Her bottom lip trembled. “But they’re gonna be mad at me.”
I shrugged. “Welcome to the world of being an adult.”
“Sheriff,” Arlo said, “what if I swear on my life never to take a car off the lot without permission? Would you please consider letting me off the hook this one time?” He put his hands up in a pleading motion. “I’ll lose my job for sure if I come clean. Henry isn’t very understanding. I had so much trouble finding a job I can’t lose this one.”
“If the job is so valuable, what in the world are you doing risking it?”
He slid his gaze to Kaylee. “We really like each other. I mean, a lot.”
Ahh, geez.
For whatever reason, I felt sorry for the kid. I sighed and changed the subject. “You were here the night Lincoln Johnson was murdered, right?”
His face flinched. “I found out after the fact, but yes.”
“Did you see anyone else on the street?”
“There was a woman who walked her dog, but that was it.” He sighed. “To be honest, we were kind of distracted, Sheriff.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” I grumbled. “You sure you didn’t see anyone else besides the lady and her dog?”
“We didn’t.” Kaylee looked apologetic. “I’m sorry.”
This whole situation was hugely disappointing. The red truck was yetanotherdead end. Feeling frustrated, I met Arlo’s hopeful gaze. My chest squeezed when he and Kaylee grabbed each other’s hands.
I exhaled roughly. “Kaylee, I want you to get dressed and go home, now. Arlo, if I ever even suspect you’re abusing the trust of your boss again, I’ll happily toss you in jail. Got it?”
He nodded eagerly. “I swear on my life, I’ll never borrow another car without asking. You can shoot me with a firing squad if I’m lying.”
I lifted my brows. “Er… that won’t be necessary.”
“You’re right about how we’re acting. Kaylee and I need to figure something else out. If we want to be together, we need to buck up.”
Yeah,” Kaylee agreed.
“I’m gonna give you two a break this once.” I jabbed my finger at them. “Don’t let me down.”
“We won’t, sir.” Arlo gave me a clumsy salute.
Rolling my eyes, I turned back to my vehicle. My night was a bust. Hell, my whole day had been a bust.All I wanted to do was go home to Max. I got in my car and pulled out onto the quiet road. Gripping the steering wheel, I thought about the mountains of paperwork waiting for me back at the station. I still needed to finish watching the footage from the Rotary Club parking lot too. But my head was pounding, and my eyes were tired.
“Screw it. I’m going home,” I growled, heading in the direction of my house instead of the station.
When I crept into the house, I tried to be as quiet as possible. Grumpy still heard me come in though, and he greeted me excitedly. I scooped him up and carried him with me into the bedroom. I dropped him gently on the bed and undressed quietly. Max’s breathing was slow and deep, and it made me smile. I loved having him to come home to.
I got under the covers and scooted up to Maxwell’s warm body. Slipping my arms slowly around his waist, I heard his breathing change.
“Royce?” His voice was thick with sleep.
“It had better be me.”
He laughed. “You’re home.” His hands covered mine. “How was work?”
“In a word, frustrating.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.
I kissed the back of his neck. “Go back to sleep. I didn’t mean to wake you.”
