3. Colton

Chapter 3

Colton

Climbing out of my truck, I glare at my surroundings. The car accident in front of the house is just a little fender bender. It's not a big deal. But the mess on Mr. Raven's house is a massive deal to me.

Since I became sheriff, someone has been TP-ing Mr. Raven's house once a month. They don't follow any sort of routine so I haven't been able to catch them yet, but it's getting annoying.

"What's up, Peck?" I approach my newest deputy with a smile that doesn't quite meet my eyes.

I'm not upset he called me to come, I'm happy to be here for him until he feels like he can stand on his own two feet. Especially for an accident, but my attention is too focused on Mr. Raven's yard. I just want to figure out who this is so I can end the TP-ing.

"Well, both of the drivers are saying it was their turn to go at the stop sign. With where the damage is, it's difficult to tell who's actually at fault. I wasn't sure how you wanted to handle this. In Tuft Swallow, Jonah would just jot down notes about the accident and let the insurance companies duke it out, but I'm not sure what you like to do."

"That sounds great to me." I pull the zipper a little higher on my jacket. I can't wait for spring to come. I'm tired of being cold. "The accident is fairly straightforward. You can write up the report and I'll check it. If I have any questions, I'll find you." I grin.

"Are you always this easy going?" Pecker eyes me.

He moved here to help his sister with his niece and nephew. I don't know the full story, but I know he's a damn good cop. I'm glad to have him on my force, I know I'm lucky to have someone with experience. Though, I think he's constantly waiting for the other shoe to drop.

"Pretty much." I tuck my hands into my pockets and rock back on my heels. "There's no reason to get your panties in a bunch over a call or paperwork. Do everything to the best of your ability and don't slack, that's all I care about."

"You're a lot like Jonah… You don't have a secret wife I'll get in trouble for flirting with, right?"

"I wish." I bark out a laugh. "How does one have a secret wife exactly? "

"Well, she moved away and everyone thought they were divorced, including her. She came back to town to help her aunt after getting her hip replaced. She found out they were still married. Apparently he never signed the papers." Pecker shrugs his shoulders. "I might've flirted when I thought she was just a new face in town and Jonah wasn't happy."

"Yeah, I imagine he wouldn't be." I shake my head, unable to hide my smile. "I promise there is no hidden wife and I'm not dating anyone."

"Anyone you're interested in that I should stay away from?" He quirks a brow.

"Leslie Jameson. I've got my eye on her."

"Got it. Stay away from Leslie." He writes the words in big bold letters in his notebook, making me chuckle.

"Alright, do you need anything else for this accident report?"

"Nah, I've got it… When I showed up, Mr. Raven was cleaning up the toilet paper from his bushes. He said not to worry, that he'd talk to you tomorrow about it." He motions to the old man's yard, which still has toilet paper on one of the trees .

"I might as well go talk to him now. I swear I'm going to buy him one of those doorbells that has a video camera in it. I don't know how else to catch this jerk."

"That sounds like a good plan." Pecker points his pen at me. "Probably the easiest thing for you to do too."

"Call me if you need me." I pat him on the shoulder before I head up the front walkway to Mr. Raven's door.

I'd much rather be eating dinner with Leslie right now. I don't want to discuss what brand of toilet paper was used this time or how different types are harder to get off of the trees and bushes than other brands.

The fact Mr. Raven even knows is more than enough to piss me off. I don't know why I can't catch this guy, but I'm not going to give up until I do. I swear if it's the last thing I do, I'm going to watch that guy picking up trash on Main Street as part of his punishment.

On my way home, I do one lap around the town and surrounding neighborhoods. I don't always do this, but tonight I'm feeling more drawn to driving around the town than going home to an empty house .

I've convinced myself I'm just checking on the town, but deep down, I know that isn't true. Especially when I pull down a street with only a handful of houses on it. Even more so when I slow in front of one specific house and come to a stop.

All of the curtains are drawn shut tightly. Light filters through the fabric, but I can't see any movement inside. I breathe out a long sigh and scrub a hand down my face. I have a problem. I'm falling for a woman who wants nothing to do with me.

I wish I had the balls to go knock on her door and demand she has dinner with me. Not only do I think she'd be pissed if I tried that, I'm almost positive she'll call Skylar. I don't want to deal with a pissed off Skylar. She gets punchy when she's angry. And I don't need a black eye for Christmas.

I stare at Leslie's house for a few more minutes before I shift my truck into gear and slowly pull away from the curb.

I want to know more about the girl behind the shy smile. I need to figure out why she won't give me a chance and beg her to make an exception.

I'm going to make her mine. It's only a matter of time.