Page 22 of Plentywood
“Where is everybody, Joanie?” I asked after stepping through the door, gazing around for my team.
Joanie was dispatch, secretary, office manager, and an irreplaceable woman, who wore many hats at the Sheriff’s department. Basically, she ran the place while I wore the badge of Sheriff. Her family had been in Plentywood, like a lot of families, for generations.
“Deputies Hayes and Johnson are out at the Hanson’s place,” she replied, filling my cup with coffee and handing it to mebefore she’d finished her reply. “Three of their steers were found dead just inside the ranch’s gates. Looks like wolves again, Hunt.”
“And what exactly are they going to do in broad daylight? Wait around for the wolves to just waltz back over and explain their actions?” I asked, employing the smart-ass tone I used around my staff.
“Old man Hanson is demanding they keep guard the next coupla nights,” she relayed.
“Yeah? Well, that ain’t happening.”
“He says he won’t support your reelection if you don’t kill the wolves, Hunt.”
“Whatever,” I spat. “I’m not dealing with the folks at PETA, or Yellowstone Park’s guidelines over wild animals just trying to eat. Let Hanson and his crew patrol the county on his own dime.”
I stepped into my office, leaving the door open so I could yell at Joanie if I needed anything. There were half a dozen phone messages sticky-noted to my computer screen. Three were from Jill, so I picked up the phone and dialed the diner’s number.
“What took so long?” Jill asked, using her big-sister tone with me.
“Slept late,” I replied. “Just got to work.”
“Your coffee is still on a table across the room. You never miss coffee and breakfast with me. What’s wrong?”
Jill knew me so well. She could sense a change in my personality a mile away. “I’m tired of having a fucking routine. Tired of beingsame-ol’-predictableHunter.”
“Bullshit!” she hissed. “You best have your ass over here for lunch or I’m coming to you. Something ain’t right and I can tell.”
I remained silent on my end for a few seconds. I could almost hear Jill grinding her teeth while she waited for me to speak. “Doyou ever think about just getting away from here?” I asked. “You know, starting over somewhere else?”
“Honey, if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a million times. You can move to outer space and Mark’s death is still gonna go with you. How about you fix what’s hurting right here?”
“Theres nothing for me here anymore,” I commiserated. “Except memories of my old life and a big fucking hole in my heart.”
I’d hated my life for two years already. I figured I’d get past Mark’s sudden death by now.Theyall said, ‘it gets easier.’ I’m not sure whotheyare, buttheycan go fuck themselves. I still felt like crap, and the weather report for my upcoming outlook on life was just as gloomy as yesterday and the day before that. Going back every single day for two goddamned years.
“I wished you hadn’t gone to the cemetery on your birthday,” she stated. “You do this every single time you visit him, Hunt.”
“You were there recently too,” I spit out. “I saw the flowers, missy.”
“But we both know you don’t do well after.”
I played with the stapler on my desk, doing my best to keep my eyes tear-free. Joanie was doing a bad job of acting like she wasn’t listening to my phone conversation through the open door. I shot her astop being rudeglare.
“Maybe,” I agreed. “But if I didn’t live in this town, I wouldn’t visit him as often,” I mumbled, preventing a hitch in my voice from escaping. “I can’t seem to move forward, Jill. I’m stuck, and I can’t see an end to the pain,” I confessed.
“So what else is new, Hunt? Sorry to be an insensitive bitch, but I’ve heard this story for two years running. What else has you bent out of shape?”
I knew better, but it didn’t stop me from telling her. “Charlie hit on me again.”
“Yeah? So that’s not new either?”
“This wasn’t about sex, sis,” I said, lowering my voice because of Joanie. “He like… well… he almost kind of like, begged, you know, for a chance.”
“I hope you didn’t believe his bullshit,” she hissed. “And please, God, tell me you didn’t fuck him again. You can’t mess with his head again, Hunt. You know him. He’d like nothing more than to show folks he finally got you. Even with Mark gone, he’d be happy as hell over landing you, even if he was second in line.”
“Maybe he’s grown up,” I insisted, or asked, trying to convince her he might have. “He seemed different, Jill.”
She huffed on her end of the call, practically breathing fire through the phone line. “And don’t you suppose the arrival of Mr. Wonderful over at the clinic has him worried?” she asked. “The entire town is worked into a frenzy over the new doctor. Charlie probably figures you’re going to end up with the handsome doctor. Once you rebuff his ridiculous ploy, he’ll be sniffing around the clinic faster than you can callbullshit.”
