Taming a Texas Devil (Bad Boy Ranch Book 5), стр. 23

Lincoln knew sarcasm when he heard it. Everyone in town had to know that the deputy didn’t do her job. Why she had decided to become a deputy was beyond him. She had probably watched some cop show and thought it would be fun to ride around in a patrol car with the sirens blaring. Now she was stuck in a job she was completely ill suited for. And he couldn’t understand why she didn’t just quit. Living the life of a senator’s daughter in Austin had to be more exciting and fun for her than being a deputy in a small town that didn’t even have a shopping mall or spa.

So why was she here?

It was a question that had kept him up the last two nights. That and trying to forget the way the deputy’s body and lips had felt pressed against his. Even now, he could recall the feel of her hot tongue as all those sweet curves melted against him. He had been seconds away from taking her up on her offer. Thankfully, numerous factors kept him from it: He didn’t have sex with drunk women. He didn’t have sex with other law officers. And he didn’t have sex with people he was supposed to be keeping an eye on. Dixie was a job. Nothing more.

He picked up the bag. “Thank y’all for all the help.”

As he headed for the door, the two continued to bicker.

“’Protect our women.’” Emma snorted. “You are such a caveman, Boone Murphy.”

“Ugh!” Boone grunted as Lincoln walked out the door.

Once outside, he crossed the street to where he’d parked his truck and was about to get in when he caught the scent of French fries coming from the pharmacy soda fountain. Lincoln’s stomach growled and he realized he hadn’t eaten lunch before leaving the Double Diamond ranch. After spending the entire morning pulling weeds that had grown around the house, he was starving. He’d grab a bite to eat, and then drop the deadbolt by to the landlord and make it perfectly clear that he wanted it installed that day.

The soda fountain looked much as it did when he was sixteen. If the walls had been painted and the stools and booths reupholstered, then they’d used the exact same white paint and red vinyl material. Not being one for change, Lincoln appreciated that. As he took a seat in a booth by the window, he couldn’t help remembering all the fun times he’d had with his friends at the pharmacy.

“What can I get you?”

Lincoln glanced up from the menu he’d been perusing to see the same kid who had run to get the deputy the day Cheyenne had shoplifted. Joey something or other.

“I’ll have a double meat cheeseburger, hold the onions, an order of fries, and a Coke.”

Joey nodded and squinted his eyes. “Hey, you’re that Texas Ranger who caught the shoplifter.”

He placed the menu back behind the sugar dispenser. “Cheyenne isn’t really a shoplifter. She just a young girl who made a bad choice.”

“Yeah, I know. She came in here this morning and paid Mr. Sanders what she owned him and apologized.”

Lincoln was glad his lecture had worked. “Good for her. That couldn’t have been easy. I hope Mr. Sanders was understanding.”

Joey glanced around before he leaned closer. “He’s not usually. Usually he can be a real jerk. But the deputy had him grinning and laughing like he was high—not that I know about getting high.”

Lincoln stared at him. “The deputy was with Cheyenne?”

“Yeah. They came in here and had Coke floats and grilled cheese. I thought the deputy was kind of snobby. But she’s not. And she’s smokin’ hot. I guess she was like a runner-up for Miss Texas.” He paused. “Of course, you probably know that, seeing as how she’s your girl.”

He wasn’t surprised at how fast gossip traveled in a town as much as he was surprised that Deputy Meriwether had followed through on her promise to Cheyenne. He had thought she would forget about the kid as soon as she dropped her off with her father. He couldn’t help wondering what the deputy was up to.

He didn’t have long to wonder. Not more than fifteen minutes later, he was enjoying his cheeseburger when he saw the deputy walking down the street. She was in her usual uniform of a khaki sheriff’s shirt, too tight jeans, and designer cowboy boots. Her tan cowboy hat was set at a jaunty angle and she looked like she was walking a fashion runway rather than down a small-town street. Every man she passed, whether with a woman or not, turned his head to get another look.

He wasn’t surprised she headed into the hair salon. He figured she’d be there for a while getting her hair and nails done. But he’d only been able to eat one more French fry before she came back out with a woman and pointed to the sign sitting in the middle of the sidewalk advertising a sale on perms. The woman nodded and moved the sign closer to the salon.

Lincoln was thoroughly confused. Had the deputy just done her job and asked the owner of the salon to move the sign so no pedestrian would trip on it? He shook his head. It was more likely she had been asking about the price of a perm and the woman had noticed the sign was in a bad spot. Except further down the street, Deputy Meriwether was having another discussion with the owner of the Seed and Feed, who had a bush growing out onto the sidewalk.

As Lincoln watched, Deputy Meriwether chatted away to the man, who seemed to be so starstruck he could only stare and nod. By the time the deputy moved back down the street, the man had retrieved a pair of hedge trimmers and was giving the bush a cut.

Lincoln craned his neck trying to see what the deputy would do next, but the edge of the window blocked his view.

“You