Page 25 of Caught With the Sheriff

My brain freezes and I smile slowly. I love him. I love Jasper Lockhart. The Sheriff Of Whispering Pines.

I’m in love with that huge snack of a man. I pause.

I need to get to him.

My brain scrambles and I can’t remember what you’re supposed to do to get out of a car trunk.

But then I remember the latch that’s supposed to release the trunk. My fingers feel around in the dark and I growl under my breath. Cursing under my breath I finally find something that feels wrong and I pull at it, feeling the trunk fly up and dust and dirt chokes me. Sun blinds me.

Then the car slams to a stop and I jump out on unsteady feet. This is my last chance.

“Let’s go, bitch. You need to find him.”

I turn and run even as a roar of anger erupts behind me. “Dammit, Willow! Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“Anywhere you aren’t,” I mutter under my breath, slipping and siding into the woods and running wildly. Branches whip into my face and I push down the screams of pain. I roll my damn ankle and tears spurt to my eyes.

But I’m not giving up.

I have something to go home to now. And I’m not letting somebody take all that away from me.l

I want the romance, the fairy tale, the happy ending. I want the grumpy prince charming with a badge and a gun.

The guy that only loses control with me.

I hear crashing off to my right and I head to the left, slowing down and making myself be more careful.

I can hear him really fucking well. So if I race around here, he’ll be able to track me in a heartbeat.

I’m not letting him win this time.

I duck behind a tree and then put my hand over my mouth when something big crashes right by me, heading past me at a run.

The crashing disappears and all I hear is my panting breaths. I slip out of the shadows and duck my head, running silently through the woods.

It feels like I’ve been running forever but then I hit the edge of the woods and poke my head out, not sure if I should go or stay.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.” With that pithy little statement I drag myself out of the woods and down the trail. I think I’m heading down the mountain but I’m not sure.

So I jog slowly, keeping one eye peeled at all times for that idiot or for Jasper.

A car appears and I freeze, not sure if I should run into the woods or not.

Until a huge, familiar figure steps out and jogs towards me. “Jasper!” I holler.

I throw myself into his burly, muscular arms and finally take a deep breath, tears in my eyes. His scent is all around me and I breathe even deeper, sucking the spicy, clean, masculine scent of him into my lungs. Like fresh air and the mountains around us.

“Dammit, woman. You scared the fuck out of me,” he mutters into my hair, holding me tight.

“I didn’t mean to. I didn’t get a chance. He snuck up behind me.”

“Same guy,” he growls.’

He nods my head. “Good. This time I’m gonna make sure that fucker goes away for a long fucking time.”

Smiling into his uniform shirt I let the happiness wash over me. “I love you, Jasper.”

He jerks away from me and just for a minute I wonder if I should have told him that.