Free The Accidental Sheriff by Cathy McDavid

honored. Really, I am.”
    “That sounds like a no.” She swallowed, the only visible sign that his rejection had hurt her.
    “Sorry.”
    A horn beeped. “Be right there,” she hollered over hershoulder. To Neil, she said, “Is it because of my job? I told you, I refused the assignment.”
    “Carolina…”
    “I like it better when you use my first name.”
    She smiled, and his resolve weakened, not that it was ever strong where she was concerned.
    “The problem is your job, but also mine.”
    “Yours? How so?”
    “It’s complicated.”
    “Try me.”
    He was tempted. Good judgment, however, prevailed. “It won’t make any difference.”
    “How do you know?” She stepped forward. No more than a matter of inches, yet it was enough to change their positions—or was it the atmosphere?—from casual to intimate. “Look, there’s something between us, don’t bother denying it.”
    He didn’t. They’d both have to be blind or naive not to notice the sparks that went off like tiny rockets every time they were together. “Trust me, you’re better off with someone else.” He started toward the door of the Jeep.
    The horn beeped again. Carolina’s sister was growing impatient.
    “Wait, Neil.” She spun around and cupped her hands to her mouth. “Go on without me. Sheriff Lovitt is taking me home.”
    “Carolina.” This time, his voice was stern.
    “You have to drive right past my cabin to leave the ranch. Well, practically.” She didn’t wait for him to answer and dashed around the Jeep to the passenger side.
    Neil opened his door. She was already in and buckling her seat belt. The one remaining vehicle with her sister had left and was bumping up the nearby slope. If he didn’t take Carolina home, R.J. would have to when Willie relieved him.
    Recognizing defeat when it stared him in the face, Neil climbed in behind the steering wheel, hoping he wasn’t making a huge mistake.
     
    “T AKE THE LEFT FORK ,” Carolina said.
    Neil shot her a sidelong glance. “That’s not the way we came.” Neither, he was sure, was it the way the other vehicles had gone.
    “I know a shortcut. The trail’s a little rough, though. If you’re worried—”
    “I’m not.” He downshifted.
    “I didn’t think so.”
    He couldn’t see her face in the Jeep’s dark interior, but he felt relatively certain she was smiling.
    “Careful, the next slope drops off sharply.” She tightened her hold on the grab bar and gave an excited “Whee” when they exploded down the other side.
    Great. One more thing to like about Carolina Sweetwater. His deputy R.J. could take a few lessons from her when it came to the art of off-road driving.
    The noise, the bouncing and the level of concentration required to steer the Jeep hindered any meaningful conversation until they reached the outskirts of a maintenance yard and the main dirt road that led through the ranch. They continued driving, guided by lights peeking out from between the trees, evidence that many of the guests were still awake in their cabins.
    “How much farther?” he asked.
    “About a quarter mile. Keep going.”
    Hiking and ATV trails veered off in various directions. Carved wooden signs tacked to trees proclaimed the various trail names. Cute names, like Bear Tracks and Fox Cub and Juniper Berry. One name stood out.
    “Did I read that right? Carolina May?”
    She nodded. “Grandpa Walter named a trail for each of us grandkids.”
    A stone monument stood at the base of the next trail. They were going too fast for Neil to read the entire rectangular brass sign.
    “Hailey…?”
    “Hailey Beatrice Trail. For my cousin, Jake’s sister. She died in a horse riding accident almost four years ago.”
    “I’m sorry.”
    “Thanks. She was a great person. We all really miss her. Jake especially. They were close, and he took her death pretty hard.”
    Neil sometimes forgot that he wasn’t the only person to ever suffer the loss of a loved one.
    “There.”