The Accidental Sheriff (7 page)

“Yes, but—”

“And people have a right to know what’s happening in their community.” Carolina liked the sound of that and would use the same argument on Neil when she attempted to enlist his aid.

“The free advertising with KPKD’s sister stations across the southwest is good,” Jake reluctantly concurred. “Will your boss let us choose when commercials for the ranch air? Three o’clock in the morning won’t reach our targeted market.”

“We’ll simply make that a condition of our agreement.”

Jake continued to weigh the pros and cons with her for several minutes. Carolina half listened, the noise and commotion in the corral diverting her attention to her niece and the class she was conducting. She tried to pick out which one of the eight girls was Zoey. From this distance, and with their identical ball caps, it was impossible.

“I think a family meeting is in order,” Jake announced.

“I figured you’d say that. We have to decide right away. I told Ward I’d have an answer for him by Wednesday.”

“That’s cutting it close.”

“The illegal mining is breaking news. We have to act quickly.”

“I’ll call you later. Let you know what time’s convenient for everyone tomorrow.”

She pushed off his truck and gave him a brief hug before heading to her car. After a week in the body shop, it looked as good as new. The fender bender might never have happened.

Instead of getting into her car and driving away, Carolina meandered over to the corral. Briana was using Big Ben, the very old, very gentle mule that belonged to the Horizon Adult Day Care center, to introduce the children to equine basics.

On closer inspection, it wasn’t so difficult to pick out Zoey. At least, Carolina was fairly certain the girl with the bright
pink cowboy boots and saucy ponytail poking through the hole in the back of her ball cap was Zoey.

A young woman who didn’t look much older than Briana wore the same ball cap as the children, identifying her as part of the after-school program. If she was supposed to be in charge, Carolina had her doubts. The woman was clearly terrified of large animals, even one as gentle as Big Ben. She visibly trembled as she brought the students up in pairs to pet the mule. Luckily, Briana’s experience extended beyond horses to children. She was a babysitter extraordinaire and a wrangler on trail rides.

Zoey was in absolute awe of Big Ben, and he seemed equally enamored of her, lowering his head and nuzzling the hand she extended.

“Very good,” Briana said. “Did you all see how she kept her hand flat so Big Ben wouldn’t nip her?”

Beaming at the praise, the little girl returned to the group.

Carolina continued to watch the children from her place at the corral fence, debating whether she should stay or go. If she remained much longer, she’d risk running into Neil when he came to pick up Zoey. Unless he sent his daughter’s babysitter, in which case, Carolina would miss him. She wasn’t certain which scenario she preferred.

If KPKD and her family came to an agreement, she’d be given the illegal mining story, and have no choice but to solicit Neil’s cooperation. Given that they hadn’t exactly parted under the best of circumstances the last time they were together, the prospect of seeing him again triggered a bout of nerves. Better to wait another day to conduct what could be a delicate conversation with him.

Having made up her mind, Carolina started to leave.

“Who wants to sit on Big Ben?” Briana asked.

“Me, me!” Small hands flew like crazy into the air.

Except for one.

“Teacher, teacher, I have to go to the baf-room.”

“Can you wait?” the young woman asked. “We’re almost done.”

“I gotta go now.” The little girl jumped up and down to emphasize her need.

“Me, too.” This time it was Zoey.

“Sorry. You’re going to have to wait. I can’t leave the other kids alone. It’s against the rules.”

“But this is a ’mergency,” the first little girl pleaded, her face contorted.

The young woman glanced around, visibly flustered. “I guess we can break for a little while so all of us can go.”

A chorus of voices rose in protest.

“Hey, Aunt Carolina,” Briana called out. “Have you got a minute?”

Carolina halted. “Uh…sure.”

“Can you take these kids to the restroom?”

“I don’t know,” the teacher said uncertainly, tugging on the strings of her hoodie.

“Don’t worry. She’s my aunt and one of the owners.”

Carolina changed direction and walked toward the gate. “Taking riding students to the restroom just happens to be on my list of duties.”

“Okay,” the young woman relented.

Good thing. She’d probably have a riot on her hands otherwise. The remaining students were arguing over which one would be the first to sit on Big Ben. Briana handled them with the kind of patience that kept her phone ringing off the hook with babysitting requests.

The two pint-size cowgirls met Carolina at the gate.

“Come on, follow me,” she said, directing them to the barn where the public restrooms were located.

They beat the crowd by a few minutes. A group of guests
were just returning from a trail ride. Their horses, all of them old pros, trotted into the open area in front of the barn, eager to be home. Carolina listened to the guests’ excited banter as she held open the restroom door so the first girl could go in.

Which left her standing outside the door and alone with Neil’s daughter.

She was sure the girl was Zoey. Besides the pink boots, she had Neil’s serious expression and the same dimple in her chin.

“Hi, I’m Carolina. What’s your name?”

“Zoey.”

All doubts were put to rest.

“I hear you like horses.”

The girl peered up at her, intrigued. “How do you know that?”

“I’m a friend of your father’s.”

“Oh.” Zoey scratched the toe of her boot in the dirt.

“Do you like school?”

“It’s okay.”

Was Zoey normally shy or just around strangers?

“I work at the radio station. I interviewed your dad last week. Did you hear it? He mentioned you.”

“No, I wanted to listen but Daddy said I had to go to school.”

“That’s too bad. If you want, and your dad says it’s okay, I can get you a copy of the interview and you can listen to it at home.”

“Really?” A smile blossomed on Zoey’s face.

“Sure.”

Without warning, a banging noise sounded from inside the restroom.

Carolina knocked on the door. “Are you all right in there?”

“Yes,” came a muffled reply.

She waited, and when no other noise followed, shrugged off the incident. “I like your boots.”

“Thanks.” Zoey bent and brushed away some dirt from the top of one.

Their conversation was stilted and probably wouldn’t be occurring at all if Carolina wasn’t trying so hard. She considered herself good with little girls, thanks to having so many nieces. She wondered if Zoey’s shyness was a result of being an only child, having no mother, or just her personality.

Come to think of it, her father wasn’t much for casual chitchat, either.

When he chose to, however, he could make up for any lack of words with action.

The restroom door abruptly banged open, and the other little girl emerged. She started to race back to the corral.

“Hey, wait! Don’t go.”

“She never listens,” Zoey said with very adultlike exasperation.

Carolina was torn between chasing after the little girl or remaining with Zoey. In the next instant, the dilemma was solved when the child reached the corral gate and the supervisor signaled Carolina.

“Okay, your turn,” she told Zoey, who stepped into the restroom with all the enthusiasm of Dorothy entering the witch’s castle.

After giving the interior a thorough once-over, she turned around and shut the door—only to come charging out three seconds later, squealing and hopping from foot to foot.

“There’s a tarantula in there!”

“Are you sure?” Carolina was flabbergasted. The huge spiders were indigenous to the area but reclusive, normally choosing to avoid people. “Where?” She poked her head inside the restroom.

“In the corner. Behind the toilet.” Zoey’s voice quaked.

Carolina bent cautiously to have a look. Despite their size, scary appearance and bad reputation, tarantulas were relatively harmless. That didn’t mean she was in the mood for a close encounter with one.

“I don’t see it.”

Zoey tiptoed up beside Carolina and pointed. “There. On that silver thingie.”

The valve? Carolina squinted. A spider with a body no bigger than a pinhead clung to a small iridescent web.

“That’s not a tarantula.”

“You sure?” Zoey squeaked.

“Positive. Tarantulas are this big.” Carolina demonstrated with her hands. “That spider’s only this big.” She pinched her thumb and index finger together.

“My daddy says I should be careful of spiders.”

“And he’s right. You don’t always know which ones are dangerous. But this one isn’t.”

“I don’t have to go to the bathroom anymore.”

“You want me to get rid of the spider?”

“Don’t kill it!”

“I won’t, I promise. I’ll just ask it to leave.”

“You can do that?”

“Watch me.” Carolina waved her hand in front of the spider. It immediately scurried off, disappearing into a crack in the wall. “See. All safe.”

“What if it comes back?”

“It won’t. Not till you’re gone. I promise.”

Zoey looked skeptical but need apparently won out. She went back into the restroom, leaving the door open a tiny crack. A few minutes later, she came out, still wary. By then, several people from the trail ride had joined them.

“Did the spider come back?” Carolina asked.

“No.”

The bottom of Zoey’s pant leg had become caught in her boot.

“Here.” Pulling her aside so the others in line could get by, Carolina stooped and straightened it. “Can’t have you looking like a greenhorn.”

“What’s that?”

“Someone who doesn’t know anything about horses.”

“But I don’t know anything about horses.”

Zoey was so earnest, Carolina had to laugh. “But you will soon.” They started walking back to the corral.

“Daddy!”

Before Carolina had a chance to react, Zoey sped off. Neil stood by the corral fence. What Carolina saw next strummed her heartstrings like nothing else had in a long, long time.

Neil, wearing an expression of pure joy, scooped his daughter into his arms and hugged her as if it had been months rather than hours since they’d last seen each other.

Zoey was one lucky little girl to be the recipient of such obvious love.

“Hey, pumpkin pie. How are you?” He set her down and held her away from him so he could look at her.

“I’m going to ride a horse. Wanna watch me?”

“You bet.”

She skipped off, then came to a sudden stop. “There was a big, scary spider in the bathroom. Carolina asked it to leave and it did.” With that, she was gone.

Neil turned to Carolina. “Hi.”

She knew it was his daughter that had put the besotted smile on his face but she basked in its radiance anyway, forgetting for a moment the awkwardness and injured feelings of their last parting.

“Hi yourself.” She walked over to join him. They both leaned their arms on the corral railing to watch Zoey with Big Ben.

“You asked a spider to leave?” Neil appeared skeptical.

“It’s a long story and not nearly as exciting as Zoey made it sound.”

“That’s a strange-looking horse.”

“He’s a mule. The differences are lost on young children.”

“I think they’re lost on me, too.”

“Half horse, half donkey.”

“I’m not going to ask how that works. I don’t think I want to know.”

“I’m sure Zoey will tell you after Briana explains it.”

“I can’t wait.”

Zoey finally got her turn to sit on Big Ben. Neil and Carolina both shouted encouragement and clapped when she was lifted off. Cars pulled into the open area, parents arriving to collect their children. Guests from the trail ride continued to mill around the stables, watching the hands unsaddle the horses and put them up for the night. The place had turned into a hive of activity.

“I should probably get going,” Carolina said.

“I’m sorry about the other night.”

Neil’s comment was out of the blue. She waited a moment to gather her thoughts before responding. “Apology accepted.”

“To be clear, I’m not sorry about kissing you.”

Neither was she.

“I wish I’d handled things better. Not hurt you.” His hand involuntarily opened and closed around the railing. “I’d like us to be friends.”

She let that trite platitude pass for the moment. “Good. Because I may need your help in the near future.”

“With the investigation?”

“Sort of. My boss is putting me in charge of a new story. If we can work out the details.”

“What story?”

“The illegal mining operation.” She drew on her courage, which was in shorter supply than usual these days. “And you’re my connection in the law enforcement agency.”

Carolina was pretty certain she’d struck Neil dumb, but then he answered her, just not the way she expected. “I accept.”

Her jaw dropped. “You’ll do it?”

“No. I accept your dinner invitation.”

“I’m…confused.”

“You’re right. We need to talk. Is Thursday okay? I’ll pick you up at your place. About six okay?”

He didn’t wait for her reply, merely strode off to get Zoey.

At Neil’s knock, the dog—he couldn’t remember its name—started barking. Carolina promptly opened her front door, and her smile flickered for only the briefest of seconds.

“You brought Zoey!”

“I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not.”

“You have a dog.” Zoey squealed and knelt down on the porch floor to welcome into her lap what had to be one of the ugliest dogs he’d ever seen. “What’s his name?”

“
Her
name is Belle. And I’m just babysitting. Until tomorrow. After that, she’s going back home to my sister’s house.”

“She’s so cute,” Zoey cooed between dog kisses.

That was a matter of opinion. With a short, squat body, a severe underbite and round bat ears, the dog wouldn’t win any beauty contests. Zoey, however, didn’t appear to notice.

“I want a dog.”

“Me, too,” Carolina said.

“Daddy says we’re too busy.”

Belle flopped down and rolled onto her back. Zoey got the hint and began to scratch the dog’s pudgy belly.

“Maybe you can come with me to the animal shelter and help me pick out my new dog.”

“Really?” Zoey beamed.

“Are you serious?” Neil didn’t beam.

“I’m sorry,” Carolina said, meeting his gaze. “I should have cleared it with you first before asking her.”

“No, I meant, are you serious about getting a dog?”

“Yeah. I’m tired of living alone.”

Her quick laugh didn’t cover the trace of loneliness he detected in her voice. For a moment, Neil was taken aback. Carolina had impressed him as being completely satisfied with her single life. Was he wrong?

“I heard the dog pound is overcrowded and having an adoption drive all month long,” Carolina said.

“Can I go with her, Daddy? Please.” Zoey stood and took Carolina’s hand.

They presented a formidable front.

He studied the two of them for a moment, unable to speak. Zoey had formed relationships with women in her young life besides her grandmothers: preschool teachers, mothers of friends, the very nice lady next door. But she’d been relatively shy with them at first, requiring a long period of adjustment before she’d trusted them enough to initiate physical contact. She’d met Carolina briefly at the ranch and was already holding her hand.

On second thought, Carolina had had much the same effect on him. They hadn’t been fifteen minutes into their double date when he wanted to trade places with the guy across the table from him.

“I shouldn’t have mentioned getting a dog,” she said apologetically.

Neil reached out and smoothed Zoey’s flyaway hair. “Sure. You can go.”

Zoey dropped to her knees again to hug Belle. “Did you hear that? You’re getting a new brother or sister.”

“That was sweet of you.” Carolina smiled at Neil.

He promptly remembered what he planned to tell her
tonight and wondered if she’d have the same opinion of him afterward. Probably not.

“Let me grab my jacket, and I’ll be ready to go.” She retreated, appearing a moment later with the same green trench coat she’d worn the night he’d been called out to investigate the illegal mining operation. The same night they’d kissed. He could still feel the coolness of the fabric beneath his fingers…and the soft heat of her lips on his mouth.

He tugged at his shirt collar. Bringing Zoey tonight wasn’t an afterthought. He’d known he would need a buffer, that being alone with Carolina would test his willpower to its limits.

“Come on, sweetie,” he said to Zoey when Carolina stepped outside onto the porch. “The dog has to stay here.”

They literally had to pry Zoey and Belle apart. Neither wanted to be separated. Once the dog was safely behind the closed front door, Carolina grabbed hold of both Neil’s and Zoey’s arms.

“Hurry.” She dragged them along with her. “We only have about thirty seconds before she escapes through the doggie door.”

They made it in the nick of time. Belle barked goodbye at the gate.

“Where are we going?” Carolina asked when they were in the car and pulling away from her cabin.

Zoey pressed her face to the rear passenger-side window and waved at Belle. The dog stood with her front feet on the gate, a forlorn expression on her cute-ugly face.

Seems Zoey was as quick to make friends with the dog as she was with Carolina.

“Pickle’s Pizza,” Neil answered her question, naming a kid-oriented pizza parlor with arcade games and rides. He thought Carolina might cringe at the suggestion. She didn’t.

“I love that place!”

Figured.

Even on a Thursday night, the restaurant was packed with families and children. That was what Neil wanted. More buffers to help him remain focused and not let his thoughts drift to other things. Like how sexy Carolina looked in black jeans. Or the way the dangly gold earrings she wore kept drawing his eyes to her face and the lovely curve of her lower lip. He’d tasted that lip and traced the outline of it with his tongue—

Zoey let out an excited squeal. She’d spotted two of her friends from school at one of the games. Rather than ask Neil to go with her, it was Carolina she coerced into playing skee ball when he handed over a fistful of game tokens.

“Do you mind?” Carolina asked.

“Have at it.” He sat by himself to order their pizza.

All around him, children ran, screamed, laughed, played, bickered, cried and made messes. Most of the adults sat at their tables, attempting to converse or enjoy their meal. A few of the heartier ones like Carolina joined the fray, monitoring the younger children or playing games.

He watched her and Zoey, the two of them enjoying themselves, and wondered again why his daughter had taken so quickly to Carolina. Even Carmen, whom Zoey adored, had required a “warming up” period that lasted several days.

Was it his fault? Had he sheltered Zoey so much he’d inadvertently instilled in her a wariness of new people? That wariness could protect her from harm, but too much, and she could become socially isolated.

Maybe her instincts were right on target, and she sensed that Carolina was someone she could trust, someone who wouldn’t hurt her.

He could learn a thing or two from his daughter, he supposed. His trust in Carolina was still tentative, though growing with each passing day.

And now she wanted his help with her story on the illegal mining. No doubt he owed her a favor for keeping his past under wraps and for being so kind to Zoey. Refusing her request would be hard.

It was also necessary.

Neil had worked diligently and sacrificed much to get his and Zoey’s lives where they were today. Quiet, safe, normal, secure. Not just physically but also mentally and emotionally. Carolina threatened to disrupt their perfectly ordered lives.

She could give him reason to care for her, had done it already if he were completely honest with himself. And the idea of loving again, of gambling with another person’s life and possibly losing her, terrified him.

N
EIL’S HEAD SHOT UP
when Carolina appeared in his line of vision. Before he could issue an invitation, she sat down beside him at the picnic-style table. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you out of uniform.”

“I’m off duty.”

“New York Yankees fan, huh?” Her glance strayed to his T-shirt and lingered.

“Where’s Zoey?” he promptly asked, needing his buffer.

“With a friend at the miniature basketball game.”

“Did she wear you out?”

“Are you kidding?

“Is that a yes?”

Carolina let her shoulders sag and blew out a breath. “A little.”

“You lasted a lot longer than I would have.”

“Practice. I come here often with my nieces.” She gave him a thorough and considerably longer once-over. “I like it.”

“The pizza place?”

She shook her head. “You look good in civilian drag.”

So did she. Damn good.

“Not so tough,” she added with a grin.

“Don’t be fooled by the clothes.”

“You forget, I’ve seen you with Zoey. You have a marshmallow for a heart.”

“Only for her.”

“No one else?” Carolina asked coyly.

Was she a mind reader, too? He wanted to say something witty back to her but his speech center had temporarily shut down.

She laughed and blithely moved on to a new subject, effectively reducing his confidence around women to that of a high school freshman.

“I’m beat. How do you keep up with Zoey all day?”

“I can’t. That’s why I hired Carmen.”

“Smart man.”

Casual bantering came easily to Carolina. It would be equally easy to respond to her. Neil needed to shore up his defenses—and fast—if he was to stay on track during the evening ahead.

“Did your family agree to give the radio station exclusive rights to the illegal mining story?” he asked.

She hesitated, then, in typical Carolina fashion, forged ahead. “Yes, they did.”

“And did your boss award you the story?”

“Yes, he did.”

Neil didn’t realize until that moment how much he’d been hoping for a different answer.

“You aren’t going to help me,” she said flatly.

There went his plan for letting her down slowly. “No.”

Before he could elaborate, the pizza arrived. Neither of them dug in. Neil scanned the crowd for Zoey. Finally finding her, he summoned her over to the table by holding up a paper plate with a slice of pizza on it. While he and Carolina waited
for his daughter, she dished up two more slices, giving one to him.

For Zoey’s sake, Neil wolfed down his pizza. She was already asking too many questions about his restlessness and diminished appetite. The last thing he wanted was for her to pick up on the tension between him and Carolina, who was making a much better show of eating than he was. He figured it was her way of demonstrating to him that his refusal to cooperate with her request didn’t bother her.

“What kind of dog are you going to get?” Zoey asked Carolina around a large piece of crust that was almost more than she could handle.

“I haven’t decided. Probably one that was a stray or abandoned and really needs a home.”

Carolina and Zoey went on to discuss the merits and drawbacks of various breeds, big versus small, fluffy versus short-haired, purebred versus mixed, cute versus—well, they were all cute according to Zoey.

Neil began to reconsider his plan to wait to get a pet. If his daughter was occupied with a dog, she’d pay less attention to him and the stress that was affecting his mood. Then, when Otis returned to work, Neil’s life could resume its quiet routine.

Except for Carolina.

“Can I go play now?” Zoey asked when she was done eating. Pizza sauce was smeared all over her face.

He picked up a napkin and started to wipe her chin.

“Daddy.” She grabbed the napkin from him and scrubbed at the sauce. “I’m not a baby.”

“Sorry. I forget sometimes.”

She fled the table with only half the sauce removed but all of his heart.

“She’s adorable,” Carolina told him. “You’re a very lucky father.”

“I am.” The time had come to be honest. “I had a reason for bringing her with us tonight.”

“Oh?”

“I wanted you to see firsthand how important she is to me.”

“I never doubted for one second she wasn’t.”

“I admit, I’m overprotective of her. It comes with the job and being a single parent.” Neil pushed aside the aluminum tray with its three slices of uneaten pizza. “Also the circumstances of Lynne’s death.”

“You’re going to have to let Zoey go eventually.”

“Spoken like someone who doesn’t have any children.”

Carolina didn’t appear offended by his blunt remark. “You’re right. It’s not my place to judge or criticize.”

“And you’re right, too. I will have to let her go one day. But not yet.”

“I don’t wish to be unkind, but are you sure that isn’t your guilt talking?”

“It probably is.” Admitting a potential flaw in his thinking changed nothing.

She placed the leftover pizza in a take-out box the server had left on the table for them. “I don’t see what any of this has to do with refusing to cooperate with me on the story about the illegal mining. I thought you’d be happy I was given a new assignment.”

“The illegal mining operation is no backyard recreation project. You can bet whoever’s behind the digging is serious, has resources and is dangerous.” The CSI team’s preliminary investigation had confirmed Neil’s initial findings. “They don’t want to be exposed. They don’t want to be caught. And there’s no telling what action they’ll take to prevent either of those things from happening. You could find yourself an unintentional target, caught in the middle or…hurt.”

He imagined worse but refrained from saying it.

“People are entitled to know what’s going on in their community,” she proclaimed passionately.

He’d heard that line before and was immune. “I don’t care about the people in this community.”

She gave a soft, mirthless chuckle. “That’s a strange attitude for the man charged with serving and protecting them.”

“Not like I care about you.”

That shut her up. For about ten seconds.

“How much?”

She had to ask.

“Too much.”

“Then why won’t you help me? This assignment is important to me. It’s the career break I’ve been waiting for.”

“Because your safety and well-being are more important to me than your job.”

“You’re overreacting,” she insisted. “I’m not in danger.”

“You are, just by virtue of being one of the ranch owners. Investigating the illegal mining will triple the risk. I can’t, I
won’t,
elevate your exposure by helping you with the story.”

“I think you’re letting Lynne’s death affect your judgment.”

“Hell, yes, I am.”

“We’re not dealing with a serial killer here.”

He could almost feel the gun in his hand, hear the Delivery Man’s shot as it ricocheted off the brick building outside the deli. “That doesn’t make the individuals behind the digging any less ruthless.”

“Now that the mine’s been discovered, I’m sure they’ve left town. Why would they stick around?”

“Because they live here.”

She sat up. “I know that’s what the papers are saying, but do you really think so?”