For this lawman, it’s do or die in Riker County

Bound to protect and serve, sheriff Billy Reed has tried to let his career be enough. But he could never forget Mara Copeland, the woman who left without a goodbye and hurt him without warning. Now she’s back with criminals on her trail and a child in her arms. His child.

Mara didn’t trust the future she and Billy could’ve had. He’s a lawman and she was born into a world of ruthless criminals. Still, he’s the man she can turn to. He’ll do anything to protect their daughter, but will love be reason enough to forgive Mara and bring their family back together?

The Protectors of Riker County

Mara froze, watching as the sheriff, completely clothed, stood in front of a very naked her.

Billy had seen her naked on several different occasions while they had been together. What was beneath her clothes wasn’t a mystery to the man; however, she expected him to at least give her a once-over. Even if she was caught between utter confusion as to why he was standing in front of her in the first place.

Yet, Billy’s gaze never left her own.

He closed the space between them so fast that she didn’t have time to question it. He grabbed her face in his hands and crashed his lips into hers without a second thought. Mara, too stunned to react, let alone speak, stood stock-still as he pulled back, breaking the kiss.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

Small-Town Face-Off

Tyler Anne Snell

www.millsandboon.co.uk

TYLER ANNE SNELL genuinely loves all genres of the written word. However, she’s realized that she loves books filled with sexual tension and mysteries a little more than the rest. Her stories have a good dose of both. Tyler lives in Alabama with her same-named husband and their mini “lions.” When she isn’t reading or writing, she’s playing video games and working on her blog, Almost There. To follow her shenanigans, visit www.tylerannesnell.com.

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CAST OF CHARACTERS

Sheriff Billy Reed—After a new drug wreaks havoc in the county Billy has spent his entire career trying to protect, he has to team up with a beautiful woman to stop the supplier and save his home. What he doesn’t count on is falling in love with her. Or her leaving only to come back two years later with his child in her arms and a madman on her tail.

Mara Copeland—Fighting to get out of the shadow of her criminal father, Mara has tried to win over the residents of Riker County with little success. Plans of staying away from Riker, as well as the sheriff, don’t last long after her past comes knocking. Now she’s back, this time with a secret daughter in tow.

Alexa—Born a secret to her father, this toddler keeps everyone on their toes as a madman tries to use her against the sheriff.

Bryan Copeland—Father to Mara, this former drug supplier has the sheriff’s department and unknown criminal parties racing to find what he’s hidden, all while he sits behind prison bars.

Suzy Simmons—Billy’s best friend since childhood and his right-hand woman in the field, this chief deputy sheriff will do anything to ensure Alexa’s safety.

Cassie Gates—Sheriff department dispatcher who treats Mara with kindness.

Beck—While his motives are unknown at first, he makes it clear that he’ll stop at nothing to get to the Copeland family secret.

This book is for Liz.

Thank you for reading every book, making every birthday cake

and understanding I just don’t like lemons. Every book I write is

because you never stopped supporting me and for that I love you

more than you’ll ever know. Thank you for being an anchor to a kid

who could have been left drifting.

Contents

Cover

Back Cover Text

Introduction

Title Page

About the Author

CAST OF CHARACTERS

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Seventeen

Chapter Eighteen

Chapter Nineteen

Chapter Twenty

Chapter Twenty-One

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Three

Extract

Copyright

Prologue

Billy Reed looked down at the body and wished he could punch something. Hard.

“This is ridiculous,” Suzy said at his side. “She’s not even eighteen.”

His partner was right. Courtney Brooks had turned sixteen two weeks ago. The car she had been found in was a birthday present from her father. Billy knew this because he’d known of the girl since she was in middle school. She was a part of one of the many families in the small town of Carpenter, Alabama, who had lived there through at least two generations.

And now she was dead in the back seat of a beat-up Honda.

“Anyone tell her folks yet?” Billy asked. He’d arrived on the scene five minutes after his partner, Suzanne Simmons, had. By the time he’d cut through lunchtime traffic and bumped down the dirt road in his Crown Vic to the spot where poor Courtney had met her end, a set of paramedics, the deputy who had first responded to the call and the boy who had found her were all gathered around, waiting for what was next.

“No, Rockwell wanted to make the call,” Suzy answered. Billy raised his eyebrow, questioning why the sheriff would do that when he hadn’t even come to the crime scene yet, and she continued. “He’s fishing buddies with her dad. He heard Marty call in the name.”

Billy could imagine their leader, a man north of sixty with a world of worries to match, breaking the bad news from behind his desk. He’d let his stare get lost in the grain of the oak while he broke a family’s heart with news no parents should ever receive.

“There’s no signs of foul play, as far as I can tell,” Suzy commented. One of the EMTs broke off from the car and headed toward them.

“We both know what this is, Suzy,” Billy said. The anger he was nearly getting used to began to flood his system. The deputy could save the EMT time by telling the man he already knew what had killed her. An overdose of a drug called Moxy. The current scourge of Riker County. However, Billy’s mother had taught him the importance of being polite. So he listened to the man say that he thought Courtney had been gone a few hours before they’d gotten there, and if the paramedic was a betting man, he’d put his money on an overdose.

“I’ve already taken pictures, but I’d like to look around again, just in case,” Suzy said. Billy was about to follow when a call over the radio drew him to his car instead. He asked dispatch to repeat.

“The sheriff wants you here, Billy,” she said. “Now.”

That gave him pause but he confirmed he understood. Suzy must have heard, too. She waved him away, saying she could handle it from here. Billy’s eye caught the teen who had found Courtney. He was standing with Marty, one of the other deputies from the department, and they were deep in discussion. Every few words he’d glance back at the girl. And each time he looked closer to losing it. He’d likely never seen a dead body before, and judging by his expression, he’d never forget it, either. It made Billy grind his teeth.

No one in Riker County should have that problem. At least, not if Billy had a say about it.

It had been six months since an influx of Moxy hit the county. In that time, Billy had seen four overdoses and an escalation of violence, two of those incidents ending in murder. For all intents and purposes, Moxy brought out the worst tendencies in people and then energized them. While Riker County, its sheriff’s department and police departments had had their problems with narcotics in the past, the new drug and its ever-elusive supplier had caught them woefully off guard. It was a fact that kept Billy up at night and one that stayed with him as he drove through the town and then cut his engine in the department’s parking lot.

Movement caught his eye, distracting his thoughts, and he realized he was staring at the very man who had called him in. Billy exited the cruiser and leaned against it when the man made no move to go inside the building, arms folded over his chest. Sheriff Rockwell put his cigarette out and stopped in front of him. He looked more world-weary than he had the day before.

“I’m going to cut to the chase, Reed,” the sheriff said, leaving no room for greetings. “We need to find the Moxy supplier and we need to find him now. You understand?”

“Yessir,” Billy said, nodding.

“Until that happens, I want you to work exclusively on trying to catch the bastard.”

“What about Detective Lancaster?” Billy asked. Jamie Lancaster’s main focus had been on finding something on the supplier since the second overdose had been reported.

“Lancaster is crap, and we both know it,” the sheriff said. “His drive left the second we all had to take a pay cut. No, what we need now is someone whose dedication isn’t made by his salary.” The sheriff clapped Billy on the shoulder. “In all of my years, I’ve learned that there’s not much that can stand against a person protecting their own. You love not only this town, but the entire county like it’s family, Billy.”

“I do,” Billy confirmed, already feeling his pride swelling.

The sheriff smiled, briefly, and then went stone cold.

“Then go save your family.”

* * *

TWO MONTHS LATER, Billy was sitting in a bar in Carpenter known as the Eagle. In the time since he’d talked to the sheriff in the parking lot, he’d chased every lead known to the department. He’d worked long, hard hours until, finally, he’d found a name.

Bryan Copeland.

A businessman in his upper fifties with thinning gray hair and an affinity for wearing suits despite the Alabama heat, he was running the entire operation from Kipsy. It was the only city within the Riker County Sheriff’s Department purview, Carpenter being one of three towns. But where he kept the drugs—whether it was through the city or towns—and when he moved them were mysteries. Which was the reason Billy hadn’t had the pleasure of arresting him yet. They couldn’t prove anything, not even after two drug dealers admitted who their boss was. Because, according to the judge and Bryan’s fancy lawyer, there was no hard evidence. So that was why, late on a Thursday night, Billy Reed was seated at the Eagle finishing off his second beer when a woman sat down next to him and cleared her throat.

“Are you Deputy Reed? Billy Reed?” she asked, voice dropping to a whisper. Billy raised his eyebrow. He didn’t recognize the woman. And he would have remembered if he had met her before.

She had long black hair that framed a clear and determined face. Dark eyes that openly searched his expression, trying to figure him out for whatever reason, high cheekbones, pink, pink lips, and an expression that was split between contemplation and caution. All details that created a truly beautiful woman. One who had the deputy’s full attention.

“Yes, that’s me,” he answered. “But I don’t think I’ve had the pleasure.”

The woman, who he had placed just under his own age of thirty-two, pasted on a smile and cut her eyes around them before answering.

“I believe you’re trying to build a case against my father.” Billy immediately went on red alert, ready to field whatever anger or resentment the woman had with him. However, what she said next changed everything. Her dark eyes hardened, resolute. With a voice free of any doubt, she gave Billy exactly what he needed. “And I can help you do just that.”

Chapter One

Three years later, Billy Reed was kicking off his shoes, digging into his DVR and turning on a game he’d been meaning to watch for a month. During the season he hadn’t had time to keep up with teams or scores but he liked the white noise it produced. And, maybe if it was a close enough game, his focus might leave his work long enough to enjoy it.

He popped off the cap of his beer and smiled at the thought.

He’d been the Riker County sheriff for under two years, although he’d lived his entire life within its lines, just as his father had before him. It was one of the reasons Sheriff Rockwell had personally endorsed Billy to take his place when he’d decided it was time to retire.

“You always want what’s best for Riker and I can’t think of a better outlook for a sheriff,” Rockwell had said. “After what you’ve helped do for this place already, I can’t imagine a better fit.”

Billy’s eyes traveled to a framed picture of the former sheriff shaking his hand. The picture had been taken during a press conference that had come at one of the most rewarding moments of Billy’s career as deputy, when drug supplier Bryan Copeland had been locked behind bars for good.

He didn’t know it at the time, but that case would help him become the man he was today—the sheriff who was trying desperately to pretend there was such a thing as a night off. He took a pull on his beer. But as soon as he tried to move his focus to the game on the TV, his phone came to life.

So much for trying.

The caller ID said Suzy. Not a name he’d wanted to see until the next morning. He sighed and answered.

“I just got home, Suzy,” he said.

Suzanne Simmons didn’t attempt to verbally walk carefully around him. Never mind the fact that he was the boss now. He didn’t expect her to, either. She’d been his friend for years.

“That ain’t my problem, Sheriff,” she snapped. “What is my problem is Bernie Lutz’s girlfriend drunk and yelling at my desk.”

Billy put his beer down on the coffee table, already resigned to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the rest of it.

“Say again?”

He’d known Suzy since they were in middle school and knew that the short pause she took before answering was her way of trying to rearrange her thoughts without adding in the emotion. As chief deputy she couldn’t be seen flying off the handle when her anger flared. The sheriff’s right-hand man, or woman in this case, needed to appear more professional than that. Though that hadn’t stopped her from expressing herself within the privacy of his office from time to time.

“Bernie Lutz, you remember him?” she asked. “Short guy with that tattoo of his ex-wife on his right arm?”

Billy nodded to himself, mind already going through old files.

“Yeah, drug dealer until he went the straight and narrow about a year ago.” Billy remembered something else. “He said he found Jesus and started doing community service when he got out of lockup.”

“Well, it looks like he just found a whole lot more than Jesus,” Suzy said. “Jessica, his girlfriend, just ran into the station yelling about finding him dead in a ditch when she went out to their house. She’s asking for our protection now. And, by asking, I mean yelling for it.”

Billy ran his hand down his face, trying to get the facts straight.

“So, did you check out if what she said was true?” he asked.

“Working on it. I tried to get her to come with me to show me exactly where she found him but, Billy, she freaked out big-time. Said they could still be watching her.”

Billy stood, already looking for the shoes he’d kicked off when he’d thought his night off might stick. His cowboy hat was always easier to find. He scooped it up off the back of the couch and put it on. The act alone helped focus him even more.

“They?” he asked.

“She claims that two men came to the house last week and asked Bernie for drugs, and when he said he didn’t deal anymore, they told him they’d come back and get them both.” Suzy lowered her voice a little. “To be honest, I think Jessica is under the influence of something right now—why didn’t she call us from the scene?—but I sent Dante out there to check it out. I just wanted to give you a heads-up if this thing ends up escalating and poor Bernie really is in a ditch somewhere.”

Billy spotted his shoes and went to put them on.

“Go ahead and get descriptions of the men she claims paid them a visit,” he said. “They could very well be suspects in a murder. And, if not, at the very least, they could be trying to buy or spread narcotics in the community.” His thoughts flew back to Bryan Copeland.

“And we don’t want any more of that,” she finished.

“No,” Billy said. “Definitely not.”

“Okay, I’ll give you a call when this all pans out.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, tying the laces to his shoes. “I’m coming in.”

“But—”

“The people of Riker County didn’t elect me to sit back when potential murderers could be roaming the streets,” he reminded her. “Plus, if there is a body and a crime scene, we need to act fast so that the rain doesn’t destroy any evidence. Call Matt and tell him to go ahead and head out there. Even if it’s a false alarm I’d rather be safe than sorry. Don’t let Jessica leave the station until I get there.”

Suzy agreed and said goodbye. She might have been his closest friend, but she still knew when to not argue with an order. Even if she had been trying to look out for him.

Billy turned the game off, not bothering to look at the score, and mentally checked out. He tried recalling where Bernie had lived when he’d arrested him and the road that Jessica would travel going there. Billy had grown up in Carpenter, which was one of the three small towns located in Riker County, and Billy had driven all of its roads at least twice. It was the epicenter of a community fused together by humidity, gossip and roots so deep that generations of families never left. Billy Reed was a part of one of those families. He lived in the home he and his father had both grown up in, and a part of him hoped that one day his kids would walk the same hallways. Not that he had any kids. However, it was still a thought that drove him to try and keep the only home he’d ever known a safe, enjoyable one. If Bernie and his past drug habits were back at it, then Billy wanted to nip that in the bud.

Billy tried to rein in thoughts from the past as he searched for his keys, the one item he always seemed to lose, when a knock sounded on the front door. Like a dog trying to figure out a foreign noise, he tilted his head to the side and paused.

It was well past dark and had been raining for the last hour. The list of visitors he’d typically receive was relatively short, considering most wouldn’t drop by unannounced. Still, as he walked through the living room to the entryway, he considered the possibility of a friend coming by for a drink or two. Just because he’d become sheriff didn’t mean his social life had completely stopped. Then again, for all he knew it could be his mother coming into town early. If so, then he was about to be berated for his lack of Christmas lights and tree despite its being a week away from the holiday. While Billy knew he had to maintain a good image within the community, even when he was off, he hadn’t found the time or will to get into a festive mood. Though, if he was being honest with himself, the holidays had lost some charm for him in the last few years. Still, he opened the door with a smile that felt inviting, even genuine.

And immediately was lost for words.

It was like looking in a mirror and recognizing your reflection, yet at the same time still being surprised by it. That’s what Billy was going through as he looked at Mara Copeland, dark hair wet from the rain that slid down her poncho, standing on his welcome mat.

“Hey, Billy.”

Even her voice pushed Billy deeper into his own personal twilight zone. It kept whatever greeting he had reserved for a normal visitor far behind his tongue.

“I know it’s late and I have no business being here but, Billy, I think I need your help.”

* * *

BILLY DIDN’T MAKE her spell out her situation standing there on his doorstep. He’d regained his composure by the tail end of Mara’s plea. Though she could tell it was a struggle.

“Come in,” he said, standing back and gesturing wide with his long arms. Mara had almost forgotten how tall he was. Even in the mostly dark space outside his door, she could still make out the appearance of a man who looked the same as he had almost two years before—tall, with broad shoulders and a lean body rather than overly muscled. Lithe, like a soccer player, and no doubt strong, an attractive mix that carried up and through to a hard chin and a prominent nose. His eyes, a wild, ever-moving green, just sweetened the entire pot that was Billy Reed. Mara had realized a long time ago that there wasn’t a part of the dark-haired man she didn’t find appealing.

Which didn’t help what had happened back then.

She hesitated at his invitation to come inside, knowing how meticulous he was with keeping the hardwood in his house clean. Which she clearly was not. The poncho might have kept the clothes underneath dry, but it still was shedding water like a dog would its fur in the summer. Not to mention she hadn’t had a hood to keep her long tangles of hair dry.

“Don’t worry about it,” he said, guessing her thoughts. “It’s only water.”

His smile, which she’d been afraid she’d broken by her arrival, came back. But only a fraction of it. The lack of its former affection stung. Then again, what had she expected?

“Sorry to intrude,” she said, once they were both shut inside the house. Its warmth eased some of the nerves that had been dancing since she’d gotten into the car that morning, although not nearly enough to keep her stomach from fluttering. Although she’d known her destination since she’d buckled her seat belt, seeing the sheriff in person had stunned her, in a way. Like finding a memory she’d tried to forget suddenly within reach. She started to wonder if he had tried to forget her. “I would have called but I couldn’t find your number,” she lied.

Billy stood back, giving her space. The small part of his smile that had surfaced was disintegrating. Mara’s stomach began to knot. She had a feeling that Billy’s politeness was sheer Southern reflex.

And now he was starting to remember exactly who she was.

She didn’t blame him or the mistrust that distorted his handsome face next.

Though, that stung a bit, too.

“You could have called the department,” he deadpanned. “You might not remember, what with you up and leaving so quickly, but I’m the sheriff. I’m sure if you asked for me they’d patch you right on through.”

Mara kept the urge to flinch at bay. In her road trip across Alabama, back to the last place she’d ever thought she’d return—especially with Christmas only days away—a small part of her had hoped Billy would have somehow forgotten or forgiven what she’d done. That when and if they ever met again, he would smile that dimpled smile that used to make her go weak in the knees and they’d—what?—be friends? Her thoughts had always derailed at that question. They always seemed to when she thought of Billy.

The little girl asleep and hidden beneath the poncho, held up by Mara’s arm, didn’t help matters.

“I do remember that you’re the sheriff,” she said. “And, you’re right, I should have called there, but—” Mara had rehearsed a speech in the car explaining the exact reason she had driven back to Carpenter, back to his house, instead of just calling. Now, however, the words just wouldn’t come. All she could find were his eyes, ever searching for an answer. “Well,” she started again, trying to find a stronger voice. “It seemed too important to not talk about face-to-face.”

Whatever reply Billy had been brewing behind those perfect lips seemed to stall out. His brows pulled together, his nostrils flared and then, just as quickly, his expression began to relax. He took a deep breath.

“Fine,” he finally said. “But make it quick. I just got called out.”

That was as warm as she’d bet the man was going to be, so she nodded. The simple movement shook water free from the bright yellow poncho covering her. She tried to give him an apologetic look.

“I didn’t have an umbrella,” she explained.

“You never did,” he said, also, she believed, on reflex. Like the nod, it was such a simple statement that Mara wondered if he’d even registered he’d said it at all. “Here, let me help with that.” Billy reached out and took the bag from her shoulder. Any mother might recognize it as a diaper bag, though it was designed to look like an oversized purse, but she could tell Billy Reed hadn’t caught on to it yet.

Or the bulge beneath the poncho.

She must have really thrown him for a loop.

“Thanks. Do you have a bag or something I could put this poncho in?” She motioned to the very thing keeping their conversation from diving headlong into the foreign topic of kids.

“Yeah, give me a sec.” He set her bag on the entryway bench and headed toward the kitchen. It gave Mara a moment to take two deep breaths before letting each out with a good shake.

It had been two years since she’d seen Billy Reed. More than that since she’d met him in a bar, ready to do her best to help him take down the only family she’d had left. Now here she was, standing in his house, dripping on the hardwood.

“This is all I have to put it in,” he said, coming back. His smile was still gone but at least he wasn’t stone-faced.

“Oh, thanks,” Mara said to the Walmart bag he extended. She didn’t take it. “Actually, I’m going to need your help with this one. I don’t want to drop her.”

And, just like that, Billy Reed must have finally looked at her—really looked at her—taking in the large bulge beneath the poncho. Wordlessly, he helped her pull it off. He stood there, eyes wide, as the dark-haired little girl came into view. She wiggled at the sudden light but, thankfully, stayed asleep. One little blessing that Mara would more than take.

“This is Alexa,” Mara introduced her. She watched as his eyes widened. They swept over the little girl with attention she knew he was proud of. For a moment she forgot why she’d come. So many times over the last two years she’d thought about this meeting. Would it happen? What would he say? What would she say? However, Mara reminded herself that she hadn’t come back to Carpenter because she’d decided to. No, a man and his threats had made that decision for her. Mara cleared her throat. It was now or never. “Billy, meet your daughter.”

Chapter Two

Billy, bless him, didn’t say a thing for a good minute. Though his eyes ran the gamut of emotions.

Mara took a tentative step toward him, arm still holding their daughter up, and opened her mouth to speak, but Billy’s phone went off in his pocket, ringing too loudly to ignore.

He shook off the spell he’d fallen into, though when he spoke, his voice wasn’t as strong as it had been before.

“Please, hold that thought. I have to take this,” he said, pulling his phone out. He didn’t look at the caller ID as he answered. “Reed.”

Mara’s mouth closed as a woman’s voice filled the space between them. She didn’t stop for breath as she relayed whatever she needed to the man. Slowly his attention split and refocused on the new information. His brow furrowed and his eyes took on a look Mara knew all too well.

This was Work Billy and she’d come at a bad time. That much was clear.

“Okay, thanks,” he said when the woman had finished. “I’ll be there in twenty.”

Mara’s stomach fell as Billy ended the call. She didn’t know what she had expected of the man she’d left with no more than a note on his pillow and no hint whatsoever that she was pregnant with his child. But his taking a work call hadn’t been on the list of possibilities. She straightened her back. Alexa squeezed her little arms around Mara’s neck in her sleep. The slight movement wasn’t missed by Billy. He looked at his daughter before his eyes cut back to her.

“You have a world of explaining to do,” he started, voice low. He had finally landed on an emotion. Anger. “First you just up and leave, then you don’t talk to me for two years, and now you’re saying that—” He stopped his voice from going any louder. Without breaking eye contact he reached for the raincoat on the wall next to them. “A body has just been found and I need to try and get to the crime scene before this rain messes everything up. If it hasn’t already.” He slid into the coat. “I’m sorry.” He ran his finger across the brim of his hat. “It’s been a long day and I didn’t expect to see you.” His eyes trailed down to Alexa before meeting Mara’s again. His expression softened, if only a little. “I would ask you along, but I don’t think a crime scene in the rain is a good place to have this talk.”

“I’ll agree to that,” Mara said. Before she could add anything the sheriff’s expression changed again. It became alert, ready.

“Wait, you said you needed my help?” he asked. The angles of his face seemed to go tight. While Mara had no doubt he was ready to listen to her with all of his attention, he was also still thinking about the crime scene. The sound of pounding rain probably wasn’t helping.

“I can wait until you’re done,” she said. The urgency that had driven her from their home that morning had ebbed considerably, especially now that she was there, standing in Billy’s house. Maybe she had been foolish to leave so suddenly and come running back to Carpenter.

And its sheriff.

“Are you sure?” She could see his resolve splitting. She nodded.

“I can go check in to the hotel off Miller Street, if you think it will be a bit.”

“Why don’t you just wait here? It’s not like you don’t know your way around.” Heat rushed up to Mara’s cheeks at the comment. She doubted he’d meant to stir up old memories. He was just stating a fact. She did know her way around, having spent countless hours there trying to plan a way to stop her father. A pursuit that had had unexpected outcomes.

“Oh, I wouldn’t want to intr—”

“Mara.” Billy’s voice took on a low edge. “Stay.”

An easy command for any smart woman to follow from Billy Reed.

Alexa stirred in her arms.

“Okay,” she relented. It would be nice not to have to run Alexa back out into the bad weather. Plus, she doubted after the information she’d just hit him with, Billy would leave his house until he had the whole story. She couldn’t blame him. “I’ll wait until you get back.”

An expression she didn’t quite understand flashed across Billy’s face, but when he spoke his voice was normal, considering everything.

“Help yourself to any food in the fridge,” he said. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Mara thanked him and moved out of his way as he went out into the storm. The Billy she’d known years before hadn’t changed. Justice and protecting those within his jurisdiction still prevailed.

“Well, Alexa,” Mara said once she’d heard his Tahoe leave. “This is the Reed family home.”

A little uncertainly, Mara slipped off her shoes and padded through the entryway and into the living room. Surprisingly, or maybe not, nothing seemed to have changed since the last time she’d been in the house. The old dark hardwood grounded a room that had been the heart of the Reed family for two generations. Sure, some of the furniture had changed—the black leather couch certainly hadn’t been Billy’s mother’s choice, and neither had the plasma flat-screen—but the cozy feel of a house well loved and well lived-in hadn’t diminished one bit.

Mara kept on her tour with a growing smile. From the living room she went to the kitchen, the dining room and the open office. She was looking for clues that might tell her what had happened to Billy since she’d left Carpenter. The family pictures of the Reeds still dotted the walls, including some new additions and marriages, while other pictures specific only to Billy also popped up occasionally. Mara stopped and smiled at one in particular that caught her eye.

Standing in front of a crowd of Riker County residents was the dark-haired man, moments after he’d been officially elected sheriff.

The old affection began to break through an emotional dam she’d spent years building. Then, just as quickly, she was back to that morning, when she’d stood on her front porch across from the stranger who had threatened her life and the life of her child. If anyone could deal with the mystery man it was the Riker County sheriff.

Alexa moved in her arms. This time she woke up.

The cold that had started to spread in the pit of Mara’s stomach turned to warmth.

“Well, hello there,” she whispered.

Alexa looked up at her mom. Just shy of fifteen months, the toddler might not have known much about the world, but that had never stopped her beautiful green eyes from being curious.

Just like her father’s.

* * *

IT TOOK FIFTEEN minutes to get to the ditch that held Bernie Lutz’s body. Billy could have taken three hours—hell, three days—and still not have been able to completely process what had just happened. A herd of elephants could have stampeded alongside his Tahoe as he navigated the muddy back road and it wouldn’t have distracted him. Mara’s sudden reappearance alone would have stunned him. But this? Alexa? Mara Copeland on his doorstep with a baby?

His baby.

“Get a hold of yourself, Billy,” he said out loud. “You’ve got a job to do first.”

Had Mara been wearing a wedding ring? Billy shook his head. He needed to focus on one thing at a time. He needed to put everything that wasn’t Bernie Lutz out of his mind. At least for the moment.

He sighed.

Yet, there Mara had been. Staring up at him through her long dark lashes, asking for help.

And he’d just left.

His phone went off, dancing on the dash before he answered. This time it was Matt Walker, currently Riker County’s only detective, thanks to the retirement of his former partner. Like Suzy, Matt was direct when he spoke about work.

“Henry got a tarp up, Billy,” he yelled over the weather. “But the road runoff is washing everything away. I went ahead and called in the county coroner.”

Billy swore.

“It hasn’t rained in weeks, and the one time we need it dry is the one time all hell breaks loose.”

“It could be worse,” Matt said. “We could be the body in the ditch.”

Billy nodded.

“You’re right,” he said, sobering. “I’m a few minutes out. If the coroner gets there before me, go ahead and load him up. Maybe if we act fast enough we can salvage some evidence.”

“Ten-four.” Billy started to hang up but Matt cut back in. “And Billy? Just from looking at him, I’m going to say that his girlfriend might have been telling some kind of truth. He’s beaten pretty badly. His death wasn’t fast, by any means. See you when you get here.”

He ended the call.

Thoughts of the past half hour were replaced by the need to solve a murder.

* * *

IT WAS JUST before midnight when Billy unlocked his front door. The storm raged on. Every part of him was soaking wet, and his boots and jeans were more mud than anything. He didn’t even try to keep the floor clean. Instead, he sloshed inside and stripped in the entryway.

It wasn’t until he was starting to pull off his shirt that he spotted the bright yellow poncho sticking out of a Walmart bag. He froze as his brain detached from work life and zipped right back to his personal one.

Mara.

With more attention to the noise he was making, he left his shirt on and, instead, got out of his boots. Only one light was on. He followed it into the living room. For one moment he thought it was empty—that Mara had left again, this time with his daughter in tow—but then he spotted a mass of dark hair cascading over the arm of the couch. Coming around to face it, he was met with a sight that used to be familiar.

Mara was asleep, body pulled up so that her knees were close to her stomach, making her look impossibly small. It wasn’t the first time he’d come home after work to find her in that exact spot, lights still on, waiting for him. Even when he’d tell her not to wait up, Billy would come in after a long day to find her there. She’d never once complained. Seeing her lying there, face soft and unguarded, Billy took a small moment for himself to remember what it felt like to come home to her. But it didn’t last.

There had been too many nights between then and now. Ones where he’d come home to an empty house, wondering why she’d gone.

I’m sorry, but it’s over.

Billy shook his head at the one sentence that had changed everything between them and looked at the one idea he’d never entertained after Mara had gone.

Alexa was tucked within her mother’s arms, simultaneously fitting and not fitting in the space between. Her hair was dark, but still lighter than his, and it fell just past her shoulders and, from the looks of it, was as thick as her mother’s. Before he could police his thoughts, a smile pulled up the corners of his lips.

He might not have known her the day before, but that didn’t stop the affection for the little girl.

And, just like before, the feeling of warmth, however brief, was gone.

Why had she been kept a secret?

Billy took a step back. While he had questions, he didn’t want to wake either one, but the creak in the floor that had been there since his father was a child sounded under his weight. Mara’s eyes fluttered opened and immediately found him.

“I tried to be quiet,” he whispered.

Mara shook her head and slowly sat up while trying to disengage herself from the toddler.

“No, I’m sorry,” she whispered back once she managed to get free. “I didn’t mean to fall asleep.”

She followed him through the entryway and into the dining room, far enough away that they could talk in normal tones.

And, boy, did they have a lot to talk about.

“What time is it?” she asked, taking a seat at the table. She stifled a yawn.

“Close to midnight. I was gone a lot longer than I thought I would be,” he admitted. Billy took a seat opposite her. “This storm couldn’t have come at a worse time.”

Mara nodded, but the movement was sluggish. He was tired, too. It was time to stop delaying and finally ask the current question on his mind.

“Mara, why are you here?”

Chapter Three

“A man came to my house this morning and asked about my father,” Mara said, knowing full well that once the words were out there Billy wouldn’t forget them. Finding a way to take down her father—to catch him in the act—had been an emotional and physical drain on them both. The collective hope that Billy would save Riker County had pressed down heavily on him, while betraying the only family she’d had had never left Mara’s mind.

As if an invisible hand had found the strings to his puppet, Billy’s entire body snapped to attention.

“They wanted Bryan?”

But he’s in prison, Mara silently finished.

“The man didn’t want him,” she said out loud instead. “The guy wanted something important of my father’s and I needed to tell him where it was. I had no idea what he was talking about.”

Billy’s dark brow rose in question. “Something important,” he deadpanned.

“He didn’t say what, past that,” she admitted, recalling how the man had been careful when choosing his words. “But what really spooked me was when he said he wanted to take over what my father had built, my family’s business. And I don’t think he was talking about my dad’s old accounting job.”

Billy’s forehead creased in thought. She could almost see the red flags popping up behind his eyes.

“Moxy,” he supplied.

She nodded. “I told him I had no part in that slice of my father’s life, but he didn’t seem to care,” she continued. She twisted her hands together, and when she recounted what happened next her stomach was a knot of coldness. “Then he saw Alexa playing in the house behind me. He told me that I might change my mind if I had the right incentive.”

Billy’s body managed to take on an even greater tension.

“What did he want you to change your mind about?” he asked. “Telling him the location of something important or wanting nothing to do with your father’s past business?”

Mara sighed.

“I don’t know. After he looked Alexa’s way, I told him he needed to leave.” Mara let her gaze drop. “He didn’t argue, but he did say he’d be seeing me again soon.”

Billy’s chair scraped the hardwood as he pushed back. Mara could feel her eyes widen in surprise as she readjusted her attention to his expression.

Anger. And it definitely wasn’t meant for her this time.

“I’m assuming he didn’t give you a name,” Billy said, walking out of the dining room and disappearing. He was back a second later with a small notepad and a pen in his hands.

“Just a first name. Beck.”

“And did you call the cops?”

A burst of heat spread up her neck and pooled in her cheeks. Mara had thought about filing a police report, but the mention of her father had thrown her completely off-kilter. What she would normally have done went out the window. Instead, her thoughts had flown south to Riker County. And the only man who had ever made her feel safe. Suddenly, that feeling that had burned so strongly hours before when she’d packed the car and taken Alexa on a trip across Alabama seemed rash.

“No,” she admitted. “I should have but—well, I thought if someone was trying to start up my father’s business again that they would start it here. I thought that I should—I don’t know—warn you or something.” Again, her words sounded lame compared to what she wanted to say. But at least they were true. In his prime, Bryan Copeland had grown a drug network that nearly swallowed the whole of Riker County. His dealings had cost the lives of several residents, including teenagers. Not to mention a cascade of repercussions that were harder to measure. The fact that all of her father’s former connections hadn’t been found was one that had always made the man in front of her nervous. Part of her father’s business hadn’t been accounted for...which meant that if this Beck person was trying to start up again, it would only stand to reason he might have found the people law enforcement hadn’t. Or maybe that’s what Beck was looking for.

For the first time since he’d stepped back through the door, Billy’s expression softened a fraction. The lines of tension in his shoulders, however, did not.

“Could you describe to me what this Beck guy looks like?” He flipped open the notebook and clicked his pen. “And did you see his car?”

“Yes and yes.”

Mara spent the next few minutes painting a picture of the stranger named Beck until Billy was satisfied it was enough to try and look him up through the department’s database.

Mara thought it curious that Billy never asked where she was currently living. It made her wonder if he’d looked her up at all in the last two years. She hadn’t gone far, but far enough that Riker County had been firmly in her rearview.

“I want you to come to the station with me tomorrow,” Billy said, closing the notepad. “I’m going to see if the sketch artist from the state agency can come in and work with you. Maybe the new guy can draw us a good picture to work with if this Beck person isn’t on our list of people with warrants out on them.”

“So, you think Beck was serious?”

Mara sat straighter. The possibility of someone revitalizing Moxy, or any drug, within the community using the foundation her father had laid was finally sinking in. Just another reason for the residents of Riker County to despise her and her family. “You think he’s really going to try and start up where Dad left off?”

Billy let out a long breath. He ran his hands through his hair. How attractive she still found him was not lost on Mara. Looking at him now, a well-built, fine-tuned man with miles and miles of goodwill and good intentions, she could feel the stirring of feelings she needed to stay still. Not to mention the heat of attraction that always lit within her when Billy was anywhere near. But now wasn’t the time or place. If there was a chance he could forgive her for leaving, she doubted he’d forgive her for keeping their daughter a secret—a topic of conversation she was sure would take place once the cop side of him was done flexing his professional muscles.

The sheriff cleared his throat. His eyes hardened. He had something to say and she doubted she’d like it.

“We found Bernie Lutz in a ditch tonight,” he started. Mara felt recognition flare but couldn’t keep it burning long enough to connect. Billy helped her out. “He was one of the drug dealers your dad used who escaped the serious charges after Bryan went to court.” There it was.

“The one with the ex-wife tattoo,” she said. He nodded.

“This was never confirmed, but the story his girlfriend spun was that two men came to their house looking for something the other day. Whatever it was, Bernie didn’t know or didn’t tell. This could all be a coincidence, but you know me, I don’t believe in those.” Billy put his finger on the paper he’d just written on. He jabbed it once. “Not only do I think this mystery man is going to try to start up your dad’s old business, but I think he might have already started.”

* * *

BILLY WAITED FOR Mara to process everything and then excused himself to go to his room. He slipped into his attached bathroom and splashed cold water on his face. The night had thrown him several curveballs and he hadn’t hit one of them.

Even if he filtered out Mara’s sudden reappearance and the absolute bombshell that was their daughter, Billy still had Bryan Copeland’s legacy to worry about. Whoever this Beck person was, Billy would be damned if he was going to let him repeat what had caused Riker County so much pain years ago. Especially not during the holiday. That was no present any family should have to get.

Billy splashed another wave of water on his face. He stayed hunched over, resting his elbows on the edge of the sink, and kept his eyes closed. There. He could feel the weight of Riker County’s newest burden settling against him. It pressed down on his shoulders and kept going until it hit his chest. No, he wasn’t going to stand by while the residents of his county endured another Bryan Copeland incident.

Billy opened his eyes.

Not while he was sheriff.

He dried his face, and without changing out of his wet clothes, he walked out to find Mara, his mind already made up.

She was standing in the living room, Alexa asleep in her arms. Her bag was thrown over her shoulder and her expression was already telling him goodbye.

“You’re leaving.”

Mara’s cheeks reddened but her answer came out clear, concrete.

“Yes, but not town. To be honest, I don’t like Beck knowing where I live so I don’t want to go back there just yet,” she answered. “Plus, to be even more honest, I’m really tired. The faster we get to the hotel, the happier I’ll be.”

Billy wasn’t a complicated man. At least, he didn’t think he was. Yet, standing there a few feet from a woman who had left him in the dust, he knew he shouldn’t have felt any joy at her admission that she was staying. Or an ounce of desire from looking at her hardened nipples through her light pink T-shirt—the result, he guessed, from the AC he had turned up despite the cool they were getting from the storm—or how her jeans hugged her legs just right. But he did.

“Stay here instead,” Billy said before he realized he’d even thought it. Mara’s eyes widened a fraction. Her cheeks darkened slightly. “The guest bedroom is free, the sheets are clean and you don’t have to drive in the rain to get there. Plus, Miller’s parking lot looked pretty full. Probably lousy with in-laws and extended family members that no one wants in their house.”

He grinned, trying to drive his point home. It didn’t work.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea,” Mara said, eyes straying from his. He wondered if she knew he was thinking about her naked and against him. It was a fleeting thought, but by God it was there. “I’ve already upset your life enough by coming here.”

Billy cleared his throat and tried to clear the feelings of attraction he was currently wading through. He needed some space from her, but he wasn’t about to let her leave without a fight, either. Something he wished he could have done two years before.

“Then stay in the guesthouse,” he offered.

Mara met his gaze.

“I finished it last summer,” he explained, remembering she hadn’t known he’d thrown all of his spare time into finishing the apartment that used to be the detached garage. It had been less for his mother when she came for long visits and more of a distraction. “Come on, Mara,” he continued when she still seemed to be weighing her options. He moved closer but stopped when the floorboard squeaked. It earned a small movement from Alexa. Billy let himself look at the little girl before fixing her mama with a look he hoped didn’t show how hard it was to just talk to her. “Please, Mara. Just stay.”

Mara shifted Alexa so she was more firmly on her hip. A wisp of a smile pulled up her lips but it blew away before she answered.

“Okay, we’ll stay in the guesthouse if it really doesn’t bother you.”

Billy nodded and moved to grab her bag. His eyes lingered on Alexa but he didn’t ask to hold her. He couldn’t be a father right now. Not when things in Riker County were starting to heat up. Not when Mara had attracted the attention of a mysterious man who had no problem threatening children. Not when he’d been in contact with Mara for less than an hour and was already having trouble focusing on anything else. He shouldered the bag and led the two down the hall and to the back door, grabbing an umbrella in the process.

It wasn’t raining as hard as it had been, but it was enough to warrant pulling Mara close to him to stay dry beneath the umbrella. She didn’t move away or argue as she folded into his left arm and against his side. The inner war he was fighting was downright impossible to ignore as they walked in silence along the stone path that led to the guesthouse door. Billy pulled the keys out of his pocket and unlocked it.

“Here you go,” he said, voice low, even to his ears.

He watched as she stepped inside and wordlessly looked around the living space. A kitchenette, three-piece bathroom and a small bedroom made up the rest of the apartment. He’d built on to expand it but everything was still small. At least it was private.

And far enough away from him that he’d never know if she left.

“Oh, it’s beautiful, Billy,” Mara said after a moment. “You did a wonderful job.”

Billy would have taken the compliment with pride if anyone else had given it at any other time. But Mara’s words flipped a switch within him. He felt his body stiffen, his expression harden. The pain of finding her note on his pillow came back to him in full.

“I’ll come get you at seven,” he said. He stepped back out into the rain but didn’t look away from those dark eyes that made him crazy. “And, Mara, try not to leave this time. Once we get this guy you’re going to tell me exactly why you kept my daughter a secret.”

Chapter Four

Mara and Alexa were up and ready when Billy knocked on the guesthouse door the next morning.

“You’re late,” Mara greeted him, a hand on her hip. She nodded to the clock on the wall behind her. It was ten past seven.

“I thought I’d give you some wiggle room,” he admitted. He looked down at Alexa, who was, for the first time, wide-awake since they’d shown up on his doorstep. Her attention stayed on the stuffed dog in her hands as she played on the floor.

“There’s no such thing as wiggle room when you have a toddler,” she said with a smirk. It was meant as a quick comment, but Billy couldn’t help but wonder about the foundation it was born from. When had Mara learned that lesson? Whenever it was, all he knew was it was without him.

Mara’s smirk sank into a frown. She cleared her throat, humor gone.

“Listen, about Alexa,” she started, but Billy was already a step ahead of her. He held his hand up for her to stop.

“Again, I want to have this talk. I really would like to know why you kept my daughter from me,” he said, serious. “But not right now.” Mara opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, trying to find what words, Billy didn’t know, but he didn’t have time to find out. “Right now we need to find Beck and figure out what it is he’s done and is trying to do so we can stop him,” he continued. “My first priority is to keep you two safe. You can tell me all about your reasoning for not letting me know I was a father later.” While he spoke with what he was trying to pass off as authority, he couldn’t help but hear the anger at the end of it.

He’d spent most of the night lying awake in bed, coming up with a plan of action for the day. In the plan was a large section related to how he wanted to handle Mara and Alexa. After hours of no sleep, he’d decided the best way to do his job—to keep everyone safe—was to detach himself emotionally from the dark-haired beauties in front of him.

However, maybe that was going to be harder than he’d thought.

“Okay,” Mara finally said. “I’ll follow you to the station.”

She grabbed her bag and scooped up Alexa. The little girl clung to her stuffed animal with laser-like focus. Billy wondered what other toys she liked.

“There’s a coffeehouse that opened up across the street that has pretty good breakfast,” Billy said as he locked up the guesthouse behind them.

“I actually packed enough cereal to last for weeks for this one,” Mara said, motioning to Alexa. “She’s a nut about Cheerios as soon as she wakes up in the morning.” Alexa swung her head up to face Mara and let out a trill of laughter. It surprised Billy how he instantly loved the sound. “Yeah, you’ve already scarfed down two helpings, haven’t you, you little chowhound?” Mara cooed at the girl. Together they laughed, bonded in their own little world.

One that Billy didn’t know.

He cleared his throat and Mara straightened.

“But,” she continued, expression turning to the same focus her daughter had worn before. “If they have good coffee, I won’t turn that down.” She smiled but it didn’t last long. “And, Billy, I know it’s not my place, but I noticed you didn’t have a tree or any Christmas decorations or lights...”

Billy sighed.

No matter what was happening in their lives, leave it to the women of the South to still care about Christmas decorations.

* * *

THE RIKER COUNTY Sheriff’s Department was located in the very heart of Carpenter but was by no means in an extravagant headquarters. That never stopped Billy from feeling a boost of pride when it swung into view. Placed between the county courthouse and the local television station, the sheriff’s department was two stories tall and full of men and women tasked with protecting their Southern home.

Wrapped in faded orange brick and concrete, its entrance opened up to a street almost every Carpenter resident had to drive along to get somewhere, while its parking lot around back butted up against a business park that housed a bistro, a coffeehouse and a clothing boutique called Pepper’s. Billy and Mara angled their cars into the assigned and guest parking, respectively, and headed straight to the coffeehouse. Billy had tried to convince Mara to ride with him but she’d pointed out his day could get hectic and she liked having the option of her own transportation. Not to mention the car seat was already in her car. Billy decided not to push the topic since she was a flight risk. Instead, he decided to act like everything was normal when they went into the coffeehouse. There they earned a double take from one half of the owner pair known as the Chambers. Becky, a bigger woman with short hair and an even shorter temper, was surprisingly tactful as she addressed them.

“Well, Sheriff, can’t say I was expecting to see you on your day off,” she started, then she switched her attention to Mara and Alexa. “And certainly not with two lovely ladies in tow.”

Billy ignored the affectionate part of the statement, along with what felt suspiciously like pride, and showed just how happy he was about being in on his off day with a frown.

“A sheriff’s job is never done,” he said solemnly.

“Not with that attitude.” Becky winked at Mara, but the dark-haired beauty’s gaze had been drawn to the corner booth.

“I’ll take my usual,” Billy said. “She’ll take one of your mocha iced coffee concoctions I always complain about.”

Becky raised her eyebrow.

“Does the lady not get a say?” she asked, voice beginning to thread with disapproval. Her changing tone must have snagged Mara’s attention. She turned back to them with a small smile.

“She definitely does, but this one here apparently hasn’t forgotten my guilty mocha pleasures,” she said. “With whipped cream, too, if you have it, please.”

Becky seemed appeased that Billy wasn’t rolling over Mara and went about making their drinks while they hung off to the side of the counter. Billy expected Mara to comment about his remembering her favorite caffeinated drink but the woman seemed focused on the corner booth again. So much so that she hardly noticed when he moved close enough to drop his voice so no one else heard him.

“What’s going on?”

Alexa looked up from her place on Mara’s hip and stared at Billy with an expression caught somewhere between inquisitive and concerned. He couldn’t help but stare right back into those green eyes. Like looking into a mirror when it came to the same green.

“That’s Donna Ramsey,” Mara answered, in an equally low voice. Billy broke his staring contest with Alexa and angled his body to glance at the other side of the room. True to her words, Donna Ramsey was sitting in the corner booth, head bent over the magazine and coffee on the table in front of her. He nodded.

“It is.”

Billy watched as Mara’s face grew tight. She furrowed her brow.

“Do you know Donna personally?” he asked, his own concern pushing to the forefront. Mara shook her head.

“I’ve only spoken to her once.”

“About?”

He knew Mara well enough to know that her thoughts had turned dark. From anger or sadness or something else, though, he couldn’t tell.

“About my father,” she answered, voice nearly lost amidst the clatter of the espresso machine. Mara lost her dark look and replaced it with something akin to nonchalance.

“Don’t worry,” she said. “It was before I left and nothing I didn’t already know.”

Becky bustled into view before he could question Mara further. She handed them their drinks and looked at Billy.

“Remember, Sheriff, complaining always makes problems ten times worse,” she said sagely. “So stop complaining and start drinking some of the best coffee this town has to offer.”

Billy couldn’t help but smirk.

“You got it, Becky.”

Mara waved goodbye while Alexa giggled, and soon the three of them were walking to the back of the station.

“I like her,” Mara commented.

“Next time you order from her, tell her that,” Billy said. “Suzy did and now she gets a discount.”

Mara laughed and Alexa started to babble. Billy craned his neck to look down at her face. Whatever she was saying must have been normal because Mara didn’t skip a beat.

“Suzy,” she started. “I—I haven’t seen her since you were sworn in.”

They had made it to the back door used by employees only. Billy pulled out his key and went ahead and addressed the elephant in their shared room.

“She’s still one of the few in the department who knows about us working together to bring down your dad. I never told anyone else about the other us. Or what we used to be,” he amended. With his key hanging in the lock he looked over his shoulder to the woman he’d been ready to spend forever with and then to their child. “I’ll leave it up to you what personal details you want to disclose to my staff. And I’ll follow your lead. But whatever you choose to do today, don’t think I won’t undermine it tomorrow if I need to.”

Then Billy opened the door and headed inside, mind already going into work mode. He had a murder to solve and a man named Beck to find.

* * *

IT WAS COMFORTING, in a way, to walk into the department alongside Billy. Because, unlike their lives in the last two years, the building hadn’t changed. At least, not any way that Mara could tell.

They took the back hallway that ran behind dispatch and the break room and turned the corner to where Mara knew offices lined one of the hallways that led back toward the lobby. Billy’s office was smack dab in the middle of the others. His nameplate shone with importance. Mara couldn’t help but feel some pride creep in at the sight of it.

“Walden, the sketch artist, said he’d be here by eight thirty,” Billy said, walking them past his office. “Until then I’d like you to officially make a statement about this Beck fellow. I’m going to double-check that no one fitting Beck’s description is a part of an open case with us or local PD.” He stopped two doors over and motioned her inside. It was the conference room and it definitely wasn’t empty.

Mara felt her cheeks immediately heat at the sight of mostly familiar faces. Alexa tucked her head into the side of her neck, suddenly shy. Mara didn’t blame her. Billy motioned to an open chair, one of many, around the long table in the middle of the room. Mara sat down with tired grace. Alexa’s sudden shyness didn’t help either one of them adjust from standing to sitting down.

“Most of you already know Mara, and Mara you know them.” Billy continued to stand. He motioned to Suzy, Matt Walker and Dane Jones. The last time she’d seen them Suzy had been a deputy along with Billy, Matt had been a deputy, too and Dane had been on his way to being sheriff. Now, sitting across from them, Mara doubted their titles were the same. She wondered what title Dane had now but she wasn’t about to ask for clarification.

On the same side of the table was the one face she didn’t recognize, a pretty young woman with curly blond hair and a smile that looked genuine. Before Mara could stop the thought, she wondered if Billy found the woman pretty, too.

“Mara, this is Cassie Gates,” Billy said, making the introduction. “She’s training to be a dispatcher.” Mara couldn’t stop the confusion that must have crossed her expression as to why a dispatcher, a trainee dispatcher, was in the room with them when the woman answered the question herself.

“I’m the youngest of six siblings, most of whom have a kid or two under their belt, so I’m very experienced in the art of keeping little ones entertained when their mamas need to do something important,” she said, voice as sweet as her appearance. She flashed a quick smile at Alexa and addressed the toddler directly. “And what’s your name? I bet it’s something pretty.”

The entire room seemed to wait as Alexa peeked out at Cassie. There was nothing like waiting for a toddler’s judgment. Seemingly based on some unknown factor, there was no telling how a child would react to something new. That included people. However, instead of hiding away again, Alexa seemed intrigued. She looked back at Mara for a moment, as if asking for permission.

“This is Alexa,” Mara introduced them with a smile, showing Alexa her approval of the woman next to them. She might have been a stranger to her but she wasn’t to Billy. Mara trusted his judgment. And Alexa trusted Mara’s.

“Well, what do you know. That is a pretty name,” Cassie said, animation in her words. It reeled in Alexa’s attention. The blonde reached for a bag next to her. From her seat Mara could see it was filled with books and toys. Billy had prepared for the morning, despite short notice. “If it’s okay with your mama, how about we go next door and play in the sheriff’s office? You could even help me read this.” Cassie held up the children’s book Pat the Pet and Alexa nearly lost it.

“Dog! Dog,” she exclaimed, already trying to get off Mara’s lap.

It earned a surprised laugh from Cassie. Mara reached into her own bag and produced the same book.

“Welcome to her favorite book,” she said to the trainee. “She likes petting the dog the most.”

Mara gave Cassie permission to go next door and play, since Alexa seemed to have lost any doubt about the woman as soon as the book had come into view. Mara didn’t miss the way Billy’s eyes stuck to the cover of the copy Mara had brought along. With more than a twinge of guilt, she realized that, like the stranger who was Cassie, he hadn’t had a clue in the world what his daughter did and didn’t like.

But Mara couldn’t change what she’d already done and turned to face what was left of the group. The men each gave her a friendly smile. Suzy, on the other hand, gave her a stiff nod. While the other two had known about their working relationship, Suzy alone had known about Mara and Billy’s romantic one and her sudden departure. As one of Billy’s closest friends, Suzy probably knew better than even her how he’d handled it, too.

“Now, Mara,” Billy started, setting a tape recorder in the middle of the table. “If you could start at the beginning, when the man named Beck visited you.”

Mara repeated the story she’d told Billy the night before, making sure to give them as clear a picture as she could of Beck. Before she could finish describing his clothes and car, however, a man knocked at the door. Despite his dark complexion, Mara mentally likened his expression to “looks like he’s seen a ghost.”

“Excuse me, Sheriff, we have a problem,” he interrupted. Like fans passing on a wave in a football stadium’s stands, Billy and his staff became visibly tense.

“What is it?” The man hesitated and looked at Mara. “It’s fine. Tell me,” Billy added, showing that Mara’s presence didn’t bother them with whatever news he had.

Which wasn’t good news at all.

“We just got a call about two teens who are being taken to the hospital,” he started. “They were both overdoses.”

Mara’s eyes widened. She asked him what everyone else was thinking.

“Of what?”

Bless him, he didn’t hesitate in responding to her, though Mara would have been happier if it had been with a different answer.

“Moxy. They overdosed on Moxy.”

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