“Are you a shifter?” His voice was low. “It’s rude to ask, but it seems wrong that I don’t know.”
“Oh—I forgot that you didn’t, actually,” Misty confessed ruefully. “Don’t feel like it’s rude. Of course you want to know. I’m...well, I’m a deer. Actually.”
His eyebrows shot up. “A deer.”
“I know, it’s unusual. We’re all unusual, the deputies and me. Gene’s a raccoon, and the others are regular humans.”
He looked like she’d felt when she was trying to process the idea of Zeke or Ryder as deputies. “Policing wolves? And—I assume—bears, and cougars, the sorts of predators you see out here in the mountains?”
“Yup,” she confirmed, feeling the thrill of pride that always swept over her when she really thought about it. “And doing a damn good job of it, if I do say so myself.”
“You should.” He whistled through his teeth. “You must have a hell of a hold on your instincts.”
“Sort of.” Misty thought about how to explain this. “My dad taught me how to make it work. He was a deer, too—a stag. And he made sure I understood that being a deer isn’t all about being frightened and running away. It’s about observation, and quick thinking. It’s about making sure that you have all the skills, all the experience, necessary to prevent something bad from happening. And that’s what good police work is, too.”
“I wouldn’t have thought of it that way,” Ty said slowly, “but I can see how your dad was absolutely right. Deer are incredibly quick thinkers, and reactors. They have to be to survive. That’s genius.”
Misty smiled. “Thanks.”
“But what about really violent encounters, like today? I saw you. You were standing square between Gene and a charging wolf, pointing your gun at him without flinching. You can’t tell me that’s a deer’s natural instinct.”
“Well,” said Misty, “that’s where it’s important that I’m a human as well as a deer. After all, you’re not pouncing on every tasty meal that you see and tearing into it with your claws, are you?”
As luck would have it, the waitress appeared at that exact moment with their steaks. Ty waited only just until she’d turned her back, and then stabbed his knife into the meat with a playful growl.
“You haven’t seen me around food yet,” he said, and winked.
Misty laughed out loud.
***
Ty
Ty saw heads turning as Misty laughed. He wondered how often the people around here heard that gorgeous, bell-like laugh.
Not very often, he’d guess. When Misty had talked about her job, her forehead had wrinkled, her mouth set in a serious line. It hadn’t made her any less beautiful, but she’d looked determined. Almost intimidating.
No, Ty thought, she had looked intimidating. It was just that Ty wasn’t intimidated by her—he was drawn to her instead. He wanted to help solve the problems she was talking about, and he wanted to see the person underneath the intimidating looks.
Her laugh faded, but she was still smiling, her hazel eyes sparkling. He was getting a taste right now, seeing the woman behind the sheriff, and it was only whetting his appetite for more.
He couldn’t believe she was a deer. It must take such incredibly bravery to overcome her instincts in situations like today’s fight.
Although he could absolutely see what she meant about quick reflexes and attention to the smallest details being very important for police work. But the way she’d stood rock-solid in the woods, staring down a charging wolf...
Her father had been a stag. Ty could see it more easily with a stag—those antlers weren’t just for show. So maybe he was letting animal-kingdom gender roles blind him to the fierceness that a deer could really have.
Or maybe Misty was just exceptional.
Or both. Ty was willing to accept both.
“Are there are a lot of deer shifters around here?” he asked, wondering if there was a whole crowd of tough stags and does out in the woods somewhere.
But Misty shook her head. “You’d think so, but no. A few generations ago there were more, but Dad always said they left town because they didn’t like how many predators there were around here.” She smiled a little. “He said he and my mom were the last holdouts who were determined not to be scared of a few sharp teeth.”
Ty smiled. “I believe that.”
Misty took a deep breath. “But my mom passed away when I was just a baby, so it was just Dad and me when I was growing up.”