Free The Sheriff Meets His Match by Jacquie Biggar Page A

feet, startling the kitten into snapping awake with a hiss and raised fur. Torn, Tina gazed moved helplessly between the frightened animal and the solid front door.
    Laurel let her off the hook. “I’ll see to Satan here, you go let Chris in, he must be darn near frozen by now.”
    Tina took a last look at the spitting mad cat and hurried down the hall. Laurel shook her head. How did she get into these situations? She grabbed a slice of cheddar off the plate and eased closer, hoping to coax the animal into trusting her.
    “Okay, you little rodent, it’s just me and you. How about cutting me some slack, huh?”
    The kitten eyed the hunk of cheese as though it was a T-bone steak and he was a newly minted vegan suffering withdrawals. Wary green eyes watched her every move as Laurel broke off a tiny piece and set it down as close as she dared.
    “C’mon, you know you want to,” she coaxed, and sure enough, a white-tipped paw with razor claws extended, reached out and hauled the booty in. Happy, now that he’d won the battle, the kitten settled to enjoy his prize, purring contentedly.
    “You fraud,” she scolded. “You act all tough, but you’re actually a sweetheart, aren’t you, baby?” She was breaking up the remainder of the cheese when Tina called her from down the hall, her voice a husky plea.
    “Laurel, um, can you come here for a minute?”
    Laurel frowned. Couldn’t she get the door unlocked?
    She rose and stepped around the cat before hurrying down the hall, slowing to a halt when she caught sight of what awaited. The cold breeze hit her in the stomach, freezing the fear threatening to choke the breath from her body.
    Tina faced Uncle Max in the open doorway, but that wasn’t what scared Laurel. It was the nine-millimetre handgun pointed at the teen’s head.

14
    J ack was too antsy to head into the office, so he called in and took first patrol. The streets were quiet for now, but that would change when Church services came to an end. He tried to attend once a month or so, more for Tina’s sake than anything, though he had to admit when those gospel hymns were sung with enough devotion to raise the rafters, even he felt the Spirit.
    Between his mom, sisters, Aunt Tess and various nieces, nephews and cousins the Garretts made up a good portion of the congregation.. Even his atheist brother, Ty, had started showing up with his blushing bride, Katy, at his side. Jack never thought he’d say it, but he actually looked forward to those family Sundays. Quite often after church they’d all head over to Ty’s house for brunch. Served up potluck style, everyone would bring their favorite dish to share.
    The rest of the afternoon would get spent in a variety of ways. Either tag football in the backyard during the warm summer months, or tobogganing in the winter. He knew of a number of families who only came together at weddings and funerals, so he was proud of how close his own were.
    The sun was a bright orb glinting off the freshly fallen snow. In his opinion, winter was the most beautiful season of the year. Jack adjusted the polarized lenses on his face. He could easily pass on spring’s mud and flooding rivers. Summer’s heat, while welcome, made more work in the form of fire watch, especially with the past couple of year’s drought—Jack was also a volunteer firefighter—and teenage kids testing out their newfound wings. Fall was nice with its mantle of autumn hues, but nothing compared to Father Winter in Jack’s mind. From the lacy perfection of a snowflake, a compliment to the bluer than blue skies, to the majestic Cascade Mountains made him glad to be alive.
    So why then, was he so…restless? Pictures of Laurel popped into his mind. Her did-I-just-do-that look when she beaned him with that snowball; decorating the office Christmas tree with Tina while singing off-key carols guaranteed to send any would-be criminals running for cover. He remembered the taste of her lips swollen from his kisses,