A Family For The Sheriff. Elyssa Henry

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СКАЧАТЬ put a hand to her head. It was beginning to ache. Her life wasn’t usually more stressful than trying to get a good price from her herb crop. A chance encounter had made her placid existence choppy.

      It wasn’t that she was afraid of her neighbors and family. She just didn’t want them to think she didn’t support them. It wasn’t in her nature to thrive on controversy.

      “Wow!” Sam jumped into his chair at her side, his face flushed but happy. “He’s good.”

      Joe took the chair opposite and grinned at him across the table. “I’ve spent so much time in places where there wasn’t anything else to do.” He shrugged. “That’s why I’m the best.”

      “He might be.” Sam grinned then jumped up. “Can I go back and try Wrangler again?”

      “Go ahead,” Maria told him. “The pizzas haven’t even gone in yet.”

      “Thanks.” He took a few more coins from her. “If I keep practicing, I could be as good as Joe. He said I have natural talent.”

      Maria smiled and glanced at Joe. “That’s great. Good luck.”

      “Call me if the pizza comes,” he yelled as he was running away.

      Maria faced the man across the gleaming white table. “I’m not sure I should thank you for telling him to practice.”

      “Definitely not.” He shook his head, resting his arms on the table. “I wanted some time to talk to you alone. It seemed the easiest way.”

      Maria tensed, looking at a napkin she had neatly folded on the table.

      “Look, I’m sorry about what’s happened,” she said. “It got out of hand.”

      “What exactly has happened?” he asked, leaning forward, trying to catch her eye. “Surely I have the right to know that, anyway.”

      “It’s not easy to explain.” She unfolded the white paper napkin. “The county commission and the town disagreed about who should run the new sheriff’s department. It sounds silly, I know, but the town felt like it should be someone from Gold Springs. Someone who knows the area.”

      “They told me that there wasn’t anyone who knew enough to set up the type of department they wanted,” Joe explained.

      “The Lightners are the biggest problem.” She bit her lip, feeling as though she was somehow betraying Tommy and the others.

      “Your husband?” he wondered.

      Her eyes met his then, and the depth of sorrow he saw there made him sorry he had wanted to know the truth.

      “My brother-in-law. My husband died two years ago. He was Gold Springs’ constable. He might have been the new sheriff.”

      “I’m sorry.” He felt trite when the words were out of his mouth. “This must be hard for you.”

      She looked up again, her hair falling back a little from her face. “Actually, it’s not like that for me. It seems to hurt the others, Tommy and Josh’s parents, more than me. Maybe that’s because I always hated Josh doing that job. It’s what killed him.”

      Joe drew a deep breath and looked away for an instant, not relishing the memories those words dredged up for him. “So it’s nothing personal. They would have hated anyone.”

      “That’s true,” she agreed with a shrug. “Only Tommy would have been good enough for the Lightners once Josh was gone.”

      “Why didn’t Tommy get the training and take the job?” he asked, his voice harsh.

      Maria smiled. “The commission made it clear from the beginning that they wanted someone with experience in setting up a sheriff’s department. Even if he’d had the training, Tommy would have been out of his depth. Josh had law enforcement training. They would have worked with him.”

      Maria looked at the paper napkin only to find that she had shredded it.

      Joe touched her hand lightly, stopping its restless destruction, then jerked his fingers away as though he’d been burned.

      “I’m sorry to cause you this trouble. There wasn’t any way for me to know.”

      “There wasn’t,” she agreed, picking up the pieces of napkin and depositing them in a trash container near their table. “I’m sorry for you, too.” She took her seat again and looked at him more thoroughly in the bright lights.

      He had a kind face, she thought, and eyes that did understand what she was feeling, because he looked as though he had been hurt a few times himself. And there was something more. Something she’d never expected to feel again. Something she thought had died with her husband. Heat. Fire. When Joe touched her; when he looked at her. She didn’t want to feel that way but she couldn’t deny it. His voice seemed to hold her, stroke her. His words shivered down her spine.

      “Don’t be.” He smiled, his eyes glittering as he made a rapid decision. He wasn’t running anymore. From his memories or this place. “I don’t plan on going anywhere.”

      “Maybe you don’t understand—”

      The pizza arrived, accompanied by Sam’s loud whoops of excitement.

      “Look who’s here, Mom.” He dragged his towheaded friend to the table. “Ronnie’s science project won first prize, and his dad brought him here, too.”

      “Dad says we should share a table,” Ronnie said in a voice that said he didn’t care as long as he could get back to the games. “He’s right over there.”

      Maria looked across the crowded restaurant, and Ronnie’s father, Ron, waved to her enthusiastically. He pointed at the empty seats at his table and motioned for her to join him.

      “Oh, God,” she moaned. “I can’t believe it.”

      “They better get used to the idea.” Joe waved and flashed a smile. “I guess it might as well be now.”

      “I have to live here,” she told him. “Everyone’s going to think I planned this.”

      “I’m sorry, Maria,” he assured her quietly. “I didn’t plan this, either.”

      “Maria!” Ron approached their table, a pitcher of soda in his hand. “I think my table was bigger, darlin’, but if you’d rather sit down here, that’s fine with me.” He pulled two chairs to their table.

      Maria glared at Joe, who looked the other way. Is this what she deserved for her good deed? She should have kept herself out of it. Then she wouldn’t be sitting here waiting for the fat to hit the fire.

      “I don’t believe we’ve met.” Ron hitched up his pants and stuck out his hand to the stranger across the table. “Ron Washington.”

      “Joe Roberts.” Joe took his hand in a hard grip. His gaze targeted the other man’s as Ron’s face went from friendly to hostile.

      “Joe Roberts?” Ron spluttered, СКАЧАТЬ