My Kind of Christmas (The Christmas Tree Ranch 1)

Maggie rested her head between her hands, fingers furrowing her hair. She was running out of options.

“Hello, Maggie. Are you all right?”

Constable Stanley Featherstone stood right in front of her desk. She jerked upright with a startled gasp.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “Did I scare you?”

“You did. You should’ve knocked. Where’s the receptionist?”

“She went to the restroom, so I just came in. I’ll ask again. Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Maggie took a deep breath. “What is it you need, Stanley?”

“It’s not what I need. I just wanted to warn you about that man I saw you with at Shop Mart on Saturday. He and his friends could be dangerous.”

“Nonsense,” Maggie said.

“That’s what you think. One of them is an ex-convict. He did time for killing a man.”

“And the other two?”

“I’m still checking on them. But you know what they say. Birds of a feather flock together.”

“If this is a joke, Stanley, I’m not laughing. And since they live outside the city limits, checking on them is the sheriff’s job, and he already knows about them. So you can stop wasting my time.”

She looked down at the papers on her desk, hoping Stanley would leave, but he didn’t budge.

“You’ve been seen going out to their place. The one man, the convicted killer, has even been reported coming out of your house at night.”

“Reported by whom?” Maggie kept her tone casual and friendly. Inside she was seething.

“By, uh . . . a concerned citizen.”

“Concerned? About what?”

“About your safety—and your reputation.”

“I see.” Maggie knew who the “concerned citizen” was, and this time it wasn’t Hank. Stanley Featherstone had been getting on her nerves for as long as she’d known him, but this time he’d crossed the line.

Good heavens, had the little creep been spying on her? The thought made her skin crawl.

With teeth-grinding effort, she kept her self-control. “Thank you for letting me know, Stanley,” she said. “I’ll consider myself warned, but I don’t want to hear ano

ther word about this. And if it gets back to me that your ‘concerned citizen’ is spreading tales, the consequences won’t be pretty. Do I make myself clear?”

He hesitated; then his mouth spread in a slow grin. “Clear enough,” he said. “I just wanted to warn you, that’s all. Didn’t mean any harm by it.”

“That’s fine. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m busy.”

“I was hoping we could get some coffee in the break room.”

“I’ve had my coffee, and I’ve got work to do. So have you. Can you show yourself out, or should I call the receptionist?”

“I’ll be going.” He moseyed out the door while Maggie took deep breaths to calm her nerves.

Maybe she should let Travis know about this encounter. She was reaching for the phone when she changed her mind. Travis would only worry, and he already had enough on his mind. If Stanley Featherstone made any more trouble, she could deal with him herself. After all, even though she couldn’t fire an elected official, she was technically his boss.

Shuffling the papers on her desk, she went back to wrestling with the Santa problem.