Starting with June. Emilie Rose

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СКАЧАТЬ Piper. But I don’t want your dad marrying us either. He may be a gifted orator, but I don’t like the way he treats you, and I really want you and Piper with me when I promise forever to Adam.”

      “This is your wedding, Madison. Get married wherever you want. I can handle my dad.” June would be there—even if it meant going to her father’s church, where he’d humiliated her in front of all of Quincey.

      Madison shook her head. “No way. I still remember the excitement in your voice when you called to tell me your guy had planned a special dinner and you thought he was going to propose. Then I remember the pain in your eyes when you showed up on my doorstep three days later dragging a U-Haul trailer and telling me you’d quit the job you loved and left Raleigh and you needed a place to stay. Your parents should have been there for you.”

      “I didn’t need them. I had you and Piper.”

      “And we were happy to help—even though you wouldn’t let us castrate the lying, adulterous bastard. But that’s not the point, June. You didn’t know the jerk was married. You were the victim and not the offender. Your father shouldn’t have condemned you then and he shouldn’t continue doing so now, years later. I wish your mother would grow a backbone and tell him to go to hell for treating you so badly.”

      “My mother only has an opinion if Dad gives her one. She never thinks for herself. Can we talk about something more pleasant? Like your wedding? Are we going to have ugly bridesmaids’ dresses?”

      Madison laughed. “That’s between you and Piper. Y’all get to pick them out. I don’t even care what color you choose as long as you’re both there—wherever ‘there’ is.”

      “Have you and Adam considered a destination wedding? Savannah, Charleston and the Outer Banks are close by. Or you could go to the mountains.”

      “That’s a good idea. One I’ll run by Adam and research. But I need a promise from you. Promise me you’ll be at the wedding wherever it is. It’s scary as hell to be doing this when I swore I’d never tie myself to a man again.”

      Especially with her dead husband’s identical twin, June thought. She didn’t know the whole story of Madison’s first marriage, but she knew it had gone from heaven to hell at some point. “Do you have doubts?”

      “Not a one. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. That’s the scariest part. He’s either perfect for me, or I’m completely besotted and blind.”

      “I don’t think it’s the latter. I’ll be there no matter where, no matter when and no matter how ugly my dress is.”

      That was one promise she’d have no trouble keeping.

      * * *

      FOR THE FIRST time ever, June dreaded going into work. She sat in her truck outside the station trying to rally her enthusiasm for the day ahead.

      Yesterday had been tough with Mr. No Personality—correction, Mr. Unpleasant Personality—riding shotgun and wearing a perpetual scowl. She’d never met a more rigid, disagreeable, impatient, judgmental man...except maybe her father. But at least her father knew how to turn on the charm for his flock. He just didn’t waste it on her.

      But after her conversation with Madison, June had decided to give Sam the benefit of the doubt and a second chance at being a decent human being. She climbed from the cab, shifted her duty belt at her waist, then marched from the parking lot into the station. As usual, she was early and the other deputies’ desks were empty. The only light came from the chief’s domain.

      “Jones, my office,” Roth called out.

      She stopped in front of the chief’s desk. “Yes, sir? Have you rethought my request to reassign Sam?”

      “Not a chance. I had calls from each of those boys’ fathers last night. They both think you went overboard with the punishments.”

      She hadn’t even clocked in and her day had begun to circle the drain. “But, Chief, this was their second offense, and after all the vandalism we had with those other teens a few months back—”

      He held up one finger to stop her defense. “I disagreed with them. And I told them as much. You turned what could have been a bad and expensive experience into a learning opportunity—not just for these boys, but also for their peers.”

      Surprised and relieved, she sighed. She and Roth didn’t have enough of a track record for her to know how he thought. “Thanks for the backup, sir.”

      “I also told them if they’d take the time to parent their sons, Quincey PD officers wouldn’t have to.”

      She winced. “That, uh, might not have been a good idea.”

      “I’m not going to pander to egos. My predecessor was too nice and too lenient. No one will ever accuse me of that.

      “Jones, I want you to take Rivers to the shooting range first thing this morning. Introduce him to Tate Lowry and empty a couple of boxes. Sam needs to get a weapon in his hands again and become familiar with the HK. Lowry’s expecting you. The department will cover the cost of the rounds.”

      Sounded like fun—even with the bad company. “Yes, sir. Is that all?”

      “No. Don’t shoot my new deputy.” He said it with a straight face, but humor sparkled in his eyes.

      “I’ll do my best to resist the temptation, Chief, but I make no promises, because he is a pain in the butt,” she responded equally deadpan. The office had changed since Roth took over. Piper’s dad had been a good boss, but more things got done with the new chief always pushing for improvement.

      “Let me give you a piece of advice in dealing with Sam. His eye is still healing and his vision isn’t what it once was. The doctors said it would take up to a year for it to stabilize. He’s on shaky ground now—not sure if he’ll end up with a permanent visual impairment. He’s a man of actions, not words. Let your accuracy do the talking this morning. And show no mercy. Give him all you’ve got. Understood?”

      She bit her lip. As much as she disliked Sam, she wasn’t comfortable with kicking the man while he was down. “That seems a bit...cruel given his injury, sir. Are you sure that’s the best way to handle this?”

      “I’m sure. Sam thrives on adversity. He thinks his clearest when under extreme pressure. That skill saved our asses on more than one occasion. The sniper motto is Death Before Capture. There were a couple of times I was certain there was no way out of our predicament, and I was contemplating eating my own bullet rather than surrendering. But each time, Sam’s ingenuity got us out of trouble.

      “Trust me, Jones, he’ll take this as a challenge, and improving his skills will give him something to focus on besides being cut from the corps.”

      She wasn’t convinced, but an order was an order. “If you say so, sir. I’ll do my best to wipe the floor with him.”

      Roth laughed. “That’s exactly what he needs.”

      The exterior door opened, then closed. Silence followed. No sound of clunky footsteps heralded Morris or Aycock. Instead, June looked up and saw Sam standing in the chief’s doorway. Without the sunglasses. The impact of his icy blue eyes on hers winded her like a bad tackle in a family-reunion football СКАЧАТЬ