The Lawman's Honor

His comment was met with a round of introductions which he figured was a good thing. Getting to know the people in town would be as important to this job as it had been in covert operations.

But even as he carried on polite conversations with the women, cataloguing which one’s husband ran the bait shop and which was a retired schoolteacher, and who was at the scene last night, it was Cassie his gaze kept coming back to. Medium height, she looked taller in bright red high heels that matched her equally red lipstick. If he put his arms around her, she’d hit him about chin-high in sock feet. The wayward thought startled him. He didn’t know this woman, other than she’d been kind enough to help an injured stranger. Why was he stirred by the thought of Cassie, the hairdresser, in cozy little socks?

“Thank you for the flowers,” she said in that same silky voice that had invaded his concussed dreams. “They’re beautiful, but you really didn’t need to go to all that trouble.”

“If you hadn’t come along...” He let the thought ride. No use going there. They both knew. “Glad you like them.”

Before he could make the expected quick exit, the door behind him opened. He couldn’t help himself. Years of watching his back had him turning to the side as yet another female entered the building. This one was pretty in the way of women who spend a lot of time and money on their looks. Dressed to kill in a pencil-slim skirt and stiletto heels, she was a well-groomed blonde, blue-eyed and thinner than he liked his women. Not that he’d focused much on women in the past decade. He liked the female gender—a lot—but in his line of work, personal relationships had taken a backseat. About the time things started to progress, he’d be shipped off to some dark corner of the earth. Which was just as well. He had a job to do and a vow to keep.

Automatically, he touched his pocket and felt for the badge resting against his thigh, a reminder of his life’s mission and why he’d never settled down.

“Louise, I broke a nail,” the newcomer announced in a voice that said a broken fingernail was a state of emergency. She held up an index finger and pouted. “Can you fix it for me right quick? Pretty please?”

The wild-haired Louise nodded. The manicurist reminded him of those wide-eyed dolls whose heads were bigger than their bodies. “Sure thing, Michelle. Give me a couple of minutes to finish Ruby Fay.”

“I have an appointment at the bank in a few—” The woman’s voice trailed off when she spotted Heath. “Oh, my gracious, I am so sorry for interruptin’.” She stuck out the hand with the broken nail. “I’m Michelle Jessup. You must be our new police officer.”

Might as well get used to it. In a small town news carried far and fast.

“This is Heath Monroe, Michelle,” Cassie said, taking up the tools of her trade again. “And you guessed right. He’s our new assistant chief.”

“My goodness gracious, Heath, honey, you are all beat up. Oh, this is terrible. Not a good welcome to our little burg at all.” She pressed long-nailed fingers to her chest in an affected pose. Most of the people Heath had encountered so far in Whisper Falls spoke with a stronger-than-Texas accent but this woman’s suddenly thickened to Southern syrup. “I heard about that scary accident you had. What a blessing our little Cassie came along in the nick of time.”

Heath shot an amused look at “our little Cassie,” who lifted one eyebrow but didn’t speak. Heath didn’t like to judge a person on first impressions, but Michelle was making a strong one.

“Very lucky. I could have been stuck down there for days before anyone found me.”

“Well, isn’t she just heroic?” Michelle gushed, moving into Heath’s space with a flirty smile. “Your poor eye. It must hurt like crazy.” She was close enough that he could smell her perfume, an exotic blend of flowers and spice. “My daddy owns Jessup’s Pharmacy right down the street. If you need anything at all, you tell Daddy I sent you, and he’ll fix you right up.”

“I appreciate the offer. Thanks.” He eased a step back.

“You are so welcome,” Michelle said brightly, letting the last word trail off in a long, slow drawl. “Glad to help in any way I can. We take care of our people around here.”

“We sure do,” Louise muttered. “Especially our handsome new law-enforcement personnel.”

A snicker ran around the edges of the room, but if Michelle noticed, she didn’t let on. Heath practiced his poker face.

“I heard about your SUV being all smashed up. I am so sorry. If it can’t be fixed and you have to have a new one, you come right on over to the bank and see me. As the chief loan officer in Whisper Falls, I will take good care of you.”

A man would have to be blind, deaf and brain-dead not to get the message, though the woman couldn’t know Heath was immune. He’d been propositioned by some of the best, usually when he was about to haul them to jail.

“Good to know. Appreciate it. Everyone here has been very helpful.”

“Oh, Heath, you are so welcome.” She tilted her head and hunched one shoulder in a pretty pose, flashing him a dazzling smile.

“Michelle, I’m ready for you.” Louise patted the tabletop and motioned toward the chair. “Come on over. You don’t want to be late for that appointment.”

The flirtatious woman turned her back and walked toward the manicurist, hips swaying. Heath purposely glanced away, catching Cassie’s eye. If he wasn’t mistaken, she’d found the exchange as over-the-top as he had. Big green eyes dancing above some woman’s haircut, she fawned and mouthed, “Oh, Heath.”

Heath felt his nostrils flare as he fought back a laugh. Time to hit the road. He lifted a hand in farewell. “See you later.”

Cassie tilted her head and smiled. “Thanks again for the flowers.”

Their gazes held for several more seconds while he recalled the feel of her soft hands scanning his face and his hair. A zing of energy sizzled through him like last night’s lightning.

Puzzling over the unexpected reaction to his rescuer, Heath limped out into the sunlight, the noise of female conversation trailing him. Once the coast was clear, he paused. Hands on his hips, he looked up into the sunny blue sky and laughed.

He wasn’t sure what he’d signed up for, but Whisper Falls might turn out to be a lot more interesting than he’d ever expected.

Chapter Four

Thunderstorms had brewed up every afternoon for the entire week Heath had lived in Whisper Falls. The ground was a mud bog, delaying tornado cleanup. With the chief as his guide, he had spent the days cruising the town in their one and only police vehicle, getting acquainted. The citizens welcomed him with warmth and curiosity, commiserating over his wrecked SUV, his black eye and the ankle that refused to stop swelling like an overheated helium balloon.

Late Thursday morning, he propped said foot on a padded chair next to the scarred desk in what was now his official office—a closet-size cubicle beside the courthouse jail. A window looked out on the courthouse lawn, a pretty space with a Vietnam memorial marker, a statue of the town’s founder and lots of springtime green. On the adjoining streetcars tooled past with slow irregularity. Easy Street was well named. Life was definitely slower here than anywhere else he’d been in a while. Not counting a tiny Mexican village that had once been his base for a very long three months.

He reached down and loosened the boot lace from around the yellow-and-purple ankle. Didn’t hurt as much today, but the tautly stretched tissues were uncomfortable and he couldn’t shake the limp. His head was clearer, though, thank the Father. Damage could have been a lot worse if not for Cassie Blackwell, though he wondered about the inordinate amount of time he’d spent thinking about the woman who’d saved his hide on a rain-slicked mountain road. So far, he’d resisted another trip to her sweet-smelling, female-fixing salon—a male’s purgatory—but he wouldn’t mind seeing Cassie again.

“Already laying down on the job, Monroe?” With her usual rowdy entrance, Chief Farnsworth slammed into this office. No knock. No warning. Just bam! “Wimping out over a measly dab of ankle pain?”

Heath gave her a lazy smile. “That’s me. Any excuse not to work.”

“Figures. You Feds are all the same. All blow and no go.”

“And all you small-town Southern cops are corrupt.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “Where’d you hide the body, Chief?”

Farnsworth barked a laugh. She was a straight-up law enforcer and Heath liked her. Didn’t mind working for her, either. He’d never chaffed at having a woman superior officer. Watching his mother raise three boys alone had taught him the value, strength and leadership of the female gender.

She leaned a hand on his desk. “One of us needs to do a safety walk through the school and look for security weaknesses this afternoon. You up to the task?”

Heath pushed back from the desk. He never figured himself as a desk man and didn’t plan to be much longer. Paperwork gave him colic. “Has someone made a threat?”

“No. Don’t plan to have any, either, but if they come, we want our kids protected.”

“You got that right. I don’t mind the trip, a good excuse to get acquainted with school personnel.” And hang with the kids. He missed his rambunctious nephews and that one fluffy-haired niece who could wrangle anything out of him with a dimpled smile.

“Sure you’re up to it? Requires some walking around the campus.”

Heath laced his boot, ignoring the throb and the question. “Want to call the superintendent? Or should I?”

“I’ll call, give him fair warning. His name is Gary Cummings. Reserved, suit-type feller but sharp as bear teeth.”

“Got it.” He dropped his foot to the floor and winced. Annoying. “I need to stop by the garage and check on my truck. That all right with you?”

“Fine. I’m headed up to talk with Judge Watson. The county DA is here today to go over some charges. Why don’t you cruise through town and make sure the citizens are behaving themselves?”

Heath huffed softly. “Is there any doubt? The place is quieter than a tomb.” Quiet seemed too mild a word. He-could-hear-his-hair-grow quiet.

“Just you wait, mister. Storm’s got ’em busy, but summer’s coming. Things heat up.”