Serving Pride (11 page)

“Robert…” She
didn’t care anymore, she was willing to take the jump even if she
did get burned. “I want to be there for you. I want to be the one
you call when you need someone to talk to. I’m tired of trying to
sneak time with you at lunch. I know it’s a little crazy, but I’ve
known you forever, so it’s not like we just
met.”

He smiled at her
and pulled her closer. “Amelia, what are you
saying?”

She pushed him back
and almost laughed at his face. “You know what I’m trying to
say.”

He smiled even
more. “Well, say it then.” He pulled her back to him and
waited.

“I can’t believe
that I’ve fallen in love with you so quickly. I don’t know what I’m
supposed to do next.”

“I do. Marry
me.”

She wrapped her
arms around his neck and went onto her toes and kissed him. “Of
course, it’s perfect.” She laughed.

“Really? You’ll
really marry me?”

“Yes. Don’t tell me
that wasn’t a real proposal. If it wasn’t I may have to lock you up
until you give me a real one.”

He chuckled, “No,
it was real. I just never imagined you’d say
yes.”

Just then one of
his new deputies walked in and they broke apart until he smiled and
walked into the back room.

“Well, I came over here to see if I could help.” She straightened
her shirt.

“Help with
what?”

“I don’t know. Just
help.”

“You already have.
I’ve been so angry since I saw him last night, I’ve been kind of in
a daze. You’re sunny face and smile have woken me
up.”

She looked at him
and realized that what he was saying was true. The dark circles
that had been under his eyes earlier were gone. The color in his
face was back, and his eyes were shiny again. He actually looked
like he’d had a full night’s rest now. It was amazing how happiness
could physically change him.

“Anytime, Sheriff,
anytime.”

“Forever.” He
leaned down and kissed her.

Two days later, he
was nowhere near getting any answers from Roy. He’d even called in
the state guys to see if they could question him. He had one last
card up his sleeve and when he made the call to his buddy in New
Mexico, he wondered if he was doing the right
thing.

Eric was known for
his questionable tactics for getting a confession out of someone.
He’d never done anything illegal, but definitely
questionable.

When he arrived in
town, Robert almost wanted to call him off. But Eric assured him
that everything would be okay. After all, Eric owed him a
favor.

It had taken only
three hours to get the confession from Roy. Eric walked out of the
room, his head hung low, with a list of details Robert didn’t want
to know.

“Let me take care
of this one for you, buddy,” Eric said, keeping the information to
himself. “I’ll deal with the state and let you know what we find.
He might be pulling a fast one on us. You never know with his kind.
We’ll check it out and let you know.”

“No, I need to deal
with it. I’ve lived with this question almost my whole
life.”

“Robert—” Just then
the bell chimed and Amelia walked in. She looked between the men
and rushed over to Robert’s side.

“Is it bad?” she
asked Eric, and when he nodded, she pulled Robert
aside.

“Let him check it
out. I’ll stay with you tonight, at the house.” He pulled her into
a hug.

“I need to deal
with this. I have to deal with this myself.”

She pulled back and
looked into his eyes. “Okay, but if you need
me…”

He kissed her and
held onto her for a minute more. “I should be back soon. It may
take a couple days…”

She nodded her
head. “Keep me posted.”

It took just under
a week. The information Roy had provided was sketchy. The old house
he’d owned in the middle-of-nowhere New Mexico had burned to the
ground three years back, right about the time he’d been spotted in
Vegas.

It was on the fifth
day there that they’d found his mother. She was wearing the yellow
happy dress she’d worn to his birthday party, its dirty, faded
colors a complete contrasts to what the little boy in him
remembered.

His buddies at the
New Mexico Police force tried to shield him, but he’d seen what
he’d come to see. His mother hadn’t abandoned him all those years
ago. Knowing that her body had been in her car trunk that morning
as he left for school made him even sadder. If he’d just looked. If
he’d just told the cops that he’d seen her car there. So many other
‘ifs’ popped into his mind.

When he got back to
the hotel that night, his phone was flashing with
messages.

The first one was
from Amelia, telling him that Eric had called her and explained
what had happened. She said she’d booked the morning flight out of
Portland and would be there around nine. He couldn’t wait to see
her, to hold her.

The next calls were
from his deputies, telling him they had everything under control
and to take his time coming back. He listened to his aunt cry and
tell him how very sorry she was that he had to go through all this.
Then there were over a dozen calls from several people in town:
Father Michael, Patty O’Neil, Todd Jordan, and so many
more.

In all his life,
he’d never felt as loved as he had since he moved to Pride, except
by his mother and father. He couldn’t wait to get home and show
everyone how much he cared for them in return.

“Run, Run!” Robert yelled, standing up
and throwing his hands to the left. “Keep going!”

“Robert, would you sit back down? I
think the whole town can hear you,” Amelia chuckled.

“Everyone else is yelling, too.” He
smiled down at his wife’s face, then turned just in time to see his
son slide into home base. He screamed with joy as the whole team
jumped up and down, and then a bunch of eight-year-olds rushed his
son and engulfed him in a huge hug. If they were older, Robert had
no doubt that they would have lifted him up on their shoulders.
Todd and Megan Jordan sat beside them, his friend was being just as
enthusiastic as he was as well as all the other men in the
stands.

It had been almost ten years since that
day in New Mexico when Amelia and he had buried his mother at the
small cemetery. Ten years, and two kids later, and he showed no
signs of slowing down in his effort to show the people of Pride how
much he thought of them. Or how much he loved the woman sitting
beside him.

He sat back down and pulled her into
his lap and kissed her right there in front of his entire family.
All of a sudden, the cheers faded and there was only
her.

About the Author

Jill Sanders is an American romance
writer, living in charming, rural Texas. She’s also the author of
other titles you may enjoy:

Finding Pride

Discovering Pride

Returning Pride

Lasting Pride

Secret Seduction

Secret Pleasure

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