LITMIR.BIZ

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her take her first unhealthy bite. “You’re a regular heart attack waiting to happen, Dinah.”

      “Not usually. Usually I watch every little thing.” Except for her stash of Snickers bars, of course. Those she kept on hand for easy access. And emergency purposes.

      And whenever she got particularly stressed.

      “I’ve got to keep in shape, you know. For the job.”

      Frank appreciation appeared in his eyes before he tamped it down. “You’ve done a good job with that shape, too.”

      Now she was embarrassed. “I wasn’t fishing for a compliment.”

      “I would have given it to you no matter what.” He shrugged. “And I’m not complimenting you as much as stating a fact.” Looking mildly uncomfortable himself, he took a good-size bite of his tuna and chewed.

      “So, do you do this often?”

      He shrugged. “I like being outside. I like the diner, too, but sometimes this is easier. And cheaper.”

      “More of a tuna guy.” She tried hard, but the smile she was fighting still slipped out.

      “I like fish. And the deli uses low-fat mayonnaise for me.”

      Because no one else was around, she let herself giggle. Just a little bit.

      Austin’s gaze warmed. “So you do laugh. I’ve been wondering.”

      “What’s that supposed to mean?”

      “About what you’d imagine it does. Usually, I only see you with your game face on.”

      It was tempting to pretend she didn’t know what he was talking about, but she did. “I have to be serious when I’m on the job.”

      “And other times?”

      “And other times,” she agreed. “Getting reelected is important to me. Keeping everyone’s respect is important to me, too. I don’t want Duke to ever regret working with me. And I especially don’t want the citizens to change their mind.” Already full, she pushed the second half of her sandwich to one side.

      “I don’t think that’s going to happen anytime soon. Everyone knows that Duke thinks you’re doing a good job. Other folks think so, too.”

      “They might not think that way much longer,” Dinah admitted. “A lot of people are real upset about the string of robberies, and I don’t blame them. Money’s tight right now, and folks are having to put out more money for better security systems and lighting. Some outfits have even had to hire on extra hands to help with patrols. Though everyone knows we’ve got a police force of two and a big area to patrol, that doesn’t always count for much when the bills come in at the end of the month. Plus, people are still missing their tack.”

      “I hear you.”

      She lowered her voice. “Sometimes I worry that even my family is losing their faith in me.”

      “I seriously doubt that.”

      She appreciated the trust, but Dinah knew the truth of the matter. “Midnight’s disappearance has stressed out just about everyone, especially my mom. If we can’t track that horse down real soon, I worry that my mom is going to sell the ranch.”

      Austin shook his head in that confident way of his. “Ace wouldn’t let that happen. Thunder Ranch is y’all’s legacy.” Eyeing her wrapped-up sandwich, he said, “Think you can eat another two bites?”

      “You sound like my mother!”

      “Naw, just trying to look out for you. Eat another bite, D.”

      Before she knew it, she was unwrapping the sandwich and taking one more bite. Just to please him.

      His eyes lit up, looking pleased with himself. And that made her more than a little uncomfortable.

      Quickly, she swallowed and got back on track with their conversation. “I know that Ace’s judgment is good, and most times I don’t mind following his directives. But all of us agree that no home is worth our mother’s health.”

      “Dinah, I hear what you’re saying, but I’ve got to tell you—you look like you’re almost causing the end of the earth. Surely your family isn’t blaming you for the flurry of thefts in the area. And what happened with Midnight is a crying shame. But if someone had really wanted that horse, then it stands to reason he took it far away. For all we know, that horse could be on the other side of the country by now.”

      Though she didn’t like hearing his hypothesis, she appreciated his faith in her. It seemed she spent most of her life keeping up a Teflon front—pretending she was impervious to criticism. “No one in my family has come out to blame me. Not in so many words. But I do know that they’d hoped I’d be better at my job…” Her voice drifted off as she recalled their last meal together.

      Sitting at the big oak table, surrounded by everyone who knew and loved her, she could feel their frustration as if it was a tangible thing. It had been that way for weeks, too. The tension was getting so intense she knew it was just a matter of time before one of her brothers or cousins snapped. And the thing of it was that she wasn’t even going to be able to blame them. Obviously she’d done a bad job with the investigation. Though she didn’t know what she would have done differently, she was sure there had to have been a better way to get the answers.

      “You okay?”

      She started, realizing Austin had been staring at her while she’d been gazing off into nothing. “Sorry, I got caught up remembering something. But that moment of silence was probably a nice break from all of my whining.”

      His blue eyes sparkled. “You don’t whine, Dinah. All you’re doing is venting, and I promise, you don’t have the cornerstone on that. Everyone needs to let things out every now and then.”

      “Maybe you’re right. But between the horse missing and saddles getting stolen and high school kids acting up…and Duke only working part-time, I’m feeling like I don’t have enough hours in the day to do it all.”

      Of course, the moment she spouted off her laundry list of complaints, she wished she could take it all back. What was she thinking? Austin could be working with the thieves!

      After swallowing another bite, Austin kicked his legs out. Looking her over, he asked, “Do you mind if we don’t talk about work for a bit?”

      She jumped at his change in topic. “What do you want to talk about? Is something wrong? Do you need my help?”

      His lips curved. “See, Dinah, that’s your problem. You hardly know what else to do besides work.”

      Maybe he was right. Or maybe…she just wasn’t sure what else to talk to him about. Sitting next to Austin made her pulse race a little faster and the rest of her feel suddenly feminine, as if she was still a woman even though she was the sheriff.

      And here she’d been talking nonstop about herself. How self-absorbed could one woman be? “So, how is your shop doing?”

      “I’m not going to talk to you about my store. That’s work, too. You’re just going to have to think of something far more interesting.”

      The jibe was given kindly, not mean-spirited at all. But it did serve to remind her that she had little else in her life besides her job.

      Shoot, she couldn’t even seem to give up a Sunday.

      In defense, she said, “Austin, I’m not like all the other women you date.”

      The smiled vanished. “What the heck is that supposed to mean?”

      She could have cursed her tongue. Now he was probably going to ask why she’d even brought up the other women. And then she was going to have to admit that she hadn’t been able to get the picture of Austin hugging Vanessa out of her mind.

      But since she’d started, she continued on. “I’m

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