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Her shoulders slumped.
"It's my job, Savannah. Your id matches, of course. But I had to be sure. It's my responsibility, you understand. You will have to rent a car though. They want theirs back it seems. They wanted to come out and pick you up, but I advised them it might be best to give you a little time. I told them about you staying with your Aunt, so they wouldn't worry about you. And you need to get your license taken care of as soon as possible. I've procured a temporary one from the judge here in town. He, like me thought it best, under the circumstances."
She rolled her eyes, firmed her lips and looked at him. "I guess I should thank you. I wouldn't want to break any laws, Sheriff." She said reaching for the paper in his hands. Her fingers grazed his and she nearly jerked the paper from him. "But I might have known, my parents would be livid. I'll take care of it today, if there's a rental in town."
"Sure, just head south on the highway, you'll see it, on the right. Leave this car there, I'll pick it up this evening, bring it out here, so no one will tamper with it. A car like that, draws interest in these parts."
"Thanks. I thought I'd kill a little time in town, shopping for some clothes."
"You're welcome to stay ..."
"No thanks Sheriff, you've been very accommodating, and I'd like to thank you for everything. I'll leave your sister's clothes at the store, if that's okay?"
He nodded.
She couldn't see his eyes for the sunglasses, and she so wanted to see them. She wanted to know he wasn't mocking her. Now she'd never know exactly what he thought of her.
She extended her hand, and he took it. They shook and she got in the car and drove away from the one man that made her toes curl, her blood zing, and her mind a total blank. It was romantic lust, that's all it was…
Flipping on the radio, she listened to a country and western station, imitating their twang. She rolled down the window and let her hair fly. She did everything to distract herself from the image in her rear-view mirror. He was still staring after her.
As she ran her hands over the jeans in the small clothing store in town, she told herself that it was all for the best. She didn't need the Sheriff. He didn't want a woman and he made that clear. Still that kiss lingered in her mind. It wasn't just a kiss, she told herself. He was making love with his lips. Would there ever be a man that kissed her like that again, that wasn't marriage shy? She doubted it. Besides, it was only a kiss. You couldn't plan a life on a kiss.
Had she blown it up, bigger than it was? Was it her imagination that his kiss was a little more than interested? Surely she had. It seemed all her emotions had been going wild lately. Perhaps being dumped by another man did hurt her ego?
She paid for a stack of clothes, changed into a pair of tight fitting jeans and western shirt. She grimaced at the image in the mirror. She filled out her jeans well enough, but without make-up she looked ever so plain, and just a little younger.
Then she asked the sales lady if there was a place to get a soft drink.
"Sure, the "Done That" saloon is just two doors down."
"Saloon?" She questioned. "Oh, I meant a café or something."
"Well, it's a bar, honey, but the cafe doesn't open till five." The saleslady smiled at her.
"I see, well, would you see that the Sheriff gets these clothes back. They belong to his sister and he was kind enough to let me borrow them."
"Of course, just leave them in the dressing room."
"Thanks." Savannah shrugged. The bar sounded interesting enough to try. She paid for her things and headed down the boardwalk for the saloon.
The door swung just like an old time movie saloon, and she almost giggled. The bar was long and solid oak, a beautiful work of art, Savannah sighed as her fingers ran over the edge. There were benches lined up and a few cowboys scattered in a couple of booths. Two men were shooting pool, and glanced up as she came in.
One winked.
Harmless, she thought.
She headed for the bar and tried to ignore them. But something had her looking again. There went those crazy emotions again. What had happened last night in the dark, scared her, and thrilled her all at once. She shouldn't be so attracted to a man she barely knew. But it didn't mean a thing. And even the handsome Sheriff had called her "sweet". That should have been enough right there to break any spell he might weave. Maybe the Sheriff thought she kissed men all the time. Maybe she thought her fickle, reckless, and maybe even loose. He had to know that sex wasn't part of her life…yet.
If only he knew. He'd have a good laugh. But she had to forget that kiss, and the man behind it. The Sheriff wasn't looking for a lady. And the kiss was meaningless to him. Maybe he kissed lots of women like that. He'd never know that it was a once in a lifetime for her.
Thinking about the kiss, and about the almost marriage to Chad, she felt something inside her rebel. She wasn't good enough, or woman enough for Chad, or perhaps she might have kept him on the straight and narrow, and she wasn't enough to change the Sheriff's mind either. So just where did she stand as a woman?
Wanting to put Ben out of her head, she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands. This was a perfect opportunity to prove something to her bruised ego. A little flirting could go a long way for a girl. It was all in fun, she told herself. In fact, it was exciting. She needed to feel something other than this constant buzz around the Sheriff. He made himself clear more than once and he'd been up front about it. She shouldn't be the least interested in him, either. After all, he'd cuffed her, hadn't he? Had she forgotten that? Obviously she had. Well, even Chad had confused her. To the point of thinking she knew absolutely nothing about men! Maybe she didn't. And maybe, just maybe it was time to find out!
What would it hurt? Innocent flirting, after all, she was long overdue for an adventure. Not attracted to either man, she knew this would be an innocent adventure in womanhood.
Sauntering with her soft drink i
