Submitting to the Sheriff in Lockdown

by Kimberly Skye

  Submitting to the Sheriff in Lockdown

  Love Under Lockdown Book 12

  Kimberly Skye

  Copyright © 2020 Kimberly Skye

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Ivy Nelson

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  One

  Two

  Three

  Four

  Five

  Six

  Seven

  Eight

  Nine

  Ten

  Eleven

  Twelve

  Epilogue

  Coming Soon

  Books In This Series

  Books By This Author

  Books By This Author

  Follow Kimberly

  About The Author

  One

  March 6

  “Shit!”

  Tina sat in her rental car, looking around at the snow falling over an unfamiliar and blank road.

  At least she thought that was the road.

  Her car had spun out on an icy patch, and the only reason she knew she wasn’t on the road was because everything was tilting to the right.

  “Rerouting.”

  The traffic app was hilarious. It had rerouted her almost twenty minutes ago from Interstate 25 to what was supposed to be a highway to another highway to US 287. Maybe?

  She waited for the map to finish re-loading, then groaned. She was in the middle of absolute nowhere, and the nearest anything was at least ten miles away.

  Finally, she found a signal strong enough to call 911.

  The dispatcher seemed to know exactly where she was.

  “Hold tight, honey. The deputies are sweeping up and down those roads. Those dang traffic apps do this every winter.”

  The voice on the other end of the phone was warm and gentle, reminding Tina of her grandmother. She was reluctant to end the call, suddenly overwhelmed by the expanse of white all around her, with only a snow-covered fence post interrupting the view.

  “I’m going to miss my flight,” she muttered. “And now I’m talking to myself. This is just great.”

  She turned on the radio and immediately wished she hadn’t.

  “You were just listening to the President’s press conference announcing that we officially have a pandemic. Large scale travel restrictions will go into effect in two days. Stay tuned to hear the latest on quarantine guidelines and flight cancelations. Back to local news, Interstate 25 is a mess in both directions just below the Colorado border with Wyoming into Downtown Denver, and alternate routes are getting backed up. Ice and slush are-”

  Tina clicked off the radio and hunkered down. She hoped a tow would come soon so she could catch her flight home before it was too late to get out of Colorado.

  Two

  “Dispatch to Deputy Keller.”

  Eddie’s radio squawked, the light static interrupting the steady percussion of the tire chains against the road. He smiled. Norma had been a fixture in the Larimer County Sheriff’s office for decades and wiggled her way into everyone’s heart as the extra grandma they never knew they were missing. She was calm, no-nonsense, and the voice of reason more times than he could count if any of the calls she took led to a booking.

  “Go ahead, Norma.”

  “We have a single-car accident on West Colorado 72 between Owl Canyon and US 287, closer to the highway, heading westbound. Rental car, silver sedan, Wyoming plates. Female, no apparent injuries.”

  “On my way. Which tow am I meeting?”

  “None, they’re all responding to the big accident on the interstate.”

  “Thanks, Norma, I’ll mark the location on the computer when I find it.”

  Those travel apps were making up a bulk of the calls during the winter, sending drivers off the larger and better-kept roads out here to the middle of nowhere, and he was surprised this would be only the fifth and last of his shift today.

  “We’ll be getting the briefing from the governor soon, probably by the time you come back. Looks like it’s worse than we thought.”

  He sighed heavily, flexing his hands on the steering wheel. He needed to get some time down at the club in Denver this weekend, and it didn’t sound like he would. He put it off too long and was getting itchy in his skin.

  The slow drive to find the accident wasn’t helping, the metallic grate of the chains against the pavement setting his teeth on edge, mocking him with the sounds that were almost close to what he desperately needed to hear.

  Eddie finally saw the car, marking the location on the computer mounted inside the marked truck. The snow had built up a good two inches on the top since she had called Norma an hour ago.

  Shaking his head, he pulled on his gloves and yanked up his neck gaiter before exiting the cab, struck in the face with stinging snow.

  Three

  “Thank God you’re here.”

  Tina was shivering as she pushed the door open, watching the deputy walking toward her.

  She knew she looked ridiculous. All three scarves she brought with her were wrapped around her chest, neck, and head, her puffy winter coat over her more professional wool duster.

  “Ma’am, I’m Deputy Keller. Grab everything you need and head into the truck, the tow won’t be here for a while, and we can’t wait here for it.”

  Her fingers hadn’t stayed warm in her gloves, and she had trouble opening the back door of the economy sedan. He pulled it open for her and grabbed her bag out before pointing her toward the patrol vehicle.

  “Is that everything?” he asked before helping her into the cab of the patrol truck.

  Tina nodded, her hands shaking as she handed over the keys before he shut the door.

  She watched him walk around her little rental in the falling snow, shaking his head when he got the passenger side of the car. She was pulling off her gloves, stuffing her hands against the heater vents when he jumped in and called back to dispatch before he entered information into the computer mounted between the seats.

  By the time he pulled back onto the road, she had wrestled free from her layers, and her teeth had stopped chattering.

  “That was smart of you, not keeping the engine running.”

  She looked at his profile and couldn’t help but smile. His close-cropped dark hair, olive skin, and sharp features screamed competency and command that sent shivers down her spine.

  “The tailpipe got buried almost immediately after the car stopped sliding, and after the third time trying to dig it clear in fifteen minutes, it wasn’t worth going in and out of the car while waiting for help since I knew you were on the way.”

  He nodded, and the small approval warmed her low in her belly. She sent a small thank you to her grandfather for teaching her how to drive and stay alive on the roads of upstate New York. She knew that being cold for an hour or two was better than carbon monoxide poisoning.

  “I didn’t catch your name, Ma’am.”

  “Tina, Christina Kelly. I’m really glad to see you out here.”

  She wanted to kick herself. She did small talk for a living, managing major conve
ntions and trade shows all over North America, and this is the best she could come up with?

  He nodded again, so she bit her tongue, looking out the window at the slush building up on the side of the road.

  Eddie couldn’t figure out why he was suddenly tongue-tied.

  That wasn’t exactly true, but he was on the clock and not saying much to keep his passenger feeling comfortable didn’t fit in with the community policing model the department had adopted years ago.

  When he first pulled up, all he saw was a column of black and bright turquoise pushing out of the car. Whoever she was, she had pulled out as much as she could from her suitcase to stay warm, which was good because things could have been bad had she kept the car running with the exhaust backing up into the cabin of the vehicle.

  By the time he had finished writing down information and relaying it all to Norma through the computer system for the tow company, she had unwrapped the scarves and taken off her puffy coat and knit cap.

  He felt struck dumb when he saw her. She was slim, with strawberry blond hair and green eyes, and he wondered if she had freckles under her makeup. He kept his eyes on the road even though it was more challenging than it should be with the overwhelming desire he had to watch every small movement she made.

  His earlier feeling like his skin was too tight was getting worse. If the Sheriff called him in for extra shifts because of the virus affecting half the country, he was only going to get more on edge, and if he didn’t find relief soon, he was going to snap.

  Four

  The lobby of the sheriff station was warm, slightly worn, and smelled of leather, dust, and oil. Tina tried focusing on identifying each new smell to calm herself down when a woman close to her age sat next to her.

  “Deputy Karli Jansen. How are you doing?” She offered a cup of coffee, smiling broadly.

  “I’m trying not to scream. The earliest flight I can get out is in four days, assuming they consider people flying home as an approved reason to board a plane, and I don’t know where I am going to find a hotel room out here. Not that it matters since the car rental company said they can’t get me anything between now and then, so heading to Denver to wait it out isn’t an option. Sorry, I’m trying not to complain, but…” She tried to keep the frustration and panic out of her voice and mostly succeeded.

  “You’re fine. This situation isn’t normal for any of us. We’re gearing up for a full lockdown any day now, so I can only imagine how stressful it is to be traveling. Where’s home?”

  “Sleepy Hollow, New York,” She smiled. Every time she said the name, people did a double-take. “Yes, Washington Irving’s buried there. I gave up my flat in the city last year to spend time with my brother and his family the handful of days a month that I’m home.”

  Tina relaxed as she told Karli about her job, flying to a new city every week to run the logistics on-site at hotels and convention centers.

  “Do you like it?”

  “I don’t know how to answer that. I like it once I’m there and juggling everything while troubleshooting. It’s the mad dashes to airports, living out of suitcases, and not remembering what half my co-workers look like anymore that is tough to like.”

  She forced a laugh, hoping it didn’t sound as pathetic to other people as it did to herself.

  Suddenly, her nerves tingled, and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

  She felt him come into the lobby before she saw him round the desk, and he was even more impressive than he’d been in the truck.

  Eddie. It seemed like such an approachable name for someone that looked like he had been carved from granite. She lowered her eyes out of habit before forcing herself to look up at him.

  “Norma just got off with the tow company, Miss Kelly. They won’t be out to get the rental until close to midnight, and the rental company was also notified. From what I saw, I don’t think it’s drivable.”

  She shivered at his voice. Thankfully, Karli jumped in because she couldn’t work her throat.

  “We’ll need to find someplace for her to stay. Her flight out isn’t until next Monday.”

  “Do they have room at the Blue Moon Ranch?”

  “Nope. Lesley and I took the last two available rooms when our apartment building was damaged. The third was converted back to an office when the pipes kept freezing in the bathroom they added to it. I suppose I can just stay here in the locker room for a few nights, and she can take my room, though.”

  Tina was about to protest Karli’s suggestion when the Sheriff came out from his office tucked in the corner. “You’ll want to set that up for yourself anyway, Jansen. The county just posted that they are cutting back on the snow plows out in the backcountry after tomorrow around mid-day.”

  All eyes went to him. Eddie cleared his throat.

  “That’s very sudden. What’s really going on?”

  The Sheriff took a deep breath. He was in his sixties, with a barrel chest and blond hair turning white at his temples. He looked capable, but tired, to Tina.

  “They want to focus on the highways, main roads, and access for the hospital. The ranch is the only thing out there, the last anything really before the National Forest, and the Fed’s said they’re canceling reservations for at least the next month and getting everyone out by noon tomorrow. The county said it’s not a high priority with the storm coming and the announcement about the lockdown. Sorry, Karli.”

  He turned and walked back to his office when his phone rang.

  Tina looked at the two deputies in the lobby.

  “How long is the storm supposed to last?”

  Eddie looked at her, and she felt flushed under his gaze.

  “We’re supposed to get thirty inches of snow between now and Tuesday.”

  Karli grabbed her phone. “Let me call over and see if Ry or Jake can handle plowing to the highway and then getting you to Denver on Monday.”

  “It would be easier if she stayed in town. She can stay at my place. I’ll hardly be there and can stay here in dispatch if that helps make you more comfortable. I have Monday off so I can drive to Denver,” Eddie said, nodding in her direction.

  Tina’s jaw dropped.

  “I don’t want to be a bother.”

  “I don’t think that can be avoided at this point, so let’s do the easiest option. I’ll be done here in fifteen minutes.”

  He turned and walked into the back of the station, letting the door slowly shut behind him.

  Five

  Eddie led her into his two-bedroom house just off the main road, pulling her suitcase into the bedroom.

  “It’s small but cozy. You can have the master. I’ll just change the sheets. I’ll stay in the den because it’s a little cluttered.”

  That was an understatement.

  He had a small loveseat that unfolded into a bed. It would be short and uncomfortable, but the rest of the room wasn’t fit for showing to company.

  “You don’t have to go out of your way for me.”

  His eyes narrowed. He wasn’t used to having people in his house, much less anyone challenging him, even under the guise of good manners.

  Her eyes lowered, and he felt a zap of desire.

  “I’ll change the sheets, you’re going out of your way enough already,” she said, still looking down. He wondered why she kept looking at his feet.

  He nodded, pulling a fresh set out of his closet and placing them on the bed as well as a few towels.

  “I’ll be back in a minute and see what I have here for dinner.”

  Eddie turned on his heel, trying not to run into the second bedroom. She was doing something to him, and he didn’t know what to make of it. Part of him wanted to hightail it back to the station, and the other half wanted to wrap her hair around his fist and kiss her for hours.

  He really needed to get to Denver.

  Pulling out his phone as he moved to the couch, he called Kevin, the manager of the club just outside of downtown, placing it on his desk.

 
“Hey man, you coming?” Kevin picked up after the first ring. “Tonight and tomorrow are our last events, and Friday, we have to close at midnight.”

  “Shit. I’m working until late Sunday.”

  “You sound wound uptight. You know Rachel is in Fort Collins, and she’s been asking about you.”

  “Rachel? She’s a little too eager to please if you ask me.”

  “Maybe, but you can help each other take the edge off with each other before we’re all locked down for who knows how long.”

  “Tempting, but I don’t think she was as honest as she could have been with me after that last time, and I don’t play like that, you know.”

  “That scene was intense,” Jeff agreed, and Eddie grimaced at the memory.

  “Too intense. She didn’t tell me it was her first time with the flogger, even when I asked her. That’s not something I want a repeat of, especially not alone at my place.”

  “If you’re sure. Take care, Eddie, I listened to the press conference today, and it sounds like the lockdown is going to be a while. Hopefully, we see you again before the 4th of July.”

  “That’s not funny, Kev, but yeah, see you in a while.”

  He hung up, looking around the room and trying to figure out how to keep Tina out of here for a few days without making her suspicious.

  Tina paused at the door, facing the giant king bed after putting the towels down in the bathroom and washing her face.

  She shouldn’t be listening, but Eddie had the call on speakerphone.

  At first, she tried to ignore the moment of jealousy at the mention of a woman’s name, and the small smile she had when Eddie turned down whatever the guy was trying to set up with her.

  Then “scene” piqued her interest.

  Did they mean?

  “She didn’t tell me it was her first time with the flogger...”