The Accidental Sheriff (6 page)

“But you had a place to keep one.”

“True.”

“She’s going to start riding lessons next week. Here, in fact. Her school’s offering an afternoon program.”

“I know. This is something new for the ranch. We’ve had such good luck partnering with the Horizon Adult Day Care Center, the family decided to try a similar program with the elementary school.”

“She’s excited. I’m not sure how but she twisted my arm and convinced me to buy her a pair of pink cowboy boots.” He leaned back in his seat. Being with Carolina was effortless. He’d felt that way about her since their double date.

Being with her, however, was also tempting, and Neil knew he should leave before his impulses won out and he did something stupid.

Except he didn’t leave.

“Would you like to come in for a minute?” Carolina tilted her head at an engaging angle.

“Thanks, but I can’t. I need to get home. Zoey’s babysitter has to leave by ten.” The excuse was a weak one, given it wasn’t quite eight-thirty.

“Please. It’s important.”

“I don’t—”

“This isn’t easy for me.”

It wasn’t for him, either. The desire to touch her was powerful—link fingers, nuzzle cheeks, inhale the scent of her windblown hair. He didn’t care what so long as there was intimate contact.

“We really should talk.”

“One of my deputies will contact you.”

“Not about the illegal mining.”

“Okay.”

No, not okay. Neil wasn’t sure he wanted to pick up where
they’d left off at the mine site when he’d rejected her dinner invitation. Sitting with her in the dark, close enough that he could feel the seat shift every time she moved, he might not have the willpower to say no if she asked him out again. His imagination drifted to the porch swing, the two of them sitting with her long, bare legs draped across his lap.

Wait, wasn’t that feet? When did she go from wearing jeans to shorts?

He fumbled for the keys.

“I went out on a limb, suggesting we meet for dinner,” she began softly. “I think that entitles me to know the real reason you turned me down.”

“I told you. It’s my job.”

“Is there a conflict of interest because I’m the victim and you’re heading up the investigation?”

“There could be.”

“The investigation won’t last forever.”

“No.” With any luck, the culprits had left a piece or two of incriminating evidence behind in their haste to leave when Little José surprised them.

“And besides,” Carolina continued smoothly, “we’re both adults and more than capable of separating our work from our personal lives.”

“Maybe
you
are.” Even that small admission was more than Neil had intended.

“I’m flattered,” she said, a smile in her voice.

He scrubbed his face, the bristles of his five-o’clock shadow scratching his palms. This was going from bad to worse, and the only way he could see to prevent disaster was to level with her. But that would require he let down his guard.

Neil hadn’t done that with anyone since Lynne. Not even with Zoey, and she was the center of his universe.

“I guess that’s my cue to go,” Carolina said with a hint of
disappointment. Unbuckling her seat belt, she reached for the door handle.

His hand covered the small space separating them and gently took hold of her arm. He had no idea what he’d done until he felt the cool fabric of her coat sleeve beneath his fingers.

“What?” She turned. Her gaze darted to his hand before connecting with his.

Insane for sure, but his grip on her tightened.

“What?” she repeated more softly.

Neil had always been a man of action, not words. That the right thing to say should fail him now was no great surprise.

“Stay.” He swallowed, took a breath. “Please.” He had to explain. Make her understand.

She remained rigid. “Give me one good reason. You’ve already hurt me once. I can’t handle a second time.”

He nodded and let go of her arm.

But before she’d moved so much as an inch, he raised his hand to her cheek and cradled it tenderly.

“How about this for a reason?” he said, and drew her toward him.

C
AROLINA RESISTED
Neil’s advances, and he let her. After all, she was right. He’d hurt her.

Besides, he was still buckled in and unable to maneuver more than a few inches. If they were going to finish what he’d started, it was entirely up to her.

“You’re infuriating,” she told him.

No argument there.

“And you don’t play fair.”

“Guilty as charged.” To prove her point, he traced the outline of her ear with his index finger.

She gave the tiniest, softest of moans.

It was probably just as well the seat belt restrained him. No telling what he’d do otherwise.

“Sometimes you can be a real jerk.”

Ouch! That was harsh. His finger stilled. He’d obviously underestimated her anger and should let her go. But not before he apologized.

“Carolina—”

She leaned across the seat divider, cradled his face in her hands and brought his mouth to within inches of hers. “But mostly, you’re incredibly sexy, and I’d never forgive myself if I didn’t take advantage of the moment.”

For several long seconds, nothing happened. Neil remained perfectly motionless, suspended midway between heaven and hell, afraid she’d start kissing him, afraid she wouldn’t and that he’d miss out on what was promising to be one of the best experiences of his life.

Finally, thank God, she ended his torture—or was that began it?—by sliding closer and melting into him.

Neil’s arms went around her, settling into place as if they belonged there. What started out as a hesitant exploration quickly built into an explosion of supernova proportions they were both at a loss to contain. She tasted exquisite, felt incredible and wreaked the kind of havoc on his senses that could send him hurtling toward the edge in a matter of minutes.

He knew he should put a stop to her while enough of his brain function remained for him to think straight.

In the next instant, she angled her head, slipped her hand inside his jacket and laid her palm over his pounding heart.

After that, thinking ceased altogether. There was only Carolina. How could he have gone so long without this? Her mouth tantalized his, her scent enveloped him, her heat invaded every inch of him. He must have been crazy. No, he
was
crazy.

Leading her on was wrong. Unfair. Unkind. He had to…had to…

He clasped her by the shoulders to gently ease her from him. She must have misread his intentions for she deepened their kiss, taking him to a place he hadn’t been for years.

Four years, to be exact.

Neil had dated and kissed women since coming to Payson. Pecks, mostly. On the cheek or sometimes the lips. But not like this mind-blowing, can’t-get-enough-of-her kiss that pushed his resolve to its very limits.

She saved him from a total loss of control by pulling back. “Well, so much for my sister’s theory,” she said, and slid back into her seat.

“What theory?” His heart continued to hammer, and perspiration lined his brow. He wiped the dampness away with the back of his hand and might have unsnapped the buttons of his jacket except for fear he’d be sending her the wrong signal.

“She had the nerve to suggest I only ask out guys I’m not interested in.” Obviously made of stronger stuff than him, she showed no evidence of waging an emotional war with herself.

“You were trying to prove them right?”

“Yes,” she purred.

“Okay.” The dig gave him a much needed reality check. It also served to remind him just how vulnerable he was where she was concerned. “I guess after all the things I said to you earlier, I deserved that.”

“You goon.” She laughed and rolled toward him, wrapping a shapely leg around his. “Don’t you get it?” Clutching the front of his jacket, she lifted her face to his for a quick kiss that was nonetheless reeling. “I’m interested in you, Sheriff Lovitt, and have been from the moment we met.”

All his silent reasoning in the past five minutes hadn’t sobered him as much as what she’d just said.

The dog, bored with being left to her own devices, appeared at the gate and resumed whining.

Carolina groaned. “She’s worse than having a mother who flashes the porch light. I really should go and feed her before she dumps over the garbage can. I didn’t know anything so little could get into so much trouble.” She sifted her fingers through the hair at Neil’s temples. “Come inside with me. Never mind,” she said, before he could answer. “I forgot Zoey’s babysitter has to leave.”

He’d disappointed her again. And once started, he couldn’t stop himself from doing it over and over.

“It wouldn’t make any difference.”

She stilled. “Because?”

“I can’t go inside with you. Can’t go to dinner with you. Can’t be alone with you.”

“I see.” She visibly stiffened.

“Before you storm off,” he said, “please listen to me.” He exhaled slowly. “I care about you.”

“Really?” The tilt of her head implied he had a strange way of showing it.

“I do. Much more than I should.” Here was the part where he could use a coach to help him choose what to say. “Lynne’s dead because of me.”

“It was an accident.”

“Call it whatever you like, my lack of judgment triggered a chain of events that ended with her dying. Afterward, I promised myself I wouldn’t put the people close to me in danger. It’s the reason I sent Zoey to live with her grandparents. It’s the reason I took a job in a small town when I couldn’t stand being separated from her.”

“How is shutting yourself off from a relationship with me going to protect me?”

He blinked away an image of Lynne in a pool of blood. “If we’re not together, you’re less likely to wind up in the path of a killer’s bullet.”

“There are no killers lurking in the shadows, Neil,” she said, her voice gentler.

“There could be.”

“This is Gila County. Hardly anything bad ever happens here. You said so yourself.”

“Ten years ago Sheriff Herberger’s house was torched by the brother of a man he’d arrested.”

“That’s one incident. And if I remember correctly, no one was home at the time.”

“One incident is all it takes.”

“You’re willing to risk Zoey’s life.”

“Yes, and I live in constant fear for her safety. It’s gotten worse since I was appointed acting sheriff. I’m suddenly more visible. More people know who I am. Who my daughter is.” He laid his head against the seat back and closed his eyes. “Zoey’s my only child, and I’m her only parent. I tried giving her up. My life wasn’t just incomplete without her, it was unbearable.”

“But you can give me up.” Disappointment more than anger tinged her voice.

“Today I can.” He turned to look at her. In the semidarkness, her features were soft and sweet and achingly lovely. “What scares me is that if we keep seeing each other, keep doing what we just did, I won’t be able to give you up. Ever.”

“It’s hard to tell, but did I hear a compliment in there somewhere?”

“You did.”

She studied him, her gaze critical. “Are you sure you’re not overreacting just a little?”

“Not everyone in Payson supported the county commissioner’s decision to appoint me acting sheriff.”

Her eyes widened. “Has something happened?”

“I received a minor threat the day of the interview, and someone’s been calling my home and private cell phone and hanging up. The same type of thing happened after Lynne died.”

“Pranks?”

“Not all of them.” A chill coursed through him. “Twice I was accosted outside my home. The perpetrators got away.”

“What about Zoey?”

“Fortunately, she was at her grandparents’ then. I’ll do whatever’s necessary to safeguard her until Sheriff Herberger’s well and I can go back to being just a deputy.”

Or back to hiding in a hole, as Neil referred to it during those rare moments when he was honest with himself.

“What about us? Can we…keep doing what we just did when Otis is well?”

He didn’t respond immediately.

Her laugh this time was bitter. “Boy, I just keep setting myself up, don’t I?”

“I can protect Zoey better than I can you. She’s five and has to do what I tell her to.”

“And I don’t,” Carolina stated.

“You
won’t.
You’re very much your own person. I like and admire that about you, but it makes protecting you damn near impossible.”

A range of emotions flickered across her face. Neil began to think he was finally getting through to her.

“I don’t believe you, Sheriff Lovitt, and I’m getting tired of your excuses.” Wrong again.

“Carolina.”

She wrenched the handle beside her, flung open the door and stepped outside. “Sounds to me like you’re trying to protect yourself. Not Zoey and certainly not me.”

“Even if you’re right, which you’re not, it won’t change anything. I have a duty and a responsibility.”

She sniffed. “I need a man who isn’t afraid to get involved.”

“I understand.”

“I think you’ll regret this one day.” She slammed the door shut and walked away.

He didn’t have to wait that long. He was already regretting it.

“Don’t think just because your family’s guest ranch is one of our sponsors you can pick and choose your assignments.”

“That’s not it, Ward.” Carolina sat with her hands on the table in front of her, trying not to twist the tennis bracelet on her left wrist. She’d returned the diamond engagement ring Lonnie had given her but kept the bracelet he’d surprised her with their first Christmas together.

Not all her experiences with her ex-fiancé were bad. Just the final ones.

After the other day, when she’d informed Ward she’d rather not do the story on Neil, her boss had blown up, but promptly cooled down. Then today, he’d called her into the small conference room, demanding she accept the assignment on Neil. His annoyance came across like an afterthought, as if he were following a protocol he didn’t fully support.

But even with the lack of intensity, his reproof still caused her extreme discomfort. For an awkward moment, she was that little girl who’d dumped the entire container of fish food into the aquarium. Apparently she hadn’t matured much since then.

“I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ward, but I can’t help feeling a negatively slanted exposé on Neil would hurt him and his daughter unnecessarily. Not to mention adversely affect the people of this county and their safety.”

“How so?”

“Targeting Neil, creating problems for him, could distract him and compromise his ability to perform his job.”

He crooked an eyebrow at her. “That’s a stretch.”

“Not a big one. We don’t know how he’ll react. Cops have that adrenaline thing going.”

Talk about a stretch. Neil was the epitome of cool. Except when he’d kissed her. He’d been hot enough to blister the Jeep’s leather seats.

“Are you willing to risk your job for him?”

Ward’s question gave her a start. Vi had asked Carolina the same thing, and she’d believed then her boss wouldn’t threaten her with unemployment.

Wrong again.

“Yes,” she said, gulping.

Reporters had ethics, right? Like Woodward and Bernstein. They’d gone to jail to protect their source.

Comparing herself to journalistic legends didn’t take the sting out of potentially losing her job.

“I’m not going to fire you, Carolina,” Ward said evenly.

Whew! That was a relief. She tried not to go limp or burst into tears.

“But there will be repercussions.”

“I understand.” She’d prepared herself for a formal written warning.

“You can forget about any more roving assignments for the foreseeable future.”

While not entirely out of the blue, the announcement still hit her hard. Step two of her life-redirecting plan was to advance her career. This was a huge setback.

“And you’ll be put on probation for ninety days.”

Correction, a brick wall.

“Isn’t that a little extreme?” she choked out.

“Not for insubordination. Read your employee manual.”

She didn’t reply. How could she with a giant, painful lump lodged in her throat?

What would Neil say if he knew all she was going through for him? Would he change his mind about dating her?

Doubtful.

If she didn’t like him so much and sympathize with his position, she’d resent him.

“I’m sorry, Carolina,” Ward said.

“Me, too.” She nodded.

“If it were up to me alone, I’d let you off with just a verbal warning.”

Because he did sound genuinely sorry, she risked her fragile state and looked at him. His face showed a strain she hadn’t previously noticed.

“Are you okay?” she found herself asking.

“Fine. Why?”

“You just seem…a little distracted.”

He busied himself with her personnel file, which lay open in front of him.

“You’re not usually so nice,” she blurted.

“Nice?” He glowered at her. “I just put you on probation for ninety days.”

That was more like it.

“Is there anything else?” she asked.

“No.” He didn’t glance up.

She started to rise from the conference table. Being confident she’d done the right thing was some solace but not enough. She really had her heart set on being a roving announcer. It was hard seeing her dream put on indefinite hold. Unless…

Inspiration was a beautiful thing.

She sat back down.

Ward lifted his head and appraised her curiously. “Forget something?”

“Did you hear about the illegal mining operation they found on the ranch this weekend?”

“No.” His expression quickly went from surprise to interest.

“It was in yesterday’s paper.”

“Erica and I were in Tempe over the weekend, visiting Len. We didn’t get back until late last night.”

Their eighteen-year-old was a promising freshman quarterback, attending Arizona State University on a full athletic scholarship. Ward couldn’t be prouder. Neither could his wife, who tooted her stepson’s horn as loudly as his father did.

“What happened?” He pushed Carolina’s personnel file aside.

“One of our hands was riding the trail and found a mine shaft. Turns out, someone’s been excavating for gold on our property.”

“No fooling!” Ward listened attentively as Carolina filled him in on the details. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing at the moment. We’re stalled until the authorities complete their investigation. That could take weeks or even months.”

“Do they have any idea who’s behind it?”

“Not so far.”

“I’m amazed. Really. There hasn’t been any significant gold discovered in this area for decades. It’s quite a story.”

“That’s kind of my point.” She readied herself for the pitch she was about to make. “You said yourself you wanted to raise the quality of our newscasts. Well, here’s our chance.”

“Explain.” His pen beat a rhythmic tap on the tabletop.

“This story has far-reaching ramifications. It’s not just a matter of a crime being committed. Apparently, there’s gold in our hills. It could impact the entire town, if not the county.”

His eyes flickered.

Bingo, she thought with a smile. “Gold fever. Imagine the
scores of new listeners we can win over by covering this story. We could run daily updates. Include local lore and stories from the mine strike twenty years ago.” She reminded herself to check with the museum about the map.

“What strike was that?”

“Up by Quail Butte. Southeast of town.” She frequently forgot Ward wasn’t a native of Payson. “I’ll copy the old newspaper clippings for you.”

“If I agree to let you cover the story, will your family give the station exclusive rights?”

“No one will be allowed on the ranch unless they work for KPKD.”

“And no interviews except to us?”

“Absolutely.”

“What do you want in exchange?”

“We can negotiate.”

“Free advertising for the ranch?”

“That’s a start.”

He stared at her. “You want to be in charge of the story.”

“Yes.”

“I did just tell you to forget about any future roving assignment.”

“There is that.”

“I can put someone else on the story.”

“Then I can’t guarantee KPKD exclusive rights. Besides, I’m the best candidate.”

“Are you?” He sat back, evaluating her.

“It makes perfect sense.” Riding the momentum she’d already started, Carolina ticked off the reasons on her fingertips. “The illegal mining is on my family’s ranch. I grew up in Payson and am familiar with the town’s history. I have previous journalism experience and a connection with the local law enforcement.”

“Sheriff Lovitt,” Ward said.

“Actually,” she said, swallowing to clear her voice, “I was referring to Sheriff Herberger. He and my uncle are old friends.”

After the fiasco with Neil Saturday night, any “connection” she’d had with him was severed. Every time she recalled asking him out, she cringed with embarrassment. When she thought of their kiss, her cheeks flamed. And remembering his final rejection made her want to kick the closest piece of furniture or break down and cry.

So far, the love-life portion of her redirecting plan was one big fat disaster. She’d move past Neil and focus her attention elsewhere, except no one else remotely interested her.

Not to the degree he did and not after the other night.

Neil had amazing kissing skills. Angels-singing, earthmoving, heart-going-pitter-patter kind of kissing skills.

Stop thinking about him,
Carolina silently scolded herself.

Hadn’t he been crystal clear about not wanting to get involved with her? She might consider his so-called promise to himself stupid, but he was committed to it, and she wasn’t desperate enough to grovel.

“Sheriff Lovitt would be a better connection,” Ward said, “and he likes you.”

Yeah, for all the good it had done her.

“Sheriff Lovitt is very much by the book,” she said, “and he’s already refused to cooperate. I doubt I can get much information from him.”

“Use your feminine wiles.”

“He’s immune.”

“You know?”

“I’ve tested the waters. He’s not biting.”

“It’s Sheriff Lovitt or no deal,” Ward said decisively.

“What?” Carolina sat up as if poked with a sharp stick.

“You can be in charge of the story but only on the condition that you cultivate your connection with Sheriff Lovitt.”

“Why? Sheriff Herberger is—”

“He’s on medical leave. Not actively involved in the investigation.”

Oh, dear. This wasn’t what she’d planned.

“You want the assignment or not?”

“Yes. I do.”

“Excellent.” Ward smiled as he stood. “I’ll tell the station’s legal counsel to draw up the contract.”

“My family will have to review it first,” Carolina mumbled. She was still in a bit of a daze. “I don’t have the authority to sign without their consent.”

“Fine. In the meantime, you can move your stuff into Frank’s old cubicle.”

“Really?”

Her own cubicle. One she didn’t have to share with the evening traffic director. Her spirits immediately rose, only to plummet as she remembered the tradeoff—working closely with Neil.

Not a problem. She could, she assured herself, be a professional.

And just who did she think she was kidding?

“W
HAT ARE YOU
doing here? I thought you had a meeting with your boss this afternoon.”

Jake’s surprise was legitimate. Carolina seldom visited the ranch’s riding stables. Hailey, Jake’s sister, had been the serious rider in the family, a position his oldest daughter, Briana, now held. Most afternoons, the teenager was either practicing her barrel racing, working with her high school equestrian drill team or giving riding lessons to the special-needs individuals from the Horizon Adult Day Care Center.

“I got off a little early,” Carolina said.

“Really? Why?”

“That’s sort of what I wanted to talk to you about.”

She had caught Jake just as he was coming out of the barn office. He was probably consulting with Gary Forester about ranch business. While the family met and voted on major issues, day-to-day operations were Jake’s responsibility.

“I had an interesting meeting with my boss this morning. Told him in no uncertain terms that I wasn’t comfortable doing the story on Neil.” They both began walking toward Jake’s truck, which was parked in front of the main corral.

“How did that go?”

“Not as bad as I anticipated.”

“Excellent!”

They reached the truck and, by unspoken agreement, leaned their backs against the sidewall to carry on their conversation.

“Yeah, I guess.”

“You don’t sound too happy.”

“I thought Ward would be tougher on me.” She flipped up the collar of her coat to ward off the breeze. In a matter of days, their Indian summer had ended and the weather had turned chilly.

“And you’re disappointed?”

“No, confused. He’s been acting a little weird lately—not like himself. He gets mad over the most minor incidents then turns around the next day and blows off something that would normally send him through the roof.”

“Count yourself lucky you got off as easily as you did.”

“There’s a little more to the story.”

“And a little more to your visit here, I’m betting.”

Carolina grinned sheepishly.

Of all his Sweetwater cousins, she was closest to Jake. Maybe because she was most like his late sister Hailey. Not in looks or horsemanship but in personality. Hailey had also
liked to defy convention. Carolina hoped the soft spot Jake held for her would sway him into going along with her plan.

“What do you need?” he asked.

“Why do you automatically assume I need something?”

“Carolina.” His tone was reproachful.

He definitely knew her too well.

“All right, here’s the thing. I’ve tentatively agreed for the family to give KPKD exclusive rights to the illegal mining story in exchange for me being put in charge of it.”

“I see.”

As she explained the details of the tentative deal she’d struck with Ward, Carolina observed Briana from the corner of her eye. The teenager led a group of about a dozen very young children from the barn into a small corral. At first, Carolina assumed the children were offspring of guests at the ranch. As they came closer, she saw they all wore identical lime-green ball caps and name tags on the front of their jackets. Bells went off in Carolina’s head. These children were participants in the after-school riding program.

Which meant one of those squirming and squealing munchkins was Neil’s daughter.

“Do you think the family will have a problem with it?” she asked Jake after she’d told him everything.

“I’m not sure we should talk to anybody about the mining. Not until we know more, which could be a while.”

“We wouldn’t be providing details of the crime itself as much as the effects of the illegal mining from the victims’ standpoint.”

“Won’t talking to the media hinder the investigation?”

“Or help it. Whoever’s behind the mining is probably local or has local connections,” she said, quoting the newspaper report. “The more people are made aware of what’s going on, the more likely someone will report suspicious activity to the Silent Witness Hotline.”