Page 10 of Kissing the Sheriff
She stood. “Billy, what are you doing here? Where’s your mother?” She looked around to see if Mrs. Watson was nearby.
“Ma’s at home. I came to see you.” He grinned.
She came around the desk and leaned against it. “Really? What for?”
He grinned at Conrad before turning back to her. “I came to see if you wanted to go fishing with me.”
Cassie’s eyes lit up. “Fishing? When?”
Conrad raised his hand. “I say, but you like to fish?”
“Love it. Pa and I used to go all the time. I … haven’t gone since … I lost him.” She hung her head, returned to her chair and sat. “Billy, Mr. Darling is working on my house. Maybe I’d better fish with you later. Say, in a couple of weeks?”
“A couple of weeks?” Billy said, aghast. “I can’t wait that long.”
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But Mr. Darling is anxious to finish his work.” She gave him a pointed look. “And I might have to be there to help him.”
Billy smiled. “Really? Maybe I can help too.” He aimed his smile at Conrad.
He had the sneaking suspicion Billy was up to something. He himself used such a smile recently to get his way. Sterling was wise to him, as were Irving and Phileas. Wallis and Oliver, on the other hand, hadn’t caught on yet. “I don’t see how you can help, young man. For one, you’re too short.”
“I am not,” Billy shot back. “I’m taller than Flint and Lacey.”
Cassie laughed. “That’s because they’re younger than you.”
Billy frowned and sank onto a nearby stool. “Oh, right.”
“Cheer up, young man. I’m sure there’s a few things you can do.” Conrad pulled out his pad and looked at his list. “For one, you can help me discard some rotted boards and porch railings. We’ll need a wheelbarrow of course, perhaps even a wagon. But with your help I can get the job done in no time.”
“Conrad,” Cassie warned. “Speak to his mother first.”
“Of course.” He winked at Billy, who gave him an exaggerated wink in return. Now he knew the boy was up to something. But what? He put his pad and pencil back in his pocket. “What time shall I start tomorrow?”
Cassie sighed as if the weight of the world was on her shoulders. “Right after breakfast if you want. But you’ll still have to speak to Billy’s parents.”
He noted her drooping shoulders and the dark circles under her eyes. He hadn’t noticed them that afternoon. What could have brought them on? He scanned the walls for wanted posters but didn’t see any. “Very well. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Cassie nodded, seeming sad. She wasn’t even sparring with him.
He motioned to Billy. “Come along, lad, let’s go speak to your parents about your future as a carpenter.”
“I don’t want to be a carpenter,” Billy said. “I want to be a sea captain!” He ran out the door and waited for Conrad on the boardwalk.
He laughed. “I wonder what put that notion into his head?”
Cassie smiled. “It’s not hard to guess.” She stood and walked him to the door. “It’s not that I don’t want you to work on my house. It’s just that … fixing things, moving things around … it’s like I’m erasing my pa somehow.” She looked at the floor. “I don’t expect you to understand.”
When she made eye contact again, Conrad gave her the warmest smile he could muster. “He was your father. You miss him. I completely understand. Making the house your own doesn’t mean you get rid of all your father’s things. Such as a dusty old chair.”
She rolled her eyes and smiled. “It is dusty, isn’t it?” She wrinkled her nose.
“Indeed. I’ll take it outside and have Billy beat it with a broom or something.”
She laughed. “Good idea.”
He smiled as he studied her. She had dimples, and he liked the way her eyes closed for a second when she smiled. Like a person who can’t wink. “Until tomorrow.”
She nodded, then tossed her head at Billy. “You’d better go. He looks anxious.”
