by Elle James
“Great. We’re ready.” She glanced down at her partner. “This is Bacchus. He’s smart, healthy and has a lot of good years left in him.”
“Why did they retire him?” the sheriff asked.
She scratched behind Bacchus’s ears. “After a particularly close explosion, he developed a nervousness for loud noises. It affected his ability to focus on bomb sniffing. He has a good nose. All we need to give him is something non-explosive to sniff for.
“I have some marijuana and cocaine we can use for training purposes. It’s controlled. You’ll have to check it in and out whenever you want to work with it.”
Kate nodded. “Good. We’ll start tomorrow training for drugs.”
“I have uniforms on order. We didn’t have any in your size. They should be here in three days. In the meantime, you can report to work in jeans and a department T-shirt. If you’ll come inside, I’ll get a couple for you.”
“Yes, sir.” Kate popped a salute before she remembered she didn’t have to anymore.
Sheriff Olson and Nash Grayson chuckled.
Her cheeks heating, Kate squared her shoulders and gave a smiling grimace. “Old habits die hard.”
“Don’t worry about it.” The sheriff led the way into the office.
Kate and Bacchus fell in step behind him.
Sheriff Olson turned to Kate. “I’ll be right back.” He disappeared through a door into what appeared to be a storeroom.
Grayson stepped up beside Kate. “You were in the Army?”
“Yes, sir,” Kate responded.
“Chance spent ten years on active duty,” Nash said. “You two probably have a lot in common.”
Kate turned to face the deputy. “Chance? Your brother on the motorcycle?”
Nash’s brow wrinkled. “That’s right, you two met. He led you here.”
“Yeah, we met, all right.” And touched and felt something that couldn’t be there. Kate reminded herself she’d sworn off men. Especially ones who had trouble written all over them. And Chance seemed to fit into that category.
Sheriff Olson emerged from the storeroom carrying a couple of shirts. He handed them to Kate. “These might be a little large on you, but they’re the smallest size we have. You’re the first female we’ve had in the department in a long time.” The sheriff scratched his head. “Hell, you might be the first female deputy we’ve ever had in this county. I don’t know why we let that happen.”
“Probably because no females have responded to your ads,” Nash pointed out.
The sheriff’s lips twisted. “That’s right. And certainly, none who had the qualifications. Your background on the military police force made you an ideal candidate.”
“I’m glad all my military training and experience will come in handy,” Kate said.
“It will,” the sheriff assured her. “We’ve scheduled you for the training academy the month after next to learn all the ins and outs of civilian law in Texas. This week we’ll get you certified to drive our service vehicles, take you to the range to qualify with your weapon, and then we’ll pair you with another deputy for your first week of on the job training.” The sheriff clapped his hands. “Sound like a plan?”
“Yes, sir.” She held one of the shirts up in front of her. It was large and would probably hang down to the middle of her thighs. But she could tuck the hem into her jeans and make it work. “Is that all for now?”
The sheriff nodded. “We’ll bring you on board tomorrow with computer access and set up your login and passwords for reporting. For now, you might as well get all settled in and rested up. You have a busy week ahead.”
Kate smiled. “Good. I like it that way.” The busier she was, the sooner she’d learn all she needed to know to be a good deputy for the department. She tensed. “One other thing…”
“What’s that?” Sheriff Olson raised an eyebrow.
“Bacchus,” Kate said. “He’ll be with me through all the training?” She held her breath, afraid the sheriff had changed his mind.
The sheriff nodded. “As agreed. And his training will begin tomorrow as well. As we don’t have any other members on the force familiar with dog training, you’ll be completely in charge of how it’ll be done. You’ll have access to what you need for training props, and you’ll have time during the day to work with him. My only concern is taking him to the firing range.”
“I thought about that. I want him to be exposed to gunfire as much as I can. I want him to learn not to be afraid of it.”
“Good. And how is he for attacking bad guys?”
“He was trained early on in his career to attack on command, but he’s a little rusty. His primary responsibility for the past few years has been to sniff out bombs.” She patted Bacchus’s head and met the sheriff’s gaze. “He’s good. Just needs a refresher.”
“Again, I’ll leave it to you.”
A woman appeared in a doorway. “Sheriff, Joe Dietrich for you on line one.”
The sheriff gave Kate a wry smile. “Duty calls, even on my day off. See you tomorrow morning.”
“Yes, sir,” Kate snapped her heels together and waited for the sheriff to leave the room before she relaxed. She glanced toward Nash.
The man had a grin on his face.
Kate frowned. “What?”
He shook his head. “Nothing.”
“I know,” she said. “I have to remember I’m not in the military anymore.”
“I didn’t say that.” Nash grinned.
Kate sighed. “You didn’t have to.”
“I understand the sheriff is going to let you store some of your stuff in the shed out behind the office. Let’s take care of that, so you can turn in your trailer.”
“Thanks.” Kate followed Nash out of the office.
“If you’ll drive around back, I’ll unlock the shed.”
Kate held the door for Bacchus and climbed into the truck beside him. A few moments later, she pulled around to the back of the office and stopped in front of the shed Nash stood beside.
Between the two of them, they moved the desk into the shed along with a box of memorabilia Kate had salvaged from her apartment. She wouldn’t need it anytime soon. When she found a home of her own, she’d get it out and look through it. Until then, she had work to get trained up for what they needed her to do.
The sun was heading for the horizon by the time Kate climbed into her truck beside Bacchus.
Nash leaned close to the open window. “Look, it’s Sunday evening, you’re new in town and probably haven’t had a chance to stock your refrigerator. Why don’t you come out to the ranch for dinner tonight?”
“I hate to impose,” Kate said, but her stomach rumbled, reminding her she hadn’t had anything to eat the entire day.
“You won’t be imposing. The ladies will be excited to have another female at the table and you can get to know some of the residents of Hellfire.”
“I don’t know…” Kate hesitated, her gaze going to the dog on the seat beside her.
Nash tilted his head and cocked an eyebrow. “We can probably rustle up some chow for Bacchus as well.”
Her stomach rumbled again. This time loud enough Nash heard.
He laughed. “You might as well say yes.”
Bacchus woofed softly.
Kate grinned. “I feel like I’m being overruled by my stomach and my dog. I am hungry, but…I really shouldn’t.”
He scribbled the address on a sheet of paper from his notepad and handed it to her. “We eat in an hour. That should give you plenty of time to turn in your trailer and make a run back to Lola’s garage, if you need to, before heading out to the ranch.”
Kate glanced down at the piece of paper. Her eyes flooded, and her throat tightened. “Thank you,” she whispered. She blinked back the moisture and pasted a grin on her face before lifting her head. “But I can’t. I have too much to do to get ready for my first day on the job. And Bacchus has never been on a ranch.” She didn’t have that much to do. But she just wasn�
�t up to being the odd duck at a family gathering.
He grinned. “Bacchus will be fine. And if you change your mind or get finished early, you’re still welcome to come. I hope to see you there.” Nash stepped away from the truck and waved as Kate drove past him.
Her new life was just beginning, and already she’d been invited to share a meal with some of the residents of her new hometown.
She prayed she wasn’t reading too much into her initial impression of Hellfire. She might be wrong, but it sure felt like home.
Things were looking up. She’d shed a bad boyfriend, started a new career and had her dog beside her. Yes, things were definitely looking up.
Kate looked around, her eyes narrowing as she took in the quiet beauty of Hellfire’s Main Street.
What could possibly go wrong?
She headed back to her apartment, pulled into the driveway and stared up at the stairs leading to her new home. The refrigerator was empty, no one was waiting there to welcome her, and she’d had a perfectly good invitation to dinner. Why the hell had she declined?
Kate glanced down at the address Nash had given her. She punched it into the map application on her cell phone. It was only a few miles out of town. Though she’d grown up in Texas, she’d lived in the city and had never been on a real Texas ranch. What was stopping her?
She glanced across the cab at Bacchus. “Wanna go to a ranch for dinner?”
Bacchus stoic non-reply was enough for Kate. She didn’t want to be alone her first night in town, and she was hungry.
Chapter 3
Sunday night dinner should have been a place to come to relax with family and unwind. Lately, Chance would have preferred to skip it altogether. His well-meaning siblings had gotten it into their heads that he needed help. If his parents hadn’t just returned from one of their many traveling adventures, he might have called and said he wasn’t feeling well and wanted to hit the sack early to be ready for work the next day.
They’d know immediately he was faking it, but he didn’t care. He didn’t feel like putting up with Nash’s digs and Becket’s attempts at psychoanalyzing him in his cowboy kind of way. Just because Nash, Becket and Rider all had women in their lives now didn’t mean Chance had to hook up with some female to be whole. He almost turned his bike around and drove away. But he didn’t.
If he didn’t show up, his mother would be unhappy. And when Ann Grayson was unhappy, Big John Grayson let his entire family know. Happy wife…happy life. Make mama happy. Now!
He pulled up to the ranch house and parked his motorcycle on the grass. Chance squared his shoulders, climbed the porch steps and entered through the front door.
Following the sound of voices, he made his way to the back of the house, in the direction of the kitchen.
There, he found his mother, Becket’s black-haired, blue-eyed woman, Kinsey, Nash’s red-haired sweetheart, Phoebe, and his sister Lily.
“Chance, honey.” His mother engulfed him in a hug so tight he could barely catch his breath. “I’m so glad you decided to be here for dinner.”
“I live here, Mother. Why wouldn’t I?” He kissed the top of her faded auburn hair.
“Lily tells me that you’ve missed more Sunday dinners than you make. Why is that?” His mother stared up at him, a worried frown puckering her brow.
Chance shot a glare at Lily. “I’ve been busy.”
“Too busy for family?”
“Sometimes,” he hedged. Definitely too busy for family interference in his life.
“Well, now that we’re home, you’ll have to make time for family.” His mother lifted her chin and gave him a hard stare. “We’ve always had family dinner on Sunday night, even after you boys grew up. You missed too many while deployed. I expect you to make them up and then some.” She stared at him for a long moment, her face hard, determined. Then she relaxed and smiled. “Besides, I love seeing your handsome face at the dinner table. You wouldn’t deprive me of seeing my son, would you?”
His cheeks burned at the not-so-subtle admonishment. “Mom, sometimes I work on Sunday nights.”
“Those I’ll excuse. Any other time, you’d have to be sick or dying to miss. In which case, we’ll bring dinner to you.” She patted her hand against his chest. “Understood?”
He captured her hand in his and smiled. “You drive a hard bargain, Mrs. Grayson.” He kissed her cheek. “I’ll do my best to be here.”
Her smile lit the room. “That’s my boy.” She turned to the counter and dug a large wooden spoon into a bowl of potato salad. “Now, we only have to work on finding you a partner to share life with.”
“Whoa, wait a minute.” Chance held up both hands. “I don’t need you to find me a partner. I’m a die-hard bachelor. I don’t need a woman in my life.”
“Pooh.” His mother waved her hand over her shoulder. “You don’t even know what you don’t know. A woman will make your life complete. And children are the happy icing on the cake.”
Lily choked back laughter. “Chance, you should see your face.” She doubled over, laughing.
Chance glared at her and frowned at his mother’s back. “Mom. Please. Can you leave me to my own life?”
She smiled over her shoulder. “Of course, dear. Love is a delicate matter that has a way of finding you when you least expect it. It’ll happen for you.” Then she muttered beneath her breath.
Chance could swear she said, “With a little help.”
“No, ma’am. I’m not interested in dating anyone here in Hellfire.”
“Then we can go to Hole in the Wall.” She looked up and grinned. “Have you been to the Ugly Stick Saloon lately? That Audrey Anderson hires some pretty young ladies to help run the place. Maybe you can find someone there.”
“Mom, I don’t want to find someone. I’m happy the way I am.”
“Oh, sweetie.” She shook her head. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. Trust me. You’re not happy the way you are. You’re miserable and lonely. You need someone else in your life.”
Chance shook his head. He wasn’t going to convince his mother otherwise. “Where’s Dad?”
“Out back with your brothers. They should have the grill going by now. We’re having steak and chicken.”
“Mom,” Nash poked his head in the door of the kitchen. “Did I mention, I invited the new deputy to dinner?”
“No, you didn’t.” Mrs. Grayson frowned for a second and then smiled. “But we’ll have plenty of food for one more. When will he be here?”
“She just pulled into the driveway,” Nash said.
“You invited Kate?” Chance asked.
“I did. I figured she’d be hungry and have nothing in her pantry. Plus, she would probably like to meet some of the county residents.” He reached out and grabbed Phoebe’s hand. “Come on. I want you to meet Kate.”
Chance’s groin tightened at the thought of the dark-haired deputy. He shouldn’t be feeling that way. Guilt roiled in his belly.
“Have you met the new lady deputy, Chance?” his mother asked.
His jaw tightened. “I have.”
“Really?” She raised an eyebrow. “And what did you think of her?”
“Hopefully, she’ll be an asset to the sheriff’s department.” He flung a hand to the side. “What am I supposed to think about her?”
“Is she pretty? Is she nice?” His mother wiped her hands on a towel. “I suppose I’ll have to see for myself.” She followed Phoebe and Nash.
Lily’s mouth twisted into a knowing smirk. “She’s pretty, isn’t she?”
Chance shrugged. “If you’re into that kind of look.”
“And what kind of look is that?”
Badass, tough, beautiful. He bit his tongue to keep from saying any of that. “You’ll have to judge for yourself. I’m going to help with the grilling.” He beat a hasty retreat to the back porch where he found Rider, Becket and his father.
“Where’d Nash go?” Big John Grayson held a long spatula in his hand. “I
thought he was bringing the steaks.”
“You’ll have to wait.” Chance’s jaw hardened. “He and Phoebe went out front to greet our guest.”
“Guest?” Rider’s eyes widened. “I didn’t know we were having guests.”
“Guest. Only one.”
“Oh, yeah?” Becket turned toward the house. “Who?”
“The new deputy. Apparently, Nash invited her.”
Becket grinned. “Good. I wanted to meet her. Nash has had nothing but good things to say about her. Did you know she was in the Army?”
Chance frowned. “No.” That would explain why she held herself with a military bearing he didn’t see outside the armed forces.
“She was a member of the military police and trained with the military war dogs. Her one condition for hiring on with the sheriff’s department was that she came with her MWD.” Becket shook his head. “I was surprised to hear Sheriff Olson agreed.”
“Hell, who wouldn’t? Those military dogs are highly trainable.” Big John frowned. “But that’s not getting the steaks cooked.” He headed for the house.
“Stay, Dad.” Chance held up his hand. “I’ll get the steaks.” He’d just turned to re-enter the house when his sister Lily appeared in the doorway carrying a tray of raw steaks.
“Looking for these?” she asked with a smile.
“Yes.” Chance took the tray from her and carried it to his waiting father.
“Will there be room for some chicken?” his mother said, carrying another tray with several chicken breasts.
“I’ll make room,” Big John said. “Anything for my baby.” He winked at his wife, took the tray from her and set it down beside the steaks. Then he turned and swept Ann into his arms. “It’s good to be home and surrounded by family.” He gave her a big smack on her lips and grinned. “Although I love getting away with my bride.”
“Stop, John.” Ann batted at John’s chest, her cheeks flushing a rosy red. “The children.”
He laughed. “They aren’t children anymore.” He looked around at his sons and daughter. “I believe they know how they got here.” He winked at Chance and kissed his wife again.
