Hello ladies!
Here's a short excerpt from "Caught"! I hope you enjoy it! (Don't forget, PreOrder price is only $2.99 but the price goes up soon!)
Prologue
There was a polka dot bikini on the statue and purple bubbles slipping over the edge of the town square fountain.
Emerson gazed at the flower and tree lined streets of LowPoint, Kentucky, wondering if he was insane.
Or just worn out.
Either possibility was conceivable. Why else would he consider leaving a career as commander of the New York City SWAT Team to come to this tiny little town and take over as sheriff?!
Tucking his hands into the pockets of his jeans, he shook his head, wondering at his lunacy. The entire town was smaller than the neighborhood he’d just left in New York City. Not to mention, the worst crime reported lately was a series of vandalism pranks that included someone putting a polka dot bikini on the town square’s statue of the founder.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he wondered why he’d even flown here for the interview. He’d been impressed with the offer to not just run the sheriff’s office, but to create the department, hire his own team, and get it going. A conversation with the governor had assured Emerson that the resources would be available and money had already been set aside for the sheriff’s office and a team of deputies. He’d have to work with the surrounding county sheriffs, but that was normal procedure.
As far as career moves went, it was probably the worst job he could choose. Yeah, he’d have the title of sheriff, but that was a bit like saying he was king of…five hundred.
There wasn’t even a mayor in this town. There just weren’t enough people! There was a town council and they all met once a month, or more often when necessary, to make decisions. Just about everyone attended those meetings, tossing in their two cents to the point that arguments frequently broke out, especially when the debate was over putting in pansies for the fall or leaving the leaves to add color to the town square.
One stoplight. One freaking stop light! The guys back on his SWAT team were going to laugh themselves silly if he came back and told them that he was leaving as their commander to become the sheriff of a town with only one stop light!
But at that moment, his mind flashed back to the previous weekend. The shoot out in the empty warehouse. The bodies. The torn flesh from bullets flying every which way. And for what?! For drugs. For money!
There weren’t any drugs here. No bullets other than the ones being fired off in the mountains by hunters. Most of the store fronts here in LowPoint were empty, but even the empty stores looked neat and tidy, all freshly painted, the lampposts festooned with orange, maroon, and brown banners. Someone had obviously put a great deal of effort into this beautiful little corner of their world because it might be October, but there were still flowers blooming. And the whole town was dressed up with holiday decorations. Halloween must be a big event here, because there were pumpkins or witch hats on every door, and ghosts had been strategically tied to the lampposts. Even the ghosts were smiling.
There was the gallery down the street, with the renowned photographer Ivy Taylor’s photos hanging from the walls and ceiling. The small sandwich shop next to the gallery was owned by none other than Tony Itola, who also owned the formal restaurant that had rotating menus from the famous chef. From what he’d been told, there was a huge influx of tourists whenever new Taylor works were put up or when the menu changed at the Itola restaurants. Emerson had briefly met both of them and thought they were good people, very down to earth.
He didn’t meet a whole lot of good people in his line of work.
At least, he hadn’t in the past.
Could he give up his career in New York City to come here? To do…nothing? His first priority, according to the town council leader was to find the person who had “besmirched the good name” of the statue by putting a bikini on it. Sewn the bathing suit on, no less. The man running the town council was also the grocery store manager, and seemed to be incredibly upset by the latest happenings around town.
Emerson moved down the street a ways, still taking in the picturesque little town. A man in a leather jacket walking down the street towards him caught his eye and every instinct in Emerson’s body came alert. Whoever he was, the guy was bad news. The man was doing nothing wrong, just walking down the street, but Emerson’s instincts told him that something wasn’t right. That man didn’t fit in. Not here in LowPoint. And people who didn’t fit in were usually up to no good.
Deciding to follow the man, Emerson turned and walked back the way he had come. One thing about being a cop, his curiosity always led him in interesting directions.
He’d just rounded the corner, heading towards the gallery and that odd little trinket shop, when the man disappeared. Emerson’s senses all clamored for information. He wanted to find the guy, to figure out what he was up to. Turning, he decided to circle around and…that’s when he looked into the sandwich shop and saw…her!
The beautiful brunette smiled, her beautiful rosy cheeks contrasting with her pale skin. He couldn’t seem to look away. Blue eyes, porcelain skin, pink cheeks, and the most incredible smile he’d ever seen in his life!
Emerson loved women, fully appreciating their unique characteristics. They were lovely, wonderful creatures that made the world a better place to live in.
He’d been with many women in his life - blonds, brunettes, even a few redheads, tall, skinny, short, curvy, soft, warm, cold and calculating…all of them interesting. But not a single woman from his past compared to the incredible beauty of this woman.
Through the sandwich shop window, the brunette stood up, laughing at something and he felt like he’d been punched in the gut as he drank in the view of her figure. There were others with her, but they were dim figures compared to the dark-haired beauty. There was a tall, slender woman who looked vaguely familiar. Another woman leaned over to hug the dark-haired one. This woman had pretty, strawberry blond hair and was so pregnant, she looked like she was might be carrying twins!
But the first woman was…hot! Her breasts were huge, pressing against the soft material of her red sweater, curving in to a waist that he could tell was tiny, even obscured by the sweater material. And her hips…! Damn, her hips were the stuff fantasies were made of! She was like a nineteen fifties pinup fantasy in the flesh instead of on a mechanic’s calendar.
Vaguely, he remembered the man who needed to be followed, but he couldn’t seem to pull his gaze away from the woman in the sandwich shop.
That’s when some guy stepped in between himself and the vision, a big guy that also looked somewhat familiar, but Emerson couldn’t immediately place him, which only irritated him further, since he prided himself on remembering names and faces. It was critical to his job, to survival.
The big guy leaned over to hug the brunette and Emerson’s hands clenched into fists, ready for battle. Thankfully, the big guy stepped back, then moved to hug the strawberry blond and then the tall, slender woman as well, allowing Emerson to relax slightly.
The other guy was most likely a brother, Emerson decided, easing his battle stance. As he watched, the gorgeous woman crossed the road, heading into that oddities shop. He’d already walked past the windows of the various stores, noting what was for sale in each shop. That store seemed to have hundreds of crystals and prisms hanging everywhere. It was strange, but also interesting. Nothing that he would buy or would want in his house, but it was idyllically quirky, just like this town.
When the captivating woman disappeared from view, he took a deep breath. Looking around again, he lifted his face to the sunshine, closing his eyes. In that moment, he made a decision. Lifting his cell phone, he made his first impulse choice ever.
“I’ll take the job,” he told Joseph, the town council leader.
Chapter 1
“Tell me the rumors aren’t true!”
Emerson glanced up from his computer to see a frowning man standing in the doorway, arms folded across his chest. “Come on in,” he closed the file that he’d been working on. “What’s up?” He’d been back in New York for a week, but apparently, the rumors were already flying around the station.
Mark, Emerson’s second in command, closed the office door and stood in front of his friend’s desk. “Tell me you aren’t leaving,” he ordered again, hands on his hips as he glared down at Emerson.
Emerson leaned back in his chair and chuckled, staring at the man who was maybe an inch taller than he was and maybe another twenty pounds of muscle – which was impressive since Emerson wasn’t a slouch by any man’s standard. The guy was a brute, but also smart as a whip, able to calculate obstacles and problems wicked fast and come up with a solution. As a deputy, Mark was invaluable. As a friend, he was the best. “The rumors are true.”
Mark couldn’t contain his shock. “But you’re the freaking commander of the New York City SWAT team! Where are you going that would have more career potential than this?”
Emerson shrugged, leaning further back so his chair squeaked in protest. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”
“Try me,” he snapped, irritated that his boss and friend was not only leaving, but was apparently keeping secrets too.
“You know where Louisville, Kentucky is?”
Mark snorted. “Yeah. Don’t tell me they offered you Chief of Police there. Your command here on the SWAT team is better than the whole police force there.”
“Not true, but I understand your New York City bias.”
Another snort and Mark leaned forward. “Why would you leave here to become chief of Louisville?”
Emerson smiled slightly, wondering what his friend was going to say when he heard the truth. “Actually, I wasn’t offered that position.”
Mark relaxed. “Thank goodness. So, you’re not leaving? You’re just pulling my leg?” He laughed in relief. “I heard that you spoke to a governor. Where the hell could a rumor like that get started?”
Emerson shrugged. “Maybe it came from the fact that I just got off the phone with the governor of Kentucky, who was verifying some information before I take over as Sheriff of LowPoint, Kentucky.”
Emerson braced himself, waiting for the jokes to start. He’d known that the ribbing would be brutal. Going from commander of an elite unit on the New York City police force to a sheriff’s office in a tiny town in Kentucky would be hilarious to some people. For him…he thought about the bodies he’d seen beaten bloody last week, the burned out buildings, and the eyes of the children who were starving because their parents were spending all of their money on meth or heroine. And then the image of LowPoint came to mind. Nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, he couldn’t wait to breathe in the fresh air, walk down the clean sidewalks lined with flowers and trees, and to see the residents nod and smile to each other as they bustled around town.
“Tell me you’re kidding,” Mark demanded.
Emerson chuckled this time. “Not kidding.”
Mark blinked, trying to take it all in. “What the hell kind of career move is that? Does that town even have a stop light?”
Emerson laughed, and nodded. “Sure does. It has one.”
Mark just about choked. “I was kidding about the stop lights, but you’re telling me that you’re going from New York City to a tiny Podunk town with only one stop light?”
Emerson grinned and pulled a bottle of scotch out of his bottom drawer, where he stashed it for exactly this reason. Checking his watch, he nodded. “We’re off the clock now. Grab those coffee cups behind you.” He pulled the corked top off of the bottle.
Mark stood there for a long, stunned moment, then shook his head and turned, grabbing the porcelain mugs and setting them down on Emerson’s desk. “I’ll need a double,” he muttered quietly, sitting down and shifting so he could rest an ankle over his other knee. “You’re going to have to explain this to me slowly, because I just don’t get it.”
Emerson poured a healthy dose of scotch into each mug and pushed one to his friend. “Remember that hostage situation a week ago?” he asked.
Mark picked up the mug and took a long sip. “Yeah. What about it? Just a normal work day.”
Emerson nodded. “Exactly. We were called out at three in the morning to talk a man out of shooting his girlfriend and four children.”
Mark nodded. “You were brilliant. The guy didn’t know what happened when we repelled into his apartment after swinging through the windows.”
“The highest building in LowPoint is three stories high and is the only office building in the town. Most of the offices in that building are vacant.”
Mark stared blankly, still not understanding. “So…you want to go to a place where nothing happens?”
There was a moment of silence while Emerson peered into his scotch. “Yeah,” Emerson finally replied, swirling the scotch around before he took a long sip. “I want to go to a place where drugs don’t rule the city. Where neighbors look out for each other and everyone knows what’s happening in each other’s lives.” He thought about it for a long moment, then chuckled. “There’s a group of elderly people in the senior center who sneak out at night, pulling pranks,” he told his friend. “The night after my interview with the governor, someone sewed a polka dot bikini onto the statue of the town founder.” Emerson shook his head.
“You’re kidding,” Mark replied, chuckling and shaking his head as well. “I don’t believe it.”
Emerson chuckled as well, still amazed at the insanity of it all. “I didn’t at first either. But I spent a few days driving through the town. No less than three people waved me down, each of them asked me what I was doing in town. Once I explained who I was, two of them invited me to the church potluck that weekend when they heard about my interview. Another lady flagged me down and handed me a basket of muffins.”
Mark choked on his scotch and he coughed, leaning forward. “No way! Muffins? That’s…muffins?”
“Yep. And they were delicious! Damn good muffins. I ate every one of them on the way back to New York City.”
“So, you took a job in a small town because of muffins.” He laughed and leaned back again. “Amazing.”
Emerson didn’t argue, or mention that he’d taken the job because of a woman. He’d never hear the end of that one, but his team hadn’t seen the delicate brunette yet. Otherwise, he’d have to fight the others for the job. One look at the woman and his entire SWAT department would be knocking each other down to get out to LowPoint for an interview.
Emerson waved his mug towards his friend and second in command. “What’s going on with that woman I saw you talking to the other night?” he asked meaningfully, changing the subject.
Mark wasn’t an idiot, he fully understood what Emerson was doing, but went along with it. Especially when it pertained to his favorite subject lately.
“That woman?” He smiled slightly, debating how much to tell his friend. “She’s great. Really great,” and left it at that.
Or tried to.
“Just great? And her name?” Emerson motioned towards the bottle of scotch, indicating that Mark should drink up and pour another. “What’s she like? What does she do for a living? And why is she able to put a stupid grin on your ugly face when none of us can?”
Mark laughed as he poured another shot of scotch. “She’s a graphic artist and works as a consultant for several different clients. Her company headquarters is in Atlanta, but she doesn’t need to be tied down to an office. So, she’s basically self-employed and travels around the country, working in whatever city interests her.”
“Sweet,” Emerson replied.
Mark nodded, thinking that the woman really was sweet. “So, how many people live in your new town?” he asked, changing the subject back to Emerson and away from something he considered still private.
They talked for the next several hours, just hanging out at the station instead of heading home. They were both single men who felt more at home among their peers than they did alone at their apartments, another reason Emerson wanted out. The SWAT team and police force were his life, he thought as he listened to Mark and a couple of the other guys who had wandered in, wanting to hear the news. He wanted more than this. His team was great and he respected the hell out of every man in the room. But he wanted more. He wanted a real life, a community that he could care for and protect, and with people who watched out for others.
Yeah, that’s what he wanted. And a certain blue-eyed brunette.
Chapter 2
Emerson parked his brown sheriff’s SUV behind the small Miata, wondering where the owner was. Scanning the area, he didn’t see anyone, but this was a pretty isolated area of the woods. Why would anyone be out here?
Looking around again, he narrowed his eyes as he stepped out of the SUV. Something wasn’t right. He never knew exactly how to define this instinct, but Emerson always got a feeling when something wasn’t quite right. The sensation had saved his life too many times in the past for him to ignore it, so he stood beside the vehicle and remained silent. Just listening. It was hard for humans to remain still for very long and eventually, they would move and he’d hear it.
No sound.
But…someone was out here. Emerson might not be able to see them, but he could feel their presence.
Eventually, he’d know these woods like the back of his hand. He needed to get out and start exploring the areas, the pathways, driving the dirt and gravel roads so that he knew where one ended and the next began. He’d need to drive them in all types of weather so he’d know when to check the roads for stranded vehicles or other, more nefarious activities. He’d walk around and explore off the pathways, memorize where the dips and caves might enable someone to hide, either themselves or their goods. He’d work with the forest rangers and get to know the terrain, how to spot things that shouldn’t be there.
At the moment, however, he was blind to the possibilities and had to rely on his instincts. Not for the first time, he wondered if there was something more scientific to his instincts. Sharks and wild animals survived because of their ability to “feel” or “hear” a heartbeat. Emerson wondered if humans might also have that sense. Because he could often just “feel” the presence of another human being.
Like right now.
The woods were thick and he could hear the birds chirping. Something, probably a squirrel or rabbit, was burrowing through the dried leaves littering the ground. Since it was November, the leaves had already fallen, which made it easier to see through the trees. It should be colder right now, but the east coast was enjoying a warmer than normal autumn.
There! Off to his right, there was a flash of color where there should be just greys and browns. It seemed like an open area, like a small field.
For some reason, Emerson just knew that the flash of color was the woman! Adrenaline shot through his body and anticipation thrummed in his veins.
After seeing her in that sandwich shop window, he’d flown back to New York and resigned his job, accepted all the ribbing from his team and packed up his condo, which, thankfully, sold quickly. A week ago, he’d driven everything out here to LowPoint, Kentucky and accepted the keys to the brand new sheriff’s SUV and the keys to the sheriff’s office. His new office currently had nothing in it other than boxes filled with old files from the previous sheriff, and some old, beaten up desks and chairs. No one had worked in this town as a law officer for about thirty years, ever since the coal company had closed up shop, and most of the residents had left town for greener pastures.
“It’s her.” he muttered, a sense of rightness soothing over him as he looked at the beautiful brunette sitting on a blanket with her eyes closed. She looked so peaceful, he was hesitant to disturb her, but he wasn’t going to miss this opportunity.
Moving through the streets and buildings of New York quietly was one thing. So far, he hadn’t mastered the art of moving through dried leaves and broken branches. He noticed that she was listening to headphones. Whatever she was listening to must be intense, because his footsteps didn’t break through to her consciousness.
Bending down, he crouched right beside her, just watching, waiting for her to realize that there was someone close to her. She had her eyes closed and her face turned up towards the sunshine, entirely unaware. His irritation escalated when she continued to remain oblivious to his presence. Didn’t she know that she should be aware of her surroundings at all times? Was she waiting to be attacked?
He pulled the headphone connector out of her cell phone, “Your weight does not define you,” the voice repeated soothingly, louder than he would have expected.
The horrified expression on the woman’s face caused a chuckle to burst from him. Unfortunately, that only seemed to amplify her anger.
“How dare you!” she snapped, grabbing the cell phone, but not before the phone continued, “You are a beautiful, wonderful person!” while she scrambled to shut off the recording. The positive affirmations continued until she could shut them off and Emerson was stunned that someone as gorgeous as this woman would need affirmations. Didn’t she know that she was stunning?
“Why the hell are you listening to this crap?” he asked, watching her carefully and trying to understand. She thought she was overweight? That was insane! Emerson had only seen her from a distance before now, but up close, she was even more shockingly beautiful. Her blue eyes went perfectly with her pale skin…well, normally pale skin. It was quite pink at the moment. Still gorgeous, but…
The woman stood up and huffed a bit, her anger obvious. “You’re the new sheriff, aren’t you?” she asked, stepping back and shoving her cell phone into her purse. With jerky movements, she reached down and grabbed the blanket, sending leaves everywhere in her zeal.
“Yes.”
“And you’ve come out here to disturb me because…?” she asked, leaving the question open since she obviously had no idea why he was there.
“I saw your car parked on the side of the road. I came out here to make sure you were okay.”
Marilee snapped the blanket, trying to knock off the rest of the leaves. “As you can see, I’m perfectly fine. You may go now.”
He chuckled, leaning one of those massive shoulders against a tree. “I can?” he teased. “You’ll allow me to go?”
Marilee ignored his sarcasm, wanting to shove him so that he’d fall on his butt. Yeah, she’d love to see him as humiliated as she currently was. She came all the way out here to be alone, to listen to her positive thinking tapes by herself. She hadn’t told Daisy or Ivy about her latest effort to gain a bit more self-confidence. Those two had confidence in spades but Marilee struggled, wishing she could lose weight or just…less…of everything! She knew neither Daisy nor Ivy would ever laugh at her, but they’d tell her that she didn’t need any help, that she was pretty, blah, blah, blah.
She didn’t believe it, but she was trying! And if this…jerk would just leave her alone, she could get right back to it. Well, not here, of course. Her favorite spot in the woods was ruined now that he’d found her and…and that he’d heard the words that she’d prayed no one would ever know she needed to hear.
She could never come back here. No way! Her sunshine filled spot in the woods was ruined and, as she looked up at the amusement in his eyes, she realized that he was laughing at her.
After stuffing the big blanket into her tote bag, she turned to glare up at him. Not that her furious expression seemed to be making an impact. The man seemed immune to her anger, the amusement only increasing as he looked down at her.
“Why are you even here?” she demanded.
He shrugged. “Just doing my duty to protect and serve, ma’am,” he teased, tipping his sheriff’s hat ever so slightly. Marilee gritted her teeth at his mocking gesture, wanting to figure out how to wipe that smug smile off of his face. He was laughing at her and she hated him for it. He, and his big, huge, muscular body, was laughing at her, the wimpy, curvy woman and she hated him with an instant, intense hatred unlike anything she’d ever felt for another human being.
“No, what are you doing here, in LowPoint? Aren’t you some big-shot police officer from New York City? Why are you here? What’s the allure of LowPoint to someone with your experience?” She challenged, daring him to make fun of her precious town. “Are you here as a joke? To bring funny stories to your SWAT team back home?”
He shook his head. “I think your town is cute, Marilee.”
Her eyes narrowed at his use of her name. “How do you know who I am?” she demanded. The fact that he knew her name scared her. For years, she, Daisy, Ivy and Tony had hidden their wealth after winning the lottery. The danger of people knowing their net worth, which was up in the hundreds of millions, was scary. Their lawyer and manager, Jason Rayburn, had warned them not to reveal their wealth to anyone.
“I looked up most of the residents in town. You’re Marilee Markson, owner of ‘The Crystal Shoppe’ located in the middle of Main Street. You’re the owner of the store, but you are also the buyer for the store’s merchandise. The manager, Mara Simmons, runs the day to day operations with several others who help out on a part time basis. You also have a warehouse, over at the end of Church Street, run by a guy by the name of Charlie who manages your online sales, ensuring that everything ordered through your website, which is fascinating, by the way, is shipped out expeditiously. You have an excellent online presence with extremely high customer satisfaction.”
The flood of information stunned Marilee. Most people just assumed she was one of the employees of the store. They didn’t know that she owned the store. The fact that this man knew…she wasn’t sure how to react.
She snapped her mouth closed, irritated that it had been hanging open, making her look like a dope. “So, you’re spying on us?” she demanded, trying not to let the panic show.
He pushed away from the tree and stepped closer to her, all amusement gone from his rough, but oddly attractive features. “No. Not spying. I need to know who is who in order to get things done, Marilee.” He reached out and took the blanket from her. “I didn’t mean to scare you. That was never my intention. I apologize.”
He took her arm and she trembled as he led her back to her car.
Thoughts whirled through her mind, some of them not very appropriate, since she’d just met the man. But one thought kept flashing into her head; he had very strong hands.
Pushing the thought aside, not wanting him to think she was any crazier than his current impression, she pulled away.
“Why would you take the top job in such a small town?” she asked as soon as they reached her car. She had her keys out, ready to speed away because she didn’t like him touching her. She felt…strange when he touched her arm and she didn’t like it one little bit!
“It was a good career move,” he told her and plucked her keys from her hand, then moved to the back of her car to store the heavy blanket in the trunk.
Marilee watched…she wasn’t watching his butt, she told herself sternly. Although…it was nice. Very firm!
When he turned back to her, she lifted her gaze to his rugged features. “So, we’re just a stepping stone for you. Great. Well, I’m sure LowPoint residents will bore you quickly and you’ll move on to your next ‘career move’.” With that, she plucked her keys from his surprised fingers and stepped into her car, revving the engine to get away as quickly as possible.
Chapter 3
Emerson stepped into the brightly lit shop, looking around at all of the delicate objects that seemed to glitter in the afternoon sunshine. As a big man, this was exactly the kind of store he avoided whenever possible. He felt like a massive, clumsy bull as he walked through the fragile displays. He remembered walking through his grandmother’s house, filled with lace doilies, china teapots and tiny cups with matching saucers. She’d loved delicate, feminine things and he’d hated every moment in her house, preferring to be outside in the woods or swimming in the lake. He’d loved his grandmother, but her house! It had been a hard place to walk around as a boy.
Somehow, this shop was different. And yet, the same.
“Hi there!”
Emerson looked towards the friendly voice, but the speaker wasn’t the woman he was searching for. This woman was pretty, with sandy blond hair and a warm smile, but he wanted the dark hair and blue eyes of Marilee. He wanted her pale skin and rosy cheeks, the spark in her blue eyes as she struggled to tell him to go to hell without hurting his feelings.
“Good morning,” he greeted the other woman, extending his hands. “I’m Sheriff Jansing. Call me Emerson though,” he said as he shook her hand.
The woman smiled as she greeted him and he liked her on the spot. “Oh wow! We heard that you’d accepted the job. Everyone is so excited that you are here! It’s great to finally meet you!” she tilted her head slightly. “We’ve heard so much about you and I’ve seen you from a distance, but it’s nice to meet you face to face.”
“Likewise,” he replied with a nod of his head. “I was wondering if you might know of any place to buy tie-dye materials?”
The growl that emanated from the storage room behind the cash register was his first clue that the woman he wanted to see was here. Emerson knew that the growl came from none other than the delightful Marilee.
Sure enough, a moment later, she popped out from the storage room and glared up at him. “You’re investigating last night’s stupid stunt?”
“Stupid stunt?” he asked, trying not to laugh. But she was adorable when she got angry! And try as he might, he couldn’t stop a quick glance at her breasts. She was wearing the sexiest pink fuzzy sweater, her bountiful breasts were literally straining at the buttons holding the cardigan closed and he wondered how hard it would be to pop that first button to reveal the swells of those magnificent beauties.
Lifting his eyes back to hers, he focused on his excuse for coming into the store. “Every mail box in town was covered with a tie-dyed sheet, then sewn closed. I don’t think it’s a stupid stunt, more along the lines of vandalism.”
Marilee bristled at his tone and he read the unspoken message in her pretty, blue eyes; get out of her store. Yeah, he could understand, but he ignored the silent command, enjoying the sparkle in those blue depths.
“Regardless, Mara doesn’t know anything. She didn’t put the sheets all over the place, so leave her alone.”
Emerson watched Marilee carefully, sensing something odd. She knew something. The way she couldn’t quite meet his steady gaze told him…?
Moving closer, he bent down lower. Lower still. He breathed in the scent of her, realizing that she was a delicious mixture of cinnamon and vanilla.
But now she was challenging his authority and he couldn’t allow that. Besides, he liked getting close. He could see the fascinating yellow ring around her irises when he was this close.
And there was something else.
She knew! Emerson was positive that the adorable, sexy Marilee knew exactly who was behind the pranks!
“Who did it then?” he asked softly, his voice low and husky.
She bristled again, but he didn’t relent.
“Aren’t you supposed to figure that out?” she shot back.
Marilee couldn’t stop the anger – or the overpowering awareness of the new sheriff as a virile, powerful man. He was so close and he smelled so good and he was just so big and strong and…her eyes dropped to his lips, wondering what kissing them would feel like. He was about as big as Rocco, Daisy’s husband, but not quite as enormous as Gunner, Daisy’s brother and Ivy’s husband. Both Ivy and Daisy seemed to be smiling anytime they saw their husbands and…well, Marilee was fairly sure that it was due to whatever those two men did with her friends each night.
She shivered just thinking about what this big guy could do. Those strong hands… firm lips…
Marilee stepped back, shocked that she’d actually had such a ridiculous thought.
He smiled slightly, shaking his head as he continued to watch her. “But you do know, don’t you?”
Was he actually closer? How could he be closer? She’d moved back!
“I don’t know anything!” she declared, and bit her lip, praying he wouldn’t ask her anything more. She always caved. Ivy and Daisy knew when she was lying because she was so bad at it. Tony always…always…knew when she’d restocked her stash of potato chips and would swoop in to discover what had upset her. Marilee only caved to her potato chip craving when she was stressed about something and Tony was a big, sweet guy with huge shoulders that were perfect for crying on.
But this guy, he was new. He didn’t know her well enough, so he couldn’t know that she was lying.
At least, she hoped not.
Marilee breathed a huge sigh of relief when he slowly nodded and backed away. “Fine. For now,” he told her. Walking back towards the door, he paused with his hand on the knob. “By the way, Marilee, I like the way that your sweater brings out your pretty eyes.” And then he was gone.
Marilee stared at the door, refusing to acknowledge the warmth seeping into her body and mind at his compliment.
Then she realized why he’d said it. The recordings! He’d heard her silly confidence building recordings but…they hadn’t been helping. Not with that big lug around! He was mocking her, giving her a compliment only because he thought she needed the boost.
She didn’t! She was fine! Perfectly fine!
“What a sweet man!” Mara sighed dreamily, picking up the box of Christmas ornaments that had been delivered earlier today. She carried them over to the Christmas tree that she and Marilee had set up earlier this morning, placing each one on a branch, carefully separating them so that each ornament had a place of honor. “I like him!”
Marilee snorted. “He’s such a jerk!”
Mara laughed, shaking her head. “I think he likes you, even though you were a bit harsh to him just now.”
Guilt swamped her at Mara’s words. Had she been rude? Probably. Marilee hated being rude to anyone and went out of her way to be kind.
So, what was it about their new sheriff that just…pissed her off?!
“Yeah, well,” she bristled again, “I don’t like him accusing my friends of doing anything illegal.”
Mara chuckled. “Oh, he wasn’t accusing me of anything.”
“He asked you if you knew anything about the vandalism this morning.”
Mara waved her words away. “No. He asked me if I knew where someone could purchase the materials. Not if I’d done it or if I knew who had.”
Marilee knew that Mara was right, and she’d probably overreacted to the man’s presence. She’d been humiliated and wanted to fight back because of their interlude in the meadow the other day. Although, yeah, she was probably going about it the wrong way. She should probably be cooler and more composed. Not belligerent.
She wondered what the guy would do if…when…he caught the person behind the vandalism.
In Marilee’s mind, the pranks weren’t really vandalism. Everything that had been done recently had just been practical jokes. They were all funny pranks! Okay, the bubbles in the fountain had caused a bit of a problem, but the bubbles dissipated eventually. And yeah, some of the flowers around the fountain had died from the soap that had seeped into the soil. But…well, it had been funny to walk down the street and see the fountain bubbling up. The sight had added a bit of excitement to an otherwise boring day! And the new plants were thriving.
No harm done, but Marilee doubted Sheriff Emerson Jansing would take that into account. He’d just throw the culprit into jail.
Emerson walked down the sidewalk, chuckling at the memory of the guilty look in Marilee’s pretty eyes. She knew who was pulling the pranks. He was sure of it.
That’s when he saw the group of men down at the end of Church Street. This group had a hard edged look about them. The residents of LowPoint looked…softer. Many of them had lived a hard life, struggled with unemployment but the economy of LowPoint was picking up. So, what were these men doing here? They obviously didn’t live here.
Something was wrong. His instincts kicked into overdrive.
Quickly, he shifted to the side, turning right onto Main Street. The residents of LowPoint thought that their biggest crime problem was someone pulling pointless, funny pranks. And yeah, he would investigate and figure out how to get those activities to stop. Pranks indicated someone was bored. Often, those pranks escalated to outright crime when the perpetrators needed more excitement than an innocent prank could provide.
Or maybe not. The pranks were funny and didn’t cause any harm. They gave everyone a laugh and within minutes, the pranks were gone. A sharp knife had released all of the tie-dyed sheets and they’d all been donated to the elementary school for future craft projects, some taken by a home renovation team to keep paint splatters from messing up flooring. No harm, no foul. Perhaps the pranks wouldn’t escalate.
But damn, he’d loved the way Marilee had challenged him. Not even his team in New York had been brave enough to challenge him. Okay, so he would have severely disciplined anyone who had even tried.
He almost groaned, thinking about disciplining Marilee. He would be very creative in his punishments and, without a doubt after that last, heated look, he knew that Marilee would enjoy his discipline.
Taking a right and a left, he came out in front of the group of shady looking men. With interest, he watched as the four of them took off into the woods, heading towards the mountains. Interesting, he thought. Perhaps he should have a conversation with the sheriff in Husset County, the area that ran alongside the border of LowPoint, whatever was going on seemed to straddle jurisdictions.
