LITMIR.BIZ

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brow knotted. “How is it, in a town the size of Kiptohanock, we haven’t met before, Miss Shaw?”

      Charlie’s heart thumped in his chest. Honey followed on her husband’s boot heels. With one look at her face, Charlie could tell Honey was furious. At him.

      “She’s the librarian.” Honey glowered. “No reason for you to have met.”

      Charlie had wanted Sawyer and Evy to meet officially. He ought to have been more careful what he wished for. Sucker-punched by the unexpected sense of proprietorship toward Evy, he ground his heel into the dirt. She didn’t belong to him. He didn’t know why seeing her and Sawyer together disturbed him so much. Honey was right about it not being a romantic kind of connection. But there was a connection, something Charlie didn’t understand.

      So he drew on his fallback emotion when it came to feeling out of control. Anger.

      He inserted himself between the cowboy and Evy. “I guess not everyone is a reader like me.”

      Evy’s gaze flicked to Charlie. “No.” A sweet smile for him. “That’s true.”

      “I feel somehow, though, we’ve met before.” Sawyer tilted his head. “Do we know each other, Miss Shaw? From somewhere besides Kiptohanock?”

      Charlie held his breath. Evy—with reluctance, he thought—shook her head. Disappointment spiraled. He let the breath trickle slowly between his clenched lips.

      So this was about Evy. All about her. Not Kole. Which only made Charlie feel worse, not better. Honey had been right about Evy’s fixation on the Duer clan. Did Evy have a sinister motivation in coming to the Shore?

      “Put us to work, Kole. That’s what we’re here for.” His mouth tightened. “Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth.”

      The look Sawyer sent his way could have scorched the earth. “That your way of talking so somebody like me can understand?” There’d never been any love lost between him and Charlie.

      Honey gripped Sawyer’s sleeve. “Sawyer...”

      “If the horseshoe fits.” Charlie jutted his jaw. “Then, yeah.”

      He and Kole were never destined to be friends. Too much history. Bad history.

      Sawyer pushed the brim of the Stetson higher onto his forehead.

      Charlie frowned. Sawyer’s gesture seemed familiar. But he couldn’t place where or why.

      “Maybe you and Miss Shaw could help Mr. Keller with the other group of kids by the creek.” The smile Sawyer threw his way wasn’t meant to be friendly. “And leave the cowboying to the real cowboys, Deputy.” His attention returning to Evy, Sawyer tipped his hat. “Ma’am.”

      Charlie’s blood boiled. Cupping her elbow in his palm, he gritted his teeth and dragged Evy around the corner of the house.

      He didn’t like the way Evy peered over her shoulder, focusing on Honey and Sawyer as they walked away. She stumbled.

      “Watch where you’re going, Miss Shaw,” he growled.

      Evy stopped. “Are you mad about something?” she whispered. “Mad at me?” She blinked rapidly behind the glass frames.

      Charlie hated the uncertainty in her voice. And one look at those eyes of hers... He had no right to be angry at her.

      No business taking out his angst about Sawyer Kole—Honey, too, if the whole truth were told—on Evy.

      He let go of her. “Is there a reason I should be mad at you, Evy? You haven’t done anything wrong, have you?”

      The bridge between her perfectly arched brows pinched. “No, I guess not.” Biting her lip, her eyes skittered over the silver ribbon of the tidal creek.

      She was lying. Or at best, hiding something.

      Abruptly he veered toward the creek bank, where a cluster of children surrounded old Mr. Keller and a thirtysomething woman Charlie didn’t recognize. He left Evy to follow. Or not.

      “Reinforcements. Hoorah.” Mr. Keller raised a child-sized fishing rod. “I was wondering how Felicia and I were going to drive the boat, bait hooks and make sure no one drowns.”

      The lady helped a child thread his arms into a life preserver. “I’m Felicia Kerr. I’m a counselor with the county here to help the children get reacquainted with their siblings.”

      “Charlie Pruitt.”

      Mr. Keller handed around more life jackets. “Charlie is a deputy sheriff, kids.”

      One or two of the children went motionless. Charlie understood. Some of these children’s only experience with a deputy had been the day when they’d been forcibly removed from their families for various reasons. He hoped by getting to know him, the children would gain more positive impressions of law enforcement.

      Evy ventured onto the small dock. “I’m Evy Shaw.”

      Charlie did his best to ignore the feelings—like dragonfly wings frolicking against his skin—her proximity evoked. He reached for the bait bucket. “We’re here to serve. Put us to work.”

      Mr. Keller pointed his chin at Evy. “You’re the new librarian, aren’t you?”

      “Guilty as charged. I’m afraid I’m not very water-savvy.” She wrinkled her nose at the fishy smell emanating from the bucket. “Or experienced in fishing. Are we going to have to touch those things?”

      The children surged toward Charlie and peered at the contents of the bucket. “Oooh...gross...cool...”

      A mocha-skinned little girl with colorful barrettes in the cornrows of her hair hung back. “I can’t get the buckle to click.”

      Evy went down on one knee to inspect the orange life vest. “Let me see what I can do.” She untangled the clasp and clicked it closed. “There. What’s your name?”

      “Latasha.” Her large brown eyes grew fearful. “I’ve never been on a boat before. S’pose I fall out?”

      Evy took the child’s hand. “You hang on to me, and I’ll hang on to you. We’ll make sure neither one of us falls out, okay?”

      Latasha hugged Evy’s hand. “Do you know how to swim?”

      “Actually, not so well.” Evy gestured at Charlie. “But see this big guy here?”

      Latasha gave Charlie a quick up-and-down appraisal.

      “He knows how to rescue people.” Evy aimed her mouth in the direction of his ear. “You do know how to rescue people, don’t you?”

      Charlie crouched beside Latasha. “I worked as a lifeguard at the pool when I was in high school.”

      Evy smirked. “Of course you did.”

      “Come on, Latasha,” called a boy, already seated in the boat.

      “That’s my brother.” Latasha twined her fingers into Evy’s. “We don’t live together anymore.”

      “You must miss him.” Evy stared at the water, glittering like diamonds in the early morning sun. “I sure would.”

      Charlie stared at her. Something fretted at the edges of his consciousness.

      She dropped her gaze. “I mean, if I had a brother.”

      Latasha poked out her lips. “I miss my brother a lot.”

      Evy’s eyes welled. “How wonderful it is, though, that you get to spend the weekend together at camp.”

      Charlie reached for Evy’s other hand. “I think you’ll like fishing, Latasha, if you give it a chance. It’s pretty out on the water and peaceful waiting for the fish to bite.”

      “Okay... I’ll try if you will, Evy.”

      She

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