It was all gone. His money, their careers, possibly Zane’s future. He had to make this work. There wasn’t another choice. Guilt gnawed at his gut, and he wondered if the sleepless nights were finally catching up with him. He was so tired he just wanted to sleep.
The door to the station house opened, and he was greeted by a tall man with reddish-brown hair and a friendly smile. “Sheriff Wright?”
He nodded. That was his name now. He was the sheriff of a podunk town, and he was grateful for the job. “Yes, you Harper?”
Rye Harper held out his hand, and Nate shook it quickly. So this was the man Callie had loved. What kind of idiot couldn’t love that girl back?
“Welcome to Bliss, Sheriff Wright. We’re really happy you were willing to take the job.” Harper grinned broadly. “Me, especially. If Stef hadn’t convinced you to work out the rest of my term, those bastards were going to hold me to my contract. Can you imagine that? I didn’t know the people here knew what a contract was. Anyway, I’m sure you’ll like it here. It’s pretty quiet. Come on inside, and I’ll introduce you.”
Nate wasn’t so sure he’d like it anywhere. He might have passed the point in his life where he could have been happy. Still, he followed, his feet moving out of habit. It had been like this for months, ever since the day Zane’s cover had been blown and their world went to hell. He forced himself to move through his days.
Rye Harper was talking as he walked through the door. “I’ll be around if you need anything, but Callie can run this place with one hand tied behind her back, so I don’t expect you’ll have any trouble.”
“What?” He heard the words come out of his mouth, but his attention was focused on one thing and one thing only.
“Nate?” Callie stood by the front desk. She was slightly older, but more beautiful than he remembered her. She was wearing a prim little skirt and a sweater that hid her curves, but he knew they were there. He dreamed about them at night. Every woman he’d slept with since couldn’t measure up. Just like that, he could feel her hips under his hands, tracing her skin while she moved over him. Nate was stopped completely in his tracks. The world seemed to narrow down to that one face. A little bit of panic threatened to take over. Callie was here. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest.
“You two know each other?” Rye was looking between them.
“Stef introduced us a long time ago,” Callie said softly. She was wearing glasses. She hadn’t worn them before. He wanted to strip them off, along with that shapeless sweater.
“A long time ago.” Nate tried to recover. It would look bad to break down in front of his staff on his first day on the job. His mental breakdown could surely wait a week or two. He nodded briskly and put on a purely professional front. “Hello, Callie. It’s good to see you again. I hope you’re well.”
Her face flushed. He could plainly see that it wasn’t the greeting she expected. Her voice was strained when she replied. “I’m fine, Sheriff. Nice to see you.”
Rye Harper slapped his hands together. “Well, then, I leave you in good hands, Sheriff.” He was at the door in a shot as though he couldn’t wait to get the hell out. “You call me if you need anything, Callie. And be sure to explain about the nudists. There’s a science fair the Farley twins are planning to enter. Some idiot relative bought them a chemistry set. We’ll be lucky if they don’t blow up their barn. Oh, and we’re coming up on Nell and Henry’s annual protest. I think they’re planning on chaining themselves to a tree or something.” The former sheriff looked damn happy he wouldn’t be dealing with those problems. He grinned and was gone in a second.
And Nate was left alone with the only woman he’d ever loved.
He was going to kill Stefan Talbot.
“I didn’t know your last name.” She was quiet, but he heard every word. The station was empty other than the two of them. It was a far cry from the DEA office. And it was so far from the field.
So she was surprised, too. “Sorry. If I had known”
Her eyes grew wide. “What? You would have warned me?”
The truth popped out of his mouth. He’d forgotten how to be polite. “I wouldn’t have taken the job.”
The blood left her face. “Well, all right then.” She took a deep breath.
He spoke quickly, taking a step toward her. “Callie, it’s not like that. I just wouldn’t want to hurt you again.”
She shrugged. “You didn’t hurt me in the first place, Sheriff. We had a fling. That was all.”
Damn, she wasn’t any better at lying now than she was then. The hurt was written all over her face. He wanted to pull her into his arms. He kept his distance. “Callie, it’s been a long time. Can we just try to work together? I need this job. Harper said you can help me fit in around here.”
“You need a job?” Confusion was plain in her voice.
“No more trust fund.” He’d admit that much to her. He hadn’t had any control over that. He hoped she never found out about the rest. “Bad investments. My father’s company is gone. I’m going to work out the former sheriff’s term, and we’ll take it from there. I promise to treat you as professionally as the last sheriff.”
She snorted, and a little smile curved her lips. “That wouldn’t be hard. The last sheriff used to pull my pig tails when we were babies. It’s hard to keep it professional when you grew up together.”
He hated Rye Harper. “Well, I’ll be a good boss. Now what was he talking about?” Maybe if he just acted in a professional manner, she would go along. He had no idea how he was supposed to work with her. The idea of seeing her everyday and having to hear about her husband or boyfriend…he couldn’t do it.
Callie’s hands went to the buttons of her sweater. She fingered them as though she really wanted out of the garment. He remembered that Callie felt more comfortable naked. Nate felt his cock swell. Well, at least it still worked.
“Don’t worry about it. I already talked to Nancy Farley. She’s keeping an eye on the boys. As for the rest of it, well, it’s nudists’ retreat time. Sometimes they scare the tourists.”
What the hell kind of town was this? “Well, if I catch them, they can spend a little time in an orange jumpsuit. It’s illegal to walk around like that. They need to keep to their place.”
Callie stood up a little straighter. Her eyes lit up, and her hands were suddenly on her hips. “I think you’ll find that a little tolerance will go a long way in Bliss, Sheriff Wright.”
His tolerance was long gone. He hadn’t been here fifteen minutes, but he could already tell the former sheriff had been very lax. “If I find someone breaking the law, I’m going to arrest them.”
Callie’s arms were crossed, and her lips pursed. “That should make for a very interesting change then, Sheriff. Now, if you like, I’ll show you around.” She waved her hand. “That’s around. There’s your office. Your uniforms are hanging on the back door. Your deputy’s name is Logan Green. He’s on his lunch break. I’m going to lunch, too. I’ll be back at two.”
She was leaving? He just got here.
“Try to not arrest the whole town while I’m gone.”
She walked out, and he was alone again.
Callie tried not to cry, but as she shuffled down the street, the world swam in front of her. Why hadn’t Stef warned her? Seeing Nathan Wright after all these years had just about floored her. When he’d walked in, her first impulse was to throw herself into his arms and plant a big kiss on those sensual lips of his. Then she caught sight of the coldness in his blue eyes. He hadn’t smiled once. What the hell had happened to the man she’d met?