How To Land Her Lawman. Teresa Southwick
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no taking weeknights for granted with tourists all over the place for the next three months.
As acting sheriff, Will took the private office off to the right, which had a closing door. Rank had its privileges.
The phone rang and Clarice answered. “Blackwater Lake Sheriff’s Office. This is Clarice.” She listened for a moment then said, “Is everyone all right?” After grabbing a pen, she jotted down notes. “Okay. Sit tight. I’ll send someone right away.”
“What’s up?” Will asked.
“MVA on Lake Shore Road. Two cars involved.”
Will moved in front of her desk. The sheriff also coordinated fire-department services. “Do we need to roll rescue and paramedics?”
“No. Everyone was out of the cars and there are no apparent injuries. But neither of the vehicles is drivable, so we need to alert McKnight Automotive that there will be either a tow or flatbed truck removal.”
“Okay. Can you take care of that?”
“Sure thing.”
“Eddie,” he said to the blond, blue-eyed deputy. “Take the cruiser out there and evaluate the situation. Talk to everyone involved and make a report. Radio in with your recommendations.”
“Yes, sir.” In a heartbeat the kid was out of his chair and ready to go.
Will held out the keys, and the deputy grabbed them on his way out the door. It didn’t escape his notice that the kid’s smooth face barely required a shave. Must be a thrill to drive a cop car. If there was another call Will would take his SUV. He stood beside his dispatcher and both of them watched the deputy put on the cruiser’s lights before pulling away from the curb. As he’d been trained to do.
Will knew Clarice had worked with his father for over twenty years and was a valued member of the small department. Hank had always said she made him look good. When the resort was completed, the town was going to grow and law enforcement would have to keep up with it. Not his problem, he reminded himself. After the summer he was out of here. But his dad was going to have to deal with it and that would mean more stress. He would need dependable, dedicated employees.
“What do you think of Eddie?” he asked.
Clarice looked thoughtful for a moment. “He’s a good kid. Coolheaded, smart, conscientious. Your dad has an eye for talent.” She grinned. “After all, you’re here.”
“Not because of talent. It’s the training.”
“Could be both,” she said. “And your dad figured Eddie could benefit from your experience and training.”
“While I’m here.” Will didn’t want to give the false impression that he was staying for good and put a finer point on her statement.
“One day at a time.” She had a mysterious Zen expression on her face.
“Right.”
He was looking out the window and saw the door to the Photography Shop open and April walked out. She turned and locked up, then crossed the street and headed toward the sheriff’s office. It was possible she was going somewhere else, but he hoped not. The sight of her lifted his spirits just like she’d done last night when he found her on his porch with a casserole in her hands. It wasn’t fancy food but turned out to be the best dinner he’d had in a long time.
That had little to do with the cooking and everything to do with the company. Like every situation, he analyzed it and figured he’d enjoyed the evening because any lingering guilt about hurting her was gone. There were other things that kept him up at night but not her. At least not guilt about her, because he’d lost some sleep wondering if her mouth still tasted as sweet as he remembered.
April walked into the office and saw him standing by the dispatch desk. “Hi.”
“Hey.”
She looked at the older woman. “Hi, Clarice. How’s the family?”
“Everyone is doing great.”
“Are you a grandmother yet?” April asked.
“Sandy’s due after Labor Day.”
“I didn’t know you were going to be a grandmother,” Will said.
“Because you never asked.” Her tone was only marginally disapproving. “She and her husband live in California, a suburb of LA. He’s an attorney for a big law firm there. Sandy works at a preschool, at least until the baby’s born.”
“Congratulations,” he said.
“Thanks, boss. By the way, I’ll need some time off after she gives birth.”
“My father will be back then. I’m sure he already has you covered and it won’t be a problem.” Then Will remembered she had a son, too. What was that kid’s name? Oh, yeah. “How’s Mark?”
“Good. I’m surprised you remembered his name.” She hadn’t missed the slight hesitation. “He’s getting a doctorate in marine science from the University of Miami.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah. A nerd like his dad.”
Will knew her husband taught chemistry at the junior college located about twenty-five miles from Blackwater Lake. Where April had gone to school. Damned if even after all this time he didn’t still feel a twinge remembering that she hadn’t gone with him to Chicago.
Will looked at her now. “So, April, how can we help you? Are you here to report a crime?”
She laughed. “More like crime prevention.”
“Oh?”
“Yeah. Would you mind if we talked in your office?” The words were for him, but April gave Clarice a shrug that was part apology, part I-know-you-understand.
“I’ve got work to do,” the dispatcher said.
“Okay. In my office, then.” He turned and headed in that direction with April behind him. When they walked in the room he asked, “Do you want me to close the door?”
“Not necessary. I just wanted a little privacy for this conversation.”
“Okay.” He indicated the two chairs in front of the desk. “Have a seat.”
“Thanks.” She sat down and the wattage on her smile was probably visible from space. Plus she was doing that weird thing with her eyes again. “I could use your help.”
“With what?”
“Crowd control. More specifically teenage make-out prevention.”
“A little more information would be really helpful.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” She laughed again, but the sound seemed more nervous than anything else. “Every year just after school gets out the high school kids get together in that open field a half mile from the high school. The seniors who ruled the school pass on the power, symbolically of course, to the juniors, who are now incoming seniors.”
“Okay. But why do you need official backup?”
“That’s the thing. It’s not official, not technically a school function, so no chaperones are required. But these are teenagers and extra surveillance is the smart way to go.”
“Why are you doing the asking?” Apparently his guilt wasn’t completely gone because there was a part of him surprised that she would request anything from him.
“I take pictures that always make their way into the yearbook. It’s an annual thing they do. Every year.” She cringed. “I already said that, didn’t I?”
“Yeah.”
“The thing is, I don’t want any of them having sex on my watch.”
“I guess not.” He couldn’t stop a small