The man named Zep didn’t seem to be worried about the oncoming rain. He gave Major a thumbs-up. “Thanks for that. I’ll let you know if the rabies tests come back positive.”
“What?” She turned his way.
He shook his head. “I didn’t get bitten, though it was a close thing. And I took some pictures. Did you get my texts?”
“Deputy? My daughter is very irritated with me and obviously needs some space.” Her mom had her handbag over her head, making it clear that her hair was more important than any designer bag. She stood outside the safety of the gazebo, a clear sign that she truly understood how upset Brynn was. Her mom always knew when it was time to give her space. “But I can’t leave until I know someone will bring her home. I don’t think she should get into that golf cart Ally loves.”
“No one should,” Major replied. “Seriously, it’s not legal. Anyway, I’ll make sure she gets home.”
It was all her mom needed to hear. She ran back toward the clinic as fast as those Chanel pumps would take her, probably to try to protect her precious hair from the rain.
It was good to know she hated wet hair more than Major. It was also nice to see that her mother—no matter how overbearing she could be—respected her enough to give her space when she clearly needed it.
He’d texted her?
She pulled her phone from her pocket and sure enough, there they were. Pictures of the sky. He had to have taken them while he was lying on his back, camera facing up toward the sun.
“I hope they help,” he said, taking a seat.
She sat down across from him, looking down at the pictures. He’d taken them because she couldn’t. He’d thought about what she’d missed and made sure she had an alternative. “They’re beautiful.”
“I’m glad, because taking those pictures resulted in me having to help Zep round up raccoons. They had colonized the trash bin behind the convenience store.” Major sat back. “I’m pretty sure they’re responsible for several theft incidents that have been reported lately. All snack foods. They like snack foods.”
For the first time in days, she felt a real smile cross her face. She put the phone away. It could wait. “Tell me all about it.”
She sat back and listened as the rain fell softly around them.
chapter eleven
“Okay, so according to Zep we have a real raccoon problem on our hands.” The sheriff stood in the middle of the main room of the station house, his fists on his hips as he stared out at his employees. He looked like a man going to war.
With raccoons.
Brynn looked up from the desk she’d been assigned to. It was a bank of two desks facing each other. Gavin sat on the other side when he wasn’t out with the sheriff. They’d fallen into a pattern for the last week. They shadowed the officer they’d been paired with, working the same hours, though their version of work was mostly hanging out, asking questions, and getting out of the way when they needed to.
It had been a peaceful week. She liked Roxie a lot, and she’d spent some time with the deputy and her handsome, funny husband, Zep, who turned out to be Seraphina’s younger brother. She’d been invited to dinner, where the couple had grilled steaks and told her stories about living in their quirky town.
She and Gavin had also been invited to the LaVigne house. It was busy and happy and chaotic.
But she hadn’t had more than a glimpse of Major since that rainy day in the park. She’d seen a schedule and knew he usually worked the same shifts as Roxie, but she’d been told he’d changed with Landon Price. Roxie had mentioned something about spending time with his dad.
She rather thought he’d changed his schedule so he wouldn’t be around her.
“Isn’t that Zep’s problem?” Landon asked. “He’s in charge of animal services.”
Roxie looked up from the paperwork she’d been doing. Paperwork, Brynn had learned, was a whole lot of her job. The screenwriters got that wrong. “Yes, he’s in charge all by himself with no staff except a couple of high school volunteers who really just want to pet dogs and cats. We can’t send them out to fight a war.”
Landon’s eyes rolled. “War?”
“Well, someone taught one of those raccoons how to open the doors to the crates Zep had them in.” Roxie put her pen down and sat back. “We were scheduled to release the little suckers on protected land two days ago but Brian got out, and we’re pretty sure he was the one who sprung the other three. I think they waited until Zep came in and snuck out the back. He likes to leave that back door open. Says there’s a nice breeze in the morning.”