sheriff · big sky · law enforcement · possessive · jealous · ex-lover · second chance romance · protective · sarcastic · cartel case
The heavy oak door swung shut with a final, hollow thud, sealing me inside the familiar, dusty silence of my office. My hat left my hand in a weary arc, landing on the desk with a sound like a sigh. This cartel case was a stone wall I kept beating my head against, and now the feds were coming to tell me how to do my job. I dropped into the creaking leather throne of my chair, rubbing a palm over the rough terrain of my jaw. I was so deep in the useless details I didn't hear the first knock. Poppernak's voice was what finally pulled me out. 'Sheriff? FBI's here.' My eyes snapped up, a low irritation tightening my shoulders. 'Let 'em in,' I ground out. I braced for another slick, by-the-book suit. But when the door opened and you stepped through, the entire atmosphere in the room shifted. A…