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L ulu Reilly had seen her father, Seth, angry many times in her life.

There was that one time when she’d snuck out of the house for a party and hadn’t come home until three in the morning. He’d been spitting nails then. There was another time when she was fourteen, and she’d taken the family minivan out for a spin to get her and her friends some fast food in the next town over. She’d thought he was going to pop a blood vessel in his head. His face had been beet red, and her mother Presley had tried to calm him down. She’d done a pretty good job, too, since Lulu was still alive.

There had been a myriad of similar moments, thanks to Lulu’s “zest for life” as her mother liked to call it. Now a little older and wiser, Lulu did feel guilty about all the gray hairs she’d given her parents. She truly did. But that didn’t mean she was going to back down this time.

Because retired sheriff Seth Reilly was absolutely, positively furious right at this moment. As in, he looked like he might go off like a bottle rocket and fly into the sky. Her father loved her, she was sure of it, but he currently appeared to want to kill her.

She only had herself to blame. She’d deliberately kept this secret from him until today.

“Relax, Seth. It’s going to be fine,” Ray Ramsey, one of the town council members who had hired her, said. “She’s going to do great.”

Ray Ramsey was the local real estate guy who had his name and face plastered all over town on park benches, signs, and even mouse pads.

“Ray, you’re a good friend but stay out of this,” her father said, barely glancing at the other man. “This is between Lulu and me.”

“Ray is right,” Ellen Dunphy added. She was also on the town council and had been for years. “It’s done, Seth, and I think Lulu’s going to do great.”

So far no one had mentioned that she’d been the lone applicant. For that, Lulu was grateful. She already had her hands full with her dad.

“Lorelei Catherine Reilly, you cannot be sheriff of Harper. I won’t allow it. I won’t. Period. End of story. The decision has been made.”

Ah, the old decision has been made gambit. Her parents had used it many times in her teens. It had worked about half the time. It wasn’t going to work today, despite her father’s no-nonsense tone.

“You’re wrong,” Lulu said. “And right, too. The decision has been made but by the town council. I’m hired. I’m the new sheriff. Period. End of story. I don’t need your permission, Dad. I’m an adult, and you’re retired now.”

Seth Reilly had taken his sweet time about retiring, too. Presley had started dropping hints which he’d ignored, and she eventually just had to be blunt. She wanted to travel. She wanted to have some fun. They’d worked hard, and now they had a chance to do whatever they wanted to do. And since Seth wanted a happy wife, he’d retired. Eventually.

And honestly? Did he think he could talk Lulu out of it? Didn’t he know her at all?

“You’re not acting like an adult,” her father growled as her mother patted his arm, trying to get him to calm down. “You’re not trained for this. You’ll get yourself killed.”

And the family calls me a drama queen. If I am, I come by it honestly. And it’s not from Mom.

“You weren’t trained either,” she pointed out. “You didn’t go to the academy. You learned on the job.”

She’d practiced this conversation. In the last few weeks, her friend Henry had played the part of her dad, and they’d had a “mock” argument so that she’d be ready for today. Henry, for his part, had done an excellent job of playing the furious father. He was silently cheering her on from the sidelines, which in this case was a couch in her parent’s living room.

“Seth, you’re overreacting,” Ramsey said in a cajoling tone. “What’s wrong with giving her a chance? If it doesn’t work out, we can reassess then.”

Lulu didn’t know whether to thank Ray Ramsey or be a bit hurt. It sounded like he believed in her…kind of.

“Lulu will bring her youth and enthusiasm to the job,” Ellen said. “She loves this town as much as you do, Seth, and they love her, too. With our support, I think she can succeed here. Right, Ray?”

“Absolutely,” Ramsey replied with a definite nod. He looked surer than he had a few minutes ago. “We feel that Harper is going to be in good hands.”

That was more encouraging. Lulu was grateful that the town council had that much belief in her. Unfortunately, they hadn’t put a dent in her father’s negativity. When Seth Reilly made up his mind, it wasn’t easy to change it. It could be done, of course; he wasn’t a stubborn jackass, but it was an uphill battle. The one person that seemed to do it effortlessly was her mother.

Her younger brother Chase was also standing by, watching this play out. She had only told him the day before, and he’d simply shook his head and muttered something about fireworks. She shouldn’t have favorites, but she did. Chase was her favorite brother. Ben always acted like he had a big stick up his ass whenever he was around which wasn’t much these days. He was busy being a grown-up and doing important things - a fact he never let Lulu forget.

After all, everyone knew Lulu Reilly was the fuck up of the family. Until she’d taken this job, she hadn’t known what she wanted to do with her life. She’d drifted from place to place and job to job, looking for something that filled her soul. She hadn’t found it until now.

“I was in the military,” her dad shot back as if no one else had spoken. “I didn’t come in green. This isn’t a job for amateurs.”

“You weren’t an MP, Dad. I can do this, but you think I can’t do anything.”

“That’s not true. I just think you shouldn’t do this. It’s too dangerous.”

Now he was grasping at straws.

“Dad, how many times did you come home from work and tell us how bored you were? You’ve told us - multiple times - that ninety-nine percent of the time you were bored as hell.”

“It’s the other one percent that can kill you.”

“I’m not planning on chasing down serial killers with my buddies like you did,” Lulu replied, keeping her tone even. She wanted to be the reasonable one for a change. “Your deputies are trained. And I’ve trained, too. I know the manuals inside and out. I’ve had firearms training, and self-defense. I want to do this. I can do this. It hurts that you don’t believe in me at all.”

Her mother had always said that Lulu was most like her dad. Seth Reilly had been a wild one in his youth until the day his best friend died while doing a dangerous stunt they’d done a hundred times before. After that, he’d been a changed man. Uptight. Careful. Cautious. From what she’d heard, he’d loosened up a bit after meeting her mother, but he’d never returned to his previous devil-may-care ways.

Consequently, he hadn’t been all that patient with Lulu when she was going through the same phase. He’d come down hard while her mother had been more sedate about things. It wasn’t a surprise that he was having a cow about her new job.

He still thought of her as that wild teenager, but frankly, she hadn’t done anything stupid in a long time.

Okay, define stupid. A person has to take a few chances now and then.

“Seth,” her mother said softly, intervening in the heated conversation. “This is important to Lulu. Of course, I’m worried, too. I would be no matter which of our children took this job. But we have to believe in our daughter. I think she can do amazing things, if she’s given a chance. I know you do, too.”

As always, Presley’s magic worked on her husband. Lulu could visibly see her dad softening, if only just a bit.

“Fine,” he replied, his jaw still tight. “I won’t retire yet. I’ll stay on and train her. When I think she’s ready, I’ll retire then.”

“Dad, you have a flight to go on a two-week cruise,” Chase reminded him. “You’re retired already. It’s done. You got the gold watch and a party.”

“I’ll give it back.”

“You’re being ridiculous,” Lulu sighed. “Is this what you really think of me? That I’m so stupid and helpless that I can’t do this job? Wow, thanks. I now know exactly how little you think of me. Poor, Lulu. She’s such a screwup. Too bad she can’t be more like her brothers or cousins. Hopefully, she can get a crappy job until she can find a man to take care of her.”

Lulu’s mother gave her husband the look. They all knew it well, and she didn’t bring it out very often. But when she did…

Henry and Chase had even grown more attentive once they’d seen it, too. Both of them appeared to be holding their breath as they waited for Seth to respond.

“I believe my baby girl can do anything she wants to do.”

The statement should have made Lulu feel better, but all it did was make her want to cry. He still saw her as a child. Did he see Ben and Chase the same way? She didn’t think so. Was this more father-daughter bullshit?

“Dad, Lulu isn’t a little girl,” Chase said with a shake of his head. “She’s a grown woman, and she’s set herself a challenge here. She knows what she’s doing, and everyone starts without experience. She’ll learn, just like I did when I took over the coffee shop from Mom.”

“They don’t usually get to be sheriff without experience,” Seth pointed out. “They don’t get to be in charge on day one.”

“Well, no one wanted the job,” Chase replied. “Including your own deputies, which is sort of telling. I think Lulu is going to do a good job. I think she’s got this. She cares about this town, and the residents care about her.”

Lulu gave her brother a grateful look. She hadn’t known where he stood on this, but it was good to know he was on her side. He believed in her even if no one else did. Scratch that. Henry believed in her, too. She had the two of them in her corner.

“I agree with Chase,” her mother said. “Lulu loves this town, and I know she believes in keeping the peace here. I think she’s going to do quite well.”

Ray Ramsey and Ellen Dunphy nodded in agreement as well.

Her dad’s attention swung to Henry, still sitting on the sofa.

“Do you want to chime in here, too? Tell me how wrong I am?”

“I think you know my opinion,” Henry said with a mischievous grin. “Lulu is awesome, and she’s going to kick some ass and take some names. Not necessarily in that order though. Seriously, she’s going to do great. And you know why? Because she cares about doing a good job. Not many people do, but she does. That’s why she’s going to succeed.”

Lulu had hit the jackpot when it came to best friends when she’d met Henry. He could be a little strange at times, but he had a heart of gold.

“I guess I’m beat,” her father conceded, throwing up his hands in defeat. “But I want to go on record saying that I don’t think this is a good idea. If you want to be in law enforcement, that’s fine. But you should get more experience before taking on an entire town. But that’s just my two cents.”

“She’s going to be fine, Seth,” Ramsey said. “Don’t worry.”

“I’m going to worry,” her dad growled. “I worry about all of my children.”

With tears shining in her eyes, her mother gave Lulu a big hug before whispering in her ear.

“I love you, and I’m always proud of you. I think you’re going to become a wonderful sheriff. This town is lucky to have you.”

Presley stepped back and beckoned to her husband.

“Seth, isn’t there something you want to say to Lulu?”

The one thing Lulu never questioned in her life was the love of her parents. Since the day she’d been born, she’d been wrapped in the warmth of their love and adoration. It had been their absolute unconditional love that had given her the confidence to take life head on.

Her father was across the room in two long strides, wrapping her up in one of his amazing hugs. Her heart squeezed painfully as she hugged him back, her emotions making it hard not to cry. But sheriffs shouldn’t be crying all over the place. She needed to show them she could keep it all together and be in control.

“I just love you,” her father said. “I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

At first, she didn’t think her dad was going to let go, but then his hold loosened, and he stepped back. His expression was stormy, but he appeared resigned to the situation. Under the circumstances, it was the best outcome she could have hoped for. She’d envisioned scenarios where he tried to ground her or take her phone even though she was a grown adult who paid her own bills.

“We need to finish packing,” her mother said firmly, guiding her husband from the living room. “I need your opinion on a pair of shoes I’m thinking about taking.”

Presley Reilly had never been indecisive about shoes or packing in her life, so it was probably just an attempt to give Lulu some space. Her parents disappeared into the bedroom, leaving Lulu with Chase, Henry, Ray Ramsey, and Ellen Dunphy.

“It will all be fine,” Ellen said. “Right, Ray?”

That’s how Ellen talked most of the time. She’d make a statement and then look to Ray to agree. Luckily, most of the time he did.

“Right. Fine,” Ray echoed. “We’ll let you get to it, Lulu. Let us know if you need anything.”

Ellen and Ray also exited the house after giving their final vote of confidence. At least they believed in her. They’d given her the job, after all. That had to count for something.

And then there was Chase and Henry. They believed in her, too.

“Thanks again, Chase. What you said seemed to make a difference.”

Her brother gave her a crooked smile and laughed.

“Don’t make a liar out of me, sis. If I have to eat crow, I won’t be a happy camper.”

“I won’t let you down,” she promised.

“For what it’s worth, I think you’re going to do fine.”

“What about Ben? Do you think he’d be supportive? Will he think I’m being stupid?”

“Ben thinks everyone is stupid,” Chase reminded her. “Or maybe just most people.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“Okay, he’s not that bad. But he’ll still think that you’ve lost your mind.”

“Do you think I’ve lost my mind?” she asked, holding her breath for the answer.

“I think the jury is still out on your sanity, but all the best people I know are a little crazy. Henry, tell her she’s got this.”

“You’ve got this,” Henry replied. “You’re going to do great. I don’t just say that to anyone. Besides, if anything comes up, Chase and I will be here to help. Right, Chase?”

“We will. But let’s pace ourselves, okay? No murders on day one. Maybe a parking ticket or a small fender-bender.”

The guys were making her laugh even when she didn’t want to. They thought they were so funny.

“How many years has it been since there was a murder in Harper?” she asked with a roll of her eyes. “I think we were kids.”

“Don’t tempt fate,” Henry warned. “Next thing you know, you’ll be saying shit like ‘How could it get any worse?’ or something like that. The universe is listening, you know.”

“If I know my sister, she’ll just tell the universe to kiss her ass,” Chase laughed. “How about we all go out for dinner tonight as a celebration? My treat.”

“You’re paying? I’m in,” Lulu replied. “Be warned. I’m bringing an appetite.”

“I’m in, too,” Henry said. “One big celebration before Lulu gets down to work.”

If Lulu’s dad had his way, there wouldn’t be anything to celebrate. He’d have her back on a plane to Seattle before nightfall. But she wouldn’t have gone without a fight.

Something deep inside of her was saying that she’d made the right decision. This was what she’d been meant to do.

Helping people. Keeping the peace.

She was going to be the best damn sheriff Harper, Montana had ever seen. Except for Seth Reilly, of course.

Those were some mighty big shoes to fill, but she was going to try.

“Seth, talk to me.”

Seth wasn’t proud of himself at the moment. He’d chided Lulu about not acting like an adult, and what had he done?

Acted like a child, stomping his feet in protest when she wouldn’t do what he wanted. She’d been a grown-up for a few years now, so he didn’t know why he’d expected her to simply fold under his pressure. She never had before, even when he’d been paying her bills. Now that she was independent, she wasn’t going to be any easier to deal with.

“She’s going to get herself killed. Are you truly supportive of this?”

“Let me ask you a question first,” Presley said, her soft gaze on him. She was taking in everything about his reaction - rigid spine, gritted teeth. Nothing ever escaped her notice. “Is your phone in your hand because you’re thinking about calling the town council and getting them to rescind the job offer?”

His phone was in his hand. He’d been thinking about calling one or all of them. He couldn’t deny it. He was livid with every single one of them. They’d told him they’d found a replacement, but they’d conveniently left out who it was. They knew he would have gone through the roof. They’d colluded with his daughter to keep this secret from him. Frankly, he was shocked that they’d pulled it off. This town council seemed to have their shit together more than the others in the past.

“They shouldn’t have kept this from me.”

“True, but you can’t go back in time. They didn’t tell you. You found out today. Now we deal with it.”

“I tried to deal with it,” he said, throwing up his hands again in frustration. “You told me not to. You said to back off.”

“Yes, I did. Why do you think that is?”

His beautiful wife was gazing at him, her arms crossed over her chest. As always, he was blown away by how gorgeous and amazing she was. He’d hit the jackpot the day he’d been assigned to protect her. Here they were, a bit more than thirty years later, and she was sexier than the day they got married. How did she do it? He’d once thought that maybe she’d put him under some sort of spell, but later he’d decided that he was fine with it. As long as he got to be her husband, he was a happy man.

He’d seen that look on her face before, of course. They’d been married a long time and not every day had been sunshine and roses. With three kids and two careers, they’d often butted heads.

Like today. He wanted to put a stop to Lulu’s foolishness, and Presley wanted him to roll over and play dead.

“I don’t know why.”

“Yes, you do.”

“Because she’s a grown woman, and can make her own decisions?”

“You made that sound like a question. Is she not a grown woman?”

“She is,” he growled, not happy in the least that his young daughter wasn’t a child anymore. “It was easier when they were little, babe. We kept them safe. That was our job.”

“And now our job is to step back, shut up, and just keep loving them.”

“I don’t like it.”

He sounded petulant, and he didn’t care. This wasn’t a stranger; this was his daughter.

“I don’t either, but I believe in Lulu. She wants this, Seth. I can see it in her eyes. She’s a passionate person, and I can see that this challenge just lights her up. We haven’t seen that in a few years.”

“Wanting something doesn’t make it a good decision.”

“Seth, you were her age when you took this job,” Presley reminded him. “Is it because she’s a woman? I’ve always thought better of you.”

He’d thought better of himself, too. He didn’t have an issue with her being female. His issue was that she was his baby girl.

“If something happened to her, I don’t know how I would go on,” he confessed, his voice tortured. His lungs burned and his heart hurt. He could barely take a breath. “What if something happens to her? How can you be so calm? Why aren’t you terrified?”

Presley wrapped her arms around his middle as she gazed up at him with so much love in her expression, he could barely comprehend it. He only knew that he loved this woman with every fiber of his being. In this life and into the next. There would never be anyone else for him.

She was the one.

“I’m going to tell you a little secret,” she said. “I’ve been terrified since the day I found out I was pregnant. With all of them, not just Lulu. All of the sudden, my very happiness and heart were bound up in another human being. I stayed up and watched them while they slept because I was sure they were only breathing because I willed them to. If I stopped, what would happen? Every single day, I’ve fought the battle of wanting to tuck them under my wing and keep them safe from harm. I never wanted our children to know one day of heartbreak or pain. Doesn’t that sound a bit unhinged? But I also knew that wasn’t our job. We were supposed to raise them not to need us anymore. Good parenting means you make yourself obsolete. It’s a sucky profession, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Look what we got…three amazing kids who are going to do wonderful things.”

She was right. He knew she was right. He wasn’t supposed to have any favorites - and he loved all of his children more than he could have ever imagined - but somehow his little Lulu could wind her way through his heart so easily.

“I thought it would be Ben.”

There. He’d said it. He’d thought it would be Ben that would follow in his footsteps. He still would have worried, but Ben had always seemed so calm, so solid, so…damn dependable.

Presley, however, appeared surprised. Her brows had shot up, and she was almost laughing.

“Ben? How could you ever think that except maybe when he was a kid and played sheriff with his friends? He’s wanted something bigger than this town for a long time. I think we always knew that he’d leave as soon as he finished school. And don’t start with Chase, either. He’s wanted to run the coffee shop since he was a kid and used to help me behind the counter. The customers adored him. Still do. No, if it was going to be anybody, it was going to be Lulu. My god, Seth. Can’t you see it? She’s just like you. According to your parents, she’s exactly like you.”

Her words hit him right upside the head, sending him to a spin. Yes, he’d seen it. He’d tried to ignore it, but how could he? Lulu was so much like him.

I love her so much. I love all of them so much. How did I get so scared about losing it all? Is it because I don’t have forever left? I’m beginning to feel my age? Getting old sucks. But I can’t put my fears on her.

When he was young, he’d felt immortal. Nothing could touch him. He could overcome anything and anyone. He’d thrown his heart and soul into protecting this town, and later even more people, when he’d helped go after two serial killers. He’d been scared during those times, but never for himself.

I know how you feel, Lulu. And I know what you need from me. I understand.

“I’ll make this right,” Seth said. “I’ll talk to her.”

He should have seen this day coming a mile away, but he’d deliberately closed his eyes. Not anymore.

He would make sure Lulu knew how much he believed in her.