Page 12 of Seducing the Sheriff (Charming Butte #2)

“I promise.” And she seemed to relax now she knew I wasn’t a total amateur. As I said, uncertain, yes, for a good reason I didn’t like to remember, but I had done this before.

I washed my hands in the kitchen. It looked as if Ellie had been preparing dinner when she realized she was in labor.

Partially chopped peppers lay on a board on the counter.

My stomach rumbled at the sight. When was the last time I ate?

I couldn’t remember. Oh well, it would counteract all the cakes I’d eaten recently.

A groan from the front room reminded what I was doing here, and I hurried into the back room. Ellie was on the floor now, on her knees, her head resting on her folded arms on the couch.

“I need to push,” she gasped.

“Are you okay with me taking a look at you?” I said, rubbing her lower back soothingly.

But then I heard the thump of boots and the door opening, and someone calling out, “Mrs. Torres. It’s the paramedics.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. “You’re in even better hands now, Ellie.”

She moaned in response.

The paramedics appeared at the door. One of them grinned as she saw me.

“You’ve had a busy day, sheriff.”

I gave her a wry smile. “Another day ending in Y. This is Ellie. I’ve only just arrived, but she feels the need to push.”

The paramedic nodded. “Okay, Ellie, I’m Tonia and this is Sandra. Let’s make you comfortable.”

Ellie raised her head, her expression strained. She pressed her lips together against a contraction, then blew out a breath. “Would you stay with me? At least until my husband arrives. I need someone to hold my hand. I’m scared.”

“Of course I will. I’m not going anywhere.”

“I can’t call the baby after you,” she informed me solemnly. “It would upset my abuela.”

“I don’t want to upset your abuela. Don’t worry. Little Elena would sound silly being called Cash. My mom is called Catherine, and she wanted something close to Cathy.”

I wasn’t sure she heard or cared about any of that as her eyes lost focus, and she squeezed my hand with a death grip. I was going to be lucky to have a hand left after this.

Around us, the paramedics left me to focus on Ellie as they got ready to deliver the baby. As I held Ellie’s hand and listen to Tonia’s calm instructions, I prayed that everything would go smoothly for mom and baby.

Thirty minutes later, Tonia gently placed a squalling Elena on Ellie’s stomach. “Wow, this little one has a good set of lungs.”

“Just like her mama,” Ellie said, sounding exhausted.

“?Dios mío! Ellie. Where are you?”

Ellie’s eyes lit up at the sound of her husband frantically calling her. “Jorge! In here!”

I heard the sound of footsteps, then a young man with a mop of dark curls burst into the room. I moved back so he could take my place at Ellie’s side.

I stepped into the hallway and phoned Rosie.

“Hey Rosie, is everything okay there?”

“It’s fine. The baby?”

“Born a few minutes ago. A little girl. Her papa has just arrived, and the family are together.”

She gave a happy sigh in my ear.

“I’ll wait to check everyone is fine, then I’ll get out of here. My job is done.”

“Well done, sheriff. Your first Charming baby.”

Unseen, I smiled at the door. Yes, it was. It almost made up for Buttercup. Almost.

“Elena Sofia Maria Catalina Torres.”

I’d said my goodbyes and was almost out the door when Ellie spoke. I turned to see Ellie tiredly smiling at me from the couch. “Catalina. Catherine in English. For your mother.”

Swallowing around the lump in my throat, I said, “Thank you, Ellie. I’m honored and Mom will be stoked. Take care of them, Jorge. You have a lovely family.”

He nodded and I could tell he was overwhelmed by sudden turn of events. I wasn’t surprised. It wasn’t every day a man became a first-time father.

I left them to the hands of the paramedics and drove back to the office. I thought about going via Greg’s to check on him, but to be honest, I was beat. I needed food and my bed. I’d message him later. Then I’d message Mom to let her know there was a little girl named after her.

As I drove to Greg’s on Wednesday, I realized how much I’d been looking forward to this.

A full day away from work—no devil cows, no surprise deliveries, and best of all, no Rosie.

I was tired of the sly insinuations since she’d met Greg.

She liked him a lot, but I already had one mom, two if you counted MindMom.

I didn’t need another in my personal business.

I drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly, trying to ease the tension knotted in my shoulders. It had already been a long week, and it was only halfway through. Spending the day with a stunning man felt like exactly what I needed. I hoped he hadn’t changed his mind.

I hadn’t seen Greg at all because I’d been rushed off my feet, driving over the county. I’d planned to invite him to the dinner with Meyer, Dex and Liam, but I’d been held up at the other office. Messaging him each evening wasn’t the same.

Greg gave me a quirky smile as he opened the door. “Hi sheriff, or should I call you Doctor Lawson now?”

“Cash will do just fine,” I said, giving him a mock glare. “I could be a cowboy too. I always wanted to be a cowboy, but my mom said I couldn’t have a cow in my bedroom because they weren’t housetrained. After Buttercup, I think she had a point.”

“Buttercup?” Greg looked confused.

“The runaway cow.”

“Oh! You’ve had a busy week,” he agreed. “Do you want to come in, or shall we get on the road?”

I thought about it for a moment. “Let’s get on the road. It gives us more time to look through the records, and there’s a great little Italian restaurant nearby if we want lunch.”

“That sounds great. I love pasta. Hold on.”

Greg disappeared for a moment, and I openly ogled his taut butt in jeans that molded his ass. He wore a grey/mauve striped plaid shirt which was almost identical to mine. I wanted to say twinsies, but he’d probably look at me like I’d lost my mind.

A moment later, he returned with two travel cups and a picnic bag. “Coffee for the road, or soda and iced tea if you don’t want coffee.”

I blinked. That was kind. I hadn’t thought about refreshments. We weren’t going far.

He caught my expression and gave me a wry smile. “I overslept. I haven’t had coffee yet. I couldn’t make myself a cup and not offer you one.”

“Coffee would be great,” I said, accepting one of the cups. I took a sip and sighed with pleasure, appreciating the strong flavor of the roast.

As I drove down his driveway, Greg said, “I know nothing about you except your job, and you have a mom.”

I hummed. I guessed that was true, we’d been too busy with the unexpected body to exchange life stories. I only discovered Greg’s background because we’d had to investigate his arrival in Charming.

“What do you want to know?”

“How old are you?”

“Thirty-eight. Same age as you. Our birthdays are three months apart.”

“You’re young to be the county sheriff.” He must have caught my pained expression, because he said, “I guess you hear that a lot.”

“I do, but I wanted to be sheriff, and I was voted in.” I shrugged. “Don’t get me wrong, when I’m arguing with Chief Wally, I feel like a teenager arguing with his dad.”

Greg gave a warm chuckle. “I haven’t met Chief Wally yet.”

“He’s semi-retired, until there’s something he wants to poke his nose in.”

“I get you. My first boss was like that. Made his son foreman, but he couldn’t let go. It took him months to realize he’d trained his son well and he needed to cut the apron strings.”

I sighed. “I guess no one wants to think they’re easily replaceable.”

“But sometimes you wish he’d let you do your job?” Greg asked softly, turning to look at me.

“Something like that,” I agreed, pleased he understood what I meant. I liked the old man. I really did, but I was the sheriff now, not him.

Greg settled back in his seat, the quiet hum of the engine filling the silence between us. “That’s why I work for myself,” he said, his voice low and thoughtful. “No one breathing down my neck. I’ve never been great with people.”

I glanced at him, surprised. “Really? You seem perfectly at ease with me. And Rosie couldn't stop singing your praises. ‘Such a polite man,’ she said.”

He let out a soft, almost wistful sigh. “I was raised to be polite. But with you…” His eyes met mine briefly, and something unspoken lingered in the space between us. “With you, it’s different. It feels... easy.”

I turned back to the windshield, but for a brief moment, the world beyond the glass seemed to blur before snapping back into focus. No one had ever said that about me. Usually, it was how tense I was, how I never stopped being a cop—not even at home. But Greg? He said he could breathe around me.

And just like that, something bloomed inside my chest. Gentle, unfamiliar. Like warmth spilling through a crack I didn’t know existed. I’d found someone who understood me. Did he feel the same way about me?