Free Unbound (Crimson Romance) by Nikkie Locke

office open. She looked over her shoulder and saw Burke peek his head out. She waved. He waved back.
    “Kal’s gone, right?” he asked Smith.
    “No thanks to you,” Smith muttered barely loud enough for Payten to hear as Dean guided her toward the door.
    “I already live with the moron. I’d rather not have to listen to him all day at work on top of it,” Burke said. “Besides, I’m not the one he’s checking out.”
    “You hope,” Smith said in a voice just as sweet as her smile was wicked.
    Payten decided then that she really liked the new officer.
    • • •
    At one time, there had been three stores in Hartsville. Only Scott’s General Store had survived the years. It wasn’t a full-sized grocery store, but they had the necessities. Best of all, Ryleigh’s parents owned it.
    Payten and Ryleigh had been friends since they were little girls. She remembered running back and forth between the store and the diner during the summers when they were young. The summer they were fourteen, their parents agreed to let both girls work the mornings at the store and the afternoons in the diner. Payten had stocked more shelves than she cared to remember that summer. She had loved it, but she had always known the diner was where she belonged.
    When Payten and Dean reached the store, Ryan and Hailey were busying stocking shelves. Ryan grabbed Dean to help him move some of the heavier boxes out of the back room while Hailey talked to her.
    “It’s so nice to see the two of you together finally,” Hailey told her.
    “What?”
    “You and Dean.”
    “Oh. We’re not really together.”
    Hailey raised an eyebrow.
    “We’re not,” Payten insisted.
    “The rumors say you were practically having sex on your front porch a couple days ago, but you’re not together?”
    “That’s not fair!” Payten protested. “You know how rumors are.”
    “I do know how rumors are. They always have at least a little bit of truth in them.”
    “It’s not — Well, I mean — ” Payten felt her cheeks heat. There was a little truth to that rumor. “We have a date tomorrow night.”
    Hailey laughed. “Of course you do. Where are you going?”
    “I’m not really sure.”
    “How can you not be sure?”
    “Well…” She laughed nervously. She glanced over her shoulder and didn’t see Dean or Ryan. “He asked me out, but we didn’t decide what we were doing. I think we’re going tomorrow night, but Kalvin said the guys are playing at Smitty’s tomorrow night.”
    Hailey laughed. “Sweetheart, I don’t get to see you nearly enough.”
    “I miss you too.”
    Hailey smiled. “Did you come in for something?”
    “I need a new phone. I was hoping you’d have one.”
    “I think we have a couple.” She started down the aisle. “We didn’t used to keep them, but Ryleigh thought it would be a good idea.”
    “I’ll have to thank her,” Payten said, following her.
    She stopped and turned to look at Payten. “Don’t forget to tell her about your date when you do.”
    Payten grinned. “I won’t.”
    “Here they are,” Hailey said, pointing to the shelves.
    “Great.” Payten squatted to look at the phones. There were three. All of them were cordless and had caller ID. “Let’s go with the black one,” she decided.
    She took it off the shelf and followed Hailey back to the front of the store. Dean met her at the counter.
    “Find it?”
    Payten shook the box a little and grinned.
    “Obviously,” he answered for her.
    Ryan laughed at him while Hailey told her how much it would cost and she counted it out.
    “Give me a hug before you go,” Ryan said.
    She hugged him tightly. “I’m calling Ryleigh tonight. Want me to tell her anything for you?”
    “Tell her I said to pick up the phone and call her dad once in a while.”
    She laughed. “I’ll do that.”
    She started for the door. Dean caught her hand and held it in his. Hand-in-hand, they headed out the door and back toward the diner.

Chapter Ten
    It was