“And is it?”
“Is it what?” he returned.
“Is the Rebel Police Department a well-oiled machine?”
Mitch could only stare, surprised at the gutsy question. No use skirting the truth. “Not at the moment.”
“The population here is about seventeen hundred?” she asked.
“About is a relative word in these parts. The transient summer tourist population headed to Rebel Lake and Keystone Lake down the road is around ten thousand. It’s a long time from May to September. Memorial Day was a week ago, and the fun has already begun.”
“What sort of fun? I’m not familiar with tourist towns.”
“Everything from noise to other ordinance violations on the lake. And where there are summer folks, there are summer teenagers. Not that I have anything against teens. There’s talk that I used to be one.”
Daisy’s lips twitched at the comment.
“Teenagers seem to find new and unusual ways to bend, twist and otherwise manipulate the law without quite breaking it.”
“Yes, they do.” She looked up at him, her gaze thoughtful and once again, assessing. “When was your last day off?”
“I’m on call 24-7.”
“That can’t be good for your disposition.”
Mitch jerked back slightly at the words. He found himself unreasonably annoyed at the astute observation.
Crossing his arms, he pushed back his shoulders before answering. A good offense was always the best route.
“Point of the matter is, Ms. Anderson, Rebel is growing. We’ve had a developer take an interest in our town and, this autumn, a big-box store is going in between here and Hominy. I need funding and I need the manpower... I mean, personnel. We’ve been short on both for too long.”
“Then I guess I showed up right on time.”
Mitch stared her up and down. For a little thing, she certainly could hold her own. And yeah, she was right. She had shown up at the right time.
That should be a good thing, but it sure didn’t explain why his brain was waving a red flag between his eyes, fast and furious, while his gut answered that it was much too late for warnings.
Daisy opened the door and stepped into the kitchen. Her grandmother sat at the farmhouse table next to ten-month-old PJ who laughed with abandon as she slapped the tray top of her high chair with chubby little hands, causing her plastic plate to jump.
“I never get tired of her laughter,” Daisy said. She smoothed the wispy red curls and pressed a kiss to the baby’s cheek.
“Were you out there talking to your boss all that time?” Alice asked.
“No. I went for a walk around the property. It turns out we have blackberry bushes behind that shed,” Daisy said. “A pecan tree, as well.”
“Pecan pie and blackberry cobbler,” her grandmother said. “I am so loving this place.”
“And it looks like there’s what used to be a small orchard of apple and peach trees farther down. Though the entire area is so overgrown that it will take forever to clean things up.”
“We can handle weeds and grass, can’t we?”
Daisy sighed. “Yes. Perhaps I should hire someone. My to-do list is out of control.”
“Probably a good idea. No telling what else might be hiding in that long grass. Snakes and mice and such.”
“Ew.” Daisy shivered. “Good point.”
Alice placed a bit of mashed apple on PJ’s plate and then turned to Daisy. “I like your boss.”
Her boss. The reason she went for a walk. Daisy cut herself a sliver of pie and slipped into a chair. She was emotionally exhausted after talking to Mitch Rainbolt. Yes, he was her boss. That alone was a reason to be tense. The man held her future in his hands.
On a more basic level, she’d seen honest compassion and understanding in his calm brown eyes. More than she’d expected from a jaded law-enforcement officer. But there was something more. Something she couldn’t begin to define that left her flustered and tongue-tied.
Daisy wrapped her arms around herself.
“He’s quite handsome, isn’t he?” Alice asked.
“Huh?” Daisy looked up.
“You were off in another place, weren’t you?” Her grandmother grinned like she had a secret, and Daisy immediately recognized the smile.
“I was, but nowhere near the location of your line of thought.”
Alice laughed. “I wonder if there’s more where he came from?” she asked. “I’ve been widowed a very long time.” A thoughtful expression crossed her face. “Who knows? Maybe Rebel has more to offer than either you or I expected.”
“Gran, seriously?” Daisy put her hands on her hips and assumed the role of the responsible adult in the family. “I have five children. The answer to my problems lies in prayer, not in tall, dark and handsome.”
“Oh, so you did notice,” Alice said with a chuckle.
“I’d have to be blind not to,” Daisy muttered. “However, let me repeat. He’s my boss and I need my job, including the health and dental coverage.”
“The important thing is that you have peace about this move,” her grandmother said.
“I do.” Daisy nodded. “I have perfect peace about the decision.”
At least she had before talking to Mitch Rainbolt. She’d put on a confident front, but self-doubt began to creep in when she saw the concern in his brown eyes. Would everything work out?
Daisy sighed and glanced out the kitchen window toward the yard that stretched all the way to their nosy neighbor’s fence in the distance. This was what her sister’s children deserved. Green grass as far as they could see. Trees to climb. Adventures to be had. Maybe, just maybe, living in Oklahoma would help them remember the good times, ease their pain and remind them all that God had His hand on their tomorrows.
“I have peace about it as well, Daisy.” Her grandmother touched her arm. “I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t stepped in.”
Daisy blinked back emotion. The loss of her twin sister was still too raw. “Deb was more than my sister. She was my other half. There wasn’t a choice.”
“You gave up everything,” Alice continued.
“We’re family. That’s what family does.” She wrapped her fingers around her grandmother’s soft hand. “You’re in this too, so clearly, you get that.”
“No big deal for me. My place is now a vacation rental, and I’ll probably make a fortune.”
“Gran, you left all your friends in Colorado.”
“As you said, it’s what family does. It’s unfortunate that your mother doesn’t understand that. Nor your boyfriend. You could have used the help.”
“Ex-boyfriend.” As for her mother, Daisy would neither defend nor accuse her. It was pointless and wouldn’t change a thing. Besides, Gran had her own opinions of her daughter-in-law and always had, long before Daisy’s father died. It was a topic that was best left alone.
“I have you.” Daisy smiled at the woman who had all but raised her. “That’s all I need. That’s all Deb and I have ever needed.”