More one-on-one time with Jesse? Heck no. She’d sold her car before leaving Tennessee for Montana and was getting everywhere on foot. Luckily, the town was small, and Jesse lived close to everything.
“I’m okay to walk.” She straightened. “Hey, I forgot. It’s your first day as sheriff, right?”
He’d become a deputy when he’d returned home from the military and had quickly proven his worth in the department. Now the sheriff had fallen ill, which meant while he was out of the office, Jesse was his replacement.
Jesse dipped his head. “It is. Wish me luck. I think I’m gonna need it.”
She scoffed. “You don’t need luck. One look at you and the whole office will fall into line, especially the women.”
Her eyes widened, lips snapping shut.
Shit. Had she really just said that out loud?
One side of Jesse’s mouth lifted, and he stepped closer, his sandalwood scent all she could smell. “Did you just pay me a compliment, Davies?”
“No.”
“Really? Because it sounded like a compliment. It might have even sounded like you were implying I was good-looking.”
“No siree. Unfortunately for you, I do not find you good-looking. Not even a little bit. You look like a friend. A roommate. A landlord.” Jesus Christ, what words were coming out of her mouth? Someone get some tape and stick her lips together.
Jesse’s smile widened. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” Then he lowered his head so that his mouth was beside her ear. “And just so you know, I think you’re cute, too.”
Then he walked away like he hadn’t just made her belly do the biggest somersault it had ever done in its life.
CHAPTER 2
Jesse pulled into the parking lot outside the sheriff’s station, still smiling at the memory of Aspen’s eyes as they’d flared. At the small separation of her lips as he’d whispered into her ear.
God, she was cute. Hell, cute didn’t even do her justice.
He undid his seat belt and climbed out.
It wasn’t all sunshine and roses though. Living with her was getting harder every day. Her scent was everywhere.Shewas everywhere. Some days he wondered what the hell he’d been thinking by asking her to live with him.
But he knew exactly what he’d been thinking. That he didn’t want to leave Misty Peak, because she was there. That the couple months they’d spent getting to know each other weren’t enough. And that he’d wanted her away from that jerk of an ex of hers.
He shook his head. He needed to get Aspen out of his mind and focus on his job. It was his first day as sheriff, a position in which he hadn’t expected to find himself. A position that was important. The sheriff of Amber Ridge needed to take sudden leave because of his health, and the likelihood of him returning was slim.
The town was counting on him to do a good job, and he couldn’t do that if his mind was on Aspen all day.
Bea, the young receptionist, smiled up at him from behind the front desk as he stepped inside. “Good morning,Sheriff.”
“Jesse is still fine, Bea.”
“Hey, hey! It’s the big boss man!”
Jesse looked up to see Luke, one of the deputies, heading down the hall toward him, two mugs in hand. They’d gone to high school together, but since getting back, Jesse had found it hard to connect with his old friend.
“You don’t need to call me boss man,” Jesse finally said.
“Of course I do. You’re my new boss and it has a good ring to it.” Luke nudged open the door beside him. “Your new office awaits.”
Jesse stepped in. The space was big, with a desk at the end in front of a window and storage cabinets to either side. “Tell me again why I want this job?”
“Because you wanna be in charge of locking up the bad guys and cleaning up this town.”
Jesse scoffed. “Amber Ridge is the size of a shoe, and the only real crimes are the coffee and Burt’s terrible pizzas.”
