The Sheriff Gets His Lady

He surprised them both by chuckling. The deep sound rippled over her nerve endings, bringing an inadvertent smile to her lips. But when he slid his fingers deep into the front pocket at his hip, her mouth went dry. She followed his fingers, drawn to the fit of his jeans over that nicely muscled form.

Good grief, what was wrong with her? She never stared at a man like this. She was too old to be gawking at him like some virginal schoolgirl even if he was as tempting as sin itself.

He smiled with chocolatey rich brown eyes and she knew he’d noticed her watching him. Warmth bathed her cheeks and she forced herself to look away. A woman could lose all coherent thought staring into eyes like those.

He withdrew a folder and flipped it open. Sky barely glanced at the badge inside. She already knew what it said and she was busy being irked by the chemical rush feeding her hormones.

“Now that I showed you mine,” he said softly, “how about a peek at yours?”

She could actually feel her blush growing brighter. Not for the first time she cursed her porcelain skin, which made blushing an uncontrollable fact of life. That was bad enough, but for some stupid reason she couldn’t seem to catch her breath. The lines beside his mouth and eyes deepened. Another smile edged up the corners of his lips as he slipped the folder back inside his front pocket.

She should be striving to convey her annoyance. Instead, his expression made her feel vividly alive and totally female. The heady rush made it impossible to dislike the man. Still, she’d better get the upper hand fast.

“A quick peek like that hardly merits a full display on my part,” she said tartly. “I haven’t broken any laws.”

“None that I know about, anyhow.”

God, but he had a killer smile. The perfect accompaniment for that deep sexy voice and those seriously dangerous bedroom eyes. Madison Avenue would kill to have him.

“You really are the local sheriff?” she asked, stalling.

He tipped back the brim of his hat, watching her steadily. “Duly elected and everything.”

She’d bet every female in the county had voted for him just to catch a glimpse of that smile.

The abrupt sound of a car horn made them both jump. Sky’s mouth turned into a desert when she realized she was about to have her “accidental” meeting after all. Her daughter was right on schedule and Sky still wasn’t prepared.

Her knees threatened to buckle. She wanted to wipe away the sudden dampness from hands that were visibly trembling. Instead, she clutched her bag more firmly, drawing it against her like a shield. This was her daughter, a piece of her very being that no one and nothing could deny. And not a sound issued past her dry, parted lips.

The sheriff had spun to face the vehicle behind him. The functioning portion of Sky’s mind told her he was cursing under his breath as he hurried forward. He wasn’t going to want to learn why she was here. Her worst-case scenario would come true if she didn’t handle this perfectly.

But that was her daughter sitting there!

“Hey, Dad!” Lauren called through the open window on the passenger’s side of her car. “Marvin wants to know what you want done with the truck. He said you just walked off and left it there. I told him that oil leak must have gotten the best of you.”

“Lauren, I’m busy right now.”

Instantly, her eyes darkened in concern. Sky wanted to protest. She wanted to come forward. Yet she stood mute as stone, emotion obstructing the words clogging her throat.

This was her daughter. That small, precious life she’d carried inside her body for nine long months, the infant she had never seen, was now a grown woman staring back at her with eyes so like her own. Sky felt numb.

“Sorry, Dad.”

The sheriff’s shoulders relaxed, but he kept his back turned to Sky, deliberately not introducing them.

“That’s okay. I’ll talk to Marvin when I’m through here.”

“Need a lift home?”

He shook his head and his tone gentled. “No, thanks. The truck got me here, it will get me back. I’ve got chili in the slow cooker. You can do the salad, but don’t let Limpet con you into any more green pepper. It gives him gas.”

She grinned impishly. Sky’s heart turned over as she recognized the look. Her own mother had often given it to Sky many times over the years.

“I won’t, Dad.”

“I should be home in an hour.”

“Okay.” With a curious glance at Sky, she pulled away.

Sky drew in a jagged breath, breaking the stasis that had held her so silent. In that brief exchange, she had learned everything she’d wanted to know about her daughter’s relationship with her adoptive father. Their loving bond was almost a tangible thing.

The jagged pain that razored its way through her had its roots sunk deep in jealousy. She stared after Lauren with a longing that brought the sting of tears to her eyes once more.

Noah turned to find the woman watching Lauren drive away with an expression he couldn’t define, but one that instantly raised new alarms. He no longer felt indulgent, nor would he allow the chemistry between them to interfere any further.

“I’ll see your identification now,” he said briskly.

He sensed a moment of apprehension, then her hand slid quickly inside her briefcase. Belatedly, his training kicked in. He reached back toward his weapon.

“Hold it!”

She raised her face, the hair parting smoothly away from creamy smooth skin. “What?”

“Bring your hand back out real slow.”

Her mouth opened in an O of surprise. With a jerky nod, she slowly withdrew her hand. Her fingers clutched a black leather wallet.

“Set the briefcase on the hood of your car.”

She complied without a word, but she was trembling. He ignored a momentary desire to reassure her.

“Now take your driver’s license from the wallet.”

Her fingers shook just the tiniest bit as she fumbled to remove the license. A business card fell to the ground at his feet. With a darting movement, she scooped it quickly, but he glimpsed the gilt lettering on the front and made out the word investigator. His chest felt hollow as she stuffed the card back inside the wallet, looking guilty as sin.

“Here, Sheriff.”

She was careful not to touch him as she handed him her driver’s license. Noah scanned the plastic card while keeping part of his attention on her. He wished he had his radio. He had no way to run her license. And he was definitely going to run it.

“Skylar Diamond?” he asked suspiciously. The picture wasn’t flattering, but it was her. The name sounded as phony as her story about being a fashion designer.

“My mother thought it had a dramatic ring to it.”

“What did your father think?”

Her shoulders lifted and fell. “I have no idea. He didn’t stick around long enough for me to meet him.”

Chagrined, he couldn’t think of an answer to that. He wished she’d take off those glasses. You could tell a lot about a person from their eyes. Noah studied the New York address. He wasn’t familiar with the city, but he thought the location sounded uptown. The high-rent district would certainly go with her outfit, which was as out of place here in Darwin Crossing as the woman herself.