“Yeah,” I interjected. Personally, I felt Royce was being too nice about the situation. I was tempted to turn on the sprinklers.
A car with the Crazy Cactus logo parked on the curb, and a young girl got out.
Liam glanced at her. “I see you have food coming, so I’ll just mosey along.” He moved down the steps, calling out, “You two have a good evening.” He nodded to the delivery girl as she approached.
I scowled when he handed her a flyer on his way by. “Unbelievable,” I hissed. “The nerve of that guy.”
“Howdy, Sheriff Callum,” the girl said cheerfully as she reached the door. She gave me a more wary look. “Dr. Thornton, h… how are you?”
“Fine.” I held out my hand. “Would you like me to throw that flyer away for you?”
She glanced down at it. “Oh, uh… yeah. Sure.”
I took it from her, and she winced a little when I crumpled it violently in my hand. “That’s better,” I muttered.
She held out the salads. “You don’t have to worry, Sheriff Callum. You have my vote. My whole family is in your corner.”
Royce took the salads, giving her a weary smile. “That’s nice to hear, Sara.”
She shrugged. “Well, you’re a great sheriff. Why fix what ain’t broke?”
“You have no idea much I needed to hear that.” Royce sighed. “It’s been a day.”
“Oh, don’t you fret, Sheriff. Whenever I feel like giving up, my mom says, ‘When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it.’ It’s from Franklin D. Roosevelt.”
I murmured, “With my luck, the rope would break.”
Royce laughed.
“Have a little faith in the people of Rainy Dale, Sheriff.” Sara hopped down the steps two at a time. “We’re not so dumb as we look.”
Let’s hope not.
I scooped Grumpy up into my arms and closed the door, following Royce into the kitchen. I watched him unpack the food. He looked deep in thought, and my heart ached for him because I knew how much he loved being sheriff.
“Do you really think Angela Raiden sent that Liam guy to your house on purpose?” I asked.
He stopped what he was doing and met my gaze. “Hell yes.”
“Yeah, me too.”
“But you know what? I’m not going to let the Raidens bulldoze me into submission. Am I in for a fight? Yes. But I love Rainy Dale, and it’s worth fighting for. I haven’t done a damn thing wrong. I’mnot just fighting for my job. I’m fighting for the soul of Rainy Dale.”
“A little dramatic, but I like it.” I was pleased to see that spark back in his eyes.
He laughed sheepishly. “I guess I’m all fired up.”
“Good. You’ll need to be. The Raidens are a formidable foe.”
He nodded. “Once the Raidens get their claws in a position of power, they’ll keep going until they run the place. They have too much power as it is.”
“Amen.”
“Angela sent that guy to my house hoping to demoralize me.” A muscle worked in his cheek. “But you know what? Instead, she woke the sleeping beast.”
“Excellent.” I moved closer to him. “You’re a good man and a great sheriff. Rainy Dale citizens know that about you.”
“I hope so.”
