her feet as if she didn’t weigh more than a ragdoll. “This woman’s a fugitive from the law, and I plan to take her in.”
“No kiddin’? Brianne, you continue to surprise me.” Minnie’s lips curved up in a smile, but it faded when she looked back at Dusty. “So I guess you have a warrant, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Hicks kept a tight grip on Bri’s arm. “Are you saying I need one, Miz Minnie?”
Minnie wheeled over to the desk. “Why don’t you sit down, Sheriff, so we can talk about this? Fugitive or not, I doubt that Brianne can go anywhere trussed up like Sunday dinner.”
Sheriff Hicks hesitated for only a second before pulling Bri along with him to the two chairs in front of the desk. He pushed her down into one, while he remained standing, arms crossed and mirrored sunglasses aimed at Minnie.
“This woman ran me off the road while driving recklessly down the wrong side of the highway,” he said. “She then resisted arrest—not once, but twice. Then I get a report of a man being shot, and I arrive here to find her wielding a gun. Now if that’s not enough to toss her butt in jail, I don’t know what is.”
Minnie’s eyebrows disappeared beneath the fringe of blond curls. “Well, that certainly seems like enough to me.” She pulled out a sucker from her side pocket. “Dum-Dum?” Sheriff Hicks shook his head, and instead of unwrapping the sucker for herself, she rolled the stick between her fingers. “So how long do you plan on keepin’ our little Brianne?”
“Just until the judge can sentence her and she reimburses the town for the damage to my vehicle.”
Minnie snorted. “Seein’ as how Judge Seeley would rather hunt or fish than do his job, that could take a while.”
The sheriff’s shoulders tightened beneath the wrinkled material of his uniform. “I have nothing but time, Miz Minnie.”
Minnie relaxed back in her wheelchair, her sharp eyes moving to Bri and then to the sheriff. “You still living out at that ranch all by yourself, Sheriff?”
The sheriff seemed to be as confused by the quick subject change as Bri. He shifted his weight and answered hesitantly. “That’s the way I like it.”
“Of course it is.” Minnie smiled brightly. “What man doesn’t love peaceful solitude?” She stopped twirling the sucker and looked at Bri. “Or what woman, for that matter.” Her eyes narrowed in thought for only a second before she nodded. “I’ve decided to let you take Brianne.”
Up until that point, Bri had kept her mouth shut, assuming that if the head hen could handle her brothers, she could handle one annoying sheriff. Obviously, Bri had been wrong. She struggled to her feet, which wasn’t easy with her hands cuffed behind her back.
“You can’t let him take me! I can’t go to jail. Think about what this will do to my family—your family.”
Minnie nodded. “Family is important. But sometimes a woman needs to put herself first.”
Before Bri could figure out how being thrown in jail was putting yourself first, the sheriff pulled her toward the door. Suddenly, all thoughts about keeping her identity a secret fled.
“I’m Brianne Cates,” she said. “My brothers own C-Corp, and when they hear about this—”
Sheriff Hicks came to a satisfying halt. “You’re a sister to the Cates brothers?”
Bri straightened her shoulders and sent him a haughty look. “Baby sister.”
A look came over the sheriff’s face—annoyance mixed with a whole lot of hate.
“Then I’m sure you’ll have plenty of money to post bail.”
Chapter Six
J OSIAH DID NOT BELIEVE in forgiving and forgetting. He did believe in an eye for an eye. It was the golden rule that he’d lived by his entire life. When those high school boys had taken his Halloween candy, he’d retaliated by slitting their tires and keying their car doors. When his father had overreacted and spanked Josiah for stealing the action figure from the drugstore, he’d laced his daddy’s bottle of Jack
“No kiddin’? Brianne, you continue to surprise me.” Minnie’s lips curved up in a smile, but it faded when she looked back at Dusty. “So I guess you have a warrant, Sheriff.”
Sheriff Hicks kept a tight grip on Bri’s arm. “Are you saying I need one, Miz Minnie?”
Minnie wheeled over to the desk. “Why don’t you sit down, Sheriff, so we can talk about this? Fugitive or not, I doubt that Brianne can go anywhere trussed up like Sunday dinner.”
Sheriff Hicks hesitated for only a second before pulling Bri along with him to the two chairs in front of the desk. He pushed her down into one, while he remained standing, arms crossed and mirrored sunglasses aimed at Minnie.
“This woman ran me off the road while driving recklessly down the wrong side of the highway,” he said. “She then resisted arrest—not once, but twice. Then I get a report of a man being shot, and I arrive here to find her wielding a gun. Now if that’s not enough to toss her butt in jail, I don’t know what is.”
Minnie’s eyebrows disappeared beneath the fringe of blond curls. “Well, that certainly seems like enough to me.” She pulled out a sucker from her side pocket. “Dum-Dum?” Sheriff Hicks shook his head, and instead of unwrapping the sucker for herself, she rolled the stick between her fingers. “So how long do you plan on keepin’ our little Brianne?”
“Just until the judge can sentence her and she reimburses the town for the damage to my vehicle.”
Minnie snorted. “Seein’ as how Judge Seeley would rather hunt or fish than do his job, that could take a while.”
The sheriff’s shoulders tightened beneath the wrinkled material of his uniform. “I have nothing but time, Miz Minnie.”
Minnie relaxed back in her wheelchair, her sharp eyes moving to Bri and then to the sheriff. “You still living out at that ranch all by yourself, Sheriff?”
The sheriff seemed to be as confused by the quick subject change as Bri. He shifted his weight and answered hesitantly. “That’s the way I like it.”
“Of course it is.” Minnie smiled brightly. “What man doesn’t love peaceful solitude?” She stopped twirling the sucker and looked at Bri. “Or what woman, for that matter.” Her eyes narrowed in thought for only a second before she nodded. “I’ve decided to let you take Brianne.”
Up until that point, Bri had kept her mouth shut, assuming that if the head hen could handle her brothers, she could handle one annoying sheriff. Obviously, Bri had been wrong. She struggled to her feet, which wasn’t easy with her hands cuffed behind her back.
“You can’t let him take me! I can’t go to jail. Think about what this will do to my family—your family.”
Minnie nodded. “Family is important. But sometimes a woman needs to put herself first.”
Before Bri could figure out how being thrown in jail was putting yourself first, the sheriff pulled her toward the door. Suddenly, all thoughts about keeping her identity a secret fled.
“I’m Brianne Cates,” she said. “My brothers own C-Corp, and when they hear about this—”
Sheriff Hicks came to a satisfying halt. “You’re a sister to the Cates brothers?”
Bri straightened her shoulders and sent him a haughty look. “Baby sister.”
A look came over the sheriff’s face—annoyance mixed with a whole lot of hate.
“Then I’m sure you’ll have plenty of money to post bail.”
Chapter Six
J OSIAH DID NOT BELIEVE in forgiving and forgetting. He did believe in an eye for an eye. It was the golden rule that he’d lived by his entire life. When those high school boys had taken his Halloween candy, he’d retaliated by slitting their tires and keying their car doors. When his father had overreacted and spanked Josiah for stealing the action figure from the drugstore, he’d laced his daddy’s bottle of Jack
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