Free Loving the Lawman (Roses of Ridgeway) by Kianna Alexander

That done, he closed the drawer and sat down. Having spent the last hour doing the thing he hated most about his job, organizing his warrants and reports, he was glad to be rid of the stack of paper. Lord willing, he wouldn't have to bother with the paperwork again until this time next month.
    Clerical work was always handled on a Sunday, as it was typically his least busy day for keeping the peace. With the saloon and most of the businesses in town closed for the day, folks usually busied themselves with wholesome pursuits, like attending services at Reverend Chase's Ridgeway Community Church, resting from the week's labors, or spending time with their families. Now, with the lunch hour approaching, Ruby's Diner would open to feed the hungry parishioners as they left the church.
    He sat back in his chair, propping his feet up on the desk, and chewed over the problem of convincing the townsfolk they needed a posse. He hadn't had any more reports of crimes since Miss Parker's purse was stolen, but his lawman's instinct wouldn't let him rest on his laurels. He knew, deep down in his bones, that something else was going to happen. He wished there was more he could do to prevent it, but with only himself and Gregory to handle the job, his hands were pretty much tied.
    Loud pounding on the office door shook him from his thoughts. Getting to his feet, he opened the door, and found Prudence standing there. The worried look on her face, along with the way she wrung her hands, made him particularly concerned. "Mrs. Chase. How can I help you?"
    "It's Janice." She wiped away a tear sliding down her cheek. "She never came to get Adam last night."
    Hearing the schoolteacher's name made him shake his head. He reached up to the hooks mounted beside the door frame, retrieving his hat and gun-belt. "And that's unusual for her?"
    "No, she sometimes stays overnight at the school, if she's not done cleaning. But she never misses service, and she wasn't there today." Prudence began pacing, walking in a small circle on the walk outside the door. "No one's seen or heard from her since yesterday."
    He didn't like the sound of this. Everything he knew about Miss Smart told him that she would not leave her nephew with anyone this long, nor be absent from church services—at least not if she had any say in the matter. He fastened the gun-belt around his waist, glad of his policy of keeping it well-stocked at all times. "Where's Adam now?"
    "With Valerie. Derrick and some of the other men have volunteered to help search for her." She ceased her pacing, and her teary eyes met his. "Please find her, Sheriff. She's a good person."
    He nodded, placing the Stetson on his head. He shrugged on his long coat to stave off the chill in the air. As he stepped onto the walk, he closed the office door and touched Prudence's shoulder. "Go sit with Valerie and the boy. We'll find her."
    She nodded. "The menfolk are waiting for you at the schoolhouse." With that said, she crossed the street toward the mercantile.
    He unhitched Justice from his post, and mounted up, taking off at full gallop. When he rounded the corner behind Doc Wilkin's clinic and into the clearing where the schoolhouse sat, he saw the mounted men waiting there for him: Derrick, the town's only reverend since the passing of Thomas Earl last winter; Ricardo Benigno, the sea-captain turned farmer; Uriah Stevens, the young son of the town's undertaker, Eunice. And, to Noah's surprise, also present was Thaddeus Stern, the only child of the mayor and his wife.
    Deciding to leave questions about Thad's presence for later, he called out to them. "Ready, men?"
    They all gave their affirmatives, vocally and with their gestures.
    Noah turned his horse toward the town boundary, and urged Justice ahead.
    As they rode alongside each other down Town Road, Thad spoke. "I used my father's skeleton key to unlock the schoolhouse. No sign of Miss Smart inside."
    So they'd searched her last known location. That would