Falling For You - Love in Autumn Book One

Chapter Nine

**This has not been edited or proofread.**

CHASE

I stared down at the file in front of me, though I already knew everything that was inside of it.

Grayson's father, Gerald Lawson, had always been a nasty guy. He had a bad temper, horrible drinking habits, and he liked to use his fists on his son and wife.

Mrs. Ira had done the best thing for both her and her son when she finally grew the nerve to call the police during one of his drunken rages. And then, she divorced him.

They'd been free of him ever since.

Until now. Until he started messing with one of our own.

And Meredith? She belonged here in our small town. Within such a little bit of time, she had grabbed the heart of every local here, and they loved her.

Not as much as I did, granted, but they did love her.

I was pretty sure I'd loved Meredith from the moment I laid my eyes on hers. There was just something about her – something about her sweet personality that had just called to my soul.

And I wasn't letting her go. I definitely wasn't letting anything happen to her, either.

My phone went off, jerking me from my head. I snatched it off my desk, frowning when I saw the bookstore's number pop up on my phone. Instantly, a bad feeling settled in the pit of my stomach.

If Meredith wanted to talk to me, she always called me from her personal cell phone. She left the store line open for customers and vendors.

"Hello?" I cautiously answered.

"Sheriff?" Jaime's young voice cried through the line. I jerked up from my seat, already pulling my jacket on as I waited for her to gather herself and tell me what was going on. "I just found Meredith passed out at the bottom of the stairs." My heart clenched so tightly that I almost forgot how to breathe. "She's not moving."

I steeled myself, forcing myself to continue thinking straight despite how panicked I was feeling. Nothing could happen to her. I would lose my mind.

I could hear Max barking in the background. "I'm on my way, Jaime. I need you to keep everyone away from the back of the store, you hear me? Don't move her." God, if she moved Meredith and something was terribly wrong, she could make the entire situation catastrophic.

"Okay," she croaked.

After ending the call, I called for a paramedic to get to the scene and also called the dispatcher to let her know I wasn't available for calls at the moment and to field them all to my deputy, Drake.

I was at the bookstore in record time. Ignoring the sea of people that seemed to be in the bookstore, I pushed past them and rushed to the back where her stairs were. She was sprawled at the bottom of them, but she was moaning low in the back of her throat, slowly coming to.

"Easy, sweetheart," I soothed, needing to keep her calm. "Don't move. I've got a paramedic here to check on you, okay?"

Her eyes slowly opened. They were a bit glassy, but one thing registered.

Fear.

She was afraid.

I looked around, noticing the open letter in her hand. I quickly took it, reading the messy scrawl. I clenched my jaw, anger bursting through my veins.

I wanted to destroy something – or someone.

She had fainted.

Josh rushed around the corner and knelt beside her. He checked her over, finally confirming she had a minor concussion but should be alright. As I expected she would, she denied a trip to the hospital.

"I want to go upstairs," she whispered.

I didn't have to be told twice. I scooped her up into my arms and ascended the stairs, pushing open the door to her apartment. After sitting her on the couch, I strode to her small kitchen and began making a cup of coffee, scrounging around in her bathroom until I found some Tylenol tablets.

When I came back into the living room, she was hugging Max, her face still extremely pale. I brushed her hair back from her face and handed her the coffee and tablets. "Take these," I told her. "It'll help with the headache you've got."

After taking the medicine and downing the rest of the hot coffee, she had some color to her face, though I knew it was only because the coffee was hot.

A light knock sounded on the door. Meredith tensed, but I pressed a kiss to her forehead, holding my lips there until she relaxed again. "You're safe with me," I gently reminded her.

She drew in a shaky breath, watching as I strode to the door to open it. Grayson was standing on the landing with Farrah.

"She's not feeling all that well," I told them quietly, knowing the news had already reached them. This town's gossip vine worked extremely fast. I let them in. "Please keep that in mind while you're here."

Grayson clapped a hand to my shoulder. "If you need to go down and close the shop early for her, we can sit with her until you get back," he quietly told me.

I nodded. "Thanks, man."

I sat down beside Meredith and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, holding her against my side. Farrah gently squeezed Meredith's fingers, hesitating a moment before she did so though, to give Meredith time to pull away if she wanted.

My sister might have been very rambunctious, but she was thoughtful, and she cared deeply about people.

"How are you feeling, hun?"

"Like crap," Meredith admitted. I pressed my lips to the top of her head. "But I'll deal. I always do."

She was so brave.

"I'm here if you need me," Farrah told her, sincerity ringing in her voice. "And I mean that, Meredith. I don't care if it's two in the morning. You give me a call if you need someone, okay?"

Meredith gave her a wobbly smile, her eyes flooding with tears. She blinked them back. "Thank you," she croaked.

Farrah gently squeezed her hand again before standing. "I know it's a short visit, but Mr. Crowley has a cow about to give birth, and he's got a gut feeling it's going to be a complicated one. I need to be there."

Meredith nodded. Farrah leaned down and hugged Meredith before leaving, casting me a worried glance as she did so. I just inclined my head to her, assuring her in our own silent way that I would take care of the beautiful woman at my side.

And do my best to take care of myself as well.