Chapter 6
Six
Morning sun slanted through the blinds as Aubrey paced the length of her living room. Ten steps from wall to wall. She glanced at her smartwatch. Again. Where was Ethan?
A band tightened around her chest, making it difficult to breathe. They only had two hours before the reenactment began, and she wanted to arrive early to go over her checklist one last time.
A wide shaft of sunlight illuminated the small but tidy bungalow. She’d carefully chosen each eclectic piece of decor. A yard sale lamp that had simply needed a new shade. The overstuffed couch that she’d reupholstered to fit her more relaxed vibe. What had Ethan thought of her place?
She checked her lipstick in the silver-framed foyer mirror and set her tote bag by the door. Come on, Ethan. Where are you?
As if she’d summoned him, the doorbell rang, and she dashed to the front door.
Remembering personal safety at the last second, she checked the peephole first. All the air in her lungs expelled at the sight of him, and that steel band loosened.
She swung open the door and was greeted with a vision of Ethan dressed as the sheriff of Renegade from 1885. Boots, cowboy hat, dungarees, and a plaid shirt, along with the holster for his revolver, situated on his right hip.
Aubrey nearly swallowed her tongue.
Mercy. She hadn’t thought she liked the cowboy look, but on him? He was devastatingly handsome.
She gave herself a mental shake and pulled him inside the foyer. Which was probably a very bad idea. Her stomach performed a couple of backflips as his gaze intensified, searching hers, then inspected her from head to toe.
But he was her coworker, and he was simply helping her out today.
“Good. You wore comfortable clothes.” He shut the door behind him, and she retreated a step.
“Hey.” She crossed and recrossed her arms, not quite looking him in the eye. “You’re late.”
“Let’s start over.” Ethan placed two fingers on the brim of his hat. “Howdy, ma’am.” He rested his hands on his gun belt. “I heard you were the little lady that needed protection in this here town.”
“Oh, for pity’s sake.” She shook her head and tried to hold back her grin. “You’re really hamming it up this morning.”
Which was so not Ethan. Where was the serious deputy US marshal she’d gotten used to these past two years? Instead, this easygoing, teasing cowboy stood in front of her.
And she kind of liked it.
He removed a toothpick he’d been chewing on from his mouth. “Just trying to give the townsfolk a good show.”
She stuffed a water bottle in her bag and muttered, “Believe me, they’ll get a show all right.”
His eyes twinkled underneath the shadow of his hat. “Something bothering you?”
“Nope.” She didn’t dare tell him what she really thought. His larger-than-life presence filled the house. And was it hot in here? “You look great. You look the part.”
He embodied exactly what she’d envisioned for this reenactment, right down to his scuffed cowboy boots. She liked him, quietly and inconveniently, and the cowboy costume only made it worse. But telling Ethan would inflate his ego, and she already had enough trouble pretending she hadn’t noticed.
All her confession would earn her was more teasing, and her nerves were strung so tightly this morning, she’d probably snap in two, like an old rubber band. Ethan made her feel alive again, something that no man she’d ever met had accomplished.
She grabbed her tote, fumbling with the straps. “I’m ready. I need to help Jenna over at the assembly point.”
“We’ll be there in less than ten minutes.” Ethan paused, then held out a hand and stopped her before she opened the door. “Hang on a second. I want to check a few things first.”
He walked through the foyer and back to the kitchen, his sharp gaze assessing the small home.
“Everything locked up?” He headed toward the bedroom at the back of the house, his boots echoing on the hardwood floors.
“Yes,” she shouted to his back. Craning her neck, she tried to follow his movements. Doorknobs rattled, and the sound of blinds closing set her nerves on edge.
He came back to the front room and checked the windows, finishing up with the side door.
She crossed her arms and leaned against the wall by the front door. “Satisfied?”
He stopped in front of her, and all the breath in her lungs was suspended. There was a look of concern—or was it confusion?—written on his face. He opened his mouth, then closed it, his lips set in a tight line. “Yeah.”
They stood there, the space between them unmistakably charged, until Ethan finally cleared his throat. “Hang on a second.”
She watched as he struggled to say something. “What’s on your mind?”
He removed his hat and raked his fingers through his hair. “Did you get my text? I was late today because I was on the hunt for the downed plane. I met with Adam and Liam to go over some photos of the mountain, and I think we’ve narrowed down the approximate location of the plane.”
Oh. “Okay.” Well, if that didn’t take all the starch out of her sails. She sagged against the wall. Time to be grateful, Aubrey. She cleared her throat. “I must have missed your message.”
He nodded. “I just didn’t want you to think I wasn’t coming.
” The tension in the room increased, and his gaze drifted to the floor.
“What I really want to know is”—Ethan’s blue eyes drilled into her—“how are you really doing? I mean, dealing with the judge’s death, finding his housekeeper, and all of that. ”
Aubrey exhaled. “I really don’t want to talk about it right now, if that’s okay.”
Same as she hadn’t wanted to talk about it last night. Thankfully, he’d been content to eat Chinese and make small talk.
“Sure. Whenever you’re ready to talk, I’m available.”
A satisfying warmth spread through her body at his concern. “Thank you. You don’t know what that means to me. But I can’t talk about Stephen and focus on the reenactment. I need to keep it together today.”
“I get it. I really do.” He touched her elbow.
The contact stole her breath for a brief second, and she hoped he didn’t notice. This wasn’t fear. This was far more dangerous to her heart. She glanced away first and pulled her sunglasses out of her tote. “Ready?”
“Yes, ma’am.” Ethan jammed his hat back on his head and moved toward the door. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
This was the Ethan she was used to, that she was more comfortable with—the one who was all business. Best to keep her distance from the man who tore down her defenses until this day was over.
Aubrey turned to the door and watched as he inhaled deeply, the muscles in his back flexing. “Lead the way, Deputy Marshal.”
He swung the door wide. “After you.” A small smile graced his lips as he closed and locked the door behind her. “And that’s Sheriff Samuel Dennison to you today, ma’am,” he added in a thick Southern drawl as he touched the brim of his hat.
She shook her head and made her way to his truck.
They rode in silence, the earlier tension dissolving in the brilliant sunshine. Several streets had been blocked off to accommodate the reenactment. St. Mark’s Community Center gleamed in the sunlight, casting a cool, sheltering shadow across the street, as if holding the space in quiet reserve.
Red, white, and blue pennants were strung above the street, and speakers blared music authentic to the time period. A crowd had already gathered, their excitement for the day’s events rippling outward—bright, expectant, and unaware of the undercurrent beneath it all.
Aubrey smiled through the side window of the truck, watching the happy crowds milling around different vendor booths as the laughter of children floated on the breeze. All these spectators had no idea that the possibility of danger lurked here in their hometown.
Children held on tightly to brightly colored balloons that bobbed up and down in the warm breeze.
The aromas of deep-fried corn dogs, funnel cakes, and popcorn made her stomach churn.
She placed a hand over it and grimaced as her breakfast of yogurt, coffee, and fruit threatened to make a reappearance. So nervous.
“You okay over there, boss?” Ethan glanced her way as he parked in a designated spot for volunteers behind the historic church. “Do we need to grab you an antacid before this shindig starts?”
She swallowed. “No, I’ll be fine. Thanks for offering.”
Aubrey closed her eyes for a second and inhaled before unbuckling her seatbelt.
Ethan grasped her hand. “Before we get out of this truck and we’re busy with our duties, I…”
“Yes?” Aubrey looked at him, something steady and certain passing between them.
“Just be careful out there. Okay?”
She tossed him a dazzling smile that he returned. “I will. I’ll be fine. It’s a beautiful day. What could go wrong?”
She said it because she wanted to believe it. She needed a quiet reassurance to hold on to, with all the work she’d poured into Renegade Days. Lord, protect us all today.
Ethan’s gaze drifted out the window. “My concern is for your safety after what’s happened the past couple of days.”
“I know.” Aubrey softened her response with a smile and squeezed his hand. She opened the truck door and slid out, then leaned in to grab her satchel. “Coming, Sheriff?” She slammed the door.
She bit the inside of her cheek as she listened to his laughter. She didn’t want to think of all the possibilities of what could go wrong. Today, she was simply focused on providing an exciting event for the people of Renegade.
Jenna came out of the community center and jogged down the steps. “I’m glad you’re here. I was worried.” She bit her lower lip, then smiled and tucked her arm through Aubrey’s. Then she lowered her voice. “I kind of thought he was going to bail on us after I gave him the costume this morning.”
“Not a chance. We just had to go over some ground rules for today, is all.” Aubrey forced herself to smile, pretending that professionalism was all there was between her and Ethan. “Look around you.”