Page 33 of Mountain Man Officer

Going into this arrangement, I had known I was attracted to her. Hell, all of my fantasies had been about her since catching her eyeing me in the grocery store. That didn’t make sleeping with her right, when I was in a position of authority.

A position of authority? I laughed at the thought. I was no more an authority figure to her than she was to me. She was just off-limits, that was all. We had a business relationship, and it had to remain a business relationship no matter how sweet her kisses tasted. I would have to redouble my efforts to avoid her, or at least avoid having sex with her. The fact that her bedroom was literally right down the hall was going to make that resolution a hard one to keep.

“Hey,” a voice called me out of my daydream.

I inhaled slowly, fighting the urge to jump. “Hey.”

It was Ryan, the officer who had been working the drug case before I came along. “Have you moved into your cabin?” He took a seat at his own desk, facing mine.

“Yeah.” I typed something just to look like I was busy.

“How is it?”

I shrugged, picturing Lindsey’s body grinding beneath me. “It’s good.”

“How’s the new roommate?” Ryan grinned, as if he knew something.

I sighed. “So far, so good.”

“I don’t know if I could manage being just roommates with Lindsey.” Ryan had also been born in Singer’s Ridge and had gone to high school with both Lindsey and Ava.

I narrowed my eyes. “How was dinner last week?” I tossed the examination back at him.

“Oh, you know…” He stretched awkwardly. “Ava was there.”

“And how did that go?” I asked.

“Not good,” he admitted. “How’s the case?”

I laughed, because we should have been talking about the case to begin with, not as a method of diverting attention from each of our love lives. I filled Ryan in on everything I had discovered, including my suspicion that something fishy was going on over at the hair salon.

“Do you think the girls know?” Ryan asked.

I shook my head. I was going to give Lindsey the benefit of the doubt. Unless she proved to me that she was a willing participant in the drug scheme, I was going to put her down as innocent.

“What’s our next move?” Ryan said.

“I think we need to talk to them. You can talk to Ava, and I’ll talk to Lindsey. See if you can get any details about large purchases that have been made or deliveries they’re receiving.”

Ryan frowned.

“You don’t think Ava has anything to do with it, do you?” I asked.

“No,” Ryan said quickly. “It’s just…things ended kind of awkwardly for us. I wasn’t…the most stand-up guy if you know what I mean.”

“Right.” I didn’t know exactly what had happened between Ryan and Ava, but I could guess.

“Maybe I could talk to Lindsey, and you could talk to Ava?” Ryan suggested.

I shrugged. “Sure.”

We waited until after six when we knew the girls would be off work. We walked over to the hair salon and panicked a little when we found it empty.

“Look, it’s Ava’s car.” Ryan pointed across the street at the diner.

We jogged across the street and up the porch steps into the most popular dinner place in town. It didn’t take long to find the girls sharing a booth. Lindsey sat with her back to us, leaning forward as if she were sharing a secret. Ava saw us first, pointing a finger to silence her friend.

Lindsey turned, and I could see her face light up. She was actually happy to see me. I hoped she didn’t think we were now engaged in some kind of relationship. The sex had been a mistake—a life-affirming, earth-shattering mistake. I didn’t look forward to a conversation where I might have to establish boundaries. I hoped it wouldn’t come to that.

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