Letters of Love (Green Division Series Book #3) Read online

  Letters of Love

  Green Division Series

  (Wardens of Maine)

  Book Three

  Ashley Monahan

  Letters of Love is a work of fiction.

  Names, characters, and incidents

  are the product of the author’s

  creation and used fictitiously.

  Any resemblance to actual persons,

  living or dead, is entirely

  coincidental.

  ©2013 All Rights Reserved By The Author

  Table of Contents

  Preface

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  CHAPTER ONE

  Blue lights flashed in the rearview mirror.

  “Perfect ending to a perfect day,” Aubrey Devlin groaned to herself. “It had to be tonight, out of all nights.”

  Hell. Hell described her perfect day and a traffic stop at 2am was salt on the wound.

  “Ma’am.” A bright light shone directly in her eyes and blinded her. “License, registration, and proof of insurance.”

  “Yes, ah, here’s my license.” She fished it out and passed it to him. She opened the glove box to retrieve the rest of his requested documentation and a week’s worth of mail spewed onto the passenger side floor.

  “Wonderful,” She said under her breath. “Um, bill, bill, bill, bill.”

  She shuffled through the pieces of paper.

  “Registration.” Aubrey passed him the registration.

  “Insurance,” The officer demanded coldly.

  “I’m still looking.”

  “You aren’t the most organized person are you Miss—” The officer paused. “Devlin.”

  “And you aren’t the most patient person, are you Officer—”

  “It’s not Officer, it’s Trooper.”

  “Well, Trooper,” Aubrey emphasized his title. “I’m looking.”

  “Why don’t I give you a summons for failure to produce proof of insurance and you can bring a copy of it to our barracks if you find it in that mess. You’re wearing on my patience.”

  “You’re not doing much for me either. You asked for my insurance, I’m looking for it.”

  “I’m not going to stand by the road all night while you organize your car,” his tone elevated.

  “Sorry if my car is not as organized as yours. Obviously you have more free time for such menial tasks.” She continued to shuffle.

  “Watch your tone,” the trooper sharply warned her.

  “Here.” She finally found the last piece of information he requested. “As you demanded.”

  She showed her best smartass smile.

  She couldn’t see the troopers face, but knew it likely wasn’t shining with a smile. Trooper Asshole, as she officially deemed him, flashed his light through her car inspecting the inside.

  “Hang tight, I’ll be right back.”

  Hang tight? Did he really just say hang tight? What does he think, he’s a surfer? Prick.

  Aubrey dropped her head onto the steering wheel. If her bitchy attitude hadn’t solidly guaranteed her a ticket, nothing would. She’d be lucky if it was only one ticket.

  You are such an idiot. She banged her head on the steering wheel lightly. When the distraction of the Trooper wore off, Aubrey’s mind wandered back to the events of that day. And those were memories she didn’t need to relive. Her hands tightened on the steering wheel and she closed her eyes.

  “Miss Devlin.”

  Aubrey didn’t lift her head, didn’t move, too distracted by her thoughts.

  “Miss Devlin.”

  “Yes.” Quickly her head rose from its rest.

  “Do you know why I stopped you?”

  “Why don’t you tell me why you stopped me.”

  Trooper Asshole’s metal clipboard dropped against his thigh.

  “I’m not going to play whatever little smart assed game it is that you’re playing.”

  “And I’m too tired to care quite frankly,” Aubrey came back quickly.

  Trooper Asshole emanated a sound that scared Aubrey.

  “Did you just growl at me?”

  Asshole sighed.

  “I pulled you over for speeding. This is a clearly marked fifty mile per hour zone. You were going seventy six. Four more over and you’d be in the back of my cruiser.”

  “That sounds like fun,” Aubrey said sarcastically.

  The flashlight lowered enough so that Aubrey regained her vision. Trooper Asshole was a man in his upper twenties likely, perhaps young thirties. With a Stetson covering his head, she could barely make out any of his features, other than his tightly clenched jaw. From a seated position it was hard to make out his height, but she guessed he was no more than 5’8” in stature. Little man complex. That explained a lot. His build was muscular, but she attributed that to the padding of his vest and his uniform. She could take him.

  “God, I wish you had an arrest warrant.”

  “What’s that?”

  “This is a summons for a speeding violation. You need to sign where I’ve marked an ‘X’ for you to do so. Signing is not an admission of guilt, merely acknowledgement that you are receiving this summons. The instructions are clearly marked on this envelope I’m providing you and also on the back of your ticket where you need to answer the charge against you. Mail it to the address on the envelope.” Asshole held it up and pointed to it. “Do you understand?”

  “What happens if I don’t sign the ticket?” Aubrey asked out of curiosity.

  “Please, make my night Miss Devlin. If you refuse to sign this ticket, you will be arrested for failure to sign a VSAC.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Try me.”

  “I was going to sign it anyway, I was just asking.”

  “So you agree to sign this ticket as I’ve explained to you?”

  “Yes,” she said very cooperatively.

  Trooper Asshole seemed let down.

  “In addition to speeding, I’ve also issued you a summons for your expired inspection sticker.”

  “What? It’s expired?” She turned the interior light on and looked at it. “By a week! It expired a week ago!”

  “And lastly you have a summons for failing to dim your lights when I approached. You blinded me with your lights.”

  “Are you serious?”

  “Stone serious.” He passed her a clipboard with a thick stack of paperwork.

  “Shit.” Aubrey sank into her seat, signed the paperwork, and passed it back to him.

  “These are your copies. Get your vehicle inspected. I’m cutting you a break, I won’t tow it tonight.”

  Aubrey didn’t answer. What she wanted to say would result in her vehicle getting towed. Trooper Asshole turned and took a step away.

  “Dick—”

  “Miss Devlin,” Asshole interjected.

  Shit, did he hear me?

  “A word of advice.” He
flashed the light in her face again. “Next time you encounter a law enforcement official, I’d try to treat them with respect. Your ignorant display tonight is the reason you are holding a stack of tickets versus a stern warning. Your behavior demonstrated a belief that you are above the law, for what reason, I don’t know. But rest assured, you are not.”

  Aubrey again bit her tongue.

  “Have a wonderful night,” Trooper Asshole said very sarcastically.

  “It’s wonderful now Trooper. Just a pleasure.” She smiled.

  Trooper Asshole walked away this time and out of earshot. Aubrey rolled up her windows and had a Tourette’s moment.

  *****

  Ben Anderson tossed his clipboard into the passenger seat.

  What a bitch.

  “604, Green.”

  604 was Ben’s unit number as a member of the Maine State Police. “Green” was the Department of Public Safety Green Division, the dispatch center for state level law enforcement, the State Police, Game Wardens, Marine Patrol, etc.

  “604, go ahead.”

  “I’m 10-8 from that stop. Please note a VSAC issued for speed and expired inspection.” VSAC stood for Violation Summons and Complaint, aka a traffic ticket. He didn’t bother to rattle off the failure to dim lights violation.

  “10-4, 604.”

  She was a peach. An absolute treat. Ben wasn’t normally the type to write tickets, but she begged for them. And he was more than happy to oblige. The only thing that would have made him happier was an excuse to arrest her smartass.

  Without her attitude Ben might have found her slightly, barely, a touch appealing. She had the girl next door looks. Nearly thirty years old, big brown eyes, small nose, full lips. Her dark brown hair fell at her jawline and looked silky to the touch. The top two buttons of her shirt were undone and her cleavage slightly exposed, curves in all the right places from what he could see...not that he was looking. But, she was a toad. No matter how cute she was at first sight, she was an ugly, nasty, bitch toad.

  Toad.

  Ben put his cruiser in gear and pulled out in the opposite direction that she’d left in. He wanted no further interaction with her, he was on his way home. A fatal accident, domestic assault, and a kid threatening to harm himself was enough fun for one day. And Toad had ended it on the right note.

  *****

  Beep

  “Aubrey, its Mack, your favorite brother.” Mack was Aubrey’s only brother. “I’ll be stateside next Friday if everything goes as planned. I’m surprising Mom and Dad, so no breathing a word of it. Meg is picking me up at the airport and then we’re heading south, so buy your plane ticket to meet us down there Sis. I’ll try you again tomorrow and we’ll make the plans. All my love.”

  Aubrey smiled at the sound of her brother’s voice on her voicemail. He was finally returning home after a yearlong tour in Afghanistan. Hopefully it would be his last.

  Aubrey dropped her keys on the counter and walked over to the fridge. This night called for a beer. Too bad she didn’t have any. Instead she settled for an ice cold Caffeine Free Diet Pepsi. Talk about living on the wild side. She picked up a note on the counter.

  Fed, watered, and ran Gunny and Trixie. Will be by in the a.m. Thanks for the tip :) -Tom

  Tom Macey was her sixteen year old neighbor. He took care of Aubrey’s two rescue horses, Gunny and Trixie, before and after he went to school. She felt guilty for not taking care of them herself, but she had too much on her plate to do it all alone. Between her normal job as a pediatric nurse at Bellview Children’s Hospital and renovating the bakery she bought, she had no time. The bakery was her dream and she’d spent the prior five years living like a pauper to save for the building. Being a pediatric nurse was rewarding, but at the same time it could be heartbreaking. Aubrey was ready for the next chapter in her life, small business owner. Then she would have time to ride Gunny and Trixie and not have to pawn off her duties to a teenager. And she wouldn’t be working ninety plus hours a week between renovating and her normal job. What it would be like to have a life again and not be in a hurry all the time. That would remedy the moving violation problem she’d experienced, not to be in a hurry.

  “Bed,” she exhaled happily and snuggled into the sheets. A fourteen hour shift followed by an hour and a half commute made for a tiring day.

  *****

  “Hi honey,” Charles “Kip” McAfee joked as Ben walked through the door.

  “When are you and Hanna going to make up?” Ben dropped his duty bag beside the doorway. “You’re not the face I want to see when I get home from work, honey.”

  “When she decides to forgive me.”

  “So that means never.” Ben unbuttoned his uniform as he walked down the hallway. “What the hell are you doing up anyway? You boys in green don’t keep these hours.”

  “Got called out, can’t get back to sleep,” Kip yelled down the hallway. Kip was a Maine Game Warden, still the rookie of his unit in all ways. At twenty three, he had a lot of room to grow as both a warden and a man. Ben was nice enough to give him a room when his girlfriend kicked him out for his slightly unfaithful ways. The two had grown to be friends through the business and Ben took him under his wing.

  “Turn the TV down, I’m going to sleep.”

  “Night sweetie.”

  “Uh huh, sugar.”

  Ben turned his cell on vibrate and sat on his bed. Sleep. That was on the agenda for the next day. He was burned out. A twenty eight year old shouldn’t feel the way he did. His back ached from the damn duty belt that weighed down on his hips. His wrist hurt from the tussle that ensued with the teenager who tried to jump off a bridge. And his eyelids had invisible weights attached to him. He’d been on the force for six years and though he was still gung ho most days, this day just didn’t happen to be one of those days.

  “Ben!” Kip yelled out.

  “Hhhhhm,” Ben groaned.

  “Running to the gas station. We’re outta toilet paper. And tissues. And paper towels. You need anything?”

  “Stop talking to me.”

  “Cranky.”

  The front door shut and with it Ben passed out.

  CHAPTER TWO

  “Hello.” Aubrey held the phone to her head. It was 9am. She’d had six hours of sleep the prior night, more than she was used to.

  “I woke you up! I’m so sorry! I thought you had today off,” Aubrey’s friend Jill sounded deeply regretful.

  “No, no, I need to get up for work anyway. What’s up?”

  “Me and Taylor were thinking we should do that new country bar in Killington next Friday and wanted to make sure it’s your weekend off.”

  “I have it off, but I really need to work on the bakery if I want to open it up during my lifetime.”

  “You work all the time, Aubrey,” Jill tried to convince her. “And we haven’t had a girls’ night in forever. You have to come. Not negotiable. You are coming.”

  “Why don’t you guys come help me at the bakery and we’ll party by painting.”

  “That’s not the party we have in mind girl. You need to get out. And we need to find you a man.”

  Aubrey laughed.

  “Thanks for starting out my day by depressing me.”

  “Then come with us. We’ll have a few drinks, have a good time. Maybe even find you a hot cowboy.”

  “We live in Maine, there aren’t any cowboys. If I’m lucky, I’ll find a one toothed redneck.”

  “You’re single because you’re too picky. The perfect man you’re searching for doesn’t exist.”

  “Says the woman who has a perfect man.”

  “So are you in, or what?”

  “I’ll try.” Aubrey yawned.

  “I’ll take that as a yes. Have fun at work.”

  “I’ll try. Bye Jill.”

  “Bye love.”

  Another day. Aubrey got up and ready for the day. Twelve hours at the hospital. Three hour round trip commute. Four hours at the bakery. And repeat. It made her t
ire thinking about it.