Page 8 of Surly Sheriff
Beau issued a rather beleaguered sigh. “I know.”
“And might I remind you … Ididdrive past.”
“But you came back.”
“For thedog. Not you. If it wasn’t for the poor animal, you’d still be walking.”
He expelled another tremendous sigh. “Thank you for stopping, Rae.”
“You’re welcome, Beau.”
She caught the twitch of his lips in her peripheral vision.
And grinned.
Itwasa great day to be alive.
And before it ended, she would make the surly man laugh.
“If it makes you feel better, you’re my first hitchhiker,” she quipped.
“And I’d better be your last,” he stated. “Rae, you need to promise me right now that you will never stop and pick up someone on the side of the road again. Promise me? Please?”
She chanced a quick glance in his direction. His jaw was set, his lips pressed together in a straight line. And he was watching her from behind those all-concealing sunglasses. She could feel his stare all the way to her soul, and strangely, a feeling of contentedness, ofrightnessspread through her. “I promise.”
“Good.” He folded his arms and settled back in the seat.
Rae managed a full minute of silence before she couldn’t anymore. “What made you retire from the Marines?”
He chuffed a sharp laugh — it didn’t count toward her Make Beau Laugh goal — and twisted his head. “You can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Help myself?” she returned, pretending ignorance, keeping her gaze on the asphalt ahead.
“Asking questions.”
She shrugged. “I’m naturally curious.” It was a handy trait. If she kept people engaged in themselves, they didn’t have time to askherpersonal questions.
Beau snorted. “Riiight. But to answer your question … My plan was to stay for a full twenty, but my sister’s pregnant, andI didn’t want to lose out on the first five years of my niece and nephew’s lives.”
About to comment about how sweet that was, the hint of humor in his tone registered. And … nieceandnephew. “She’s having twins?”
“Yeah. In two months.”
And there was the humor again. “You sound gleeful at the idea.”
“For sure.”
Rae laughed out loud. “Why?”
“Bella was a hellion growing up, always getting us into trouble. Time for payback.”
Bella and Beau. She took a guess. “You’re twins, too.”
“Yeah.”
“And if Bella was the hellion, were you the angel?”
And that was when she got his laugh. A deep, gut-busting laugh.
