Page 17 of Billionaire Protector

Donovan glared at the door. “It must’ve been a shock discovering the neighborhood criminal was both the sheriff and your new boss. If I’m annoyed, you must be livid.”

A surge of protectiveness tightened Cole’s muscles, yet he forced himself to relax. Fate had given him the perfect place to start his investigation. “What do you mean?”

“Hey now.” Scott darted his gaze to the closed office door, then glanced at the two female deputies just outside of hearing distance. “This isn’t the place to discuss office politics. Besides, doesn’t Sarah deserve a break? She worked hard to get where she is.”

“Nothing can make up for her years as a juvenile delinquent,” Donovan snarled. “Every week, it was something new – another pack of cigarettes stolen from the grocer, more graffiti on a fence or someone’s lawn getting trashed. It just wasn’t fair. You get it, Cole. You complained about her more than anyone, especially since they never officially charged her with anything.”

It was true. It infuriated him every time she broke the law, and even more when she didn’t accept his help to straighten out. So why did he feel like defending her right now?

“Doesn’t she deserve a second chance?” Scott offered in a hushed whisper. “She’s clearly changed.”

“Or she’s pretending.” Donovan gave a low growl. “She had second, third, fourth and a million chances. She blew every one of them. Now she rules from her throne like a queen while the rest of us squeeze into cubicles the size of mousetraps.”

“I don’t mind my cubicle,” Scott protested. “Besides, it’s not her fault they’re small. They haven’t expanded the place since Cole’s dad was sheriff in a two-man operation. She did put in a request asking the council to expand it. She even rejected the planned upgrades to her own office to pay for it.”

“Doesn’t matter.” Donovan straightened his sleeves. “It’s still not fair. But who knows? Maybe she’ll mess up, and one of us will end up sheriff.”

Cole frowned. That was exactly what he wanted.

Wasn’t it?

They were talking about her. Sarah couldn’t hear or see them, but she knew. It was obvious from the way they glared at her, the scathing looks she received from Donovan, the pitying ones from Scott, the curious ones from Cole. Of course, they’d quieted as soon as she entered the office, but it didn’t change anything. People had been talking about her for her entire life, most of it unkind, and the signs were clear. She’d learned long ago not to let it bother her, yet for some reason it did right now. Was it because Cole was involved? She already knew he didn’t like her; why should it matter if he talked about her?

She’d purposely stayed away from him afterThe Kiss, a mistake akin to the time she almost used depilatory cream instead of shampoo. Its follow-up kiss was an even biggermistake than the time she actuallydiduse depilatory cream instead of shampoo. She’d never quite forgotten the depilatory cream incident (and its rather unfortunate consequences), but that was nothing compared to this.

She needed to eradicate both the kiss and its all-too-tempting bearer from her mind. As for the office gossip, that was going to stop right now. To be an effective sheriff, she needed to be in control, not necessarily liked, but respected. She’d prefer both, of course, but that took time, and she could wait. Cole could think all he wanted about her in private, but when he started telling other deputies she didn’t deserve her badge, he went too far. Rising from her desk, she strode to the door and opened it. “Cole, can I see you for a moment?”

He stood, his gaze holding its usual confidence and strength. If he’d been caught doing something wrong, he didn’t show it. “See you guys later.”

“Shut the door, please,” she instructed when he entered the office.

With a ghost of a grin, he did as he was told, then sat in the plain wooden chair, moving back to fit his long legs. And just like that, the room shrunk by half. Although Donovan and Scott were relatively big, they couldn’t match Cole in size. “How can I be of service, Sheriff?”

Red bordered her vision. After badmouthing her, he acted as if nothing had happened. Her resolve to remain calm dissipated. “Don’t bother pretending,” she snapped. “I saw you criticizing me. Donovan must love having the celebrated team captain leading the charge against the queen of tyranny.”

“Isn’t that a little dramatic?” Cole raised an eyebrow. “You heard us?”

She shook her head. “I didn’t need to. Donovan stares bullets at me every time I pass. He thinks he should’ve gotten the job,but he didn’t have my experience. If you think you can march in here and start some sort of mutiny–”

“Actually, I didn’t criticize you,” Cole said mildly.

Her words caught in her throat, slamming against the red light of Cole Carter. He couldn’t be serious. “Is that so?” She folded her arms across her chest. “You don’t agree with him?”

Cole sat forward. “I didn’t say that.”

The thunder returned, but he held up a hand before she could respond. “I don’t know enough about Sarah Sloan to judge her. In any case, it’s never a good idea to put down one’s boss, especially in the office. So, no, I didn’t share my concerns.”

She searched his strong features, yet they held nothing but genuine regard. Cole may challenge her, was potentially chasing her job, but he’d never been a liar.

“Don’t have anything to say?” Sudden mischief gleamed in his eyes. “You’ve done what you often accuse me of – judging before you know the facts.”

Yes, she had. And just like she deserved an apology for all those times he misjudged her, he did as well. “I may have… well, I…” She closed her mouth. She couldn’t do it.

“May have…” He circled his hand.

She tried again. “I may have…” She clamped her mouth shut. Nope, it wasn’t coming out.

“Too difficult?” Cole chuckled. “Don’t worry. I won’t make you do it. But you know what they say about assuming.”

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