Page 44 of A Cowboy Of Her Own

Gray put his fingers to his hat as he looked at Priscilla. “Ma’am.”

“Hello… uh, sheriff or deputy?”

“Grayson is the Sheriff here I told you about.”

“You were talking about me? How nice,” Gray said grinning.

“Just give me the damn ticket, Gray, so I can go. I want to get home.”

“I can see why.” Gray’s lips twitched as he winked at Priscilla.

“Fuck you, Beckett.”

Gray burst out laughing. “You know… if you were anyone else, I’d haul your ass in, but since we’re… friends, I’ll let you go.”

“Why are you working anyway? You’re usually off on the weekends.”

“Kent’s on vacation.”

“I see. I just saw your brothers. It’s real good to see Brayden.”

“Yeah, it is.”

“Can I go now?”

“Sure, but slow your damn ass down or I will take you in.”

Roark saluted. “Yes, sir.”

Gray looked at Priscilla again. “Have a good night and don’t let him speed.” He touched the brim of his hat. “Behave Roark. The ranch will still be there.”

Taking a deep breath, Roark nodded. It was a good thing that Grayson was a friend because anyother law enforcement officer would have taken his license. Hell, being twenty miles over the limit he could have lost his license right there. He put the gear into Drive and pulled out, throwing gravel up behind the back tires. He chuckled when he saw Gray throw his hands up.

“Roark Callahan, you’re supposed to slow down, not speed up,” Priscilla chastised him.

“I’m just glad he didn’t ask me to step from the truck because he would have seen my fly stretched to its limit.” Priscilla snorted again and burst out laughing. Roark glanced over at her and scowled. “You have no idea how hard I am and it’s all your fault. If I don’t get us to the house, it’s going to happen in this truck.”

“Again, I’m game if you are.”

“You’re going to kill me,” he muttered as he turned his eyes back to the road.

“Why was it good to see Brayden? Has he been gone?”

Roark took a deep breath. “Yeah. He was in prison for five years for murdering his wife.” At Priscilla’s gasp, he continued. “He didn’t do it though. Her own sister killed her because she wanted Brayden for herself.” Roark shook his head. “He never would have left Maisy for Tara. He loved Maisy.”

“How did they figure it out?”

“Tara told him she couldn’t wait for him to get out so they could be together. When Brayden told her, he’d never get out unless they found out who did it; it was then, that Tara said something to the effect that she’d done it for them. Brayden called his attorney and they had him wear a wire when she went back to visit him. She’s in prison now ondeath row because she was found guilty of first-degree murder. It was premeditated.”

“Oh, wow. That’s so sad. He seems happy though with Melissa.”

“He is now. At first, he wanted nothing to do with her. She was Maisy’s best friend and has always been in love with him. He just had no desire to fall again. He thought Maisy was the only love of his life. He says now that he was damn lucky to find it twice.”

“I love that. He seems like a nice person.”

“He is and no one around here believed he killed her. We all knew he loved Maisy. He left Hartland to move to Texas for her.”

“I’m glad he’s happy again.”

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