Seeing her car gone, he floored the gas pedal, making it to the station in record time. Allison would never forgive him if he shirked his duties. The plan was to go in take care of the emergency and then find her. It occurred to him that with Allison as his wife, this town would never suffer from his neglect; she'd make sure their needs always came before her own. He filed that thought away for future examination. There had to be a way to properly balance the two necessities he'd soon face.
Entering the precinct, he stopped only long enough to pull aside a rookie. “Frederick, send a car to my house and collect Michael. You'll find him on my front porch, unconscious. Dump him in the drunk tank and leave him there until I tell you to let him out."
"Sheriff?"
"Move!” Turning to face the rest of the precinct, he made his way toward his office. “Talk to me, people. What's the..."
Jimmy was the first to respond. “Drew, could I see you in your office for a moment? The other matter can wait a few minutes."
Drew was torn between the urge to laugh and the desire to strangle Jimmy for the new delay.
"Fine, but if you're about to tell me that you want my job, then the answer is no. I don't want my woman calling anyone Sheriff but me."
Jimmy grinned and shrugged. “I had to give it a shot. Why don't you give me a few minutes to lay out the reasons I think I deserve the job more than you."
Walking into his office, Drew's whole body relaxed upon seeing Allison sitting there, nervously adjusting her glasses. “Baby, thank god you're here.” Pulling her into his arms, he ran a soothing hand through her hair to stop her from trembling. He'd been so worried about her, to find her safe relaxed him.
"I didn't know where else to go. He was being so horrible, I couldn't stay there anymore. Drew, this isn't going to work."
His arms tightened around her. “He was out of line, and he paid for that. I'm so sorry, baby. It will never happen again. I give you my word on that. Please forgive me?"
Allison shook her head and backed out of his arms. “I can't, Drew. I can't stay here and have men like that proposition me...or worse, force their attentions on me. That was part of the reason I left the band. I just can't do this, Drew. This was a big mistake."
Drew fought the urge to go finish off Michael and focused on Allison. She was scared. He didn't blame her for that. Michael was twice her size and could have easily overwhelmed her if he'd caught her alone. A man like that had no business being a police officer, and it was time for Drew to remove him from the force once and for all. That it took a situation like this one to make him realize it was unforgivable.
"Yes you can! You love me, you know you do and love is worth fighting for. You have to give me another chance. I give you my word that no one will ever speak to you that way again."
Allison stared up at him, unconvinced. The only thing stopping her from walking out was the chair she'd tripped on and fallen into. “I...I...I don't know."
"I know you love me."
"Drew, I..."
He was taking the gloves off—no more Mr. Nice Guy. This ended now. “I have an unconscious ex-deputy lying on my front porch because he was rude to my girl, and you don't know? You made me a promise tonight, Allison McKay. Are you now telling me that your word means nothing? Are you backing out on that promise?” Allison sat up in the chair, her back straightened, and her head came up proudly like he'd known it would.
"I never break a promise!"
"Then you have no choice. Walk back into my arms and tell me you love me."
The pout that pushed out her bottom lip pulled a groan of desire from his throat.
"Why do I have to make the effort? Why can't you do it? This relationship, Sheriff, is doomed, if I always need to make the first move."
Drew grinned and sat on the corner of his desk. True, she was back to calling him Sheriff, but at least she was freely admitting there was a relationship. Now to get her to repeat her agreement to marry him, in front of a witness. The moment he sat, Allison stood and approached him, bringing a soft smile to his lips.
"And furthermore, if I'm staying...and I'm not saying that I am.” She announced, jabbing her finger in his chest. “But if I stay, if any of your officers ever speak to me like that again, I want permission to deck him without reprisal."
He didn't need to think it over. “Granted.” If one of his men dared proposition her, they deserved what they got. His focus was getting this infuriatingly, beautiful woman back in his arms.
"Sheriff, if you don't move faster than that, I swear I'll leave."
"Well, I wouldn't want that, now would I?” Reaching out, he grabbed her hand and pulled her up between his legs and into his arms. The moment her lips pressed against his, he felt his entire body relax. He hadn't been aware of how tense he'd been until she tangled her hands in his hair and deepened the kiss. His hands roamed down her back to cup her ass and pull her even closer.
"Sheriff, we...oh, I'm so sorry. I didn't realize..."
Drew reluctantly broke off the kiss and looked up, realizing that at some point Jimmy had left them alone and closed the door to give them some privacy while they negotiated their future. He needed to thank him for that thoughtful act later. Seeing Gertrude standing in the doorway, he made a mental note to remind her to knock before entering his office.
"It's all right, Gertrude; Allison and I were just negotiating the finer points of our future."
"Oh..."
The door squeaked further open, but Drew couldn't tear his eyes away from Allison. She'd rested her head against his chest, and wore the most peculiar little smile on her face.
"You'll be seeing her around a lot more from this point on. I just asked her to marry me."
"Her? Really?” Gertrude replied in surprise and disapproval.
Drew looked over at Gertrude with a grin. She would only be the first in a line of many to be surprised by his news. “Aren't you going to congratulate me, Gertrude? I finally found the perfect woman."
Allison blushed at his teasing. “Drew!"
"It's true. I would never lie about something so important.” Turning back to Gertrude, he raised an eyebrow in surprise to find her still there in the office doorway. “Did you need something, Gertrude?"
Gertrude tore her eyes away from Allison, her lids lowering before answering his question. “Well, actually...It's just that...Samantha is here to see you."
That grabbed his attention and held it. “What's Sam doing here?"
"She says that...” Looking over at Allison, she thought better of it. “Well Sir, maybe you should speak to her yourself.” Her look turned to one of disgust. “Alone."
"Where is she?"
"In the interrogation room. Jimmy's with her."
Drew held Allison closer; Sam's arrival could only mean bad news. Why, after six years, had she chosen now to reappear?
"Thank you, Gertrude. Please ask them both to come in here."
Feeling Allison's body stiffen in his arms, he thought he'd better tell her who Samantha was before she walked into his office. “Actually, Gertrude, give me five minutes and then send them in."
"Yes, Sheriff."
He could feel Allison trying to slip out of his arms and cursed Sam for ruining an otherwise perfect day. “Forget it; I'm not letting you go, so you can stop trying to move away."
"Damn you, Drew. Now I understand why you're so suspicious of everything I say and do. Who's Samantha, and why did Gertrude just look at me like I was a home wrecker?"
He hadn't taken much notice of the look on Gertrude's face, probably because he was so stunned by Sam's unexpected return. The fact that his grip had tightened around Allison's waist had occurred to him and that told him volumes about how he felt about his ex's surprise appearance.
"Sam is my ex-wife. She ran off about six years ago, and I haven't seen her since. You might say she's the reason I started dating women like Bonnie; I was terrified to let anyone get too close and give them the opportunity to hurt me."
<
br /> "Are you still in love with her?” The soft, sad, doe-eyed look she gave him tore at his heart.
"No, sweetheart, I can honestly say that I'm not in love with her.” He knew he meant every word. He just needed to convince his new fiancee of that.
"How can you be so sure? You haven't seen her in so long. What if all those feelings rush back the minute you see her?"
Drew laughed and brushed his lips across her mouth. “That's an easy answer. You see it's like this—there's this woman. She barreled her way into my office, took over my favorite chair, told me I have a cute tush, and then proceeded to ignore me. She turned my very simple and orderly world completely upside down, and smiled every inch of the way. I didn't stand a chance against her."
Allison relaxed against him. “So, why did you let her get away with it?"
Resting his chin on top of her head, he chuckled throatily. “Well you see, she had the bad taste to date my best friend."
Allison gasped mockingly. “It's a wonder you'd want anything to do with her. She sounds positively ogre-like."
Kissing her forehead and then her lips, Drew sensually ran his hands along her back. “She has her good points. She does think I have a nice ass.” Drew was enjoying himself; Allison was loads of fun to have around when she let her guard down. Yes, she was high maintenance, but in a good way, because once she trusted he meant every word, their relationship would be unbreakable.
"She does? I can see where that could be important."
Stealing another kiss, he nipped her bottom lip playfully. “I think she's intriguing, that's why I fell in love with her. She keeps me on my toes."
Allison laughed. “I love you, too, Drew."
"Isn't this sweet. Have you seriously been reduced to taking on charity cases now, Drew?"
Sam hadn't changed. She was still the same catty person she'd always been. Funny, in the past he'd thought he could change her, that her cattiness was just due to her insecurities. Now he knew better and just wanted her gone. There was only so much he could expect Allison to take before he'd have to let her go.
"Samantha, you're still as sweet as I remember. What are you doing here?"
"What? No kiss for your wife?"
She was baiting him, and he wasn't falling for it. “I'm still waiting for your explanation, Sam!"
"How about an introduction first? I at least have the right to know who my husband is dallying with."
Allison slipped out of his arms and walked around her desk to take a seat in his chair, putting as much distance between herself and everyone else in the room as she possibly could without leaving. Sam would pay for that; he'd worked too hard to get Allison in his arms.
"Jimmy close the door. This stays here."
Once the door was closed and Jimmy had seated himself, Drew walked back to stand behind Allison's chair, crossed his arms over his chest, and turned his attention back to Sam. “We aren't married anymore, Sam. I signed the divorce papers five years ago."
"See, that's where you're wrong.” Sam answered with a vindictive grin.
One look down on Allison's pale face fired his temper. “I'm not entertained."
"No? That is really too bad, because it's true. Seems our lawyer never filed the paperwork. Imagine my surprise to find that out when I went to get a marriage license."
"That's easily fixed; we'll go see the judge first thing in the morning before I leave."
Sam approached the desk with a sway of her hips and sat on the corner, her skirt climbing up her thigh to show off her black stockings. “See, Drew, the thing is, after seeing you again...and seeing how well you've done for yourself, I realized that the things that pulled us apart don't exist anymore. I don't think I want that divorce after all."
"Have you lost your mind, woman?” He didn't know why Sam was acting the way she was, but it didn't bode well for his future relationship with Allison.
"Sheriff, I should leave you two alone to discuss this in private. This isn't something you should have an audience for.” Allison announced, moving so fast Drew didn't stand a chance of stopping her. “Come on, Jimmy. Let's give them some privacy,"
Allison had made it to the door, and pulled Jimmy to his feet before he could get them to move.
"No. Please, Allison; baby, I want you to stay. I need you to stay."
Crossing her legs, Sam primped her hair. “I think the child is right. It's time for her to leave."
"She isn't a child, Sam; she's the woman I'm going to marry. Her purity of living has kept her from looking...old. Something you wouldn't understand."
Allison silently pleaded with him, her eyes near tears, begging him not to make her stay and watch.
"Please, Drew, honey, don't make me do this. I'll go home with Jimmy while you take care of this situation. If once...if you still...I'll be there until nine am."
"Honey? Dear Girl, Drew doesn't like endearments that make him sound weak or whipped, and he certainly won't let you spend the night with Jimmy."
Allison glared at Sam, giving Drew the first ounce of hope that she wouldn't leave him he'd felt since Sam had walked in.
Smiling sweetly, Allison slipped a hand into the crook of Jimmy's arm, then blew Drew a kiss. “You don't know my honey at all, do you?"
Sam sneered. “Tell her, Drew. Tell her how much you hate being called, ‘Honey,’ in front of people."
"I adore the fact that she calls me, ‘Honey.’ I actually welcome it. As for her spending the night at Jimmy's, I don't see the harm. She's been living there since her hotel started having electrical issues, and Jeremy will be thrilled. That is, if Jim doesn't mind having her there.” The fact that Allison hadn't ever called him honey until just then, and that it went against all his instincts to allow her to stay alone with his friend, didn't matter anymore. He needed to trust her the way he wanted her to trust him. Sam didn't need to know the truth.
Jimmy grinned and slid his arm around Allison's waist. “Nope, I don't mind one bit, and Jeremy will be thrilled. We can play cards again."
"No poker!” Even he had his limits, although the mischievous grin on Allison's face pulled a responding chuckle from his lips. “I expect you to be fully clothed when I show up later to pick up my girl."
"Don't you mean you expect the tart to be dressed when you show up later to tell her to take a hike?"
"Sam, my baby is the card shark, not Jimmy. Allison doesn't lose at poker. Isn't that right?"
Jimmy choked back a laugh. “He's right; this little card shark had me completely naked in five hands the last time we played."
Sam sniffed in disbelief. “What were you doing, Jimmy? Losing to her on purpose?"
"Yeah, right. Like I'd pass up the perfect opportunity to get Allison McKay naked in my house. Seriously, Sam, you know me better than that."
"Allison McKay? The Allison McKay?” Sam whistled, impressed. “Well, hell, Drew. That explains Jimmy's infatuation. He's been in love with her since we were kids. But that doesn't explain your obsession, husband dear."
"No, it doesn't, does it?” Walking over, he gave in to his urge and eased Allison away from Jimmy to hold her against his chest, enjoying the soothing sensation having her there gave him.
"What the hell is that?"
"Sam, lower the decibels, and please explain what has you in such a state.” He watched as her mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water while she pointed in his direction.
Sliding off the desk, Sam stomped her six inch stiletto clad foot in anger. “What the hell is that woman wearing?"
Glancing down at the very nervous woman in his arms, he noticed that Allison wore a sheepish smile.
"I think she means my new shirt."
God, he loved her. She had a sense of humor despite the seriousness of the situation. “It's called a shirt, Sam. What did you think it was? A toga?"
"That is not a mere shirt, Drew. That's a jersey. To be more precise, it's your college jersey! That's mine. Make her take it off."
Drew laughe
d and cupped Allison's cheek with the palm of his hand. “Sound familiar, baby?"
Jimmy caught on and started laughing. “We've already gone there once tonight, Sam. Besides, if you ask me, she wears it better than Drew ever has."
Sam hissed in Jimmy's direction. “I wasn't asking you. Drew, tell her to take it off right this instant! If people see her wearing it they'll think she's your girl."
Drew ignored her; Jimmy had made a very good point. “She does wear it well, doesn't she? I must say I prefer the look without the jeans better, but then again, we are in public."
"I much preferred her wearing mine; it showed off her curves more."
The deep red blush that crept over Allison's cheeks didn't come close to the embarrassment she must have been feeling at that moment. He knew exactly how she felt about public knowledge of her personal life. He just couldn't help himself. He was proud that she was his girl.
"Very true, but we both know what she did with it."
"Excuse me, but can I say..."
"No offense, Allison, but you'll just agree with Drew, and my poor ego can't take any more rejection right now."
Allison giggled and cuddled deeper into Drew arms. “Your ego is intact, and I do like Drew's better. I can curl up in this one. I do apologize, Mrs. Perry, if my wearing this upsets you, but I needed something to wear. It was getting a little cold, and it was lying right there on the bed like an invitation."
Drew laughed. “It was an invitation, you silly woman. I told you I put it there for you to wear."
Shushing him with a kiss, she turned her attention back to Sam. “Besides, any woman who abandons her husband for six years doesn't get much say in whom he allows to wear his clothing."
"You were in my bedroom?"
"Yes."
"And where was my husband at the time?"
Drew pulled her back against him and grinned at Sam. When Allison got going on a subject she believed in, she got aggressive. He'd gotten first-hand proof of that this past week.
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