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by Kris Bryant

  As sexy as Natalie’s mouth was, it was her eyes that stunned Sarah—slightly hooded and flashing with hunger that disappeared, but not before Sarah saw it. She stifled another shiver and cleared her throat. “I honestly didn’t know who would still be here after all these years. Small towns don’t attract a lot of people.” She didn’t tell Natalie that she knew she was still in town. Aunt Judy had dropped her name from time to time for reasons that were crystal clear now.

  “I’m surprised I stayed.”

  “Yeah. Why didn’t you go back to Denver?”

  Natalie held her fingers in front of her mouth until she was done chewing. “I worked a plane wreck, and it was the worst thing I’ve ever experienced. I had nightmares for weeks. When my mom called and told me about my dad, I didn’t hesitate. I quit the force, packed up, and headed to Spruce.”

  “You’ve had it rough for a while, huh?” Sarah took a sip of wine and thought about Natalie’s hardships over the years. Even though she had just gone through a divorce, and her parents were no longer close enough to visit, they were still alive and available by phone if she needed them. Her life had been pretty normal.

  “It was rough there for a bit, but my life has settled down. I like the person I’ve become, and I really enjoy being sheriff.”

  “I hear you’re really good at it.”

  Another blush flooded Natalie’s cheeks, and Sarah felt something slip inside her. Her heart, which had been locked up and put away for over a year, fluttered briefly. It was as if at this very moment, she finally accepted how perfect Natalie was. No, no, no. She couldn’t fall for her. What if she couldn’t make enough money in Spruce and had to move? Natalie had been through so much, and Sarah had already hurt her once so many years ago.

  “It’s not nearly as challenging as Denver, but Spruce surprisingly accepted something new.”

  “What do you mean?”

  Natalie pointed to herself. “A giant lesbian comes in and makes all sorts of changes. I thought for sure I would get chased out of town.”

  Sarah remembered when people had made fun of Natalie for being so tall in high school and the mean things they had said. She wasn’t guilty of saying those words, but she was guilty of not speaking out to protect her. “You’re not a giant.”

  “My whole life I was teased for being different. Being tall and being gay.”

  After grabbing Natalie’s hand on impulse, Sarah squeezed it. “Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t defend you in high school, but I always thought you were wonderful. You always looked out for everyone in our class. You took the brunt of the bullying for so many people, and I noticed.”

  She wasn’t sure if she entwined their fingers or if Natalie did it, but either way, adrenaline rushed through her and caused every part of her to be aware of their connection. Her pulse raced, her heart ached, and the soft spot between her thighs throbbed. She had to pull back. She couldn’t hurt Natalie again. As strong as Natalie was, she was vulnerable, and Sarah knew it. Not that Natalie was needy, because she wasn’t, but Sarah was certain that, if they slept together, Natalie would put all of herself into their fledgling relationship, and Sarah couldn’t commit right now. She slowly pulled away, under the guise of wanting a sip of wine.

  “For the most part, people accept me. I mean, a few old men in town hate that I’m in charge of things, but I always treat them fairly and tell them to get over it. I mean, who’s going to argue with me? A lesbian with a pistol, a stun gun, and a baton?”

  A small laugh replaced the retort that Sarah wanted to make. “Well, I’ve heard only good things, so here’s to many more years of being in charge and making the town feel safe.” Sarah held out her wineglass and playfully clinked it with Natalie’s.

  “Do you want to sit by the fire? These chairs aren’t comfortable.”

  Sarah nodded and followed Natalie over to the fireplace. They sat in the same places as before and continued their talk. It was getting late, but Sarah couldn’t remember a time when she felt so relaxed and excited at the same time. Aunt Judy had promised Harley would be taken care of and put to bed at a decent time.

  “What time do you have to work tomorrow?”

  “I’ll get in about eight.”

  “Let me guess, usually earlier?”

  There was that genuine smile again. “What can I say?”

  “I should probably go then.” Sarah stood and gave a little cat-like stretch and handed her now-empty wineglass to Natalie. “Thank you so much for dinner and welcoming me back after all these years.” She didn’t want to go but didn’t want to overstay her welcome.

  “Now you know where I live.” Natalie followed her over to the coat rack and helped her slip her jacket on. Her fingers brushed gently along the side of Sarah’s neck as she folded down the collar and turned her around to face her, her fingers now on either side of the unzipped jacket.

  Sarah almost gave a soft moan at Natalie’s gentleness and command of something as simple as helping her put on a jacket. “Now I know where you live.” Sarah unconsciously licked her lips and looked at Natalie’s full ones. Flashback to Ellie’s party and Natalie’s hand on the back of her neck keeping her firmly in place while she deepened the kiss. “Have a great night.” She wanted to feel Natalie’s full lips pressed against hers. Wanted to feel her hands slip inside her jacket and pull her close. Instead, she pulled Natalie into a hug, thinking it was the safer route. But feeling Natalie’s long legs and her breasts press into her was almost unbearable. She regrettably pulled away and gave her a quick smile before walking out the door.

  She had no idea how she was able to get to her car without her knees buckling. She waved and slowly backed down the driveway, appreciating Natalie’s form silhouetted in her doorway. Sarah knew she was in trouble when she pulled into Aunt Judy’s driveway and her legs were still shaking. She put her head on the steering wheel and groaned. This time she didn’t have the luxury of leaving like she did seventeen years ago, when her heart had raced just this fast and just as furiously.

  Chapter Seven

  “We haven’t heard anything about Ghost Dog in a few days, Sheriff. Maybe he finally found his home.” Faith handed Natalie purchase orders to sign as soon as she walked through the door.

  “Hopefully so.” Natalie ignored the hollow feeling in her chest. It wasn’t as if she’d known this dog for more than a few moments last week, but something made her sad. It was the unknown. Was he lost? Still in the woods? Hungry? Cold? Or had he found his way home? She showed no emotion when she signed the documents and gave them back to Faith. “Anything else going on? And where’s Betty?”

  She nodded. “Betty’s over at the school. Cracked window was reported. Could have been kids or a tree branch. The wind was a bit crazy last night.”

  Everything was crazy last night, Natalie thought. She hung up her jacket and hat and walked into her office. Regardless of what she thought or Sarah thought, last night was a date. They had been subtly flirting, like the way Sarah had lowered her eyes when they talked about the past, or how she always reached out and touched Natalie’s arm. Oh, and don’t even get her started on the hug. The one that lasted far longer than a friendship hug? And what about the small moan Sarah had made when she gathered her coat in her fists and turned her around? She’d almost kissed her then. Almost.

  If Sarah planned to stay in Spruce Mountain long term, and if she hadn’t had to get home to Harley, Natalie would have kissed her. Not that fumbling first kiss that was still perfect, but the kind where she lifted Sarah into her arms and leaned her up against the door. The kind where Sarah automatically wrapped her legs around Natalie’s waist so both of them could find some friction for relief. Sarah would have welcomed at least a kiss, but now wasn’t the time. Natalie refused to be the rebound girl no matter how much she wanted to sleep with Sarah. She couldn’t go through the angst of watching her leave again.

  “Hey, Boss.” Faith belted out the words so everyone could hear. Just the two of them were in the station, but
her receptionist wasn’t even trying to be professional and use the phone. “When are you bringing in the trailer for the pumpkin festival? I’m going to need some time to decorate it.”

  Natalie pressed her fingers against her eyelids to relieve some of the burning she felt there from lack of sleep. Fuck. She’d forgotten about digging out the wagon from her oversized shed. It was going to take her at least thirty minutes of moving things around just to free it. She took a deep breath and picked up the phone. “Yes. I’ll get it before this weekend.”

  “Great. I can decorate it with things from Mom’s store. I’ll call her in a bit and tell her to pull some things together.”

  It was hard to grasp that loud and obnoxious Faith was related to sweet and quiet Greta Bowman of Creative Crafts. Natalie pinched the bridge of her nose and thought about everything she would have to do just to unload the boxes and boxes of stuff that were piled high in her shed on top of the wagon. At least the sun was shining today. And the temperature was warmer than yesterday. Maybe she would do it on her lunch break.

  Obviously, Faith wanted and needed something to do. “Okay, okay. You’ll need time to decorate it. I’ll get it after lunch.”

  Natalie hung up to Faith’s squeals of delight. She didn’t need to be on the phone to hear her shouts of approval. The impending headache that had started throbbing was going to make an appearance any moment. She needed caffeine. The smell of freshly brewed coffee made her grab her cup and head into the small kitchen. “Doughnuts? Where did you get doughnuts?”

  “Over in Lexington. I bought them on my way in.”

  Faith’s singsongy voice could only mean one thing. She got laid last night. For some reason, Faith always wanted to confide in Natalie when it came to relationships or sex, even though Betty was far more qualified and definitely more interested in listening. Natalie dug up two aspirin and grabbed a doughnut before braving her way back into the common area, where Faith was already banging on her keyboard.

  Upon closer inspection, she saw that Faith was working and not shopping online. “Look at this.” She pointed to the monitor. Natalie followed her finger and saw a post on their public board.

  “What’s the date on it?” Natalie asked.

  They both hunched over the monitor and watched a home-security video of Ghost Dog from two nights ago. He was sniffing the ground and was only on video for about ten seconds, but it gave Natalie hope. She was happy he was still alive and not lost in the woods or hit by a car.

  “I think I’ll patrol for him. Call me if you need me.” She took two big bites of the doughnut and left the remaining half hanging out of her mouth as she swung on her jacket and grabbed the keys. “Hell Hetty to hall he.”

  “Tell Betty to call you. Will do,” Faith said. She returned to her monitor and waved as Natalie turned and used her hip to open the front door.

  The dog was still in her county. Somewhere, somehow, he was surviving. The post was from Bradford’s ranch. That made total sense. Most of the livestock were sheep and lambs. Ghost Dog could easily slip in and be warm and find food there. She drove slowly through town, waved at the kids on their way to school, and stopped to talk to Phil Murphy, who was hoisting the American flag at the post office. She lowered the window and waved him over.

  “Good morning, Phil. You haven’t seen a golden retriever out and about, have you?”

  “No, ma’am. I heard you were looking for one. Is it yours?”

  Phil’s voice was clipped and professional. He took his job as postmaster very seriously and always ran a tight ship. Most workers didn’t last long because Spruce Mountain was a place people passed through, not put down roots. Phil knew that, but it still pissed him off, and he liked to complain about it to Natalie at every opportunity.

  “He’s not, but he belongs to a friend of mine.” As much as Natalie hated lying, personalizing the dog would make people less likely to shoot it. “I’m headed up to Bradford’s place. They posted a video of him on their property.”

  Phil nodded for about five seconds, wished her good luck, and tapped the patrol car on the hood with his large hand, which only made Natalie’s headache worse. She raised the window and pulled back out onto Main Street, slowly, abiding by the twenty-mile-an-hour posted sign. It gave her time to glance down cross streets to see if Ghost Dog was around.

  The ranch was about five miles out of town, and Natalie always loved visiting. Nothing could get her hat off and on her knees faster than playing with baby lambs. The Bradfords had an area open to the public, where they could feed the baby animals, and it was a surprisingly popular tourist attraction. Tourists brought money to Spruce Mountain, and businesses boomed during the summer when people would head for the mountains to get away for the weekends. Everyone stopped at the ranch, then picked up souvenirs in town. Playing with baby animals released endorphins, and visitors were more inclined to buy the cutesy crafts on display outside of Creative Crafts or the general store. Even Chuck’s Chainsaw Cuts saw a significant boost during the summer. Natalie wondered what people did with the oversized chainsaw wooden sculptures they bought. She couldn’t even pretend to like them.

  Dustin, whom Natalie used to babysit, was riding his horse along the fence line of the ranch. “Dustin, how are you?”

  “Hey, Sheriff. I’m good. Just doing a daily check. What brings you out here?” He politely took off his hat and played with the brim of it while Natalie explained her purpose. “Oh, yeah. I sent that video in. Is that your dog? He sure is big.”

  How Dustin sounded Southern way up in the mountains of Oregon blew Natalie’s mind. Even when he was a kid, he sounded like he was from Texas.

  “He’s a friend’s dog. And he’s not very easy to find or catch. We thought we had him cornered under a house, but we caught a ten-pound marmot instead.” Fuck, now she was picking up the slow accent. She cleared her throat and enunciated every word properly and clearly. “Do you mind if I take a look around? “Translation. Can I walk around and then maybe slip into the barn to see the lambs?”

  “Sure. Go ahead and park up by the big barn, and I’ll meet you up there in a few minutes.” He put his hat back on and waited for Natalie to pass.

  She drove slowly to not kick up any dust from the gravel. The ranch was impressive in size and functionality. The Bradfords were well known in the area. The property, which had doubled in size since Natalie had first gotten to know the family, had been purchased several generations ago during the mass migration west for gold.

  She parked and slid out from behind the wheel and waited for Dustin, who was only a minute or two behind her.

  “I haven’t seen the dog other than on video, but there’s a lot of ground to cover. I can look through the trail cameras and see if I find anything. Usually we spot coyotes, foxes, deer, and raccoons. I’ll have them comb through the cameras.” Dustin slid off his horse and tethered it to the railing outside the barn. “Now, for official sheriff business, I’m going to need your help with something.”

  For a moment, Natalie thought he was serious, until she followed him into the barn, where he directed her into a small stall where two tiny lambs huddled together under a heat lamp.

  Natalie cooed at their cuteness and squatted down with Dustin. “Can I touch them?”

  He plucked one up from the warm hay. “Sure. Their mama has milk fever, so we’ve been bottle-feeding these two. They’ll go into rotation for the petting zoo once they’re old enough. They’re used to being handled by people.” He put the lamb in her arms and picked up the other one so it wouldn’t get cold.

  Natalie nuzzled the soft fuzz of the lamb’s face. “Oh, my goodness. How do you get any work done around here with this much cuteness?” She giggled when the lamb tried to eat her hair.

  “Feeding time. Ready to help?”

  She nodded and followed Dustin over to the feeding area, where another ranch hand was feeding two goats. “Are you putting them in the wagon Saturday? I vote yes.”

  “They’re almost too li
ttle, but if I get enough volunteers, I will. I need to make sure they stay warm. Usually we welcome new babies in the winter. These two are pretty special. After we feed them, I’ll show you our wagon. Are you having one this year?”

  Natalie nodded. “I don’t know why, but Faith insists. At least people aren’t scared of us anymore.”

  “I don’t know that I’d go that far. Here. You know what to do.” He handed Natalie a warm bottle and pointed her in the direction of a hay bale.

  “Official law-enforcement business, huh? I’ll take it.” The lamb wasted no time finding the bottle and tugged on the nipple. “Whoa, there, little girl. There’s plenty here for you.” She laughed at the greedy lamb’s lips and stroked her coat as she drank. “She’s so soft. How can you stand to be away from them?”

  “Mom usually does the feedings, but today she’s out and asked me to. You got lucky.”

  “I sure did. Your wagon always does well on Super Saturday.”

  Spruce Mountain closed down Main Street the day before Halloween, and the businesses lined the streets with wagons of merchandise to sell or give away. Bradford Ranch always had goat cheese, milk, and samples of wool. It was the busiest wagon because of the baby animals. Natalie was a sucker. She thought about Sarah and how Harley, a six-year-old she’d never met, would love it. She pulled out her phone and snapped a quick selfie of her with the lamb and sent it to Sarah. Her phone dinged before she even put it back in her pocket.

  I swear you have the best job in town. Totally and completely JEALOUS.

  Being the sheriff is hard work. She gave a stern look at the camera and sent another photo.

  Where are you? And why am I not with you?

  Natalie called Sarah. “It’s very hard to text and feed a hungry lamb.”

  “Hi.” Sarah’s voice sounded warm and delicious, like she just woke up. “Tell me why a sheriff is feeding a baby lamb.”

  “I stand by my claim of official law-enforcement business. I’m following up a lead on Ghost Dog. The Bradfords had video from a few nights ago that showed the stray dog. I thought maybe he was still here.”