“You know I’ve found some callers just need to learn to be a bit more patient.”
By the sixth or seventh ring he picked it up.
“Sheriff’s department,” Wes said.
“Now you listen here, you SOB.If you don’t clear Beach Boulevard by nine a.m., you’re fired, and don’t you worry about how I manage that.I can guarantee it.”Then the mayor hung up.
“Who was that?”Shelby said with worry.
“Well that was Mayor Shepherd.You might be familiar with that tone, or does your father just save that for people he thinks he’s socially superior to?”
Shelby’s mouth fell open.“I can’t believe he spoke to you like that.Why is he so mad?”
“He thinks it’s the sheriff’s department’s job to do the city works department’s job to keep the roads clear.I had to let him know earlier when we spoke that it was in fact not my job.”
“Oh, he really doesn’t like to be wrong.Ever.”
“That’s odd because from my perch, he’s wrong just about every time I’m forced to deal with him.”
“I see.”
“Come on, let’s go before it’s too dark,” Wes said.
He watched as she pulled her hat from the pocket of her coat and pulled it down over her dark locks.Next she put on a pair of his gloves that were at least three sizes too big for her.Once the deputies all thanked her and said goodbye, he opened the door for her to exit the station.He watched as she took careful steps and noted his boots made her look a bit like a clown.
“How are you even walking in those boots?”
She turned back with a one-sided smile.“I may have my shoes on inside your boots.”
He laughed, surprised at her determination and inventiveness.
The walk was easy on Main Street, because he and his deputies had taken turns carving out a path, but once they turned down his street it got tougher to navigate the mounds of snow and Shelby fell twice.Each time Wes reached down and hauled her back up, forcing him to get close to her.
When they finally got inside his place, her teeth were chattering again.
“I don’t know how you made it there with the soup without falling.”
“Me either,” she said.
“Alright, time for you to get in the shower again to warm up your feet.I’ll find you more socks and a fresh change of clothes.”
He stomped away from her, needing some space, and dug out another pair of sweatpants, a T-shirt, sweatshirt and the thickest socks he had.Next he went into the bathroom and turned on the hot water, but before he could exit Shelby opened the door and pushed her pants down to the floor.She was grumbling to herself and must not have realized he was in the dimly lit space as the steam rolled out of the walk-in shower.
He couldn’t stop staring at her long lean legs and pink painted toes standing a few feet in front of him.But when she gripped the hem of his T-shirt that hung to her mid-thigh his conscience reminded him he wasn’t supposed to be there.
“Uh, you might want to wait.”
Shelby jumped and hit her elbow on the counter.“Ouchhh.Dang it.I didn’t see you there.I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to… I mean I know the last thing you want is for me to throw myself at you.”
Wes took a step forward.“Is that what you want to do?”He reached out to touch her elbow and rubbed gently.“Is that why you fall so much around me?Your attempts to throw yourself at me?”he said with a faint smile.
“No, I’m just clumsy.”
“Ahhh.My mistake.”
But then she looked up at him and gulped.“What if I did throw myself at you?What would you say?”
“I’m not sure I would need to say anything.I think it’s more of a question of what would I do.”
