Page 60 of Deputy Brand Gets Her Man
“It’s the breed,” Jeremiah said. “I’ve been reading up.”
“Ah,” Baxter said. “That’s what you were reading all those hours in the hospital waiting room where we all lived for a two nights and two days.”
“Yep. Learned a lot. Beans’ll have bursts of energy but he tires out fast. According to what I’ve been reading, right now it takes most of his energy to grow. And as he gets bigger, he’ll just naturally be even more slow and easy. They’re a calm breed.”
“You hung out in the hospital waitin’ room?” Willow asked. She didn’t mean to, it just came out. And then she added, “All of you?”
“Well, where else would we have been?” Baxter asked
“Don’t be dumb, Will,” Drew said. “If any of us were in a trauma bed, you’d be in the same dang place.”
Yeah, she thought, but if it were anyone else, would the Gringo be there?
“What did you do with the pup all that time?” she asked Jeremiah.
“Hired on Frankie as my official dog-sitter,” he said. “I set things up with him right after your accident. Tell you the truth, I don’t know how I’ll get by without him, once school starts back up.”
Willow tilted her head, watching the way Jeremiah’s fingers were scratching on the back of the pup’s head as he sat there. The pup was loving it.
“So what’s up with your old man’s will?” Orrin asked Jeremiah out of the blue. And Willow knew Drew had put him up to it.
“Somebody’s challenging it,” Jeremiah said, not even trying to lie. Okay, so he wasn’t dishonest about everything.
“Oh no,” Maria said, sending a look at Ethan as if to ask if he knew about this, then refocusing on Jeremiah once again. “What are you gonna do?”
“Let it work itself out in court.”
“Well, yeah but, don’t you…” Maria bit her lip to stop the question.
“She wants to know what you’ll live on if your old man’s money goes to someone else,” Willow said.
“Oh. Sure, no, the will doesn’t cover everything my father left me. There was a trust fund set up when I was born. I got control of that right out of school, kept it invested, and it’s still producing an income. And there are…other things. I’ll be all right.”
“Well, that’s a relief.”
“Still,” Drew said, “A man needs something to do. How do you spend your time, Jeremiah? What is it you, you know, do?”
“Right now, most of my time is spent on Beans, here.” He changed his stroke, and the dog sighed audibly.
A non-answer, and it had Willow curious. What was the handsome drifter good at, besides looking hot in a sombrero? Or out of one. And sex, he was really good at sex.
This was going to drive her crazy. Was he good or bad, and why was she having trouble keeping her mind as far from him as she’d placed her body? She’d sat on the opposite side of the fire. She should’ve realized that would put him right in her line of sight.
In the distance, dry thunder rumbled.
A quick frown bent Jeremiah’s brows.
Drew leaned over from her seat on the right and whispered, “You still wanna get a look at his phone?”
“I don’t know. I mean, it would be illegal.”
“Wouldn’t be admissible in court. Wouldn’t be legally gained evidence in a case. But checkin’ up on the guy you’re sparkin’? Since when is that illegal?”
“We’re not sparkin’!” Her whisper was on the loud side. A few heads glanced her way, so she faked a grin and chucked Drew’s shoulder and spoke through a fake smile. “I don’t know if I can cross that line, cuz. I want to be sheriff someday, I can’t go breakin’ the law just ‘cause I feel like it.”
“Fine, I will.” Then she put an arm around Willow, tipping her chair dangerously in the process, and called, “Gringo, take our pic. The fire’ll make a cool effect.”
Jeremiah obligingly pulled out his phone, aimed it. Willow felt his gaze on hers through the lens and sent it right back as he tapped.
