Sweet Hill Homecoming (Sweet Hill 1)

“Have a good night, Abby.”

“You too!” She waved a little as he walked over to the bar counter where his friend Luke Jacobs sat. On his way he got a few pats on the back and howdies from a few supporters. When Tate finally reached the bar, Matt slid him a long neck and Tate leaned against edge of the counter.

“Please don’t tell me she’s still trying to get you to marry her?” Luke said.

Tate shook his head. “Not that kind of night.”

“You realize you’re the most eligible bachelor who all the ladies are trying to land right?” Luke nudged his shoulder.

“Since when do you talk like a sorority girl?”

“Since my fiancée told me that she spends most of her days at the café listening to women ramble on about you. Everyone is trying to be the next Mrs. Sheriff.”

Great. Just great. Since Tate announced his candidacy, things had been a little weird. At least it explained the casseroles showing up on his doorstep.

“I’m trying to just deal with one thing at a time. Focus on the election, not a woman.”

Luke raised a brow and took a swig of his long neck. “Gotta say, man, since you’ve been campaigning, you’ve been kind of…”

“Stressed?” Tate offered.

“I was going to say stick up your ass-ish, but yeah, we can go with stressed.”

Tate scoffed. “I just want this to go well. Branch has been running this place for decades. Not everyone is thrilled he’s leaving.” And that included Branch.

Branch was two years into his four year term and set to retire early. A special election was set for December. Problem was, the sheriff’s early retirement steamed from reasons that made Tate’s stomach churn.

The Sheriff was getting older and his attention to detail wasn’t what it used to be. In and out of uniform. Last week he forgot where he parked his cruiser downtown.

Sheriff Branch served with Tate’s father. He’d looked up to him since he was a kid. Tate knew he always wanted to be a deputy and follow in his father’s footsteps, serving the town and community he loved. And when his dad died in the line of duty, Tate never was the same. He was eight years old and Sheriff Branch was the only father figure he had.

So when Tate started noticing that Branch was slipping, both in his mind and job, Tate felt like he was once again losing a man he looked up to. And the past year his memory had gotten worse. Branch couldn’t remember certain things, didn’t take time to look into issues or concerns. Wasn’t filling out accurate reports. He was the one who taught Tate to treat every call seriously and responsibly, but now the Sheriff just seemed tired and mentally unable to perform his duties the way he used to.

A fact only Tate and the Sheriff’s wife knew about.

Retirement was the easiest way out of this, but it tore at Tate’s chest watching Branch struggle.

“I’m sure it’s hard on you that Branch is retiring, but it’s not like you’re running against him or pushing him out,” Luke said.

Tate closed his eyes for a moment, because that’s exactly what he felt like he was doing.

When the Sheriff’s wife came to Tate and told him about Branch’s deteriorating mental health, Tate shared her concerns. His wife asked Tate to talk him into early retirement. It seemed best. Dignified. Because if Branch kept going the way he was, someone was bound to notice. And if Branch had to be “removed” due to inability to perform his job, it would break his heart.

So while Tate was ready to take on the role of Sheriff, a role he’d been working toward his whole life, this wasn’t how he’d wanted to achieve it.

“I just didn’t think it would happen like this…” Tate said, not meaning for it to be out loud.

Luke just gave a reassuring slap of the shoulder. “It will be a transition, but you’re going for it and you’re the right man for the job.” Luke shrugged. “That’

s my opinion anyway.”

And Luke’s opinion mattered. He was one of Tate’s best friends and his family owned all the orchards in Sweet Hill. A business that brought jobs and money to the community. Tate trusted him with his life, which was why it was hard keeping this secret about the Sheriff from him. But Tate couldn’t break Branch’s trust like that.

“In the meantime,” Luke said, “loosen up and try to enjoy yourself, huh? For god sakes this is the first time I’ve seen you out of uniform in a damn month.”

Tate took a swig of beer. It had been busy. And he was working a lot. With the holidays coming and the Sheriff’s Department hosting the toy drive, it was getting crazy.

“I know all the lifers are looking your way and even though you’ll likely end up with one of them doesn’t mean you can’t still enjoy the ride.” Luke smiled.