* * *
Lucy entered Maggie’s Coffee Shop and spied the owner behind the cash register. Maggie Howard had been a few years ahead of her in school and had always been a kind and generous woman. Lucy smiled and waved at the petite redhead, then scanned the café for Chloe. Lucy saw her and made her way toward one of her best friends. Although Lucy’s job as sheriff took her all over the county, Little Horn would always be her home and base. She’d discovered when she lived more than six years in San Antonio that she was a small-town girl at heart.
“I’m glad you could meet me for lunch,” Chloe said to Lucy as she sat down.
“It sounded important.”
“We finally decided last night what we want for our wedding. Pastor Mathers will marry us at church, and then we’ll go back to the ranch for a small gathering of family and friends.”
Lucy knew about all the problems Chloe had had in her first marriage and her ex-husband’s unfaithful behavior, and was thrilled her friend had found someone who would be a good dad for her unborn baby. When Chloe’s ex-husband had heard he would be a father, he’d wanted nothing to do with the child. “When is it?”
“In ten days on Friday evening. The wedding will be at six and the dinner at the ranch at seven.”
“I hope I’m invited, or I’m going to crash your wedding.”
“Of course, you are. I want you to be my maid of honor. The only people at the church will be Mamie, Ben as best man and you.”
The waitress stopped at the table to take their orders.
After she left, Lucy leaned forward and asked, “What can I do to help?”
“The beauty of a small wedding is there won’t be much to do. The cook at the Stillwater Ranch and Mamie are going to plan the dinner. So all you have to do is show up at the church.” When the waitress set their drinks on the table, Chloe paused, then said, “Are you dating anyone?”
Lucy dropped her jaw, then snapped it closed. “Why?”
“Just wondering. The last time we talked about men I was going through a divorce and you weren’t dating anyone, but you’ve been at the ranch a lot lately. Interested in Ben?”
“It’s police business.” Lucy sighed. “Are you going to be one of those women who because she’s deliriously happy thinks everyone around her should be in a relationship?”
“What’s wrong with that? I want my friends to be happy.”
“You forget I tried a serious relationship in San Antonio. Jesse didn’t work out.” That was putting it mildly. She and Jesse had been talking about getting married until she’d stumbled across a woman he was dating in Austin when he went there for work. Then to make it worse, he had begun taking out another lady in San Antonio while professing the whole time he was in love with Lucy. “The men I’ve seen and dated have a commitment phobia. I’m usually around two kinds of men—law-enforcement officers and criminals. Neither have I found to be good husband material.”
“Your father has been married to your mom for thirty-eight years. Every time I’ve seen them when they visit you, they’re still in love as though they are newlyweds.”
“My dad is the exception.” He was nothing like Jesse, the FBI agent in San Antonio who’d stolen her heart and stomped on it. But besides Jesse, she’d also seen fellow officers on the San Antonio police force she’d worked with either drink excessively or date excessively. When they did marry, the marriages usually didn’t last. She didn’t want that for herself.
“Do you find it hard to follow him as sheriff?”
“Lately I’ve felt I’m letting people down.”
Chloe waved her hand. “Stop right there. That’s Byron McKay talking. He’s never happy about anything.”
“He has been hit hard by the cattle rustlers I can’t seem to find.”
“That isn’t your only case. You take care of everyone in the county. Remember the robbery in the next town? You caught the guy within twelve hours. And when that toddler went missing six months ago? You found the two-year-old within hours.”
Lucy chuckled. “Okay, you’ve made your point. But reelection is next year, and I want to continue my dad’s legacy.”
“You are.”
Abigail set the plate with a chef salad in front of Lucy, then gave Chloe her order. “Can I get y’all anything else?”
“No, this looks delicious.” Chloe dug into her hamburger immediately. “Mmm, and I wasn’t wrong.”
Abigail grinned. “I’ll tell Maggie. She loves to hear her customers are satisfied.” The waitress left, hurrying toward the kitchen, her long black ponytail bouncing with her strides.
Lucy glanced around. Every table was occupied, which was usual at this time of day. When the door opened, she caught sight of Ben entering. He scanned the coffee shop.
“Ben!” Chloe held her arm up. “You can join us.”
Lucy chewed her bottom lip as Ben threaded his way through the crowded café. She always looked forward to her girl time with Chloe, but she couldn’t blame her for signaling that Ben should sit with them. Chloe would be his sister-in-law in ten days, not to mention she was taking care of his son.
Ben removed his hat and set it in a vacant chair and then took the last one at the table for four. “I keep forgetting this isn’t a good time to come to Maggie’s, but I thought I would grab something to eat before heading to see Pastor Mathers.”
“You’ve been out of action for a while. That’s understandable.” Chloe popped a french fry into her mouth.
Ben peered at Lucy, his gaze penetratingly warm. “You’re still coming to the barn before we go to the meeting tonight?”
She nodded and speared some of her lettuce, trying to ignore the quickening of her heartbeat at his perusal. “I want to spend time with Maddy, Lynne and Christie. I find when teenage girls get together they gossip. I might overhear something that will help me.” That was the easiest way for her to get a glimpse of what was going on with the teenagers in Little Horn. She still felt two or more were involved in the thefts. At twenty-eight, Lucy was the youngest sheriff to date for the county, but she would stand out at school, so her undercover work had to be somewhere else.
After Abigail took Ben’s order, Chloe retrieved a couple of five-dollar bills from her wallet. “This is for my lunch. Cody will be getting up from his nap, and I need to be there. I’ve been gone all morning to the doctor.”
Ben pushed the money toward Chloe. “Keep it. My treat. Is the baby okay?”
“Right on target. In three months, she should be here.”
“Grady is excited and can’t wait.” Ben took his mug of coffee from Abigail and drank a long sip. “I’ll be back after I meet with Pastor Mathers.”
Chloe stood. “Are you going to be at the barn, then?”
“Yes, but I can always be reached by cell. Thanks, Chloe, for staying on as Cody’s nanny. It’s hard being a single parent, and I’ve only dealt with it for a brief time.”
“I love being with Cody. It’s good experience.” Chloe headed for the exit.
Ben turned his full attention on Lucy. She felt he was assessing her in a new light. “Did you enjoy Pastor Mathers’s sermon on Sunday?” she asked, hoping to divert his focus.
“It’s