Page 31 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

“I climbed up on the dumpster just like—” She cut off.

“Just like what? Was someone with you? Was it that JC kid who talked you into doing this?”

Before she could answer, the door opened and Decker walked back in . . . with Sunny. Reid blamed the dip his stomach took on embarrassment that, once again, he couldn’t handle his teenage niece. It had nothing to do with those mile-long legs showing beneath the hem of her sundress. Or the sexy way her hair fell around her smooth bare shoulders. Or the way she nibbled on her plump bottom lip.

She looked . . . nervous. He instantly became wary.

“Go ahead, Sunny,” Decker prompted. “Tell them what you told me.”

Sunny cleared her throat. “So Sophie isn’t really responsible for what happened . . . I mean she is responsible, but she . . . might have had some help planning it.”

Reid looked back at Sophie. “So it was that JC kid who came up with this.”

“No,” Sunny said. “I did . . . it was my idea.”

He thought he was confused before. It was nothing compared to now. “Your idea?”

She smiled weakly. “Pretty much.”

Reid was so angry he was surprised steam wasn’t pouring out of his ears. He had trusted Sunny to help him with Sophie and instead she had convinced Sophie to pull some airheaded prank.

He jumped up. “What the hell?”

Decker quickly stepped between him and Sunny. “I think we all need to remain calm and talk this out like adults.”

That was almost laughable.

“Adults?” Reid said. “How can we possibly talk this out like adults when we obviously aren’t all adults?” He was talking about both Sophie and Sunny, but Decker didn’t take it that way.

“Good point. Sophie, why don’t you go out and wait in the lobby. Melba has a new kitten I’m sure she’ll let you play with.”

Sophie didn’t wait to be asked twice. She scurried out like her tail was on fire. Once she was gone, Decker waved at the chairs infront of his desk. “Please sit down, you two. I’m sure we can get this figured out.”

Sunny took a chair, but Reid was too angry to sit. It was all he could do to keep from cussing a blue streak and punching a wall. “I trusted you to talk some sense into Sophie and instead you talked her into doing something even worse.”

Sunny’s eyes widened. “Now I wouldn’t say painting a sign is worse than having sex before you’re ready. And I didn’t talk her into it. I merely told her about how I had dealt with my icky feelings.”

“Icky feelings! What are these icky feelings y’all keep talking about?”

“They are feelings that make you feel icky.”

“I gathered that much, but what does icky mean?”

“That’s the problem. It’s hard to explain to someone who has never had to deal with feeling icky. They are just these overwhelming feelings that consume you and you feel like you’ll go crazy if you don’t do something to get rid of them. When I was in high school, doing pranks was what made me feel better. But when I told Sophie about them, I didn’t think she’d try them out.”

“So you were the one who painted the sign before?” Decker asked.

Sophie’s face flushed a guilty pink. “Yes.”

“And hoisted the mayor’s boxers up the flagpole and painted a tutu and princess crown on the mural of the snarling wildcat on the side of the gym.”

When she nodded, Decker sat back in his chair and covered his mouth with his hand. His twinkling eyes were a dead giveaway that he was trying hard not to laugh his ass off.

Reid didn’t find it amusing. He was struggling to raise his niece and had trusted this woman to help him. Instead, she had sabotaged him. And it didn’t help that every time he lookedat her all he could think about were the taste of her lips, the silkiness of her hair, and the press of her hot?—

There was a tap on the door and, once again, Melba stuck her head in. “Sorry, to keep interrupting, Sheriff, but your wife and daughter stopped by to see you.”

Decker’s face lit up as he sprung out of his chair. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

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