“I think you should take a little time off,” he said. “Keep your head down and have Amanda and the rest of your team find this guy. If he’s in town—”
“I can’t do that,” she cut him off. “I won’t.”
“Spenser—”
She shook her head, not letting him get a word out. “It has taken me a long time to get to where I am right now, Ryker. It’s been forever since I’ve felt this good. This happy. This is my home now, and I finally feel comfortable here. More importantly, I feel comfortable in my own skin again. I’m not going to let him strip me of that by forcing me to hide from him. This animal has already taken enough away from me.”
“I understand where you’re coming from. I understand how you’re feeling. But I also know you well enough to know that sometimes, especially when your blood is up, you dig your heels in when you should probably take a step back. I mean, discretion is the better part of valor—”
“I’m not sure that applies here.”
“It does.”
“I’m not going to hide, Ryker. I have a job to do.”
“Don’t think of it as hiding. Think of it as—”
“It doesn’t matter how I let myself think of it or what euphemism I want to apply. The bottom line is that if I take time off and lock myself away in your house, he wins.”
“Guess what? If he puts a bullet in you, he wins.”
Spenser shrugged. “Sounds like a damned if I do, damned if I don’t kind of situation.”
“Maybe.”
“I’m always going to choose the more proactive path. You know that about me.”
“You could get killed, Spenser. I don’t want to see you get hurt.”
Spenser squeezed his hand again and offered him a gentle smile. “I know you don’t, and I appreciate that. Don’t take this the wrong way, but this isn’t about you. This is about Alex Ricci and needing to bring him to justice once and for all.”
“And this is about you being the one to bring him in.”
“Yeah. Maybe,” she replied. “But I can say with all honesty that as good as Amanda and the rest of my deputies are, they aren’t equipped to handle somebody like Alex Ricci. Not yet. He’s an animal, and he doesn’t play by the rules. I’m not going to let any of them take the punishment that’s meant for me.”
Ryker exhaled, his expression tight and drawn. She knew he wouldn’t hide from danger any more than she was willing to. Especially not when somebody was running around out there threatening his life. It was one of the many ways they were cut from the same cloth.
“Please promise that you’ll be careful, Spenser. Promise me you won’t take any unnecessary or stupid risks.”
“I promise you that I’ll do my best.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled as a wry grin touched his lips. “I suppose that’s the best I’m going to get out of you, huh?”
“Hey, I agreed to stay in the main house with you,” she said with a smile. “Take the win.”
Ryker pulled her to him and wrapped her in a tight embrace. She melted into him, feeling safe and protected in his big, strong arms. Alex was an animal who, judging by the file she’d seen, seemed to take a perverse pleasure in killing other people. He was dangerous. Truth be told, Spenser was more worried about what was to come than she was willing to let on. Ryker was worried enough about her, and she had no desire to add to his mounting pile of concern.
“Sheriff, do me a favor and try this.”
Spenser’s mouth immediately watered as she accepted the small éclair-style pastry from Lori Kavanaugh, the owner and operator of Sweet Dreams, one of the most amazing little dessert shops Spenser ever had the pleasure of enjoying. She made a point of staying well away from Lori’s shop most days, knowing if she went as often as she wanted to, her butt would be far too big for her ugly uniform pants in no time flat.
A groan bordering on the pornographic drifted from her mouth as she bit into the strawberry éclair Lori had handed her. It was only a small, sample sized pastry, a miniature version of the real thing that Spenser wolfed down in two bites. She had barely swallowed it and immediately wanted another. Or maybe twelve.
“These are incredible. Are you entering these in the contest?” Spenser asked.
“These? No. These are for fun. I’m entering my strawberry fritter into the bake-off,” she replied with pride.
“A strawberry fritter? Dear God, I think I gained ten pounds just imagining it.”
“You’ll gain twenty when you actually eat it.”
“I do not doubt that,” Spenser said. “Let me know when you put it on the permanent menu. I’ll have to swing by and try it.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Thanks for the sample. That éclair was amazing,” she said. “And good luck with the bake-off. I’ll be rooting for you.”
“Thanks, Sheriff.”
Still savoring the taste of the éclair that clung to her tastebuds, Spenser gave the woman a smile and walked on. One of the many charms of the town that Spenser enjoyed immensely were the many unique fairs and festivals held throughout the year. They always brought the town out and put everybody in a festive mood. Book fairs, Christmas festivals, and the Founder’s Day festival were all staples, of course. Coming up in a couple of days, though, was the town’s Strawberry Festival. Being a lover of all things strawberry, Spenser found herself looking forward to it.
The atmosphere in the town center was festive. Music was playing, people were laughing, and as everybody was getting their booths and spaces set up and ready for the festival, folks seemed to be having a good time. Spenser walked around the square watching a group of twenty-somethings up on the stage at the far end of the green playing music. They sounded pretty good. Not that she was into poppy punk music, but they were catchy.
In addition to the bake-off, which was the main event of the festival, and the host of other booths and activities lining the town center, there was a list of musical acts playing the festival longer than Coachella. The guys up on stage were tuning up and getting ready for their time slot over the weekend. Everybody seemed so happy and to be having such a good time that Spenser couldn’t help but have that energy rub off on her. It helped take her mind off the crap flying all around her.
