Page 3 of Billionaire Protector

“I imagine you are. How many laws have you broken this week?”

“None that I can think of, although I’m considering one right now – assault on a pompous ass,” she said sweetly. “You still haven’t explained what you’re doing here. Since we’ve alreadyestablished you’re way too boring to get a traffic ticket much less commit arson, why don’t you explain your delightful presence?”

“I was looking for you.”

Despite the wet surroundings, Sarah’s mouth dried. She pushed on, “Really? And you figured my most likely location was a dark and stormy crime scene?” As if providing backup, lightning flashed and thunder crashed. “You still think you can intimidate me?”

He smiled.

Her heart flip-flopped. Okay, so maybe he could intimidate her. But just a little.“You don’t intimidate me at all. Never did. Never will.”

Had he moved closer, or was it her imagination? Suddenly his presence surrounded her, his heat overtaking the chill as he blasted through her personal space. Despite the cold rain, the temperature rose a thousand degrees.

She fought for control. “You can stop the act. I’m not going to fall for it.”

His smile didn’t falter. “You misunderstand. I was examining the crime scene and hoping the criminal would return. Apparently I scored.”

Sarah grimaced at the irony of his words. The last time they met,scoredmeant something far different. “You still think I’m the arsonist? Just out of curiosity, who put you in charge of fighting crime in Harmony Creek? Last I heard, you couldn’t get out of here fast enough. You couldn’t even spare a minute for a quick goodbye.”

“Sarah…”

She held up a hand. “Don’t worry, I got over that long ago.” Yet the same familiar pull simmered, a spark of hidden desire. She pushed it away. “Did you come back to lecture me?”

“Actually, no. I came back for my family.”

“Your family?” A sliver of unease iced Sarah’s chest. As much as she couldn’t stand Cole, his parents meant something far different to her. “Are they okay?”

“They’re fine, just getting older. I figured it was time to spend some time with them. Plus, things in the military weren’t…” He paused as darkness flashed, despair as striking as it was sudden. It disappeared in the next instant. “As I said, it was time. But this isn’t a vacation. I’m moving here.Permanently.”

The words sucked the oxygen from the air, freezing her breath. Emotions twisted and tangled, a jumble of undecipherable feelings – shock, discomposure, concern, yet most of all,satisfaction. Impossible. She must be confusing joy for sheer, utter disappointment. She lifted her chin. “Now that you’re back you might want to brush up on the local laws. We have some silly rules against holding women captive.” She tugged on the arm he still held. “But just to be nice, if you let me go now, I’ll try not to arrest you.”

“Still pretending, Sarah? Remember when you claimed to be an undercover agent in high school? I know you’re not a cop.”

The good humor returned in force. “Oh yeah? And how do you know that?”

“I’m a cop.”

Um, what?She forced out a low laugh. “I don’t know what type of cop you are, but just because you have a badge from who-knows-where doesn’t mean you have jurisdiction in Harmony Creek.”

“It does when Harmony Creek gave me my badge.” Still holding her tight with one hand, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a thick brown leather wallet. On top was a shiny badge, an extremelyfamiliarbadge. “I’m the new deputy.” He smiled as she scoffed. “You don’t believe me?”

“Not a chance. I’d know if you were hired by the police department. Like I said, I’m extremely close to the sheriff.”

“The sheriff didn’t hire me.”

She relaxed. For a moment there, she almost believed… “Now I know you’re lying. The sheriff hires all new deputies. It’s part of the job.”

“I thought the town council hired new deputies. That’s how it was when my dad was sheriff.”

Unease drifted in the breeze, its ill-gotten tinge a harbinger of the future. She flexed her fingers, waved away the impossible. “Technically, it does, but the sheriff conducts interviews and makes the final decision. Just like your dad did.”

“Not this time,” Cole drawled. “You’ll never guess who I ran into at dad’s poker night.”

The unease returned, graduated to concern. “One of your thousand high school girlfriends?” And that didn’t bother her. Not even a little.

Cole’s grin said he knew exactly howlittleit bothered her. “Nope. John Townsend. You know him, right?”

Concern flared to surprise zombie apocalypse terror. John Townsend had almost cost her the sheriff position when he’d opposed her hiring, claiming that someone with a childhood like hers could never be a decent sheriff. He’d always resented how she’d attained the position. “I know him,” she said tightly.

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