Page 20 of Christmas Harbor Secrets
The sheriff snorted, giving a lazy tug on Echo’s leash. “Funny, last I checked, the marina didn’t have you on payroll.”
Isobel’s spine stiffened. She wanted to say something—anything—but the unspoken tension between the two men said it wasn’t her moment. Rone stood firm, no puffed chest, no theatrics. Just quiet, measured strength. “Someone had to keep this place from burning,” he said. “You’re welcome to file a complaint if it bothers you.”
The sheriff’s smirk faltered, just a flicker, before his expression cooled. “Always got an answer, don’t you?”
Rone didn’t blink. “Always will, when someone asks the wrong question.”
Isobel had seen men talk themselves into fights before—her father used to call it puffing smoke with your ego—but this wasn’t that. Rone’s words weren’t challenge, they were boundary. Unshakable, steady as tide against stone. And for the first time in her life, Isobel admired a man not for what he said, but for what he didn’t. There was power in restraint, she realized. Grace, even.
The sheriff crouched, unclipping the leash from Echo’s collar with a little too much familiarity. “Good job, boy,” he said, giving the shepherd’s head a rough pat. Echo’s tail didn’t move.
Rone’s jaw ticked once. “You found him?”
“Wasn’t hard,” the sheriff said, straightening. “Dog came to the station dock, sat like he was waiting for orders. Smart animal. Had sense to get the police involved. Shade trained him well.”
Isobel froze. The words didn’t fit right in her mind.Shade trained him well.She looked at Rone, searching hisface. He didn’t flinch. Didn’t confirm. Didn’t deny. Just took a quiet step forward and placed a hand on Echo’s shoulder, reclaiming something that maybe was never his to begin with.
“You didn’t tell me,” she said softly, but Rone didn’t answer. His gaze stayed locked on the sheriff.
“Shade did good work,” the sheriff continued, glancing at her now with an assessing squint. “Shame how that all went down.”
Her stomach knotted. The air seemed to thicken between the three of them. “You mean Echo’s not yours?” she asked, the question tasting like disbelief and betrayal all at once.
Rone’s eyes flicked to hers—steady, unguarded for just a heartbeat. “He’s not anyone’s,” he said finally. “He chooses who he lives with.”
It was simple, honest—and evasive all the same. Why had she started believing she could trust this man? Again and again she’d been taught a lesson she didn’t seem to learn.
The sheriff’s smirk returned, lazy and knowing. “Still keeping strays, huh, Rone? Can’t tell if it’s loyalty or penance.”
“Guess that depends on how you measure the two,” Rone said evenly. “Now, if you’re done making small talk, Sheriff, maybe we can focus on the fact someone tried to torch the marina.”
“Sure,” the sheriff drawled, looking out over the black water like it might answer him. “Or maybe it’s just a power surge you’ve made into another one of your bad nights. Hard to tell with you.”
Rone didn’t move, but Isobel could feel the tension ripple through him. It wasn’t anger—more like control at its breaking point. Still, his voice stayed level. “You got your report. I’ve got cleanup. Echo and I will handle it.”
The sheriff stared a beat longer, then jerked his chin toward her. “You’re new around here. Take some advice. Watch whoyou trust. This man’s had more second chances than most deserve.”
Despite her desire to remind herself men weren’t trustworthy, something sharp rose in Isobel’s chest—instinctive, protective. “He just saved this dock. Seems like a good start on earning one more.”
The sheriff’s smile thinned. “Suit yourself, sweetheart.” He tipped his hat and turned, his boots thudding away down the pier until the night swallowed him whole.
Isobel stood in the quiet that followed, her heart still pounding. The waves licked the pilings, the scent of smoke still lingered, and Echo pressed his nose into Rone’s hand like the whole exchange had cost him, too.
“You didn’t have to do that,” Rone said finally, eyes on the water.
“Do what?”
“Step in.”
She met his gaze. “He was wrong.”
He gave a slow nod, like he didn’t quite believe her but appreciated the attempt. “Maybe. Doesn’t mean he’s done.”
Isobel folded her arms, the chill seeping through her sleeves. “You going to tell me what’s going on between you and the sheriff?”
Rone’s eyes shadowed. “Not tonight.”
“Will you?”
