Page 31 of Kissing the Sheriff

Cassie laughed at the silly rhyme. She wasn’t sure if he meant to do it or not but didn’t care. She liked his easy-going manner and the way he interacted with Billy. Some folks in town thought the boy was annoying, but she never did. Agnes could hardly stand him. Speaking of Agnes … “There’s one person that might not want us to have a dance. You can guess who I’m talking about.” She tilted her head and smiled.

“What aboutMr.Featherstone?” he asked. “Surely he’ll think it’s a good idea.”

“He would, provided Agnes isn’t around.”

“If you don’t mind my saying so …” Conrad covered Billy’s ears. “I think your Agnes is a bully,” he hissed.

Billy shoved his hands away. “What did you say?”

“Never mind,” she and Conrad said at once. They laughed and her belly started doing those doggone somersaults. She slapped it a few times.

“Something wrong?” Conrad asked with concern.

“Some sort of bug.”

He peered at the bodice of her dress. “Did you smash it?”

“I think so.” She hoped so. She needed to smash the attraction bug and fast. She took a bite of pie. “Mmm, this is good.”

Conrad slid a piece onto his own plate and gave the pie plate to Billy. “Here goes. I’ve not tried this kind before.” He took a bite, closed his eyes and moaned in pleasure. “This is pure Heaven.”

“It’s just blackberry pie,” Billy countered. “Everyone around here makes it this time of year.”

“It’s spectacular. Where do you get the berries?”

“East of town there’s a lot of bushes,” Cassie said. “They line the road. That’s where everybody goes to pick.” Except she hadn’t picked any since Pa wasn’t there to pick with her.

“Why so sad?” Conrad asked softly.

She waved him off. “It’s nothing.”

“You used to pick berries with your father, didn’t you?”

She nodded and took another bite of pie. She didn’t want to talk about it.

Thankfully, Conrad didn’t press it. “Billy, how many fish have you caught in this creek?”

“At least twenty.”

Conrad’s eyebrows shot up. “That many?”

Billy rolled his eyes then looked at him. “Mr. Darling, I’m seven years old. I’ve been fishing for two years so that’s only ten fish a year. It’s not that many.”

“Oh, well, when you put it mathematically, I suppose not.”

“The captain teaches the children their arithmetic,” Cassie said. “He uses things they like to get them to learn. For Billy it’s fishing.”

“Clever fellow. Why doesn’t the town make him the new schoolmaster? It’s obvious the saloon isn’t frequented by the locals.”

“Agnes won’t hear of it. She’d pitch such a fit they’d hear her in Virginia City.”

“Why hasn’t she sent for a new schoolmaster?”

“Because then the town would have to pay them. Agnes is loath to part with any money.”

He slowly nodded. “I see. I suppose she’s the town treasurer?”

“She is.” She took the last bite of her pie and set the plate down. Billy had long since put her and Conrad’s poles aside and was holding his between his legs. “I don’t think the fish are biting today.”