I loved her for that, and for how perfectly she loved my brother.
Aspen and I had gotten off to a rocky start, especially since I’d tried to drive her out of town after she’d nearly been murdered in a fire by a crazed serial killer. All I’d accomplished was driving her into Crew’s guest room, which wound up being the best thing that ever happened to either of them.
Now, she and I were on much better terms, so it wasn’t strange for me to draw her into a hug.
“Thank you,” I whispered in her ear.
She pulled back and winked.
Dinner was a sit-down affair, and I passed the delicious meal—which was catered by Bonnie, who owned the diner—in conversation with the mayor. Mostly he talked, and I listened. Being the sheriff put me in a more diplomatic role than Iwould’ve liked, but I luckily rarely found myself in situations where I had to comment on local politics. I preferred to keep my head down and protect the citizens of this county as best as I could, and I knew the mayor preferred it that way as well.
Once dinner was over, the mayor rose and headed to the stage at the far end of the room, where he approached the microphone.
“Good evening, everyone!” Polite applause ensued. “First, I want to thank Bonnie for the delicious dinner.” He waved toward the doors to the kitchen, where Bonnie stood, throwing her hands up awkwardly as the applause rose in volume.
“Secondly, we appreciate all the community members who purchased tickets for tonight. All money raised will be going directly to the women’s shelter, which is an organization near and dear to all our hearts.”
I blinked in surprise as the crowd roared. The mayor brought out the director of the shelter to hand over one of those comically large checks with an impressive sum printed on it.
That was the first I was hearing of this. The funds raised went to a different organization every year, but now more than ever, I was grateful for the help the women’s shelter would be getting. For years, I’d been secretly donating to them myself.
Once the noise died, the mayor once again approached the mic.
“Before I let you all go to enjoy the rest of your evening, I do have one more agenda item to attend to.” The audience perked up, myself included. What was he up to?
“I’ve lived in Dusk Valley my entire life and have been mayor for longer than most of you have been alive.” He chuckled self-deprecatingly, and we all laughed with him. The mayor was in his seventies and had been elected when he was only thirty. For over four decades, he’d represented this city, and I was proud to work for and alongside him. “Nothing warms my heart morethan seeing someone I personally watched grow up give their all in service to this great place we call home. For over a decade, this woman has mended and healed the people of this county, being a cool, calm, and collected presence for our citizens in their worst moments. She has never feared, never faltered. Every time she’s on shift, whenever those bells go off, she’s ready to do everything she can to save lives. Most recently, that included the life of our esteemed sheriff. Without her quick thinking, calm under pressure, and hard work that day back in August, he wouldn’t be sitting with us today.”
Oh, shit.
Slowly, I turned to Sutton, who looked back with wide eyes.
“Did you know about this?” I murmured.
“No!” she hissed in response.
“So it is my honor to present our very own Sutton Rausch with these Lifesaving Medal of Valor and Distinguished Service Awards, not only for saving Sheriff Lawless’s life, but for her years of incredible service to our community. Miss Rausch!” he called. “Could you join us?”
With a dazed expression on her face, Sutton rose and walked toward the stage. I also got to my feet, clapping and cheering louder than anyone else in the room, my chest swelling with pride. This woman was incredible, the most gorgeous person I had ever laid eyes on, both inside and out. I needed her to know that—if it wasn’t obvious from the raucous applause she received from the crowd, which had also risen to give my girl a standing ovation.
That’s what she was.
Mine.
I was certain of it. More sure than I had ever been of anything else in my life.
I was done fucking around.
It was time to make it a reality.
She accepted her awards, which included some bars and a medal she could add to her dress uniform. After, she posed for a thousand photos then finally left the stage, and the mayor released his captive audience to drink and dance.
Before I could reach her, Aspen got to Sutton first, drawing her into a hug and murmuring words that were too low for me to hear but had Sutton grinning.
Next was Crew, and when my brother clung to her for a little too long, my jealousy got the better of me. I shoved him and dragged Sutton away, leading her out onto the dance floor, where I pulled her close, intent on never letting her go.
Sutton seemed fine with it, draping her arms around my shoulders, her body fitting tightly—perfectly—against mine. Right back in the place she always belonged.
“Be careful, Chief. Your caveman is showing.”
