Hiding From The Sheriff (A Southern Kind of Love Book 1)

by Palmer Jones

  Addie held her breath. Risking passing out was better than unleashing the wrath of a woman who’d been misunderstood by everyone in the world.

  No, it wasn’t.

  “It’s your damn fault I’m in this mess, Brian.”

  “Whoa! Is it that time of the month? Never heard you shout at me before, sweet cheeks—”

  “No, I’m not on my period. You shut your fly trap for a second and listen to me. I’m tired of being your little dress up doll to parade around whenever you need me. I’m tired of waiting for you to call me after you left me in jail for your own stupid mistake. And I’m tired of being called sweet cheeks!” She screamed the last word, her voice echoing off the trees around the Dempsey’s house.

  She covered her lips. Had they heard?

  “Well, I guess there’s nothing else for me to say.”

  “No, there’s not. As soon as I get out of here, I’ll go to the condo to get my things.”

  “I’m glad you told me this before I left Vail. You know, there’s a real pretty ski instructor here that’s been flirting with me ever since I arrived. I’ve been too faithful to you to look in her direction.”

  Addie rolled her eyes. He’d looked at every attractive female they passed since they began dating.

  “I may go see if she’s free tonight.”

  “You do that.”

  He laughed again. “Addie, I don’t want to fight. I’m sure once you calm down, you’ll reconsider your decision. I know you must miss me.”

  “Goodbye, Brian.” She hung up the phone. Done. She’d broken up with him.

  She fiddled with her phone, staring at the picture of Brian she had as a screensaver. Her time in Statem gave her a rare glimpse into life as the real Addie again.

  She didn’t hide her smile as Cameron left the house, his eyes trained on her. With his lips set in a grim, straight line, he resembled an old west lawman walking into a saloon. Right now, that’s what she wanted. The grumpy guy with a cowboy swagger.

  What would it be like with Cameron? Being open and honest with someone?

  “You okay?” Cameron shoved his hands in his pockets as Addie climbed the back-porch steps. “I thought I heard you yell.”

  “Fine. Brian didn’t even know I was in jail until my brother visited him in Vail yesterday. He’s a little put out that Trevor was mean to him.”

  “How mean? I know I told Trevor not to end up in jail, but please tell me he ended up in jail.”

  Addie straightened. “No. Of course not. Trevor wouldn’t fight him.”

  Cameron’s tone turned lethal. “Then, Trevor wasn’t mean enough for what Brian put you through. He should be confined to a hospital bed, not enjoying himself on the slopes while you’re waiting for a court appearance.”

  His gaze pinned her in place stronger than any hand could. Her strait-laced cop possessed a dark side. She’d never known any man willing to go to jail for her. But Cameron sounded serious.

  “Why are you with him, Addie?”

  She opened her mouth to tell him that they’d broken it off, even confess the truth about never loving him to begin with, but his cynical laugh made her pause.

  He ran a hand over his hair, causing his shoulder muscles to bunch together. “Forget it. I was told to mind my own business.” He turned and walked away, leaving her staring at his back as he stepped off the porch into the backyard and headed around to the front. Why was he so mad at her? Until a week ago, he probably hadn’t thought about her since he’d stayed at her house all those years ago.

  She headed inside, Mrs. Dempsey stood alone at the sink washing plates from breakfast.

  “What’s wrong with Cameron? Did he recognize the image on the video?”

  “No.” She picked up another plate and ran it under the steaming water. “I’m sure they’ll both get around to thanking you for the video, though. Jimmy rushed out of here after watching it a dozen times and, well, I guess you saw Cameron leave.” She set the dish in the dishwasher and reached for the frying pan.

  Addie snagged her coffee cup off the table and poured herself a refill before Mrs. Dempsey washed it. She’d take another ten cups of the Kona coffee if Mrs. Dempsey offered it to her.

  “I’m not sure what I said to make him so mad this morning other than not answering the phone when Brian called.”

  “I think it’s what you didn’t say.” She turned off the water and wiped her hands on a towel. “Addie,” she began, hanging the towel on the front of the cabinet. “I don’t think you've been very honest.”

  Worry shot through her. What had they discovered on the computer? She knew this whole thing had been a bad idea. She hadn’t even hacked Sunflower yet. “I’m sorry for that. It’s just, with my job, I have to keep some things secret—”

  “I meant with yourself, dear. Do you enjoy men looking at you the way they do?”

  Her lips parted, but no words came out. She’d never considered her own feelings in this. “I don’t think of it that way.”

  “You got that video, didn’t you? You somehow got into their system and pulled down the video.” At Addie’s silence, Mrs. Dempsey crossed her arms. “I knew there was more to you than tight pants and makeup, but this is something else, Addie. Something serious.”

  “They won’t be able to trace it back to your address. I promise. I rerouted the signal.”

  Mrs. Dempsey laughed, loud and vibrant. It felt out of place considering Addie’s nerves were winding up so tight, she could get physically sick at any moment.

  “I don’t mean that kind of serious. I mean the difference in what you present and who you truly are. Cameron is having a tough time resolving all the conflicts that surround you with his own reaction.”

  “Did he tell you this?”

  “Honey, I’m his mother. He doesn’t have to tell me.”

  Addie’s brain skimmed past asking about Cameron’s reaction and focused on the conflicts she’d mentioned. “What conflicts surround me?”

  “Well,” she started and crossed her arms over her chest, “you’re under his custody. You’re his friend’s little sister. I’m sure that’s bothering him. I think one of the biggest issues he had was that you had a boyfriend.”

  “What makes you think that he even has those kinds of feelings for me?” Addie wasn’t sure how mood swings translated to any type of attraction. Sure, he’d touched her knee, kissed the back of her hand, looked through her with those deep, green eyes…

  “I wasn’t too sure about it until he was so rude to you earlier.”

  At least she wasn’t the only one who’d thought he’d been extra nasty.

  “He doesn’t think Brian is good enough for you.”

  Addie shrugged. “So? Neither does my brother.”

  Mrs. Dempsey gave her a look that could only be described as “don’t be stupid” before she said, “Brian isn’t good enough for you because you deserve the best. Cameron is wrestling with himself because he knows he is a better man than Brian. It frustrates him to see you go through this.”

  “Oh.” That was an interesting thought. Although, Cameron had acted this way since first picking her up at the station. Didn’t matter. Mrs. Dempsey said he wouldn’t pursue anything while she was under his custody. Once that wasn’t the case, she’d be on her way to California to clean out the condo she shared with Brian.

  “What did Brian have to say, Addie?” Mrs. Dempsey didn’t hide her dimples. “I heard you read him the riot act.”

  She grimaced. “Did Cameron hear that?”

  Her smile looked sympathetic. “No. They were still in the back.”

  “Did you hear the rest, too?”

  “I’ll be polite and say no, but you’re welcome to tell me yourself.”

  Leave it to Mrs. Dempsey to make her smile. “I broke it off with Brian.”

  “Good girl.”

  “Are you going to tell Cameron?”

  She smiled into her coffee cup. “You’ll tell him when the time’s right.” She took a sip.
“Might want to do it when you’re alone though. If he has an ounce of his daddy in him, the whole town doesn’t need a demonstration of exactly how misplaced his frustration has been once he acts on his feelings for you.”

  12

  The camera Addie selected didn’t give her a clear view of the parking lot next to the library. That’s the spot she wanted, mostly because it was the most isolated and was a couple hundred feet away from five of the car break-ins.

  Security turned out to be a low priority for the businesses in Statem. That meant only half of the security cameras were digital and easily accessed. Aside from the lumberyard, she’d breached four total. Only four cameras for an entire city. One specifically was the library. It gave her a good view of the center of town. City Hall had another good view of Jefferson Street, but also of two different side streets.

  Then, there was the high school. Cameron had politely suggested she limit her activities. The request hadn’t shocked her, but how pleasant, but distant, he’d acted after dinner when he stopped by, armed with apologies for insulting her yesterday. And sniffing around for cake.

  She didn’t blame him. She’d helped Mrs. Dempsey bake, and it was a delicious cake.

  But, aside from cake, her evening had remained pretty low key. She should work on her Sunflower case, not scan through old video footage trying to remember when the break-in happened.

  When the corner of the screen showed the time stamp for when she thought Mrs. Latham’s car break-in occurred, the back of a man, a shadow with tan boots, walked down the alley. Five minutes later, he walked back out. A partial profile of his face could be seen. She couldn’t identify him, but there was a chance that someone in the town could. She tagged the video to show Cameron later.

  Stifling a yawn, she reached for her coffee. She swapped to another camera she’d accessed near the school that might have caught the guy entering a car in the parking lot next door.

  When the camera feed pulled up, it was a live shot of the school’s parking lot.

  And the guy.

  She sat up straight, her fatigue rushing away.

  He was off to the side, sitting on the curb, partway in the shadow, not appearing to be doing anything illegal.

  But she was sure it was him. He wore those tan boots and another dark jacket or sweatshirt, hard to tell with him sitting. She couldn’t see his face, but it had to be him.

  Addie jumped up from the computer, blood pumping. She could help solve this for Cameron. She tip-toed to her room and pulled on her boots over black yoga pants. She grabbed her leather bomber jacket. She didn’t have Cameron’s number. No way she’d wake up Mrs. Dempsey at two in the morning. What could she possibly tell 9-1-1? I think someone is sitting on the sidewalk not hurting anyone, but he might be plotting to break into a car? No one would believe her. Plus, she’d have to explain how she knew all this. She’d be fine. She’d call the police if she needed them.

  Easing her way into the kitchen, Addie grabbed Mrs. Dempsey’s keys and a flashlight sitting on top of the fridge. Just borrowing the car to get into town wasn’t horribly illegal, right? Cameron wouldn’t find out anyway. A quick peek at the man, maybe an up-close photograph, and she’d come right back.

  The drive to town passed quicker than she’d expected, and she arrived without any real plan. She parked along the side of the high school opposite from where she thought she’d seen the guy and clicked the flashlight on and off. Good, it worked.

  Her head fell back against the headrest. This was a dumb idea. Stupid. But she really wanted to do this for Cameron. She climbed out of the sedan, closing the door as silently as possible. This was it. She’d catch the guy and help solve the crime. Cameron would be eternally thankful since it would put him one step closer to proving to the town that he’d be a good Sheriff.

  A shadow moved in the far side of the parking lot before it disappeared around the corner.

  Keeping her flashlight off, she moved alongside the building, staying away from any street lights. Like a spy.

  Without training.

  Armed with the camera app on her phone.

  Why didn’t she wear her running shoes? That was her only real defense. She could outrun almost anyone.

  She’d take a few pictures (with the sound and flash off), call 9-1-1 if he broke into a car or house, and go back to the Dempsey’s house and wait for Cameron.

  She pressed her back against the wall, took a few deep breaths, and waited on the shadow to move again.

  The darkness from the trees surrounded the building and blocked out the moon, pushing her adrenaline higher. A cold breeze rustled through the limbs causing her to think of scary stories her brother used to tell her. They were nothing more than shadows and branches, not monsters. She shivered.

  A twig snapped behind her.

  She clicked on the flashlight and shined it toward the sound. A deputy she didn’t recognize shined a light back at her.

  “Miss, what are you doing?” His deep voice asked.

  She lowered her flashlight. “Uh…well…”

  “Addie?” Cameron asked from the opposite direction, shining his own light.

  She held up her hand at both light beams aimed right at her. “Can one of you turn your flashlight off? I feel like I’m center stage at an Ariana Grande concert.”

  They both clicked their flashlights off.

  Cameron huffed and turned his back on. “I’ll handle this situation, Carey.”

  Carey turned and left.

  “What are you doing here, Addie?”

  “I could ask you the same thing.”

  His lips pressed together before he answered. “We got a call about a suspicious person prowling around the high school. I’m now assuming that was you. What’s your reason?”

  Nice to see Cameron’s mood didn’t improve in the middle of the night. “I got here all of sixty-seconds ago. I saw the person I thought was the thief on the security footage.”

  “Tonight?” He scanned the area. “You saw the suspect.”

  “He was sitting on the sidewalk along the far side of the school before I left the house. I haven’t seen him since I arrived.”

  Cameron shifted closer, his flashlight pointed at the ground. The light reflected off the angles of his face. She shivered again, but not from the cold night air. “And you didn’t call me?”

  Addie crossed her arms. “I don’t have your number, and I wasn’t going to wake up your mom or dad.”

  Cameron leaned a little closer. She caught a hint of the pine tree smell that always clung to him.

  “You could have tried 9-1-1, Addie. I usually get those messages.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Real funny, Cameron, but I didn’t know if you were working. What would I have told them? I think someone might try to break into a car tonight, please let Cameron know, but I can’t tell you why I think that. Remember,” she said, lowering her voice to a whisper, “I can be arrested for poking into these systems.”

  “It’s better than you going after them yourself.” His voice dropped low, sounding dangerous. “They could’ve had a weapon.” He stopped himself from reaching out to her, looking like he was trying to grasp onto an edge of control. “You could’ve been hurt, Addie.” His eyebrows shot down. “By the way, how did you get here?”

  She dangled his mom’s keyring between them. He held out his hand for them. “I told you that your license is suspended until the charges are dropped. So, you took my mom’s car, drove on a suspended license, and tried to take down a criminal? Is this a typical evening for you back home in California?”

  “Normally, I make sure people don’t track me down. I need to take your mom’s car back home.” She held on tight to the keys. He looked like he might snatch them right out of her hand. Although, a game of Keep Away might be fun with Cameron. “I don’t want her to know I took it without her permission. Your mom has been so nice.”

  “A really nice way to pay her back.”

  She took a step toward him, h
er chest brushing his own, sending heat zipping through her body. She didn’t acknowledge the attraction. Not when he seemed to insinuate that she was dumb. “You need to realize I was doing all this for you. If I could help you bust this case, you can stop worrying about the town thinking you’re good enough to be Sheriff. I figured of all people your mom would understand and not mind if I took her car. It’s not like I can’t drive.”

  His fingers skimmed along the outline of her hip as his body moved even closer until it pressed entirely against her own. She took a step back for survival, but the brick wall of the school halted her retreat.

  Instead of giving them distance, Cameron stepped with her again, pinning her in place. He filled her vision.

  His head tilted down toward her. “I don’t need your help to be Sheriff. I’ll earn it on my own.”

  There was no questioning his physical attraction to her now. Instead of pushing him away, her entire body felt alive and wanted more than one, single moment. Her breath quickened as her body softened against his.

  “Cam…” It was barely a whisper on her lips that she didn’t mean to utter. She rested one hand on his waist. The hard muscles she’d suspected he hid under his ugly uniform greeted her.

  A light flashed over them.

  Cameron jumped back. Addie tried to step to the side, but she stumbled, her foot hit a rock, and she started falling to the ground.

  He caught her around the waist as her nose hovered an inch away from the dried leaves. Face planting wasn’t exactly the same as rolling around on the ground with Cameron, which was where her thoughts had been headed if she’d actually gone through with kissing him.

  A kiss with Cameron could be exciting if he let himself go.

  He set her upright and dropped his hands immediately.

  “You good, Cameron?” She recognized the voice laced with unmistakable humor. Dewey. The other deputy she’d met.

  “Yeah.” He sounded a little disappointed. Or confused. “I need you to follow me to my parent’s house, Dewey. I need to return something I found.” He ran a hand over his head. “I’ll drive the car back, Addie.”