Behind the Badge (Home in Carson 2)

Could she be alone with him in his house? She knew that Abel would be fine in the yard, but did she trust herself? Her head and heart seemed to be battling a war against each other and Shelly felt like her soul was the one that was going to lose out.

Taking a deep breath, she turned her gaze in his direction. “Yes, I’d love to see more.”

And as he took her around the upper floor to see the upstairs bedrooms and the loft that had been turned into an office, Shelly found herself loving his house almost if not more than she loved the cabin. Luckily he seemed to be keeping his distance as he gave the tour, no more bodies brushing against each other as they had earlier.

And she couldn’t figure out why that disappointed her so much.

Chapter Five

Preston had been working endlessly since the Monday he showed Shelly the cabin. The summer tourist season was brutal. Not just an increase of people in his town to keep an eye on, but due to the wineries and breweries, there was a boost in drunk driving charges. He and Alexis had found themselves writing more tickets for DUIs this season than any year prior. He considered that he would have to request a budget increase to add another deputy or two if things continued this way.

A soft knock on his door brought his attention away from his computer, where he was running a search on a man he pulled over the night before. Something about the tourist didn’t sit right, and when he ran the plates, they came up under a completely different name, but hadn’t been listed as stolen.

“Hey, Sheriff, I was wondering if you ran into anyone last night by the name of Damon Durcett?” Jackie asked. Word traveled fast in his town, but usually not for newcomers or people passing through.

“Yeah, I was running his paperwork now.”

“Oh, great,” she said with an overenthusiastic smile. “One of his family members reached out to see if we knew his whereabouts. He didn’t arrive home this morning.”

“Well, you can let them know that he wasn’t arrested, so his location is unknown.”

“Oh, okay,” she replied, sounding a bit frustrated.

“Something wrong, Jackie?”

“No, no. I just hate when we have to play the middle man, you know?”

“I agree. Have there been any other calls today?”

“No, sir. Though, I didn’t want to mention anything, but I figured you ought to know. The Lady Busy Bees are concerned that you’re wearing yourself thin.”

He knew Jackie wasn’t a member of the elusive gossip group of Carson compiled with the older generation of local women, though he supposed maybe she was trying to vie for a spot. But he wasn’t sure why they had been keeping tabs on him, unless it was to make sure he stayed away from their coveted girls. Add that to the reasons he should stay away from Shelly. She was automatically grouped in that category as a friend of the Connelly sisters.

“Well, tell them I send thanks for their concern. I was hoping to send a budget increase to the mayor requesting more help. Actually, the paperwork is complete if you could fax it over to his office. It’s there on the top of that stack,” he gestured, then returned his attention to the computer with a man that didn’t seem to fit the description listed.

Preston didn’t listen for Jackie to leave, simply assumed that she completed the task he requested, so when he heard a subtle cough a few moments later, he jumped in alarm in his chair.

Looking around the monitor, Preston was surprised to see a smiling Shelly and Abel with an annoyed Jackie.

“Sorry, sir. I told them you were busy.”

“No, it’s fine,” he told his assistant as he stood from his chair and moved around the desk. In the corner, Ace finally woke from his nap and scurried over to his new best friend. “Thanks for showing them back, Jackie. You can take your lunch now if you’d like.”

“Yes, sir. Can I get you anything?”

“Actually,” Shelly chimed in. “We were hoping you’d join us.”

“Sure, that sounds nice.” He watched as Jackie turned and left the office, stopping in the break room along the way back to her desk.

Preston leaned against the door jamb when they were alone and asked Shelly, “Is that what really brought you by?”

“I’ve had my fill of peanut butter and jelly this week. I figured it was time to venture out to town now that I have the cabin all set up. Plus, Abel has been begging to see you.”

“Really?” he asked, glancing down at the boy playing on the floor with the dog.

“Yeah, and I wanted to stop by the fabric store.”

“Alright, well, if you don’t mind hanging around for thirty minutes or so for Jackie to get back, I can join you.”