Not while we’re around, Ty agreed.
“It doesn’t help that I mostly see people when I’m there to arrest them,” she said, muffled by his shirt.
“That does seem like it would get in the way of making friends,” Ty agreed. “There, see? All you have to do is hang out with some people in a non-arresting situation. How often do you do that?”
There was a moment of silence. Then Misty pulled her head back to look up at him. Her expression was rueful. “Sometimes I interview people as witnesses.”
Ty couldn’t help the snort of laughter.
She had a tiny smile growing on her face. “I talk to Betty every day. And my deputies.”
“At the station?”
“At the station,” she confirmed. “Or in the Jeep.” She wrinkled her nose; it was impossibly cute. “I guess you might be right. It’s maybe time to get out more.”
“Fortunately for you, opportunity has come knocking,” Ty said triumphantly. “Follow me to Nate and Ken’s house?”
“I know where the Davidson house is,” Misty said. “I arrested some people there once.”
Ty couldn’t help it: he started to laugh.
After a second, she joined in, shaking her head. “All right, all right. I guess I see the problem.”
“No worries,” Ty said, letting his arms drop from around her shoulders with some reluctance. “We’re fixing it.”
Misty lingered for a long moment before stepping back. “I suppose we are.”
***
Misty
Misty hadn’t really known what to expect. Who all was going to be at the Davidsons’ house? Were they genuinely welcoming her, or had they just agreed with Ty to make him happy (because who wouldn’t want to make Ty happy?).
And why was she so suddenly aware of how much she wanted Ty to be happy?
It was all very confusing, and she pulled into the Davidsons’ drive and got out of her Jeep with the same amount of trepidation she’d had the last time she’d been here—when she’d been arresting violent home invaders.
Frankly, violent home invaders were a bit less scary than trying to sit and make friends.
It wasn’t like she didn’t know the Davidson sisters socially, at least. She even quite liked Lynn, who was about Misty’s age and had a no-nonsense, get-it-done attitude that Misty truly appreciated.
They’d all gone to school together, too. And maybe Misty and Lynn would’ve been friends, if Misty hadn’t been so devoted to her schoolwork, her sports teams, and her father’s homemade training regimen for Misty’s eventual succession as sheriff.
With that, plus the fact that he’d worked a lot and she’d had to make her own dinner most nights, she hadn’t ended up having much time for friends. And as soon as she’d gone through the police academy, she’d turned into just as much of a workaholic as he’d been.
Well, it was time to change that. Apparently.
So she joined Ty, who was waiting for her up the drive with that big smile on his face. The smile steadied her. She knew Ty was happy to have her here. There was no way he was manufacturing that grin.
And if it turned out the others weren’t genuinely welcoming, well, she could make her excuses and leave. Nothing was stopping her.
So she came forward and let Ty lead the way to the front door.
It was opened before he could knock, with Lynn’s mate, Ken Turner, on the other side. He had a grin on his face to rival Ty’s. “You show your face again!” he said, pulling Ty in for a back-slapping hug. “We thought you didn’t like us anymore.”
“Not sorry,” Ty said over Ken’s shoulder. “See, I’m here now.”
“And the more the merrier,” Ken said, pulling back and extending his hand to Misty. “I think we’ve only met when you were on duty before. I’m Ken.”