19. Ledger
Ledger
“Shiloh, I have to go,” I mumble against her lips. Before I could get past the living room, she jumped me and I currently have her pinned against the wall while she’s got her fingers through my belt loops, holding me hostage. Not that I mind.
“Just one more,” she whispers.
I oblige her kissing her again and she lets go of my pants throwing her arms around my neck. “No, one more,” she says.
I grin and while I kiss her, and take her wrists, pinning them to the wall. She’s in her diner uniform and it’s giving me ideas.
“Shy, you’re going to make me late,” I grumble.
She groans, resting her head against the wall, letting me hold her arms up. “Can you be, like, ten minutes late?”
“I’m the Sheriff of the whole county, I can’t be late,” I mutter, kissing her on her lips and trailing a line down her neck.
Shiloh sighs, tilting her head to the side, giving me more access. “I can be very convincing, you know,” she says.
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” I mumble into her skin.
She smiles, and it’s like a fist to the heart. I’m feeling so much so fast for her, it’s throwing me off. We need to pace ourselves, and I need to get my head on straight.
I drop her wrists and slide my hands over her ass and squeeze.
She squeaks and I chuckle.
“You’re going to be late too.”
“I don’t care.”
“Wait, I’m driving you.”
Shiloh bursts out laughing, and I shake my head. “You’re making me lose my mind, woman.”
She winks and walks around me grabbing her things. “That means I’m doing my job right.”
I groan and follow her out the door. Pulling up to the diner I put the truck in park, and glance at the clock. I’m ten minutes late. I’m never late.
“Um, hello,” she says with mouth full of attitude.
She taps her lips and I chuckle. “Sorry,” I grunt and lean over pecking her lips.
“This is far too easy,” she whispers.
That’s how I feel, but I didn’t want to say the words.
I grab her hand and kiss her knuckles. “Easy isn’t bad, Shy.”
“I know, but…” she trails off and shakes her head as if she doesn’t want to say what she’s thinking.
“I’ll see you later?” she asks.
I nod. “I have to go to the ranch today, remember?”
Something flickers across her eyes.
“Your car will be waiting for you when you get off work.”
“You don’t have to do that, I can walk down the street,” she sighs.
“I said your car will be here, and it will.”
She shrugs and gives me her keys before hopping out. “Have a wonderful day, sheriff.” Shiloh giggles and nearly skips into the diner.
Yeah. I’m sunk.
Picking up my pace into the station I head straight for my office and feel the stares on my back. My staff probably wonders what’s going on since I’m completely off schedule — the downside to being a punctual, habit driven guy.
Daisy brings in my coffee with a smile, and I smile back.
Her’s drops and I frown.
“What?” I ask her.
“You smiled at me,” she says.
“What do you mean I smiled at you?”
She shakes her head like she’s in shock. “You never smile at me.”
“I smile,” I say, frowning.
“No, Ledger, you don’t,” she says, clearly amused.
I lift the mug to my lips. “Well, I guess I do now.”
Her brow lifts, and she crosses her arms. “You met someone didn’t you?” she asks.
I nearly spit my coffee out. “Why would you say that?”
Daisy snorts and shakes her head. “Ledger, I applaud you for being all professional, but this is a small town, and everyone knows you and Shiloh are a thing. You made that perfectly clear at the Wooden Cowboy when you danced with her. I was trying to be polite.”
I lift my hat off my head and run a hand through my hair. “Welp, was bound to come out sometime.”
Daisy smiles and wiggles her shoulders. “Is this a ‘Ledger got laid and smiles at everyone’ kind of smile?”
I frown and give her a look. “Get back to work, Daisy.”
She grins and salutes me, even though she did it wrong. “Yes, sir.”
“If only it was that kind of smile,” I mumble to myself.
My relationship with Shiloh will be built on a foundation she can trust. That’s how I’ll do right by her, not by taking her to bed … even if I want to.
After I get my paperwork finished for the morning and emails checked, Luke walks in and closes the door behind him, and I do not like the look on his face.
“What’s wrong?” I ask him.
“Nothing, but these people are intense. Will is in. Kensington Sr. likes that he’s dirty, so it will play in our favor. We ran into each other,” Luke says with hand quotes, “At Perry’s and he clued me in.”
“Is he okay?” I ask.
“As far as I know, and Kate is all over him,” Luke says.
“Monday, we’ll hopefully have our reason to get a warrant for the wiretap.”
“About that…” Luke says trailing off.
“Speak your mind, we need to make sure we can do everything to keep our people safe.”
“Yeah, I think this operation is bigger than we assumed. Have you considered calling in the DEA?”
I wince. We don’t have the manpower. I already knew that, but I don’t know who knows who, and if I start asking the feds questions, who is to say it wouldn’t get back to Kensington’s mobster. When I call the feds, I want to hit Kensington quickly — blindside them.
“I have a friend in the DEA. I’m waiting for the right time.”
“I think that time might be now,” Luke says.
I nod. “I don’t disagree, but we have to wait until Monday.”
“Alright,” he sighs.
“Are you doing okay? I know you’re on backup and it’s a lot.”
Luke shrugs. “It’s fine. I just want this to be over.”
“Me too.” My mind goes to Shiloh, and if we go any deeper, I’m afraid this might make everything worse for her.
On the drive to the ranch, I wonder if I should have invited her.
Part of me said no because we need to figure out what we are.
But the other part of me wants to include her in everything.
It’s important that my family likes the woman I’m dating, or I suppose in this unusual case — married to.
I haven’t exactly made dating a huge priority.
A few here and there, but none of them have been important enough to me to have even the slightest desire to introduce them to my family.
We’re a lot. I know that. Shiloh comes from a small family, and mine is nothing short of overwhelming, and loud. But they're mine, and I love them fiercely. I can only hope that she would like them too, despite our past in this town.
She’s changed, hell, I’ve changed. I haven’t been living in the past but I know it’s time for Shiloh to move forward, so it’s inevitable that I do too.
I turn onto the gravel road and drive up to the main house. The only thing that stopped me from inviting her is because we haven’t been on a date yet.
I’ve been wracking my brain trying to come up with something that gives us a chance to enjoy each other’s company and not worry about someone from Shiloh’s circle running into us or someone from mine, mainly a family member butting in.
My first though was make dinner for her, but that seems to simple and not special enough. She deserves something special, and thought out for her.
I turn off the engine and sit there for a second. I could drive us into the next town over. That’s not out of the question. But with the op we’re running, I can’t help but worry that I might be needed, and being thirty to forty-five minutes away isn’t helpful to my people.
Or maybe I should ask her what she wants, but I’d like to surprise her. I don’t want her to think about anything, and all she needs to do is show up. But considering our situation, maybe it’s not a bad idea to ask for her opinion.
Pulling out my phone I start to text her and hesitate, slipping it back in my pocket.
I don’t want her to see me as a man who isn’t capable of asking a woman out on a date or incapable of planning it.
I can marry her, but I can’t date her? That doesn’t make sense.
But I don’t want to make her uncomfortable either.
A knock on my window startles me from my thoughts and I sigh. Sterling is grinning and staring at me.
He pulls the door open and I roll myself out. “Why are you sitting in the car?” he asks me.
“I was thinking,” I mumble, kicking a piece of gravel.
“I could see the smoke coming out of your giant ears. You’re going to hurt yourself doing that one day,” he says.
This is probably a terrible idea. My best friend gets around. He has since we were in high school, and I don’t recall a single long-term relationship he’s ever been in, but he is a good guy, and he knows how to treat a woman right.
“Can I ask you something?”
He spins on his heel before he climbs the front steps with a sigh. “No, officer I’m not drunk. I had one beer about…” he trails off checking his watch. “About twenty minutes ago.”
I scowl. It would take a lot more to get this man drunk, but I still don’t like the thought of him or anyone having even one and driving.
“That’s not okay, but I need your … opinion.”
Sterling grins, laying his hand over his chest. “Me? What did I do to deserve the honor?” he says in a terrible slow southern drawl.
“You’re the worst. But I’m being serious.”
He drops the grin and waits for me to speak. “I, uh, Shiloh and I…” I take a deep breath a little thrown that I can’t seem to speak. “I asked her out on a date. And without telling you everything — because I can’t — I’m wondering if I should take her to the next town over so—”
“So the whole town doesn’t watch you crash and burn?” Sterling says, with his brow ticked up.
Asshole.
“No, it would give us privacy, but there are some things going on with work, and being thirty-plus minutes away could be a bad thing. So I wondered if maybe something at home would work, but it doesn’t seem good enough for her.”
“Oh man, you’re down bad for your wife, aren’t you?” he asks, and there’s not a lick of sarcasm in his voice.
I don’t answer him. But he’s not wrong. The more time Shiloh and I spend together, the less I consider why we shouldn’t give this thing a shot, and instead find myself asking, why not?
“Maybe I missed something, but she’s your wife. Shouldn’t you know this?” he asks.
I puff out a breath. “We’re still getting to know each other,” I mutter.
Sterling nods and crosses his arms. “That’s fair, but I’m sure whatever you come up with, she would enjoy. Again, otherwise she wouldn’t have married you.”
I thoroughly doubt that.
“Maybe my question should be why did you get married, and why all the secrecy?” he asks.
I puff out a breath. “It’s complicated.”
“That’s obvious, but it doesn’t answer my question,” he mutters.
“We happened fast and just want it to be us for a little while, which also means we’re still learning about each other. Does that answer your question, officer?”
Sterling huffs and runs a hand through his hair. “Yeah, man, sure.”
“I thought about asking her what she wanted but…” I say.
“You want to take care of it like you always do,” he says, rubbing his chin.
I shrug.
“Look, I think because it’s a special circumstance, she’ll understand. Right?” he asks.
“I think so, but I don’t want to disappoint her.”
“I’d ask her. You have a plan, but you also want to make sure she’s comfortable. Give her the choice, and then you can go from there.”
I pull my phone back out. “That’s what I was thinking, thanks man.”
He nods and gravel crunches behind us.
“Good luck,” he says and saunters past me towards June’s truck.
Ledger: I need to ask you something.
Criminal: That’s … ominous
Ledger: I asked you out on a date, and I’m going to make good on that but… I want to give you the choice.
Criminal: I do like options.
Ledger: We can go out of town for dinner, or I can cook for you at home.
Criminal: At home, no question.
I smile at the phone.
Ledger: I have every intention of a proper date with you, criminal.
Criminal: And I have every intention of corrupting you, Sheriff
Ledger: Impossible
Criminal: There is a reason they say never say never
Ledger: I wasn’t saying never
Criminal: Good because I like a challenge
Ledger: Trust me, I’m not a challenge
Criminal: LOL so you’re implying you’re easy?
I chuckle to myself because I walked right into that one.
Ledger: Maybe only when it comes to you
Criminal: Good answer
Smiling I slip my phone into my pocket and head inside. The house is already buzzing and loud, Naomi is chattering to Dad in the living room and Fletcher is rubbing Tatum’s feet on the couch.
I scoot into the kitchen and find Mae helping Mom, and Cooper watching Mae help Mom as he drinks a beer.
A breath later June, Sterling, and Gracie come stumbling in behind me, and I find a seat at the dinner table.
This house has always been chaos, which is likely part of the reason I’ve always strived for everything else in my life to be organized and thorough, but sometimes a little chaos is a good thing.
“Ledger Mason Hayes,” my mother says.