Page 11

Entering the Sheriff’s office by the back door, which was just across the street from his house, he noticed the coffeepot on the stove and the delicious aroma of coffee scenting the air.

He heard several voices, his deputies, raised in camaraderie as well.

He slowed his pace as he moved through the kitchen and listened for a moment.

He smiled. It was clear to him these men shared a closeness, which was to their benefit.

It meant that they looked out for each other.

Not only did they have each other’s backs, it sounded as if they liked each other as well.

There was a lot of teasing, especially toward Merrill and his growing affection for Polly.

It had been that way at his last post in Albuquerque. He couldn’t ask for more.

He stepped out of the kitchen and into the main room and stopped, quickly noticing that only five men were there, instead of the six he had expected. “Good morning, gentlemen.”

The teasing died away in an instant as they all turned to look at him, every one of them instantly alert.

Five pairs of eyes sized him up. A tall, blond-haired man laid his hand on his pistol but didn’t draw, though Devlin had no doubts he would be quick when he did.

Another man, slightly shorter but stocky with hair as orange as a carrot, moved slightly to his left, his eyes narrowing, his body stiff, seemingly ready to defend himself as well as his comrades.

He didn’t reach for his gun, but his stance clearly said he could… and he wouldn’t miss when he did.

Devlin wasn’t offended; it was exactly what he wanted to see, which is why he’d come into the building from the kitchen door. Though they’d been in the midst of ribbing Merrill, none of them had forgotten where they were and the danger they lived with on a daily basis.

All in all, he liked what he saw. Confidence radiated from the five deputies, which was so important. Not only that, but trust and loyalty, to each other as well as to the job.

“Good morning, el jefe ,” Rafael greeted him, a big smile on his face as he waved toward him. “Gentlemen, meet our new marshal, Devlin Goodrich.”

“Thank you all for coming in. I appreciate it.” Devlin sauntered into the room and took a seat at one of the desks, then nodded toward Merrill. “Are we one short?”

“Tomas will be in shortly, I’m sure.”

He studied the man, noticing the humorous gleam in his eyes. “Is it normal for him to be late?”

“No, but he probably stopped to help someone.” Merrill grinned suddenly. “Maybe he had difficulty tearing himself away from his wife.”

The other men laughed.

Devlin hid his smile and directed his attention to the men who were there. “Pull up a seat. We’ll talk.”

Quickly, they did as he asked, pulling chairs from the other desks, the sound of furniture scraping the wooden floor filling the room.

It didn’t take long for them to make themselves comfortable, nor for Merrill to bring him a cup of coffee before taking up a position against the wall, arms folded across his chest.

Devlin turned to the blond-haired man who’d dropped his hand to the butt of his pistol when he walked into the room.

He appeared to be quite young, maybe twenty, if not younger.

He’d have to keep a careful watch on this one.

He didn’t need some young hothead shooting at everything that moved. “What’s your name, son?”

“Sherm Quincy.”

“Tell me about yourself.”

The man straightened in his seat. “Not much to tell.”

“I noticed you were quick to reach for your gun. How long have you been a deputy?”

A blush spread over his features, encompassing his entire face in a reddish pink hue, reaching all the way up to the tips of his ears. Perspiration made his forehead shine. “About six months.”

“You ever shoot anyone?”

“No.” And then he added, “But I’m a crack shot. I can hit the spade out of a playing card at fifty paces.”

“Shooting at cards is a whole lot different than shooting at people.”

“I know that.” A little bit of belligerence snuck into his tone, which Devlin ignored—for now.

“And you?” He nodded toward the red-haired man.

“Caleb Johnson, sir.”

Devlin smiled. “You don’t have to call me ‘sir’. Devlin will do.” His smile grew as he studied the man. “Did you serve?”

Caleb straightened and looked him straight in the eye. “I did, sir. Spent eight years in the Army before coming home to Serenity. How did you know?”

“Just by the way you stood, by the way your body stiffened when I walked into the room, like you were prepared to protect your companions.” He laughed. “Or salute me. What rank did you earn?”

“Captain, sir.”

“And why did you leave the service?”

“My Pa took ill. I came home to help my family on our farm.”

“And how long have you been a deputy?”

“Two years now, sir. I still help out on the farm when I’m needed, but my brother and his wife run it now.”

“Do you like your job?”

A proud smile crossed the man’s face. “I do. Plan to stay at it for a long time.”

“Good to know.” He gave a quick nod then focused his attention on the third man sitting before him.

Before he could ask a question, the man rose from his chair and reached across the desk, extending his hand, grasping his in a firm grip.

“Nate Hyler. Been a deputy for ten years now. I like my job, too.” And then he laughed, a big braying sound that was more donkey than human.

Amused by the tall, lanky man’s congenial attitude, as well as his unusual laugh, Devlin let out a laugh of his own. “Nice to meet you, Nate.”

The door banged open just then and slammed against the opposite wall, startling them all, as a young, dark-haired man half carried, half dragged an older man into the office.

Everyone sprang to their feet, except Nate and Merrill, who were already standing.

Sherm dropped his hand to the holster around his hips, which Devlin had expected as that seemed to be his defensive way.

Others stood at attention, assessing the situation before making a move.

Merrill took a step closer to him, as if to protect him, and again, Devlin liked what he saw, despite being surprised himself.

His deputies were fast and prepared, more so than he himself was at this moment.

“Sorry I’m late! Found Mr. Somner sleeping on a bench in the town square.

” The newcomer laughed though he was a little breathless and wrinkled his nose as he dragged the man inside the building.

“Smelled him before I saw him. He must have drunk himself silly last night. Maybe someone oughta tell Connor to stop servin’ him when he can’t walk straight no more. ”

Merrill stepped forward, as did Nate, and helped the young man deliver Mr. Somner to one of the jail cells, as if this was a frequent occurrence. Perhaps it was. Devlin recalled Merrill saying something about it yesterday.

Mr. Somner didn’t resist at all. In fact, he was laughing, complimenting the deputies on how solicitous they were, slurring his words and promising they’d all go to heaven when it was their time for being so nice.

They eased the man gently to the cot in the cell.

“Go to sleep,” Merrill ordered then grabbed a thin blanket from a shelf and spread it out over the man, showing that he’d definitely done this more than once.

“’Night, boys,” the man mumbled, then, like a switch had been turned off, he fell asleep. In moments, his delicate little snores filled the small space.

Devlin watched it all with something akin to amusement. All the years he’d spent in Albuquerque, he’d never seen anything quite like it. Yes, there was drunkenness in Albuquerque, but his deputies hadn’t quite been so solicitous.

“And now you’ve met Fred Somner,” Merrill chuckled. “As you can see, completely harmless even if he is definitely in his cups.” He extended his arm and placed it around the deputy’s shoulder. “And this is Tomas Medrano.”

Tomas stepped forward and extended his hand. “You must be Marshal Goodrich. A pleasure, sir.”

“Nice to meet you, Tomas. Please, pour yourself a cup of coffee and have a seat. I think you’ve earned it.” Devlin smiled in greeting, his gaze sweeping over the young man,

Tomas did as he was asked, disappearing into the kitchen and returning with a cup of the steaming coffee. He pulled up a chair and slumped into it.

“Tell me about yourself.”

“Me?”

“Yes. We were all getting to know each other when you came in with Mr. Somner.”

Tomas smiled. “What would you like to know?”

“Anything you’d like to tell me.” Devlin liked this young man. Not only did his dark eyes miss nothing, but there was a calmness to him, a serenity as it were, despite having to drag a very drunk, mostly incoherent man into the office.

“Well, I grew up in Serenity. My folks own Dos Corazones Ranch just north of here. I’ve been a deputy for four years.

I’m married to a wonderful woman—Cordelia, and we have two children who are the light of my life.

” Tomas used his thumb to gesture toward the jail cell. “Welcome to Serenity, Marshal.”

Devlin smiled. “Thank you. I’m happy to be here.

” He studied each of the men before him, clearing his throat after a moment.

“I should probably tell you all a little about myself. I run a tight ship, but that doesn’t mean I can’t or won’t be accommodating.

Tell me what you need. If it’s time off, let me know and we’ll make arrangements.

If you think we need more help, tell me that, too.

If you have a problem with the way I run things, talk to me.

I will listen.” He took a sip of coffee.

“I will not be changing anything—for the time being, if ever. I see no reason to do so as Deputy Shotton assures me things are going well as they are, so your schedules will remain the same. The main thing, gentlemen, is that the people who live and work in this town are safe. It’s our job to protect them and we will do it to the best of our ability. Any questions?”

No one said a word but there were a few head shakes, which pleased him.

They looked like good men who knew their jobs though he would keep an eye on Sherm.

The young man’s penchant for reaching for his gun gave him pause.

Though all lawmen wore guns, he was of the opinion it shouldn’t have to be used as a first resort.

Much can be accomplished by speaking gently but firmly, and an unpleasant situation could turn out well if the right approach were used.

“Good. You’re all dismissed then, except for Merrill and Rafael. However, I expect you back for your regular shift.” He glanced at Nate, his night-time deputy, who’d stayed after his shift ended. “Get some sleep.”

The men shuffled out of the building, talking amongst themselves. If there was any negativity, he didn’t hear it and none of his deputies showed that they were upset with his introduction in any way. Devlin finished the coffee in his cup, pleased with what he had accomplished so far.

“Well done, Boss,” Merrill said as he grabbed his hat from his desk. He didn’t put it on. Instead, he held it in his hands, his fingers caressing the brim.

“You think so?”

“I do. Besides, we all knew who you were before you were appointed. We know about Big Bill Cassidy and Smiley Burdette, two of the most notorious gunslingers ever to roam New Mexico, and how you brought them in when the odds were against you. We may be a small town, but we still get news from across the country. In fact, we have our own newspaper and telegraph office.” He fitted his hat to his bald head. “You’re a legend among lawmen.”

While the praise was earned—sort of—he didn’t think he deserved it, especially since it was while he was chasing Big Bill that he’d lost Hannah.

No, it wasn’t Big Bill’s fault that Hannah passed, but he blamed the man just the same—as much as he blamed himself.

If he hadn’t been searching for the outlaw, he’d have been there when Hannah went into early labor.

“I don’t know about that, Merrill, I was just doing my job. ”

As if sensing the subject was a sore one, Merrill changed it. “You ready to start meeting the townspeople?” His hand moved to the gun belt slung low around his hips. He pulled a pistol from the holster, checked that the gun was loaded, and put it back before checking the other.

“You expecting trouble?”

Merrill shook his head and patted the guns at his hips. “Never do, but it doesn’t hurt to be ready. Wouldn’t be doing my job if I walked out of here unprepared.” He turned toward Rafael even as he reached for the door. “We’ll be back.”

Rafael smiled and gestured to the man sleeping in the cell. “We’ll be here.”