Page 33 of Kissing the Sheriff

The boy burst into laughter. “He said layers and layers.”

She narrowed her eyes at Conrad. “Now see what you’ve done. How long do you think he’ll have that image in his head?”

Billy flew into hysterics.

Cassie blushed. “Next he’ll be telling everyone in town and they’ll be calling me the buffalo lady.”

“Sheriff Buffalo,” Conrad corrected.

She hit him in the arm. “Stop.”

He laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m not used to being around children.”

“You have to mind what you say.” She gave Billy a gentle shove. “Don’t be telling everyone I’m Sheriff Buffalo.”

“He started it!” Billy shot back.

“Yes, he’s right,” Conrad confessed. “I did.”

She snorted, then burst into laughter. “Sheriff Buffalo!”

Conrad laughed too, a deep belly laugh. The kind that, once it started, was hard to stop.

Billy frowned at them. “You’re gonna scare the fish.”

“Too late, we already did,” Cassie said through her chuckles.

Conrad managed to calm himself by taking a few deep breaths. “My word, that was fun.”

She smiled and nodded. “Don’tcall me Sheriff Buffalo.”

“Or? I’m liable to be shot, is that right?”

“You can’t shoot him, Cassie,” Billy said. “Who will we fish with?”

“Good point.” She got to her feet and looked around. “I need to stretch my legs.”

“Jolly good idea.” Conrad stood. “Billy, keep an eye on our poles, will you?”

He rolled his eyes. “What do you think I’ve been doing?”

Conrad smiled. “And a fine job, too.” He sighed and looked up the creek. “I see a trail. Where does it go?”

“Upstream for about a mile,” Cassie said. “Pa and I fished up that way but there’s better fishing downstream. The trail downstream goes for a good two miles before it turns into an animal track.”

“Which way would you like to go?”

“Let’s go upstream. There’s a large rock and a swimming hole that way.”

“Swimming hole?”

“Yes, I thought Letty told you about it.”

They started for the trail. “No, only aboutherswimming hole.”

“She has a good one too. She lives on the same creek.”

“I was wondering if she did. I was so busy working on her barn, we didn’t discover the swimming hole until later. Is this one as nice?”