Chapter 6
LACEY
I hiked my jeans up as I held tight to the pup’s leash.
I couldn’t help but be acutely aware of Bodie’s presence behind me.
Why was he irritating me so much lately?
Maybe it was the way he seemed to want to manhandle me, to poke his nose into places it didn’t belong.
Or maybe it was because since I’d been back in town I couldn’t help but look at him in a new light.
As I waited for Zina to come to the front desk, I let myself consider that possibility.
For as long as I could remember, Bodie had been a part of my life.
Like a second big brother. He and Luke spent all their time together.
Especially after my mom passed away and the structure and routine seeped out of our days.
If someone wanted to find Luke, all they had to do was locate Bodie.
And vice versa. Most of the time I trailed behind them, a little lost while my dad worked all day and stayed out all night drowning his sorrows at the local watering hole.
While Dad was away, it was up to Luke to keep an eye on me.
I’d never been much for causing trouble, but I didn’t like to be home alone in our house out in the country, which was why I so often found myself trailing behind the two boys.
But when Bodie left for college and Luke reported for basic training I was on my own.
By the time Bodie came back to work for the sheriff’s department, I’d been on my way to San Antonio to earn my degree.
It had been over eight years since I’d spent any amount of time around him.
That’s probably all it was. We just needed to get used to each other again. Bodie had always been a bit of a bully, but Luke had been there like a buffer between us. Without my brother in the middle, I would have to manage Bodie on my own.
Before I could give it much more thought, Zina came through the door leading to the back of the building. “Hey, what are you doing here, Mayor Cherish? Don’t you have a town to save?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not you, too?” Zina and I had been friends since middle school. Right about the time Luke and Bodie had left town, Zina moved in, finally giving me the friend I’d so desperately wanted.
“Saw you on the noon news yesterday. You looked really good. Now, where did this gorgeous girl come from?”
“We found her in the parking lot of Bodie’s office.” I shot a side glance to Bodie. “Our deputy sheriff almost hit her.”
“Hey”—Bodie’s hands went out, palms facing outward—“that was just as much your fault as mine.”
Arms crossed over my chest, I glared at him. “How do you figure that exactly?”
“While you two sort out your story, I’m going to take her back for a quick exam. Do you want to wait here or should I call you when I’m done?”
“I’ve got to get home. Can I follow up with you later?” I asked.
“Sure thing.” Zina ran a hand over the dog’s back. “We’ll get her all checked out. I think with a little love she’s going to be just fine.”
“Do you have a leash you can use? Bodie thought my belt would make a good substitute but I need it back if I want to keep my pants on.”
“You sure are a hot mess today.” Zina slipped a nylon leash over the dog’s head before handing me my belt.
“That’s an understatement.” I slid my belt through my belt loops while Bodie said goodbye to the dog.
“What will you do with her?” Bodie asked.
I glanced over at him, wondering if he really was capable of having a soft spot for another living creature.
In my experience, he’d always been a love-’em-and-leave-’em kind of guy.
I mentally chastised myself. That wasn’t fair.
I had no idea what kind of guy he was now.
Too much time had gone by for me to pass judgment.
“We’ll get her checked over and make sure she doesn’t have anything going on besides the superficial injuries. Then we’ll test her for temperament.” Zina leaned over, earning a sloppy kiss from the dog. “Based on initial observation, I think she’ll be eligible for adoption. She’s a cutie.”
“Keep us posted, will you?” Bodie scratched the dog behind the ears.
“Sure will. By the way, if she doesn’t have a chip, what do you think we should call her?”
Bodie cocked his head and looked to me. “She sure enjoyed riding in the front seat. I say you call her Shotgun.”
“All right. Shotgun it is. I’ll give you a call later.” Zina disappeared through the door, taking Shotgun with her. The poor pup looked back, reluctant to follow.
“She likes you.” I nodded toward the dog. “Not sure why.”
“I’m a likable guy.” Bodie gestured for me to go ahead of him. “It wasn’t that long ago you might have said the same thing.”
“Why, because you and Luke tolerated me?” I pushed the door open then held it for him as he followed.
He gave his head a slight shake as he passed. “Can you answer one question for me, Lacey?”
Shrugging my shoulders, I shot him some major side-eye as we made our way back to his truck. “Shoot.”
He stopped as we reached the bumper. “Just how big is that stick you’ve got up your ass?”
My jaw dropped. My eyes popped. My hands clenched into fists. “Excuse me?”
“You’ve done nothing but bust my chops since you’ve been back. I’d like to know how much longer I can expect that to last.”
“You can’t talk to me like that.” Heat flooded my face.
I wanted to hobble him with a scathing comeback, wanted to slap him upside the head, wanted to knee him in the groin and leave him writhing on the ground.
But under all of that animosity, another kind of desire simmered.
I wanted to kiss him. And that scared me the most.
“I know things aren’t going like you planned.” Bodie leaned against the back panel of his truck. “You thought you’d take over as mayor, spit shine the family name, and add a nice bullet point to your résumé.”
The glare I gave him should have curdled his stomach and wiped that smug grin off his face. Instead, he kept going. His words pinned me to the pavement.
“I’m sorry it’s not working out like you wanted. But if we’re going to figure out how to save Idont, we’re going to have to work together in some capacity.” He nodded, finally meeting my gaze. “And I’d rather we keep things civil.”
Civil. I could do civil. I’d be so freaking civil he’d be wishing and hoping for something to break up the sheer politeness of my properness.
I swallowed the urge to spite him, nodding instead. “That sounds great, just great.” I even thrust my hand out, figuring we’d officially seal the deal.
He hesitated, probably figuring I was going to try to undermine him in some way, before reaching for my hand. “All right, then. Can I give you a ride back to your truck?”
“Yes, please.” I squeezed his hand as hard as I could.
His expression didn’t change. He probably couldn’t even feel it.
But I sure could. A sizzling awareness zinged through me, snapping along every nerve ending from the tip of my toes to the ends of my hair.
For all I knew, my wavy locks might possibly be standing on end.
Bodie released his grip. “Let’s go.” He rounded the bumper, leaving me standing in place.
Smoothing my hands over my hair, I forced myself to move to the cab.
I didn’t have time to think about Bodie Phillips in any capacity other than someone who could help me find a way out of the quicksand sucking me down.
And before he’d even be willing to do that, I had to figure out what kind of stick I had up my butt and how the heck I was going to remove it.
Bodie
We drove in silence the rest of the way back to the sheriff’s office. I pulled into the spot next to her truck, expecting her to jump out before I even stopped moving. But she sat there instead, her back to me.
“Lacey?” I reached out to touch her shoulder then thought better of it. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She nodded as she turned to stare straight ahead. “I am going to find a way to save this town though.”
I rested a hand on top of the steering wheel. “I have no doubt you will.”
“With or without your help.” Her eyebrows lifted, like she’d asked a question she wanted me to answer.
My jaw set, my pulse ticking away at the base of my throat. When I didn’t respond, she opened her door and climbed out of the truck. I waited for the door to close behind her before I let out the breath I’d been holding.
I knew Lacey would do whatever she had to do to fix things in Idont.
The only time I’d ever seen her give up at anything was during a heated game of Monopoly.
She must have been about eleven years old.
When the game stretched into the early-morning hours, Lacey had wanted to take a break and pick up again the next day.
Luke and I had pushed and pushed, telling her if she went to bed she’d lose.
Finally, she dozed off, her face landing in the pile of Free Parking money in the center of the table.
While Luke had danced around the kitchen table, celebrating, I had carried her out to the couch in the living room and covered her with a homemade quilt.
Reconciling the determined-but-vulnerable eleven-year-old Lacey with the strong, grown-up version had me reeling.
I’d always held a soft spot in my heart for her, thinking of her like the little sister I’d never had.
But recently the kind of thoughts I’d been having about her were anything but brotherly.
In fact, they might be the most polar opposite kind of thoughts I could possibly have. Thoughts that included running my hands over those filled-out curves, nipping my teeth along the column of her neck, and, God help me, getting to know the grown-up Lacey in the most primal way known to man.
Yeah, Luke would kick my ass to next Tuesday if he had even an inkling of the kind of ideas I’d been entertaining about Lacey.
Once I got this whole warehouse business sorted, I’d be doing us all a favor if I started seriously looking for a deputy job in a bigger county. Maybe even a different state.
Before the whole day got away from me, I ought to try to do something productive. I snagged my phone and pulled up my dad’s number.
“Hello, son.” My dad’s deep, rough voice came across the line.
“You around? I’d like to stop by.” The sooner, the better, too.
“How about tomorrow morning?” A horn honked. The sound of passing traffic served as background noise.
“Where are you?” Dad couldn’t be in town. Idont had one stoplight and even then, it worked only about twenty-five percent of the time.
“Working a deal over in Houston but I’ll be back tonight. Stop by tomorrow morning and we’ll have ourselves a nice, long chat.”
“Yeah, okay.” I didn’t particularly care if it was nice or long, but we’d be chatting, all right. And I wouldn’t give up until I had the answers I needed.
“See you tomorrow.” Dad disconnected.
I stared at my phone for a long moment. I’d chat with my dad, settle things with Lacey, and put together an action plan of steps I needed to take to get serious about finding a new job.
I’d become complacent. This latest stunt from my dad and pops was just another sign that I needed to separate myself from their unsavory way of doing business.
Before it was too late.