Wilde Fire (Forever Wilde 3)

But the time for that shit wasn’t now, in front of everyone lunching at the Pinecone in downtown Hobie.

“See you tonight, Sheriff,” I said before turning and walking out.

Now all I had to do was hope Chief Paige hadn’t already found a replacement for Nathan Hearst.

Chapter 9

Walker

Wilde,

Please stop trying to contact me. You’re only making this harder on both of us. I didn’t mean to hurt you, you have to know that. But I can’t be with you anymore.

Please move on and let me do the same.

I truly wish you all the best,

Seth Walker

As soon as Otto said he was going to see Chief Paige, I felt like my whole life was finally getting ready to begin. I walked out of the Pinecone with all my damned peacock feathers spread wide in the sun. I was even pretty sure if a bullet had come for me in that moment, it would have bounced right off and skittered along the sidewalk. That’s how amazing it felt to know Otto Wilde was moving home to Hobie to be with me.

Before heading back to the station, I decided to stop in at Sugar Britches and grab something for Luanne. I wandered across the square before entering the cute little bakery and seeing the tattoo-covered owner behind the counter.

“Hey, Sheriff. What can I get you?” Nico called with a smile.

“A glimpse of that chubby-cheeked girl of yours, for one,” I said.

Nico’s grin got even bigger. “She’s sacked out in the pack-n-play upstairs, or I’d let you have a snuggle.”

“No, she isn’t,” Stevie said, approaching from the back of the building where the kitchen and staircase were. In his arms was a sleepy-faced angel whose head was resting on Stevie’s shoulder. As soon as she saw me, her eyes widened.

I remembered to take off my hat since that seemed to scare her the last few times I’d seen her.

“Hey, cutie pie,” I said, approaching Stevie with my hands out. “Remember me?”

Stevie’s sassy grin was accompanied by a wink. “Of course I do, Sheriff. I just saw you a little while ago.”

I barked out a laugh. “Shut up and gimme that baby.”

As soon as Stevie leaned toward me, Pippa reached out her arms for me and came willingly. She was a very easy baby who seemed used to being passed around among lots of sets of loving arms in town.

“Hey, sweet girl,” I murmured, pulling her in for a hug and inhaling the scent of sleepy baby. “Did you have a good nap?”

One of her hands came up to reach for my shiny badge the way it always did when I held her in uniform. I let her put her sticky prints all over it.

“You getting your usual or something for Lu?” Stevie asked.

“Lu. That cold drink thing she likes and whatever cookie or pastry you think she’ll want,” I said. “Thanks, Stevie.”

He went back around the corner to wash his hands and select something for Luanne while Nico helped the next customer.

While Stevie made Lu’s drink, he looked back at me. “You gonna tell me what all that was about out there? You lit out of the station so fast, you about set your desk on fire.”

I shifted Pippa on my hip and made sure she wasn’t anywhere near my service weapon.

“Yeah, uh… Thanks, by the way. For the heads-up, I mean.”

He smirked at me. “No thanks needed. I should be thanking you for the show. Been a while since I’ve seen kitty-cat claws like those. You sure she knows you’re gay?”

The customer standing next to me gasped and shot me wide eyes. I recognized Mr. Ritches from the hardware store and smiled politely at him before turning back to Stevie. I wasn’t going to keep all this stuff a secret from the town, but that didn’t mean I wanted any of it out until my divorce was final either.

I lowered my voice. “She knows. Doesn’t mean she likes it.”

Stevie’s eyes shifted from me to Mr. Ritches and back with a little wince. Sorry, he mouthed. I winked at him to let him know it was fine. Stevie and I had gotten to be pretty good friends over the past few months and he was one of the only people I’d confided in about what was going on between Jolie and me and what I hoped was going on between Otto and me.

I blew a strawberry on Pippa’s plump cheek before handing her back to Nico and reaching for my wallet.

Nico held up his hand. “I told you. Cops don’t pay.”

“And I told you it’s just a tip.”

I dropped a bill on the counter and ignored the eye roll from the guy.

“Hey, Sheriff,” Nico called as I was walking out. “When you gonna let me put some ink on you?”

My usual answer was when hell froze over, just to mess with him, but this time I turned around and answered differently. “When I have something important I want to make permanent.”