Page 41 of Sheriff's City Girl

“You don’t have to leave,” Lucas snapped. “I told you I ain’t some charity case.”

“Never said you were,” I shot back at him, my tone sharp. “I just have a better idea for this evening.” It wasn’t the entire truth, since I did want to keep her away from the mess here, but also, I was starving. The steaks in my fridge at home were sounding better and better—and Jess was with Dara, leaving the house empty.

He didn’t say anything else as I opened the door, taking in the sight of Emma. Her back was to me, clad in a nice white flowy blouse with a pair of light wash jeans as she peered into one of the horse stalls. Her dark hair was pinned half-up, and my heart stuttered as I cleared my throat.

She spun to face me, surprise and then relief flooding her face. “I looked all over the place, and for a second, I thought you might have stood me up.”

I shook my head, stepping out into the aisleway and closing the door, leaving Lucas inside. “Nah, I wouldn’t stand ya up.” I gave her a smile, and as I met her emerald eyes, the concerns of the day melted away. “But we are gonna have a change of plans.”

Her brows furrowed. “Oh? Is something wrong?”

“Only that I might just pass out from hunger,” I chuckled, shooting her a wink and waving for her to follow me. “I thought we might just skip the ride and head for the cabin. I’m making dinner tonight. If you want, you can either ride with me, and I’ll bring ya back, or you can follow me over to the cabin.”

She smiled. “I’ll just follow you.”

I nodded, and led the way toward our vehicles, parked next to each other. “I’ll see ya there.” I tipped my hat to her and climbed into my Bronco, taking a moment alone to process everything. It was best we didn’t hang around the ranch for more reasons than just Lucas being in a shitty mood. More cattle were missing—and that was something I’d have to dig into tomorrow… But even without more information, it left me feeling uneasy. It meant there were eyes on the ranch.

And rustlers weren’t good guys.

There were criminals that never escalated to violence toward people, but there were plenty that would resort to it when it came to avoiding being caught. The last thing I wanted was to get Emma out there and the two of us ride into something that someone didn’t want us to see. I could handle it, but I didn’t want her to be exposed to that…

I didn’t want to do anything to turn her off.

Chapter Eighteen

Emma

Iwanted to talk to Mason about the conversation I’d had with Lily and Dara, but I didn’t know how to go about it. And honestly, I could feel the tension in the air at the ranch and in the strained voices behind the office door. I wasn’t the kind to go poking my nose into other people’s problems, and wasn’t sure if it was my place to voice my concerns about the developers putting pressure on Lucas… Besides, it was probably just old news, anyway. It didn’t seem to be some sort of secret.

“You look nice tonight,” Mason greeted me with a smile as I slid out of my SUV. “I like the jeans,” he gestured to my pants. “Not too often you’re in those.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. “Thanks. I didn’t want to ride in a dress. I prefer them though.”

“Nothing wrong with that. You got a hippy thing about you,” he chuckled, his tone much lighter than it had been at the ranch. Whatever it was that was causing tension must’ve had to do with Lucas, not Mason.

“Thank you, I think,” I said, laughing as I climbed the steps to the porch behind him. “Where’s Jess tonight?”

“She’s with her friends,” he said, his smile fading for a split second. “I never know what she’s up to anymore, feels like.”

“Teenagers,” I said with a shrug, my mind wandering back to the conversation about Cody. Did he know about him? Because I was pretty sure Jess was with him tonight. Dara was at home having a movie night with her mom.

I followed him inside the cabin, shutting the door behind us. The place smelled the same as it had before, and the homey feel that came with it instantly brought a wave of relief. It was cozy, and made me want to wrap up in a blanket on the couch…

Or head to Mason’s bedroom.

I pushed the thought away and followed him into the kitchen. “What can I do to help?” I asked as he pulled out a couple of steaks from the fridge.

He shook his head, giving me a grin. “Not a thing. Dinner is on me tonight. You spend your whole day in the kitchen. This time, let me take care of it.”

The thought was touching, and I pulled out a bar stool, sliding onto a chair. “Well, if you won’t let me help you, I guess I’ll at least keep you company.”

“Just what I was hoping for.” He winked at me and then got busy in the kitchen, prepping the cast iron skillet as well as chopping veggies and preheating the oven for the baked potatoes. “Hope you’re hungry because I sure as hell am,” he said as he popped the potatoes wrapped in foil into the oven.

“I definitely am,” I said, and then hesitated, tempted to ask the burning questions about the ranch.

He gave me a funny look, picking up on my hesitation. “You know, I think we should talk about the elephant in the room,” Mason said suddenly, letting out a sharp breath. The steaks sizzled as he plopped them in the heated pan, and I inwardly cringed at the conversation I knew we were about to have.

“We don’t have to talk about it…” my voice trailed off as Brittany’s face flashed in my mind. “Lily told me about it.”

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