Page 1 of Jaxson

Chapter One

“Fuck off,” Jaxson Riggs said, as he exited Elizabeth Carly’s house. He was angry—no, scrap that, he was pissed off—that the forty-year-old mother of three had tried to seduce him. Not only that, she had even implied if he didn’t fuck her, she was going to tell the whole town he had raped her.

He was not a man to be threatened, and he refused to help the Carlys in any fucking way. They always tried to get out of paying, and Elizabeth was a horndog who fucked anything that walked. He had no idea why her husband put up with it.

The whole family was a shit show, but they had messed with the wrong man. He was not afraid of idle threats, and it probably helped that he had such a blunt and honest opinion on everyone and everything, so no one was going to believe her. However, rather than sit on his ass, he climbed into his truck and went straight to Old Man Daniels, who was also the sheriff in their small, piece-of-shit town, Higher Ridge.

Storming inside, he saw no receptionist at the front desk, but he knew where he was going, and he found Daniels on his cell phone, scrolling. The moment he entered, Daniels jumped.

“What the ever ... damn it, Jaxson, don’t you knock?”

“Where’s Lucy?” he asked, referring to the young receptionist that had taken over from Edna.

“It’s her day off,” Daniels said.

“You think that is wise?”

“Why, because of a crime spree running through Higher Ridge?” Daniels rolled his eyes. “I’ve been sheriff for thirty years, and trust me, other than potential alien invasions, I think I would be out of a job.”

“Elizabeth Carly has just threatened to accuse me of rape for not fucking her,” he said.

Daniels groaned. “Again?”

“Again?” Jaxson asked, a little confused.

“I had Rusty, the rancher, in here just the other week, telling me the exact same thing.”

“Did she follow through with it?” Jaxson asked.

“Nope, I think it is her way of attempting to blackmail you to have sex with her.” Daniels shrugged. “Duly noted.”

Jaxson sighed. “You know what she’s doing is wrong, right?”

Daniels nodded. “I’m aware of it, and the moment she tries to accuse anyone, I will deal with it. This badge is not part of a costume, you know. I take my job very seriously. There is only so much I can do.”

“What-fucking-ever.”

He hated this piece-of-shit town and had attempted to leave it many times. In fact, he did leave it, only this town was nothing compared to the outside world. He had dreams of making it as a big tattoo artist. Had his hopes set on making it large, only those had fizzled and gone to shit in less than six months.

City life was horrible. He hated to admit it, but he rather liked living in a town where everyone knew everyone, and in their own way had each other’s backs. He’d come home, and his father had paid him to go to college, where he qualified to become an electrician, then a plumber, followed by the guy they called when they needed any odd job done. He was damn good at what he did, even if he had a bad reputation.

Jaxson never minced words. He was grumpy as fuck, not that it stopped him from getting laid. He loved to fuck. And there were plenty of single women in Higher Ridge who liked to ride his cock. He had one rule, though—he never played with married women. He actually believed in the sanctity of marriage, and that was because his own parents were still very much in love.

He knew it always amazed people that Mark and Susan Riggs had given birth to a very mean, grumpy son. At least, he was with everyone else, but he adored his parents. They were good parents, and when he was a teenager, he hadn’t been easy. His father had kept him in line. There had been one point when he’d been determined to run away. He didn’t like playing by the rules, and he certainly didn’t think they applied to him. His father had found him at the Higher Ridge border, right at the sign, with a single bag packed.

“Is that it, son? You can’t handle a few rules designed to keep you safe? You think the whole world is going to put up with you breaking the rules? Go ahead, make a go of it, but remember, whatever you do out there, I can’t help you. In here, you’ve got a chance.”

The rule he’d been pissed off about was the 10:00 PM curfew. He didn’t want to be ruled by his father’s time. He wanted his own.

For a good hour or two, he sat at that border and waited, only to get up, turn around, and meet his father at the front door. He would find out a few months later that his own father had done the same to his father. It was expected.

He loved his dad, and when he had a scare nearly five years ago and came close to losing him, Jaxson knew his place was at Higher Ridge.

Jaxson stormed out of the sheriff’s building and went back to his truck. He had a full afternoon of appointments. There was never a dull moment in Higher Ridge, and as he looked across the parking lot, he watched as Tillie Short climbed out of her car. Her blonde hair was curled, but she had pulled it up into a single clip at the back of her head. By her side was the small Jack Russell she had saved a few years ago. The dog’s name was Belle, and Tillie adored her.

He couldn’t look away. Out of all of the people in Higher Ridge, Tillie was like a breath of fresh air. He watched as she padded her way toward the fabric shop, and knowing her, she would be in that place for hours.

He couldn’t look away. She was absolutely stunning and one of the nicest women he had ever met. Six years younger than him, and no man had married her yet. He never heard any nasty rumors. In fact, no one knew anything of her romantic interests.