Page 56 of Deputy Brand Gets Her Man
Drew went to the kitchen and poured them each a sweet tea from the pitcher in the fridge. When she came back, she handed one to Willow. “Well?”
“Dog toy. Dog toy. Dog treats. A blanket, no doubt for the dog.” She was still gathering.
Drew laughed softly, and picked up some socks and boxer briefs, and tossed them into the bag. “Oh, yeah, he’s a big tough loner, stranger in town, man incognito for the better part of a year. But he’s apparently a puddle of goo over Beans.”
“Apparently.” But Willow said it absently as she picked up a stack of packets that unfolded in an accordion snake of condoms. “Confident, much?” she mused.
Drew snort-laughed, “At least he’s bein’ responsible,” then slapped her leg and laughed some more.
“What’s this?” Willow said, gathering up a folded paper square. “Wait, this is a map.”
Drew stopped laughing and turned to remove three magazines, two remote controls and their sweet glasses from the coffee table. Then she wiped up the moisture rings with her shirt sleeve.
Willow leaned over and spread the map open. Drew ran to the front window, looked outside, then closed the curtains. She repeated with the window on the other side of the front door, and locked the door for good measure. Then she returned.
“He’s got several locations marked here,” Willow said, noting the little stars Jeremiah had drawn. “This one’s the location of the former Bluebonnet Inn, and this one’s the WTD.”
“So they’re probably all locations connected to his daddy, the dead crime boss.”
“Probably,” Willow agreed. Then she frowned. “A few of them have slashes through ‘em,” she said. “The spots he’s already visited, I think.”
“Will, I don’t think this map is all that suspicious. He told you he wanted to retrace his father’s steps. This is just a map of exactly what he said he was doin’.”
“He said he hated deceiving me—to someone on the phone, I heard him.”
“I still think you should just ask him.”
“And expect him not to lie to me about whatever he’s lying to me about? Drew, this is huge, this is my life. I want to be sheriff someday. And if I let myself fall for him?—”
“Because he’s an ex-con? Will, that’s?—”
“No. No, not that. But if he’s an unrepentant ex-con who’s still up to something nefarious, then?—”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because why else deceive a deputy?” She shook her head, looking again at the map. “And then there was the camera turning off at the Bluebonnet at the same time I expected him to go back there.”
“Are you sure he did that, though?”
She wasn’t sure. She couldn’t be sure. And when she thought of Jeremiah, all she saw in her head were those dimples when he smiled, those vivid blue eyes, and her stomach tied itself into knots.
“There are still a coupl’a stars without slashes through ‘em,” Drew observed, pointing them out on the map. “That one’s Thompson Gorge, where the big showdown happened between his old man and the elder Brands.”
“Well, he’s bound to visit all of ‘em,” Willow said. “That’s probably what he’s doin’ today, as we speak.”
“Well…why don’t we stake one of ‘em out,” Drew asked. “Spend the day and wait. Bring a book, plenty of water, some stakeout food.”
“There’s only wholesome, healthy stuff in the house,” Willow said. “Family.”
Drew rolled her eyes.
Will and her cousins often pretended to be irritated by their nurturing clan, when they were the farthest thing from it.
“Yeah, we’ll stop on the way.” Drew looked at the map, “The other three spots are in town. Easiest place to stay outta sight’ll be the canyon.”
“Let’s get there.”
“We might have to hike in. You up to it?”
