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She didn’t have to make inquiries about her father today. She could come back another time and do that if she wanted to.
“Over there, Mom.”
She followed Ritchie’s pointed finger and saw the Ryker Falls group. They made their way there, and she forced her lips up and into a polite smile. Ford was standing next to Nash, Luna, and Quinn, talking. His eyes lifted and locked on to her as she arrived. She saw the dark bruise on his chin. Turning away, Autumn wondered how he’d gotten that between when she left him last night and now.
“Hey there, Ritchie.” Joe held out his hand, and her boy slapped it. “You ready for this, Autumn? It should be a whole heap of fun.”
“Always,” she said as Mr. Goldhirsh jogged by. On his heels were the Robbins sisters. Autumn wondered who was running Ryker Falls today—everyone she knew who owned a business was here.
She tried not to stiffen as Sheriff Dans, Sawyer and Ryder Duke, and three others arrived. All wore khaki T-shirts and shorts except the sheriff, who was now in uniform.
Looked like the competition had arrived.
“Sheriff,” Luke said, stepping forward to shake hands.
“I want a badge like that,” Ritchie said, pointing to the star on the man’s chest. “I’m going to wear one like that when I’m an adult.”
The sheriff dropped down to his haunches, which put him at Ritchie’s eye level. “Did you enjoy your waffles?”
“Yes.”
“And that goal you have to wear a badge like mine is a real good one, Ritchie. You work hard and you’ll get there.”
Her son was clearly ecstatic at having the sheriff talk to him and bounced up and down on his toes.
When Sheriff Dans rose, he introduced the men with him to everyone. “These four are my nephews. Sawyer, Brody, Daniel, and Ryder, and their friend Jay.”
Everyone shook hands.
The Duke brothers were all variations of each other, tall with dark hair and brown eyes. Sawyer was the biggest. His shoulders were huge and his entire right arm was covered in an intricate black tattoo. Brody had long hair that he’d pulled into a ponytail, and Jay the friend looked like he could be a Duke except his eyes were blue.
“Hi, Autumn.” Ryder Duke held out his hand and she shook it. “Nice to meet you.”
“And you.”
“I guess a few people have told you that you look like someone in town?”
“They have.” She felt tense again.
“Well, she’ll probably be a long soon, and you can see the similarity yourself.”
He had a nice smile, and while she didn’t know the brothers, she wondered if this was the gentle one.
She managed to keep her smile in place as he moved on to talk to Nixon.
“I need to talk to you.” The deep words were spoken into her right ear. She didn’t turn to look at Ford.
“No, I don’t want to do that here.” She wasn’t a coward, but he’d hurt her last night, and her feelings for this man were raw and confusing. Autumn didn’t need a confrontation now, so she stepped to the left, which put her next to Quinn, who looked at her and then Ford but didn’t say anything.
“Autumn—”
“For those of you who don’t know me, I’m Tripp Lyntacky,” a voice said through a megaphone, cutting Ford off.
“As if we’d be so lucky,” Sawyer Duke muttered.
“I have the mayor of Ryker Falls with me here today!”
Autumn did a double take at the man’s attire. His tasseled brown suede vest and bright paisley shirt were paired with tight cream-colored pants, and long gray hair and a headband completed the look. The man could pass as an escapee from the seventies.
