Chapter 2
CHAPTER 2
C ole Carter’s Review
Sarah Sloan: 1 star
Criminal tendencies, impossible personality, far-too-clever opponent. Favorite hobbies include making trouble, creating mischief and infuriating me.
Will take great measures to control the situation.
Cole was many things – a soldier, a police officer, a gentleman (most of the time) but most of all, a man who controlled his world. He calculated every action, forging his own path, and yet somehow Sarah tested his limits, made him want to assert his power. Then destiny handed him a fate he could never imagine:
Sarah as his boss.
It wasn’t possible.
Nope. Not a chance.
There wasn’t the slightest, remotest chance this feisty warrioress was his boss. Not because she was a woman. Not because she had sleek black hair, lovely features and eyes the color of the perfect twilight. Not because she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, even wet as a drowned cat. No, it wasn’t any of those things.
It was because she was and had always been a criminal.
Sarah Tanning had been a juvenile delinquent back then, and clearly a hardened criminal now. How else had she almost extricated herself from one of the military’s most skilled former operatives? She’d almost overcome his grasp, but, of course, she hadn’t. He wouldn’t let her escape.
And he most certainly wouldn’t think about how good it felt to hold her again.
He never released her, although why, he didn’t know. It wasn’t like she could go far. He’d just catch her if she did. He steeled a hard gaze at her. “If you think I’m going to fall for that again, you’re out of your mind. People may change, but foxes don’t turn into kittens. No way you’re sheriff.”
He might not have been able to straighten her out as a kid, but now this town was his responsibility, and he took his responsibilities seriously. Sarah Tanning was going to become the perfect citizen, even if he had to look after her personally. He ignored the anticipation the thought brought.
“I’m not tricking you.” Sarah looked far too smug as she continued in confident tones. “Didn’t your dad tell you I took over as sheriff a few years ago? What about when they hired you? Didn’t anyone mention your boss’ name?”
“Of course.” It was the only thing keeping him calm right now. “And last I heard, Sarah Tanning and Sherriff S. T. Sloan aren’t a match.”
“Actually, they are.” Her gaze remained direct. “You weren’t here when I changed my name. I wanted a fresh start when I graduated high school, so I took my mother’s maiden name, although I kept Tanning as a middle name. Thus Sarah Tanning Sloan, better known as Sheriff S. T. Sloan.” She smiled. Widely.
“Impossible.” It had to be. Because if not… “Not to relive the past, but you broke every law in town. How could you possibly become sheriff?”
Sarah’s gaze hardened to sapphire shards. “Although you personally convicted me of every crime, I was never arrested. I had a clean slate when I went to community college. I did well, attended university and got a job working for an out-of-town police department. Later I came back and worked as a deputy here for a few years. Your dad retired, and I got the sheriff position.”
Still unbelievable – he hoped. There had to be some evidence to disprove her assertion. He perked up. “What about James and Pete?” The two deputies worked with his dad for years and would undoubtedly have seniority for a promotion. Everyone assumed they were next in line. “You wouldn’t have gotten it before them.”
She shrugged. “James moved away to become sheriff of a larger town, and Pete took early retirement. That left–”
“You?” Cole didn’t let her finish. No. No, no and no. “I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true.” She waved breezily. “It makes sense if you think about it. It would explain why I’m here, and why I threatened to arrest you.”
Yes, it would. It would also explain how she knew extensive fighting techniques, as well as her presence, far better than her being the arsonist. Although her culpability seemed logical earlier, it made less sense now. Sarah may have been a mischievous and unruly child, but she’d never actually caused serious harm.
“Prove me a liar,” she murmured. “Call your dad.”
Her soft challenge riled him, and once more he fought the urge to pull her close, to unbalance her as she did him. Yet he had to focus on the possibility she was telling the truth. Calling his father was an easy way to uncover whether she was lying.
Easily holding her with one hand, he retrieved his cell with the other. His father answered on the first ring. “Hello.” Jack Carter sounded perfectly awake despite the late hour. No doubt he was still accustomed to all those graveyard shifts he worked as sheriff.
“Hey, Dad, I’m sorry to call so late, but I have an important question. Who took over as sheriff when you retired? I remember asking a few times, but I don’t think you ever answered.” He hadn’t thought much of it at the time, but now it seemed an intentional oversight.
His father paused, rocketing his concerns to the stratosphere. It had to be someone other than Sarah, anyone other than Sarah. He’d take Big Foot if it meant not answering to the all-too-alluring woman still squirming in his grip. Yet a sinking feeling deep in his gut previewed his father’s answer. “Did I forget to tell you? It’s your old friend, Sarah Tanning, only she goes by Sarah Sloan now. Did you catch her yet?”
Cole looked down at his quarry. “In a manner of speaking, yes. I’m sorry again for calling so late. I’ll let you get back to sleep now.” Reality crinkled and cracked as Cole hung up the phone. He studied the woman in his arms, the woman who for once had told the truth. “I guess you really are who you claim to be.”
“You guess?” she demanded, all feminine power despite her tiny stature. “Are you still searching for a way to make this all go away?”
Hell, yes.
She lifted her arm as high as she could in his grip. “Are you going to let me go?”
Hell, no.
The thought was immediate, firm and completely inappropriate. As was his inexplicable hesitation before he finally released the athletic limb. “So you really are…” He shook his head. “The sheriff. My… my…”
“Can’t say it?” She sported that same mischievous smile as when she’d stolen the chocolate sprinkle cookie out of his lunch box. Repeatedly. “Your boss. Your superior. The one you answer to.” She stood up straight, with a strength he remembered well.
He also stood to his full height. “Did you forget all-superior empress?”
Her smile widened. “Yes, I did. It’s fine if you want to call me that. So will you be able to handle it? Will you be able to accept orders from me?”
At this moment, nothing seemed as difficult, or impossible, as taking orders from the woman before him. She may officially be his boss, but he’d spent the last ten years as an elite military officer. No way could she know more about catching bad guys than him. She might think she was in control…
But he would always keep it.
“I’ll take your silence as a yes.”
He could live with that. He had plenty to say, just not yet. First, he had to figure out how the town delinquent became sheriff. Her story might fool others, but he knew the real her. Staying silent while the woman who’d broken every law in the county take the job he wanted was not in the plans. No way had she completely turned around, not when he’d spent years trying to make it happen. She was hiding something, and he was going to discover what it was.
He folded his arms across his chest, satisfied when her cheeks turned pink. She may pretend he didn’t affect her, but he’d always been able to see the truth. And yet a surge of something roiled him, as well.
“No more investigating is happening tonight.” Her tone was light, but an edge belied its nonchalance. She hadn’t missed his challenge.
For tonight, he would let her go. Temporarily. “I concur. If the arsonist were here, he’d be laughing too hard to actually commit any crimes.”
She narrowed her eyes but didn’t refute it. “Why don’t we catch up during your shift tomorrow? I can explain all the ways you can serve me.”
A smile tugged at his lips. There was that feisty woman he remembered so well. He stepped closer. Her color deepened but she stood her ground. “Don’t you mean serve the people of Harmony Creek?”
Her sapphire eyes blazed. “Of course.”
“I’ll be there for the afternoon shift.”
A muscle ticked in her slender neck, and she nodded. For a few seconds, neither of them moved. And that’s when it hit him like a missile out of a rocket-strewn sky.
Attraction. Magnetism. Desire.
An urge as unstoppable as gravity drew him, an all-encompassing craving to get closer. He fought the temptation to take her captive again, to pull her close and do more than simply hold her. It was as inexplicable as it had been all those years ago. He hadn’t been able to resist her then, and clearly not now.
He hadn’t been lying when he said he’d been looking for her. Seeing her tonight was unplanned, but since he’d come to town, he’d thought of Sarah Tanning more than once, twice or a dozen times. He’d been planning to look her up, and sooner rather than later. What he’d do once he found her, he had no idea.
She regarded him carefully, her face flushed. Did she know what he was thinking? Without another word, she pivoted and walked away, her boots slapping the wet ground. Even though his car was in the opposite direction, he followed behind, close enough he could see her, but far enough she wouldn’t sense him in the shadows. It was ridiculous to follow a police officer to ensure she made it safely to her car, but it was still a crime scene in the middle of the night. Plus… it was Sarah.
He watched in the shadows as she climbed into an old nondescript black Toyota, undoubtedly the same one his father used when investigating undercover crimes, and revved it up. It wasn’t until she sped away that he turned and walked back to his truck. Boss or no boss, she would not wrestle control from him. The sooner she found that out, the better.
* * * *
Cole took a long gulp of steaming black coffee, his third despite the early hour, and certainly not his last. He looked at the still strong man relaxing in the rocking chair, an older version of himself. “You must have been furious when you found out. Why didn’t you tell me?” He could only imagine how his dad, sheriff of Harmony Creek for thirty long years before his retirement, had accepted being replaced by a habitual lawbreaker.
Jack Carter took a swig of his own coffee. “It’s pretty astounding.”
“Yes, it is.” Sarah being sheriff was almost as unbelievable as the fact that after all these years, his feelings for her were alive and kicking. “How did it happen, Dad?”
“Not from good luck, I’ll tell you that.” He sat back in the rocker. “No, it was hard work, plain and simple. She worked twice as hard as everyone else to earn her place. Did you know this isn’t her first stint at being sheriff?”
“You’re kidding.” Cole sat up. “She conned another police department? Did she rob them on her way out?”
“Of course not,” Jack said gruffly. “She did a lot of good for them. They were mighty miffed when she accepted a position in Harmony Creek. But she was steadfast. After everything, she wanted to help her dad.”
“You mean after everything she put him through.”
Jack gave him a long look. “You’re misreading the situation, Cole. She’s not the same girl you knew in middle school.”
No, she wasn’t. She was confident and beautiful and tempting and ahem . He forced his mind away from his alluring boss for the tenth time in as many minutes. This conversation wasn’t progressing as expected. “Don’t tell me you’re happy about this.”
“Why shouldn’t I be?” Jack shrugged. “A woman raised in a rough home worked hard and made something of herself. To me, that’s a victory for everyone.”
“Her home was rough because she made it rough.” The old frustration rose, the memories of Sarah squandering chance after chance. “Everyone knew about her crimes, but she never even got arrested. I never figured out how she managed that.” And yet for some reason, he was glad. Even if she deserved it, the thought of her in jail just felt wrong.
“Not everything is as it seems.” His father’s deep rumble tore him from his thoughts. “Maybe she just needed another chance. A better one.”
Cole bowed his head at his father’s cryptic reply. “It doesn’t matter how many chances you give Sarah – she’ll waste each and every one. I never understood why you gave her so many to begin with.” A crow cawed in the distance, its voice harsh and raw. “No one can change that much. Someone needs to keep an eye on her.”
Now Jack straightened, and suddenly Cole found himself the recipient of the same hard stare he received upon arriving home thirty seconds past curfew. With his dad, there was no such thing as a little wrong. “Are you looking to cause trouble, son?”
“Of course not,” Cole scoffed. Only maybe… a little? “I’m just looking out for the people of Harmony Creek. If she’s been honest, there won’t be a problem.”
“Are you sure that’s what this is about?” As usual, Jack missed nothing. “It doesn’t have anything to do with Sarah having the job you believe is yours?”
“Of course not,” Cole denied. Yet the words echoed hollow, even to him. He cleared his throat. “I didn’t expect to walk into your job.”
“But you didn’t figure Sarah would have it.”
Not in a thousand… no, a million years. “I would’ve been slightly less surprised if they’d hired the Easter Bunny.”
Jack smiled. “Sarah is better than any rabbit. This may not have been your plan, but it’s a long time since you’ve seen her. Give her a chance.”
It was good advice – from anyone but his father. Jack Carter always saw matters in black and white, without a single speck of gray. So why were his views on Sarah every shade of the rainbow?
There was no time to ask now, as Cole stood and shook his father’s hand. “This will be my first time working with her. I’ll let you know how it goes.”
And who arrested who.
* * * *
“Nine.”
Sarah had been attempting to conquer the massive paperwork backlog all morning, with slightly less success and no more grace than an ostrich at a beauty pageant. Now she stood in the center of the department headquarters, absently preparing her coffee as she reread the notes on a recent robbery.
“Ten.”
She finished the paragraph, realized she hadn’t processed a word and started over.
“Eleven.”
She looked up from her paper to blink at Zoe Howard, her deputy and best friend since middle school. “Would you mind counting silently, Zoe? I’m having trouble concentrating.”
“I can see that.” Zoe tossed her head, sending golden ringlets flying. “Twelve. You’ve now added an even dozen teaspoons of sugar to your coffee.”
Sarah gasped and looked down at her drink, where a little mountain of white granules floated like a tiny iceberg. She stirred the grainy mixture, gave up and tossed the entire cup into the garbage. Her usual aim was off, and it splattered on the gunmetal filing cabinet. Biting back a scowl, she grabbed a roll of paper towels and sopped up the textured liquid.
This was Cole’s fault. The man was ten types of distraction, even and especially at work. Usually she was most comfortable here, the headquarters of the Harmony Creek Police Department. It consisted of little more than a series of boxy offices, joined by a modest common room that served as intake/reception/lounge and about half a dozen other functions, depending on the day. A small jail with several cells comprised the back, which was thankfully sparsely and infrequently occupied. For the few cases comprising something serious, the culprits made their way to county lockup pretty quick.
At least the space was well lit, with picture windows allowing ample natural light, slanting yellow beams that illuminated diamond dust and paper mountains. The furniture was decades-old Formica, with seats hard enough you had to walk at least once an hour to avoid a sore backside. Still, they livened up the place with flowering plants, colorful cross stitches and handcrafted quilts donated by the Women’s Club.
“Lucky you weren’t disarming a bomb.”
Sarah threw out the soggy paper towel and turned her attention back to Zoe. “A bomb in Harmony Creek is unlikely.” Which was lucky since none of the officers had experience with major weapons. Although, actually, with Cole back from the military…
“Is something distracting you?”
“No. Nope. Not at all.” Yet the words were far too quick and a lightyear less than truthful. One man had usurped every thought since he tried to arrest her. He would remain unnamed. “Just work stuff.”
“Want to know what the rest of us are thinking about?” Zoe grinned widely. “Cole Carter.”
There it was. The man tormented her even while absent, like an itch in the middle of your back you couldn’t quite scratch, no matter how much you reached, stretched and dislocated joints in the attempt. Unfortunately, Zoe took Sarah’s silence as encouragement. “Half the women in Harmony Creek are already in love with him. Do you think he’s single?”
Sarah sniffed. “Makes no difference to me.” And it totally didn’t. Not even a little. And that weird feeling in her stomach? Definitely the extra onions at lunch.
Zoe cocked her head to the side. “Weren’t you guys a thing in high school?”
“No!” Sarah yelped, stopping all conversation in the room. She exhaled, stretched her lips into a smile-grimace and waved off the attention.
“I see.” Zoe’s voice was quiet as normal activity resumed. “Hey Sarah, you know how you always see the real me, even under all my adornments?”
Sarah nodded. With her blond bombshell looks and affinity for loud fashion, Zoe was accustomed to unsolicited judgement from strangers and acquaintances alike. People assumed she wasn’t smart, yet it was a gross misjudgment. She was highly intelligent, with the bravery and dedication to back it up. People grumbled and gossiped when Sarah gave Zoe a job, but she’d proven herself time and time again.
Yet clever friends made keeping secrets a challenge, as Zoe leaned closer. “I see through you, too. You’re lying when you say Cole Carter doesn’t affect you.”
Do not pale. Do not betray the truth. Do not admit that Cole Carter rubs you like nails on a chalkboard. “That’s not even a little true.” Because it was a lot true.
“Then why do you turn pink every time I mention his name?”
“I do not–” The sound of confident footsteps silenced her denial. And, of course, her skin heated like a firecracker, turning the color of bubblegum. She resisted the urge to stick out her tongue as her friend’s eyes flashed in triumph.
You could always tell when Cole Carter entered a room. The atmosphere changed, the people halted and everyone took notice. The men smiled in comradely good will, and the women grinned like schoolgirls. Most of them remembered Cole from high school, where he’d been captain of the football, basketball and baseball teams – of course – because simply being the best-looking and most popular boy in school wasn’t enough. The women definitely remembered him, as eyes glazed over and eyelashes fluttered. Whether they realized it or not, they stood up straighter, puffed out chests, smiled rays of sunshine. Sarah squelched annoyance that rose like a reborn phoenix.
“Hey everyone,” he rumbled in his deep baritone. “I see some familiar faces out there.”
“Hey, buddy.” Donovan Evans, one of the male deputies and Cole’s former high school football teammate, clapped him on the back, while the other, Scott Easton, also a football team alum, profusely shook his hand. “Great to see you again.”
Next the two female deputies took their turns, trading handshakes and claps for hugs and pecks on the cheek. “It wonderful to have you back,” Zoe gushed.
“So great,” Annie agreed with a wide grin.
Sarah stood straight as a regulation baton, frustrated by her own frustration. Of course, any member of the military deserved a warm welcome, and he was a hometown hero. Plus, she was being paranoid. She was sheriff; he couldn’t suddenly take over, no matter how much he wanted to.
“Thank you for giving Deputy Carter a nice welcome.” She tried to smile, probably looked like she had eaten two-week old tuna fish instead. “We should let Cole get started on his work. He has a lot of catching up to do, and most of your shifts are about to begin.”
That received good natured smiles and no less than three invitations for after work get-togethers. She brushed by Cole, and heat streaked through her body, turning her blood sizzling. Cole stilled, his nostrils flaring, betraying she wasn’t the only one affected.
Then… he reached for her.
It was a whisper of a touch, no more than any man would do for a woman he’d known his entire life, yet it seemed as intimate as newfound lovers. Heat burned into her as he traced her with tantalizing softness, fluttering sensation everywhere. A moment passed, and the softness turned harder, firmer, possessive as he splayed his hand on her back. Then he moved forward, leading her into her office.
The office was sparse, with basic wood furniture and a few photographs lining the walls, pictures with friends, not family. She moved quicker now, escaping his touch but not his presence as she sank into her squeaky pleather seat and gestured for him to sit across from her. The cracked fabric immediately plastered to her, as she folded her hands across her lap. She met his gaze. “Everyone seems happy to see you.”
“Everyone?” He leaned forward, cutting the space between them. “I’m not sure about that.”
Neither was she, yet it wasn’t exactly dissatisfaction that tightened her lips into a thin slash. Not even apathy. More like the opposite of unhappiness, and awareness that was the most disconcerting of all. “Of course, I’m glad you’re here.” She straightened an already straight pile on her desk. Cleared her throat and looked back up. “Attempting to arrest me made quite an impression.”
His mouth slowly tugged up, its widening curve showing no regret. “You tried to arrest me as well, if I recall, with slightly less success.”
She clenched her fists, somehow managed not to reach for her handcuffs. Could she convince a judge Cole deserved to be arrested for how he’d captured her, held her against his body and her will? “Why don’t we just call it a misunderstanding and move on? I don’t want you distracting my officers.”
“I walked in two minutes ago, and already I’m distracting your officers?” He folded his arms across his chest, making his muscles bulge. Which distracted her. A lot.
His ever-widening smile proved he knew it. “I doubt I’ve done much damage.” He leaned even closer. “Do I distract you, Sarah?”
“Of course not.” She bristled. “How many times is someone going to ask me that?”
Well, crap.
She closed her eyes, opened them to a smug grin. He hadn’t missed the unforced error.
“Someone asked if I distracted you?” He lobbed pure amusement. “I heard someone yell just before I entered the building. That didn’t have anything to do with me, did it?”
“Absolutely not,” she lied. “I was just talking about the village idiot.”
If she thought to upset him, she’d misjudged. Instead, he chuckled. And those unruly muscles – yeah, they flexed again.
She pressed forward, “How about we get to work? The night deputy said he covered the basics with you yesterday, so let’s get straight to the current cases. Here’s the info on the latest one. I finished the paperwork just before you came in.”
He didn’t question the sudden change in subject as he took the proffered manila folder and opened it. As he read, the sides of his lips started to twitch. He finished, looked at her, back at the papers, then back at her. He sat silently for a minute, but seemed to be fighting… laughter?
She frowned. “What is it?”
“Are you absolutely sure I’m not distracting you?”
Of course not. “Of course.”
“Positive?”
So not positive. “Positive.”
“So you weren’t distracted when you wrote these notes?”
As distracted as a wolf who stumbled upon an all you can eat bacon buffet. She couldn’t even remember how many times she’d reread them. And, of course, there was her cup of sugar with two teaspoons of coffee. “I already said no.”
“All right,” He handed her the paper, pointed to the second paragraph. “Then could you please clarify this section for me?”
“Of course.” She grasped the paper and slowly read the sentence out loud, “The robber fled in an older model, green getaway cat with gold rims and a busted bumper.”
A green getaway cat?
Damn. It.
Appropriate responses:
1. Pretend cat is a new type of car. (Problem: Um, really?)
2. Pretend she was testing him to see if he’d notice the error. (Problem: He’d sooner believe cat was a new type of car.)
3. Pretend cat means car in another language. (Problem, don’t have time to learn another language.)
4. Arrest him.
She tried to keep a straight face. “I don’t see the problem.”
“No?” He smiled broadly. “No problem at all?”
Keeping a straight face was getting more difficult. “Nope. Didn’t the notes say it was green?”
Cole’s eyes twinkled. “It was green all right.”
“An older model?”
“Uh-huh.”
“The gold rims.”
“Yeah, the cat had gold rims.”
Sarah bit her lip, as the anger melted into something lighthearted and not altogether terrible. Just like her feelings for him. “Hmmm.” She tapped her cheek. “It sounds fine to me. Haven’t you ever seen a green cat before?”
He chuckled. “Once, when my aunt’s kitten tipped over a pitcher of Kool-Aid. Still, I don’t remember her acting as a getaway vehicle for a robber. And I definitely don’t remember gold rims.”
“Well, of course not. She was only a kitten.” She wagged her finger. “Everyone knows cats don’t become getaway vehicles until they are at least three years old.”
“Is that right?” Cole drawled. “You do know the robber was three hundred pounds, don’t you?”
The image of a three-hundred-pound man riding a green cat was simply too much. The laughter came, wide and free and pure. And suddenly a heaviness disappeared from her chest, and oxygen was plentiful and sweet.
“Are you sure you don’t have a problem with admitting mistakes?” His voice remained serious and stern, yet a sparkle belied its harshness. “Not even a little?”
“Of course not.” She ruined her serious reply with a chuckle. “Obviously you’re the one who made the mistake.”
“I see.”
They both laughed then, and for the first time, Cole Carter was not the opposition, not the boy who’d judged her every move, but someone to laugh with. Perhaps this could work after all.
“Hey, Captain.”
Sarah straightened at the interruption, turning serious but polite as she regarded the deputy who entered the office. “Hi, Donovan. But I’m not a captain. I’m the sheriff.”
“Oh, I know.” Instead of looking at her, Donovan was grinning at the man across from her. “I was actually talking to Cole. I guess I’m just used to our old football days. Anyways, I’m going on my shift now.”
Cole nodded. “Sounds good. By the way, I was looking through the Anderson file, and I have some ideas. Let’s discuss when you get the chance.”
“Good deal.” Donovan nodded and left.
An ice age descended on the office. What just happened? Had Donovan – her employee – just informed Cole of his plans, and Cole subsequently said he was going to discuss a case with him? When had Cole suddenly taken over her job? Was that his ultimate goal?
Cole turned back to her, halted at her expression. “Quite serious suddenly.” He leaned in. “Be honest – is it me?”
Piercing green eyes compelled her to share all. But she was stronger than that. “Nope. Like I said, you don’t affect me. When you start taking over my job, that’s when I get offended.”
He appeared no more repentant than when he’d tried to arrest her. “I didn’t tell Donovan to call me captain.”
“But you’ve already started giving orders. Isn’t that my job?”
He shrugged, an artist’s rendering of nonchalance. “I figured you’d want to make use of my experience.”
“I have experience, too,” she snapped, harsher than she should have, and yet no less than he deserved. How could she have ever thought they could work together? He hadn’t changed, this man who infiltrated her life in an attempted coup. This time he wouldn’t win. “Be honest. Are you after my job?”
“You want honesty?” He straightened, and suddenly the gentleman disappeared, the congenial, easy-going facade transforming into pure strength. In his place was a warrior. “I’m not sure how you even got the job, with your record and all.”
“How dare you,” she hissed. “I have no record, neither juvenile nor adult. I’m the sheriff. Either you accept that or you leave. You may have seized control when we were kids, but now I’m the boss. You can’t manipulate me, and you are not getting my job. This time, you are not getting what you want.”
He regarded her steadily. Even sitting, he loomed over her, muscles straining against the fitted clothing. His voice lowered to a deep growl, charged with pure authority. “I usually get what I want.”
A shiver stole her breath, and for a second, it seemed like he was talking about something other than work. He was after her job, that much was obvious, but by his fiery look, he sought far more than that. But the only other thing he could possibly be referring to was…
Her.
She stood. “That’s not happening. Not now, not ever. If you don’t like how I run things, you can find another town.”
He rose as well, and suddenly he was towering over her. He stepped straight into her space, threatening her control, her sanity, her every sense. “Think what you want, Sarah, but you’re still that same little girl who couldn’t keep her hand out of the cookie jar. You want the truth? No, I don’t think you deserve the job. No matter how many times I tried to help you, you broke the law. I’ll never understand how you got out of it. But no more. I’m going to discover everything about you. If you did one thing wrong, faked one word on your resume, I’m going to find out, and this time you’ll take responsibility, even if I have to put you in jail.” His eyes turned dark. “Again.”
She gasped. “I could get you fired for that one comment.”
He shrugged. “Probably, but you won’t. You don’t want anyone to find out.”
Damn, but he was right. The fact that they’d been six years old didn’t matter. He’d caught her stealing, or so he thought, and had decided to mete out his own punishment. He locked her in the school supply closet for an entire three minutes, while she banged and screamed and told him just how many frogs she’d plant in his pudding. When a teacher approached, he’d quickly unlocked it and fled. He never did it again, and she never told anyone. She’d hoped he’d forgotten about it.
She definitely didn’t want anyone hearing about it now. Nor did she want to imagine him being close enough to do it. “You try it, buddy, and I’ll take you down.”
He raised an eyebrow. They both knew she couldn’t.
“I’ve done nothing wrong.” She told blazing eyes. “It’s time to get to work, before I write you up for insubordination. I’ve hand-picked a special assignment just for you.”
His eyes narrowed, and she hid her satisfaction. Time to show him who was in charge.