Page 77 of Home Town Knight

“I had a hard time fitting in here in Hartley. My cousins treated me like shit. I wanted to get to know my other family, and finally my dad agreed, despite the rift between him and his father and brothers. My grandparents let me come to their ranch for the summers. I worked my ass off, but it was nice to get to know them. Especially my grandmother.”

“Grandmas are good like that, aren’t they?”

“The best. The hard part was how sad she was about my dad leaving. We conspired to get my dad and grandpa to talk to one another.”

“Did it work?”

I shook my head ruefully. “They could barely get through a conversation without fighting. Then too soon, my dad was gone, and they’d lost that chance. I know my grandfather is bitter and guilt-ridden about it. Which bleeds into how he relates to me. Now that I’m sheriff, I don’t get to see them as much as I’d like, and that just makes the strain worse when Idovisit. A vicious cycle. I can’t even tell if Grandad wants me there.”

“I’m sure he does. Sounds like you’re a good grandson, and that matters to him. Even if he doesn’t know how to show it.”

It was dark in the cabin, so we could barely see one another. But I heard the softness and sincerity in her voice. Made me want to reach out to her, hold her close. Comfort her the way she was trying to comfort me. I followed the outline of her to find the curve of her neck, then her jaw. She shivered and pressed into my touch.

“You’ve told me about your dad,” I said, “but you haven’t mentioned your mom. Is she around?”

She sighed, her breath warm against my hand. “My mom left when I was young. My parents married because they got pregnant. Kind of like yours. But they were never in love. I think my mom tried to be domestic, but it just didn’t stick. Probably better that she left when she did. She wanted a more adventurous life than being a wife and mom.”

“Raising a family sounds action-packed to me. Loving someone could be an adventure.” My heart thumped as I said that. Sounded cheesy, but it was true to the relationship my parents had. The kind of relationship I hadn’t even admitted that I wanted.

“I think so too,” Genevieve said. “But my mom clearly didn’t feel the same. She wanted to experience the world. I wasn’t enough.”

“Then she gave up a hell of a lot.” Despite the center console creating a barrier between us, I wrapped my arm around her and drew her as close as I could. Kissed her hair.

“Sometimes I wonder if I’m like her, though. I love to discover new things. Maybe it’s a cliché for a reporter, but I really am curious about the world. Not traveling to every corner, necessarily, but understanding it.”

“Seems to me, you’re more like your father. The way you’ve described him, at least. You have his steadfastness. His sense of duty.” I tucked my finger under her chin and lifted it so our lips were aligned. “But your fearlessness? That’s all your own.”

“You can tell that after knowing me for just a couple of days?”

“You’ve shown me what I need to know.” Our lips brushed as I spoke. “Everything I need to see you.” Enough to know I wanted more with her, no matter how unlikely that was.

I sucked on her lower lip. Gen whimpered.

“Sheriff, we’re supposed to be working. You’re not paying attention.”

“I’m multitasking.” I slid my tongue into her mouth. Nipped and sucked again at her plush lips. Just a few precious seconds, but I was greedy for them.

Sadly, the moment ended too soon when my damn phone buzzed. Someday, I was going on vacation and leaving that thing behind.

I grabbed the infernal device and checked the message I’d just received.

“It’s Dean,” I said. “Ellis left the restaurant.”

Then as I held my phone, a second message came in. This one from the Alpine’s night manager. “And Ellis just walked straight out of the hotel. He’s on the move.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Owen

Ellis’s carpulled out of the parking lot. Gen and I were ready. Keeping the lights off, I followed him at a distance, just enough to keep the red of his taillights in sight. I’d already radioed to dispatch to let them know I was tailing our target.

“Do you think he has any idea the police have been watching him?” Gen asked.

“Entirely possible. That’s why I’m staying back. Don’t want to spook him.”

After a few miles of Ellis taking a convoluted route, my suspicion was confirmed. The guy was acting like he wanted to shake a tail. Ellis was driving at a steady speed, so I figured he’d planned this route in advance even before leaving the hotel. He was an amateur though, going through the motions. Didn’t know what he was doing. And I was sure he hadn’t spotted me.

When we got to a busier road, I went ahead and turned my lights on, conscious of the danger. I hadn’t forgotten for one moment that I had Genevieve beside me. But eventually, Ellis turned back onto a deserted road, and I hung back and flipped my lights off again. The moon overhead lit the way, especially as my eyes adjusted.

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