Free Sheriff in Her Stocking by Cheryl Gorman Page B

but he
pushed the impulse away.
    Delaney was so
supportive of the people she befriended and her loyalty appeared genuine. He
certainly respected her for being so kind to Sara. But was he seeing only
surface?  Was the real Delaney hidden from him?
    Once, he had
believed in friendship and loyalty with every cell in his body. But Jake, his
partner had deceived him in the cruelest possible way.
    Delaney laughed.
The girlish sound made lust quiver through his veins. Delaney shifted her gaze
and looked at him. He wanted to touch her, hold her, kiss her--right now but
could he trust her?
    Several people
stopped by their table, spoke to him and eyed Delaney before they stuck their
hands out for a shake. She smiled and conversed with them for a few minutes
before they moved on. They were seated by a picture window. Rick glanced out at
the flurries falling from a sky quilted with clouds.  When a large, black
Mercedes SUV pulled into a space in front of the diner, Oliver Harden climbed
out and Rick’s eye brows shot up his forehead. In a moment, Oliver had helped
his wife from the vehicle. She took his arm; beamed at him as if he were a god
descended from Mount Olympus and together they headed for the diner’s door.
    As they passed
the booth where Rick, Delaney and Sara were sitting Oliver and his wife
stopped. Oliver’s wife waved her left hand beneath Sara’s nose. A person would
have to be blind to miss the sparkle and flash from the large diamond on her
ring finger.
    Sara gasped, her
eyes widened and she smiled in awe. “My goodness, Roberta, what’s this?”
    “Oh,” she
gushed. “Ollie bought me a new wedding set in Billings. Isn’t it just. . .” 
She put her hand to her cheek. “I’m at a loss for words.”
    Sara nodded. “Me
too.”
    Delaney leaned
forward to have a look as well. “Wow, it’s gorgeous.”
    Roberta shrugged
one shoulder. “Oh, thank you. I have to agree.”  She giggled.
    Oliver squared
his shoulders and preened beside her. Curioser and curioser.
    The diamond was
huge. “It’s a beautiful ring for sure.” Rick wondered where he got the cash for
a Mercedes and a huge rock like that for his wife.
    Oliver puffed
out his chest and grinned. “Thanks. Did you see our new ride too?”
    Rick leaned back
in his chair and looked at Oliver. “How could I miss it?”
    Roberta tugged
on Oliver’s arm. “Come on, honey, I see a couple of ladies from my bridge club.
I’m dying to show them my ring. They’ll be green with envy.”
    Rick watched
them walk away and head toward the back of the diner.
    Sara looked at
Rick and Delaney and smiled. “Who knew Oliver made that kind of money?” 
She sipped her coffee and patted her mouth with the napkin. “Will you two
excuse me for a few minutes?   I see someone I need to talk to about
an order of china.”  Sara grabbed her purse and headed toward a young
couple seated at a table on the far side of the diner.
    Rick looked at
the SUV then toward the direction of the Hardens. He frowned.
    “Is there a
problem?” Delaney asked.
    “Yeah, I’m
wondering how Oliver Harden can afford a vehicle like that.” He nodded toward
the car in question, “and an expensive ring on income from a convenience
store.”
    Their waitress
walked over, set their food on the table, asked if they needed anything else
then left them alone. Delaney bit into one of her chicken tenders and ate a
French fry. “Maybe he makes more than you think or maybe he inherited from a
relative.”
    Rick shook his
head. “Maybe, but Avery’s a small town and it’s hard to keep a secret around
here. If Oliver had come into some money, everybody in town would have known
about it by now. He and Roberta have always lived comfortably but modestly.
He’s never been the kind of man to buy expensive things then flash them around
town.”  He exhaled a breath. “Seems odd that’s all.”
    Delaney’s hand
covered Rick’s, his heart picked up rhythm and arousal stirred in his groin.