Sweet Hill Homecoming (10 page)

“Aren’t I always on a mission, Deputy?” she said sweetly. A little too sweetly.
 

“Indeed.” He looked from her sexy shoes up to her matching red lips.

She cleared her throat just a touch, and adjusted her weight, but a blush skated across her cheeks and Tate grinned. He had seen her reaction to men when they looked at her. And yeah, they looked at her alright. Blatantly. Tate tried not to be one of those guys. Because he also noticed that Mia seemed to regard them with either boredom or annoyance. But when Tate looked at her just now? She blushed. And for some reason he felt as though he just won a prize.
 

“I came to get some information about last year’s Santa’s Sleigh Drive.”

Tate hooked his thumbs at the front of his belt. He was about to ask why, but when he noticed Mia’s gaze snap down to his “belt,” he couldn’t help but grin a bit more. He rolled on his heels just enough to subtly thrust his hips forward. Her eyes snapped back up to his and yep, she was full blown blushing now.
 

“I ah…” she stuttered and looked through her papers on her clipboard.
 

“Got sidetracked?” he asked. “Thinking about other things? Things from a previous night, perhaps?”
 

He grinned and for the first time since he’d pushed Mia through her car, she was a bit speechless.

“You wanted information about last year’s event,” he said, helping the obviously flustered Miss Blake.
 

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because I was under the impression that you were last year’s coordinator.” She didn’t need to air quote that last word, the tone of her voice said it all.
 

“I was. The spot this year is at the courthouse and I have all documents and planning paperwork I could keep but I don’t know why that concerns you.”
 

“It concerns me because I am heading up the event this year.”
 

As if his chest was a balloon and her words were the sharp end of “eff you” he exhaled.
 

“You’re heading up the event?”
 

She nodded happily.
 

“Under whose authority?”
 

That smile got wider and damn the thing could launch ships. “Your mother’s.” Tate’s face fell but she just reached forward and adjusted his nametag. “I’ll give you a day to gather your paperwork and get it to me. I see here that the Sheriff’s Department is in charge of toys this year.” She tapped her clipboard. “I’m going to need you to build some booths.”

“How—”

She shoved a piece of paper at him. “Those are the measurements and dimensions. I need twenty.”

“Twenty?” He looked over the layout she had in mind. Simple enough but, “Do you have supplies for all of this?”
 

“Well, of course.” She smiled at him like he was some kind of enfilade that lacked a brain. “I went and saw Brett at the hardwood store before I came here. I told him my predicament and, can you believe it, he offered to donate all the wood and supplies to build the booths.”
 

When Mia bent down a little to flick a fuzzy off her stocking, Tate had a pretty good idea what that woman and her perfect ass could accomplish. And yes, he could believe it.
 

“So I’ll let you get to that,” she pointed at the paper Tate held. “And it looks like I’ll really be seeing you at the courthouse.”
 

She turned on her sexy heels and strutted that perfect ass right out of his lobby, pausing only to look over her shoulder and say,
 

“Looks like we’re partners.”
 

Chapter Six

“I think she’s ballsy,” Luke said, cutting a small branch off the apple tree.
 

Tate scoffed and he could see his breath in the brisk winter afternoon. There was no doubt about that.
 

“I just can’t believe we’re paired up for this. She walked into the department yesterday and talked to me like I worked for her,” Tate said, cutting a branch from a neighboring tree.
 

With the winter setting in, the apple trees only needed a bit of pruning. So when Luke asked him to help out today, Tate couldn’t really turn his friend down.
 

“Why haven’t you hired a foreman yet? Shouldn’t he be heading up the crew to do this?”
 

Luke nodded. “Just haven’t found the right guy for the job.”
 

Tate just kept snipping away.
 

“You know I think Mia on this event is a good thing. Annie said it’s kind of what she did in Seattle. She already has me donating five cases of apples and Annie is going to make pies for some kind of contest and to sell. Mia seems to be on the ball.”
 

Tate nodded. He’d heard something along those lines too. Of course it wasn’t a surprise that Mia made a living at throwing parties. But if there was one person to get people on board with her ideas, it was Mia. Tate knew firsthand how persuasive she could be.
 

“It’s going to be a long few weeks,” Tate said.
 

“Will it? Looking at her on a daily basis can’t be that bad, since every time she’s around you can’t seem to look anywhere else.”
 

Speaking of “looks” Tate shot Luke a clear “shut the fuck up” glare and went back to cutting.
 

“On the bright side, if she can handle most of this event stuff, you can focus on your campaign more.”

“There’s nothing to really campaign.”

“But this event is the one thing you have going that will show the town a physical reason you’re the best choice for sheriff.”

“I’m the only choice,” Tate said dryly.
 

“Yeah, but I’ve heard you talk. You worry about the town adjusting to you being the new Sheriff.”
 

That was true. He’d gotten flack, mostly from the older generation, that Tate was too young to be Sheriff, at least as good of a Sheriff as Branch. Tate wanted his town’s support.
 

“If you’re tied to this event and it’s a success, it will help show everyone that you care about the community, work hard and are ready to take on the position of Sheriff. All those people straddling the fence will see that you can handle taking Branch’s spot.”
 

Tate thought for a moment and Luke did have a point. While he’d helped in the past with Santa’s Sleigh Drive and was set to help this year, it could be the thing he needed to prove his competence to the town.
 

Most of the town turned out for this event and if he could make it good, really show that he genuinely cared about the community to put in extra effort, it could help get voters.
 

But if Santa’s Sleigh Drive was a total flop?
 

Then Tate would be seen in a negative light and put a bigger divide between him and the people that he was trying to convince he was Sheriff material.
 

“This event has to go well,” Tate said. “Because if it doesn’t, it will have the adverse effect of getting voters.”
 

“Couldn’t agree more,” Luke said. “So you’ll just have to play nice with Mia.”
 

If only Luke knew how difficult that actually was.
 

 
“That reminds me,” Tate said. “I still need to beat you for all those damn posters you put up around town.”
 

“What?” Luke smiled. “Gotta nice big shot of your ugly mug in my lawn right now. That’s support!”
 

“Yeah, right,” Tate mumbled.
 

He had several trees to get done before they called it a day and all he could think about was the way Mia looked in that skirt, ready to take on anything in her path, and demand from the world.
 

He smiled. There was something about that woman…

~

With her scarf around her neck and coat buttoned up, Mia locked up the café, and picked up the small crate of apples Annie gave her to take home. Though it was dark and the shops on Main Street were closed, it was only a mile walk. She started her trek down the side walk.
 

“Good evening, ma’am.”
 

Mia didn’t have to look up to know who said that.
 

“Deputy West,” she acknowledged as he kept pace beside her in his cruiser. “You’re either a Ninja or a stalker, but is there a reason you’re following me?”

“Just out patrolling.” He leaned a little to talk to her through the rolled down passenger window. “But I like that you think I’m a Ninja.”

Apparently he missed the part where she also called him a stalker. She glanced his way. His left arm was relaxed as his wrist hung over the top of the steering wheel and his other was on the passenger seat so he could shrug a little to see and talk to her. She caught flashes of his badge from the street lights. He looked so calm and comfortable in his own skin. And that uniform...
 

Mia looked straight ahead again. Clutched the crate of apples tighter.
 

“Where’s your car this evening?” he asked.
 

She didn’t look at him, just kept her eyes forward. “Kyle has it. He’s staying late to run some football drills or something.”

“And you’re not concerned about walking home alone?”
 

She shrugged. “Kyle’s gear is heavy and he has farther to go. I don’t mind.”
 

She chanced a look at him and his eyes held something almost soft in them. “That’s nice of you.” The way he said it with a hint of surprise irritated her.
 

“I can be nice, Deputy. Don’t sound so shocked.”
 

He chuckled and the deep rumble made something zing to life beneath the surface of her skin. It started in her belly and spread from the tops of her knees to the tips of her breasts.
 

“Forgive me, Miss Blake. The encounters I’ve had the pleasure of with you have been…”

She arched a brow at him.
 

“Spirited.”
 

She couldn’t help but smile, then tried to hide it. He was charming. She liked his word choice too. A word like spirited made her feel less bitchy and more competent.

“Why don’t I give you a ride home,” he said.
 

She stopped and looked at the entirety of the situation. Hot Deputy she wanted to taste as much as cuss out complete with cuffs and a badge? And he was being sweet to her? Bad combo.
 

“No thanks, Deputy.”
 

“Why?”

“Because showing up at my apartment in a police car wouldn’t look good to my neighbors. People I’m trying to get to volunteer to help with Santa’s Sleigh Drive. Besides,” she eyed him, “I never know what to expect with you. Maybe you’ll ticket me for J-walking.”
 

He gripped the steering wheel. “
You
don’t know what to expect with
me
? I could say the same about you, Mia. But we won’t pull up with lights flashing and you’ll be in the front seat.”

The seat next to him? Where she could smell him. Feel his warmth. See all those hard muscles just beneath the uniform and remember how hard and perfect he felt against her body?
 

Nope. Not a good idea.
 

“No thank you. I enjoy walking.”
 

She thought she heard him mumble something like, “Stubborn woman.” Then to her surprise, parked the car against the curb and got out.
 

“What are you doing?” she asked when he came to walk beside her.
 

“I can’t let a lady walk home alone, in the dark, carrying apples.” He moved to take the crate from her and she let him.
 

He seemed like he legitimately was concerned about her safety. The look in a man’s eyes when he was working an angle was obvious to Mia. And no such looked marred Tate’s face.
 

“It’s not that far. Besides, you really think someone will come mug me for apples?”
 

Tate shook his head and kept pace beside her. “It’s not muggers I’m worried about. It’s squirrels. They go crazy for these.” He patted the crate.
 

She smiled. “Well in that case, thank you for saving me from what would be a rabid gang of squirrels.”
 

“Just doing my job, ma’am, serving and protecting and all.”
 

His charming grin made her stomach flutter and as their boots scraped the pavement, keeping stride with each other, she couldn’t help but feel a little less cold, a little less alone with Tatum next to her.
 

“So what are you doing with these?” Tate asked and she looked up at him.
 

“Kyle is having some of his football friends over after the game on Friday. I’m making my famous dessert.”