Page 41 of Long Time Coming

The release hits quick, then my body slumps against him in the aftermath. Resting my head on his shoulder, I try to even my breaths and the beats of my heart.

As soon as I have the energy to lift my head, the adoring look in his eyes captures me. “So much for a Tagger-free night.”

“It was free alright. I won’t charge you a dime, not even that twenty you stole from me earlier.”

“Winning fair and square isn’t stealing anything except for your pride, but after that performance, you’ve earned every ounce right back.” There’s no smirk, just a smile I hold a fondness for.Always have.Maybe even more these days. “By the way, your hand is still in my pants.”

“I know. I like it here.” The wiggle of his fingers has me wanting more already.

A blue light blinds me even though the condensation on the windows obscures it. And then red. Blue. Red. “Oh no.” The siren startles me before I’ve had a chance to recover.

Tagger lifts me and sets me back in the passenger seat. “Fasten your pants.” His voice is ragged, his breath heavy through the command.

I listen and lift to tug them up, doing as I’m told because my thoughts are still reeling from the bliss to think clearly on my own.

A knock on the window has Tagger wiping the condensation away to see a police officer on the other side of it. “Shit,” he mumbles as if it hadn’t looked like this would be happening. He pushes the button, and the window slowly rolls down. “How can I help you, Officer?”

Resting a hand against the hood, the officer says, “Tagger Grange?”

“Yeah?” I can tell Tagger doesn’t recognize him.

I do.Too well but not on the wrong side of the law kind of way. “Dirk?”

He taps his name tag. “Deputy McCall.”

Tagger eyes me and turns back to him. Dirk’s toothy grin is brighter than the reflective lines on the street. “Oh hey there, Chrissy.”

That earns me a hard glare after hearing him call me that name. I laugh but keep it under wraps as much as I can. I shrug, and whisper, “I can’t control other people.”

Turning back to Dirk, Tagger asks, “Do you two know each other?”

“We went to high school together. Of course, you were already gone, but I used to watch you play on Friday nights. It was the highlight of my week.” Dirk has always been a little goofy, but he’s a nice enough guy.

“Thanks. So it’s Dirk?” Tagger begins to relax, reaching his hand out.

As Dirk shakes it, I can’t stop thinking about that hand being in my pants not five minutes ago. “Deputy McCall. I’m Greene County’s only deputy, actually.”

I lean a bit closer so I’m not shouting across the cab. “How’s your mom?”

“Recovering.”

“Aw, that’s good.” I sit back again. “Tell her I’ll bring her a peach cobbler when they’re ripe.”

“Sure will.” His eyes return to Tagger. “I heard you were in town.” But then he looks at me with concern squeezing his brow as if two and two are finally adding up for him.

“Yeah, I leave tomorrow.”

I tried to save us by distracting him, but he’s right back on the scent.Dirk says, “I see. Well, I’m still going to need to see your license and registration.”

“Dirk?” I caution, “You’re not serious right now?”

“I take my job very seriously. Sorry, Chrissy, but it’s my duty to keep the roads safe. Unless you’re broken down, this truck is an obstacle for oncoming traffic and could cause an accident.”

I throw my hand out toward the windshield. “What oncoming traffic are we talking about here? No one has passed us the entire time we’ve been on this road. There’s been no sight of anyone since we got off the highway.” I sit back, crossing my arms over my chest.

He backs up with his hands on his sides, looking in one direction and then the other in consideration.

I continue, “You know as well as I do that this road leads to four ranches over a twenty-mile stretch. It’s not a quick cut-through for the highway, which is the most direct way in and out of this county.”

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