Static Read online

short-sleeved, olive-green shirt that looked crisp and neat.

  With a start, Tuck realized Roy was smiling back at whatever she had said. Roy was smiling. Roy never ever smiled and certainly not at a stranger. Looking back at the dark woman, Tuck felt the heat spread through his groin. Oh, this was not good at all.

  He saw Roy motion the woman to his office and swallowed hard. She moved with an almost liquid grace, reminding him of a predator stalking its prey. It went through his mind that he was glad he’d never have to stare her down in a dark alley. If the way she moved was any indication, she seemed more than capable of handling herself.

  “Sheriff Adams?” She held out a ring-less hand to him.

  Standing, he reached to take her hand. As soon as their palms touched, every hair on his body rose up and stood straight. It felt like he’d just stuck his entire hand into a light socket. Even his knees felt weak as the static electricity coursed through him.

  Using everything he had, Tuck kept his face blank. Because he was so hyper-aware of the woman, he caught the very slight flicker of surprise in her dark eyes letting him know he wasn’t alone in his reaction. Her hand was smooth and cool to the touch, steady and calm.

  Clearing his throat to make sure his voice didn’t quiver, “Ms. Lopez, it’s nice to meet you.” He waved her to the chair across from his desk.

  “Thank you, Sheriff Adams. I appreciate you giving me this opportunity.” Her voice was as smooth as butter left sitting on a warm kitchen counter. It washed over him, causing that static reaction again and made him struggle hide a small shiver that raced down his back.

  With all the restraint Tuck could manage, they exchanged pleasantries and went briefly over her resume. Finally he asked, “Ms. Lopez, I have to ask, you’re almost over-qualified for this job, why would you want to work in such a small, remote area?”

  She smiled and Tucker’s gut clenched and his pants were instantly too tight. Her lips were full and looked incredibly soft, unpainted and ripe. “I come from a small town. Smaller than Miller Springs, here. It’s what I’m used to. Like I said, I worked for Little Rock PD for five years but it just wasn’t my thing. So, I tried Fayetteville, but, “she shrugged, “still too big. I learned a lot, built my confidence up, but a small town is where I want to be.”

  Leaning back in his chair for the first time since she came in, he considered her words. “You’re from California. How’d you end up out here in the Ozarks?”

  The light in her eyes dimmed and she looked down. “I lost my family there. We were a small family and now I’m all that’s left. I wanted a place as far from California as I could get. After traveling around a while I found Arkansas and thought that it was the most beautiful place I’d ever seen. I decided this was where I wanted to be.”

  Tuck felt that there was more behind the story than something so simple but let it be. Tapping his fingers against the arm of his chair, he knew he was stuck. She was perfect for the job. That made his reaction to her that much more a serious problem. There were so very many reasons why he needed to stay the hell away from this woman.

  “Look. I know you have to hire a female.” She shrugged and looked at straight at him. “I know I’m more qualified than anyone you’re going to find that trained locally. No, I’m not a local and I know how important that is in a small town. But as weird as it may seem to you, as crazy as it is, this is my dream job.”

  She leaned forward, her face earnest. “I’ve been all over this County already. I’ve been to Possum Crossing, I’ve been to Collinsville. I’ve eaten at Mamie’s Cafe, Fred’s Fish Fry, and The Pizza Place. I’ve looked at an apartment just down the street over the hardware store. I want to be part of this close, warm community. I’m ready to spend the rest of my life in Hill County, Arkansas.”

  Tucker felt the electricity in the air and wondered if every hair on his head was standing on end. He couldn’t deny she was perfect for the job. In fact if what she said about staying in Hill County was true, she’d be a perfect replacement for his job in another few years. She had the command presence that men would follow her orders without question. He had the feeling that if one did give her grief, it would happen only once.

  He had no choice. Actually, there simply wasn’t a choice to make. By Council command, he had to hire a female, and here in front of him, no matter his reaction to her, was the perfect female for the job. His only redeeming thought was that while she would work for him under his command, they would work opposite shifts so maybe he could avoid her as much as possible.

  Rising, he pulled out the top drawer of his desk. Taking out a shiny gold badge, he tossed it to her. “We don’t have a uniform, but the County will buy you t-shirts that get printed up over in Fayetteville. You have to provide your weapon and any other equipment you want. We’re a poor County and the Council sees it as they pay you a good paycheck, provide you with a vehicle, so the rest is on you. Now if there’s something you need, there’s ways to get it, so just let me know.”

  “Does this mean I get the job?” Her black eyes glittered up at him.

  Shoving his hands in his pockets to make sure they didn’t reach out to touch and explore the weird connection between them, he nodded. “It’s yours if you want it. You’ll have to go with me to the Council meeting tomorrow night to get sworn in.”

  She stood as well, smiling hugely. Tucker noted that while she was still shorter than him, the top of her head would fit just under his chin, she would actually be taller than the Mayor of their little town. When she held out her hand once more, he braced for her touch, intending to be ready this time.

  While he still felt an incredible jolt of electricity through him, he thought maybe it wasn’t so bad. Tuck showed her around the office, pointed out her desk, took her through the booking process. Being the County seat, they had four jail cells to keep up with. It was a rare site for all to be filled at once, but it did happen.

  They talked shop and police procedures for the next hour or so. While neither one completely managed to relax in the presence of the other, the tension eased up while they were talking business. At four o’clock, the shift changed and Tuck was able to introduce Bay to evening shift officer, Joby Walker and the evening dispatcher, Flossie Collins.

  Joby was a big man, happily married for over fifteen years with three hell-raising kids he liked to complain about. Everyone knew and liked Joby, which was sometimes a problem when Tuck needed him to be the big, bad cop. The man was simply too nice and his own kids took advantage of that every opportunity they could.

  Flossie was nearing 60 and mean as a snake. She was quite large and commanded the dispatch desk like she owned it. Roy might have the day shift, but everyone knew it was Flossie that ran the show. She’d buried her husband a few years ago and lived alone with five cats. No one, but no one, dared to ever call her the “crazy cat lady;” at least not where she could hear them.

  Joby took Bay in stride. He was too jolly to be bothered by a woman on the force. Flossie looked her over, gave a sneer and turned back to the game of solitaire she had started up on the computer. It was pretty much all anyone ever got out of Flossie.

  Tuck took Bay out back to show her the used patrol vehicle she’d be driving. The one thing Tuck had fought the Commission Council hard for was SUVs for patrol units. It was rough, rugged country and some winters could be downright nasty. He wanted to make sure, as best he could, that he wouldn’t be getting a middle of the night phone call just because someone had gotten some crappy car stuck somewhere.

  Leaning back on his heels he shot her a look. “So, any questions?”

  Bay shook her head, her glossy pony tail swinging. “One county, three towns, one consolidated school, hundreds of miles of back roads... sounds like my kinda’ place. Can’t wait to get started.”

  “Be here tomorrow night, 7 o’clock at the Courthouse. We’ll get you introduced to the Council and sworn in. Hope you take the politics as well as you do the back roads.” Tuck dipped his he
ad to her and headed for his patrol unit. He was dearly hoping that a dose of Clarice and her pot roast would chase the black eyes and sweet body he was leaving behind the office right out of his mind.

  A couple of hours later, overly stuffed with the rich food Clarice had made, the two snuggled up on her couch and talked about their days. If someone had told Tucker even as little as a year ago that he’d be sitting on Clarice Hogan’s couch at the end of the day, he’d have laughed his ass off. But something about the soft spoken woman had wrapped itself around his heart and imbedded as deep as it could go.

  He began to think about the chemistry and connection with his new officer. A niggle of worry wormed its way into his voice. Tension pulled his shoulders tight.

  Clarice caught it in an instant. She might be a small, soft woman, but she was a strong and determined one. Rumors had already reached her about the new female officer and what she looked like. She’d caught more than one quick glance of pity thrown her way. But Clarice was no fool and no one was taking the man she’d worked so hard for away from