Sweet Hill Homecoming (Sweet Hill 1)

Kyle shook his head. “I didn’t see.”

Mia’s eyes went wide and she was about to scream bullshit. “Kyle whatever you’re afraid of, don’t be. I’m here. Just tell me who did this to you.”

She gripped his hand again and again, her heart broke into pieces realizing how little control she had in this situation. He was struggling, hurting, and she couldn’t help. Didn’t know how.

“Well, if that’s it, then there’s nothing to report,” Branch said and touched the bill of his Stetson. “Be well,” he said and left.

“Wait,” she called after him. He turned to face her. “You can’t leave yet. Nothing’s been solved.”

Branch took off his hat and scratched his head. “Did you want to file a complaint?”

Mia frowned. Either the Sheriff was confused or Mia was in the twilight zone because she couldn’t believe how this was playing out.

“Ah, yeah, I would like to file a complaint. My brother is in there with stiches in his face!”

Branch looked at his feet and his bushy brows drew together like he was trying to solve calculus. “Well, you have to come to the station for that,” he huffed, put his hat back on and walked away as if eager to get out of the conversation.

“Sheriff?” she called again, but he didn’t stop, just kept marching down the hospital hallway like she was mute.

Mia stood in shock as to what just happened. Kyle wasn’t defending himself, and the Sheriff just basically told them to piss off. Nothing was happening. Nothing was being solved and the people who did this to her brother were going to get away with it.

She sat next to Kyle and did the one thing she had never done. She begged.

“Kyle, please. Talk to me, honey.” Kyle looked on the brink of tears himself and met her eyes.

“I can’t, Mia.”

~

Tate stood in the court house ballroom alone. Mia was supposed to show up an hour ago and if he already didn’t feel like an idiot, he did now. He walked out on Abby last night and wanted to tell Mia how he felt. He tried texting her again, but no response. Now with it getting dark outside, he decided to cut his losses and go home.

Making a quick stop by the station to grab his jacket and check to see what went on today, he walked around the front desk.

“Hey, Gail,” he said to the receptionist.

“Hey, Deputy.”

“Busy night?”

She shook her head. “Just had a call a couple hours ago about a potential bullying case but that’s it.”

Tate frowned. “Branch took it?”

She nodded. “Yeah, high school kid ended up in the hospital.”

“Jesus,” Tate growled.

They were cracking down on bullying and he couldn’t stand the thought of another kid suffering. The Sheriff didn’t seem to share in his opinions. He usually said, “kids will be kids,” and didn’t take it seriously. One thing that would change if Tate was sheriff. Which again made his gut hurt with guilt. But the kids who were being bullied needed to be heard and taken seriously, and that was more important than his feelings about Branch or this election situation.

“Who was the kid?”

Gail flipped through a few papers on her desk and looked at the report. “Kyle Blake.”

Tate’s eyes went wide and he grabbed the report. “Where’s the rest of it?”

Gail just shook her head. “This is all there is. I guess Branch said there wasn’t an issue.”

Slapping the paper down, Tate ran out of the station, got in his car, and headed straight toward Mia’s.