Page 2 of Naughty by Nature

“Do you like caramel?”

Cheyenne nodded.

“Can I make you an iced caramel macchiato? It’s creamy and sweet.”

Cheyenne thought about it a moment before nodding her head. “Please.”

She paid the bill and watched the girl put the coffee together. There were magazines and newspapers on a counter for customer use, so when her coffee was done she grabbed a magazine and headed to a soft looking leather chair.

As soon as she took a sip of the creamy concoction, she knew she was in trouble. It was delicious. And the chair was so comfy. If she didn’t feel like she was cheating on Katie and the library, Cheyenne had a feeling she could fall in love with this place.

For a solid, blissful half hour, she let herself just sit and waste time. It was such a strange thing to do. Every day she had a list of chores five miles long to get done before she crashed. As the girls had gotten older, they’d gotten a little easier to care for, but they still needed to be watched as carefully as wranglers watched over a whole herd of cattle. It seemed like the older they got the more devious they got, and darned if that Grace wasn’t going to give her a heart attack before she even went to middle school. That girl had the devil’s own knack for finding trouble.

Guilt began to eat at Cheyenne, though, the longer she sat there. This time she’d been given was a gift, so she needed to take advantage of it. With that thought in mind, she got to her feet. She returned the magazine to the rack and threw away the empty plastic cup, wondering when she’d be able to get another one. It had been so delicious.

As she pushed through the door to the street, it opened quicker than she expected and she stumbled out. A broad hand caught her arm gently and fear ripped through her at the implacable hold. With a cry, expecting to be struck, she looked up and up into mirrored sunglasses.

It took her entirely too long to recognize the county sheriff, Sheridan Lane.

The friendly expression he normally wore had shifted into shocked hurt, and Cheyenne couldn’t blame him. He held his hands palms up in the universal ‘no weapon’ sign, and for a moment she wanted to burst into hysterical laughter. The man was massive, almost a foot taller than her, muscled, the county sheriff for God’s sake, and he was holding his hands up like she was going to hurt him.

Glancing around, she straightened, trying to see if anyone had noticed her freak out. There were people up and down Main Street but there was no one in the immediate area.

“I’m so sorry,” she whispered.

Clearing her throat, she straightened her spine and took a deep breath. There was nothing here to hurt her. It was the middle of the day and she knew Sheridan, for crying out loud.

But as she looked at the surprise on his devastatingly handsome face, she acknowledged something she’d been aware of for a long time. Sheridan Lane had been a friend of the family for many years and she’d treated him like the plague for a long time. It wasn’t his fault he’d witnessed the worst night of her life.

It also wasn’t his fault she thought about that night every time she saw him. That needed to change.

Reaching out, she waited for him to take her hand. “I’m so sorry I did that. I was very relaxed in the coffee shop and it must have affected my defenses or something. You didn’t deserve that reaction.”

Sheridan finally took her hand and Cheyenne almost gasped. What was it about him that made her heart take off? It wasn’t fear now, but something else altogether that made her heart race just as fast. She really was going to have a heart attack today.

This unreasonable fear needed to change.

Taking her courage in hand, and a heavy, deep breath, she waved toward the coffee shop. “Can I get you a coffee?”

The big man stared at her as if trying to decide the safest answer to her question, but she didn’t let it deter her. “You were heading into the shop, right?”

“I was,” he agreed carefully, taking off his sunglasses. “You don’t have to buy me a coffee though.”

“I insist,” she said firmly.

Without arguing, he turned to pull the door open for her. Cheyenne skirted his broad body and headed back to the counter, where the girl looked up with a smile.

“Another caramel macchiato?”

Cheyenne pursed her lips, but decided what the heck. “Yes, but a small one this time, and whatever the sheriff wants.”

The girl looked up at Sheriff Lane and that familiar look slid over her face, just like every other female in Floyd County that interacted with him. That softening and deep, sighing breath that said she would love to take care of anything for the sheriff she possibly could. Cheyenne had seen it many times before, but the sheriff had never given any indication of interest.

“What can I get you, Sheriff? Your regular? Do you want the chocolate chip or the cotton candy cafefrappe?” She pronounced it cafefrap.

The big man blinked and winced a little, his cheeks taking on the lightest hint of pink. “No, Alicia. How about just give me whatever Cheyenne ordered?”

Shrugging, she punched a couple of keys on the cash register and gave Cheyenne the total. She paid the barista and moved down to the end of the counter before she turned to glance at him. They didn’t say anything as they waited for their drinks, and the silence was starting to get a little uncomfortable.

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