“Well, I might. I’ll bring all the fish back here, and I’ll eat it all in front of you, so the whole town can gossip about how I went out and found myself new fish!”
The sheriff’s eyes widened in fear. But whether that was because I was ranting at him or because I was threatening to get fish from another state, I wasn’t sure.
“Now, hang on, darlin’. There’s no need to cause a kerfuffle in town. The last thing we need is everyone down at City Hall getting all worked up about import taxes.”
“Well, maybe I don’t care. Maybe I’m tired of playing by the rules of this small town. Maybe I’m sick of everyone judging me and the fish I choose.”
“I’m…not sure anyone’s judging you,” he answered warily.
“Oh, they are,” I laughed. “Trust me, there isn’t a single person around town who isn’t gawking and gossiping about which fish I choose to take home at night. They’re all out there, laughing and snickering behind my back about how the last fish I chose turned out to be cold and smelly.”
“Can’t say I’ve ever found folks around here to be that judgmental.”
“Well, they are. Every last one of ‘em has been watching me for weeks, wondering what fish I’ll choose next. Well, let me tell you, I might surprise them all and choose…pigs next!”
Something in his eyes flickered, and he leaned in real close, lowering his voice. “Darlin’, I could be wrong, but we aren’t talking about fish, are we?”
Cheyenne snorted, shoving the last of her chicken in her mouth. Pissed, I shoved my chair back and stormed toward the door.
“Do you want me to wrap this fish to go?” the sheriff shouted. “Or do you think the town would judge you for it?”
Rolling my eyes, I stomped out of the bar and didn’t look back once as I headed back to work.
I was never eating fish again.
39
LIAM
“Mom!Liam has a knot on the back of his head!”
I glared at Jeff as I walked through the front door of the main house.
“You shithead. What are you trying to do?”
The wolfish grin splitting his lips was one I recognized all too well. “Just a little payback for that time in tenth grade when I broke my leg.”
“That was years ago.”
“Yes, and Mom doted on me for weeks. She wouldn’t leave me alone. Now it’s your turn. Congratulations!”
“Don’t you think I’ve dealt with enough of her doting to last me a lifetime?”
“Not if she finds out you were the one who ate the last of her bread,” he teased.
I was about to beat the shit out of him when my mother came running down the hall, covered in flour. “What happened? Let me see.”
She grabbed my head and jerked it forward, nearly ripping out my hair in the process.
“Ma, I’m fine.”
“He is not. He nearly got trampled by the horses.”
“And I’m just hearing about this?” Mom said, jerking my head back upright so she could look at me.
“It happened less than an hour ago,” I started, but Jeff finished.
“That’s when he spooked the horses and nearly got his head bashed in.”
