Page 11 of Cuffed By the Wolf

“Excuse me. I overheard you have a camper for rent?”

A smile lifts his lips. “Yes. I’ll grab my coffee and we can chat.”

The three of us move to a nice-sized wooden table.

After Evan, Mike, and I introduce ourselves to each other, I tell Evan and Mike my situation. Evan is more than happy to rent his camper to me since I’ll be working for Sheriff Drake. I log into Evan’s website, view pictures of the cute little camper, then pay the five-hundred-dollar deposit. I ask him to wait to call the sheriff until tomorrow. I tell him he’d be in a better mood. He agrees. It seems no one wants to deal with the sheriff.

I can’t tell him I haven’t actually gotten the job yet. I need a little time to persuade Sheriff Drake to hire me.

“Did anyone inform you that Sheriff Gavin Drake is a grumpy asshole?” Mike asks.

Gavin Drake, huh? Such a nice name for such a grumpy man.

“No. I witnessed it firsthand.”

My brows pinch together. “I thought sheriffs who run departments were usually older. He looks pretty young. How old is he?”

“Gavin’s thirty-three. His dad, Fred Drake, held the sheriff’s job for decades. Gavin’s brother Tyson also wanted the role, but their father recommended Mayor Willard appoint Gavin instead. It made sense Tyson was only twenty-three then,” Mike explained.

I recalled when I was arrested, the sheriff had issued an order to Tyson. Now that I think about it, they do have similar facial features. I wonder if his brother is as grumpy as him? I tuck that into my memory bank for later. Just in case I need it.

I tell them what happened with Everett and Breann.

“Those two are meant for each other,” Evan adds. A scowl deepens between his inky, thick brows. “And they are not a true representation of our town.” His black hair curls around his ears and stands on his head like he ran a hand through it after getting out of bed.

These two look like they played high school football.

“They are pretty bad,” I laugh.

“They are,” Mike agrees.

He’s easy on the eyes with his short blond curls and brown eyes.

“Get this. Sheriff Drake gave Everett a ticket for manhandling me.”

“That’s great. He deserved it,” Evan says.

“He had no right to grab you like that. I want to knock him out for that,” Mike growls.

If they weren’t off to play in their band across the country next week, we’d be besties.

I take a chance and tell them about my gallery and the wire transfer. Evan tells me I should file the report like the sheriff suggested, because Everett is a shady character.

I leave the coffee shop feeling better than I have in weeks.

My phone buzzes in my pocket as I stroll up the street back to my hotel.

“Hey, sis, how’s it going in Lupton?”

“It’s a mess here. I got into a fight with a couple of townspeople and spent the night in jail.”

“Sasha, you only went there to question people, not to get into trouble.”

I nod like she can see me. “I’m fine. Tara, I’ve decided to stay here and get answers.”

“What? For how long?”

“Until I find who stole from me and destroyed my reputation.”