Page 1 of Seducing the Sheriff (Charming Butte #2)

Chapter One

Greg

Making a gruesome discovery during my first week in Charming Butte wasn’t on my starting over bingo card, but I was accustomed to bizarre finds in my history of flipping houses. Although I had to admit that this particular unearthing won the renovation shocker prize.

The day had begun rather mundanely. Not much different than most of my days. However, this time, I was in a new town. In a new state even. I’d never worked on any houses in New Mexico before, but the almost one hundred-year-old fixer-upper was meant to be my forever home.

Now that I was pushing forty and my dad was gone, I’d started thinking about my future and what it would look like. I wasn’t even sure what I wanted it to look like. All I knew was that I had no ties, a large nest egg and endless possibilities. Everything else was gravy.

However, what I found in the back of an old closet wasn’t the type of gravy I’d anticipated.

“Yes, Aunt Bonnie, I got here okay. I shipped most of my things.” I pulled out a chipped coffee mug from a cardboard box on the kitchen counter. I couldn’t part with it since it was one my Dad had given me. “It wasn’t much of a drive.”

She was all that was left of my family, but she was living in Alaska with her third husband. No thanks. Much too cold for me.

“I figured. But it’s not as if Cheyenne isn’t around the block from New Mexico. And didn’t you say that… What’s it called again?”

“Charming Butte.”

“Right.” She chuckled. “Isn’t it further down, right near Roswell?”

“Yeah.” I sighed. Every state had things it was known for, or special landmarks, historical places.

There were several in New Mexico, but my least favorite was the one that revolved around UFOs and aliens.

Yet, the overall beauty of the state couldn’t be denied.

“But not too far from Carlsbad, either. I’ve visited the caverns a few times over the years. It’s a great area.”

“Then why not move there? It’s none of my business, hon. But if you’re looking to find your forever home, wouldn’t it be best to stick to someplace you already know you love?”

I inwardly shuddered at the F word. Forever was just so… forever. I was still trying to become one with the idea of not relocating every six to twelve months, the way I’d been doing for almost two decades. The concept of anything being eternal was way beyond my mental grasp.

“Well, yes. I would’ve loved to have found someplace closer to Carlsbad.

But I prefer not being right in the thick of things, and there wasn’t a property that spoke to me.

This place is…” I drew my eyebrows together, wondering if any word I used could adequately describe how I felt.

“Unique. It’s like a patchwork quilt, the sum total of a variety of owners across a century, and the stamp they put on it to make it their own. ”

“Huh. I see...”

I doubted it. “Anyway, this house is on a nice piece of land outside of town, so lots of open space, and some nice terrain to hike in. Charming is small, too. That works for me.”

“You’ve always loved that solitary life, haven’t you? It seems so lonely. It’s like you’re a hermit.”

Uh-oh. Incoming lecture alert. She’d left Wyoming long before I was an adult, and once I was out of high school, I’d begun my journey in and around the southwest. We hadn't spent that much time together over the years, so my dad had been her primary source of intel into Gregory Harding’s life.

I pinched the bridge of my nose. There were a few guys I’d hooked up with over the years who’d said almost the same thing to me. People who didn’t understand me or have an interest in the way I lived my life couldn’t tell me how I should be. I knew who I was and what made me happy—not them.

“Aunt Bonnie, I appreciate your concern. But I’m very content with my place in life. I’m actually quite excited about getting started on this house. And with the acreage I have, there are a lot of other things I could do here as well.”

“Oh dear. Is that the sheep thing your dad mentioned? All by yourself, shearing sheep, taking care of sheep, renovating an old home that probably has a zillion things wrong with it. That sounds dreadful.”

I’d discovered over the years that most people don’t understand my love of weaving. I guess they don’t equate the supposedly hyper-masculine stereotype of a construction guy being into crafting.

“It sounds perfect to me. Besides, now that I’m not flipping houses, I have to figure out another way to generate income.”

My savings and investments were only going to take me so far.

“If you ever get in trouble, you know you can always come and live with me and Frank. We’d love to have you.”

I gritted my teeth. If I thought she was trying to tell me what to do now, living with her would be an unending nightmare. If it came down to it, I’d pitch a tent in the desert before moving to Alaska.

“I appreciate the offer, Bonnie, but like I said, Alaska isn’t for me. I enjoy the occasional snow day, but I need to have sunshine and warm weather as much as possible.”

She sighed. “I suppose. To each his own, right?”

Maybe she was finally beginning to understand.

“Exactly. Dad wanted to stay in Cheyenne forever, you couldn’t wait to leave, and I wanted to explore. But hey, I’m in one place now, right?”

“That’s right, hon. And I won’t deny that I’m happy you finally came to your senses.”

Yeah. One hundred percent, a nightmare if I lived with her. Perhaps I should buy a giant tent now, just in case.

“Hey, listen, I’ve got to run. I want to get into town and do some grocery shopping before it gets too late.”

All I had left from my short road trip was a bit of cheese, an apple, and a couple of sodas in the mini cooler. I was exhausted from driving straight through, and jonesing for a real meal. I’d been fast-fooding it for the past week while packing and moving.

“Of course, hon. You must be so tired. I’ll let you go. But send pics of all the progress.”

“I will, Bonnie. You take care and tell Frank I said hi.”

After ending the call, I glanced around at the boxes I’d brought with me in my truck.

I’d pick up the other things I’d shipped at the post office tomorrow, but I had everything I needed for the night.

Once I ate and busted out the new air mattress I’d purchased before leaving Cheyenne for the last time, I’d be ready to crash.

I could’ve shipped some of my dad’s furniture, so I didn’t have to start from scratch. But I was ready to move forward, to set up my new life with my own things. The last few months of being back in my hometown, wrapping up my dad’s estate, and looking for a place to buy were all behind me now.

It was time to surge ahead into my future.

I scratched my chin, the stubble I hadn’t bothered to shave off this morning beginning to irritate me.

Even though it was still spring, the temperatures were already making the afternoons a bit on the steamy side.

That was part of the reason I hadn’t wanted to arrive in Charming any later than March.

I only had a few months before I’d be battling scorching days.

“Can I help you with anything?”

A woman who was probably somewhere in her fifties smiled up at me with a toothy grin.

She was well put-together, with ruby lips, a perfect French manicure, and piles of yellow curls on her head.

I was more accustomed to grizzled, beefy guys in stained coveralls when I shopped in small-town hardware stores.

In larger cities, where I frequented big box stores, I found more diversity.

Everyone from teens to retirees to family men and women could potentially be helping me.

But a woman in heels who looked as though she’d won more than a couple of beauty pageants in her youth was a first.

“Maybe.” I went from scratching to rubbing my chin. “I’m looking for a top-notch wood sealant for decking. These both sound good, but I’ve never tried them before. Which one would you recommend?”

“Hmm…” She planted her hands on her hips. “They’re both quite good. If something doesn’t do the job, the hubby and I don’t order it.” She tapped one of the metal buckets. “But this is what I use. It’s a few dollars more, but worth it if your wood is getting baked in the sun.”

I was impressed. She definitely knew her stuff.

“Great. Also, do you carry a UV-resistant epoxy grout? The original structure is made of river rock, and some of the sections need to be replaced. It’s only about four hundred square feet. It used to be a line shack. The rest of the additions were built off that.”

Her jaw dropped and she gasped. “You bought the old Jenkins’ ranch?” She gave my arm a playful smack. “We’ve all been wondering who got the place.”

“That would be me.” I stuck out my hand. “Greg Harding. I arrived a few days ago.”

“Maddie Lopez.” She accepted my hand with an even wider grin than before.

“Nice to meet you, Maddie.” I tilted my head. “But the property I purchased isn’t a working ranch, and the name of the person selling it wasn’t Jenkins. Not that I met him, but that wasn’t the name on the title.”

She laughed lightly. “Sorry, that’s how we refer to it. Gilbert Jenkins was one of the first white settlers here in what eventually became Charming after the Mexican-American War.”

“Oh really? That’s pretty interesting.” I made a mental note to do a historical deep dive.

“Well, well. That’s wonderful. So you’re not tearing it down?” She nudged me with her elbow. “We’ve all been taking bets on what’s gonna happen with the place, so don’t be surprised if you get grilled like a cheese sandwich by everyone you meet.”

I chuckled. “That’s okay. I’m accustomed to it. I used to travel around the Southwest and flip houses, but never stayed anywhere for very long.”

Her face fell. “Oh, so you’re only fixing it up? You’re not staying?”

“No, I’m definitely staying this time.” I smiled. “I’ve decided to put down roots here in Charming, and I fell in love with that property.”