The Reluctant Hero by Lorraine Heath

give.”
    â€œYou’re morbid. Feeding on the misfortune of others. There’s no story here. I’m no hero. I told you that. Three men rode into town intent on taking money from the bank. Four men died. End of story. No happy ending.” He jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Tom, tally up my expenses so I can get about my business.”
    â€œMatt, I don’t think she meant any harm,” Tom said.
    â€œDoesn’t matter if she meant harm or not. I’ve got a job to do, and I need those supplies to do it, so if you’ll please add what I owe you to my account, I’d be much obliged.”
    â€œYes, sir.”
    Tom bustled over to get behind the counter. Matt’s gaze still had Andrea pinned to the spot.
    She swallowed hard. “I’m sorry. I might have been a bit deceptive.”
    â€œA bit?”
    â€œI’m not going to write anything that will embarrass you.”
    â€œLady, you don’t know me well enough to know what will embarrass me.”
    â€œExactly!” she shouted. “Exactly the reason why I want to get to know you. But you keep giving me these cryptic answers, thinking that you’re going to discourage me, and all you’re going to do is make me dig in deeper.”
    She took a step toward him, raised up on her toes until she could gaze directly into his eyes. She saw his startlement, and it emboldened her.
    â€œSheriff, you don’t know me well enough to know how to effectively get rid of me. But if you’re a man who thrives on failure, keep doing what you’re doing. I guarantee you’ll fail.”
    Marching past him, she glanced over at Tom, whose jaw looked to have come unhinged. “Thank you, Tom.”
    â€œYes, ma’am.”
    Then she went on out the door with her head held high and her tears held back. In the past few months she’d become a master at holding back those tears.
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    When Matt walked out of the general store, Andrea was still standing on the boardwalk, her arms crossed over her chest, hurt, anger and stubbornness clearly mirrored in her eyes. If anything was going to send her running, it would have been the exchange between them that had taken place inside the store. Strange thing was, seeing her anger had defused his. If anything, it intrigued him.
    He thought events in his life had made him tough. Something in her life had made her even tougher.
    He held up the sack. “I’m going over to Josh Logan’s house. Most folks around here don’t have locks on their doors, and I figured since Mrs. Logan was going to be gone a spell, I ought to make sure that her house is secure from intruders. So I bought some locks and nails. I figure I’ll find a hammer there. I’m going to walk down this boardwalk until it ends. Then I’m going to take a right and head up the road until I get to her house. Probably about a good ten-minute trek. Then I’ll secure the house and walk back to my office where I have some papers that I need to look at.”
    As far as peace offerings went, it wasn’t much, but it was all he had.
    Her mouth twitched, and a sparkle returned to her green, green eyes, as though she recognized that apologies were foreign to him. He had a powerful urge to draw her into his arms and latch his mouth onto hers until the sun set and the moon rose.
    â€œThank you, Sheriff,” she said.
    â€œI won’t put you off any longer. I’ll answer your questions, if you give me your word that you won’t ask anyone about me or that day.”
    She tilted her head slightly, studying him as though she thought she could decipher exactly why he was so set on her not bothering the folks. She finally relented. “I give you my word.”
    â€œAnd no splitting hairs, trying to ask a question because I wasn’t specific enough with the rules I was laying down.”
    She nodded. “No splitting hairs. And I owe you an