AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Raith nearly swallowed his tongue.
Dad? Holy hell, he hadn't seen that coming. Closing his eyes briefly as he winced, Raith envisioned his entire career ending in a sudden and imminent disaster. One little call from the judge to the sheriff, and Raith would be without a job faster than he could tear up Willow DeVane's stupid ticket.
But the judge surprised the hell out of him when he muttered, "You can afford the fine," before adding, "and don't call me old."
"But he—"
As she swung her arm around to point accusingly at Raith, her father interrupted. "Quit giving Deputy Malloy a hard time and let the man do his job. Take the ticket."
Her mouth fell open. "Even though he threatened to break my tail light?"
The judge treated Raith to a questioning glance.
Not one to blush, Raith managed to keep his face bland. But just barely. Inside, he cringed and cursed the sexy red-tinted brunette all to hell. The woman couldn't take a joke, could she?
"I don't recall doing anything of the kind."
She growled. "Someday, you're going to regret messing with me, Deputy Malloy."
He lifted his eyebrows. "Now look who's threatening who."
She gasped and opened her mouth to say God-knew-what. But fortunately, her father stepped in, grabbing her elbow, and urged her toward her BMW. "Willow! Get in the car before the boy arrests you."
Raith grinned. "Sounds like good advice to me... Willow."
She shot him a look to kill. But with both him and her father ganged up against her, she must've known she'd lost the battle.
"This is freaking unbelievable." Spinning away, she yanked open the driver's side door.
As soon as she climbed inside and slammed it, Raith regarded the judge. "Thank you, your honor."
The not-so-decrepit old man let out a tired sigh. "I hope you believe me when I say she gets that spirit from her mother."
Raith's smile spread. Oh, he believed that, all right. He had never seen the judge as anything but calm and level-headed.
DeVane shook his head. "She was hell to raise."
Raith chuckled. "I can imagine."
After glancing at Willow DeVane through the window with a worldweary expression, though, the judge's features softened into a fond smile. Then he cleared his throat and turned back to Raith. "Have a good day, Deputy." Leading with his crutch, he tottered back onto the curb to inch his way around the BMW to the passenger side. Raith stepped forward to assist him, but the judge waved him off, treating him to a look that snarled don't even try 'cause I'm really not that old, so he quickly jerked back.
As soon as the judge's back faced him, Raith slid his gaze down to the sexy lawyer. She had already started the engine and waited like the good girl her daddy had told her to be. But she scowled up at him when she saw his mocking grin.
In return, he touched two fingers to his lips and blew her a kiss.
The go-to-hell glare she volleyed back told him she would like nothing better than to fly out of her car and strangle him, but her father had already opened the passenger side door and was gingerly sliding in next to her; she was forced to take hold of the crutch he handed her.
Raith chuckled as she pulled from the curb, until a static-filled voice rattled from his portable, calling his number.
He glanced at the booklet in his hand and cursed. The damn woman had gotten out of her ticket.
He could fini
sh it and mail the parking violation to her, but at this point, he didn't even feel like bothering.
Unclipping the radio, he lifted it to his mouth and returned, "Ten twenty-two, County."
"Ten four," came back the answer as dispatch disregarded his request for tag information.
