Page 5 of Return to Laurel Valley

The exterior of the station looked like the rest of the town, as if it were part of the mountain landscape itself. It felt strange walking into a building that had planter boxes spilling with color, but the taxpayers of Laurel Valley preferred the building not look like a place where criminals were taken.

The inside looked similar to the lodge on the other side of the lake—wooden beams in the ceiling and polished oak floors. The reception area was empty of people, and there was no one behind the desk.

“Where’s Janet?” Blaze asked.

“Lunch break,” Colt said, the corner of his mouth twitching.

“What about everyone else? Why’s it so quiet in here?”

“Let’s just say everyone decided it was time to do rounds. You know how much safer the community feels when they see police cars driving around.”

Blaze grunted. “I don’t know whether to thank you or punch you.”

“I’m open for either,” Colt said. “It’s been a while since we scrapped. But it would probably make my wife mad if you mess up my face. She likes it.”

“There’s no accounting for taste,” Blaze said.

“I assume if I leave the two of you here together there won’t be bloodshed.”

“Not on my end,” Lily said, walking freely around the room as if the cuffs restraining her were simply an inconvenience. “I always liked you, Colt. You have a much more pleasant disposition than Sheriff Holds-a-Grudge.”

“If you think I’m getting in the middle of that particular fight then you are sadly mistaken,” Colt said.

“Unfortunately,” Blaze said. “You do have an outstanding warrant for your arrest, and you did leave town with a known fugitive in a suspicious manner.”

Lily rolled her eyes. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. You know that’s a ridiculous charge. I got my brother out of town and back where he belonged so he could stand trial.”

“And how is your brother?”

“Serving twenty in Rikers.”

Blaze squeezed her arm gently and turned her so she could see his sincerity. “I’m sorry to hear that.” He knew what it must have felt like for her to watch her only relative put away. She’d told him once she’d been close to Jacob before he’d taken a wrong path in the road, and knowing Lily as he did, she probably wondered daily if there was something more she could’ve done to help him.

She shrugged and broke eye contact, and her voice held nothing but resignation. “It’s what he deserved and probably what’s best. Even though we’re on different sides of the coin, you and I both stand for law and order. And we know it doesn’t discriminate against blood. Jacob made his choices. I’m only sorry he involved you guys in his mess.”

“We’ve dealt with it before, and we’ll deal with it again,” Blaze said. “It’s what we do. But just to be safe, I’d stay out of the River Rock Bar while you’re here.”

“Old Jerry still talks about you,” Colt said, grinning. “I’m surprised he doesn’t have your picture on a wanted poster hanging over the bar.”

“Good grief,” she said. “I’ll pay the damages just to not have to hear about it anymore. And if you don’t let me go, you could possibly have a much bigger problem on your hands.”

“She followed a skip into town,” Blaze explained when he saw Colt’s questioning look.

“Lovely,” Colt said. “That’s my cue to leave. I’m going to go home and weather the storm with my wife.” He gave Blaze a long look before he said, “Call me if you need anything.”

“We’ll be fine,” Blaze said. “There’s not much to be done about a skip tonight. Those storms are going to be bad. Hopefully, we won’t lose power. And hopefully everyone stays inside and hunkers down. The last thing I want to do is waste manpower because Charlie Odom’s cows got swept away in high water, or some fool decides it’s romantic to take his girlfriend to Lookout Point so they can make out to the sound of raindrops hitting metal.”

“I take it those are experiences you’ve had in the past?” Lily asked.

“And not ones I want to repeat again,” Blaze said. “But the people in this town are muleheaded and contrary. So we’ll see what the night holds. All of my deputies are on call.”

Colt gave them a two-finger salute and pushed the door open to leave. “You two stay out of trouble.”

The door closed behind Colt and the tension that had started to cool flared and simmered between them in hot waves.

“So tell me, Sheriff.” She watched him out of amused eyes and her chin was tilted in challenge. “Are you going to let me go so I can get a trail on my skip before the tracks are washed away? Or are we going to hunker down for the night and ride out the storm?”

A crack of thunder loud enough to shake the floor beneath them shattered the silence. Her hands were still cuffed behind her back and he took a step closer so he could feel her breath on his lips. She gave a soft sigh and his heart flipped in his chest. Not yet.

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