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Linda wriggled her way out of her desk chair and threw her arms around me.
“Just look at you, sugar! Why you are prettier than a picture! Are you back with us to stay?”
I patted the other woman awkwardly and tried to extract myself from her clutches. “Is Mad Max here?”
“You bring trouble along with you?” Deputy Brown grunted at Mark and Candice as they entered the building.
Mark stalked up to me and grabbed my elbow. “You will never do that again.”
I gave my arm a hard yank to dislodge him, but his grip was firm. It was on the tip of my tongue to tell him to go fuck himself. But out of the corner of my eye, I caught Linda’s open mouth. My fight with Mark was something I could postpone until we had less of an audience.
“Linda,” I gritted out, “is Max here?”
She nodded slowly and picked up the phone. “Knox? We got ourselves some company out here that would like to see the prisoner.”
The door to the back swung open and Sheriff Knox Bridges strode out to greet us in all of his cowboy glory. Six feet of sheer muscle, Knox wore his wranglers tight and his boots dusty. He had grown up poor, just a few trailers down from me, and although we hadn’t kept in touch very much over the years, I was still glad to see him.
Mark’s grasp loosened on my arm. Perhaps it was surprising that Knox was so much younger than Deputy Brown. I couldn’t have known and didn’t care as I launched myself at my old friend. His beefy arms wrapped around my waist and he lifted me clean off the floor as he twirled us both around.
“Kitten! Aren’t you a sight for sore eyes!” Knox’s raspy laugh filled the room.
I gave him another squeeze before demanding, “Put me down, you big lug!”
His smile was wider than the Mississippi. “I had a feeling we might be seeing you again, kitten. But I had no idea you would come back wearing all of this heavy artillery.”
I could feel my cheeks heat. “What are you talking about, Ace? I look the same as I always have.”
With a broad wink, I did a 180-degree turn so that he could take in my designer jeans, flowy top, and ankle boots. Neither one of us grew up with two nickels that we could rub together, so I knew that Knoxy would be pleased I had been served a good turn.
He whistled low and deep. “Hot damn, kitten, when did you become a girl?”
I swatted his shoulder and would have replied if a certain individual hadn’t reached out and yanked me to him. I almost smacked into Mark’s chest, his reaction was so quick.
I heard a choked laugh come from Candice and I made a mental note to kick her ass later.
Knox was watching the entire affair with curious eyes.
I cleared my throat and made the introductions. “Knoxy, this is Mark Williams and Candice Franks. They are friends of mine from the city.”
“Mark and Candice, this is Sherriff Knox Bridges.” I waited while he shook hands with Mark and then turned to Candice.
Her color was high, and when she giggled, it vaguely resembled a hyena. The moment it escaped her lips, she looked positively horrified.
Knox seemed entranced.
“Look, Knoxy,” I interjected, “I need to know if Max is here. Gabe came all the way to the city to tell me he’s been smashing up the place and drinking heavily.”
Knox frowned. “Why would Gabe come to you? I already told him that you weren’t liable for the damages to his bar.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Mark growled.
Knox looked at Mark back to me again. His eyes held a million questions and I had a feeling that I didn’t want to answer any of them anytime soon.
Knox nodded. “Max is sleeping in the cell. You can go back there, Sutton. But everyone else needs to stay here.”
Mark immediately protested, “Sutton won’t be going anywhere without me.”
Knox shrugged. “Suit yourself, but if she wants to talk to Max, she goes alone.”