going to comment on the sailing thing, huh?”
“What do you want me to say? It’s all true. Is that what you want to know? Is that why you’re asking me all these questions? Yes, I went sailing with three men.”
He stared at her. The rumors hadn’t been kind. She’d gone sailing with three men and had sex with all of them. More than once.
She looked over at him, her expression matter-of-fact. She wasn’t denying anything, nor did she appear ashamed. But he was pretty sure that was a cover-up. She wasn’t proud of her early adulthood.
“How did the quilting group find out about that?” he asked.
“I was friends with your sister Maisie back then.” She sent him a challenging look.
His older sister could get a little overbearing sometimes. “She does love a good tabloid tale.”
“She tried to turn me into one.”
“Sorry, but she didn’t have to try very hard.”
“I’ve changed since then,” she said, sobering.
“I’m starting to see that,” he said, making sure she saw he meant it.
Soft satisfaction made her eyes glow warmly and she resumed her concentration on driving.
“Why did you do it?” he asked.
“What? Behave that way?”
“Yes.” He didn’t want to hear any more about her sailing trip.
“You didn’t grow up in my household.”
Her father was a minister and her mother didn’t work. “Too strict?”
“Strict. Judgmental. Relentless. Yeah. Nothing I did was good enough. So I thought it’d be neat if I showed them what bad really was.”
He heard the regret in the form of sarcasm in her tone. “You wish you hadn’t done the things you’ve done?”
“Not everything. The safari was a great experience. So was rock-climbing and jumping from planes and even sailing, except for the company I had.”
Her hands adjusted on the wheel again, and now she seemed to be getting upset. He didn’t want to upset her, especially since he was enjoying this, and her. He didn’t question her further.
Looking ahead, he noticed they were almost at the outskirts of town.
“Will you just drop me off at the sheriff’s office? I have a Jeep I use for work there. I can drive that until I take care of my SUV.”
“Sure.” A few minutes later, she pulled to a stop in front of his small office, a redbrick building with white trim and a sign that said Honey Creek County Sheriff.
“It’ll be interesting explaining this to my deputies,” he said, more to keep her from leaving before he could ask her out on a date.
“If any rumors start that I had a tryst in Deer Lodge, I’ll know where it started.” She smiled, but he could tell she didn’t want that to happen.
“No deputy of mine would do that, and I certainly wouldn’t. I’ll just stick with the truth … I met this beautiful woman at Montana State Prison….”
She started laughing. Once again, the sound reached into him, this time strumming a stronger infatuation.
“Yeah, that would stir up a few questions.” She grew somber as she said it.
“Nobody needs to know we met there. I’ll just tell them you totaled my SUV.”
He loved the flirtatious glint in her eyes. “And you can tell them I wrecked you for any other woman.”
“You might have.”
Her eyes blinked in response, an indication of the flurry of thoughts, and, he hoped, some warming emotions his reply had set off.
“Do you have any plans Friday night?” he asked.
Her smile came and went on her face, as if the idea first tantalized her and then made her shy away. “You’re asking me out on a date?”
“Is that so hard to believe?”
“No … well, yes … I mean, you’re the sheriff.”
“Amazing, isn’t it? Me, sheriff of Honey Creek County.”
“I don’t mean that. It’s just … you’re … And I’m …”
“I’m a man and you’re a woman. Are you trying to tell me you’re …” He lifted his eyebrows and let his expression finish his meaning, even though he was teasing.
“No!”
“Then go out with me. Dinner. Friday night. I’ll pick you up or we can meet somewhere. Whatever you’re most comfortable with.”
She stared at him. And then turned and looked through the windshield.
“Come on. It’ll be fun. I can already tell,” he coaxed.
“I don’t know …”
“I promise I’ll behave.”
Finally she looked at him.
“Friday night. Seven o’clock,” he said.
Again, she seemed to waver between accepting and not. “I don’t think now is a good time. With all the talk around town.”
“All the more reason to go out with me. It’s like you said, I’m the sheriff. It’ll be good for people to see you with me.”
“Or bad for you to be seen with me,” she countered.
“I don’t care what people say. It’s the truth that matters.”
Her eyes grew soft with warming affection. Just what he wanted to see. He grinned. But she was going to turn him down. He could tell.
“Think about it,” he said.
She smiled a little and nodded. “I will.”
“Think hard.” He smiled.
She laughed, as soft as the look in her eyes. Damn, he liked her.
He opened the truck door and stepped out, turning to face her. “At least I know where to find you.” The library.
“Don’t you dare.” But her lovely smile proved she was kidding.
“See you soon, Lily Masterson.”
The last thing he heard before closing the door was another warm laugh. Feeling good, he headed for the office with a little extra verve in his step.
When
