Page 6 of Seducing the Sheriff
Oh well, it wasn’t like my day was ending anytime soon. I knew from grim experience; dead bodies took up a lot of time.
As I turned into the driveway of the old residence, I spotted someone sitting on the stoop. At least he had the sense to get out of the house. The setting sun glinted behind the house and trees, giving it almost an eerie look, full of light and shadow. The kind of place you’d find a dead body in a scary movie.
I pulled up in the yard, noting no one else had arrived as yet. I wasn’t surprised. I was the only one on the doorstep. The man on the stoop put down his cup on the step and stood, brushing his ass, as I got out of my car. I took my time before I greeted him, watching his body language. Just because he said it had been there a while, didn’t rule him out as a suspect.
He seemed relaxed for someone who’d found a dead body. I expected more agitation. Then I turned my attention to him. He was tall, a few inches taller than my 5ft 11”. Six feet two, maybe? I was broader across the shoulders, but his muscle was rangy, gained from physical work rather than the gym. If I’d been at a bar, he was the type of guy I’d approach for a hook-up, I couldn’t deny that. Even the lines around his eyes were sexy as hell.
As I approached him, I realized his hazel eyes watched me as closely. Wary of law enforcement or was there another reason?
I strode forward to close the gap. “Mr. Harding?”
“Yes. I’m Greg Harding.”
“Sheriff Cash Lawson.”
I held out my hand, and we shook, noting his grip was firm, but he didn’t try to crush my fingers. No power play. I’d been on the receiving end of many crushed fingers from men trying to assert their dominance. I didn’t play those kinds of games.
“You’re the new owner of this property?”
“I am. This is my first week here,” he said ruefully.
Poor guy. Buy a new home. Find a dead body. Hardly the most auspicious start. He’d probably turn tail and run back to wherever he came from.
“Do you want to see the…uh…body?” He sounded hesitant.
“Show me what you found. But I’ll hand this case over to New Mexico’s State Police Investigations Bureau. They’re on their way. They’ll handle the investigation. They’ve got a cold case unit too.”
Greg nodded. “Okay.”
“You’ll need to find somewhere else to stay for a couple of days until the Bureau releases the crime scene.”
He blinked. “I hadn’t thought about that. I guess I could stay at the motel out on the highway.”
“Would you rather visit a relative?”
“No, there’s no one close by, friends or family. I’m new to the state. And I’m not going to Alaska.”
Okay, that was out of the blue. “It’s a bit of a trek.”
The corners of his mouth quirked into a smile. “I’ll stay here. I can keep working on other plans for the ranch.”
He had a nice smile and for a moment, I forgot what I was here for.
Focus, Cash, focus.
“When we go inside, collect what you’ll need for a few days.”
“So much for starting on the decking tomorrow,” he said.
“I’m sorry. If the body has been there for a while, it shouldn’t take long to release the house.”
“It’s been there a long while,” Greg assured me, turning to lead the way up the stoop, but I stopped him, offering gloves and booties for our shoes. He gave me a wry smile.
“My DNA and footprints are all over the property. I live here.”
“I know. But it’s protocol.”
I said it in a firm voice, and he subsided, taking the gloves and booties from my outstretched hand.
