Free How to Land Her Lawman by Teresa Southwick Page B

school. The town fire engine was the finale. Every parade entry was decorated for Independence Day and prizes were awarded for the most artistic, innovative and patriotic. Mayor Goodson-McKnight had picked the winners.
    About two o’clock folks started showing up at the park for games of touch football, soccer and water balloon tosses that got fairly rowdy in a wet way. People staked a claim to the park tables by the built-in barbecues, where the town council and volunteers grilled hamburgers and hot dogs.
    Blankets and chairs were spread out and arranged under trees as a break from the sun, also keeping in mind the best vantage point for the upcoming fireworks display put on by the fire department. That would happen in about an hour. The whole scene was like a long, cold beer for the small-town patriotic soul.
    Being on duty here was, well, a walk in the park compared to a shift in Chicago on this holiday.
    Will had seen April turn up everywhere with a camera hanging around her neck and a pocket-sized notebook in her hands. She was alternately taking pictures and getting names of the folks she’d snapped to document the festivities for the Blackwater Lake Gazette .
    She was the picture of patriotism in her denim shorts, red-and-white-striped spaghetti-strapped top, hair pulled back in a perky ponytail. And he found himself on the alert, constantly watching for those particular denim shorts and top. Her shapely, tanned legs tied him in knots, especially because he remembered how good it felt to have them wrapped around his waist while he was buried deep inside her.
    Will snapped his attention back to his job and picked his way through tables, blankets and toddlers, watching for any potential trouble that could mar the celebration. Then he heard his name and recognized Cabot Dixon, a local rancher who also ran a kids’ summer camp.
    He walked over and shook hands with the man, who stood up. “Been a long time, Cabot.”
    â€œYeah.” He indicated the pretty woman beside him with the light brown, sun-streaked hair. “This is my wife, Katrina Scott.”
    â€œIt’s Kate Dixon now.” She smiled. “Nice to meet you, Sheriff.”
    â€œWill,” he said. Pieces of stories he’d heard fit together. “You’re the woman who showed up at the Grizzly Bear Diner in a wedding dress.”
    â€œGuilty. I don’t suppose I’m ever going to live that down,” she said, not looking the least bit bothered.
    â€œProbably not,” Will agreed. “It’s one of those legends that will be passed on from generation to generation and immortalized with a hammer and chisel on cave walls.”
    â€œI was sort of hoping for a Facebook fan page,” she teased.
    â€œShe’s the best thing that ever happened to me.” Cabot put an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in closer to him. “Other than Tyler, of course.”
    â€œHow old is your son now?”
    â€œGoing on ten. He’s over there.” Cabot pointed to a group of boys in an open grassy area playing soccer. “I heard you were the new sheriff in town.”
    â€œ Acting sheriff. It’s temporary.” No matter how much his dad might want him to be permanent.
    His friend looked around the idyllicsetting. “This must be really different from Chicago. Will is a detective with CPD,” he explained to his wife.
    â€œIt’s the polar opposite of what I’m used to,” Will agreed.
    â€œMust be boring here,” Cabot guessed.
    â€œExcitement can be highly overrated.” He shrugged. “I keep busy. Today alone I’ve confiscated enough illegal fireworks to take out a good-sized city.”
    â€œTeenagers?”
    â€œOf course.” He grinned and his friend returned it. “We did our share of that when we were their age.”
    â€œAnd your dad always caught us.”
    â€œEvery year,” Will confirmed.
    â€œYou guys tried it more than