Evy bit back a sigh. Minus the fairy-tale ending, she and Caroline had far more in common than the oldest Duer sister imagined.
There was a brief flurry of activity as parents started arriving. The children in the oceanside fishing community brought much-needed excitement not only to the library but also to Evy’s life. She loved children. And story hour was the highlight of her week.
“Goodbye, Miss Shaw.” Izzie waved. “See you next week.” The solid oak door shut with a decisive click.
Someone cleared a throat. Evy nearly launched into outer space and grabbed hold of the counter. Who—
A pair of piercing hazel eyes studied her. The dark-haired, broad-shouldered young deputy. She’d forgotten him while dealing with the Duer sister. This unaccustomed subterfuge was playing havoc with her nerves.
She put a shaky hand to her throat. With his height and build, the deputy was a former high school or college football player. Probably both. He’d be intimidating to someone on the wrong side of the law.
Or someone with something to hide. Like her. On a quest to find her long-lost brother.
When he’d placed the Smokey Bear hat on his head earlier, he’d been on his way out the door. Until Caroline Clark arrived. The hat—Evy craned her neck—added another five inches to his already imposing stature.
“Can I help you, Deputy?”
He removed the hat. The muscles underneath his fitted uniform shirt flexed. Her attention skittered. Did he wear a Kevlar vest? How dangerous was the life of a deputy sheriff in peaceful Kiptohanock?
Mind your own business, Evy.
The deputy positioned the hat next to a stack of books on her desk. “I need a library card.”
“I thought you didn’t...”
He raised an eyebrow.
“I mean, you don’t seem the type to...”
He folded his arms across his chest. Which, for her, was eye level. His gold badge gleamed in the light of the green banker’s lamp atop her desk. Deputy Sheriff, Accomack County, it read.
“Is getting a library card going to be a problem, Miss... Miss...?”
“Shaw. Evangeline Shaw.” Was it suddenly hot in here or just her? “Getting a card will not be a problem, Deputy.”
“It’s Deputy Pruitt.” Hand extended, he reached across the counter. “Charles Everett Pruitt the Third.”
Her eyes flitted to his hand.
The deputy’s gaze caught hers and held steady. “I find it amazing that in as small a place as Kiptohanock, our paths haven’t crossed until now.”
She took his hand. His hand engulfed hers. Her heart stutter-stepped at the touch of his strong, warm fingers against her skin.
“Pleased to meet you,” she whispered.
Why was she whispering? Goose bumps tingled up and down her arm.
His lantern jaw tightened. Frowning, he extracted his hand from hers.
She angled toward the monitor and hit a button on the keyboard. “There are a few questions for you to answer on the application.”
“Fire away.” He crossed his arms again, tucking his hands out of sight beneath impressive biceps. “I meant that in a figurative sense, mind you.” His lips twitched.
She’d always liked men with a sense of—
Evy jerked her eyes to the screen. “Name? Oh.” She swallowed. “You told me already.”
She concentrated on typing the information. “Pruitt... Charles—”
“Friends call me Charlie.”
She stopped midkeystroke. Was that an invitation to be his friend, or was the deputy just being chatty? He didn’t strike Evy as the chatty sort.
“Address?” She was whispering again...
He rattled off an address belonging to one of the Victorian homes on a side street close to the town square.
The deputy unfolded his arms and planted his elbows on the wooden counter. “And how about you?”
Evy’s mouth went dry. The corded muscles of his forearms gave her pause.
He leaned toward Evy. “Where do you live, Miss Shaw? Turnabout is fair play, don’t you think?”
With his chiseled countenance, Mr. Law Enforcement bore a striking resemblance to Clark Kent aka Superman. He’d probably be very handsome if he ever relaxed his rigid features. With effort, she wrenched her gaze to the computer.
She poised her fingers over the keyboard. “I’m boarding with Pauline Crockett off Seaside Road. Near—”
“I’m familiar with Miss Pauline’s farm.”
“You’re a ’been here then. Isn’t that what the locals call themselves?” She focused on the screen. “Which makes me a ’come here. What’s your telephone number?”
“Why? Are you planning to ask me out, Miss Shaw?”
Her heart palpitated. She was unused to—and unsettled by—the oh-so-masculine attention.
She gestured at the computer. “It’s for th-the form.”
He laughed. “Turnabout is fair play, remember, Miss Shaw?”
She pointed at a tray of business cards with the library’s website and phone number. “I think I have enough information to process the application.”
Was he flirting with her? Or mocking her? She lifted her chin.
He straightened, his hazel eyes going serious. “I didn’t mean to... I thought we—”
“It will take me a minute to create the card. If you can’t stick around, I’ll mail it to you.”
He shuffled his big feet. “I can wait.”
“In the meantime...” She shoved a welcome folder at him. “Here’s information about the services available at the library. And a schedule of upcoming events.”
She gave him a nice view of her back. Better to get this over with ASAP. “In the packet are the conditions and privileges granted to you as a borrower.” She worked quickly to laminate the card.
With the card hot off the machine, she faced him once again. “I should’ve asked for your ID first. Saved you the trouble of answering unnecessary questions. But per library regulations, I’m going to have to see some picture identification.”
A muscle ticking in his jaw, Mr. Law Enforcement fished his wallet out of his pocket. He extracted his license and passed it to her. She skimmed it for a split second.
She pushed his new library card and his license across the counter. “Here’s your card.” The less contact, the better.
Mr. Law Enforcement had a curious effect on her nerve endings. “There is a one-dollar replacement fee if you lose the card.”
“I won’t lose it.” The deputy inserted the cards into his wallet. “I don’t lose things I go after.”
She opened her mouth, thought better of it and clamped her lips together.
He smiled.
She caught the edge of the desk. The flash of those even, white teeth could blind a person. When he smiled like that, his stern countenance became almost handsome.
Evy placed her palms flat against the wood to steady herself. No almost about it. Deputy Charles Everett Pruitt the Third was quite handsome.