Snowfall on Haven Point by RaeAnne Thayne Read Free Book Online Page A

sister’s house instead of his perfectly adequate—and certainly more conveniently located—apartment in Shelter Springs, after all.
    In some vague corner of his mind, he had thought maybe he would wait until after the holidays before he burst in and shook their world completely. He glared down at the stupid cast. He could still go talk to Herm and Louise after the holidays, but some idiot in a stolen SUV had added a complication he never would have anticipated.
    How could he show up now, in this completely useless state, when he couldn’t even go to the grocery store on his own?
    Though he wasn’t really hungry, he forced himself to take another few bites of Andrea Montgomery’s delicious stew. His body needed fuel to heal, and the faster he healed, the faster he could return to work.
    He was on his third bite of stew when his phone buzzed with an incoming text. He set down his spoon and checked the message from Jackie Scott, the assistant he had inherited from the previous sheriff, asking him a question about holiday overtime. He answered her question, which led to two more follow-up texts in quick succession.
    Three texts in a row was his personal limit. More than that warranted an actual conversation instead of an endless string of thumbed communications via text or email.
    He quickly found her number on his phone and Jackie answered on the first ring.
    â€œYou’re not supposed to be working, Sheriff. You should be resting.”
    He didn’t bother reminding her she had been the one to text him about overtime.
    â€œI’ve rested plenty. Just because my leg is broken doesn’t mean my brain is. How are things there?”
    â€œKen Kramer is walking around like he won the lottery since the commission named him acting sheriff. He tried to move into your office, but I wouldn’t let him. I told him you left the door locked and I didn’t have the key, and if he wanted it, he would have to go there and take it from you.”
    â€œI believe I won’t hold my breath,” he said.
    Both of them knew Ken would never do that. On the surface Ken Kramer pretended to be loyal and supportive after Marshall defeated him in the last election, while behind the scenes he whispered and spread rumors. He was the kind of man who was really good at sneaky, underhanded sabotage but didn’t have the stones for outright confrontation.
    He was also a brother-in-law to County Commissioner Newbold. The joys of small-town politics.
    â€œI’ve also got about a hundred things I need you to sign. I’ll try to swing by one day this week.”
    â€œSounds good.”
    Jackie was hyperefficient, organized and the exact opposite of Ken Kramer. Taking over the job a year ago would have been a nightmare without her on his team to help the transition.
    â€œYou should know there are all kinds of rumors flying around about what happened to you. That young reporter from the newspaper called to ask if it was true that you had been airlifted to Boise and were in a coma.”
    â€œYou didn’t tell him the truth, did you? I wouldn’t mind sticking with that story, if it meant I didn’t have to talk to him for a while.”
    â€œYou’re not that lucky,” she answered.
    He glanced down at his broken leg. He wouldn’t call himself lucky, by any stretch of the imagination.
    He and Jackie talked for several more moments about his calendar and meetings he would need to reschedule until the New Year, business details of running a department that employed twenty deputies and ran a jail with up to two dozen inmates.
    By the time they ended the call and he hung up, the rest of the stew was cold and the exhaustion pressing on his shoulders reminded him how little sleep he’d been able to find the night before.
    He was amazed at how wiped this broken leg had left him.
    This wasn’t his first major injury. He broke his arm twice during his wild younger days, once