Free Acquiring Trouble by Kathleen Brooks

Pierce stood up and turned to go.
    "Hey, Pierce."
    "Y e a h ?"
    "Thanks for the advice." Miles watched as Pierce ' s face transformed back into a boyish grin.
    "You're welcome."

 
Chapter Nine
     
    Morgan thanked the farmer and watched as he drove off down the bare field in his tractor. Last week she had managed to get some signatures and even turn one of Miles' s members, but this week was something entirely different. It didn’t matter that in the month she’d been here she had garnered a good number of signatures when this week she had failed to get any.
    She tucked the unsigned paper back into her leather satchel and started the long trek back to her car through what would be a sweet corn field come summer . Her four - inch heels sunk n icely into the ground. It took her ten minutes to walk back to her car. She was dirty, cold , and pissed. A Keeneston s heriff cruiser sat directly behind her car . Great. Was she going to be arrested again? It was the one thing missing from her teenage days: Old Sheriff Red watching her like a hawk and bringing her to the jail to scare her straight —m ost of the time for things she didn't even do. So, what was Red going to arrest her for now?
    Morgan put on her best game face and then cringed when she saw her reflection in the car window. Her game face resembled a very nasty scowl. The door to th e cruiser opened and a woman in jeans and a black fleece with a gold star embroidered on the chest got out of the car. Was she being punked ? Where was Red?
    "Expecting someone else?"
    "Yea h , where's Red?"
    "Arizona. He retired there this year."
    "And you're the new sheriff?"
    "No, my brother-in-law is sheriff."
    "Ah, small town nepotism at its best. How I’ve missed this place." Morgan rolled her eyes and then realized she might be close to crossing the line. She really didn't want to be arrested for some bogus charge.
    "Ha! I knew I’ d like you," the woman laughed, resting her hand s on her hips .
    Morgan just stared at the woman in total confusion. Her red hair wa s pulled back into a pony tail that bounced as she laughed. She was slightly taller than her own five feet five inches and lo oked very athletic, except for a slightly rounded belly . She also looked very comfortable with having a gun on her hip.
    "So, who are you and what can I do for you?" Morgan asked cautiously.
    "I'm Annie Davies. I just wanted to meet you."
    "Davies? Which one are you married to? And which one is sheriff?"
    "I’ m married to Cade. He's a teacher and football coach at the high school. We just had a baby at Christmas, but I had to come meet you. Oh, and Marshall is no w the sheriff," Annie told her.
    "I can see Marshall being sheriff. Bu t, Cade married to a deputy ? W ere you like a kindergarten teacher before and then got this job when you married in to the family?"
    "Me? Kindergarten teacher! Ha rdly ! No, I was an undercover DEA agent before I married into the family. I took a step down in my career, but it's been great."
    "You were an undercover DEA agent? You're messing with me right?"
    "Nope. I transferred up here two years ago from Miami."
    "So, why exactly did you want to meet me?" Morgan asked in amazement.
    "I had to meet the other black sheep. When Cy comes home there'll be three of us , " Annie smiled .
    Morgan couldn't imagine what she was talking about. This woman in front of her was as far from a black sheep as she was from a movie star. And what did Cy have to do with it? If she remembered, he was a quiet and serious boy who liked c hess. Not very black - sheepish.
    "I see you're confused. See, you're not the only one with a bad reputation. I might have a rather thick file at the DEA. I had a rather large chip on my shoulder having grown up in some bad foster homes."
    Oh. Maybe she was more like her than Morgan knew. While she didn't grow up in foster homes, she did have a rough home life. It's something that a person with loving parents just wouldn't understand. "What about Cy? He