Page 62 of Wrangling a Wild Texan

Jesse laughed as he pulled into a parking space in front of the sheriff’s office. He turned off the engine and sent her an understanding look. “Do you want me to take care of this? You can wait in the truck if you aren’t ready to see him.”

Sunny shook her head. “I’ll have to see him sooner or later.” Besides, she was more than a little curious about what had caused strait-laced Reid Mitchell to get arrested—if he had gotten arrested and this wasn’t one of Sophie’s pranks.

Sunny didn’t know what to expect when she pulled open the door of the sheriff’s office, but it wasn’t Decker sitting in Melba’s chair holding Holly Joy in one arm and a tiny gray kitten in the other. Holly was squealing and waving her pudgy arms with excitement trying to get to the cat.

“Now, Holly,” Decker said above the racket. “Remember what Mama said about bringing home more animals. So don’t be gettin’ too attached.”

Holly released another squeal and clasped and unclasped her chubby fingers until Decker sighed. “Well, maybe one little kitten won’t hurt anything.”

Melba came out of the bathroom. “Of course a tiny kitten won’t hurt anything. George Strait and Dixie Chick will love Loretta Lynn.” She noticed Sunny standing by the door and smiled and winked at her before she held out her hands to Decker. “Give me Holly and put Loretta Lynn back in her crate. She needs to rest up before she meets those two ornery dogs of yours.”

Decker handed the cute baby to Melba. “You aren’t going to be happy until I have a zoo, are you, Mel?”

“Nothin’ wrong with a zoo.” Melba kissed Holly Joy’s chubby cheek. “You just need to make sure you have lots of these sweet ‘thangs’ to help you take care of all your animals.”

Decker shook his head as he put the cat back in the crate. When he was finished, he turned to Sunny. “I guess you’re here to see our prisoner.” He waved a hand. “Follow me.”

Sunny was stunned when Decker led her down the hallway that led to the jail cell. “You really did lock up Reid? How could you do that, Decker? Reid’s a good man. I’m sure whatever he did wasn’t bad enough to be thrown in jail.”

Decker stopped and glanced over his shoulder at her. “You didn’t see the Nothin’ But Muffins sign?”

She stared him. “Reid did that?”

He nodded before continuing down the hallway. “Caught him red handed after I got a call from Mrs. Stokes.”

“But why?”

Decker unlocked the door at the end of the hallway and held it open for her. “I think you’ll need to ask him yourself.”

She stepped through the doorway and found Reid lying on the bottom bunk of the jail cell. When he saw her, he quickly rolled to his boots. Boots that were splattered with black paint. As were his T-shirt and jeans. His hair was messed like he’d been running his fingers through it and his eyes held too many emotions to read. Especially when she was feeling so many herself. Shock. Confusion. Heartache. And the overwhelming need to dive into his arms and never let him go.

Thankfully, the bars kept her from humiliating herself.

“W-W-Why?” she sputtered.

He shrugged. “It seemed to help get rid of the icky feelings for you and Sophie.”

“You have icky feelings?”

He took a step closer. “I feel icky about the way I treated you. And I’m sorry, Sunny. I’m so damn sorry for taking my fear of losing Sophie out on you.” He hesitated. “And it wasn’t just my fear of losing Sophie that had me saying things I didn’t mean. It was also my fear of losing you. Your parents might have made a lot of mistakes, but naming you wasn’t one of them. You’re like sunshine—warm, bright, and life giving. You certainly gave me new life. You burned away all the dark clouds surrounding me and made my world bright and shining. I’m terrified of losing that light. Even if you deserve better than an inept man who couldn’t even paint a four-letter word and declare his true feelings to you without getting caught.”

SoLOwasn’t an abbreviation. It was a word. The only four-letter word Sunny could think of that started with L and O had her heart beating faster as Reid continued.

“I know you already have plans to move to Dallas, but you don’t belong in Dallas, Sunshine. You belong here with Corbin and Jesse and all the Holidays.” He moved closer to the bars and grabbed on to them. “You belong here with me and Sophie. I might not have a lot to offer a woman who has everything, but I can offer you one thing. I can offer you my heart. If the hole in my chest is any indication, you already have it. I love you, Sunshine Whitlock. I have nothin’ but love for you.”

Nothin’ But LOVE.

Sunny didn’t know what to do or say. Responsible, law-abiding Reid had broken the law and committed a crime for her. To tell her, and the entire town, how he felt.

She couldn’t hold back the tears even if she’d wanted to. They blurred her vision and splashed down her cheeks like heavy rain on a windshield. She heard the squeak of metal hinges before she was surrounded by male heat and hard muscle. Reid held her tightly as he brushed kisses on her head.

“I’m right here, baby. I’m right here.”

She was enjoying the pure pleasure of releasing her emotions while being securely cocooned in Reid’s strong arms when a thought struck her.

She drew back. “How did you get out?”

He grinned sheepishly. “It wasn’t locked. I talked Decker into pretending like he locked me up because I knew if you saw me in jail, your big ol’ heart would kick in and I’d have a better chance of winning you back.”

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