Page 13 of Stormswept Colorado

Despite his usual suit and tie, he looked like a bruiser. But he had a heart of gold. Recently, he’d married his longtime girlfriend Mikaela, and baby Brody was their pride and joy.

Things were completely platonic between me and Bryan, but under different circumstances? He would’ve been my type. A little rough around the edges. Tall, with his dark hair buzzed close to his scalp.

Also, did I mention biceps as big as my thighs?Yowza.

Bryan’s physique reminded me of a certain police chief. Another man I had no business considering attractive.

And why couldn’t I stop thinking about him?

I resolved to put Teller Landry out of my mind.

Bryan parked, and we made our way toward the baby store I’d spotted earlier, hoping it would still be open. The sun had already disappeared behind the mountains, and rustic streetlights lit the pavement and the Main Street storefronts.

Then I heard the shouts. My head turned toward the sound before I could stop myself.

“Shit, that’s Ayla Maxwell!Baby, you’re even hotter in person!” A group of college-age men stood on the other side of the street, gawking at me. Their bright neon jackets pegged them as tourists from the ski resort.

One of them put his arms in the air and thrust his hips. I jerked my gaze away, disgust swirling in my stomach. Maybe I should’ve worn the hat and sunglasses after all.

Bryan made a low, growly sound in his throat. “Fucking assholes. Just ignore them.”

“Already on it.” I couldn’t react. You never knew when someone was filming, and they might edit the video to make me look like the bad guy.

“Oh come on, Ayla, come take a picture with us! Baby, please!”

Did they seriously think I’d stop and talk to them after they behaved that way? What was wrong with people?

Bryan put a hand on my shoulder, and we kept walking. I didn’t want their taunts to affect me, but tremors still ran along my arms, making my hands shake. A toxic mixture of anger and dismay.

Laughter and more shouts followed us as we continued down the block. But the men didn’t cross over to approach me. Probably because Bryan was here looking all murderous. Doing his job.

Those guys were nothing compared to some of the trolls online. I had people on my team who managed my social media and tried to weed out the worst comments, but things always slipped through. Bullies were the same the world over. They wanted to steal someone else’s joy. Turn it into something twisted and ugly.

Most of the time I just let the bad stuff flow past me. I had a thick skin. But when something truly awful caught me off guard, I couldn’t stop my physical reaction. That urge to rage at the world for being so awful.

Like the flower arrangement I’d received in Toronto with the old photo of me. It had reminded me of my childhood. My father, the colonel. The biggest bully of all.

“You okay?” Bryan asked.

Forget about them, I told myself.

“Yeah. All good.” A few deep breaths later, and I was back to my happy mood. I’d had such a wonderful day in Silver Ridge so far. I refused to let anything spoil it.

FIVE

Teller

The afternoon wore on.Work pulled me in, and I was in such a flow that I lost track of time. Until Seth Duncan, the officer on front-desk duty today, knocked on the frame of my open door. “Hey, Chief. What’re you still doing here?”

I stretched my arms over my head, realizing it was after five. I’d arrived at the station at seven that morning, which wasn’t unusual. But I was supposed to babysit Ollie tonight. Didn’t want to be late.

Not that I waseverfully off duty, not a hundred percent.

“Got caught up in reading reports,” I said. “Sheriff Douglas gave me a heads-up. There was another vandalism incident. Northeast corner of the county this time.”

Seth adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses. “Similar to the ones we’ve seen around Silver Ridge?”

“Yep.” I stood, joints creaking from sitting still for so long. Geez. “Coffee?”

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