4. Leslie

Chapter 4

Leslie

"I'd like to go on record," I squeak out as I stare at Colton through my fingers which are still semi covering my eyes.

"You're not being questioned, Les." Colton rolls his eyes.

"Well, I'd like to make an official statement!" This time I drop my hands to my sides and stare at him like the adult I'm supposed to be.

"Oh, please, don't let me stop you then." He removes the blood-soaked towel from his nose and motions for me to proceed. He's being rather dramatic in my humble opinion.

"I didn't intentionally assault a police officer." I scrunch up my nose, more than a little scared of what's going to happen. Could I get arrested for this?

I can imagine it now… Elementary School Secretary Arrested After Assaulting Town's Sheriff .

"Oh, I'm so glad you didn't intentionally give me a bloody nose." He rolls his eyes again.

"You know, if you keep rolling your eyes like that, you're going to hurt yourself. I mean seriously, Colton, you're being a little dramatic," I huff out, planting my hands on my hips.

"A little?" He narrows his gaze on me and closes the distance between us. "Les, I'm pretty sure you might've broken my nose."

"Well, you scared me! I defended myself against a possible attacker!"

"Oh my gosh! We live in Maple Springs! We don't have possible attackers! The only thing you need to be scared of is Mrs. Goods setting her beady eyes on you. I think I trust the devil more than I trust that woman." He shakes his head and shivers like the woman is going to appear in front of us.

"I'm sorry, okay? I don't do well with being scared. I blame it on-" I stop myself from blurting out my biggest secret and pinch my lips shut. The last thing I need is Colton knowing why I came to Maple Springs.

How I'm not actually Leslie Jameson from Kentucky, but Zoey Moore from Philadelphia .

"What do you blame it on?" Colton asks slowly. He's watching me carefully. He's always seemed like a goofy and flirty man, but now I'm wondering if he's more than that.

I need to keep my distance from him. No one can figure out why I'm here or I could be in trouble.

"Oh, shoot! I forgot I have a meeting in ten minutes. I hate to do this, Sheriff, but I really do need to be going. Will you be alright?" I glance at him before turning away so he doesn't see through my lie.

I take quick steps out of my office and down the hall. I don't have a meeting and I honestly don't know where I'm going right now, but anywhere sounds better than being in the same room as Colton.

"Leslie! Stop!" Colton jogs down the hallway after me. There are little droplets of blood falling all over the tile floor. Great. I'm probably going to have to clean that up because Earl, our custodian, is sick today.

"What?" I groan, not wanting to talk to him at all.

"You're not allowed to give me attitude after socking me in the face. Damn, woman! Who taught you to punch like that?" He shakes his head, still pinching the bridge of his nose .

I have a feeling this isn't the first time he's been punched in the nose and I'm sure it won't be the last. He's way too comfortable with blood dripping all over his shirt.

But damn does he look good in that uniform. Most sheriffs I've seen wear those tan and brown uniforms, but not Colton. His uniform is navy blue, making his bright blue eyes sparkle all the more. His shirt stretches across his chest like it was custom made for him, unlike how they hang on most cops. His pants fit like a glove, hugging him in all the right places. I swear he's drool worthy in a uniform and every woman in town knows it.

His dark brown hair is perfectly styled and combed to the side. The wavy strands make him look a little boyish and it softens his sharp jawline. The ever-present smirk on his lips helps with that too. He looks more approachable and less intimidating because of it.

"Ollie?" I lie.

"What is wrong with the men in this town! I need less women who can punch like a three-hundred-pound man living here! You all abuse me constantly. Hell, I still have a sore arm from Skylar punching me in the shoulder last week because I asked her if she was pregnant again. How was I supposed to know she hadn't lost all her baby weight yet? "

"You can't ask a woman if they're pregnant, Colton!" I swat at him, but he jumps out of the way before my hand can make contact with his stomach.

"Well, I clearly know that now! Where were you last week when I needed someone to give me a heads up? Damn, is it really a good idea having you and Sky be the leaders of the young minds of this school?" He glances around like the children are going to pop out of the classrooms. "Last I heard the boys are all scared of Riley and keep their distance from her."

"All except Billy Monroe. He follows her around with little hearts in his eyes." I grin at the thought of the two of them together.

"Great. I'm sure Tucker will be thrilled to hear Riley already has a boy in love with her." He rolls his eyes. "Now, stop distracting me, woman!" He takes another step closer and lowers his voice. "What are you scared of, sweetheart?"

He reaches out to place a hand on my hip, but I take a step back and shake my head. If he touches me, I'm going to break down and I refuse to let that happen. Not here. Not now.

"I don't want to talk about it, Colt," I whisper softly.

I've known of Colton for a long time, but it took Skylar coming to town for him to finally see me. Now, he pays a little too much attention to me. He sees me and everything I do. He talks to me every chance he gets, which I don't hate, but I don't think he wants to date me. And honestly, I should keep my distance from him if I want to keep my true identity a secret.

"Fine, I'll leave you alone for now, but I'm not letting this go, Les. Something is going on and I want to know what it is. This is my town and I always figure out everything in the end."

"Really? So, you figured out who keeps toilet papering Mr. Raven's house?"

"Why does everyone have to be so stuck on Mr. Raven's house! Damn! I'll figure it out eventually. It's the only thing in this damn town I've failed to figure out and everyone loves to rub it in my face." He scrubs a hand down his face in frustration, groaning when he touches his nose. "Motherfucker. That really hurts."

"Colton, what are you doing in my school?" Skylar stops next to us with her hands on her hips. "Colton Elmer Brown! Why are you bleeding all over the place!" She stares down at the floor and shakes her head.

"Elmer? Really?" I snort with laughter, making Colt frown at me .

"Hey! Don't make fun of me. It's not my fault my mama loved Elmer Fudd. She said when I was born, I had a big bald head and I reminded her of Elmer Fudd." He folds his arms over his chest and glares at Skylar.

"She didn't know how much you're like Elmer Fudd when she made that decision." Skylar chuckles. "Elmer could never catch the rabbit and you still can't catch whoever is tossing toilet paper all over Mr. Raven's property."

"Oh my gosh! I'm going to spend all of my time at Mr. Raven's house just so I can solve this stupid case once and for all!" Colton storms down the hallway towards the front of the school, leaving Skylar and I alone.

"Wanna tell me what's going on?" Skylar glances at me as we begin heading back to our offices. I keep glancing over my shoulder at Colton's retreating back. I feel bad for my hand in upsetting him.

"Do you remember that secret I told you?" I arch a brow, hoping we don't need to discuss this again.

"Yes, and I haven't told a soul." She nods her head slowly.

"Good. Well, I kinda slipped up and almost spilled my secret to Colton." I wince .

"Oh, Les! He's going to be like a dog with a bone! He hates not knowing a secret. I have a feeling you just won yourself a new best friend. He's going to be all over you until he figures it out."

Great! Just what I need.