The Sheriff’s Runaway Bride

by Arlene James

  “Harassing,” Zach corrected. “I know you’ve been harassing Kylie.”

  Vincent pointed at Rob. “How do you know it wasn’t him?”

  “She didn’t break off her engagement to him on the day of the wedding,” Zach snapped.

  Vincent jerked his head at Kylie. “Maybe she was getting between Rob and Janey, like he said, leading him on maybe, busting them up.”

  “I did nothing of the sort!” Kylie protested. “You know I don’t like drinkers! We argued about it often enough!”

  “Then who is this secret admirer of yours?” Vincent sneered.

  “I don’t have a secret admirer, and you know it!”

  “Ha! You’re not the goody-two-shoes everyone thinks. You’re with someone and you’re ashamed of it!”

  “I am not!” Kylie cried. She turned to Janey, pleading, “You don’t believe that, do you?”

  Before Janey could answer, Zach stated loudly, “Kylie has nothing to be ashamed of. I know that for a fact because I am the only one she’s with. Kylie’s my girl. No one else’s.”

  For an instant, everything froze. Then Kylie’s heart soared, pulling her up onto her toes. She half-fell, half-tiptoed past Rob and flung her arms around Zach’s neck, knocking his hat askew. With one hand firmly clamped around Rob’s biceps, Zach had only one arm with which to embrace her, but he set his hat straight and wrapped her tightly against his side, asking, “You got a problem with that, Vincent?”

  “You’re welcome to her,” Vincent growled, then stalked off down the street in the general direction of the grocery store.

  Erin replaced him in the doorway, grinning ear to ear. “Well, now that we’ve got that settled, are you coming in to work, or are you starting a new career as a necktie?”

  Kylie spluttered, stuck somewhere between tears and laughter. “I’m coming.” Yet, her arms remained locked around Zach’s neck.

  Chuckling, he patted her on the back. “Go on, darlin’. I have to get this knucklehead over to the county lockup. I’ll be back later for dinner. Okay?”

  “Okay,” she squeaked, managing to loosen her hold enough to get her heels on the ground.

  “Tell your dad I’ll drive you home tonight,” he added softly.

  Nodding, she reluctantly dropped her arms. He smiled down at her, then turned to Janey. “I’ll expect a full statement from you later. Understand?”

  Hugging herself, Janey nodded. “Whatever you need.”

  “Good.” Looking at Erin, he said, “Give her a cup of coffee or something, will you?”

  “That’s what we were doing when the boozehound there came in and tried to drag her out,” Erin said, crooking her finger at Janey. Sliding behind Rob, who appeared to be befuddled, Janey followed Erin inside.

  Zach pressed a kiss to the center of Kylie’s forehead, tapped her on the nose with the tip of his finger and softly said, “See you later.”

  “Mmm-hmm.”

  He gave Rob a warning shake before pulling him along. Rob stumbled toward the Jeep, but Zach towed him across the street and then the greensward to put him into the caged backseat of the county sheriff’s car. Kylie stood there watching them until Zach got in behind the steering wheel. Only then did she turn toward the diner, but she couldn’t quite make herself go inside just yet. Everyone in the diner had no doubt heard what Zach had said. She wanted just a moment to hold the moment close before others started picking it apart with questions and innuendoes.

  She laid her forehead against the doorjamb and relived the moment that he’d said, Kylie’s my girl.

  It was true, of course. She was Zach Clayton’s girl. She had been for some time. She just hadn’t been sure until that moment that he realized it!

  Now everyone knew.

  But what did that say about her dream to return to Denver and open her wedding planner business? She’d been willing to sacrifice that dream in order to liberate her family financially, but could she sacrifice it for Zach? He seemed firmly settled back in his hometown so could she be happy with him if he decided to stay in Clayton permanently?

  But, could she be happy without Zach anywhere?

  Obviously, she had some deep praying to do. She wanted to get it right this time. She had to know that Zach was the man God had chosen for her. Assuming, of course, that she was the woman God had set aside for Zach.

  Oh, yes. Deep praying, indeed.

  She couldn’t yield her dream again for anything less than true love.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Erin kindly permitted Kylie to sit with Zach while he ate dinner that evening. It helped that he came in well after the dinner rush and that everyone who had been present during Rob Crenshaw’s arrest had left the building hours earlier. The entire incident had undoubtedly been broadcast all over town by now, but to Kylie’s surprise, Zach’s announcement about the two of them had been met with a chorus of “duh,” especially from her coworkers.

  Apparently, their interest in each other had been obvious to one and all for some time. Kylie privately suspected that had set Vincent off and that he’d concocted this secret admirer nonsense in an effort to discourage Zach’s interest in her. Fortunately, despite his long absence from Colorado, Zach knew Vincent well enough not to buy into his schemes. Yet, by silent mutual agreement, Kylie and Zach tiptoed around Zach’s declaration, chatting instead about Rob.

  “He was snoring by the time I got him to lockup,” Zach revealed with a shake of his head. “Bet he’s not sleeping so well now.”

  “How long do you think he’ll be in jail?”

  “Not long. Before he dropped off to sleep, he admitted to me that he’d been arrested before, but we didn’t find any record of it. I suspect Diggers took him in hand a time or two, told him he was under arrest then let him go, so technically this is a first offense and as no serious harm was done, he’ll get a slap on the wrist. I expect he’ll spend tomorrow night at home, but at least he knows I mean business.”

  Kylie sighed. “I had hoped he’d be out of the way for a good while.”

  “I arrested him on charges of public drunkenness, assault and attempted abduction, but the DA will probably plead it down to the first count, and he’ll get minimal bail. I just hope Janey isn’t the one who posts his bond.”

  “I don’t think she will be,” Kylie said. “We had a bit of time to talk after you left. She’s done.”

  “Good. That just means his father will bail him out, though.”

  She sighed impatiently. “Most likely.”

  “Well, not to worry. I know Rob’s type. His courage is entirely liquid. I doubt Vincent could have instigated that scene if Rob hadn’t been drunk already.”

  “So you believe Vincent is behind the whole thing?” she asked.

  “Don’t you?”

  “Yeah. Yeah, I do.”

  “The way I see it, he was trying to cast suspicion on someone else,” Zach said. “But I know too well how Vincent operates for that to work.”

  Kylie looked at him hopefully. “Maybe Rob will figure it out now.”

  “Wouldn’t hold my breath until that happens.” He wolfed down his dinner, then asked, “What’s good for dessert?”

  Erin told him that she had one piece of cherry pie left and a fresh quart of coconut pecan frozen yogurt.

  He opted for the frozen yogurt, which won his instant approval. “This is delicious. Bet Macy would like this.”

  “You’ll have to bring her in soon,” Kylie said. “How’s that Big Brother thing going, anyway?”

  He made a face. “I’ve been too busy to spend time with her, but I’m not sure what to do with her anyway. It’s not like Clayton is overflowing with entertainment venues.”

  “Well, there’s the frozen yogurt,” Kylie pointed out, “and I’m betting you could come up with something fun to do on the computer.” She thought about it. “You could also ask around, see if you could find a horse for her to ride.”

  “That would be fun,” he said. “I haven’t ridden in years.�
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  “You know what else you could do? A picnic.”

  “Now, that’s an idea.” He winked. “Thanks, darlin’. I’ll give it some thought.”

  Kylie smiled. Darlin’. Was that going to be her special endearment? For as long as she could remember, her mom had been “sugar something-or-other” to her dad. Kylie and her sister had at times thought it funny. At other points, they’d considered it “gag worthy,” as Mariette would put it. Ultimately, however, those little endearments had become as dear to them as they were to their mother. That constant evidence of their father’s ardor for their mother both reassured and pleased them.

  Suddenly, Kylie could imagine her own children reacting to their dad calling her “darlin’.” She could see the giggles, the rolling eyes and finally the knowing smiles. Shaking herself out of the fantasy, she went to help close up the place.

  Afterward, as Zach drove her home, he got a call from the sheriff’s dispatcher. Someone had reported seeing a guy thrown from a car about ten miles east of Clayton. Zach dropped Kylie at her house and sped off to check it out.

  Later, he called her to say that a young man from another town had gotten into an argument with his buddies as they drove toward some party. After they’d refused to turn around and take him home, he’d bailed out of the slowly moving car in a huff, tearing his shirt and skinning his chin. By the time Zach had gotten there, the kid had already called his mother to come and pick him up. Zach waited with him until she came.

  Kylie marveled as they chatted about similar things that Zach had seen over the course of his career. Finally, Zach yawned and said he couldn’t keep his eyes open any longer, so they got off the phone. Kylie lay in her bed, looking at the jagged shadow on the wall where once the moonlight had winked through the branches of the bigtooth maple outside. For the first time the room seemed utterly foreign to her, as if this was no longer quite her home.

  When she thought of home now, she thought of the man who lay sleeping in a house on Bluebird Lane.

  That notion compelled her to seek out Zach at church the next morning, and for the first time they wound up sitting together during the service. Afterward, Gabe and Brooke assumed that Kylie would join them and Zach for Sunday dinner. Zach, who appeared to be of the same mind, remarked that he’d give her a chance to change and pick her up later. Because the members of the Jones family usually fended for themselves on Sunday, Lynette being of the opinion that her single day of rest should be just that, Kylie readily went along with the plan.

  She took it upon herself to contribute to the meal by preparing a colorful fruit salad. Seeing that, Zach swung by Arabella’s for a bag of whole wheat rolls. She reported no further incidents at the house but had glimpsed the stranger more than once, always at a distance.

  “Could just be someone new in town,” Zach mused. “If I see anyone who fits the description, I’ll speak to him, see what I can find out.”

  Arabella thanked him for that, then sighed. “Honestly, that’s not the most disturbing thing that’s happened lately. My mother emailed to say that she might drop into town to say hello, if you can believe that.”

  “Kat?” Zach yelped, as if Arabella had another mother. His aunt had been absent from all their lives for so long that he couldn’t help being surprised. “That is news.” But what kind of news, he wondered, good or bad?

  Arabella chuckled. “You sound just like Darlene. She was here helping to plan next quarter’s kitchen schedule at the church when the email came. I think she was more rattled by the prospect of Mom showing up than I was.”

  Now why, Zach wondered, would Darlene care one way or another about Kat coming to town? Finding no easy answer, he mentally dropped the matter.

  Arabella wouldn’t take his money for the dinner rolls, so he paid her with a kiss on the cheek before heading back out to the Jeep and Kylie.

  Brooke and Gabe welcomed their offerings with delight, and the two couples spent a comfortable afternoon together. Brooke seemed as surprised by Kat’s suggestion that she might reappear in Clayton after all these years as Zach had been.

  “Smelling money, maybe?” Gabe asked. Zach didn’t want to say that or even think it, but it seemed logical. He changed the subject, and they talked about the possibility of arranging a horse riding lesson for Macy.

  “Ask out at the Circle C,” Brooke proposed.

  They discussed getting a group together and making an afternoon of it, but before they could devise firm plans, Zach was called out to another auto accident.

  “These mountain roads are treacherous,” he muttered, preparing to leave.

  “I’ll say a prayer,” Brooke volunteered, “and I’ll take Kylie home, too.”

  “Thanks, sis,” Zach said before looking to Kylie. “Sorry, darlin’. I’ll call you later if I’m not too late getting in. Otherwise, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  Nodding, Kylie turned her face up for his quick goodbye kiss. She didn’t even think about it. Until she saw the knowing look on Brooke’s face after he’d gone.

  “Zach’s girl,” Brooke said around a grin, proving she’d heard the story.

  Kylie wrinkled her nose. “Everyone’s talking about that, are they?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “Does Zach know?” Kylie worried aloud, hoping he wouldn’t mind being the subject of conversation.

  “Oh yes. Know what he said when I asked him about it?”

  “What?”

  “He just looked at me, said, ‘Duh,’ and walked out of the room.”

  Laughter sputtered out of Kylie. Brooke didn’t know why she laughed, and Kylie didn’t attempt to explain. She delighted in knowing that Zach’s sister apparently approved of their involvement. Conversely, the fact that Zach hadn’t called by the time she turned in for the night did not thrill Kylie, but she assumed that he was working hard and that she could expect more of the same if they continued to see each other.

  She did see him briefly at the diner the next morning, but he didn’t have time to talk, not until mid-afternoon when he came in with Macy.

  “Are we having frozen yogurt?” Kylie asked.

  “We are,” Zach confirmed. Macy asked for coins to put into the jukebox, and Zach handed them over. She ran off to pick her songs. He looked up at Kylie as she stood next to his chair. “Can you join us?”

  She glanced around the busy room and made a face. “Best not.”

  “Give you a ride home later?”

  “Yes, thank you.”

  “Let’s hope no one else hits a heifer on the road,” he muttered, obviously not wanting Macy to overhear.

  “So that’s what it was.”

  “Didn’t help when the rancher showed up with a shotgun. Turned out he was worried he’d have to put the cow down, but it caused some consternation before it all got settled. The whole thing devolved into a shouting match between the driver of the car and the owner of the cow.” Zach shook his head. “I felt like a nanny refereeing a pair of toddlers having a tantrum. Took half the night to resolve the thing, but the rancher shook my hand at the end and remarked that Diggers would’ve just gone home to bed and let them ‘shoot it out.’ I hope he was joking about that part.”

  “Not much,” Macy piped up, proving that her ears were bigger than they’d assumed and her intellect a great deal sharper. She plopped back into her chair.

  “Okay, my bad,” Zach proclaimed. “No more talking shop with the munchkin in the room.”

  “I’m not a baby,” Macy protested good-naturedly.

  “True enough,” Zach agreed, leaving it at that. “What kind of frozen yogurt do you want?”

  Macy looked to Kylie. “What kind do you have?”

  It wasn’t a long list, only about half a dozen flavors. Most of the year, they only carried the standard vanilla and chocolate, but in the summertime Erin liked to offer a little more variety.

  Macy made her choice without hesitation. “Coconut pecan!”

  “Make that two,” Zach said, grinning.
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br />   An elderly couple at the next table chuckled, leaned over and remarked, “Like daddy, like daughter, hmm?”

  Kylie laughed, expecting Zach and Macy to join her. Instead, Zach looked as if he’d been poleaxed, and Macy’s eyes actually filled with tears.

  “I don’t have a daddy,” she whispered.

  Zach cleared his throat and said, “I’m her Big Brother.”

  The couple took it literally.

  “Well, no wonder you look so much alike.”

  “And have the same tastes.”

  Macy looked confused at that, but Zach’s expression tuned positively grim. Kylie watched him forcibly lighten his own mood, the corners of his lips ratcheting up until he could wink at Macy and quip, “It’s the rogue coconut pecan gene. Space aliens must’ve put it in the water.” Macy giggled, and the awkward moment passed. “It’s a plot to get us all addicted to coconuts and pecans,” he elaborated.

  “Because that’s what they grow on their planet,” Macy improvised.

  They laughed over that bit of nonsense until Kylie went to dish up the goodies, but she knew that more was going on here than a shortsighted elderly couple making an erroneous assumption. Whatever it happened to be, she wanted to share it with him.

  She wanted to share everything with Zach.

  “I don’t have a daddy,” Zach repeated, shaking his head. He shifted on the porch step and smoothed a hand around the brim of the hat that he’d parked atop one knee. He’d decided that he needed a darker one for everyday and winter, but that could wait. Right now, he had Macy on his mind, Kylie at his side and a few things that he needed to talk through.

  Kylie had turned out the porch lamps a few moments earlier so the mosquitoes wouldn’t carry them away. He felt the big log house behind him, as solid as the ground on which it stood.

  “It was heartbreaking when Macy said that,” Kylie agreed, leaning against him. “I never really thought about how it must be for her. I can’t imagine what my life would have been like without my dad.”

  Zach sighed, guilt weighing on him, and confessed, “I never got along with my father.”

  “You mentioned that before,” Kylie said, snuggling a little closer. “What was the problem?” He felt her shiver and lifted an arm to loop it about her. The nighttime temperature routinely dropped to below sixty degrees in July, sometimes well below.