it hadn’t lasted. By then she had bigger, grander plans for her future than being married to him.
And then it had fallen apart, and the son he loved so much had become a part-time presence in his life. He hated the fact, but between his work hours, Leah’s lack of cooperation, and then his transfer, that’s what had happened.
He shook off the thoughts; he needed to focus on the immediate issue, which was getting Samuel to school. In the end it took bribery—the promise of an extra bit of video-game time—but Stefan counted it as a win. At least the kid’s favorite game was a fantasy instead of just blowing stuff up or shooting people. And as he finally headed off to work, he found himself smiling wryly that that was the most optimistic thing he could think of just now.
He called the field office to check in. It was a formality, since he’d been allocated to this case full-time until it was resolved. When he got to the sheriff’s office and found Daria had not yet arrived, he felt a tiny bit of annoyance mixed with relief.
“She’s at the range,” the perky secretary they’d been assigned told him. Then, in a tone of confidentiality, she added, “She’s the best shot in the department, you know. Some of the guys won’t admit that, but she’s outscored all of them at one time or another.”
“Good to know,” Stefan said drolly. “I’ll try not to make her shooting mad at me.” He was only half kidding. There was something about Daria Bloom that made him think she was not a woman to be crossed.
“Oh, she’d never shoot at you. That’d be like shooting at one of the local scenic wonders.”
Stefan blinked. Was she flirting with him? She was, what, maybe twenty? He suddenly felt old.
“Now you’re a scenic wonder?”
He nearly groaned aloud as the voice came from behind him. A voice he recognized too well, since the husky timbre of it sent the craziest tingle over his skin. But he put on his best unaffected grin as he turned to see the woman in question approaching.
“So’s Denver International,” he said, referring to the jaw-dropping airport structure voted the ugliest building in the state by half the population, the most beautiful by the other half. And to his inward delight, she laughed. It was rare enough with all the pressure on her right now that she even smiled, so he counted this as a win.
“Sorry I’m late. I needed to clean both weapons, so it took longer.”
“Gotta keep the tools clean,” he agreed. “I was running behind myself.”
“Problem?”
“Only personal,” he said with a slight grimace. She let it go without asking, and he appreciated that. He appreciated a lot about Daria.
She confirmed with the secretary, who was watching them with a little too much interest, that there were no messages she hadn’t already gotten. They were turning to go to the office assigned solely to this case when the door behind them opened and Sheriff Trey Colton stepped through.
Trey was about Stefan’s own height and had a no-nonsense air about him that Stefan liked. He was also, as far as Stefan could see, a fine sheriff. By the book and honorable and, up until this Avalanche Killer mess, nothing had happened to mar his stellar record. As the first African American to be elected sheriff, not to mention one of the youngest people ever to hold the office, he was clearly determined to keep it that way. And Stefan was glad to help. He’d had his own dragons to slay on his way to where he was now, so he could relate.
They gave him an update, not that there was much to report. Trey restated his complete faith in them, which made Stefan even more determined, and with a barely concealed grimace the sheriff went off to deal with today’s round of media chaos.
Better him than me.
“He’s actually much happier lately,” Daria murmured as they said goodbye and headed down the hall.
“No thanks to us,” Stefan muttered.
“I know. Or the election campaign,” she added.
“I registered just so I could vote for him.” He’d only been in Colorado for a couple of years, so there hadn’t been a major election since his arrival.
“That’s good of you,” she said, sounding like she meant it.
“He’s a good guy. I admire and respect him and the job he’s done. And I’m glad if he’s happier.”
“Thank Aisha for that,” Daria confided as they went into what they’d begun to call the Avalanche office. “Now that’s a true love match.”
“Not something I’d know much about,” he grumbled, then regretted letting the words out.
“It’s pretty obvious with them, isn’t it? Besides, I happen to know she’s loved him for years.”
“She has?”
“Since they were kids in grade school.”
Stefan’s brow furrowed. “But they’re only getting together now?” The couple had become engaged about the time he and Daria had begun to work together on this case.
“She didn’t think he loved her, and she wasn’t going to settle for less. So she made him prove he meant it. He had to make the first move.”
She said it so approvingly even he couldn’t miss it. “Obviously you agree with that.”
“Yes. Completely. She had to be sure he felt the same.”
He studied her for a moment. Told himself it not only wasn’t his business, he didn’t want to know. Because knowing more about this woman had so far only drawn him in deeper, and that spelled trouble. But the next thing he knew he was asking, anyway.
“Personal experience?” She gave him a sharp look. He put up his hands and remembered his earlier thought that this was not a woman to be crossed. “You just sounded so…positive.”
Her expression changed to something more…he wasn’t sure what. Damn, Daria was hard to figure out. “You really want to open those doors, mine and yours?”
Well, that was plain enough; if she talked about her past, she was going to ask about his. Fine with him—the bare bones of his situation were common enough, and he had it down to a sound bite. “Mine’s easy. Married, she couldn’t handle my job, divorced.”
“I notice you left out the most important part.”
He grimaced, wishing he’d never started this. “Love? I thought so. Not sure about her.”
She studied him for a long moment before she said softly, “I meant your son.”
He was glad his skin was dark enough she couldn’t see what would be, judging from the heat he felt, a flaming blush. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d blushed. Maybe in the academy over a decade ago, when he’d missed a clue so obvious he’d felt humiliated.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “Never mind. You’re right. Don’t open those doors.”
