AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Does he know—”
“No,” I blurted. “Wait, how do you know?”
He leaned in and talked in a hushed tone. “Laney called Kate in a panic. I dropped Kate there to help.”
Laney’s SUV flew past on the small dirt road with Kate in the driver’s seat.
“There they go,” Peter said.
“The ambulance should be here soon. Hope they end up in the same place.”
“They should. Can we move him?” Peter asked.
I shook my head. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. His head is bleeding, and I’m not sure if anything is broken.”
“What’s going on?” Frank asked. “Let me up. Nothing is broken. I can tell.” He tried to sit up, and I pushed him back down.
“Stay down!” Peter and I yelled. Frank lay back down and then passed out again.
Jacob came out of the barn. “Is he okay?”
“Yeah, but how much longer?” I asked.
“I think I hear them.”
The sound of sirens pierced the air as an ambulance came to a halt near the fence. Two paramedics jumped out. I recognized the guys since we worked together. There was little time for chitchat as they assessed Frank’s injuries. They loaded him up and were off, headed to Oak Crest General, which was where Kate had taken Mindy.
“I’m going home to see how Laney is,” Jacob said. “Keep me posted.”
“I will,” I promised
“Ready?” Peter asked.
“Yeah. I’ll follow you there.”
Peter took off, and I went to check on the animals. I wanted to wait and check in with Charlie to make sure he was good since there was one more group of day campers coming for a roping demonstration today. Charlie and his best friend, Skip, could handle it, but I wanted to make sure before I left.
AN ANNOYING CHIMING SOUNDpulled me from my sleep. I rubbed at my eyes and got out of bed to find where it was coming from. I bent down and dug through my discarded pants from the night before. My phone was in the pocket, almost dead.
The morning sun streamed in through my window like a laser beam. I groaned and walked over to yank the shades closed.
What the hell time was it? The phone read seven when I plugged it in. I needed to be at the station in an hour. I looked at my phone again. I had a missed call from Peter and a text message.
Peter:Mindy had the babies. They’re all doing well and resting. Come by whenever you want. Kate and I are going home to sleep for a few days.
I chuckled at the last part and sent Peter a text thanking him for letting me know and telling him I’d be up there in the afternoon. I’d spent two hours at the hospital with Frank last night. I knew I had to work this morning, so when Peter said he and Kate were staying, I took off.
Frank had a concussion and a few bruised ribs, but other than that, he would be okay. I, on the other hand, was not okay. It tore me up to see him lying on the ground like that. Brought on nightmares about another accident years before.
My anger was at an all-time high, and I wanted to hide away from the world. But that wasn’t an option since I was the sheriff. I got up and stretched. Shiloh danced around my feet while I got dressed in my uniform.
We made our way downstairs, and I let her out while I filled her bowl. Then I started on breakfast. I tried to eat a healthy breakfast every morning and not live on the clichéd donuts and coffee. Once in a while, a good donut or muffin from Grateful Cup was necessary. Elouise had the best baked goods and coffee.
I made a mean omelet, though, and thankfully I’d gone to the grocery store the other day, so the fridge was stocked. I took out all the ingredients I needed for a farm omelet and got to work. Time was dwindling, and I needed to leave. I’d set the coffeepot timer the night before, so at least I had fresh, hot coffee.
Once I’d finished breakfast and let Shiloh out again, I filled my travel mug and stepped outside. The sun was bright, the sky was clear, and it felt warmer than it had the last few days. I stood on my front porch and closed my eyes.
Birds chirped, and I could faintly hear a mower in the distance. I loved this house. The location was perfect—on the same street as the police station and only one block away from Main Street. I’d been looking for a while, but most of the houses either needed a lot of work or were too much space for a single guy. This house had a nice backyard and enough space to start a family.
