“Well, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Good to know.” He turned away. “I better get back to it.”
She nodded and watched him leave. She exhaled the breath she’d been unconsciously holding. Holy shit. The man packed a punch, that was for sure.
Kayla wouldn’t have said he was a handsome man. He was too rugged. His five o’clock shadow darkened the bottom of his face, and it was only noon. His hands were huge, and she detected several scars on his arms and a few on his face. She could tell the man had been through a lot already, but he’d only gotten stronger instead of breaking him.
He was the most masculine, domineering man she’d ever seen. He had that animal magnetism that most men wanted, and women craved to have a piece of. It would be interesting to see how the dynamics work in the department. She knew at least one man who was going to have problems with the new sheriff, and she was looking forward to seeing Fletcher on his ass.
She grabbed her bowl of soup and glass of water and took them to her desk. It seemed the minute she sat down, the phone started and went on until Carol came in to take over.
Carol snorted when she got a look at the desk. “Has it been one of those days?”
Kayla glanced at her as she pulled her purse from the drawer. “Why would you say that?”
“Because I suspect that’s your half-eaten lunch sitting onthe desk telling me you didn’t have much time today.”
Kayla grinned. “Yeah, it was a bit crazy, but I hope it will settle down for you.”
Carol laughed and shook her head. “Go home and relax. I’ll take care of the dishes.”
“Thank you. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Kayla waved as she walked out of the building. Her small house was only a half-mile away, so she walked to and from work most of the time unless the TV news people predicted storms, or the temperature was going to be below zero.
That day, she breathed in the cool air and felt the stress of the day blow away. She smiled and waved at several people, which lightened her mood even more. She walked into her house and set her purse down before she locked the door and went to shower. Afterward, she dressed in a worn pair of gray sweats and an old t-shirt before she started dinner.
She usually waited for a while to cook after she got home, but that night, she was famished because of missing lunch. She decided to make a big pan of lasagna and planned to take it into the office tomorrow for the guys. It had been a while since she’d pampered them, and with the upheaval of getting to know a new sheriff, it might help in some small way.
Chapter Three
“Oh, that better be what I think it is,” Jason said.
Kayla grinned as she walked across the floor of the sheriff’s office. “It is.”
“It’s about time,” Nash complained. “You haven’t brought your world-famous lasagna in for us in months.”
She rolled her eyes as she walked toward the break room. She set it in the refrigerator and turned to make coffee.
“Hey,” Fletcher said behind her.
She stiffened and turned toward him. “Good morning,” she said in a cool tone.
“I tried to catch you before you left last night.”
“Why?” she asked without turning.
“You know why. I wanted to come to your place, but the last time, you got really upset.”
She rolled her eyes. “Fletcher, what do I have to say to get through to you? Seriously. Nothing is ever going to happen with us.”
He straightened up and scowled. “You haven’t even given us a chance.”
“And I’m not going to.”
A shiver of dread skated up her spine at the look in his eyes as he stepped toward her.
“Is there a problem here?”