12. Leslie

Chapter 12

Leslie

My eyes snap open as a shrill ringer fills the air. I frown as I frantically glance around the living room, trying to figure out where the noise is coming from.

"Dammit. Sorry," a deep voice grumbles and shifts under me.

I freeze for a moment, forgetting Colton was here when I fell asleep last night. I blow out a long breath and try to calm down. This is stupid, I shouldn't be freaking out. Jimmy doesn't know where I am and until I know for sure he's found me, I shouldn't get anxious about it. There's no reason for me to think he's found Maple Springs or me.

"Hello?... Yeah… Ok, I'll be there in a few minutes. I just need to find a shirt." He sits up and glances around the room like his shirt is going to magically appear in front of him .

‘Do you want me to get you one?' I mouth the words to him, trying to keep quiet in case he doesn't want the person on the other end of the line to hear me.

"That would be great. Thanks."

I disappear down the hallway, going in search of a shirt that might fit him. There's no way one of my normal shirts will fit him, but I'm pretty sure Sophia left one of Uncle Wes's shirts here the last time she was here.

I rifle through my drawer and find what I'm looking for sitting at the bottom of the pile. I shake it out and frown at the wrinkles. I hate giving him something this wrinkled, but I doubt he cares.

"Hey, sorry about that. A call came in for an accident and it sounds big. I want to go help Pecker get a handle on it. He's newer to this town and doesn't know the layout as well. I don't want him to have to cover the accident by himself." Colton grips the back of his neck and I can tell he doesn't want to leave.

"It's fine. Don't worry about leaving." I glance at my watch and wince. "It's three o'clock in the morning. You should've left hours ago."

"Yeah, but there was a pretty girl sleeping in my arms. There was no way I was leaving. "

"I'm sorry for falling asleep on you." I scrunch up my nose, more than embarrassed I fell asleep on him so easily. I'm shocked I was comfortable enough for that to even happen.

"It's ok. You barely even drooled." He grimaces as he swipes at his chest.

"Oh, I did not!" I swat at his chest and mock glare at him.

"I'm joking. I'm glad you were able to get a couple hours of sleep. I definitely got a few myself." He runs his hand through his hair and grins. "I don't want to leave. I wish I could curl up on the couch with you for a little bit longer and cuddle some more, but duty calls."

Colton steps forward and holds his arms open for me. The second I step into his arms, he tightens his hold on me and buries his face in the crook of my neck. I let out a little sigh and melt into his hold even more.

I need to remember Colton isn't mine and he never will be. I'll never be able to have someone as amazing as him because sooner or later Jimmy's going to find me. When that happens, I'm going to be forced to move and start a new life all over again.

"I'll see you later, sweetheart. Make sure you lock the door behind me." Colt presses a lingering kiss to my temple before he slips the t-shirt I'm holding over his head. He glances down at it and frowns. "Who's Kasey?"

I chuckle at the furrow in his brow. He's getting jealous over a construction company? Seriously?

"Are you jealous, Sheriff?" I tilt my head to the side, examining him.

"Yes," he grumbles under his breath.

"Well, lucky for you, Kasey Construction is owned by my uncle and I've had no prior boyfriends work there. My cousin left this shirt behind the last time she visited." I pat him on the chest before walking past him and towards the kitchen.

"Your uncle's name is Kasey?" Colt follows me, making sure to stay right on my heels so he can ask more questions.

I grab a travel mug out of the cabinet and check on the coffee. I'm sure he's still tired and he's going to need something if he wants to stay awake.

"Nope. My uncle's sister-in-law's name is Kasey, but she died before they ever met. He named his construction company after her."

"Oh… that's odd."

"Nah, she gave him the best gift of all. If it weren't for her, Uncle Wes wouldn't have his oldest daughter." I wave my hand through the air like I'm trying to forget I ever mentioned it. "It's a long story, and it really doesn't matter right now."

"Alright, well I'll call you in the morning."

"You don't have my number." I grin.

"Well, we better fix that ASAP." He tugs his phone out of his pocket and unlocks the screen. He glances up at me through his eyelashes expectantly. "Give me the digits, Leslie."

I roll my eyes and rattle off my number. I know if I don't give it to him, he'll just call Skylar to get it. This man doesn't know what boundaries are and he definitely doesn't care about crossing them.

"Alright, I'm really going this time." He chuckles at himself.

"Wait. Do you like cream or sugar?"

"You made me coffee?" His brows raise in surprise.

"Did you think I like to make myself coffee at three o'clock in the morning?" I started the coffee maker when I went to find a shirt for him. I knew he was going to need it.

"I don't know. I'm not used to anyone taking care of me… Black is fine. Thank you." He presses another kiss to my forehead before taking the travel mug from my hand and heading to the door. I follow behind him, wishing he didn't have to leave. "Make sure you lock this door."

"Always. Be careful out there."

"I will." He grins again and shakes his head. "Night, Leslie."

The door shuts behind him with a soft click and I twist the lock right away. I'm not taking any chances. Not until I know where Jimmy is.

Unknown: I hope you're getting some sleep.

I grin at my screen, knowing it's Colt. I don't know why he's texting me already. He only left around two hours ago. I quickly change his name in my phone and open the text to respond.

Leslie: I was sleeping great until my phone beeped.

Colt: Shit. I'm sorry, sweetheart. I didn't think you'd wake up to it.

Leslie: I'm joking. I haven't been able to sleep since you left.

Colt: Are you saying you liked using my bare chest as a pillow?

Leslie: Those man boobs are quite comfy.

Colt: I don't have man boobs.

I giggle as I read his text over and over again. I've heard Skylar poke fun at his body and even though it's a total lie, it gets him all riled up. I love it.

Colt: I don't! Jeez, between you and Skylar, I'm going to start having image issues. The two of you will have to cover my therapy.

Leslie: You can lay on my couch and pour your heart out to save me money. I can't afford the amount of therapy you'll need.

Colt: Damn, I don't know what's colder. The bitter cold morning air, or your heart.

Leslie: Definitely the air. I'm just busting your balls.

Colt: As long as you're not making my nose bleed, I'll take it.

Leslie: I said I was sorry. Multiple times. How's the accident?

I try to steer the conversation away from me injuring the town's sheriff and towards safer territory. The last thing I'd ever try to do is injure Colton.

Colt: It's a mess. Pecker's doing a great job, but a teenage girl is in bad condition after her boyfriend hit a patch of black ice and the car slammed into a tree.

Leslie: Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! Is she going to be ok?

My heart beats a little faster as anxiety spreads through me. Something similar happened to me when I tried to leave Jimmy the first time.

He found out I left only a few minutes after I pulled out of the driveway. He followed me a little too closely and purposely tapped my bumper. That little tap scared me and I turned the wheel at the same time as I hit some black ice and my car went out of control. I hit a tree, but only dented my front fender.

I was lucky it wasn't worse. The worst came after he pulled me out of the car and taught me a lesson for trying to leave him.

Colt: Physically? She'll make a full recovery. Emotionally? It's going to be rough. She cut her face really badly. She'll have a nasty scar and she's only sixteen .

I let his words wash over me and squeeze my eyes shut. I can only imagine what the next few months are going to hold for this young girl.

Is her image everything? No, absolutely not. But at her age, it's going to feel like the worst thing ever. Boys are going to look at her differently and she's going to feel so self-conscious. It's going to be the hardest thing she's dealt with so far and my heart breaks for her.

Leslie: Are you going to be ok?

As soon as I hit send, I really think about Colt's job and the types of calls he must go on. I don't think police officers get enough credit for the jobs they do. They're walking into your life and helping you pick up the pieces when everything is falling apart around you.

This might be the worst day you'll ever experience, but this is just another night on duty for them. They'll see something just as bad on their next shift or in the next month. I don't think I could handle replaying calls over and over again in my head.

Colt: I have to be .

Before I can stop myself, I click the call button next to Colt's name and wait while it rings. I'm just about to hang up when his deep voice comes through the line.

"Hey," he sounds tired and drained. "Sorry, I wanted to get away from some of the noise before I answered."

"It's ok…"

We're both quiet as I try to figure out why I called him. What was I planning to accomplish with this call?

"Les? Is everything ok?"

"I'm here… I just…" I trail off again, wishing I wasn't so awkward all the time.

"What, sweetheart? Talk to me."

"I don't like knowing you're hurting."

"I'll be fine. You don't need to worry about me."

"Then who will?"

"Worry about me?" I can hear the surprise in his voice and it makes a smile tug on the corner of my lips. "Shit, Les, I don't know. I don't have anyone to worry about me."

"I think you need someone to."

"Are you applying for that position?" I can hear the smirk in his voice.

"I don't know. Maybe in the future." I slip my bottom lip between my teeth and bite down, trying to contain the smile that wants to spread across my lips .

"Well, I can tell you now, if you apply, you'll get the job. So, you should probably fill out the application while we're talking."

"Sheriff Brown, are you flirting with me?"

"I was trying to, but if you have to ask, I'm clearly doing a shitty job at it."

A shrill scream fills his side of the line and I freeze. What the hell was that?

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure the idiotic boyfriend just gave Jenny a mirror. I told him not to and he kept insisting she deserved to know what she looked like. They never want to listen to me. I'm just the dumb Sheriff." He sighs, sounding so defeated and exhausted.

"Hey, Colton?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you come back over when you're done with the accident?"

"Yeah. Are you good?"

"I will be when you get here. I think you need someone to worry about you tonight."