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“So, sitting here eating breakfast, telling me horrible jokes, and trying to get me to go on a date with you is working?”
“First off, my jokes are awesome. Secondly, no, taking care of our newest resident is my job. Making sure she gets settled in with a place to stay is.” I shrug and take a sip of my coffee. “I mean, if there was a cow in the road or a bad guy to arrest, then you would be on your own. But as of right now, you have my full attention.” She absolutely has my attention. Her feisty attitude is turning out to be quite the turn-on. So much so that I’ve had to shift in my pants a few times to get myself under control.
Zoey bites her lip and fidgets in her seat. “Look, if I agree to go with you to the ranch, would you leave me alone after that? I really didn’t want to make waves. I wanted low-key.”
“Hm, no. I won’t agree to anything. But why low-key?” I know why she wants to remain off the radar, but I need to hear her say it.
Zoey growls, “Because I just wanted a do-over. A fresh start. I can have one of those, right? Is that okay with you,sheriff?” Her hands form into fists on the table.
“You can do whatever your little heart desires. I was simply asking a question.” I hold up my hands in mock surrender.
Zoey sits there for a while, staring out the window. It gives me time to study her. The way her hair falls in front of her face and how she blows up at it to move it instead of using her hands. Her eyes are constantly moving, like she’s looking for something.
She bites her lip when she’s lost in thought. Her face makes little movements, almost like she’s having a conversation with herself. I’ve also noticed her hand movements. Zoey rubs them together, like she is wringing them out.
“So, do you want to head to the ranch now, Zo?” I cock my head to the side and wait for the response, not letting up on my staring.
Her head snaps back to me. “Ugh. Fine. Also, it’s Zoey.”
“Sure, Zo.” I chuckle when I see her throw her hands up.
With that, I take out my wallet but Zoey has thrown down money for her. I pick it up and hand it back to her.
“What are you doing?” She scrunches her face in confusion as she takes the money from my hand.
“A gentleman never lets a woman pay for food on a date.” Smiling, throw down some money and glance at her out of the corner of my eyes and get the reaction I was hoping for.
“This was not a date!” Her fists are clenched at her sides.
“Sure, whatever you want to call it then.” Laughing, I head out to my SUV. She follows behind me not long after. I see her biting her lip and I hear her huffing as she shaking her head. I’m sure she has some internal war going on in her head.
Standing next to the passenger door, I hold the handle and turn to her. “Two windmills are standing in a wind farm. One asks, ‘What’s your favorite kind of music?’ The other says, ‘I’m a big metal fan.’”
Her hands go to her hips and her eyes narrow at me. “Do you have a book of bad jokes and puns that you carry around with you?”
I simply smile and open the door. “Let’s go, princess. Scoot up into there, and let’s get a move on.” Zoey shoots me another scowl, and I laugh as I shut the door and make it over to the driver’s side.
We pull out and start driving down Weston Road, which is the main road in this town. People see me driving down the road and wave. I hold my hand, giving them a small wave back. Weston is a small town, everyone knows everyone.
I turn my head and see she’s staring out the passenger window. “I need to stop at the station really quick, if you don’t mind,” I tell her.
“Well, you’re supposed to be working, aren’t you? Not escorting me around town?” Zoey doesn’t turn my way when she talks, but the corner of her lip turns up in a slight smile. This girl has a bit of fight in her. It really turns me on. Again, I find myself willing my dick to calm down.
“Like I said, if a cow wanders into the road or someone gets locked in their barn, you’ll be the first to know.” I chuckle and continue driving towards the station.
Once we pull up, I nod at her and tell her to follow me in. The station’s small and perfect for this size of town. We have a few holding cells and a couple deputies that help patrol over Weston and a couple other small rural towns around us.
Honestly, I really don’t need to stop in; I just want to rile her up a little more and drag out the time we spend together. We walk through the front double doors into a small lobby that has a wall and a glass partition that divides the lobby from the office part of the station. We have a dispatcher sitting behind the window partition to help anyone that comes in. I wave to Marley, our dispatch and turn left down a corridor to a door that requires a code to be punched in. Once through the door I head into the open area where some of the desks sit.
“Hey, boss man.” Deputy Shawn Johnson waves from his desk. “What are we booking this one for?” He nods towards Zoey as he says the words.
Laughter rolls out of me. Zoey stares at him like he has three heads, all while turning red from embarrassment. “She’s not getting booked. This here is Zoey, the new girl in town.” I saunter over to my desk in my office as she follows.
“Oh, shit. I mean, sorry. Hi, ma’am. Deputy Shawn Johnson.” He reaches out and offers her his hand.
“Hi. Nice to meet you.” She doesn’t take his hand. If anything, she curls tighter into herself. Zoey merely nods and looks away. Johnson pulls back, his eyes find me and he tilts his head in confusion.
Looking back at Johnson, I shrug my shoulders. I’m not sure what’s going on with her, but I will make it my mission to find out.