Page 44 of Call it Reckless

“You know who else is cool?” I suggested. “Law enforcement officers. Maybe you could ask Mrs. Thompson if you could interview Sheriff Kirchner. Or maybe Taylor at the ice cream shop? I bet she’d give you free samples. Those sound much better than a stinky, old garage that smells like oil and gasoline.”

Lexi shook her head. “They’re already assigned to someone else. Mrs. Thompson said we could swap if we could find someone who wanted to swap with us, so long as it wasn’t a family member.” Her little body squirmed as her legs swung back and forth in her excitement. “All the boys wanted me to swap with them. That’s how I knew I had the best person of all to interview. Don’t you think so, Daddy?”

Stupid boys. “Sure,” I mumbled.

“I told Iain about it, and he already knows her. Did you know she’s Iain’s aunt?”

“Yeah,” I answered, still unable to match her level of enthusiasm.

“I have her email address, and I have to make an appointment so I don’t interrupt anything. Can I send one tonight?”

I blew out a breath. There was no getting out of this. “Sure. But don’t expect to hear back from her right away. I don’t think she works at night, honey.”

She frowned. “Darn.” Then her face brightened. “Can I have some extra screen time tonight? I want to research her. Mrs. Thompson said it’s very important to know about our person so we know what questions to ask.”

“We’ll see. Let’s get your other homework finished first.”

It looked like I’d be spending more time with Bristol.

Damn it.Why couldn’t Lex have gotten the rancher?

CHAPTERFOURTEEN

Bristol

“Thank you so much for coming in. I’ll be in touch.”

I escorted the last of my interviews to the door, grateful that at least this one had potential. He was fresh out of mechanic school, but I could train inexperience. In fact, I like the idea of training someone almost from scratch. It was easier than breaking habits I didn’t like while helping them build up their skills and qualifications.

However, I couldn’t fix attitude, especially the chauvinistic kind that thought women knew nothing about engines, which described my first two interviews. Hopefully, Paige was having better luck next door.

Deciding I deserved more than the basic ham sandwich I’d slapped together to bring with me, I decided to head to Simply Ruth’s. Despite its name, it was some of the best food within miles. It wasn’t anything fancy; it was just what Ms. Ruth described as simple, homestyle cooking that she’d been raised on. It had been a popular staple in Sterling Mill as far back as I could remember, although most locals just referred to it as “Ruth’s.” Just thinking about her pot roast, homemade mashed potatoes, and buttery green beans had my mouth watering.

Despite all the therapy to rehabilitate my leg and hip, I’d gotten out of shape. It was pleasantly cool when I’d woken this morning, so I’d ridden my bike the two miles to the garage. It wasn’t up to my usual exercise, but it was a start.

It was cloudier than it had been earlier, but I welcomed the fresh air hitting my face as I rode the few blocks over to Main Street. It appeared the diner was as popular as ever, given the number of people I saw going in and leaving.

A faint noise, almost a growl mixed with a groan, snagged my attention as I locked my bike to a signpost. In the shadows of an alley, a ragged looking dog stretched against the brick alongside the diner. I was sure it was the same pitiful creature I saw last week at the grocery store.

He didn’t raise his head and watch anyone passing him. In fact, the animal was so still I watched for several seconds to see if his rib cage even moved. It did, slow and shallow, but at least it wasn’t dead. I approached him cautiously, murmuring quiet little words of praise as I moved.

“Well, hello there.”

He barely lifted his head from the sidewalk, but his large, dark eyes found mine.

“What a good boy.” When his tail swished, I held my hand out and allowed him to sniff me before I ran my hands down his flanks. “You look like you could use a good meal yourself.” I rubbed the top of his head one last time. “Let me see what I can do, huh?”

As if he understood, his tail wagged, and he watched me as I made my way to the door. His head dropped back to the pavement as I walked inside.

I placed a to-go order, then heard my name being called.

“Bristol! Over here!” I glanced around and found Emalee waving from a back corner. Curious eyes followed as I made my way to her and the two other women sitting next to her.

Emalee rose and gave me a quick hug. “I’m so sorry I haven’t been out to your house yet, but I swear I’ll get there. I’ve still got your housewarming gift.”

“Silly, you don’t need to do anything, but you are welcome anytime.”

Emalee squeezed my arm and stepped to my side. “Bristol, I’m sure you remember these ladies from the wedding? This is Teagan, who’s a real estate agent.” She gestured to the beautiful blonde, who looked like she had stepped off the pages of a fashion magazine. “And this is Megan, who owns the chocolate store across the street.”

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