“Well, I would have been in earlier, but I got hung up at the bank.”
“Mrs. Preston?” she asked with a knowing smile.
“Somehow, every person in town feels the need to tell me about anyone who’s single or might be single in the future.”
“And that will happen until you start dating someone. Then they’ll switch to telling you how it won’t be long before the woman you’re dating only has so long before bearing children is no longer an option.”
“Doesn’t anyone have anything more important to do?” I asked as my phone rang.
It was a local number, but not one I recognized. I showed it to Lizzy.
“Uh…that’s the police department.”
“For me?” I asked, quirking an eyebrow.
She shrugged and headed into the back.
“Hello?”
“JR, this is Sheriff Maverick Wynne. Is there a chance you could come down to the police station and pick up an unruly neighbor of yours?”
I racked my brain for any sign of who that might be, but there was no one. “Sheriff, I don’t have any unruly neighbors.”
“No, not usually,” he agreed. “But it just so happens you do today.”
“Josie?” I asked, certain he had that wrong. “No way.”
“I know. I never thought I would see her in here either, but there you go.”
“Was she arrested?”
“She’s…detained.”
“So, call her brother,” I said just as Lizzy walked back out, stopping at the bar.
“Her brother is here also with another lady.”
I rolled my eyes at that. “So, release them both into his custody.
A low chuckle rumbled through the phone. “Yeah, I’m afraid I can’t do that. The two of them are rather feisty at the moment, and I’m not sure Sawyer can handle the both of them. Then again, I could just leave Josie in a cell for a while… Let her cool off.”
“No,” I sighed. “That’s fine. I’ll come pick her up.”
“Much appreciated. Oh, and Mrs. Preston wanted me to give you her daughter Ada’s number while you’re here.”
“Perfect,” I mumbled, hanging up the phone.
“Trouble in paradise?” Lizzy grinned.
“Give me half an hour. Apparently, I have to go pick up Josie from jail.”
“Josie?” she gasped. “Sweet, herb-loving Josie?”
“The very one.”
I walked out without another word. It was bad enough that I had to be responsible for someone in this town. It was even worse that others knew it. My first time pulling up to the station was not at all how I expected. First of all, I wasn’t the one in cuffs. Second, I was walking through the front door.
Yanking the door open, I was nearly bowled over when Milo ran past me, barking at the woman behind the counter.
