“I, uh, haven’t been on a date in over two years,” he told her gently and avoided looking into her eyes. “I’m not really sure what I’m supposed to do.”
Dina smiled warmly and caressed his chest, causing him to meet her gaze. She smiled lustfully and appeared unaffected by his admission.
“Well, we could start by lying naked together in your bed and see what happens,” she cooed softly and brushed her lips past his.
Grey stared at her while nearly speechless and unable to move. He fidgeted then grinned like a schoolboy. “Uh, okay.”
Dina smiled, took his hand, and led him back inside.
Chapter Twenty-four
It was late morning on Saturday. The Darwood Falls Annual Fair was filled with people from visiting towns as well as locals crowding the fairgrounds. There were games, food, and entertainment of every kind. Small children crowded midway for the overpriced rides that attracted them with lights and sounds. Excitement was everywhere. Vaughn was seated in the dunking booth, completely dry, in a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt with the sheriff’s logo printed on it. The soaking wet mayor stood near the counter with a towel around him. He joked with some of the locals about purchasing balls to dunk the sheriff. A young man pitched balls and got nowhere near the target.
“Come on, Tim,” Vaughn egged him on. “College is making you soft.”
He missed all three attempts. Vaughn appeared humored and possibly a little arrogant as the boy walked away.
“And the sheriff stays dry once again,” Vaughn announced cheerfully. “What kind of farm boys do we have around here? Can’t even pitch a decent softball.”
Diesel and Ruger approached the dunking booth. Diesel handed his funnel cake to Ruger, who attempted to juggle the funnel cake and several stuffed animals under his arms. Vaughn eyed them, groaned softly, and managed a smile. Diesel played with the first ball and grinned.
“Sheriff--”
“Diesel--”
Diesel threw the ball. It struck the target with tremendous force. Vaughn’s seat fell out from under him, and he plunged into the cold water. Vaughn surfaced with a loud gasp.
“Oh, shit! That’s cold!”
Diesel chuckled softly and played with the second ball while Vaughn reset the seat above the water. He wiped his face as he positioned himself on the seat and looked at Diesel.
“I know Casey put you up to--”
Diesel threw the second ball. It again struck the target. Vaughn was once again dropped into the tank of cold water. Vaughn surfaced with a gasp, wiped his face, and nodded.
“Okay, I see where this is going.”
Vaughn set up the seat and returned to it while wiping his hand over his face. Diesel played with the third ball and slyly eyed Ruger, who watched with little interest.
“I like this game. What’s it called?” Diesel asked Ruger.
“Drown the sheriff,” Ruger casually replied.
Diesel grinned. “Okay--”
He threw the ball. It again struck the target and Vaughn once again fell into the water. He surfaced with a gasp and appeared reluctant to reset the seat.
“Do we have time for another three?” Diesel asked.
“Not if we eat our way to the horse show,” Ruger simply informed him. “We want good seats.”
Diesel grinned at Vaughn. “Later, Sheriff.”
Vaughn gasped for air and gave them a slight wave as they walked away.
†
The horse show was already in progress by the time Diesel and Hunter arrived. Diesel had even more plates filled with junk food. They joined Grey in the stands. There were eight events at the horse show, although Casey was only participating in the advanced events, leaving the easier events for children and teenagers. She entered barrel racing, pole bending, walk/trot/canter, and the keyhole race. All three men cheered on Casey in the speed events. She had the shortest time for barrel racing and pole bending, but her horse stumbled during the keyhole and added precious seconds onto her time. During the walk/trot/canter, both she and Storm were flawless, and the professional judges were impressed with the horse’s beautiful canter. She won first place in three of the events and second in the keyhole race. After her events, Casey rode up to Grey, Ruger, and Diesel, with his plates of food. She handed Grey her three first place ribbons and one second place ribbon. Grey eyed the second place ribbon and shook his head.
“Second,” he scoffed. “You’re such a loser.”
She just sneered at him. Casey stretched in the saddle and suddenly felt anxious about her next project. A frown crossed her face. “How much time do I have before pimping out my lips?” she asked dryly.
“Forty minutes,” Ruger replied while giving her a quick once over. “You may want to clean up a little. No one’s going to want to kiss you smelling horsey.”
“Speak for yourself, man,” Diesel announced.
“Relax,” she muttered. “I have a change of clothes and there’s a shower in the locker room. One of you will have to unsaddle Storm for me and put him in one of the stalls in the arena barn.”
“If it helps you smell better, I’m on it,” Grey informed her while grinning.
She effortlessly dismounted her large horse with style and grace, landing near Diesel. He leaned closer, sniffed her ponytail, and grimaced.
“Oh, that’s rank,” he announced.
She snatched one of his French fries, glared at him, and bit into the fry. He glared at her for having touched his food. It was just something you didn’t do. Casey turned and walked away. Diesel and Ruger headed in the opposite direction, making their way toward more game and food vendors, while Grey led Casey’s horse to the arena barn. Ernest and his four sons stood nearby and watched the others go their separate ways.
“Well, I know what I’m doing,” Ryan scoffed. “I’m taking out my revenge on Casey at the kissing booth.”
“You’ll do no such thing,” Ernest growled in response while glaring at his son. “Sheriff Holt is already sympathizing with her. If you do anything out in the open, you’ll be giving him cause to point blame at us.”
“Then what the hell are we doing here?” Wayne demanded. “If my wife catches me here after I told her I wouldn’t come with her, she’s going to kill me.”
“Still a little pissed about that video, huh?” Blain teased.
Wayne glared at his brother. “Shut up.”
“All of you shut up,” Ernest snapped and looked at his four sons. “According to what Abby told me, Casey’s going to bomb in the talent show, so she doesn’t need any help from us to look stupid. That leaves Dina. We’ll make our point by sabotaging her performance. She’s Melanie’s only real competition anyway.”
“I don’t know,” Fred announced softly and appeared tense. “Maybe we should let it go.”
His father and three brothers suddenly glared at him. “What’s your problem, boy?” Ernest demanded.
“That new girl of his has him whipped,” Ryan scoffed then meowed like a cat.
“She does not,” Fred protested. “After what happened the other night, I’d think you’d learn your lesson.”
“What are you talking about?” Wayne demanded.
“I know you were up to something at the Remington farm,” Fred replied. “Someone saw you and got the slip on you. Do you want to end up naked and tied to a cannon again? I think they’re just watching and waiting for you to try something else. Face it; they’re smarter than we are.”
“And maybe they’re getting some help,” Wayne growled and took a step closer to Fred.
“Not from me,” Fred protested. “I wasn’t included in either of your recent attacks.”
“What do you mean either?” Ryan demanded to know while giving Fred a strange look.
“That thing at the tavern with Dina,” Fred announced. “Slashing her tires and then stalking her. Now I hear Sheriff Holt is trying to link her attack to the murders. Dumb things like that could raise suspicion about our alibis for the night of the murd
ers.”
“We had nothing to do with what happened to Dina,” Ryan suddenly protested. “And you better watch what you say.”
“I’m not saying anything that Sheriff Holt isn’t already investigating,” Fred informed them. “I overheard Deputy Tucker and Deputy Mitchell discussing it.”
Ernest stared at Fred a long moment then looked at his other three sons. “Fred’s right,” he announced. “It’s too public here. If we’re seen, it could open a whole other can of worms. We need to do something they can’t trace back to us. I’ll need time to give it some thought.” He glared at his boys. “Until then, Dina and the Remington’s are off-limits.”
Fred appeared relieved. His three brothers reluctantly nodded without sharing Fred’s sediments.
“We’ll get even with them,” Ernest promised. “We just need to be smart about it.”
“I’ll agree to that,” Ryan sulked, “but I think I should be allowed to take out a little frustration on Casey and Dina at the kissing booth then.”
Ernest groaned and reluctantly shook his head. “Knock yourself out, but I want no part of it.”
Ryan glanced at Wayne.
Wayne vigorously shook his head. “If my wife sees me kissing another woman, I can kiss my marriage goodbye.”
He then looked at Blain.
Blain held his hands in the air and took a step back while shaking his head. “Casey nearly broke my jaw the other night,” he announced. “I’m not putting my face that close to her. She probably bites.”
Ryan glanced at Fred, but he was already walking away. He groaned with disgust. “You’re all a bunch of pussies.”
“I need to find Lance,” Ernest remarked. “I’ll catch up with you later.”
As Ernest walked away, Ryan glanced at his two, remaining brothers. “Are you at least coming along?”
“No,” Wayne replied. “We’ll catch up with you later.”
Both walked away. Ryan appeared disgusted and headed toward the row of port-a-potties heading away from the arena and back toward the main fairgrounds. He entered one of the port-a-potties and shut the door. The ‘occupied’ sign was turned. Someone approached the port-a-potty. A zip tie was placed through the metal lock loops and was tightened. A moment passed. The sign turned to ‘vacant’ and the door was jolted.
“Damn it,” Ryan was heard from inside.
The door jolted harder. Ryan was heard pounding on the door from inside.
†
Young and old men alike began collecting around the kissing booth, but they remained at a safe distance to give the appearance that they weren’t anxious for their dollar-a-kiss. Melanie appeared relaxed in her short-shorts and hot pink, lacy camisole top as she leaned against the booth while inspecting her nails. Dina, who wore a short sundress, nervously paced the area before the booth while Wiley eyed his watch several times and looked around the surrounding area. Casey hurried toward the kissing booth wearing a white, low cut tank top and a pair of jean shorts. She carried her shoes, allowing her to jog the entire way. Dina glared at her from her position at the booth and appeared irritated with her. Wiley appeared overly pleased. Casey eyed the look she received from Dina and slipped into her shoes.
“I made it--relax,” Casey scoffed.
“Barely,” Dina snapped.
The booth had three sides, providing a side for each girl, and a counter to keep the men from getting too close. Melanie cast a loathsome glare at Casey and Dina. Dina fussed over Casey’s hair that was still damp from her rushed shower. Ruger, Grey, and Diesel approached. There was still five minutes before the booth was officially open. Wiley made an announcement over the PA system, alerting all men that the kissing booth was about to open. Casey rolled her eyes and groaned.
“I can’t believe you guys talked me into this,” Casey muttered under her breath.
Ruger smiled and held up a tube of breath freshener. Casey groaned with a tense smile and allowed him to spray some into her mouth. Dina quickly approached and opened her mouth as well. Ruger gave her a squirt. Dina returned to her side. Grey joined Dina and smiled.
“I think I’m first,” Grey announced.
She grinned her response. The small crowd of men now moved closer to the booth with an overwhelming majority lined up on Casey’s side. Melanie appeared annoyed while folding her arms across her chest and huffed softly. Vaughn, now changed back into his uniform, maintained his distance and watched with disgrace as Deputy Mitchell and Deputy Tucker stood in Casey’s line. Wiley stood nearby, looked at his watch, and grinned.
“One minute until the booth opens,” Wiley announced with a little too much enthusiasm. “And since I’m in charge, I’ll start things off.”
Wiley placed a ticket in Casey’s jar and quickly kissed her. He did the same for Dina and Melanie then looked at his watch and grinned proudly.
“The kissing booth is officially open,” Wiley announced to the crowd of men.
Diesel approached Casey, grinned deviously, and dropped a stack of tickets into her jar. He patted the table. Casey eyed him, smiled, and moved across the counter to join him on the other side. Diesel pulled her into his arms and kissed her warmly but passionately. Dina also kissed Grey longer than she should. Melanie passed out the standard, quick kiss. The men on Melanie’s side saw the other kisses occurring and quickly switched sides, opting for the longer lines. Ruger stood to the side of the booth, glared at Diesel kissing Casey, and appeared annoyed.
“Okay, break it up,” Ruger muttered. “You’re embarrassing me.”
Diesel broke off the kiss and grinned at Casey, who hid her smile. She had to admit, he was a handful. Casey remained outside the booth as the men in her line approached. She allowed each one to kiss her above the standard and even place their arms around her. Ruger remained only a few feet away and closely watched each man’s hands. Dina finally moved outside the booth as well. Toward the end of the hour-long kiss-fest, the men finally moved along. Wiley approached while looking at his watch and then smiled at the three women.
“Five more minutes, ladies,” Wiley informed them.
Dina eyed hers and Casey’s jars, which were filled with tickets and cash. Casey and Dina exchanged grins. Ruger approached Dina and placed ten dollars in her jar. She appeared pleased, smiled, and kissed him quickly but warmly on the lips. He then approached Casey, grinned, and placed fifty dollars in her jar. Casey smiled as Ruger pulled her gently into his arms and kissed her passionately. Casey returned the kiss without hesitation. Everyone surrounding the booth stared with surprise, including Dina. Ruger brook off the kiss, smiled lovingly, kissed her hand, and then walked away. Diesel glared at him, frowned, and shook his head.
“Show off,” Diesel scoffed.
Casey appeared slightly flustered. Dina stared at her with her mouth hanging open and silently questioned the kiss with her eyes. Casey smiled and shrugged.
“One minute, ladies,” Wiley informed them.
Casey casually leaned her back against the counter and looked across the fairgrounds. Vaughn patrolled the nearby area while keeping an eye on the kissing booth and finally approached her side. Casey eyed him with some surprise then smirked.
“Business or pleasure, Sheriff?”
Vaughn placed a ticket in the jar and appeared to mock her with a look. Casey casually straightened.
“All business, huh?”
“Consider it payback for all the crap you’ve put me through,” Vaughn informed her.
Vaughn pulled Casey against him and kissed her passionately and aggressively, startling her. Her heart raced as the erotic kiss sent shockwaves through her entire body. He broke off the kiss before she could react and released her.
“Have a nice day,” he remarked with a smirk.
Casey hid her smile as Vaughn left. She couldn’t help but stare after him as her mind raced to make sense of his actions. She didn’t know what his game was, but she sort of enjoyed playing it. Dina leaned on Casey’s shoulder and dreamily watched the sheriff wa
lk away. Melanie watched him leave as well and appeared disgusted or possibly embarrassed.
“What was that all about?” Dina asked.
“I doubt he even knows,” Casey said and shook her head. “But he’s one hell of a kisser.”
It was no secret. In all his years behind a badge, Sheriff Holt had never participated in the kissing booth. He was always image conscious, especially while wearing his badge. Wiley officially announced the closing of the kissing booth, collected all three jars, and made himself comfortable at the counter to count the money and tickets from each jar. Melanie hovered over Wiley as he tallied up the small fortune they’d raked in. Dina excitedly clung to Casey’s arm as she practically counted along.
Wiley sat back in his chair and smiled. “We have Melanie at one hundred thirty; Dina at two hundred ten; and Casey at four hundred sixteen.”
Dina jumped excitedly. Wiley appeared pleased, stuffed the tickets and money into one container, and stood while looking at all three women.
“Nicely done. That’s a new record for the kissing booth. Rest those lips until next year,” Wiley teased.
“Casey cheated,” Melanie announced with hostility while lunging forward.
“What?” Wiley suddenly demanded.
“Her friends put in twenty dollars each, and there’s a fifty dollar bill in there from that one guy. That should only count as one,” Melanie protested.
“That’s not how it works,” he replied. “It’s all for charity--not ego boosts.” Wiley gave a polite nod and left.
Melanie glared at Casey, wrinkled her nose, and sneered. “The day’s not over yet.”
Dina looked at Casey and grinned deviously while raising her brows. “Sheriff Holt has never participated at the kissing booth before. You must be special.”
The look on Melanie’s face was priceless. Her look turned hostile. “Not that special,” she snapped with a snort. “He wants children. Casey’s just an itch he’s scratching.”
“You bitch!” Dina gasped with horror and attempted to hit Melanie as she walked away.
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