while singing and dancing to the tunes. Deciding to surprise her, Jake snuck in behind her grabbing her around the waist.

  Emma screamed and kicked back with her legs, coming in contact with Jake’s shins. He grunted in pain and felt himself falling backwards. The whirling dervish in his arms circled around and hit him solidly on the head with the wooden spoon. He fell backwards on the floor with Emma landing squarely on his chest.

  “Goddamn girl,” he grunted. “What the hell are you doing?”

  “Jake!” Emma exclaimed. “Oh my god, you scared the daylights out of me! What are you doing sneaking up on me like that?” Her heart was pounding in fright, and she noticed the red mark on his forehead.

  “Who the hell did you think was going to be coming into your house?” he said, holding on to her waist as she sat straddling him.

  Emma blushed, knowing that she couldn’t confess her fright from the recent threats and as a result was constantly on edge. Shrugging, she tried to joke, “I guess I was just too involved in my new singing career.” Noticing how scrumptious he looked in his tight jeans and black buttoned shirt, she decided that distracting him would be a good idea and certainly enjoyable for her.

  Tossing the wooden spoon to the counter, she leaned over him until her breasts touched his chest. Touching her lips to his neck, she nuzzled and kissed her way around towards his ear, where she began to nibble. Jake groaned and slid his hands from her waist to her ass.

  “Mmmm,” Emma began to make noises as she continued to kiss his jaw, feeling his clean shaved face underneath her soft lips. Jake began to knead her ass and pressed upwards toward her crotch. Emma’s lips made it back to his, and she began her assault. Jake let her take charge for a few minutes and then he angled his head for deeper access to her mouth. Tongues tangling, teeth clashing, Emma felt his kisses intoxicating her. She had started out to distract him, but she was now the one who could not think straight.

  Sliding one hand under her skirt and into her panties, he stroked her wet pussy. Pushing two fingers inside, he began to circle them inside eliciting deeper moans from Emma. She began to rub herself harder on him, fucking his fingers. The pressure begin to build, and Emma could tell she was close to coming.

  “Harder, Jake, harder,” she groaned with her eyes tightly closed willing herself to slip over the edge.

  “Babe, look at me,” Jake ordered. Emma’s eyes opened quickly and as soon as she looked into his face she felt herself go over. Jake felt her tight pussy grab his fingers as her orgasm washed over her. Emma lowered herself back down and rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat as hers matched his, beat for beat.

  “I love you Emma girl,” he said gently stroking her back.

  Emma raised her head up and smiled. “I love you too Jake.”

  Jake slowly pushed Emma back, and she made a mewling sound. “Emma, if I had my way, you’d be naked on this floor under me right now. But we promised Mac and Bernie that we would be there by eleven.”

  Emma looked up at the clock and saw that they only had a few minutes until they needed to go. Looking back down into his baby blues, she smiled a slow, calculating smile. She reached down and undid his pants. Jake raised his eyebrows at her.

  “I think it’s time I took care of you,” she said slyly. Freeing his restrained cock allowing it to jut up proudly, she took it in her hands. Stroking up and down his length, she marveled at his size and the power she held in her hands. Emma leaned down, swirling her tongue around the head. Jake’s head fell back onto the floor as he groaned, almost in agony. Emma slid her mouth down, continuing to swirl her tongue up and down as she went. His length was too large for her to take him completely, so with one hand she continued to stroke him at the base. With her other hand, she kneaded his balls gently.

  Fighting the urge to fuck her mouth with abandon, Jake reached behind him to grab the edge of the counter. His hips began to move involuntarily, and he could tell he was ready to explode.

  Letting go of the counter, Jake tried to pull her up saying, “I’m gonna come baby, you gotta stop.”

  Emma looked up into his eyes, but kept going. Jake felt his balls tighten, and he released in her mouth. He threw his head back, shouting,” Fuuuuuuuck!”

  Swallowing several time, she continued to suck until she had the very last drop. Wiping her mouth with her hand, she looked at him smugly.

  “Goddamn, woman. I can barely stand,” Jake panted.

  “Hmmm, Jake, I guess it’s time we’d better get going or we’re going to be late,” she said smirking.

  Jake growled as he quickly stood up, pulling Emma along with him. Hugging her tightly to his chest, he smacked her ass as he told her to get ready. Laughing, Emma fixed her clothes and grabbed the pot of beans off the stove as Jake straightened his jeans.

  *

  Emma had not enjoyed Thanksgiving as much since before her father, mother, and sister had died. The food was excellent, and the conversations flowed all around. She was enveloped in the warm feeling of being surrounded by family and friends. Rob helped his dad carry two turkeys from the kitchen, while Tom and Mike brought in the two hams. Jake pushed a cart that had sodas and water. Bill and Wendy brought the beer and wine, and Brad helped his dad while his mom assisted Mary to the tables. Laurie, Carol, and Emma made several trips bringing all the side dishes, and the five single firemen and policemen assisted Bernie with the rolls and pies.

  When everyone was gathered around the tables, Mac rose to say the blessing. Holding hands with bowed heads, Emma could feel tears welling up in her eyes. Mac a
sked for God’s blessings on everyone present and all the loved ones who were no longer with them. Emma discretely wiped a tear before it had a chance to fall. She felt Jake lean over and kiss the top of her head.

  She heard him whisper “I love you, baby.” She smiled and felt another tear begin to slip. This time, Jake took his finger and wiped it away. Emma felt loved. She felt comfort. She realized how long it has been since she had been surrounded by people who cared. Cared about each other. Cared about her. Emma felt at home.

  *

  Later as everyone was assisting in the cleanup, Emma found a chance to talk to Mike alone. “Mike, I’ve been wanting to ask if you found out anything about what was going on.”

  “I’ve been meaning to talk to you, Emma, but you are almost always with Jake when not at work,” he joked. He looked into her eyes, and his detective training allowed him to see fear as well as concern. “Are you all right?” he asked.

  “Yes,” she lied. “I just wanted to know if you found out anything about the students or the coach or…. well anything.”

  “I can’t discuss an ongoing investigation, but I can put your mind at ease. I did some digging but didn’t talk to the student you were concerned about. I didn’t think it would add anything new to the case.”

  Emma breathed a sigh of relief. She was glad that Mike had not talked to Brad. She had been so afraid he had been questioned, and that was the reason he had not been in to see her lately.

  Jake, ready to leave, looked around seeing Emma in a private conversation with Mike. Jealously reared its head, but trusting Mike as a brother, he fought down the unfamiliar emotion.

  Emma looked at Jake, realizing he was ready to leave, so she said goodbye to Mike and walked over to Jake.

  “Hmm,” he said. “I come in to take my woman home and to bed, only to find her deep in conversation with another man.”

  “Jealous?” she asked smiling up at him, while wrapping her arms around his neck.

  “Should I be?” he asked, leaning down to kiss her on the nose.

  “No baby. No reason at all. I am all yours. Always,” she answered back, giving her lips over to his. Their kiss deepened until someone shouted for them to get a room. Everyone clapped and Emma looked up, blushing. She buried her head in his chest. Jake chuckled, and she felt his chest rumble. Looking over Emma’s head, he caught his mother’s gaze. Mary was smiling, but Jake could see tears in her eyes. She had wanted Jake to find someone special for so long. She knew that Emma was the girl for him.

  “I love you son,” she mouthed. Jake nodded at his mother and swooped Emma up in his arms.

  “Happy Thanksgiving everyone. I’m taking my best girl home,” he declared in a booming voice. The others cheered and clapped as he strode out of the barn toward his truck.

  “Jake, you shouldn’t have said that,” Emma admonished, while inwardly smiling in satisfaction.

  “Emma girl, you and I have a date with your bed!” he answered. And with that they drove back to her house to finish what they had started before dinner.

  Chapter 15

  Emma sat in her office, finishing the paperwork that was never ending in her job. With the seniors completing their college applications, she had to keep up with their transcripts. She looked down at the next application form on her desk. It was Brad Evan’s. Thinking it would be a perfect opportunity to see him without appearing to be interrogating him, she sent a pass for him. A few minutes later, Brad entered her office cautiously. Looking up, Emma smiled at him and asked him to have a seat.

  “I’ve got your application here. Let’s go over it and talk about your essay and what else you need to get ready.”

  Brad relaxed and for the next twenty minutes, he and Emma enjoyed their conversation. He had a lot of questions, and she had the experience and knowledge to answer them. Emma realized how much she missed the times like this when she first moved to town, and Brad would come over to do yard work, then sit on her porch to talk when he was done. She knew she was taking a chance by moving the conversation to the latest events, but she needed answers.

  “Brad, I need to ask you a question and I really hope you give me an honest answer.”

  He looked at her warily before replying. “What is it you want to know Ms. Dodd?”

  Emma took a moment to gather her thoughts. She looked up, directly into his young eyes and began softly.

  “Brad, the night of the fire on my property, a park ranger said that he had seen some young people in the park. The next day, when I saw you, you acted very strangely, and you smelled of smoke. I just want you to tell me if you were in the area and if so why. I don’t care about the shed. I just care about you. If there is anything I can do to help, I want to help. I don’t want this…,” she said as she laid her hand on his application, “to be at risk because you made some poor choices.”

  She sat quietly for a few minutes, letting Brad decide if he wanted to answer. He hung his head while she waited. Finally he looked up.

  “Ms. Dodd, I like you. I have since I first met you. We really needed someone like you around here. Someone who cares. I just… I just don’t…,” he paused. He looked down at his hands as he twisted his class ring around and around. Taking a deep breath, he looked back up.

  “You know, Ms. Dodd. It’s time I manned up. I got caught up in some stuff that was making me crazy trying to figure out how to make it right. I broke up with Suzy because of it. I cut back my work hours because of it. I’ve lost sleep and disrespected my parents because of it.” Brad sat up straight in the chair. “But no more. I don’t want you to worry. I’m going to take care of it myself.” He was looking directly at her, making eye contact, and she felt a mixture of pride and also fear.

  “Brad, whatever it is, you need to let me help you. If it is illegal, then let me get Jake to help,” Emma stated emphatically.

  “No, not Jake,” Brad said shaking his head.

  Emma had an idea. “Well, if not Jake, then how about Mike?” Brad looked up at Emma with a confused look on his face.

  Emma continued. “I’m sorry to tell you this, but after I smelled smoke on you I went to find Jake but he was out of the office. But Mike was there so I talked to him. He said he would do some discreet checking and if he did not need to question you, he wouldn’t. He told me at Thanksgiving that he did not feel that he needed to dig further.”

  Brad nodded in understanding. “Maybe I will talk to Mike,” he said. Pausing for a few minutes as though collecting his thoughts, he agreed, “Yeah, that may be just the thing I need to do.”

  At that he stood up to leave, this time turning to give Emma a hug again spontaneously.

  “Thanks again, Ms. Dodd. I appreciate all you have done for me. Really, it means a lot.”

  Emma watched him leave, feeling better than she had in a long time.

  *

  Emma and Jake had plans for dinner that evening. He called earlier in the day to say that he wanted her dressed and ready by seven, and he was taking her out on the town. Laughing, she asked him what she should wear.

  “Emma girl, put on your best tonight. I’m showing off my girl,” he replied.

  Emma smiled as she hung up the phone. This day was getting better and better. She called Laurie as she was leaving the school. Laurie was known as the fashion princess and tonight she wanted to look her best. Emma knew Laurie would bring over some dresses since they were the same size, and maybe she could get Carol to drop by to do her hair and makeup. Excited to help, Laurie assured Emma that she would go home after work, grab some dinner dresses then head over to Emma’s house.

  As always now, Emma drove up her driveway, carefully perusing the area around. She preferred coming home in the daylight and nervously looked around at the area before getting out of her car. She had not received another note, but wanted to maintain diligence and not take any chances.

  Her house appeared unaltered, so she entered and once again set the alarm. Mister, with his usual greeting of rubbing himself in figu
re eights around her legs, lifted his head as she bent to stroke him. Walking into her bedroom, she stripped out of her clothes, wanting to shower before Laurie came over. Stepping into the tub, she felt the pounding hot water ease her stress. After washing her hair, she shaved and lathered, knowing Jake loved her simple shower gel. Stepping out of the shower, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hair. Grabbing another, she toweled off and then wrapped it around her body. Heading into her bedroom, she dropped the towel and slid into a short silky robe. Leaning over, she towel dried her hair, then ran her fingers through the tresses. Waiting on Laurie to arrive, she walked into her kitchen to pour a glass of wine.

  A scraping noise near the back door startled Emma. She moved out of the kitchen toward the sound. With woods surrounding her house, Emma often saw raccoons, possum, and deer in her yard. She even found raccoons on her patio trying to get into her garbage cans, so she took extra precautions to place the lids on tightly to keep the critters out.

  Oh, I don’t have time to clean up their mess now.

  Emma walked into the small mud room leading to the back door. A dark figure was on her patio, standing in front of the window. His face was hidden with a ski mask, but Emma looked on in horror as the figure was attempting to open the small window over the washing machine. She wanted to scream but found that no sound came out. She heard the sound of glass shattering and realized that it was not the window, but the wine glass that had slipped from her hands, splintering onto the floor. At the sound, the figure looked up at her, then turned and ran through the yard and into the woods.

  Emma, startled into action, ran to the kitchen to grab her phone and call 911. As the operator came on, she finally found her voice, but couldn’t seem to make coherent statements. She managed to choke out her address and “man outside”, when the doorbell rang. Emma began screaming, terrified that he was now on her front porch. Through her screams, she heard a voice she recognized.

  “Emma, Emma! Let me in! Emma!”