She smiled then, sugar-sweet.“Like what?”she drawled.“You mean somethin’ besides drinkin’ too much and skippin’ out on bar tabs?”
His brows lifted, a thin-lipped smile tugging at his mouth.
“Mm.They never do tell their women much, do they, McCoy?”
“No, sir, they don’t.Call ’em property, even.”
“Like livestock,” Tate added.
Cassie didn’t look away; she didn’t even blink.She stared at the Sheriff, all that old fury rushing back—how the law had always treated folks on the ridge.Like they were trash.Like being broke was a crime in itself.Even before the mines pulled out and the mills shuttered, families were left on their own in the hills—the law never lifting a goddamn finger.Not unless it was to slap on cuffs.
And that vacuum was exactly why the Kings were here in the first place.While the rest of the country made hillbilly jokes, the Kings kept roofs patched, heat running, debts collected, food on tables, and the lights from getting shut off.Their way wasn’t clean, but it was necessary.
“First, I’m not one of their women,” she fired back.“Second, you don’t know a goddamn thing about nothin'.A property patch isn’t ownership—it’s protection.It’s to keep her safe.”
Tate leaned in, a wolfish grin spreading.“Safe, eh?And what would a woman need protecting from ’round them big ol’ Kings?”
Cassie immediately shot back, “From the likes of you, I’m guessin’.”
The smile slid right off his face.He straightened, thumbs hooking into his belt; Cassie merely continued staring, silence thickening the hall.
McCoy cleared his throat nervously.“Sheriff, she’s signed for the box.Everything’s in order.”
Tate didn’t look at him right away, still caught in Cassie’s stare.Then, with a click of his tongue, he shifted his gaze past her.“Well.Appreciate you comin’ in…Miranda, was it?Drive safe now, ya hear?”
He stepped aside—barely.
Cassie shifted the box and shoved past, her shoes striking the floor hard.The sheriff muttered something low behind her, and she cursed under her breath,sonofabitch knows damn well my name ain’t Miranda, pushing through the lobby with every eye on her.
She made it almost to the exit before she stopped cold and turned.
“Y’all get a good listen for your gossip later, or should I pose for a picture too?”
Silence.One deputy shifted in his chair, another dropped his gaze, but no one answered.Cassie held their stares a moment longer before shouldering through the glass door—
—and running straight into Ollie, nearly dropping the box.
“Whoa—gotcha.”He caught both her and the box.“Hey, Cas, you all right?”
“Jesus, Ollie,” she snapped, wrenching away.“I’m fine.”
“You sure?”He took a step back, smiling sheepishly.“You look like you just went a few rounds with somethin’ a lot meaner than McCoy.Tate givin’ you trouble in there?”
“I said, I’m fine.They don’t scare me.”
“Not much ever did,” he replied.“Still recall senior skip day—me, Con, and the guys headin’ out to Summersville.You beggin’ to come.Hell, you were the first one jumpin’ off those damn rocks.Nearly gave us all heart attacks.”
Cassie remembered.The boys had been circling the edge, arguing over who’d be man enough to jump first, all puffed up and stalling.Sick of all their blustering, she stepped past and dove in.
“Shit, sorry,” she said, blowing out a breath.Ollie didn’t deserve her ire—not really.“I’m just…tired.And Tate is one serious piece of shit.”
“Hell, you don’t owe me an apology,” Ollie replied, flicking his fingers.“And yeah—Tate’s…Tate.Can’t think of a soul who’d argue otherwise.”
He motioned up the street.“Listen…there’s a diner one block over—the Blue Rooster.You wanna join me for a coffee?”
Cassie blinked.The Blue Rooster was still standing?She hadn’t thought of that place in years—the bright neon bird out front, the sticky vinyl booths, curse words and initials carved into every tabletop.Back then it had been the hangout, where kids from all over the county crowded in after football games or school dances, wasting away their weekends tossing back burned coffee and pie.She had a hundred memories tied to that place—good ones, too…
“No pressure,” Ollie quickly added.“Just figured if you’ve got a few minutes, I could treat.”
