Page 35 of Riverbend Gap (Riverbend 1)

“When you going to let me borrow that thing?”

“You’ve never even ridden a bike.”

“I could learn.” Rodriguez sank into his chair. “Chicks dig motorcycles.”

With his jet-black hair and ripped muscles, the guy didn’t have any trouble getting “chicks.”

Cooper finished the form and slid back from his desk. Freedom. He’d spent much of last weekend in Mars Hill and White Rock, pressing flesh at various events. He was ready for some downtime. “I’m out of here.”

As he headed down the hall toward the exit, Sean Curtis, the other candidate for sheriff, entered the building. He was in his midthirties, average height, and sported a slim build. With Sean’s perfect teeth and side-parted brown hair, Cooper thought he looked more like a news anchor than a deputy.

The man tossed him an easy smile. “Hey, Cooper. Headed out for the weekend?”

“That’s the hope.”

“These weekends campaigning can be a drain, huh?”

“You said it.”

Sean held the door for Cooper. “Hard to believe we’ve got less than six weeks to go now.”

“Hard to believe. There’s fresh donuts in the break room.”

Sean patted his flat stomach. “Gotta watch the figure. Have a good weekend.”

“You too.” Hot air hit Cooper’s face like a furnace as he exited the building, but the heat was preferable to awkward small talk with his opponent. They’d always kept it cordial, but tension was inevitable in a small office like theirs. And it had only gotten worse a couple months ago when Roy Gilmore, the sitting sheriff, publicly endorsed Cooper.

He shook away thoughts of his campaign. He was headed home where he’d order a pizza and enjoy the game. In the morning he’d sleep in, then head up into the hills for some bike therapy.

His cell rang as he slid into his truck. He started the engine, lowering the windows, then checked the screen. Gavin.

“Hey, Brother, what’s up?”

“Hey, Coop. Have a good week?”

“Not bad. Just got off work.”

There was a beat of silence. “Um, listen, you’re off this weekend, right?”

“Yeah...” Cooper sincerely hoped Gavin didn’t need an extra set of hands at the campground. “Please tell me you don’t need me to dig a drainage ditch for free again.”

“Hey, I fed you pizza, didn’t I?”

“My back hurt for a week.”

“Nah, listen, it’s nothing like that. There’s definitely a problem at the campground, but nothing you can help with unless you have a plumber’s license I don’t know about.”

“What’s going on?”

“The biggest cabin has issues. We have a family coming on Monday, and the boss insists we fix it over the weekend. I got Bleeker Plumbing coming to do the work.”

“Okay, so what’s the problem?”

“I have to oversee the project, and I promised Katie I’d do this thing with her. See, her brother passed away in December, and she has plans to scatter his ashes up on the trail. I don’t want her going alone.”

Cooper’s face fell. Oh no. This wasn’t going to happen. Couldn’t happen. “Gavin, come on. That’s a private thing.”

“She’s not a hiker and I don’t feel comfortable sending her out there alone.”