Page 3 of Tied to Trouble

His job had been to protect her, and he took it seriously. Through the years, he’d convinced himself he only wanted to be friends, until somewhere along the way, being her friend had become the last thing on his mind. Unfortunately for him, Mandy hadn’t changed the way he had.

Until now.

Did that toe-curling kiss they’d just shared mean shehadchanged her mind? And if it did, their relationship just became even more complicated by the fact that he had nothing to offer her at this stage in his life. Another reason he’d kept her at little sister status even after high school. ?

When she’d defied him and turned her back on him today, it had been the last straw, and he couldn’t help his reaction. No way was she going to go to the Saddle alone and pick up dates. It was just too dangerous. Had it been a joke? Or was she still a virgin, and her intent was real?

He frowned at the road in front of him. Back in town for just a few hours, and she was already turning him inside out. The girl was trouble with a capital T. What was he supposed to do with her?

A few minutes later, he came to a screeching halt in front of the sheriff’s department and climbed out of the dusty jeep. He was met by the cool air conditioning when he stepped inside the building and swiped the sweat off his brow by ducking his forehead into the shoulder of his plaid cotton shirt.

He liked to wear his shirts open with just an undershirt beneath. That way, he could take off the outer layer, if need be, especially at this time of year when the cooler weather was trying to keep out the heat and humidity common to a Memorial Day weekend.

“Morning, Az,” Emily Butler chirped.

Az nodded in response. Nothing changed much in the small town of Mockingbird Hollow, the county seat of Whippoorwill County, Missouri. Emily had been Evan Dorney’s secretary for as long as he could remember. Nodding to the attractive, middle-aged soccer mom, he traversed the narrow hallway to the sheriff’s office, opened it with a scowl, and eased his long frame inside.

“Howdy do to you too,” Sheriff Dorney greeted him good-naturedly, grinning at the scowl on Az’s face. “What’s got a burr under your saddle this afternoon?”

“Nothing, I’ll handle it.”

“Wouldn’t happen to have anything to do with Mandy Merriweather, would it?”

Az snorted. “Maybe—but I’m not telling you if it is.” He lifted an eyebrow at his tormentor.

Sheriff Dorney chuckled. “You’re a durned fool, boy. You should have already tied the knot with that filly by this time. You’ve been hankering after her for years, since you were both youngins’, I reckon.”

“She’s just a friend, that’s all.”

“That’s how it’s supposed to start.” Brown eyes twinkled under his bushy blond eyebrows. “Then you get married—a step you seem to have missed somewhere along the line.”

“I don’t want to get married.” Az slouched his long frame in the hard-backed chair and crossed his left ankle over his right knee. “Besides, even if I did, I have six more months of schooling. I can’t get married right now; I don’t have time for that nonsense.”

He stared at the older man, daring him to refute his statement, which he was sure he would. Sheriff Dorney was never afraid to let anyone know his opinion.

“Oh hell, where there’s a will, there’s a way, son. You’re going to keep playing that little fish until she slips off the hook if you aren’t careful.” His sharp eyes, undimmed by the relentless passage of the years, studied Az with a mocking gleam.

Az grinned. “You know what they say, plenty more fish in the sea.”

“But only one for me,” came the swift retort. “You’ve been carrying a candle for that little girl for years, admit it.”

“Maybe,” Az agreed, still feeling restless and irritated with Mandy. “Then again, maybe not. I don’t know for sure.” He studied the sheriff in return. He was a big man, nearing fifty and tough as an ox. His brown hair was the color of cocoa with a few white streaks in it, and in the mustache that adorned his upper lip. Az liked and respected him, despite their barbed repartee.

The sheriff leaned back in his chair, the wheels creaking slightly as they moved backward a bit, and folded his hands across his taut stomach.

“Well, son, while you’re trying to figure it out, someone else may come along and take her out from under your nose. She’s been frequenting The Lazy Saddle more and more lately. And I know for a fact that Sam Pickering has his eye on her.” He twiddled his thumbs and grinned like a wolf. “Besides, there are plenty of men sniffing around her, always have been. She just hasn’t been ready before now.”

“What do you know about it?” Az growled, jealousy instantly flaring in his gut. “And who the devil is Sam Pickering?”

“Sam Pickering works for Genetico,” he replied. “I always know what goes on here in Mockingbird Hollow. That is...until lately.”

“Until lately?” Az perked up; a mystery always caught his interest.

The sheriff stroked his mustache. “It’s the weirdest thing. We’ve got some rustling going on, and some of the ranchers are getting hot under the collar. The problem is that none of the cattle are showing up anywhere. Doesn’t look like they are being sold off for meat either. So, I’m not sure what is going on except there’s been some talk about Genetico.”

“The lab on the outskirts of town?”

“Since we only have one, yeah, that’s the one.” The sheriff’s eyes twinkled.

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