“I want to wear a cowboy hat as part of my uniform.”
Megs answered in a deadpan voice. “A white cowboy hat, I assume?”
“Of course.” He held out his hand, and they shook.
Megs smiled, turned to the rest of the table. “Hot damn! Folks, we’ve got ourselves a new police chief… er… town marshal.”
Cheers.
Darius and Megs chatted about the details.
“I have to give my notice at the DPD. They’ve been good to me.”
“Understandable. We don’t need you to start until January.”
Then Joe and Rain brought their food, along with a bottle of Joe’s prized McCallan and a tray of shot glasses.
“I hear Sasha crushed it at the gym today and that we have a new town marshal.” A big smile on his face, Joe distributed the glasses to everyone who wanted one and poured liberal shots. Then he and Rain raised their glasses. “Congrats, Sasha. You will always be our champion. And Darius, welcome home! Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
“Welcome home!”
“Glad to have you, chief… er… marshal.”
After they finished eating, some of the Team hit the rock wall, but Sasha stayed with Darius, the two of them talking with Joe about a rental cabin he thought Darius might like. Then the Timberline Mudbugs took the stage, and couples left the table for the dance floor.
“Excuse me.” Darius stood and walked away.
Sasha thought he was just going to the restroom until she noticed him standing beside the stage a few minutes later. When the song ended, the lead singer leaned over to talk with him. Then Darius walked back to the table, his lips curving in a sexy smile when he caught her watching.
“What was that about?”
He sat, took her hand. “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”
When the following number ended, the band’s lead singer stepped up to the mic. “Listen up, everyone. Quiet! We’ve got a song dedication.”
Sasha narrowed her eyes at Darius. “You didn’t.”
He chuckled. “Listen.”
“We’re all thrilled that Sasha is back to climbing again. Way to make a comeback, girl. You showed them.”
The room exploded into whistles and cheers.
“Hear, hear!”
“Brava!”
“We’ve got a song dedication for Sasha from Darius, who says her smile lights up his world. You boys ready?”
The band broke into a newgrass version ofHere Comes the Sun.
Sasha looked into Darius’ eyes, fighting not to cry. “Thanks. For everything.”
“Thankyou.” He took her hand, raised it to his lips.
She listened to the music, the feel of his hand in hers precious. “So, you’re now the town marshal of one square mile.”
