Chapter 1

1

MARIGOLD

" Y ou have that book for me?" Chance stood in front of the children's counter of the library in his uniform.

His voice zapped through my body like an electric charge. "Chance."

He moved to sit on the counter, and my cheeks heated. Did he know the affect he had on me? I was on high alert anytime he was nearby, aware of his every movement. I breathed in his scent, a combination of leather and the outdoors.

He cocked a brow with an amused expression. "You had a book reserved for me? You thought I'd like it."

My face flamed hotter as I fumbled around under the counter for the book I'd reserved for Chance St. Claire, my best friend's older brother. I'd carefully written his name on a Post-it and fixed it to the cover of a thriller. It wasn't my preferred genre, but I'd read it to ensure it would be a good recommendation. "I already checked it out to you so no one would take it."

Chance winked at me as he accepted the book. "The guys are relying on me to pick a good one."

"Good books are subjective. But it got an average of four and a half stars on the review sites," I said, my words running together. As a police officer, he had to know when someone was nervous. If it were anyone else, I would have assumed it was the uniform that had me on high alert. I was a rule follower after all. But I'd crushed on Chance since I'd turned thirteen, before I even understood what the butterflies were swirling in my stomach.

Chance covered my hand with his, and my heart stuttered. "You researched the reviews for me?"

I blinked up at him. "You wanted a book recommendation. That's how I determine if a book is worth reading. The blurb, cover, reviews, and word-of-mouth recommendations."

Thankfully, he removed his hand because my heart was racing out of control. "You take your job seriously."

"Don't you?" I shot back, knowing some men thought my job wasn't worthy of their respect. I wasn't in academia like my parents, nor had I ever published anything myself. I was just a librarian. I'd heard that more times than I could count.

"There's something hot about a woman who can talk books." Chance stood then, one hand clutching the book, and the other ran down the front of his uniform shirt.

What would it be like to unbutton them one by one, knowing there were still several layers to go through to get to his sculpted chest and chiseled abs? He'd taken his shirt off enough over the years when I was at his house with his sister, Scarlett, that the image was embedded in my brain forever. My eyes narrowed on him. "Are you messing with me right now?"

Chance barked out an amused laugh. "Not at all." Then he sobered. "Why? Did someone say something to you?"

I shrugged. "Guys I've dated in the past haven't looked too favorably at my job choice."

"They're obviously idiots."

"Did your ex-girlfriends like to read?" I searched my mind for names but couldn't think of anyone beyond his high-school girlfriend. Chance was private about his personal life, but rumors indicated that he only dated outside of town since he was the sheriff. "Shelle Taylor?"

Chance scoffed. "Wow. I haven't heard her name in forever."

"She's married with three kids and lives right here in town." She was the quintessential popular girl. She was tall and blond. All the boys wanted her, and Chance had dated her all through high school.

"Yeah, but—I haven't thought about her since we broke up. She didn't want to date someone who wanted to be a police officer. Not that I was interested in anything long-term with her. But thinking back, I don't remember seeing her with a book."

I stood, gathering my things because the library was set to close in a few minutes.

Chance glanced at the cover of the book on top of the neat stack I'd made. "You're reading children's books?"

"It's for the school's Battle of the Books competition. I read the books and create practice questions."

Chance smiled. "That's a great program."

"You know about it?" I asked him.

"We organize security for it, and I've worked the event myself. I like to be seen in the community as much as possible."

I settled the strap of my bag on my shoulder and picked up the books. When I came around the edge of the counter, Chance held his hands out. "I'll get those for you."

"You don't need to do that." I was a little flustered that he wanted to carry them for me. I loved men who were chivalrous, but I'd only read about them in books. No guys I'd dated held doors or even paid for the check. They all expected me to pay half. Not that I wouldn't offer, but I wanted a man to take care of me in that way even if I had money in the bank. Good manners were attractive.

Chance frowned. "I'm not going to let you carry ten books to your car."

It was sweet that he'd offered, but I routinely hauled books back and forth between my house and the library. It wasn't like he could be here every day to lighten my load. What would it be like if we were dating? Would he stop by every night at close to walk me to my car? My heart contracted.

We passed the empty circulation desk. "Are you alone here?"

"I'm usually the last one to leave." I was the only employee who didn't have a family to rush home to.

"Do they lock the door when they leave?"

"I do that when I walk out."

Chance frowned, glancing at the clock. "But it's after closing."

"I don't mind."

"I don't think it's safe. Especially if you're tucked into the children's area and can't see the front door."

"You don't have to worry about me."

Chance stepped in front of me to push open the door.

There was a homeless man at the corner of the building. He stopped by every evening, probably because I saved food for him.

I moved toward him, pulling out the cheese and crackers I'd saved from my lunch and a bottle of water. "Here you go."

Darren held out two hands to accept the package. "I appreciate that, ma'am."

I frowned at his shabbier than usual state. "Are you staying in the shelter tonight? It's getting cold already."

"I'll make my way over there eventually."

"The doors close at nine," I reminded him gently.

"Thank you." His eyes darted toward Chance. "I'll do that."

I frowned when he disappeared into the alleyway. "Darren usually sticks around to talk to me. I think you spooked him."

"You always stop to talk to homeless men?" Chance asked as I led the way to my small SUV.

I'd bought one with four-wheel drive. It was necessary living here. "Darren has been hanging around the library for a while. Sandra doesn't like him to come inside, so I take food out to him."

His forehead wrinkled. "Do you know anything about him?"

"His wife left him a few years ago after he lost his job. He hasn't been able to find one since. And you know how it is. You have to have an address to apply for a job. The longer you stay on the streets, the harder it is to get out. I told him about the county programs, but he's too proud to accept help. I can only get him into the shelters because it gets dangerously cold at night."

"It's not safe to be alone with people like that. He's hungry and desperate and might need money for drugs or alcohol."

"I'm willing to take the risk." I couldn't walk past someone who was hungry and cold and do nothing.

"Aren't you worried for your safety?" Chance asked when we reached my SUV.

"I'm not worried about Darren. We're friends." I clicked the locks and took the books from him, setting them in the back seat.

When I turned back to him, he was scanning the empty lot. "I don't like you walking out here alone at night."

"There's plenty of light."

"It would be easy for someone to follow your routine, knowing you're the last to leave, and hide in wait for you."

A shiver ran through my body. "This is Telluride. There hasn't been any crime like that?—"

"There's a first time for everything." He opened the front door for me and gestured for me to get inside. "Turn on the car."

He wanted me to be warm and safe. He was always so nice to me and Scarlett growing up. He never acted like we were too young, and he always looked out for us. When I was younger, it made me long for an older brother of my own. Later, it morphed into something different, something more like hero worship. But Chance would never look at me as anyone more than his sister's friend. He had a strict code of rules he lived by.

I turned on the engine, adjusting the heater temperature to high.

Chance leaned on the roof of the car so that his head was inside the vehicle. I couldn't breathe; he was so close. "I wanted to thank you for what you did to convince Scarlett to move here."

"I wanted her to stay as much as anyone. But I'm fairly sure Eli was the hook." Scarlett was my best friend and now, Eli's girlfriend. After high school, she'd traveled the country with a theater group. She'd recently returned home when she lost her job, and I convinced her to lead a children's theater class, which led to directing a play. When she got a job offer in Tennessee, I worked on a plan with Chance and Eli to convince her to stay in Telluride instead.

Chance shook his head. "I still can't believe my best friend is dating my sister when I asked him to protect her."

"I thought you'd be happy she was staying in town and building a life here."

"It took me by surprise. I didn't realize that Eli wanted to settle down. Then the next thing I knew, he was in love with my sister."

Oh, so it wasn't so much that it was his sister, but that he'd moved onto a different stage of his life, and Chance wasn't ready for it. "You could meet someone too. There's nothing stopping you."

Chance chuckled without any humor. "I can't make any kind of commitment because of my job. My parents' relationship was strained when my dad was working long hours. I saw what it did to my mom. Not to mention how much she worried about his safety."

My heart contracted for him. It was obviously something he'd thought about a lot, and it did nothing to diminish my attraction to him. It only made me like him more. "We're not getting any younger."

"Scarlett mentioned something about you wanting to date."

"I haven't had much luck with local guys, so I'm throwing a wider net, joining an online dating site."

Chance's brow furrowed. "Those aren't exactly safe. How do you know if the men you meet are good guys?"

"I want a family and kids, and I can't wait forever." My parents were rarely home or emotionally present when they were. I wanted the perfect family: the doting husband, the rambunctious kids filling my home with joy, and maybe even a dog. I hadn't lost hope that there was someone out there for me.

"Just be careful." Chance turned away as if he was going to leave. Then he snapped his fingers. "I almost forgot. The guys and I want to create a book club."

"I'm sorry. What did you say?" I couldn't have heard him correctly. The library and the local book store sponsored numerous book clubs, but I couldn't remember any groups of younger men forming one.

"We need a dedicated time to meet and discuss books. Otherwise, we get to talking about work or something else."

"You could schedule a meeting room in the library. There's a nice one with leather couches and a fireplace on the top floor. Then you could advertise for other members or keep it exclusive to you and your friends."

Chance nodded. "I think we'd like to keep it exclusive for now."

I raised a brow. "Are you worried about what people would say?"

He dropped his head slightly. "Maybe. I don't know."

I knew what kind of conclusions people made about those who preferred reading, say, to real life. But I suspected most women would find a men's book club sexy. "Let me know a date and time, and I'll reserve the room for you."

"If you'd help us with more book recommendations, that would be great too. I don't know what's good, and I don't want the guys giving me a hard time because the book I picked is awful."

"I can do that." I was excited to have another reason for us to see each other. I enjoyed collaborating with him when we both wanted Scarlett to stay in town.

"You're the best, Marigold." Chance tapped the roof of the car. "You have a good evening."

"Thanks. You too." I said as he closed the door, enclosing me in the warm space that now smelled like him. The way he'd said I was the best told me he only saw me as a friend. He didn't experience the quickening of his heartbeat when he saw me or find it difficult to breathe when he was in my presence.

I preferred reading to going out, and I enjoyed devoting my spare time to charities. I wasn't someone men were instantly attracted to, and there was no reason for Chance to see me in a different light.

I sighed as I backed up the car and waved at Chance. He'd waited for me to exit the parking lot before heading to his department issued SUV. It was just the kind of guy he was. Too bad he'd never be mine.