Page 25 of Shep
Colt. Colt Wilder. Shep’s brother.
Shep’s brother. Not a threat.
I remembered Shep mentioning his name at lunch. Still, what was he doing here?
He backed up the length of the workbench, eyes staying on me, then flipped a switch. The overhead lights came on and–
“Oh fuck,” I whispered, seeing the man now for the first time. He had on a tan Stetson, jeans, boots… and a uniform shirt with a big star on the chest. At his waist was a gun.
Colt wasn’t just Shep’s brother, he was the sheriff.
I swallowed hard, tears welling in my eyes. “I’m not stealing anything. I promise. Please don’t arrest me.”
He looked me over, took in my outfit, my car in the bay, then glanced down at the toothpaste in his hand.
“I think it’s time we had a little talk.”
18
SHEP
The front door opened,then closed.
“Colt, we didn’t expect you,” Ma said from the other room. “Oh, hello. You’ve brought a friend.”
I was at the big kitchen table beside Pops. Molly, Trig, Ellie, Lainey, and Beau were with us and we were playing a game of cards. We were betting with mini pretzels and Molly was currently at least twenty ahead of anyone else. Lainey had eaten some of hers so her pile was shrinking faster than she could lose.
Buck was sprawled on the couch with a book, but he’d fallen asleep reading it.
A fire was crackling in the fireplace and it wasmaking me sleepy, too. The big dinner Ma and Lainey had put together of crockpot chili with all the fixings, corn bread, and spiced corn didn’t help. Trig and I had done the dishes and tidied the kitchen, but Ma was back in there getting a plate of cookies for us to share. I might not be able to eat any more chili, but I sure as hell had room for one, or four, of her snickerdoodles.
At Ma’s words, we looked up from our cards.
Colt came into the room, Stetson in hand. We expected him to come late when he finished his shift at the station, but he wasn’t alone.
I popped to my feet, my chair skidding back.
“Frankie?” I said, not expecting her. Especially not with Colt.
“Frankie?” Pop repeated, eyes widening. “The kid Hank recommended?” He laughed. “Welcome, honey. I admit, your name tricked me into thinking you were a man.”
Colt didn’t look all that happy as he went to hang his hat on a peg by the back door. Snow was quickly melting on his shoulders.
Frankiedefinitelydidn’t look happy. In fact, her eyes were red rimmed as if she’d been crying.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, going over to her. She had on sweatpants, a heavy coat and a hat that were also dusted with snow. If she was hurt, I couldn’t tell.
Molly went to Colt. Waddled, actually. He pulled her into a side hug and leaned down to kiss her.
“You’re Frankie?” Ma asked, eyes alight with her usual humor and offering Frankie a warm smile. Ma wore jeans, a red sweater, and thick fleece socks with ducks on them.
With nine kids, there was always a steady stream of friends over to hang out, so having a surprise guest was nothing new. Having Frankie, who was supposed to be a guy, was.
Frankie nodded. “Yes, ma’am,” she said, her voice no more than a whisper.
“What’s going on?” I asked again.
“I found her in your shop,” Colt said.
