Free A Match Made in Texas by Katie Lane Page B

would be just fine and dandy. I’ve always believed in giving back to the community. And I was wondering, Judge Seeley, if we might keep this little episode as confidential as possible. You know how things like this can get blown out of proportion with the press.” She paused for just a second. “And it might be best if we didn’t mention it to my family, either.”
    Since her brothers hadn’t shown up, that could mean only one thing: Minnie hadn’t told them. If that was the case, Bri certainly wasn’t about to.
    “Why, of course, Brianne. No need for anyone to catch wind of this.” He glanced over at the sheriff, who now looked more than hot under the collar. He looked like he was about to explode. His hands were clenched in fists, and the veins in his neck protruded. “You can keep a secret, can’t you, Sheriff?”
    The sheriff didn’t answer. He just stood there mad-dogging the judge, who seemed to be completely unaware of the anger directed at him. The judge got to his feet and headed for the door.
    “All we need now is to draw up the paperwork. And rather than take Cora Lee from her exercise ball, I’ll just…” His voice faded as he pulled the door closed behind him.
    Being stuck in the same room with a surly sheriff was not Bri’s idea of a good time. She got up with every intention of following the judge when Hicks stepped in front of the door and blocked her way.
    “You’re not getting away with it. I don’t care what the judge says.”
    If Bri had learned anything from her brothers, it was “show no fear.” So she tipped up her head and sent him a superior look. “Oh, but I think I have gotten away with it.”
    A muscle twitched at the right corner of his mouth. Figuring that it was probably best to put some space between them, she turned on her heel and strolled around the desk in the pretense of studying the books on the shelves. But that wasn’t the only reason she moved away. There was something about being close to the man that took all the oxygen out of the air. Which was exactly how she had ended up kissing him in the jail cell. One minute, she’d lost her balance, and the next, she was in his arms, experiencing the same feeling she got the first time she went skydiving—all breathless and filled with heart-stopping adrenaline.
    Even across the room from him, she was having trouble breathing. And keeping her eyes off the handcuffs that dangled from his belt. In an attempt to get some kind of control over her crazy emotions, she turned her back to him.
    “You’re a very angry man, aren’t you?” she said.
    “Only when the scales of justice tip the wrong way.”
    She studied the framed Texas Tech diploma on the shelf, somewhat surprised that he had graduated from college. “Let’s be honest, we aren’t talking about a major crime here. All I did was wound your pride. You’re just upset because you got bested by a girl, and now you want to get even.”
    There was a moment’s hesitation before he spoke. “Probably.”
    The truthful answer had her glancing over her shoulder. He didn’t look angry anymore. His fists had relaxed, and his neck held only the bump of his Adam’s apple and some stubble that he’d missed with his razor.
    “So what is it going to take to make you forgive and forget?” she asked, turning back to the shelves.
    “You doing more than just handing out canned goods at the local food bank.”
    “How about if I pick up trash on the highway or clean out porta-potties? Will that soothe your ego enough?” A cluster of photos on the second shelf caught her attention. One was of a chubby, bald-headed baby cocooned in the crook of a man’s muscled arm. Another of a cute blond toddler. The last was of the same little girl at about three.
    Bri had no more than picked up the picture to examine it when the sheriff walked over and pulled it from her hand.
    “This isn’t just about my ego,” he said. “It’s about justice. Things should be fair for all