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ONE
GARRETT
My heart poundsa steady rhythm as I circle the track, sweat sliding down my abdomen. The sun is setting on the horizon, nearly blinding me on the last curve. I squint against it, keeping my gaze focused straight ahead.
Breathe in. Out. In. Out.
Her image filters through my mind, her copper curls glinting as she tosses her head back, her angelic laugh pealing out across the football field. Her forest green eyes dance with humor as they meet mine.
"What do you think, Coach?" Her perfect lips shape the words, and my dick reacts… just like it always does when she speaks to me. Ciara Sharp occupies every damn thought in my mind far more often than she should. Unfortunately for me, she's off-limits.
I'm the high school football coach. She's the older sister of one of my players. The older sister with full custody. She's at every game, damn near every practice. She'severywhere, haunting me everywhere I go.
I passed obsession six stops back, and I can't do a single fucking thing about it. It's driving me out of my mind. She's the sweetest little cherry I've ever met. She works her ass off to provide for her brother and never utters a single complaint. Hell, she works harder than most parents, shows up more than most parents, and makes it look easy.
God knows it hasn't been easy for her. Their parents died when she was nineteen, just a baby herself. But she dropped out of college, came home, and took charge. She holds it together for her brother, Todd. I want to hold it together for her. I ache to wrap her curvy body up in my arms and be the man she leans on.
It pisses me off that I can't be that man without letting down an entire team of kids depending on me. The school frowns upon dating parents or guardians of students. With Edna Hubbard on the school board acting like the morality police, I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. At least this way, I'm the only one hurting.
"Fuck," I growl, jerking my mind away from thoughts of Ciara as my watch vibrates with an incoming call. I glance down, prepared to swipe the call away while I finish my run, but when I see Dillon Armstrong's name on the display, my brows fly upward. Why in the hell is the sheriff calling me now?
As the coach, it's not the first time. I doubt it'll be the last. A few of my boys think the rules don't apply to them because their parents are rich. It doesn't work that way on my team. No one gets a free pass because of their last names or because they play ball.
If it's not one of my players in trouble, it's one of my sisters. God only knows which of them is in trouble this time or what they've gotten into. They're hellbent on making me gray before I'm forty. First, Adalynn nearly got herself kidnapped. Then, Charlie got herself kicked out of college. And then, just a few weeks ago, Leia damn near got herself killed by a bookie while doing a story on his illegal gambling business.
I slow to a stop and swipe to answer Dillon's call.
"Sheriff," I pant, snagging the towel from around my shoulders to wipe my face. "What's going on?"
"Why the fuck do you sound like you're out of breath?" he asks, sounding suspicious. "I know you aren't holding practice right now."
Practice ended an hour ago. I’m running for my job at the moment. Tonight is the monthly school board meeting. They stress me the fuck out, so I run before I show up. Otherwise, God only knows what I’m liable to say when Edna Hubbard climbs up on her high horse like she does every month. The woman is a menace.
"Running," I growl, shaking my head. "What do you want?"
"Just making sure I'm not interrupting something else," he mutters and then sighs. "I need you out at the SSMC clubhouse."
"Why? Which sister is it now?"
"None of them, thank God. I'm still pissed that no one warned me the last time one of your sisters moved to town. I should be first on the memo list," he complains. "You've got three players out here in a busted-up car, and there isn't a license among them."
"Fuck my life." I pinch the bridge of my nose. "Haul their asses in."
"Figured you'd say that," he says. "But figured you might want to know who they are first."
"I don't give a shit who their daddies are, Dillon. If they broke the damn law, take them to jail and call their parents. They know the rules."
"One of them is Todd Sharp. It's his sister's car, and he was the one driving. If anyone goes to jail, it'll be him."
I drop my hand back to my side, cursing. Todd hasn't been in trouble a day in his life. He's a good kid, straight As, easygoing, has a bright future ahead of him. What the hell is he doing borrowing Ciara's car without a license? And wrecking it? She can't afford this kind of shit.
"Does she know he has the car?"
"Apparently not. Her coworker picked her up today. From what I gather, he and his buddies saw the keys and decided to go for a little joyride. Except the idiots can't drive worth a damn. They hit a sign and went off the road. They hit Cash Montoya's SUV."
"Is anyone hurt?"
"Nah, everyone is fine. The boys are shitting bricks that they're all about to go to jail." Dillon chuckles. "I've got them in the back of my cruiser right now, letting them sweat it out."
