Her blue eyes lock on mine before they quickly pull away. She looks nervous, with her fingers lacing together in front of her, but she straightens her back and squares her shoulders as she raises her chin. Her eyes find mine again, and she wets her thick, plump lips. Her chest is rising and falling quickly as she catches her breath. I can’t help but look her up and down. She’s dressed nicely in a black dress suit. Her white shirt is buttoned up the center, her big chest pulling at the front. Her blond hair is pulled back into a tight, sleek bun, and I can’t help but picture my hands running through it.
I realize I’ve been staring too long by the way her eyes grow wide. It’s like she’s saying, “stop staring at me, you idiot, and pay attention.” I clear my throat. “Everyone, I’m Bryce Moore, and I’ll be the new sheriff in town. I recently transferred in from Denver. I’ve been on the police force for the last seventeen years. I joined right out of high school and have been working ever since.” I look them all over as they stand at attention in a long line in front of me. “I know I look like a no-nonsense type of guy, and while we’re here at work, that is true. But I also like to cut loose, and I plan on taking everyone for a round of drinks every Friday. That is the time to mess around and joke. While we’re here, I want everyone to keep things professional. Got that?”
“Yes, sir,” they all say in unison.
“I also like to keep an open-door policy, for all of you and anyone from town who would like to speak to me directly. I feel we all work better if you know there’s always someone here to talk to about business and personal matters if you see fit. Anything that could affect you on the job. So, don’t forget,” I hold up my index finger. “Keep it professional in the office and on the streets. We’ll have time to kick back at the end of the week.” I hold up my second finger. “My door is always open, and I’m free to talk about anything and everything. Now, let’s get back to work.”
When I dismiss everyone, they go back to work. I turn to head toward my office, but Claire brings the blonde woman to my side. “Sheriff Moore, this is Nina Waters. She’s our IT administrator. She will go back to your office with you and get you all logged in to the computers.” She offers up a smile before walking away.
“It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Waters.” I hold out my hand.
She smiles and slides her small hand into mine. “Please, just call me Nina, Sheriff Moore.”
The moment her hand is in mine, it bursts out with a fit of tingles that travel up my arm. “If I have to call you Nina, you can call me Bryce.”
She shies away. “Okay, sir—er, I mean, Bryce.”
I can’t help but laugh at her shyness and innocence. “Shall we?”
“Yes.” She starts toward my office and stops behind my desk. “Have a seat,” she tells me, so I do. I sit in my chair and turn it toward the computer.
She sets down a piece of paper on the desk. “This is your login ID and password. After you sign in for the first time, it will prompt you to create a new password. I’ll go and get us a cup of coffee while you do that, and then I’ll walk you through our system.” She walks out of the room, leaving me to stare after her.
I shake the thoughts from my head and log in using the info she’s provided. I set up my new password, and she walks in right on time. “All set?”
“I think so. I got a new password, and I’m ready to go.”
She hands me a cup of coffee, and I take a sip. “Mmm, that’s good. Thank you.”
“No problem. I made a fresh pot. Sometimes the coffee will sit all day here. It’s always safer to make your own fresh pot.”
I lean back in my chair. “Anything else I need to know about the lay of the land?”
“Hmm,” she says, thinking as she sits on the corner of my desk. Again, my eyes roam up and down her body, wishing I could see what she looks like underneath all of those clothes. Her black pants hug her round ass nicely, but they’re loose around her long legs. I wish I could see their shape. She’s thin, and with the way the buttons on her shirt are straining, she must have a nice-sized chest as well. I get onto myself for these thoughts. Nothing good can come from them. She’s my employee, and I’m her boss. Not only that, but I’m thirty-five, and I highly doubt she’s anywhere near thirty. My guess would be mid-twenties. Twenty-seven, tops.
“Well, Claire is a huge flirt. It doesn’t mean anything. She isn’t hitting on you; she just can’t help herself. John likes to take massive dumps in the bathroom. He’ll turn the fan off and leave the door open so the smell will creep into the rest of the building. So if you smell something gross, just go and turn the fan on in the bathroom. Danny is a good cop. He’s great, actually, but he’s sensitive and likes to give people more chances than they deserve. So if his ticket ratio goes down, just bring him in here and gently give him a pep talk. Tell him not to let people walk all over him. And this is a small town. Not a lot goes on. Most days, it’s just domestic disturbances and bored kids. But since this town is so small, get ready for the welcome of your life. Everyone will want to be your friend. You’ll have more home-baked goods than you know what to do with.”
“Wow, that’s a lot of info.”
“Don’t worry. If you forget anything, I’ll be here. That small office in the back is mine. Just pop your head in or shoot me a message.”
I smile up at her. “Thanks. So you want to show me how to work this thing?” I gesture to the computer, and she laughs but comes to stand behind me and walk me through the system.
I get to spend the better part of the day with her as she walks me through the system. I feel like I’m back in school learning how to use a computer, but she does a good job of showing me everything.
Around noon, she stands back. “Okay, I think that’s everything. I guess I’ll go to lunch. And don’t forget, if you forget anything I showed you here today, just call.” She smiles before sliding out the door.
I watch her through the windows of my office as she walks through the precinct back to her office. I wonder if she notices the way all the men here look at her. But it’s my experience that women like her rarely do. She isn’t seeking attention or trying to gain a leg up. She seems happy keeping herself locked up back in that office. It makes me wonder more about her. Is she single? Is she the friendly and outgoing type? Or is she the keep to herself and spend her weekends at home alone with a book and a glass of wine kind of woman?
It doesn’t matter because I have no interest in starting a relationship up with anyone, let alone a woman I work with. I push away from my desk and pull my hat on before leaving the station for some lunch. As I’m walking past the front desk, Claire speaks up.
“Oh, sir, here are the keys for the Sheriff’s cruiser.” She holds them out, dangling them off her finger.
“Thanks.” I reach out and take them before walking out to the parking lot and finding the car that reads “Sheriff” along the side. I smile to myself as I climb in. Back in Denver, I wasn’t a sheriff. I was just another deputy. But after being almost killed on the job, I thought a nice quiet town would be the way to go. When I looked and found this position available, I applied immediately, never expecting to get hired. Sure, I had the years under my belt, but I didn’t have the title. This is a major promotion for me, and I don’t plan on doing anything to screw it up. That includes not getting involved with another member of the force.