Short-Order Sheriff (River's End Ranch Book 1)

by Kirsten Osbourne

  Shane tilted his head to one side, studying her. “What aren’t you telling me? What’s the topic?”

  Kelsi leaned forward, obviously ready to speak in confidence. “You can’t tell anyone.”

  He shook his head. “I would never tell anyone what you tell me in confidence.”

  “Bigfoot lives in the mountains on the other side of the river. I’m looking for signs of Bigfoot.”

  He blinked a few times. “You’re kidding, right?”

  She shook her head. “Nope. Dead serious. So, you going Bigfoot hunting with me on Saturday afternoon?”

  “As long as you don’t mean actual hunting where we’d kill a humanoid creature, sure. I’ll help you search for Bigfoot.” They wouldn’t find anything, he was sure, because if Bigfoot had once lived in the mountains of her ranch, he’d be long gone, finding an area that was less populated. Of course, Bigfoot didn’t exist, so he didn’t know why he was thinking that anyway.

  She bounced a little, squealing. “I’ll reserve the four-wheelers, and we’ll ride out across the bridge over the river on those, and then cover the lower portion of one of the mountains from there. This is my first time to go out all year!”

  He frowned. “Exactly how long have you been searching for Bigfoot?”

  “Since I was ten!”

  He sighed. “And you haven’t found him yet?”

  “Not yet, but we will this weekend! I just know it!” Kelsi frowned when she saw her brother, Will, enter the café. “What do you want?”

  “Just making sure you’re okay.” Will slid into the booth beside Kelsi, trapping her between himself and the wall. “I don’t trust the sheriff with my baby sister. You know that…”

  “Whatever. He’s going Bigfoot hunting with me this weekend,” she whispered excitedly.

  Will laughed. “You’ve got it bad, don’t you?” he asked Shane.

  Shane frowned. “She said you go with her sometimes!”

  “We only go to make sure she doesn’t kill herself by falling in the river or tumbling down a mountain. We don’t actually help her search for Bigfoot.”

  Shane’s eyes stayed steady on Will’s. Did her brother really think he was that stupid? “We’ll need two of the ATVs.” He knew the ranch had several that could be rented by the guests of the ranch.

  “Sorry, only one available.”

  “We’ll share,” Kelsi announced. “I’ll pack a good lunch for us, and we’ll explore. It’ll be fun!”

  “So much fun!” Will said with exaggerated enthusiasm.

  Shane decided to ignore her brother. “We could watch another movie tonight, or I can take you into town and we can go to the diner?” He knew seeing her every single night wasn’t going to be an option, but he wanted it to be.

  Kelsi shrugged. “Or I could fix us dinner at your place,” she suggested.

  Shane thought for a moment about whether he’d left his dirty laundry on the floor. “That would work for me. I’ll help you cook if you want?”

  “Nah. How ‘bout Mexican food? I’m in the mood for some enchiladas.”

  Will looked at Shane. “She’s a good cook, but if you’re going for Mexican, you might need to have a fire extinguisher available.”

  Shane shrugged, determined not to let her brother frighten him. “If she can handle it, I can handle it.” He’d practically cut his teeth on spicy foods.

  Will got out of the booth, shaking his head. “You’re making a mistake, but it’s your tongue that will be burned off, not mine.” He looked at Shane. “The woman has a cast iron stomach. No one can out-spice her.”

  Shane watched as Will left, then looked at Kelsi. “I grew up in Southern California. I can handle whatever you can.”

  Kelsi grinned. “Works for me.” She took the key he offered her.

  “You’re welcome to go over and start cooking whenever you’re ready.”

  “You’ll be home shortly after five?” she asked.

  He nodded. “Yup.”

  She scooted out of the booth, slipping his key in the pocket of her apron. “What are you having for lunch?”

  “Tuesday Special,” he responded, wondering if she’d ever give him a menu again. Not that he cared, because he really didn’t need one.

  “Medium-rare?”

  “Is there any other way to eat a steak?”

  “I prefer mine not to be mooing,” she said, heading for the kitchen.

  She gave Dani the order and watched as her sister dropped fries into the hot oil and slapped a steak on the stove. “I want my boots back. You’re going to scuff them.”

  “If I do, I’ll buy you a new pair,” Kelsi responded, leaning on the counter, watching her sister cook. “I’m going to cook for Shane tonight.”

  Dani raised an eyebrow at her. “That’s a whole lot of sheriff in a short amount of time.”

  “My life.” Kelsi knew her siblings would wonder about her spending so much time with him, because she hadn’t spent even one evening a week with Donn for the past six years.

  Dani shrugged, turning back to her cooking. “Have you placed an ad for a cook yet?”

  “Not yet. I’ll do it before I go over to the sheriff’s tonight.”

  “Please do. I don’t want to pull double-duty forever.”

  “I will,” Kelsi promised as she wandered off to get Shane his drink.

  Kelsi wasn’t sure what to expect when she let herself into Shane’s house that afternoon with an armful of groceries.

  Kicking the front door closed, she wandered through the living area and into the kitchen, finally setting the bags down. The house wasn't a mansion, by any means, but was certainly larger than her living space at the ranch house, which consisted of her bedroom and the bathroom she shared with her sister.

  Each of her brothers had a home across the highway from the main house, but were still on ranch land. She and Dani were the only two still left in their ancestral home, which was probably good. It left more rooms to be rented out to guests during the busy summer season.

  Kelsi dug through Shane's cabinets to find what she needed, while noting how organized he was. It was surprising to find a man who was so obviously strong with such a well-organized kitchen. Of course, Shane was always one to keep people guessing. How many sheriffs could double as a short-order cook on the weekends?

  Once she had the enchiladas in the oven, she wandered through the house, looking at everything. The way a man kept his home said a lot about him, and she was curious about Shane.

  His dirty laundry was in the hamper, a towel thrown haphazardly onto the dresser. Everything else was neat. There was no razor out, but he wore a neatly-trimmed beard so he probably didn’t shave every day.

  There were three bedrooms. The first was obviously occupied by him, and was decorated in dark blues and browns, colors she thought of as masculine. His bed was left unmade, but she couldn’t say anything about that. If she hadn’t needed to keep her bed made because she lived in the main house, she wouldn’t have.

  She stuck her head into the first of the spare rooms and noted it had a twin-sized bed but was primarily used for an office.

  The other room had a bed underneath a pile of random junk. Kelsi smiled. She was sure if she had a house of this size to herself, one of the bedrooms would be a junk room as well. She stuck her head in the other bathroom before wandering back through the dining room to the kitchen. The house wasn’t huge by any means, but it was just about right for a small family.

  She hurriedly worked on the salad while the enchiladas finished baking, and then she opened a can of refried beans. Normally when Kelsi cooked, she did everything from scratch. She didn’t buy anything in a can. She would usually soak the beans and then mash them into refried herself, but she hadn’t had a lot of time on such short notice.

  She made a box of Spanish rice, cringing as she used it. Not cooking often meant she did it right, and didn’t use a lot of processed foods.

  Kelsi was just pulling the enchiladas out of the oven when
she heard the front door open and close. She smiled at Shane as he walked into the kitchen, still wearing his uniform. She’d never been one of those girls who couldn’t resist a man in uniform, but Shane in uniform was a different story. Shane in anything made her heart beat faster.

  “Dinner will be ready in about ten minutes. Do you want to go change first? Or let me look at you in your uniform all night?”

  He raised an eyebrow. “You like the uniform?” If it would earn him extra points with her, he’d wear it all night.

  She shrugged. “On you, I do. I like you in jeans too, though.”

  “I’m going to go put jeans on then. I get tired of wearing this.”

  She smiled sweetly as he walked away, her eyes appreciating the view she had of his shoulders and backside. When he turned and caught her looking, she winked at him.

  By the time he returned, she had their plates on the table with water poured for each of them. One of the first things she’d noticed about Shane was that he always drank water with his meals, which pleased her. It was her favorite thing to drink as well.

  He came into the dining room and smelled the air. “Smells delicious. What kind of enchiladas did you make?”

  “Beef with a tomato sauce. If I’d had more time, I’d have done it all from scratch, and knocked your socks off, but there wasn’t much time today. Next time.”

  He walked to her and leaned down, kissing her cheek. It felt strange to be able to be so familiar with her after so much time having to keep his distance, but he was glad he could now. “Thanks for cooking for me, even if it wasn’t from scratch.”

  “Next time!”

  He shook his head. “Next time I’ll cook for you!”

  Kelsi smiled at that. “You can cook for me as often as you want. I’d rather sit back and watch anyway.”

  He sat down at the head of the table, and she took the spot to one side of him. “I’m impressed. I had it in my head you couldn’t cook at all, even warming stuff up, because you never do at the café.”

  “I’m needed up front at the café. When we do need extra people, we always need a cook. We don’t have as much turnover with the wait staff as we do the cooks.” Besides, her sister had never been trustworthy when it came to dealing with guests or customers. She was too volatile.

  “Is Dani still annoyed she’s being forced to cook?”

  “Yup. And today she was annoyed because I was wearing her boots. She just has to be grumpy about something.” She took a bite of her enchilada, feeling the heat as the pepper burned her tongue. She smiled. “That’s perfect.”

  Shane took a bite as well, remembering her brother’s warning. He wasn’t going to wimp out, so he took a big bite, knowing he could handle it. He’d grown up eating Mexican food after all.

  Kelsi watched as he took a bite, chewed for a moment, and began fanning his mouth. He quickly grabbed his water, and downed it before going for more.

  As he was gulping a second glass of water at the kitchen sink, she said, “Get yourself some more enchiladas from the other end of the pan. I made those with less peppers. I’ll take yours.” She helped herself to the enchiladas on his plate, continuing to eat calmly as if they weren't spicy at all.

  “How do you eat that?” he asked, gasping and shaking his head at her. He was sure he would have a blister on his tongue if he checked in a mirror.

  She shrugged. “It’s how I like it. I’ve learned to make a few for me, and milder ones for everyone else, though.”

  He carefully took a tiny bite of the new enchilada, obviously concerned it would still be too spicy. It was still hot, but it didn’t threaten to burn through his tongue, and leave a hole in the roof of his mouth, so he took a bigger bite.

  “These are really good if you don’t mind third degree burns on your tongue.”

  After the meal, she put the dishes into the sink, saving the food that was left. She carefully put the spicy enchiladas into a bowl to take home with her, and the rest went into the refrigerator for him.

  “If I cook, I don’t do dishes,” she told him, walking out of the kitchen with the dishes all piled in the sink.

  He shrugged. “Sounds fair. I can do them after you leave.”

  “You kicking me out?”

  “Not at all. I thought maybe you’d want to stay for a little while. We could watch television.”

  She made a face. “It’s Tuesday. Do you mind if we watch Lazy Love? I don’t usually watch sappy TV shows, but there’s just something about that one. I think Jesse Savoy is pretty darn sexy, even though he’s not a real cowboy.” She’d been watching the show since the first episode, and she just couldn’t look away. It was her guilty pleasure, and she wasn’t going to hide it from him.

  Shane laughed, shaking his head. “I have only seen a few episodes of the show.”

  “Oh, really? I love it. The two main actors got married in real life last month, and there was a lot of talk about it in the tabloids because she was dating someone else. She married her co-star as soon as she split with the other guy. I hear they’re really happy, though.”

  He led her into the living room, sitting in the middle of the couch so she could sit on either side of him, but she’d be snuggled against him either way. “What channel?”

  After she told him, he used the remote to turn it on. “Do you watch this at home?”

  She nodded. “Every single week.”

  As they waited for the show to start, she told him a little about the series, wanting him to understand what he was about to watch.

  Her phone rang while she was in mid-explanation. She fished it out of her purse, frowning down at it. “It’s my mom. Gotta take it.” She swiped her finger across the screen. “Hey, Mom.”

  “Kelsi, why didn’t you call and tell me when you broke up with Donn?”

  “Why would I give you any details about my life when I know your spies are going to tell you everything within a couple of hours anyway?” Kelsi asked, winking at Shane who was watching her intently.

  “Because it’s not polite to let your mother hear everything about your life from other people! You should call and tell me these things!”

  “Sorry, Mom. Donn moved to California to make cotton candy for Disneyland. I’m dating Sheriff Shane now.” Kelsi knew her mother already had more information than she would have given her. It was crazy the things she heard from halfway across the country.

  “So I heard. Well, you won’t have to date him for long.”

  Kelsi blinked. “I like dating him, Mom.”

  “Well, forget him for a minute. When I got the call yesterday that Kathy had quit, I was so sad for you. I know how much Dani dislikes working in the café, but of course, you had to go to your sister for help. Well, we found this nice little diner in a tiny town in Louisiana, and the food was wonderful. You know me, when the food is good, I always ask to meet the chef, and the man who came out to talk to us looked so familiar.”

  Kelsi sighed, really not wanting to know where the story was going. Shane was watching her intently, like he knew something was happening that he wouldn’t like. “And? Did you know him?”

  “Not really him, but I knew his father before he moved away. Do you remember cute little Bobby Blakely?”

  “Bobby Blakely wasn’t cute, Mom! He chased me around at recess with whatever reptiles he could find. Dani too. He couldn’t tell us apart, so he decided to be in love with both of us. He was just awful! I felt like I’d won the lottery when they moved away after third grade!” Kelsi rolled her eyes at Shane, her hand reaching out to grip his.

  “He was a good boy. You and your sister were adorable and the only identical twins in school. Of course, he liked you. Anyway, that man was cute little Bobby Blakely all grown up!”

  Kelsi groaned. “Please tell me you didn’t offer him a job! I don’t want to have to work with Bobby Blakely!” She couldn’t think of anyone she less wanted to work with every day.

  “Of course I offered him a job. And do you know what, Kelsi J
o? I think he’s the perfect man for you. You should marry him.”

  Kelsi counted to ten before she responded to her mother. “I can’t marry him, Mom. I’m dating a man who carries a gun. You don’t want Bobby to die to you?”

  “Sheriff Clapper isn’t going to kill Bobby for marrying you. He’ll understand that the better man won the girl. It’s that simple!”

  “I don’t think Shane is going to consider Bobby the better man.”

  “He had to give two weeks’ notice, but he’s going to leave for Idaho a week from Monday. I’m sure you’ll be sick of the sheriff by then.”

  The call ended abruptly, and Kelsi looked at it for a minute, wanting to throw it across the room. “Bobby Blakely has been hired to cook for the café, and it doesn’t matter that I have never liked Bobby Blakely. He was the most annoying boy in the whole elementary school, but Mom has decided he’s the perfect husband for me. She probably already gave him my ring size so he can have one in his pocket when he arrives.” She leaned back against the couch and groaned. “I’m not going to marry Bobby Blakely!”

  “Did you just tell your mother I would shoot him if he married you?” Shane asked, trying to understand all of what he’d heard.

  “Well, I didn’t exactly tell her you’d shoot him, but I may have implied it wouldn’t be good for his health if he married me. You do carry a gun for work after all.”

  Shake shook his head at her, trying not to laugh. “Your mother has always been a force to be reckoned with.”

  “Do you know they’re letting us run the ranch for now, but they are reserving the right to not leave the ranch to us if they don’t feel like it? There’s going to be some kind of big test, and they won’t even tell us what the big test is!”

  He pulled her against him, his arm going around her shoulders. “Let’s watch your show. It’ll make you feel better.”

  “I hope Bob isn’t annoying on this episode.” Kelsi couldn’t deal with another annoying Bob at the moment, even if this one was on TV.

  “Bob?”

  “He’s the ranch foreman. He thinks he’s supposed to marry Jo, because that’s what Jo’s dad wanted before he died. What is it about parents wanting their kids to marry Bobs? I refuse! I will not be a Bob-lover, and no one can make me!”