He greeted a few of the others, some at their tables, some while they moved on the dance floor. All the same, Tess had to admit she wasn’t surprised when his path led him directly toward the redhead still gyrating outrageously on the far side of the counter.
Though maybe she did choke a little on her drink when the dancer removed the cowboy hat from her head, let it fly across the dance floor before she launched herself right at the man.
4
Underneath the weight of his boss’s slight frame, Mason locked his knees so that he didn’t fall over when she jumped off of the bar and landed right in his arms. He was a strong guy and Caitlin De Angelis was by no means a big girl, but he hadn’t expected her to jump when she saw him heading her way.
Then he saw the glassy look in her bright green eyes and he realized he should have.
“Hitting the bottle kind of hard there, huh, Sheriff?”
She leaned in, a strand of her ruby red hair clinging to her clammy cheek. Whispering loudly, Sheriff De Angelis told him, “I’m off duty,” before reaching down to grab his ass with both hands.
“Yes,” he agreed before setting her down gently on her feet. He was ready to ignore her wandering hands when she gave one ass cheek a squeeze. His smile became a little strained as he reached behind him and removed her hands. “But I’m still on duty, Sheriff, so maybe you can keep these to yourself.”
She took his gentle refusal with a sniff and a flounce. “I can have any man in Hamlet,” she announced to the crowd before raising one of her hands royally. As if to prove her point, three bar hounds fought for the pleasure of helping Caitlin climb back onto the bar. She sat down on the bar top, crossing her legs and placing her pointed chin into her hand. “That’s why I’ve got to celebrate, Mase! Almost got trapped once, didn’t I? Now I know better. Why settle for one man when I can have anyone I want?”
Mason wasn’t an idiot. Whether or not he was attracted to his boss—and, while she was a beautiful woman, he was most adamantly not—he knew better than to mix business with pleasure.
He also knew better than to rile her up when she was brooding over her divorce. Three years after her marriage fell apart, everyone in Hamlet knew that Caitlin De Angelis might be able to get anyone she wanted—but she hadn’t been able to keep the only one who ever mattered to her.
That was why he put up with her drunken behavior and outright harassment. For three hundred and sixty-four days out of the year, Caitlin was an ideal sheriff. A tad paranoid and fanatically loyal to Hamlet, she was the law in their small village. She never abused her power. If she wanted to make an ass out of herself on the anniversary of her divorce, the townsfolk let her. And her deputies made sure no one held her accountable the morning after.
Which was also why Mason was checking in on her now. Willie dropped the sheriff off at Thirsty’s when they both went off shift but she had three kids at home. She couldn’t spare the time to babysit her thirty-year-old boss. So Mason promised to check in on Caitlin during the night, and Sly was on call to drive Caitlin home when she was finally done—if she didn’t find her own ride home first.
From the way some of the fellas were eyeing her in her civilian clothes, Mason didn’t think she’d have any trouble getting to her place.
His mind at ease, Mason took Caitlin by the elbow and gently helped her down from the bar top before guiding her to the closest stool. She was already wobbling in her thigh high boots. The last thing he needed was for the sheriff to take a tumble and break her neck. He’d almost had a heart attack when he saw her swaying on the top of the bar. And then, when she jumped at him… if she kept this up, he’d need a drink himself by the end of this shift.
He used the excuse of retrieving her hat to put some more space between them. Leaning in, he plopped her hat back in place before backing away from her again. “Okay, Sheriff. I’m doing the overnight. I’ve got to get back out there. If you need me, give me a buzz.”
She was already accepting another tumbler from Georgie, the bartender at Thirsty’s. Waving off Mason’s concerns, she tossed the shot back before slamming the glass on the bar. “Another!”
The men surrounding her let out a cheer. Mason wasn’t too worried. Apart from the outsider sitting alone at a table, everyone inside of Thirsty’s was a local. They all knew Caitlin. One or two of them might take her up on her boast that she could have any man, but not one of them would hurt her. If anyone tried, there were at least five more who would nip that in the bud before it began. Mason was well aware that the only danger to the sheriff was Caitlin herself and the hell of a hangover she would certainly have tomorrow.
So, with a respectful nod to his boss, and a stern glare at her fan club, Mason backed away from the bar. Now that he’d done what he came down to Thirsty’s to do, it was
time to get back on patrol. With only four full-time members of the sheriff’s department, they were running a little shorthanded lately. Willie was home with her family. Having come off a double that morning, Sly didn’t start his next shift until five a.m. unless one of the others needed him earlier. Caitlin purposely took the night off. Mason was the only one on duty.
He wasn’t worried, though. There was never any trouble in Hamlet—not unless it involved an outsider.
Without even meaning to, he searched out the lonely brunette with the golden eyes. She was still nursing the same drink she’d had when he first saw her. And, like before, she was sitting by herself, frowning into her glass. She looked so lost and alone, it made his heart ache.
Mason was born and raised in Hamlet, never left the small village he always called home. With such a tiny population, he knew each and every one of his neighbors. On the rare occasion that an outsider found their way into Hamlet, they usually stuck out like a sore thumb.
Not that one. Something about her called to him. In his eyes, she shone like a diamond. Her lonely presence lured him over to her the instant he entered the bar and, as he walked out, he had a strong desire to stay.
It appealed to him that she was a mystery. Unlike all the other girls in town, he hadn’t known her all his life. He could discover everything about her in time, if she only let him.
It was a pity that she made it very clear that that wouldn’t be happening. And, yet, he couldn’t bring himself to go back out into the rain.
Standing in the doorway, hidden in the shadows, Mason continued to watch the pretty little outsider. He respected the ring she wore, and while her sad eyes and wistful smile were very tempting, he knew better than to poach when a lady said she was spoken for. Even if he couldn’t understand what sort of man would leave his wife to drown her sorrows all alone.
If she belonged to him, he would never give another man the chance to observe her as closely as he was.
He glanced back at the sheriff. She was dancing with Rick, one of the fellas from the barber shop down on Main. Ex-military and a Hamlet local, he was a good man. He could keep an eye on Caitlin.
And maybe Mason should keep his eye on the outsider.