Sheriff in Her Stocking (17 page)

Rick got out of
the squad car. He wanted to grin from ear to ear, run over, pick her up and
twirl her in a circle but he didn’t. He fought to keep a serious expression on
his face as he walked to her side.

“What the hell
are you doing?” she yelled. “Are you trying to kill yourself?”

He held up a
hand interrupting her. “I’m afraid you’re wanted back in Avery.”

She raised her
brows and looked at him as if he’d just said he planned to fly to the moon.
“Excuse me?  For what?  By who?”

“By me.”

A little of the
anger slid from her face and uncertainty flickered in her eyes. “For
what?  You don’t want me. You made that real clear when you urged me to
take the new job. Well, I did and now I’m leaving. I don’t have to listen to
anything you say. In fact, I’m tired of listening to you. I’m leaving and
getting on with my life. I suggest you do the same.”

She jerked her
body around and climbed back into her car.

Rick stepped up
between the door and the car. “Exit your vehicle, please.”

“No.”

“I’m going to
ask you once again, Miss Moore and if you refuse I’m going to have to arrest
you.”

She snapped her
head around and glared at him. “You’ll have to catch me first.”  The car’s
motor was still humming; she put the car into gear.

He had no
choice.

Rick pulled out
his service revolver and shot one of her tires. It deflated and the left front
side of the car slumped.

Delaney’s mouth
popped open. She turned and stared at him as if he were nuts. She climbed from the
car and stood nose to nose with him. “Are you insane?”

He grinned. “In
a manner of speaking, yes. Ms. Moore, I’m charging you with resisting
arrest.”  He withdrew his handcuffs from his pocket, brought her wrists to
the small of her back and snapped the cuffs into place.

An inexplicable
look of astonishment covered her face. “You are insane!  What do you want
Rick?  Haven’t you hurt me enough?”

He crowded her
next to the side of her car, moving in close until his crotch touched her lower
belly. Leaning forward he kissed her gently on the cheek. “Please, just listen
to me for two minutes. If after you hear what I have to say and you still want
to leave, I’ll change the tire on your car myself and you can go on your merry
way to New York or wherever. But you have to listen first.”

She pressed her
lips into a thin line and gaze out toward the horizon. “These handcuffs hurt.”

“I know. I’m
sorry, but you gave me no choice.”

“Make it
quick.”  Her voice was tense and clipped.

“First of all,
I’m an idiot, a pinheaded sonofabitch.”

She swung her
head around and looked at him. “At least we agree on something.”

He pressed two
fingers against her lips. “I’m not finished. I was stupid. When I saw Jake at
Harden’s I put two and two together and came up with ten. I thought you and
Jake had been working together from the beginning.”

She opened her
mouth to speak.

“I have at least
another minute left. I thought you used me, that submitting sexually to me was
part of the act. Even your anger at Lenore. I thought everything was a charade
that Jake was still dealing drugs and you were his accomplice. I was stupid and
wrong.”  He looked at her, at her beautiful eyes, her gorgeous face and
sexy body. “Please forgive me, Delaney. I never thought I wanted to spend the
rest of my life with one woman, or to make a home, have a family...until I met
you. What I’m trying to say is I love you. I love you with all of my heart. I
love the way you treat people with respect and kindness. I love the way you
gave up the job in New York to stay here and help the town. I love the way you
look when you wake up in the morning and that little snore when you sleep.”

 A look of
outrage and surprise covered her face. “I do not snore!”

He smiled. “And
I love the expression on your face, the one you get when you feel insulted,
like now. I also love you, all of you, your body and your soul. I can’t live
without you.”

She turned and
shook her handcuffed hands at him as best she could. “Take these off.”

“Do you forgive
me?”

A smile played
around her lips and a gleam lit her eyes. “How can I not?  A man
practically runs me off the road, shoots out a tire on my car, handcuffs me,
asks my forgiveness, and tells me he’s in love with me. What choice does a girl
have?”

Rick removed the
cuffs and tossed them on the front seat of Delaney’s car. She leaped into his
arms and wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed, his tongue dancing
with hers, her sweet crotch pressing against his making him hard. He grasped
her ass and pulled her firmly against him as they kissed. He backed up until
she rested against the car and slid his lips to her neck.

“I can’t believe
this is happening,” she said breathlessly. A car and a truck sped by. The
trucker blew his horn and they both laughed. “I thought you didn’t care that
you wanted me to leave.”

“I love you,
Delaney. Will you marry me?”

Tears brimmed in
her eyes as she looked at him, grinning from ear to ear. “Yes, Rick Mateo Cruz
I will marry you.”

He started to
kiss her again but she pressed her fingers over his mouth stopping him. “On one
condition.”

“What’s that?”

“You promise
never to shoot out my tires ever again.”

He laughed.
“Deal.”

* * * * *

A few days later
Rick and Delaney stood together among the town’s people and looked at the huge lighted
tree in the square while carolers sang Jingle Bells. Rick’s arms were wrapped
around her waist with the front of his body pressed to the back of hers warming
her from head to foot. The diner had provided hot drinks to keep everyone warm
on the snowy Christmas Eve night. Rick stood behind Delaney with his arms
around her waist. She leaned against him and he breathed in her scent. She
looked over at Lenore with Mark Griffin’s arms around her. They sipped from the
same drink and gazed into each other’s eyes.

A couple of days
ago, Lenore and Mark stopped by the sheriff’s office. Lenore had actually
apologized for her actions. Sort of. True to royal form, she hadn’t apologized
so much as suggested that perhaps just maybe she’d been hasty in going after Rick
when the best man for her was right before her eyes.

Avery had won
the best vacation spot contest and the whole town was excited. The mayor made a
special announcement and thanked Delaney for all her help. Since her designs
had caught the attention of other businesses around the state she decided to
freelance, stay in Avery and of course marry Rick. There was a vacant shop in
town where she planned to open up Delaney’s Designs. She turned her head and
laid her ear on his chest just over his heart. “I love you Rick.”

“I love you too,
baby.”

She turned and
stared at the tree, listened to the carolers and breathed a contented sigh.
Their future was as bright as the lights on that tree. She never would have
believed this Christmas she would find a sheriff in her stocking.