“Christina, you didn’t!”
“No, of course I didn’t.”
“Then what?”
“I called an old friend of mine from TCC who knew a gal who had a sister whose husband was from Seattle. The husband in Seattle had a friend whose niece lives in a tiny burg not far from Magic Valley. The niece has a girlfriend who knows a girl from college who’s getting married. The girl who’s getting married is the youngest of seven daughters, and once she moves out, her mother’s going to be all alone in her house. The mother lives in Magic Valley. She agreed to take the cat.” She beamed. “Follow that?”
“Not remotely, but please don’t repeat it. My head is already throbbing.” He took a step back. “And you did all that in a day?”
“Well, I would’ve been faster, but the air phones on my flight didn’t work.”
Ben grinned. No wonder he liked Christina so much. In the years they’d been working together, she’d proved invaluable. She was a brilliant legal assistant, and now that she was in law school, she could function equally well as an intern and legal researcher. Most important, he had learned to trust her instincts. She was keenly intuitive and had a better understanding of people than he ever would. And now, for the capstone of her career to date, she’d produced his get-out-of-jail-free card.
“When can I leave?”
Another voice harkened down the corridor. “Whenever you want, Mr. Kincaid.”
Sheriff Allen was moving toward them.
“In that case,” Ben said, “I’ll go now.”
“Thought you might feel that way.” He pulled the jangling cell keys out of his pocket. “This little lady’s got you all fixed up. Never seen anyone come to town and get things done the way she did. She’s got a lot of spunk.” He grinned. “I like that in a woman.”
“Christina’s the best legal assistant I’ve ever had.”
Allen tipped his hat. “That’s high praise, I expect.”
“Not really,” Christina explained. “I’m the only legal assistant he’s ever had.”
Allen began unlocking Ben’s cell.
Ben heard stirrings from the cell to his left. Maureen was awake and on her feet. “Looks like you grabbed the brass ring, Kincaid.”
“No need to display your penal envy,” Allen said as he slid Ben’s cell door open. “You’re getting out, too.”
Rick pressed against the bars on Ben’s right. “We are?”
“Yup. Judge says twenty-four hours is the most we can hold you for disturbing the peace. But let me tell you something. I got no feelings about your cause for or against. But if you and your people go on stirring up trouble around here, I will come down on you—hard.”
Maureen nodded. “Thanks, Sheriff.”
Allen unlocked Maureen’s and Rick’s cells. “ ’Fore you all go, I wonder if I might, um—” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I wondered if I might have a word with Miss, uh, is it Christina?”
Christina turned, surprised. “That’s my name.”
“You think you’re going to be hanging around town for a spell?”
“Well, I couldn’t get us a flight out of here until tomorrow.”
“I just wondered if, you know, if you and this guy ain’t hitched or anything—”
Christina’s eyes expanded.
Allen cleared his throat. “I wondered if you wouldn’t mind having lunch with me.”
Christina appeared momentarily perplexed. She glanced at Ben. “Is that a problem?”
Ben shrugged. “Not with me.”
“Then it’s a date.”
A date ! Ben thought. He just invited her to lunch, for Pete’s sake. Was that a date?
“Now,” Christina said, “if it’s all right with the rest of you, I’d like to get the hell out of here. Jails and I are … not bosom buddies.”
Ben knew what she was talking about. Christina had spent a horrible period locked up in a tiny, dirty jail cell several years ago when she was falsely accused of murder. The incident had left emotional scars. She had nightmares about finding herself shut up behind bars again. Just the thought
“No, of course I didn’t.”
“Then what?”
“I called an old friend of mine from TCC who knew a gal who had a sister whose husband was from Seattle. The husband in Seattle had a friend whose niece lives in a tiny burg not far from Magic Valley. The niece has a girlfriend who knows a girl from college who’s getting married. The girl who’s getting married is the youngest of seven daughters, and once she moves out, her mother’s going to be all alone in her house. The mother lives in Magic Valley. She agreed to take the cat.” She beamed. “Follow that?”
“Not remotely, but please don’t repeat it. My head is already throbbing.” He took a step back. “And you did all that in a day?”
“Well, I would’ve been faster, but the air phones on my flight didn’t work.”
Ben grinned. No wonder he liked Christina so much. In the years they’d been working together, she’d proved invaluable. She was a brilliant legal assistant, and now that she was in law school, she could function equally well as an intern and legal researcher. Most important, he had learned to trust her instincts. She was keenly intuitive and had a better understanding of people than he ever would. And now, for the capstone of her career to date, she’d produced his get-out-of-jail-free card.
“When can I leave?”
Another voice harkened down the corridor. “Whenever you want, Mr. Kincaid.”
Sheriff Allen was moving toward them.
“In that case,” Ben said, “I’ll go now.”
“Thought you might feel that way.” He pulled the jangling cell keys out of his pocket. “This little lady’s got you all fixed up. Never seen anyone come to town and get things done the way she did. She’s got a lot of spunk.” He grinned. “I like that in a woman.”
“Christina’s the best legal assistant I’ve ever had.”
Allen tipped his hat. “That’s high praise, I expect.”
“Not really,” Christina explained. “I’m the only legal assistant he’s ever had.”
Allen began unlocking Ben’s cell.
Ben heard stirrings from the cell to his left. Maureen was awake and on her feet. “Looks like you grabbed the brass ring, Kincaid.”
“No need to display your penal envy,” Allen said as he slid Ben’s cell door open. “You’re getting out, too.”
Rick pressed against the bars on Ben’s right. “We are?”
“Yup. Judge says twenty-four hours is the most we can hold you for disturbing the peace. But let me tell you something. I got no feelings about your cause for or against. But if you and your people go on stirring up trouble around here, I will come down on you—hard.”
Maureen nodded. “Thanks, Sheriff.”
Allen unlocked Maureen’s and Rick’s cells. “ ’Fore you all go, I wonder if I might, um—” He cleared his throat awkwardly. “I wondered if I might have a word with Miss, uh, is it Christina?”
Christina turned, surprised. “That’s my name.”
“You think you’re going to be hanging around town for a spell?”
“Well, I couldn’t get us a flight out of here until tomorrow.”
“I just wondered if, you know, if you and this guy ain’t hitched or anything—”
Christina’s eyes expanded.
Allen cleared his throat. “I wondered if you wouldn’t mind having lunch with me.”
Christina appeared momentarily perplexed. She glanced at Ben. “Is that a problem?”
Ben shrugged. “Not with me.”
“Then it’s a date.”
A date ! Ben thought. He just invited her to lunch, for Pete’s sake. Was that a date?
“Now,” Christina said, “if it’s all right with the rest of you, I’d like to get the hell out of here. Jails and I are … not bosom buddies.”
Ben knew what she was talking about. Christina had spent a horrible period locked up in a tiny, dirty jail cell several years ago when she was falsely accused of murder. The incident had left emotional scars. She had nightmares about finding herself shut up behind bars again. Just the thought
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