Sweet Hill Homecoming (2 page)

Mia gathered herself, turned on the car, and rolled down her window to talk to the Deputy and looked up to—

Oh. My. God. Deputy indeed.

“Hi,” she said on a strangled breath. The man was tall, built, and simply sinful looking.
 

Resting his forearm on the door of her car, he leaned down. His smile was earth shattering, a flash of straight white teeth with just a hint of charm. Kind of crooked, kind of cocky, and a lot sexy. In uniform khaki shirt, complete with a Stetson, blue jeans and a badge, the Deputy with dark eyes was packing heat and cuffs which made Mia hot in a totally different kind of way.
 

“Mia Blake?” he said back.
 

Her pulse raced. How did he know her name? She’d never seen him before in her life. She’d remember a guy like him.
 

“Ah, yes? I’m sorry have we met?”
 

He frowned, and it must have been the shadows across his face but Mia could have sworn for a brief moment he looked almost hurt.
 

“Yeah, we have.”

“Oh…” Great, now she was really wracking her brain, but she had seen a lot of men in her life. She didn’t have time to play guessing games with Deputy Hottie. She’d deal with it later. “So I guess you don’t still need my ID then?”
 

He glanced at the sunroof she just climbed through. “I was unaware you were back in town.”
 

“It’s not exactly news.”
 

Mia knew that a small town talks, but she also knew how to stay under the radar. But having a Deputy shove her through her car wasn’t exactly discrete. A Deputy she couldn’t place for the life of her.
 

Thank god it wasn’t the Sheriff out here because that would have been even more embarrassing. She had heard he was set to retire soon, so making a friend with the Deputy wouldn’t be a bad idea. She searched for his name tag, but it was too dark to see and she was running out of time.
 

“Well, I appreciate your help,” she said, swiping a lock of hair behind her ear.
 

“It was my pleasure,” he said and for the first time, there was a hint of something else in his voice. Something she didn’t even think he was aware of. But the sexy raspy tone made heat rush to her cheeks and her panties instantly damp.
 

Standing up straight, he pulled a booklet off his back holster and started scribbling.
 

God, was he really trying to give her his number? Not that she’d call. She didn’t have time for a man in her life. But he was hot and—

“Well, Mia,” he said, ripping off the piece of paper and handing it to her. “It was nice seeing you again. But you’re parked in a fire zone.”
 

Her mouth hung open as she looked at the—

“Ticket? Are you fricking kidding me?”
 

One-hundred-fifty dollars! That was the money she put aside for Kyle’s new cleats.
 

She opened her car door and got out to face him. After tonight, hell, after the past couple years she’d had, he was giving her a ticket? It wasn’t until she stared him down that she realized how he really rocked a uniform, but that couldn’t detour her.
 

“Deputy, I’ve had a really long day and so far the evening isn’t shaping up to be any better.”
 

She stepped a little closer. Prepared to find her polite side and try to just talk to the man. She just couldn’t afford this ticket right now because damn it, the cleats and the game came first.
 

“Can we just forget this unfortunate incident happened and I’ll pretend you didn’t hand me this?” Pinching the ticket between her thumb and finger, she lifted it, but just then, her left leg that had been tingling from the sunroof-shove incident buckled just enough to sway her balance.
 

She reached out to steady herself and her palm gently brushed his chest. His hard chest. His, holy crap the man was made of more steel than superman, chest. Hypnotized by his strength, she let her hand linger just for a second.
 

He looked down at where she touched him and raised a brow. “You assaulting a Deputy ma’am?”
 

His reaction shocked her.
 

“No, of course not,” she said quickly, removing her hand. “I just…”

“You just think you can bat your eyes and I’ll fall to my knees?” he shook his head. “We’re not in high school anymore and I’m not one of your admirers.”
 

Realization hit. High school. She caught a glimpse of his name tag: West. The only West she knew was an upper classman. Trevor? No, Tatum West.
 

She looked at the Deputy again.
 

“No way,” she said. The Tate West she barely remembered was a lot smaller and kind of skinny.
 

“You figure out who I am yet?” he asked, the snare on his words zinging her a little.
 

“Is this some kind of joke to you? Or is your ego intent on being an ass and getting me back because I don’t remember you?” She gave him her best glare. “You’ve changed a lot. It’s not my fault I didn’t recognize you.”

“I’m not concerned with you remembering or recognizing me. But I remember you, and I know how you work. Apparently some things don’t change.”
 

“How I work?” She crossed her arms. “You don’t know anything about me.”
 

“I know that you try to use your,” he glanced over her once, “
assets
to get out of tickets. Same way you used to get your trig homework done.”
 

She closed her eyes briefly. Shit. Tate was the brainy second string kicker whose football games she cheered. The same math genius that she tossed a few smiles so he’d do her homework. And now he was set to make her pay. She was sure of it.
 

“Look, I’m sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I know I was not the sweetest person in high school but I’m not that girl anymore.” She lifted the ticket. “I just really can’t have this ticket right now. Okay? So is there something you can do? Can we just move on?”
 

“You can go to court to contest it,” he said and Mia’s whole body was on the verge of a spaz attack.
 

She was ready to yell, to plead her case and call him several unflattering things. But when he looped his thumbs in the front clasp of his belt, Tatum West looked every bit the strong sexy Deputy and nothing like the skinny teenager from ten years ago. He gave her a smirk, daring her to take this one step further. But it was that smirk that did her in and made her un-bite her tongue.
 

“Something you care to say, Miss Blake?”
 

Her night had definitely gone from bad to worse. Between the ticket and her lower back killing her from the bumpy slide through the sunroof, she was officially tapped out. Out of money, patience and the ability to deal with this. And now she had to contend to her stupid neglected body that decided just then to turn on.
 

~

When the call came in that Mrs. Moberly saw a prowler stalking around the street, Tate figured it was just another shadow she was spooked about. The sixty-five-year-old busy body called every week about something. Tonight it was from her jam shop across the street. But Tate never thought he’d pull up on the back end of Mia Blake. And if he were honest, the most perfect ass he’d ever seen, hanging from a window.
 

One of his better calls for sure.
 

“Oh, I have plenty to say,” she said and raised her chin. Tate couldn’t help but be a little amused.
 

The woman was maybe five-four, nearly a foot shorter than him and she squared her shoulders as if ready to take him on. Even in an apron and what looked to be a pound of flour covering her, she was breathtaking. Not to mention the curviest body that defied the laws of physics he’d ever seen. Full breasts and a small waist that flared to wide hips and shapely backside and thighs. She was sinful, stacked, and a spit fire.
 

She was also just a person.
 

And despite the war he had going with his eyes, demanding to take a long leisurely look at her, he kept his stare on her face and his tone even. He was on duty and she was, as of right now, a disgruntled ticket holder.
 

She squinted and pushed her chest out a little, as if reading his mind that he was battling not to check her out. Challenge accepted. He was, if nothing else, professional.
 

His eyes stayed locked on hers and he raised a brow, waiting.
 

“Who do you think you are?” she said.
 

“Deputy,” he said and tapped the badge on his chest. “West.”

She clearly didn’t appreciate the mockery but she looked kind of cute when she was pissed.
 

“Obviously, but I don’t see why you’re intent on treating me this way.”

“And what way is that?”

She huffed and Tate could guess what “way” she was referring to. He wasn’t at her feet panting and drooling. Even in high school she was beyond gorgeous, and Tate may have taken a number for her attention back then, but he wasn’t a scrawny kid anymore and she wasn’t the wild cheerleader. Well, she wasn’t a cheerleader. Tate had no idea about the wild part but judging by the looks of her, Mia Blake still had a flare of a temper.
 

Last he’d heard, she’d moved to Seattle before he got back from the Academy. Whatever the reason she was back, she didn’t seem to be too pleased about it.
 

“I thought we were friends,” she said with just a hint of a pout. But when she cupped her lower back, effectively sticking her chest out again, he knew the game she was playing.
 

Tate laughed at that. “The ticket stands, Miss Blake.”
 

She tucked a lock of blonde hair behind her ear and when the lights hit her, he saw the slightest blush tint her creamy skin. Something he’d never accomplished before. Though he couldn’t tell at the moment, memory said that her eyes were a dark turquois. A color like that was unforgettable.
 

“I didn’t see the paint,” she pointed to the curb. “It’s all chipped and faded. It was dark when I showed up this morning.”
 

He frowned. This morning? Annie’s Café opened early and if she was here, that meant she easily pulled over a twelve hour shift. Which was unlikely.
 

Annie was engaged to Tate’s best friend Luke. Since Annie sent her grandmother on a cruise in Florida, she was looking for someone to take her shift. Tate knew Annie well and she wasn’t the kind to run her employees ragged. This was just another way to try to get out of a parking violation. He’d heard several women attempt to get out of tickets before and this sounded like just another line.
 

One he was familiar with.
 

“Sorry. Rules are rules,” he said.

She gripped the piece of paper in her small fist. The sound of it crinkling in her hand echoing across the otherwise deserted Main Street. It wasn’t his goal to overly upset her. And it wasn’t some vendetta because she didn’t remember him. Hell, she had many guys fawning over her, it honestly wasn’t a surprise. It was a simple matter of the law. She broke it. He didn’t dish out favors. End of story.
 

She clearly didn’t seem to be happy with this so he tried a different approach. At the very least to defuse her anger and attempt to part ways amicably.
 

“You sure you didn’t injure yourself?” he asked, definitely not squinting to get a better view of her, flashes of blue and red illuminating her face every couple seconds.
 

She looked down the front of herself. “I’m fine. Other than this ticket. You wouldn’t have even been here to give me this if—”

“If you hadn’t locked yourself out of your car and then got stuck?” Tate shook his head. “Still can’t park in a red zone.”

 
“What about a warning? Like I said, I was running late this morning and it was so dark I didn’t even notice it was a red zone.”
 

She looked like she was telling the truth but, “Rules are rules.”

“This one time you can’t just give a girl a break?” She rubbed her lower back again. Was this her go to move? Stick her chest out and demand special treatment?

Something dark heated Tate’s blood. “If I cut every pretty face a break, it’d never stop.”
 

She scoffed, then looked at the sky, then something like a half growl, half sob came from her.
 

“Of course not. Why cut anyone a break in this backwoods, hick town where all you care about is barging in and fucking with my life.”
 

Tate frowned because one, she insulted his town, not that he was surprised since she was never the kind that seemed to like Sweet Hill, but it was his town and he liked it. And two, she was standing there, wanting a “break.” He’d give her credit, Mia had a lot of nerve.