by Katie Lane
He picked up the bag. “Thank y’all for all the help.”
As he headed for the door, the two continued to bicker.
“’Protect our women.’” Emma snorted. “You are such a caveman, Boone Murphy.”
“Ugh!” Boone grunted as Lincoln walked out the door.
Once outside, he crossed the street to where he’d parked his truck and was about to get in when he caught the scent of French fries coming from the pharmacy soda fountain. Lincoln’s stomach growled and he realized he hadn’t eaten lunch before leaving the Double Diamond ranch. After spending the entire morning pulling weeds that had grown around the house, he was starving. He’d grab a bite to eat, and then drop the deadbolt by to the landlord and make it perfectly clear that he wanted it installed that day.
The soda fountain looked much as it did when he was sixteen. If the walls had been painted and the stools and booths reupholstered, then they’d used the exact same white paint and red vinyl material. Not being one for change, Lincoln appreciated that. As he took a seat in a booth by the window, he couldn’t help remembering all the fun times he’d had with his friends at the pharmacy.
“What can I get you?”
Lincoln glanced up from the menu he’d been perusing to see the same kid who had run to get the deputy the day Cheyenne had shoplifted. Joey something or other.
“I’ll have a double meat cheeseburger, hold the onions, an order of fries, and a Coke.”
Joey nodded and squinted his eyes. “Hey, you’re that Texas Ranger who caught the shoplifter.”
He placed the menu back behind the sugar dispenser. “Cheyenne isn’t really a shoplifter. She just a young girl who made a bad choice.”
“Yeah, I know. She came in here this morning and paid Mr. Sanders what she owned him and apologized.”
Lincoln was glad his lecture had worked. “Good for her. That couldn’t have been easy. I hope Mr. Sanders was understanding.”
Joey glanced around before he leaned closer. “He’s not usually. Usually he can be a real jerk. But the deputy had him grinning and laughing like he was high—not that I know about getting high.”
Lincoln stared at him. “The deputy was with Cheyenne?”
“Yeah. They came in here and had Coke floats and grilled cheese. I thought the deputy was kind of snobby. But she’s not. And she’s smokin’ hot. I guess she was like a runner-up for Miss Texas.” He paused. “Of course, you probably know that, seeing as how she’s your girl.”
He wasn’t surprised at how fast gossip traveled in a town as much as he was surprised that Deputy Meriwether had followed through on her promise to Cheyenne. He had thought she would forget about the kid as soon as she dropped her off with her father. He couldn’t help wondering what the deputy was up to.
He didn’t have long to wonder. Not more than fifteen minutes later, he was enjoying his cheeseburger when he saw the deputy walking down the street. She was in her usual uniform of a khaki sheriff’s shirt, too tight jeans, and designer cowboy boots. Her tan cowboy hat was set at a jaunty angle and she looked like she was walking a fashion runway rather than down a small-town street. Every man she passed, whether with a woman or not, turned his head to get another look.
He wasn’t surprised she headed into the hair salon. He figured she’d be there for a while getting her hair and nails done. But he’d only been able to eat one more French fry before she came back out with a woman and pointed to the sign sitting in the middle of the sidewalk advertising a sale on perms. The woman nodded and moved the sign closer to the salon.
Lincoln was thoroughly confused. Had the deputy just done her job and asked the owner of the salon to move the sign so no pedestrian would trip on it? He shook his head. It was more likely she had been asking about the price of a perm and the woman had noticed the sign was in a bad spot. Except further down the street, Deputy Meriwether was having another discussion with the owner of the Seed and Feed, who had a bush growing out onto the sidewalk.
As Lincoln watched, Deputy Meriwether chatted away to the man, who seemed to be so starstruck he could only stare and nod. By the time the deputy moved back down the street, the man had retrieved a pair of hedge trimmers and was giving the bush a cut.
Lincoln craned his neck trying to see what the deputy would do next, but the edge of the window blocked his view.
“You might want to be careful or you’ll strain your neck.”
He turned to see Maisy standing there holding a double-decker ice cream cone. Without waiting for an invitation, she took off her brown felt cowboy hat that looked like it had been stomped by a bull and slid into the seat across from him.
“How’s it goin’, Linc? It’s okay if I call you Linc, isn’t it? After you so graciously took me home the other night, I feel like we’re friends.” She snagged a French fry and ate it in two bites, then held out her ice cream cone. “Lick?”
“No, thank you.”
She shrugged. “Not a fan of chocolate fudge swirl? Suit yourself.” She licked her ice cream and watched him with her brown eyes. “So, you have a thing for her?”
“Who?”
She rolled her eyes. “Dixie. The entire town is gossiping about you tossing her over your shoulder the other night at Cotton-Eyed Joe’s. But since Dixie didn’t mention anything about you two dating when we were getting drunk on margaritas the other night, I’m going to assume she isn’t as interested in you as you are in her.”
“I’m not interested in her.”
She glanced out the window and grinned her gap-toothed grin. “Uh-huh.” She stole another of his French fries and nibbled on it while she studied him. “And seeing as how you’re as sinfully handsome as the devil himself, maybe Dixie is just keeping her cards close to her vest like you are.” She tipped her head. “Isn’t that the nickname for the Texas Rangers? Texan Devils? Although you’re a little too straight laced to be called a devil. Or a bad boy for that matter. How did a Double Diamond bad boy become a Texas Ranger?”
“With a lot of hard work. And speaking of work . . .” He pushed his plate toward her. “Help yourself to the rest of my fries. I need to be going.” He started to get to his feet, but she stopped him.
“Are you working on my father’s missing person’s case?”
“No.” It was the truth. All his research so far had just been freelance. “I’ve talked to the sheriff about it, but it’s not really my case.”
“So whose is it?”
“You’ll have to talk to your friend, the deputy.”
“I’ll do that.” She studied him. “I get the distinct feeling you don’t like me, Linc. In fact, I get the feeling that none of the Double Diamond boys do. And I can’t figure out why.” She licked her ice cream a couple times before she spoke again. “Unless you boys are hiding something about my daddy.”
Maisy was smart. Too smart for her own good. He stood and pulled on his hat. “No one is hiding anything from you, Ms. Sweeney. Your father worked at the Double Diamond ranch and then he left. Not one of the boys knows what happened to him after that and I’ve questioned all of them. Including Chester and Lucas.”
“For someone who isn’t working on the case, it sure sounds like you have an interest in it.” She slid out of the booth and pulled her beat up cowboy hat on. “Thanks for taking me home the other night and I’m sorry about the entire gun thing. But sometimes single women need a little extra protection.” She turned and strutted off.
When she was gone, Lincoln released his breath. Damn, Sam Sweeney. Every time Lincoln thought he had exorcised him from his thoughts, he showed up again. This time in the form of a cute little cowgirl with enough brains in her head to cause problems. Especially if Lincoln’s gut feeling about Chester keeping something from him was true.
Once he paid his bill, he headed outside. He stopped short when he saw Deputy Meriwether. She was standing between two parked cars with her hat tipped back. She appeared to be writing out a ticket. He watched as she tore off the citation and placed it beneath th
e windshield wiper of a truck.
His truck.
He strode down the sidewalk toward her. “What do you think you’re doing?”
She turned with a bright smile. “What does it look like I’m doing? I’m giving this person a ticket for not parking within the white lines.”
He glanced down. His back tire was barely an inch over the white line. “You know this is my truck, right?”
She gave him a wide-eyed look. “This is your truck?” She placed a hand on her chest. “Oh, my, I guess I was too drunk the other night to notice what vehicle I was being kidnapped in.”
“Kidnapped?”
“What would you call slinging a woman over your shoulder and carrying her to your truck?” She paused. “Foreplay?”
Just the word coming out of those soft lips made desire swirl in his gut. He nodded at the windshield. “Admit it. That ticket is payback for me giving it to you straight the other morning.”
“Not at all. This is me doing my job. You broke the law. Are you saying law officers are above the law, Officer Hayes? I thought we were held to a higher standard. I thought we needed to be an example to the community . . . not an embarrassment.”
“There’s a big difference between a drunken public display and missing the white line of a parking space by an inch.” He stepped around her and pulled the ticket out from under the windshield wiper and stared at the fine. “Two hundred dollars?”
She crossed her arms and sent him a smug smile. “Higher standards.”
He blew out his breath and stuffed the ticket he had no intention of paying in his front pocket. “Okay. I get it. You’re upset with me. And I was probably a little tough on you. But you need to get it through your head that you’re not cut out for law enforcement.”
“Because I’m too stupid?”
“I didn’t say you were stupid. I said your actions the other night were stupid. And you have to admit that getting drunk and turning on half the male population in the town with that sensual bull ride of yours wasn’t too smart.”
He realized his mistake as soon as the words left his mouth. Her smug smile faded and a real smile took its place. Damn, she was a beautiful woman. Her eyes sparkled like emeralds beneath the shadow of her hat and her hair looked like spun gold in the bright afternoon sun. Her lips were painted a glossy peach that reminded him of the pie she had been talking about bringing to Luanne’s party. He couldn’t help wondering if they would taste like juicy peach pie hot from the oven. A strong desire to get a deeper taste settled like a weight in his gut. He tried to ignore it, but it was impossible when she stepped closer.
“So you thought my bull ride was sensual, Officer Hayes? Did it turn you on?”
He lifted his gaze from her peach-tinted mouth, but the hunger he read in her eyes was just as bad. He tried to step back, but she had him pinned between her and the car parked in the next space. It took a real effort to keep his resolve . . . and sanity. “Don’t go there, Deputy Meriwether.”
“Go where?”
“The same place you wanted to go the other night. I’m not interested.”
“And yet, the flush on your cheeks and the heat in your eyes say something completely different.” She placed a hand on his chest, and he felt his heart jump to meet it. He tensed, fearing if she kissed him again he wouldn’t be able to control the desire that had moved from his gut to behind his zipper. But all she did was lean closer and whisper in his ear. “But I guess two officers of the law getting down and dirty would be stupidity at its finest, wouldn’t it? I am an officer of the law. And I think I’ll remain one for a while.” She stepped back and flashed the toothy beauty queen smile. “Have a good day, Lincoln Hayes, Texas Ranger.”
She winked, then turned and sashayed down the street, greeting everyone she met as if she were running for mayor.
Chapter Nine
“This peach pie is the best I’ve ever had, Deputy Meriwether,” Reba Valentine said as she finished off the last bite of her slice. “I would love the recipe to serve at the boardinghouse. Unless it’s a family secret.”
“There are no secrets in the Meriwether family,” Dixie said. “My mama always says that secrets are like rabbits. You start with a couple and end up with more than you can keep. I’ll text you the recipe and you just let me know if you have any problems when you’re making it.”
“Oh, I won’t be making it. I’m horrible at baking. Thankfully, Val is amazing at it.” A soft smile spread over Reba’s face. “Among other things.”
Dixie couldn’t help feeling a little jealous. Reba was obviously a woman in deep love. Dixie had never experienced that kind of consuming emotion for a man. She was much better at manipulating men than she was at loving them.
Although there were two men she wasn’t having much luck manipulating. Her daddy still hadn’t relented about the money. In fact, this morning when she talked to him on the phone, he hadn’t acted the least bit worried when she told him she was hot on the trail of Sam Sweeney’s murderer.
Then there was Lincoln Hayes.
The infuriating man wanted her. She knew he did. And yet, she couldn’t even get a kiss from him. If he saw her in town, he went out of his way to completely avoid her. If he hadn’t given her a gift, she would be thoroughly ticked at the man. But a deadbolt was just about the sweetest gift a man had ever given her. He might act like he didn’t care about her, but getting her a lock for her door proved that he did.
“You want some more raspberry lemonade, Deputy Meriwether?” Devlin Lancaster walked up and held out a pitcher of lemonade. She was an attractive woman who wore glasses and usually kept her long dark hair pulled back in a bun. Today, she wore a white shirt and a flowered skirt with turquoise designer boots that Dixie coveted. It was Devlin’s house where they were having the Mary Kay party. The pretty ranch-style home had just been completed.
“I would love some more.” Dixie held out her glass. “And like I said before, you can just call me Dixie.”
Devlin refilled her glass. “I keep forgetting you’re not like Sheriff Willaby who expects everyone to call him by his full title—even when he’s off duty.”
Miss Gertie snorted. “That’s because he’s a horse’s behind.” She looked at Dixie. “The jury’s still out on you, but I must admit you’re not as much of a lame brain as I thought you were.”
Dixie might’ve been offended if she hadn’t gotten used to Miss Gertie’s coarse manner. “Thank you, ma’am. I have been known to grow on people.”
Miss Gertie snorted as she studied herself in the hand mirror Luanne had given her. “I thought you told me this color would highlight my eyes, Luanne. I look like a streetwalking jezebel.”
Dixie had to agree with Miss Gertie. Luanne was extremely heavy-handed with the makeup and every woman at the party looked like a streetwalker. Dixie was itching to jump in and take over the party. After years of competing in pageants, she was an expert on makeup. But taking over wasn’t how you made friends.
“You look nothing like a jezebel, Miss Gertie.” Luanne handed Dixie a lipstick to try. “This will look amazing on you, honey.”
Dixie liberally applied the red lipstick, pursed, and then looked in a mirror. The bright red was the worst possible choice for Dixie’s coloring, but she kept that information to herself. “You’re right. It’s divine. Put this on my tab. In fact, give me two just so I won’t run out.”
Luanne looked like she was about to jump out of her leggings. “I’ll do that. And since you’ve bought so much, I’m going to throw in a bunch of free samples.”
Dixie already had plenty of cosmetics, so she didn’t need extra samples. But she knew someone who did. “That’s just so sweet of you. And could you make them the palest colors? Cheyenne Daily is just starting to wear makeup and I thought she might enjoy them.”
“Why, of course I could.” Luanne placed a hand on her chest. “It just about broke my heart when I heard about that sweet little thang shoplifting those tampons.”
“Me too,” Raynelle chimed in. “I remember how embarrassed I was the first time my mama sent me to the store to buy feminine products for me and my two sisters. If I could’ve stuffed them under my jacket, I sure would’ve tried. When Mike Jeffries rang me up, I just about died. After that, I begged my mama to do it. But Cheyenne doesn’t have a mama. It’s just her and her daddy now.”
“Just like me and Evie after Mama passed away,” Penny Gardener said. She sat on the couch between her sister, Evie, and Sadie, the cook and housekeeper at the Gardener Ranch. She squeezed their hands. “Thankfully, I had you two to get me through puberty. After losing her grandmother, Cheyenne has no female relatives at all.”
“Yes she does,” Evie said. “She has every woman in Simple. And from now on, we all need to watch out for her and make sure she knows she has plenty of sisters to help her with whatever she needs.”
The chorus of “amen, sister!” made Dixie smile. This was a good town filled with good people. She was glad she had decided to take part in it while she was here. She set down her glass of lemonade. “I think Cheyenne would love that. And she’s not the only one who needs some extra love. Her daddy, Cal, is struggling after losing his mama. He could sure use some friends. And a job. He’s been looking in Abilene, but without any luck.”
“Logan owns auto shops in Abilene,” Evie said. “I’m sure he would hire Cal.”
“But we can’t let good folks like the Dailys move off to Abilene,” Sadie said. “Surely we can find enough work for him here.”
“My car needs a tune up and Bud hasn’t had time to get to it,” Luanne said. “I bet he would be more than happy to give that job to Cal. And I know a lot of folks who would much rather have their car worked on here, rather than drive it—or worse, have to have it towed—to a bigger town. I’ll activate the phone tree and get the word out.”
