by Katie Lane
“Strong, black, and unflavored.”
Chapter Seven
Spring hadn’t intentionally set out to piss off the sheriff. She just desperately needed a job. She could’ve asked Carly for a job at Lucy’s Place Diner or Savannah for a job at Home Sweet Home, but they were both married to her cousins and she wanted to prove that she could stand on her own two feet without the help of her family. She wanted to prove that she wasn’t the baby who needed to be coddled. She was a responsible, self-sufficient woman who could get her own job.
Now all she had to do was convince the sheriff.
That wasn’t going to be easy. Waylon Kendall didn’t like her, and he made no bones about it. After she had offered him the black coffee, he’d told her that he wanted her gone by the time he got back. Then he’d locked up his office and walked out the door. He hadn’t returned.
His behavior confused her. Her ability to make friends was the one thing she was better at than her sisters. She had been the most popular triplet in high school and college. The one who always got invited to parties. The one who always had a date. Socializing came easily to her. Which explained why she sold the most inventory at the store. Granny Bon had always said that she could sell a case of bibles to the Devil himself. And if she could do that, she figured she could talk a sourpuss lawman into giving her a job. The sheriff just needed a little more time to get to know her. That was all. Once he knew her, he’d love her.
The door opened, and Emmett Daily stepped in. Spring had met him numerous times when she’d been in town before. He was Joanna Daily’s husband and owned the gas station and garage where Spring’s Jeep was now getting fixed. He had a pronounced limp from a war injury, kind eyes, and a friendly smile.
“Howdy, Miss Hadley,” he said as he pulled off his cowboy hat. “You look mighty pretty today. Joanna used to own a yellow dress similar to the one you got on. Always made her look like a ray of sunshine. Of course, she’s my sunshine whatever she wears.”
The sweet comment made Spring love him even more. “Thank you, Mr. Daily. You’re a ray of sunshine yourself. You certainly brightened my day.”
He smiled, showing off a chipped front tooth. “Call me Emmett. Everyone does.”
“And please call me Spring. What can I do for you, Emmett?”
He pulled a set of keys out of his front pocket. “I brought you your Jeep.”
She was surprised. “I thought you weren’t going to get to it until next week.”
“That’s what I planned. Since I don’t have your cousin Cole helping me anymore, I’m pretty backed up. But then Joanna called me this morning and told me about the sheriff hiring you.” His eyes twinkled. “And I figured you’d need it to get to your new job.”
“Thank you so much, but I’m afraid I don’t have the money to pay you yet. That’s one of the reasons I needed to get a job.”
“No worries.” He set the keys on the desk. “Just pay me when you can. The entire town appreciates you helping the sheriff out while Gail is gone to take care of her mama.”
The entire town already thought she was working for the sheriff? She’d forgotten how quickly news traveled in a small town. And maybe that would work in her favor. If she could get the entire town to accept her as the sheriff’s assistant it might be harder for him to get rid of her.
“I look forward to helping the sheriff out. He certainly seems to be overworked.”
Emmett shook his head. “Waylon has put most of the pressure on himself.”
“Why do you think that is?” Spring leaned in, wanting to hear more about the sheriff. But just then the phone rang, and Emmett tipped his hat and headed for the door.
“I’ll let you get back to work.”
“Thank you for bringing back my car,” she said before answering the phone. “Sheriff Kendall’s office. How can I help you?”
“You can quit screwing around and get your ass back home!”
Summer’s loud voice had Spring’s butt lifting off the chair. Once her butt resettled, she yelled right back. “I’m not screwing around! And I’m not coming home. Especially when my sister thinks I’m a ditz.”
“You are a ditz. Only a ditz would forget to—”
Autumn’s soothing voice cut off Summer’s screech. “You are not a ditz, Spring. It was an accident. One that Summer and I both know you’re sorry about. And Summer is sorry she got so upset and hurt your feelings.”
In the background, Spring could hear Summer’s denial. “No, I’m not sorry. She needs to pull her head out of her—hey, stop pushing me.” A door slammed shut, and Autumn came back on.
“Sweetie, you need to come home. We miss you, and we can’t run Seasons without you. All your regular customers have been asking about you.”
The sadness Spring had been trying to ignore since leaving Houston welled up inside her. “I miss you too. Although I don’t miss Summer.”
“That’s not true, Spring. You miss Summer as much as she misses you. You’re just hurt. And Summer is just stressed about losing the store. Come back and I promise we’ll get everything worked out. Dirk told me about your Jeep, and I’m more than happy to send you the money to fix it.”
It was surprising how much she wanted to go back to Houston. Back to the security and comfort of being part of the Hadley triplets. But there was another part of her that had started to wonder if Granny Bon was right. Was she living her dream or was she living Summer’s? And maybe a few weeks away from her sisters would help her figure that out.
“I can’t come back, Audie.”
“What? Is this about getting back at Summer for being so mean?”
“When I first ran off, it was. I wanted to make Summer pay for yelling at me. But then I realized that she was right. Leaving the store open was an irresponsible thing to do.” She paused. “Even Granny Bon and Dirk think so.”
“You’re not irresponsible. You’re free-spirited.” Autumn paused. “Granny Bon called and gave Summer and me the same lecture she gave you about us all needing time apart. But she’s wrong. We’re not just sisters. We’re triplets. We started out as one before we split into three. Because of that, we have a special bond that Granny can’t understand. Things don’t feel right when we’re separated. Even Summer feels it. Which is why she’s been acting like a caged animal.”
Tears sprang to Spring’s eyes, but she blinked them back. “I know. I miss you too. But maybe Granny is right. Maybe we do need a little time away from each other to figure out who we are separately. I’m not talking forever. Just a few months.”
There was a long pause before Autumn spoke. “You need to do what you feel is right. Although Summer isn’t going to like it. Not only does she miss you, she’s also worried about the store. Our sales so far this year have been dismal. And with you gone, they’ll only get worse. Summer’s temperament isn’t exactly suited for retail. And while I’m more patient, I didn’t inherit your and Dirk’s charm either. You are great with people.”
The words soothed Spring’s bruised ego. “Thanks, Audie. But I don’t know if my salesmanship is going to make a difference. I talked with Dirk, and he agrees with you. He thinks the store will eventually fail, and we should jump ship now before we get too far into debt.”
Autumn sighed. “Now all we need to do is convince Summer.”
“We’ll do it when I get back. With Dirk, we own three-fourth of the business. Majority rules.”
“Somehow I don’t think that’s the way Summer will see it, but enough depressing talk. Tell me about your new job.”
Spring finally realized that she was talking on the phone at the sheriff’s office. “How did you know to call me here?”
“When Summer couldn’t get you, she called Dirk. He said your cellphone was broken, but he’d just talked to Joanna Daily and she’d told him that you’d gotten a job with the sheriff. Is this the same hot sheriff that was at Dirk and Gracie’s wedding?”
“As a matter of fact, it is.”
“Now I understand wh
y you don’t want to come home,” Autumn teased.
“He might be hot, but he’s also a little too uptight for me. And just for the record, he didn’t exactly hire me.” She proceeded to fill her sister in on all the details. When she was finished, Autumn laughed.
“The poor man doesn’t know the whirlwind he’s up against. When you want something, you’re almost as tenacious as Summer. Now tell me about my cute nieces.”
Spring only got to tell her sister a few stories about Luana, Lucinda, and Luella before a customer came into Seasons and Autumn had to go wait on her. After Spring placed the phone in the cradle, she glanced at the clock and realized it was almost four o’clock. Figuring that was a good quitting time, she closed down her computer. Since it didn’t look like the sheriff was coming back, she decided to lock the front doors. Tucker had shown her the filing cabinet drawer where the keys were kept. But once she had them in hand, she didn’t lock the front doors.
Instead, she glanced at the locked door of the sheriff’s office.
When she had been in his office earlier, she hadn’t taken time to look around. She’d been too busy trying to get a job. And then there had been the entire online dating thing. Why would the sheriff need to join an online dating site? Men as young and good-looking as he was shouldn’t have a problem getting a date. Unless he had a flaw she wasn’t aware of. It certainly wasn’t his body or looks.
It only took trying a few keys before she found the one that unlocked the door to his office. Once inside, she strolled around the room, checking out the map of the county hanging on one wall and the pictures of previous sheriffs hanging on the other. The last sheriff shared Sheriff Kendall’s features and rusty brown hair. She studied the somber face of Malcolm Kendall, wondering if it was his father or an uncle.
Next to the pictures was some kind of sheriff’s oath. Spring bypassed it and moved to the desk. The chair was high-backed and leather and held the indentation of the sheriff’s butt. He had a nice butt. It filled out the pockets of his Wranglers just enough to make a woman want to slide her hands over the firm buns and squeeze. She laughed at the thought of his reaction if she ever did that.
She sat down in the chair. His desk was neat and tidy. Maybe a little too neat and tidy. Everything seemed to be placed around the desk calendar like the face of a clock. The computer was at twelve o’clock. The phone at two. A pen was lined up perfectly at four. Pad of paper at six. Stapler at eight. A family photograph at ten.
She leaned in and looked at the picture. Malcolm Kendall sat next to a pretty woman with blond hair and green eyes. They were surrounded by their family. Two young couples, three children, and Waylon. He was smiling brighter than she’d ever seen him smile. It was obvious that being with family made him happy. And maybe that explained why he’d joined an online dating site. He was ready for a family of his own.
The only thing out of place in the weird clock arrangement on the desk was a book that sat next to the picture. Curious about the sheriff’s reading tastes, she picked it up and leafed through it. It was a self-help book on becoming a leader. She found highlighted passages about gaining respect, commanding authority, and dealing with the pressures of being the boss.
For the first time since she’d met the sheriff, she saw him as a human being instead of a robotic lawman. It appeared that he had insecurities just like everyone else. She flipped through the pages taking note of the numerous highlighted passages. A lot of insecurities. She glanced at the sheriff’s oath that hung on the wall and read it. It was a long and intimidating list.
She’d thought she had a lot of responsibilities at her store. It was nothing compared to the responsibility of taking care of an entire town. The sheriff didn’t have to deal with indecisive customers and late shipments. He had to make sure the people in his town were safe and protected. And in order to do that, they had to trust him completely. They had to know he was a strong leader and a tough lawman who believed in and followed the laws of the land.
Empathy welled up inside her. Poor Waylon. No wonder he didn’t smile. Taking care of an entire town was a huge burden. A burden he had to deal with alone. He couldn’t exactly sit down at the diner and tell people he was struggling under the weight of his job. That wouldn’t make people feel confident.
Was that the reason he’d joined an online dating site? It made sense. He needed someone to talk to. Someone who didn’t live in the town. Someone who wouldn’t spread gossip and rumors about the sheriff.
She glanced at the computer, and a thought struck her. Maybe she could help Waylon with more than just office work. Maybe she could help him find someone to confide in. Someone who could make him smile as brightly as when he was with his family. With the tough lawman persona he’d built around himself, it would be a challenge. But Spring had always loved challenges.
And she was a sucker for a happy ending.
Chapter Eight
Zane and Carly Arrington’s Earhart Ranch was one of the big-gest spreads in the county. It had acres and acres of prime land, plenty of cattle to graze it, and a beautiful stone ranch house with a wraparound porch. Waylon pulled his truck up to the porch and hopped out. Sherlock climbed down from the truck at a slower speed. Although he perked up a little when Zane’s herding dog came racing out of the barn to greet him.
“Hey, Shep,” Waylon said as he gave the dog’s ears a good scratch. “See if you can’t give Sherlock a few lessons on herding cows while you two are playing.” If Sherlock wouldn’t hunt, maybe he would herd. But his dog didn’t seem to be in much of a hurry to do anything but follow Waylon up on the porch steps and plop down by a rocker.
Waylon rolled his eyes just as Zane threw open the door. “Hey, Way! I’m glad you decided to come.” He held the door. When Waylon was inside, he yelled to the dogs. “You and Sherlock coming in, Shep?” The dogs must’ve declined because Zane closed the door and turned to Waylon. “Come on back to my study. Carly isn’t quite through with dinner, and she gets mad if I sneak tastes while she’s cooking.”
“I guess the Sanders sisters are covering for her at the diner tonight,” Waylon said as he followed Zane.
“They’ve taken over cooking every night. Carly has been a little tired lately.”
As Waylon walked past him into the study, he took note of Zane’s worried expression. “Everything okay?”
“She says she’s just been working too hard, but I talked her into making an appointment with a doctor next week just to be sure.” Zane walked to the mini-bar. “You want something to drink?”
Waylon moved to the fireplace where a fire was blazing. It had been a warm few days, but it was still February and the nights got chilly. “Just a Dr Pepper for me.”
Zane glanced over. “It’s okay to have a drink every now and then, Way. You’re off-duty.”
Waylon wished he could be off-duty. He sat down in a chair that flanked the fireplace. “I need to check on Jonas after dinner. He’s been falling asleep on the job.”
Zane grabbed two Dr Peppers from the mini fridge and handed one to Waylon before he sat down. “Well, that’s not good. Have you thought of a way to talk him into retiring?”
Waylon shook his head as he popped the top of the soda can. “I don’t know what he’d do if he didn’t have the job to go to. I told him Tucker would take nights, but he said he wanted nights. I think nights are when he’s the loneliest.”
Zane crossed his boots up on the ottoman and blew out his breath. “Damn. Losing your wife has to be tough. I don’t know what I’d do without Carly.” He glanced over at Waylon. “What about his kids? Maybe you could mention something to them, and they could suggest he moves closer to the grandkids.”
“They both offered, but Jonas refuses. I think he isn’t ready to leave the house he shared with his wife. Or her gravesite.”
Zane sipped his Dr Pepper for a few minutes before he spoke. “Maybe he should try online dating. I hear anyone can get a date using those sites.”
The sip Waylon had j
ust taken went down wrong, and he choked.
Zane jumped up and thumped him on the back. “You’ve really become a teetotaler if DP is too strong for you.”
Carly appeared in the doorway. “Is everything okay? Do I need to call an ambulance or perform the Heimlich?”
Waylon drew in a ragged breath and cleared his throat. “I’m fine. My soda just went down wrong. Thanks for inviting me to dinner, Carly. The smell of your braised beef already has my stomach growling.”
“You’re welcome. The dinner rolls just need to finish browning, and then we can eat.” She waited for Zane to sit down, then sat on the arm of his chair and took his can of Dr Pepper. Waylon had always envied their relationship. They seemed completely comfortable with one another. Like they’d known each other all their lives instead of less than two years. She took a sip of pop and handed the can back to Zane. “So how have you been, Waylon?”
“Busy.”
“I know how that goes, but I’m sure things will slow down now that you found someone to help you out. I couldn’t keep the diner open if not for the Sanders sisters. And I’m glad that you hired Spring. She’s so friendly and vivacious.”
Vivacious wasn’t the word. Tenacious was more like it. He’d had to get downright mean to get it through her head that he wasn’t hiring her. He didn’t need a vivacious young woman working in his office. He needed someone like Gail. Someone who went about their work without putting their cute little nose in his personal business.
“I didn’t hire Spring,” he said.
Carly looked confused. “But she answered your phone?”
Since his mama had taught him to never talk badly about a lady, he didn’t go into detail about the arrogant, annoying way she’d tried to ramrod him for a job. “There was a little misunderstanding, but it’s cleared up now.” When he’d stopped by the office to lock up, there was no smiling daffodil in sight. But his feeling of satisfaction was short lived when Zane exchanged looks with Carly.
