Page 3 of Falling for the Sheriff

“Yes.” She starts toward my office and stops behind my desk. “Have a seat,” she tells me, so I do. I sit in my chair and turn it toward the computer.

She sets down a piece of paper on the desk. “This is your login ID and password. After you sign in for the first time, it will prompt you to create a new password. I’ll go and get us a cup of coffee while you do that, and then I’ll walk you through our system.” She walks out of the room, leaving me to stare after her.

I shake the thoughts from my head and log in using the info she’s provided. I set up my new password, and she walks in right on time. “All set?”

“I think so. I got a new password, and I’m ready to go.”

She hands me a cup of coffee, and I take a sip. “Mmm, that’s good. Thank you.”

“No problem. I made a fresh pot. Sometimes the coffee will sit all day here. It’s always safer to make your own fresh pot.”

I lean back in my chair. “Anything else I need to know about the lay of the land?”

“Hmm,” she says, thinking as she sits on the corner of my desk. Again, my eyes roam up and down her body, wishing I could see what she looks like underneath all of those clothes. Her black pants hug her round ass nicely, but they’re loose around her long legs. I wish I could see their shape. She’s thin, and with the way the buttons on her shirt are straining, she must have a nice-sized chest as well. I get onto myself for these thoughts. Nothing good can come from them. She’s my employee, and I’m her boss. Not only that, but I’m thirty-five, and I highly doubt she’s anywhere near thirty. My guess would be mid-twenties. Twenty-seven, tops.

“Well, Claire is a huge flirt. It doesn’t mean anything. She isn’t hitting on you; she just can’t help herself. John likes to take massive dumps in the bathroom. He’ll turn the fan off and leave the door open so the smell will creep into the rest of the building. So if you smell something gross, just go and turn the fan on in the bathroom. Danny is a good cop. He’s great, actually, but he’s sensitive and likes to give people more chances than they deserve. So if his ticket ratio goes down, just bring him in here and gently give him a pep talk. Tell him not to let people walk all over him. And this is a small town. Not a lot goes on. Most days, it’s just domestic disturbances and bored kids. But since this town is so small, get ready for the welcome of your life. Everyone will want to be your friend. You’ll have more home-baked goods than you know what to do with.”

“Wow, that’s a lot of info.”

“Don’t worry. If you forget anything, I’ll be here. That small office in the back is mine. Just pop your head in or shoot me a message.”

I smile up at her. “Thanks. So you want to show me how to work this thing?” I gesture to the computer, and she laughs but comes to stand behind me and walk me through the system.

I get to spend the better part of the day with her as she walks me through the system. I feel like I’m back in school learning how to use a computer, but she does a good job of showing me everything.

Around noon, she stands back. “Okay, I think that’s everything. I guess I’ll go to lunch. And don’t forget, if you forget anything I showed you here today, just call.” She smiles before sliding out the door.

I watch her through the windows of my office as she walks through the precinct back to her office. I wonder if she notices the way all the men here look at her. But it’s my experience that women like her rarely do. She isn’t seeking attention or trying to gain a leg up. She seems happy keeping herself locked up back in that office. It makes me wonder more about her. Is she single? Is she the friendly and outgoing type? Or is she the keep to herself and spend her weekends at home alone with a book and a glass of wine kind of woman?

It doesn’t matter because I have no interest in starting a relationship up with anyone, let alone a woman I work with. I push away from my desk and pull my hat on before leaving the station for some lunch. As I’m walking past the front desk, Claire speaks up.

“Oh, sir, here are the keys for the Sheriff’s cruiser.” She holds them out, dangling them off her finger.

“Thanks.” I reach out and take them before walking out to the parking lot and finding the car that reads “Sheriff” along the side. I smile to myself as I climb in. Back in Denver, I wasn’t asheriff. I was just another deputy. But after being almost killed on the job, I thought a nice quiet town would be the way to go. When I looked and found this position available, I applied immediately, never expecting to get hired. Sure, I had the years under my belt, but I didn’t have the title. This is a major promotion for me, and I don’t plan on doing anything to screw it up. That includes not getting involved with another member of the force.

I drive the cruiser over to a restaurant called The Place. It seems to be the only business open that’s serving food right now, other than the bakery, but I’m in no mood to hear a sheriff and a donut joke, so I park and go in.

The place is low key. It’s not loud with drunks falling over the place, which is something I like. This seems like a good, down-to-earth kind of town. I take a seat at a table and pick up the menu.

“Well, you must be the new sheriff in town,” the waitress says as she comes to a stop at my table.

I nod and take off my hat now that I’m indoors. “I am. I’m Sheriff Moore. Nice to meet ya.” I hold out my hand to shake.

She slides her hand into mine and offers up a sweet smile. “I’m Betty Parker. I’ll be your waitress. What can I get ya started off with?”

“I think I’ll take an iced sweet tea.”

“Coming up,” she says, darting away. I look up and notice Nina sitting a couple booths down. Her head is down as she eats her salad and reads her book. She’s completely oblivious to the fact that I’m even sitting here. I want to get up and sit across from her, but would that be weird? Or would it be weirder that I’m sitting here and not going over there after I’ve noticed her?

The waitress comes back and sets my glass in front of me. “Have you settled on what you want to eat yet?”

I’m still looking at Nina, but I say, “I’ll just take a cheeseburger with everything and some fries.”

“Right away.” She leaves once again, giving me a clear view of the woman who has my attention but doesn’t even know it.

You’d think at some point she’d feel me staring at her, but she never does. She takes a bite, flips a page, takes a sip, and repeats the process again and again. I wonder what she’s reading that is keeping her so entertained. I then wonder why I wonder so much. Finally, my food is brought over, and I keep myself busy with eating instead of overthinking everything that has anything to do with Nina.

THREE

---