Chapter 5
CHAPTER FIVE
Wes
Only the Lonely
It took four hours to get Main Street and the two primary crossroads in town plowed.
They weren’t prepared because it was so rare to get even a light snow in Sandy Point, much less two feet.
But Wes had developed a plan over the years for several freak-type emergencies, fires, winter storms, hurricanes, mass casualties, or active shooters.
He was of the mind the more they were prepared the less likely they’d ever need to use the plans.
“Sheriff, the mayor is on line one again for you. He said if you don’t take his call this time he’s going to cut your budget this year,” one of his eight deputies said with a smirk.
“I’d like to see him try. Thanks, I’ll take it.
” The deputy closed his office door, and he peeled off his glasses.
He’d been staring at the map of town, trying to make sure he’d chosen the best route to clear the roads.
The wealthy residents out on Beach Boulevard will expect their access to town to be cleared first, but in reality, most of the population lived in the area surrounding town, so it made more sense to clear their roads first.
The blinking light on his phone reminded him the mayor was still waiting, and he begrudgingly picked up the line.
“Mayor, I don’t appreciate you threatening my deputies’ salaries.”
“Wesley Hart, you haven’t taken any of my calls and we’re in a state of emergency here,” William Shepherd barked through the phone.
“Actually, I don’t think a snowstorm counts as a state of emergency.”
“Do you even have a plan to plow these roads?”
“I know you treat the mayor’s office and all your duties like you’re some sort of local celebrity, but you do know you have actual responsibilities.
The maintenance and safety of our roads doesn’t fall to the sheriff’s department.
If you paid any attention to the running of this city, you’d know that.
Have you called and yelled at the Chief of Public Works, or is your friend still on his European world tour?
Do you even review the annual plans for each department? ”
“Now you listen to me, you disrespectful upstart—”
But Wes hung up before the mayor could finish; he didn’t have any bandwidth to listen to a man who had never worked an honest day in his life.
William Shepherd only got elected because he’d thrown money into his absurd campaign and smeared the sitting mayor’s reputation.
Almost immediately the phone started to ring again but a flourish outside his office caught his attention.
Then he spotted Shelby, wearing his coat, shoes, and hat.
Even in the oversized gear she looked attractive.
Her cheeks were flushed, and she was laughing at something one of the deputies doting over her said.
It took total focus to resist getting up and going out to see what she was thinking, leaving the house and hiking through the snow to his office.
“Sheriff, mayor line one again. He said if you don’t answer he’ll fire me,” the newest deputy to join the force said after opening the door without knocking.
“Relax, he doesn’t have any authority to fire you, but I do. Next time knock.”
“Yes, Sheriff.” The deputy started to back out and close the door.
“Leave it open, and why is she here?” Wes said pointing to Shelby.
“Miss Shepherd brought us soup and homemade bread,” the deputy said with a big grin.
“Great.”
Picking up his phone he then dropped it back into the cradle, hanging up on the mayor again.
He realized Shelby wasn’t going to come back and see him so he was going to have to go out into the squad room if he wanted to see her.
The only good thing about dealing with the crew of volunteers he assembled to clear the roads was it had distracted him from thinking about the gorgeous woman staying in his home.
But now she was here. Moving around his desk he stopped in the doorway of his office and leaned against the frame to watch as Shelby ladled out soup for his deputies.
He knew she was aware of him watching her because her cheeks filled again with a pink blush.
“Sheriff, do you want some soup?” one of the oldest members of their staff said with a dribble of soup on his chin.
“Oh I’ll get some,” Wes said, just as Shelby looked up.
Then she missed the bowl she was trying to ladle the soup in and dropped the bowl in the pot.
“You carried this all the way here?” Wes said, walking over to stand in front of her.
“It wasn’t so bad—someone already cleared the sidewalk on this side of the road,” Shelby said, pouring two more bowls.
“Sheriff, the mayor again,” his deputy said with a worried look on his face.
“If you can hang out for a bit I’ll walk you back,” Wes said.
“Actually, I was wondering if the roads are cleared enough yet to get out to my grandfather’s house.”
“We don’t have a crew of plows here since it basically never snows, so we’ve started with the streets in town.”
“Makes sense.”
“Well thanks.”
“I mean obviously, it’s just my grandfather lives just by the lighthouse and I thought you might get to that road, sooner than later?”
“Lighthouse road will be in the second phase, once we’ve cleared town, but with nightfall the crew won’t likely get to it until morning.”
Her shoulders sank and she let out a sigh but then pasted on a smile. “I guess that’s not too much longer to wait. At least I managed to get out of the house for a little bit. Any word on the woman from the wreck?”
“When she came to, she told Dalton she dreamt an angel was holding her hand.”
Shelby’s eyes grew big with surprise. “Really? That is so sweet. Or maybe there was one.”
She handed him a bowl of soup and a big slice of bread with butter smeared on it. “I bet you didn’t eat today.”
“You’d be right. Thanks.”
Suddenly he was starving but not for the soup.
Something about Shelby’s chipper personality had him craving the chance to spend real time with her.
Maybe if he could get to know her, he could figure out why she was so different than her immediate family?
And why he didn’t ever remember seeing her in town before?
Which only reassured him, the sooner she was not staying in his place the better.
He didn’t realize she’d followed him to his office until the door closed behind him.
“Listen, I know it’s a huge pain for you to have me at your place another night. I think I could just stay here tonight,” she said pointing to the chairs across from his desk.
“No.”
“Or I could probably stay at the hospital. I bet there are beds available there.”
“No.”
“I know you can’t stand me.”
He took a big gulp of the hot savory soup and then set his bowl down.
“Wrong again. Come on, I’ll walk you home.” As he stood his phone rang again, but he ignored it as he put on his coat.
“Aren’t you going to get that?”
“You know I’ve found some callers just need to learn to be a bit more patient.”
By the sixth or seventh ring he picked it up.
“Sheriff’s department,” Wes said.
“Now you listen here, you SOB. If you don’t clear Beach Boulevard by nine a.m., you’re fired, and don’t you worry about how I manage that. I can guarantee it.” Then the mayor hung up.
“Who was that?” Shelby said with worry.
“Well that was Mayor Shepherd. You might be familiar with that tone, or does your father just save that for people he thinks he’s socially superior to?”
Shelby’s mouth fell open. “I can’t believe he spoke to you like that. Why is he so mad?”
“He thinks it’s the sheriff’s department’s job to do the city works department’s job to keep the roads clear. I had to let him know earlier when we spoke that it was in fact not my job.”
“Oh, he really doesn’t like to be wrong. Ever.”
“That’s odd because from my perch, he’s wrong just about every time I’m forced to deal with him.”
“I see.”
“Come on, let’s go before it’s too dark,” Wes said.
He watched as she pulled her hat from the pocket of her coat and pulled it down over her dark locks.
Next she put on a pair of his gloves that were at least three sizes too big for her.
Once the deputies all thanked her and said goodbye, he opened the door for her to exit the station.
He watched as she took careful steps and noted his boots made her look a bit like a clown.
“How are you even walking in those boots?”
She turned back with a one-sided smile. “I may have my shoes on inside your boots.”
He laughed, surprised at her determination and inventiveness.
The walk was easy on Main Street, because he and his deputies had taken turns carving out a path, but once they turned down his street it got tougher to navigate the mounds of snow and Shelby fell twice. Each time Wes reached down and hauled her back up, forcing him to get close to her.
When they finally got inside his place, her teeth were chattering again.
“I don’t know how you made it there with the soup without falling.”
“Me either,” she said.
“Alright, time for you to get in the shower again to warm up your feet. I’ll find you more socks and a fresh change of clothes.”
He stomped away from her, needing some space, and dug out another pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, sweatshirt and the thickest socks he had.
Next he went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, but before he could exit Shelby opened the door and pushed her pants down to the floor.
She was grumbling to herself and must not have realized he was in the dimly lit space as the steam rolled out of the walk-in shower.
He couldn’t stop staring at her long lean legs and pink painted toes standing a few feet in front of him. But when she gripped the hem of his T-shirt that hung to her mid-thigh his conscience reminded him he wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Uh, you might want to wait.”