“And I don’t want to get kicked in the nuts this early in the morning.”
I shut the door behind me and breathed in the cold mountain air. The sky was painted various shades of pink and purple this morning, with a twinge of orange in the sky. We were going to get storms.
“Hey, I forgot to tell you,” Krista grinned, turning to face me as she walked backward. “Mom called one of her family dinners for tonight.”
I stopped in my tracks and frowned. “And you’re just telling me this now?”
“I always save the best for last.”
“Shit,” I murmured under my breath. That could only mean one thing. Ma was planning something.
I noddedto Bea as I walked into the station, setting a muffin down in front of her to tempt her to my side. Not that she was against me. Bea had always loved me, and I intended to keep it that way.
“Blueberry?” she questioned.
“Is there another kind?”
“Michael Parker, are you trying to flirt with me?”
“Flirt?” I laughed. “No, but staying on your good side is something I intend to do for as long as I work here.”
“Well, then I guess you’ll want to know that Maverick is up to something.”
“Yeah?”
“I would guess the usual hazing that comes with any new job. And since you’ve both known each other for so long, I can only imagine what he’ll get up to.”
I should have known that joining the sheriff’s department wouldn’t be so easy. Of course, Mav would screw with me.
“Thanks, Bea.”
“Any time. You know, The Daily Grind has the most delicious mocha.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” I winked as I headed back to Mav’s office.
I strode through the brick police station that used to be the city hall when this town was first incorporated. It still had the same thick wooden beams strung from one end of the ceiling to the other. When I was a kid, Liam and I had a bet on who could walk all the way across the room without falling down.
Of course, as soon as we got up there, the sheriff caught us and made us get down. It was still a bone of contention between us.
I didn’t bother to knock as I entered and dropped the law book down on the table. His eyes flicked up to mine in question.
“Don’t tell me you read all that.”
“Every last word. Got it all memorized.”
He carefully picked up the book and flipped through it. “All memorized, huh?”
“Go ahead. Quiz me.”
I took a seat as I waited for him to find the perfect question.
“Tell me about the assignment to light duty,” he asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
I sat back and let it fly. Little did he know that memorizing shit was one of my specialties.
“Assignment to light duty or other agency. 7-32-2114. Whenever, in the opinion of the county and supported by a health care provider’s opinion, the deputy sheriff is able to perform specified types of light duty, payment of the officer’s partial salary amount under 7-32-2113 must be discontinued if the deputy sheriff refuses to perform light duty when it is available and offered to the deputy sheriff.”
He stared at me, slack-jawed.
