“Miss Shepherd brought us soup and homemade bread,” the deputy said with a big grin.
“Great.”
Picking up his phone he then dropped it back into the cradle, hanging up on the mayor again.He realized Shelby wasn’t going to come back and see him so he was going to have to go out into the squad room if he wanted to see her.The only good thing about dealing with the crew of volunteers he assembled to clear the roads was it had distracted him from thinking about the gorgeous woman staying in his home.But now she was here.Moving around his desk he stopped in the doorway of his office and leaned against the frame to watch as Shelby ladled out soup for his deputies.He knew she was aware of him watching her because her cheeks filled again with a pink blush.
“Sheriff, do you want some soup?”one of the oldest members of their staff said with a dribble of soup on his chin.
“Oh I’ll get some,” Wes said, just as Shelby looked up.
Then she missed the bowl she was trying to ladle the soup in and dropped the bowl in the pot.
“You carried this all the way here?”Wes said, walking over to stand in front of her.
“It wasn’t so bad—someone already cleared the sidewalk on this side of the road,” Shelby said, pouring two more bowls.
“Sheriff, the mayor again,” his deputy said with a worried look on his face.
“If you can hang out for a bit I’ll walk you back,” Wes said.
“Actually, I was wondering if the roads are cleared enough yet to get out to my grandfather’s house.”
“We don’t have a crew of plows here since it basically never snows, so we’ve started with the streets in town.”
“Makes sense.”
“Well thanks.”
“I mean obviously, it’s just my grandfather lives just by the lighthouse and I thought you might get to that road, sooner than later?”
“Lighthouse road will be in the second phase, once we’ve cleared town, but with nightfall the crew won’t likely get to it until morning.”
Her shoulders sank and she let out a sigh but then pasted on a smile.“I guess that’s not too much longer to wait.At least I managed to get out of the house for a little bit.Any word on the woman from the wreck?”
“When she came to, she told Dalton she dreamt an angel was holding her hand.”
Shelby’s eyes grew big with surprise.“Really?That is so sweet.Or maybe there was one.”
She handed him a bowl of soup and a big slice of bread with butter smeared on it.“I bet you didn’t eat today.”
“You’d be right.Thanks.”
Suddenly he was starving but not for the soup.Something about Shelby’s chipper personality had him craving the chance to spend real time with her.Maybe if he could get to know her, he could figure out why she was so different than her immediate family?And why he didn’t ever remember seeing her in town before?Which only reassured him, the sooner she was not staying in his place the better.He didn’t realize she’d followed him to his office until the door closed behind him.
“Listen, I know it’s a huge pain for you to have me at your place another night.I think I could just stay here tonight,” she said pointing to the chairs across from his desk.
“No.”
“Or I could probably stay at the hospital.I bet there are beds available there.”
“No.”
“I know you can’t stand me.”
He took a big gulp of the hot savory soup and then set his bowl down.
“Wrong again.Come on, I’ll walk you home.”As he stood his phone rang again, but he ignored it as he put on his coat.
“Aren’t you going to get that?”
