Chapter Four

Zeke was just coming out of the small lunchroom with a cup of coffee when Kayla came through the door. The smile on her face brightened the room. It seemed everyone liked her because they all called out to her.

She and Betsy went over a few things and hugged before the older woman left. The room had quieted down.

“Kayla, can you come into my office, please?”

He didn’t like the look of apprehension on her face as she walked toward him. He stepped back for her to pass him into his office. The door was kept open to help ease her anxiety.

“Have a seat,” he said and sat behind his desk. “I don’t want you to be afraid of me.”

She looked surprised. “I’m not afraid of you.”

“Then why did you pale when I asked you to come in here?”

She grinned. “It kinda reminded me of how the principal would call me into his office.”

He chuckled. “I think there are some stories I’d like to hear sometime.”

She shrugged. “Maybe. What did you need, Sheriff?”

“First off, you call me Zeke.”

“Oh … okay.”

“Good. Secondly, I’d like you to tell me if there’s something I need to be doing that I’m missing.”

She looked shocked. “Of course, but I can’t think of anything off the top of my head. You seem to be fitting in very well so far.”

Zeke caught the shadow that stopped outside his door, and it didn’t take him long to figure out who it was.

“Fletcher.”

He saw how Kayla stiffened and grew pale before changing her expression.

Zeke watched the man stroll into his office. “Was there something you needed?”

Fletcher stared down at Kayla for a moment before he looked his way.

“No, Sheriff.”

Zeke held back a smile at the force the man used to address him. “Then why were you standing outside my office?”

A red stain covered his face. “I wasn’t.”

Zeke narrowed his eyes at him. “Okay. If you have a problem, I’d like to hear it.”

Fletcher looked down at Kayla again, but she kept her gaze on her hands in her lap.

Zeke could feel the undercurrents of hostility from the young man, and it looked like Kayla felt it, too. Subs had a tendency to feel emotions more than normal women did.

“All right. Go back to work.”

“Yes, sir,” he said and walked out of the office.

Zeke needed to get that look off her face before he lost it and decked the guy who put it there.

“Do you think it will get easier for him to address me in the following days?”

She smiled. “I’d give it a few months, or even years. He’s not one that likes or respects authority.”

“Well, too bad. If he doesn’t like working here, he can quit.” He almost smiled at the hope that sparked in her eyes.

“Was there anything else, Sher … Zeke?”

He smiled his approval. “I might have questions about some of the paperwork.”

She laughed. “There is a lot. Darrell always complained about it. I helped him with it, so I know most of it if you need me to take some of it off your desk.”

“Aren’t you busy enough?” Zeke asked.

“No. I’ll go over Carol’s notes and then wait for a call to come in. Some days are crazy, but others are dead. I’d actually enjoy it. It would pass the time.”

“That would be great. I’ll figure out what to hand off and bring it out to you.”

She nodded. “Sounds good. Do you need a cup of coffee?”

He glanced at his empty cup. “I don’t want to ask you to do things like that.”

“Don’t forget I’m also your assistant. They do things like this all the time.” She reached for his cup. “I’ll be right back.”

“By the way,” he said when she got to the door. “Your lasagna was the best I’ve ever had. You’re going to have to tell me how you make it.”

“I’ll give you the recipe.”

“That would be great.”

He watched her walk off, and it felt like a cloud had floated in front of the sun. The light dimmed, and he didn’t feel the warmth of her presence.

“Here you go,” she said and set the cup down on the desk. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll get back to work.”

“No. I’ll bring a few things out for you. I appreciate your help.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” she said before she turned and walked out.