Chapter One

Kayla looked around the sheriff’s department that was holding the retirement party for Sheriff Darrell Thomas. It was a loud, boisterous group, with their laughter and talking. Most of them were dear to her heart.

She smiled and conversed when needed but mainly sat back and watched. Most of the people in the room she’d grown up with were from Layton, in Madison County.

The sheriff retiring had been like a father to her after her own was killed in the line of duty fifteen years before. She’d been eight at the time, and her brother, Ryden, was twelve.

She couldn’t imagine what would have happened if Darrell hadn’t been around to help their mother, Rachel, who’d fallen apart. Kayla couldn’t help but wonder if their mother would have eventually killed herself with the pills and alcohol she’d used to dull the pain, if he hadn’t intervened. He’d taken over, raising her and her brother while helping her mother overcome her grief, find a job, and move on with her life. Kayla had hoped the two would start a relationship, but it had never gone past the friends’ stage.

She waved as one of the deputies called out and left.

“How are you doing, Sprite?”

She grinned at Darrell, the sheriff retiring, when he stepped up beside her. “Good. I don’t know what we’re going to do without you?”

Darrell wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “You’re going to be fine. The guy I hired is damn good. He was in the Navy, worked in the police department in Chicago, and went up the ranks there.”

“What’s a big city guy going to do here? He’ll be bored within a week.”

Darrell grinned. “He knows what the job entails, and it was exactly what he was looking for. He’s had enough of the drugs, gangs, and politics. He wants to settle and set down roots somewhere.”

“But when he sees the town…”

Darrell looked surprised. “But he has. He’s been here a few times.”

“Why didn’t we meet him?”

“He met most of the deputies. You must have been off work. He likes what he sees very much.”

“I hope we don’t bore him to death, and then have to go about trying to find another sheriff.”

“Trust me. It’s going to work out.”

She looked around the room and saw Fletcher in the corner, drinking a beer and scowling at everything. “Do you think he’ll have problems with Fletcher?”

Darrell followed her gaze. “I informed him of the problem. He wasn’t worried. He’s tough as nails and will be able to handle him.”

“I hope so. Fletcher is very resentful that he wasn’t chosen for the job.”

“There’s no way he could have gotten it. He might have the experience, but he doesn’t have the temperament for the job. Hell, most people in town don’t like him.”

She agreed wholeheartedly. The man was an ass most of the time, and she could barely tolerate him. Add to the fact he sexually harassed her, and she pretty much hated the guy. If the job didn’t pay as well as it did, she would have left a long time ago.

Darrell had kept the guy in check most of the time, but Fletcher still found ways to make her uncomfortable. Now, she didn’t know what would happen with the new sheriff. She couldn’t go to the council because his father was one of them, and from what she’d heard, he was as pissed about his son not getting the job as Fletcher was. The next step would be to go to the State police, but even then, it was her word against his, and his father was an important politician in town.

Fletcher was good about harassing her when no one was around, so no one really caught him doing it. It just wasn’t worth the headache. She would consider moving on if he kept at it, but she didn’t want to leave the town she loved.

“I should warn you that he’s a dom and will probably be interested in the kink club,” Darrell said.

Kayla felt her face heat with embarrassment. She still hadn’t gotten used to Darrell and her mom knowing she enjoyed that lifestyle. He’d told her he’d been a dom most of his life, so he already knew she was submissive and needed a strong man in her life. She wanted to deny it because of the embarrassment, but the sheriff told her it was obvious to a dom but no one else.

Oh, God. “Does he know about me? You know, being submissive?” she asked quietly. She’d die of embarrassment.

Darrell shook his head. “No. That’s not my place, Honey.” He grinned. “But he’s been a dom a long time, so he’ll know within ten minutes that you’re a sub.”

She spaced off as her mind filled with questions and concerns.

He patted her shoulder. “Everything’s going to work out. You’ll see,” Darrell said.

She grinned at the sheriff. “I wish I could go deep-sea fishing with you.”

He chuckled. “I do, too. I’ll check in occasionally and come see you when I’m back in town.”

“You better.”

Darrell bent down and kissed her cheek. “Try to behave yourself.”

She snorted, rolled her eyes, and walked off. Yes, she had to admit she could be feisty at times, but no man she dated had been able to deal with it, and the sheriff had always remarked that she’d find herself a dom and then he’d take control and calm her down. She’d always rolled her eyes at him.

Looking around at the mess, she started clearing the plates and cups and putting the cake in their small lounge. It was a room that could only hold a small table with two chairs. An apartment-sized refrigerator was against one wall, a short counter with a sink and microwave, and one overhead cabinet. Since the department wasn’t big, they didn’t need anything more. So, it was easy and didn’t take any time for her to wipe down everything.

She jerked around when someone cleared their throat behind her. Her heart sank when she saw Fletcher leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed and a smirk on his face. He was handsome with light blond hair, blue eyes, and a great smile. He was five feet ten or eleven and worked out. She might have dated him if he didn’t have the personality of a toad, but he’d been an asshole for as long as she could remember.

“What do you want?” she asked.

“Oh, darlin’, you know what I want. When are you going to give in?”

She gritted her teeth and threw the cloth in the sink. “Well, that’s too bad for you since you know what my answer is.”

He grunted. “You’ll change your mind.”

“Actually, I won’t, Fletcher. I don’t know how to put it any plainer than that. It will never happen. You need to move on.”

She watched a muscle in his cheek start to throb and knew she’d pissed him off. She rolled her eyes and pushed past him to walk into the main room. She felt his gaze on her as she walked over to her desk. Thankfully, Betsy, one of the night dispatchers, was already in to take over so she could go home. It had been an awful, emotional day, and she just wanted a bubble bath, a glass of wine, and sleep.

Kayla was not looking forward to tomorrow when the new sheriff would be in. She just hoped he was what they needed and would be able to handle the jealous, redneck mentality of some of the guys around town.

Maybe if it didn’t work out, she’d take her mother up on her offer of moving to Tulsa. The thought of leaving the small town in Montana gave her a stomachache. She loved it there and didn’t want to give it up, especially not because of a few jerks she had to work with.

She wouldn’t let anyone run her off without a fight.