Making It Right by Catherine Bybee

2017

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Author:	Catherine Bybee
Genre:	Contemporary Romance
File Name:	making-it-right-by-catherine-bybee.epub
Original Title:	Making It Right (A Most Likely To Novel Book 3)
Creator:	Catherine Bybee
Language:	en
Identifier:	MOBI-ASIN:B01L76IOSU
Publisher:	Montlake Romance
Date:	1494259200
File Size:	670160.896

In the final book in bestselling author Catherine Bybee’s Most Likely To trilogy, River Bend’s rebel follows in her father’s footsteps to become sheriff. But it might be time to forge her own path…

Some kids inherit a family business; Jo Ward inherited a badge. Once voted Most Likely to End Up in Jail, the town wild child has become sheriff – hell-bent on uncovering the truth about her father’s mysterious death. Life is quiet in rustic River Bend, but Jo longs for something beyond her small hometown and the painful memories it holds. All that keeps her sane is the support of her best friends, Melanie and Zoe.

But when Jo signs up for an expert law enforcement training seminar, she meets Gill Clausen, whose haunting eyes and dangerously sexy vibe just may challenge her single-minded focus. Commitment-phobic Jo can’t deny her attraction to the arrogant federal agent, and when odd things start happening around River Bend and danger surrounds her, she realizes she’ll need his help to discover who’s out to remove her from River Bend…permanently.

As Jo and Gill work together, it’s clear they make a great team. But can Jo loosen her grip on the past enough to let love in and reach for the future.

Table of Content

1. Praise for Catherine Bybee Wife by Wednesday “A fun and sizzling romance, great characters that trade verbal spars like fist punches, and the dream of your own royal wedding!” —Sizzling Hot Book Reviews, 5 Stars “A good holiday, fireside or bedtime story.” —Manic Reviews, 4 1/2 Stars “A great story that I hope is the start of a new series.” —The Romance Studio, 4 1/2 Hearts Married by Monday “If I hadn’t already added Ms. Catherine Bybee to my list of favorite authors, after reading this book I would have been compelled to. This is a book nobody should miss, because the magic it contains is awesome.” —Booked Up Reviews, 5 Stars “Ms. Bybee writes authentic situations and expresses the good and the bad in such an equal way . . . Keep the reader on the edge of her seat . . .” —Reading Between the Wines, 5 Stars “Married by Monday was a refreshing read and one I couldn’t possibly put down . . .” —The Romance Studio, 4 1/2 Hearts Fiancé by Friday “Bybee knows exactly how to keep readers hap
2. Unnamed
3. Also by Catherine Bybee Contemporary Romance Weekday Brides Series Wife by Wednesday Married by Monday Fiancé by Friday Single by Saturday Taken by Tuesday Seduced by Sunday Treasured by Thursday Not Quite Series Not Quite Dating Not Quite Mine Not Quite Enough Not Quite Forever Not Quite Perfect Most Likely To Series Doing It Over Staying For Good Paranormal Romance MacCoinnich Time Travels Binding Vows Silent Vows Redeeming Vows Highland Shifter Highland Protector The Ritter Werewolves Series Before the Moon Rises Embracing the Wolf Novellas Soul Mate Possessive Erotica Kilt Worthy Kilt-A-Licious
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5. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Text copyright © 2017 Catherine Bybee All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher. Published by Montlake Romance, Seattle www.apub.com Amazon, the Amazon logo, and Montlake Romance are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc., or its affiliates. ISBN-13: 9781503943599 ISBN-10: 1503943593 Cover design by Shasti O’Leary Soudant
6. This one is for Andrea . . . I miss you every day.
7. Contents Prologue Chapter One Chapter Two Chapter Three Chapter Four Chapter Five Chapter Six Chapter Seven Chapter Eight Chapter Nine Chapter Ten Chapter Eleven Chapter Twelve Chapter Thirteen Chapter Fourteen Chapter Fifteen Chapter Sixteen Chapter Seventeen Chapter Eighteen Chapter Nineteen Chapter Twenty Chapter Twenty-One Chapter Twenty-Two Chapter Twenty-Three Chapter Twenty-Four Chapter Twenty-Five Chapter Twenty-Six Chapter Twenty-Seven Chapter Twenty-Eight Chapter Twenty-Nine Chapter Thirty Chapter Thirty-One Chapter Thirty-Two Chapter Thirty-Three Chapter Thirty-Four Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author
8. Prologue The sun shot daggers into Jo’s eyes as she opened the door of Zoe’s home. It was already noon, but she and her best friends couldn’t be bothered to wake up early on the day after their high school graduation. The bottle of tequila they’d managed to put a pretty good dent in twelve hours prior resided in her duffel bag for later use. “It burns,” Jo said with a laugh as she covered her eyes. “You dork.” Mel, the third part of their trio, brushed past her and opened the door of her car before tossing her yearbook in the backseat. Zoe hovered in the doorway of the double-wide. The three of them had stayed up most the night talking about their futures. Well, Zoe and Mel had been the ones predicting the next year of their lives while Jo listened and drank Jose Cuervo until her head swam. Mel had another seven weeks of life in River Bend before she was off to California to fulfill the River Bend High’s class prediction about her future. Being voted most likely to succeed was about th
9. Chapter One Twelve years later Red and blue lights from Jo’s squad car lit up the night sky, and the rarely used siren bounced off the pine trees in eerie opposition to the quiet country road. Josie had called Jo personally to ask her to stop by and handle a couple of locals that were raising the anxiety levels at R&B’s. The only real bar in River Bend sat nestled off the main road leading out of town. It took Jo less than five minutes to climb into a ready uniform, strap on her duty belt, and back out of her driveway. Gravel churned under her tires as she pulled to an abrupt stop in the parking lot of Josie’s bar. A half a dozen motorcycles along with a dozen familiar pickups and off-road vehicles told her the place was close to capacity. Not surprising for a Friday night. She straightened her sheriff’s hat on her head and doubled her stride up the steps to the single-level tavern. Inside, music pumped from the jukebox, and the smell of stale beer from one too many party fouls wafted
10. Chapter Two Jo, Mel, and Zoe sat in the parlor of Miss Gina’s Bed-and-Breakfast for their weekly girls’ night. Most of the time they had to use Jo’s house for their gatherings due to the B and B having a full house. But Tuesday nights and even the occasional Wednesday this early in the spring meant the inn had one, maybe two rooms occupied. Miss Gina entered the room carrying a red pitcher of her famous lemonade. Her worn Birkenstock sandals made squeaky noises against the floor as she walked, her ever-present tie-dyed skirt swishing at her ankles. Mel stood. “I’ll get the glasses.” A tray of guilty pleasures sat on the table: chocolate, cheese, and fruit that Zoe had thrown together. Anyone else would have put a bowl of Hershey’s kisses and small chunks of cheddar, but not Zoe. Jo could identify two of the four cheeses, and the chocolates looked like the gourmet category that one picked up at the mall in Eugene. Even the fruit had been prepared with some kind of cutesy knife that offe
11. Chapter Three “Agent Burton?” With the phone to her ear, Jo sat behind her desk, staring at the walls of her father’s office. Her office. “Sheriff, how are you? I’ve been thinking about you.” “Good things, I hope?” Shauna chuckled. “Anything new on the eyes in the dark?” From anyone else, Jo would think Shauna was being sarcastic. But cops, law enforcement, even the FBI knew better than to ignore their instincts. “It’s been quiet. Too much so.” “I never trust silence either. Is there something I can do for you?” Jo tapped a pen against her notepad, the only sign of nerves she let herself have. “I want to know if I can take you up on that training course we talked about last year.” “Honing your skills, Jo?” “It’s not like I have a lot of use for them in River Bend.” They both laughed. “I think the next course is late April. Outside DC.” A little over a month away. “That will work.” “It’s a weeklong deal, you able to get away from there that long?” No, but she’d make it happen. “Yeah. I
12. Chapter Four Jo took a train down to Quantico, Virginia, from DC. She wondered, briefly, if she could get back into DC overnight and try and find Rocco again before she disappeared from the East Coast for good. The plan was to finish her training Friday afternoon, nurse her wounded everything she was sure was going to hurt, and fly out of DC Saturday afternoon. Viking Man kept her up the first night by action, the second night by memories. Why did she do this to herself? Why put herself out there, make her want something she couldn’t have, only to walk away somewhat satisfied but seriously desperate for more? She should probably just invest in a crate full of cats and be done with it. Burton told her to dress in Friday casual, no dresses—not that Jo owned any—and bring a change of clothes to work out in. And her badge. Her shoulder length honey brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and a tiny dusting of blush enhanced her cheeks. Her lips sported a hint of rose, but that was it whe
13. Chapter Five There wasn’t much that ruffled Gill. He knew at the time something about Anne wasn’t up-front. But a small town sheriff? No, he didn’t see that coming. When he’d woke just before dawn and she wasn’t there, he was surprisingly disappointed. She’d been demanding . . . a little needy, even. Then there was the fire that she lit with a touch. JoAnne Ward . . . Little Miss River Bend Nowhere, Oregon, gave as much as she took and asked for more. They’d gone at it for hours. Not something he often did. It was like she was saving it up, soaking it all in to last. Yeah . . . that crack about hooking up in a small town was laughable. He’d have to ask Burton about what she knew when it came to Sheriff Ward’s love life. He watched her ass as she moved through the doors of the training center. There were plenty of law enforcement officers there for the very same training as Jo. They mingled on the sideline while several receptionists took in the newcomers. Gill approached the desk by Jo
14. Chapter Six Shauna met Jo during lunch. “How was the first half of your day?” she asked, sitting with her sandwich and soda. “Intense.” Jo moved her tray over to give her room. “Gill said you’re a pretty good shot.” Jo couldn’t stop her eyes from searching the man out in the crowd. He sat with a few instructors. “Did he?” “Hey, that’s high praise, coming from him.” “He’s an intense guy.” Gill took that moment to feel the weight of her stare. He met her eyes and didn’t flinch. Shauna glanced over her shoulder and back. “Well, look at that.” From across the room, Gill appeared to laugh before moving his attention to the people he was with. “Look at what?” Jo picked up her sandwich and attempted to focus. “He’s single,” Shauna said, a smirk covering her face. “Who’s single?” “Gill . . .” Jo felt her face flush. “Did I ask?” “Your eyes did.” So did the rest of her, but Jo kept that to herself. “Not interested,” she said. “Liar! But I’ll let it go. We haven’t had a chance to really talk sin
15. Chapter Seven The beat-up sedans were tinted and framed with extra bumpers to keep those inside the cars as safe as they could be while on the 1.1-mile track housed by the TEVOC training center. Jo’s excitement over the Tactical and Emergency Vehicle Operation Center driving course fueled the smile on her face as she sat in the passenger space of the car. Lenny buckled in as the driver, and she was supposed to keep him informed of what was happening around him when things got dicey. And things were about to get dicey! “Don’t kill me,” she told Lenny as she fastened her seat belt. “Ha!” The radio in the car paired them with an instructor, while the other cars on the track also housed students with a set instructor talking to them. “Have you done this before?” she asked. “Not here. Have you?” “Academy. Pit maneuvers, high-speed basics. Nothing I’ve had to use that often.” Lenny turned over the engine. “You’re in luck, I’ve had my share of chases and haven’t killed my partners yet.” “Let’
16. Chapter Eight It took Jo a couple of miles to settle on the back of his bike and for her arms to slide around his waist to hold on. Gill would have liked to take a long way to get to her hotel, but there weren’t many alternative routes that didn’t shorten the ride. It was past midnight, the lot was quiet and lit only by the streetlights that spotted the front of the hotel. He cut the engine the second he turned into a small space. Jo hesitated before swinging her leg around the back of the bike. She removed the helmet and shook out her hair. The pink in her cheeks from the cold night air gave her a childish glow: cute. A word Gill was pretty sure she wouldn’t appreciate, so he kept it to himself. “Thanks for the ride, Clausen.” She handed him his helmet. He placed it on one of the handlebars. “Anytime.” She shuffled her feet once. “And thanks for taking my forty bucks.” Yeah, that wasn’t exactly gentlemanly of him, but hey, a bet was a bet. “I did buy your drinks.” He liked her smile.
17. Chapter Nine Gill kept pace beside her. The woman walked fast for someone with legs so much shorter than his. She stepped out of the building and into the light. Jo reached for her sunglasses and said without looking, “You don’t have to follow me.” Gill covered his eyes from the glare, too. “I don’t have to do a lot of things.” He didn’t invade the place she was inside her head with questions, even though he had a million running through his. It was obvious she was walking off steam. And from the way she was muttering under her breath, she was battling several demons all at once. “Don’t you have to be training someone on how to be badass?” Jo threw out over her shoulder. “Nope. I’m technically done for the day.” “The day just started.” He didn’t need to be there at all, he came for the company. The company that was storming around the building on a mission. He’d been having a hard time getting her out of his head since she walked in the bar in DC. This morning’s little show from the do
18. Chapter Ten The syndicator counted down, Jo’s heart stayed steady until the red light indicated that the simulation was live. Her weapon out in front, her eyes wide open . . . she waited. The first person she saw on the left side of the room was a civilian walking from an on-screen grocery store. A noise behind her brought her attention to the image of a car. Behind it, a man held a gun to the head of a hostage. The gunman shouted at the camera, which was meant to simulate a real-life situation, but Jo couldn’t talk the man down. This simulation was about gut instinct for when to shoot and when to hold back. The victim in the image cried and attempted to lean away from the gun pressed to her temple. The gunman suddenly looked to a place beyond where Jo stood, his attention diverted. She refused to look behind her. A split second later the gunman turned that gun toward her and the victim managed to move a half a foot away. Jo took the shot. The pretend gunman went down. Only then did sh
19. Chapter Eleven As liberating as it was to leave River Bend, the feeling faded quickly as the chains started to slowly link back together the closer Jo came to landing. Rain met her return, which was fitting. Zoe waved from the doors of baggage claim, not that Jo had anything but her carry-on backpack for luggage. “Now look who is jet-setting across the country,” Zoe teased with a hug. “I don’t have frequent flyer miles like you.” Zoe might be dressed in jeans, a button-up shirt, and a jacket, but she looked like she’d just stepped through the pages of a fashion magazine. The contrast between how she dressed now and when they were kids always stunned Jo when she saw it after a week away. “Tell me you had fun.” Jo smiled. “I had fun.” Zoe narrowed her eyes. “So Agent Hottie stepped up?” Jo’s smile grew. “Yes, he did.” She kept the details to herself. Her friend blew out a breath and turned toward the doors of the airport and out to the curb, where some travelers were waiting for rides. “
20. Chapter Twelve Gill looked up from his desk when he saw Shauna walk by. “Burton,” he said, catching her attention. She doubled back. “Yeah?” “Do you have those files on Jo’s case . . . her father’s case?” Shauna regarded him with concern. “I do.” “I’d like to take a look at them.” It was Monday, and they’d be working overtime in an effort to find the suppliers of a local high school in the grips of a heroin outbreak. The investigation went beyond the local police due to the number of seventeen-year-olds that were ending up dead. One of whom happened to be the nephew of a local congressman. Looking at the Ward case would have to take place when he was at home, but he didn’t want it to get away from him. “I’ll get them to you. Once you’ve read them, I’d like to go over a few things,” Shauna said. “Do you see anything suspicious?” Shauna didn’t look convinced. “Seems too cut-and-dry. Like someone put a stamp of approval on his case way too quickly, but I’m not convinced he was murdered.”
21. Chapter Thirteen Fog socked in, cloaking River Bend in a layer so thick it needed a blowtorch to get through it. Not that it slowed Jo down. She arrived at the track at six, did her warm-up laps, and waited for the distance team to arrive. Tim, her team captain, showed up first. Right behind him, Maureen and Tina, her top girls varsity runners, waltzed onto the field, their heads stuck together in gossip. “Hey, Coach,” Tim greeted when he was close enough. “Finally let up enough for us to practice.” Jo smiled. “Not going to do anybody any good breaking an ankle this close to the invitational.” The track drained rather well for something that needed to be replaced three years ago, but when it poured like it had, the thing resembled a lake more than a place for kids to run. Maureen and Tina were still yakking when they hung their backpacks on the spikes of the fence. Jo looked at her watch and peeked around the bleachers to the parking lot. Her youngest runner, Louis, was jogging from hi
22. Chapter Fourteen Drew followed the line of cars working their way into the high school parking lot and noticed Tina leaning against her dad’s late model Civic. Her tight little running shorts had distracted him all morning, and if he wasn’t mistaken, she knew it. She glanced up when he approached. “Hey,” he said. “I thought you went home to shower?” she said. “On my way.” Her phone buzzed. He glanced down at Tina’s phone, saw the same image on every sent section of her text messaging. “Is that the sheriff and that guy?” Tina opened the image for him to see it clearly. “He’s really hot.” Drew pulled his gaze from his coach’s ass in the picture to look at the man. “If you like ancient guys.” “He’s not old.” Drew rolled his eyes. “He is for you.” Tina pulled her phone away from his sight. “Whatever.” She pushed off the side of the car and slid behind the driver’s seat. Drew backed up as she started the engine. He’d bet money she was still upset he hadn’t wanted to go to homecoming. You wo
23. Chapter Fifteen The distraction, otherwise known as Gill, made it nearly impossible to work. The paperwork that had been put aside because of the rain had piled up and needed to be taken care of. An hour into her day, Jo decided the only way to complete anything was to move the massive man from her office. Then she’d double-time until she was finished and find a way to incorporate him into her day. “Okay, Goliath,” she said as she grabbed her hat. “Let’s go.” “Oh, Goliath. I like that.” Jo rolled her eyes and walked out of the room, expecting him to follow. “Leaving already?” Glynis said as they walked out. “I’ll be back,” Jo informed her. The woman smiled and waved, her eyes on Gill. “Bye-bye.” Gill kept pace with her. “So here are the ground rules,” she started. “Rules?” “Yeah. That kiss that everyone in town has now seen on their phones, no more of that in public.” “Really?” He sounded disappointed. “I do have to hold some kind of reputation, Gill. The town had a male sheriff for ye
24. Chapter Sixteen Gill really wanted to party with Miss Gina. From the smell of the lemonade she was drinking, it appeared she was already ahead of him. Wyatt and Luke fixed him up at breakfast, introduced him to more people than Gill thought a small town could hold, then brought him out to Miss Gina’s, where he’d spent most of the day pulling boxes out of the bed-and-breakfast’s attic. It appeared that Miss Gina held no concern for putting a complete stranger to work within seconds of meeting him. “Are we looking for anything in particular?” Luke asked, wiping the grime from his forehead. “I have a box of old photographs, the kind captured on film and not some camera phone. Felix was asking for old images of this place for Zoe’s show.” Apparently Zoe was some sort of famous chef who spent a fair amount of time filming her talents for those television food shows. Not that Gill had ever heard of her, or ever watched the food networks. From all the praise he’d heard since arriving at Miss
25. Chapter Seventeen Jo had two very different personalities, three if he was counting properly. She let her guard down around her friends, but even then she wasn’t the exact person he’d met on the East Coast. The whole person slowly came into focus. They’d returned from the high school after giving poor Drew the riot act on what he should and shouldn’t do. Gill was convinced that the kid knew their number. He knew they were all secretly laughing along with him and it was only a matter of years before they’d laugh about the whole thing over drinks. There were a couple more hours at the station, along with a drive through town and the city limits. When the clock was officially off, he and Jo returned to Miss Gina’s, where Gill had a culinary experience he’d never matched before. He had no idea who Zoe Brown was, but he had every intention of looking her up when he was back home. The woman could cook. Miss Gina managed to bring out a few photographs of all three of the girls when they were
26. Chapter Eighteen Gill moaned when Jo woke at the ass crack of dawn and put on her running shoes. “You can come with me.” He reached for her, pulled her completely clothed body on top of him. “I’d rather bench press you.” She gave his bicep a love bite. “The only bench press we have is at the high school, and even then, I doubt it would be much of a challenge for these.” When she pushed away, he released her. “I’ll find a Harley to swing around.” “Like the one you drove here?” “I’d probably drop it.” He wouldn’t. It was his most prized possession. The small house he’d bought in Eugene could go up in flames, but his bike . . . now that was another story. “Today is a wash and repeat from yesterday.” He was starting to see her frustration. “With less drama, I hope.” “That would be nice.” He leaned up on one arm, watched her gather her keys and a windbreaker. “You know I’ve been going over your father’s files.” Jo met his gaze. “I know. I assumed you hadn’t come to any conclusions or you wo
27. Chapter Nineteen Nerves swam like a school of fish chasing the leader in circles. Jo left the station early, made sure Glynis had the calls forwarded to her for the night. Gill had dropped Miss Gina off and pulled in the driveway shortly after Jo. Jo grilled, she didn’t cook. Outside of a couple of steaks and some vegetables she could toss on the barbeque, they’d have to do without. Doing the whole domestic thing was like trying to wear two left shoes. Uncomfortable. “I have beer, water, or milk,” Jo announced once Gill had returned from her backyard, where he had heated up the grill. “Milk is for breakfast.” Jo handed him a beer, twisted the cap off of one for herself. “Your dad’s cabin is every hunter’s dream.” “Are you a hunter?” she asked, wanting to get the pleasantries of his trip out of the way so she could determine what he’d learned. “No. From what I saw, your dad didn’t dedicate all his time up there to searching for venison.” “He’d bring back a deer once in a while. It wasn’
28. Chapter Twenty “Half the town was looking for that dog, Karl.” What a mess. What a fucking mess. Drew was holding a hysterical Tina in the backyard of one of the Emerys’ neighbors. Nearly every distance runner at River Bend High had shown up and needed to be kept back. Luke and Zoe were sitting with Cherie, keeping her from breaking down as much as they could. And Karl Emery stood beside Jo, hands on hips and words flying. “You shouldn’t have told the kids to look for the damn dog.” “Keep your voice down!” she said in a rough whisper. He stepped closer. “You’re overstepping your position, and now my kid is going to have nightmares for God only knows how long.” Jo’s eyes skirted over to Drew. The kid looked like he was keeping it together. Probably for Tina. Mr. Miller, Cherie’s brother, arrived with a giant bedsheet and proceeded to tack the thing up around the scene. Every time Jo’s sight landed on the dog, her stomach twisted. Jo put on her bitch voice, made sure Karl heard it. “Quit
29. Chapter Twenty-One “I’m being cheated out of my Jo time.” Jo listened to Mel’s complaint over a stack of colorful paper, scalloped scissors, and glitter that they were using to make name tags for the upcoming reunion. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” “Your off time is either on the field at track meets or in the sheets with Gill.” Instead of denying the truth, or what had been the truth for the better part of a month, Jo poured glitter over the wet glue edging the paper she was working on. It smudged everywhere. Glitter and glue were not her thing. “You’d deny me my hookin’ up time?” Mel rubbed her still flat belly. “No.” Her denial was unconvincing. Jo made another attempt at glittering paper. “Why are we doing so many extra of these?” Yes, she was whining, no, she didn’t care. “It’s not extra.” “How is that possible?” The count was triple the normal graduating class. “The kids from Waterville were bused in because of the fire, remember?” The information rang a bell. “That’s
30. Chapter Twenty-Two “Who was my dad sleeping with?” Jo stared Miss Gina down and jumped right to the point. “Are we having this conversation without alcohol?” Jo pointed to the badge on her chest. “I am.” “I have guests. Let’s take this out back.” Out back referred to Miss Gina’s porch, which covered the span of the house overlooking the backyard and guesthouse that Gina herself used. Her skin prickled, like it did when a knock came to your door at two a.m. Instead of sitting, Jo leaned against the banister and took several deep breaths as Miss Gina made herself comfortable on a cushioned Adirondack chair. “Let me start by saying I don’t know who she was, just that there was someone.” Disappointment hit. “What do you know?” “You were in middle school. That preteen walking mess made worse by a lack of a woman in your life. I remember the first time Zoe convinced you to stop here. Something had upset you enough to make your friends want to take care of you. I soon learned that wasn’t the
31. Chapter Twenty-Three Drew lifted his leg up along the fence and leaned over it to stretch. The week sucked. Outside of Tina, there wasn’t one redeeming hour to remember. The week before was forgettable, too. “Drew?” He glanced over his shoulder and noticed Parker, a rival from Eugene, walking toward him. They’d often alternate between first and second in the one mile, ending with handshakes and better luck next times. “Hey.” Parker placed his leg along the fence for a similar stretch. “Wanna bet on who is going to win today?” “Is that kid from Sheraton here?” Sheraton High sat in South Eugene. Parker shook his head. “No. He’s out for the season.” “Injury?” “I heard drugs.” Drew switched legs. “It’s hard to run and smoke pot,” he said. “I heard it was something bigger.” Parker stretched his hamstrings. “Really?” “Someone said prescription stuff, then I heard morphine . . . or was it heroin?” Parker shook his head. “It wasn’t good, whatever it was.” “Jesus, what was he thinking?” “No clu
32. Chapter Twenty-Four Jo was aware of soft lips on the back of her shoulder. Gill. Even through closed eyelids she could tell the sun had barely started to rise. She moaned and burrowed deeper into her pillow. Gill’s teeth scraped her shoulder. I can get used to this. “You’re not asleep.” “Yes, I am,” she muttered. He kissed her again. She opened one eye, peeked over the shoulder he was claiming. “You’re dressed.” Gill rested his chin in her shoulder, the freshness of his breath, the soap on his skin told her she’d slept through him getting up and taking a shower. “I have to leave.” “Why?” She rolled over, didn’t try to cover herself when the sheet slipped to reveal her naked breasts. Gill’s gaze wandered. “That Instagram account hit a hotspot. I’m meeting Shauna in twenty minutes.” Jo moaned, more than a little disappointed to have to share him. “Sorry.” He leaned down, kissed the top of one breast. “I understand.” “I don’t know when I’ll be back.” She glanced across the room at the dig
33. Chapter Twenty-Five Jo rested her head against the crook of her arms on her desk. The statements of Drew, Tina, and Cherie swam in her vision like the drops a doctor put in your eyes to dilate them. Only these drops didn’t make her see better . . . they blurred and diffused everything. She’d questioned the neighbors, the very people who had complained about the dogs barking. Every one of those neighbors had offered support to Cherie after Jezebel had been found. Not one of them was capable of taking a pet’s life as a vendetta. So who held the grudge? Footsteps at her office door had her jumping. Glynis was out for lunch and the sound wasn’t expected. “Karl?” Her deputy stared from the doorway. “When are you going to butt out of my kid’s life?” “What are you talking about?” “Drew is talking about joining the service . . . the marines. Sound familiar?” She opened her mouth only to have Karl cut her off. “Looks like your boyfriend talked him into it. Caroline is beside herself. Cried all
34. Chapter Twenty-Six Shauna slapped a piece of paper on Gill’s desk and did a little happy dance. “What’s this?” “My divorce will be final on the twenty-first.” “Congratulations?” he asked, a little surprised at her enthusiasm. “Hell, yeah. That bastard tried to go after half my retirement. Like he earned it by snoring in my bed for three years.” Gill had seen the full cycle of Shauna’s turmoil. First there were tears, then anger . . . now this. “I’m happy for you.” “Me, too. We need to celebrate.” Gill glanced at the paper again, the date ringing in his head. “I’ll be in River Bend on the twenty-first. Promised Jo I’d be around for the class reunion.” “I’ll be celebrating for a month. After?” “Of course.” Shauna swiped the paper from his desk. “Marriage is overrated.” “Is it?” She paused, curbed her excitement. “Except for Jo. I mean, Jo’s perfect for you. I knew that long before I sent her to Marly’s.” “Sent her?” Shauna batted her eyelashes in fake innocence. “You didn’t think that wa
35. Chapter Twenty-Seven “Coach Ward wants us training. So we’re running like she’s here riding our ass.” Drew didn’t expect an argument, and he didn’t get one. They’d slacked the first two days Jo was in the hospital. A few of them camped outside the hospital, waiting for permission to visit her. She looked as bad as everyone said she did. Worse. Drew gave her shit about her driving skills and had her laughing. Making her smile was the only reward he wanted. It didn’t escape him that the car she’d been driving had the same recall as his dad’s. It could have easily been his father in that hospital bed. Drew hated that for a brief second he’d wished it was. The feeling didn’t last. Especially when his father acted guilty about the whole thing. When they’d visited Jo, his father was visibly upset. “Let’s take Lob Hill,” Tina suggested. Gustavo moaned. “Bite me. C’mon. Lob Hill, then our normal. We’ll send her a picture of us up there and make her proud,” Tina said. Drew liked the way his gir
36. Chapter Twenty-Eight “How is it you’re still here?” Jo asked on her third night home. “I’m the night shift,” Gill told her as he tucked her into the crook of his arm once they climbed into bed for the night. “You have to admit, I’m a decent pillow.” “You’re hard as a rock.” He kissed the top of her head. “You love it.” “I do. But seriously, you have a job, a home.” “Shauna has it covered.” Jo wasn’t convinced. “I can’t keep you away forever.” “Yes, you can.” She looked up at him. “Gill.” “My boss understands. Everything is okay.” He closed his eyes. “You wouldn’t lie to me, would you?” Gill nodded without apology. “Gill!” “It’s okay.” She hated being placated. “Gill!” He opened his eyes and sighed. “Okay, here’s the truth. You ready for it?” The tone of his voice suggested maybe she wasn’t. She said yes anyway. “I told him the woman I’ve grown to care about more than life itself needed me. And that if I had to take a leave of absence to watch over you, I would.” Gill’s words stole her
37. Chapter Twenty-Nine Jo sat across from Gill, her kitchen table separating them, and listened. Before he was finished, she felt sick to her stomach. A serious desire to empty what dinner she had managed to eat sat close to the surface. “Maybe the mechanic is wrong.” Gill held her hand. “He’s not wrong. I saw the lines with my own eyes. The holes were large enough to warrant leaks, not big enough to dump all the fluid in one sitting. It was deliberate, Jo.” “Why?” “We’re going to find out.” Someone had tried to kill her. The sling holding her left arm and her inability to run a block, much less the five daily miles she’d run before, were evidence that whoever that someone was, they’d nearly succeeded. “When I was in the academy, the other cadets would talk about wearing a badge, how it was a target just asking for someone to aim a weapon at them. I never felt like that. I figured my father’s death was isolated. Something that involved him . . . not this badge.” “There’s no way of knowing
38. Chapter Thirty Much as Jo didn’t like the thought of being there, Gill convinced her to take a trip to the cabin. The last five miles were slow, bumpy, and nerve-racking. “When was the last time you were up here?” She clenched her fists. “Once after my dad’s death, and another time once I was elected.” “Twice?” She nodded once. Gill placed a hand on her knee. “You see things I don’t,” he told her, “or I wouldn’t have suggested you come.” Jo closed her eyes and mentally kicked herself. “I should be over this by now.” “You haven’t had the opportunity to move on.” Jo covered his hand with hers. “Thank you.” “For what?” “Getting me.” The cabin came into view as they rounded the bend. Outside of the pictures shown to her from the ladies who volunteered to clean the place every season, she hadn’t experienced the vacation home for years. Spring did wonderful things to the backdrop of the cabin. Wildflowers bloomed along the west side with new, bright green growth on the shrubs on the east. It
39. Chapter Thirty-One “I’m not convinced it’s Karl,” Gill said to Shauna when she met him beside the pole vaulters. “Me either. He’s a bit of a douche, but I’m not sure he’s Mr. Sociopath.” “Why a douche?” Shauna hid behind her sunglasses, her eyes following the kid pushing off the pole and hitting the bar as he went up. “Anyone who can’t muster up some excitement for his kid at a state meet is an ass.” “It’s not his kid.” “Yeah, well . . . he may know that, his wife certainly knows it, but the kid doesn’t. If you’re going to pretend, do it all the way. Don’t screw up a kid because of your wife’s sins. If Karl knows or doesn’t know, he’s still a douche.” Shauna was going to be a great mom someday, Gill decided. “Your take on Karl?” “Hard to put my finger on. He’s jealous of Jo’s relationship with Drew . . . or he’s mad they’re close. Which actually should make him a suspect. But every time my head goes there, I think it’s too damn convenient. Too neat.” “I hate when you think the way I do
40. Chapter Thirty-Two “The X-rays show healing ribs and clavicle.” Jo relented to a trip to the ER, so long as it wasn’t in the back of an ambulance. The shot to the chest hit dead center. Good thing the shooter wasn’t aiming for her head. “Great, then I can go.” Jo swung her feet over the edge of the gurney to do just that. “Not so fast, Sheriff. You took a big punch. In light of the fact you’re still recovering from a collapsed lung—” “Recovered.” The ER doctor stood with his hands on his hips, determination in his eyes. “Your sweatshirt says track and field. Do you run, Sheriff?” Jo looked down at herself. “Don’t I look like I run?” “How many miles did you run today?” His point hit home. “I’m okay, Doc. Sitting here pretending to be sick is just going to piss everyone off.” Besides, she had a cop killer to catch. “Can you give us a few minutes?” Gill said to the doctor. He closed the door behind him. “You don’t want to stay in the hospital—” “I’m not staying in the hospital.” “Right no
41. Chapter Thirty-Three Drew pulled the car around from the hospital parking lot and waited for his mother. While sitting in the pickup line, his head was buried in his phone, texting. The group text included Tina, Tim, and the rest of the cross-country team. This is wrong. Someone shot our coach! Drew sent out. No one wants to kill a coach, someone shot our Sheriff. Tim texted. Yeah, Drew figured that out. “Hey, honey.” Drew looked out the passenger window to see his mom standing there. “Want me to drive?” he asked. She opened the door, dropped her purse in the seat. “Sure, that’s fine—” she stopped with one foot inside. “I forgot something. I’ll be right back.” His mom closed the car door and Drew went back to his phone. The group was going back and forth with their idea of a round-the-clock babysitting service for Coach Ward once she recovered. His mother’s phone buzzed from the passenger seat. Ignoring it, he went back to his own conversation. The buzz a second and third time surprise
42. Chapter Thirty-Four As Gill led Stan from the hospital floor, Jo allowed the real doctor to check her arm and vital signs before pulling on her clothes and letting her best friends hug the life out of her. “Damn it, Jo. Don’t you ever, ever do this again.” Zoe shook her finger at her and then hugged her a second time. “Watch the arm, cupcake.” “Sorry.” Zoe pulled back but still didn’t let her go. “I hope you have good insurance,” Mel dug in. “You’ve been in more hospitals than me, and I’m knocked up.” In the last month Mel had started to actually show. “I miss you guys,” Jo said. “We’ve been right here.” Zoe pushed a lock of hair behind her shoulder. “I know. I just haven’t been able to take a breath in what feels like forever.” Mel rolled her eyes. “You might wanna stop poking holes in your lungs then.” Jo looked down at her arm that sat in a new sling. Her shoulder stung like a bitch. “So Stan—” Mel looked over at the agents who had pulled Caroline aside. Karl stood by Drew as questi
43. Epilogue Caroline stayed through Drew’s graduation before packing her belongings and leaving River Bend. The investigation didn’t find her guilty of anything other than infidelity. The town gossip spread like a case of the flu, especially when it came to light that Joseph Ward . . . trusted sheriff of River Bend . . . was just as guilty as Caroline for their transgressions. Standing beside Drew and her deputy, Karl, Gill held Jo’s hand during the graduation ceremonies of River Bend High. They were a strange family, one born of lies and deceit. But Jo was happy for it. Jo had a brother. While she never thought she was missing something in her life, she realized when he became more than just another kid on the field, another attitude-filled teen, she missed a whole lot. Gill insisted on staying with her the week that followed. Mel and Zoe moved into the role of reunion alumni committee without having any connection with the class that had graduated three years after them. The six of them
44. Acknowledgments So many people to thank . . . where to begin? Let me start with Kari and Brandy, my inspirations for this series. Our friendship grounded me as a kid growing up and inspires me as an adult today. Thank you, Kari, for the information on Quantico that you could share. I hope the places I strayed from reality weren’t completely off the mark. And if they are, well, this is a work of fiction. To Dawna, my second mom . . . while you were nothing like my Miss Gina, you were the one I ran to for advice and safety when I needed an adult. You will always hold a special place in my heart. To Suzie, the cop’s daughter in the neighborhood . . . when I think back on the things you used to do to tick off your dad . . . and how much restraint he displayed by not throttling you. Those guys next door, however, were worth the risk! To all the track and field coaches who have dedicated their knowledge and skills to my boys over the years, thank you! To Jane, my forever agent and friend. To
45. About the Author Photo © 2015 Julianne Gentry Catherine Bybee is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-five books that have collectively sold more than three million copies and have been translated into twelve languages. Raised in Washington State, Bybee moved to Southern California in hopes of becoming a movie star. After growing bored with waiting tables, she returned to school and became a registered nurse, spending most of her career in urban emergency rooms. She now writes full-time and has penned the Not Quite series, the Weekday Brides series, and the Most Likely To series.