The Maverick & the Manhattanite

Lissa shrugged. “I’m not sure everyone is all that excited about me being here to help.”

Thelma lifted her eyebrows and set a cup of coffee on the counter for Lissa. “Are you talking about Gage?”

Lissa felt a rush of heat rise to her cheeks. “I guess you could say that.”

“Gage blames himself for everything. He doesn’t understand that he doesn’t have the power to prevent a flash flood. He’s been through a lot. We all have, but he will come around. It just may take a bit longer.” Thelma put her hand over Lissa’s. “Give him time. Don’t pay attention to his crankiness.”

Lissa couldn’t help but smile. “I’ll work on it. I’ve heard so many good things about you. Now I understand why.”

Thelma waved her hand in dismissal. “Don’t flatter me. I just want to honor my son.”

Lissa’s heart twisted at the woman’s words and she felt her determination rise inside her even more strongly. She would help Rust Creek Falls. She would make a difference.

No matter what Gage Christensen thought about her.

Before he’d had his second cup of coffee, Gage saw Lissa Roarke walk through the door of his office. His stomach rolled. He wasn’t ready for this.

“Good morning,” she said. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ve thought about the day and I would like to do a little more research on the north side of the county. Do you think you could take me? Or should I ask Will?”

Gage’s head was spinning. “Whoa, whoa,” he said. “Why do you have to talk so fast? Talking fast isn’t going to get anything done faster.“

“I just want to get things done as quickly as possible for your town,” she said. “They’ve been waiting a long time.”

“True, but unless you have recruits ready today, there’s no need to rush,” he said.

Frustrated beyond measure, she barely resisted stomping her foot. “Why are you fighting me on this?” she asked. “Is this personal? Do you dislike what I’m trying to do? If I’m the one who’s causing a problem for you, then maybe I should just call my boss and ask for a replacement.”

“Why are you jumping off a cliff? I just said you talk way too fast. You just need to slow down,” he said.

“You haven’t done anything but give me a hard time. Maybe you would be happier with someone else heading up this project,” she said.

“You just don’t understand what you’re getting into. Your degrees may work in New York, but they won’t do much here,” he said.

“How dare you?” she asked. “I’m just trying to help and all you can do is criticize. You act like I personally made it rain here in Rust Creek Falls. I’m calling my boss so he can have someone else come here to help.”

Shaking all over, but trying to hide it, Lissa turned and headed for the door. She reached for it, but Gage’s hand covered hers.

“Don’t,” he said in a low voice.

She glanced back at him and he lowered his head toward her. He pressed his mouth against hers and her head and heart began to spin. She felt a crazy mix of anger, frustration, desperation and attraction, and her knees buckled from the force of the kiss.

Gage gripped her waist and pulled her against him, his breath heavy. Lissa’s stomach dipped. She couldn’t remember a time she’d felt like this.

Her gaze clung to his for a long moment. Finally, they both took a breath and she stumbled away from him. She took a deep breath, trying to clear her head.

She couldn’t take her eyes from his.

He shook his head and exhaled. “I shouldn’t have done that,” he said and walked away from her.

Lissa’s mind swirled. She locked her knees to keep from falling. She forced herself to pull herself together. How was she supposed to deal with all of this? How was she supposed to conquer her attraction to Gage and help the people of Rust Creek Falls? He’d been prickly enough that she’d been able to resist thinking about him all the time, but she knew there was something under Gage’s surface that she found way too compelling. It was more than his cowboy boots and his Stetson. She just couldn’t ignore the strength he emanated.

She steeled herself against her feelings. She just had to do it. Nothing, not even Gage Christensen, could or should keep her from her goal.

Lissa kept herself occupied at the desk she’d been given at the sheriff’s office with plans for repairs for the next day, but thoughts of Gage plagued her. She had never been kissed like that before. She’d never had such powerful feelings before. Lissa was trying to regain control. She tried to tell herself that Gage hadn’t shaken her to her bones, but it was hard.

At the end of the day when she went back to her room, she decided to give her cousin, Maggie, a call. Maggie was a lawyer and was working hard to negotiate a release for Arthur Swinton in Thunder Canyon. Although she was swamped, Maggie answered her cell phone. “How is it going, sweetie?” Maggie asked. “I hope you don’t feel like I got you shipped to outer Mongolia.”

“No. It’s not that bad,” Lissa said, laughing at Maggie’s reference to the rural nature of where she’d been assigned.

“I hope you don’t feel like you got pushed into this, but Rust Creek Falls needed some serious help and I thought you could give it,” Maggie said.

“It’s okay. Besides, you didn’t send me—my boss at Bootstraps sent me. You just used your influence to get Bootstraps involved. I’m glad to be the project coordinator for this job. Plus, you know what they say about cowboys. It’s all true. I have to say I have never been so thoroughly kissed,” Lissa said, giving a big sigh over the kiss she’d shared with Gage.

Maggie chuckled. “Well, congratulations on finding your real-life cowboy.”

Lissa rolled her eyes. “No congratulations necessary. This cowboy still acts like he can’t stand me.”

“What? How can that be?” Maggie asked.

“I can’t focus on it. I have a job to do,” Lissa said.

“Well, I hope your cowboy will help instead of hinder,” Maggie said.

“Me, too,” Lissa said. “How’s the trial going?”

“Well, they don’t call it a trial for no reason,” Maggie joked.

Lissa laughed. “Seriously, how’s it going?”

“We’re making progress,” Maggie said. “I’m hopeful.”

“Spoken like a true lawyer,” Lissa said.

“Yeah, well, that’s my job,” Maggie said.

“And you do it well,” Lissa said.

“Thanks,” Maggie said. “Take care, cuz. Call me if you need me.”

Lissa sank onto her bed at the rooming house. She definitely felt as if she had bitten off more than she could chew. Dragging her tired body to the bathroom, she washed her face and brushed her teeth then fell into bed. Tomorrow would be a better day.

The next morning, Lissa rose early and indulged in Melba’s breakfast—with limits. She spooned her own portions onto her plate instead of letting Melba do it. Afterward, she took a brisk walk toward the sheriff’s office. What she really wanted was her own wheels, but after her disaster of driving in the snow, she didn’t want to cause any more trouble.

Walking into the office, she heard Gage talking on the phone. She took a deep breath and tried to figure out what to do. She didn’t want to interrupt, but she wanted to get to work.

A few seconds later, Gage stopped talking. Lissa chewed the inside of her lip and walked toward Gage’s office. She peeked inside. “Hiya,” she said.

Gage glanced up at her, his expression clearly displeased. “You’re up early.”

“So are you. We’ve both got a job to do,” she said.

He nodded reluctantly. “True,” he said. “I’ll get Will in here. He can take you around this morning.”

Lissa felt the chill from five feet away. “Thanks,” she said.

“He’ll be here in a few,” he said.

“Okay. I’ll wait in the outer office,” she said.

He shrugged. “Not necessary. You can get some coffee and sit anywhere you like. I have to check in with a few people, so I can’t give you my undivided attention.”

His comment nettled her nerves. “I would never expect your undivided attention,” she told him. “I’ll sit outside until Will arrives, thank you.” And thank you for being a pain in the butt.

Chapter Three

Three days later, Gage was still stone-faced when he dealt with Lissa. The good news was that she was getting work done. The mold consultant arrived and conducted evaluations, then taught her how to do the same, which would be more cost-effective as well as a time-saver. She had additional volunteers scheduled to arrive in just a few days.

She shouldn’t be giving Gage one more thought, but he was stuck in her mind like a mental burr. She couldn’t tell if he was avoiding her because he’d kissed her or because he just couldn’t stand her. Neither prospect thrilled her.

Lissa took her regular post-breakfast stroll to the sheriff’s office, feeling a little less patient than she had been lately. She usually waited until he’d finished his phone calls, but this time she didn’t. She walked right to the door of his office and waved and smiled.

“Good morning, Sheriff,” she said in a low voice.

He shot her a considering glance and disconnected his call. “How can I help you, Miss Roarke?”

“I’m actually kind of tired of you helping me. I’ve respected your advice for several days, but I think I may need to rent an SUV so I won’t be such a burden on the sheriff’s office,” she said.

“You’re not a burden,” he said. “Will is happy to cart you.”

There it was again—the term cart. She gritted her teeth. “I’m sure he has other things he needs to do. I’ll see if I can get a ride to Livingston to rent a vehicle.”

“For my sake and the sake of the entire county, please don’t do that,” he said, standing.

“I’m not that bad of a driver,” she said.

“I have evidence that suggests otherwise,” he said in a dry tone.

“I’ll have you know that’s the only automobile accident I’ve ever had,” she told him.

“Because you usually take cabs or the subway,” he said.

“It’s not going to snow every day,” she argued.

“We’ll get some more weather before you know it. Then what will you do?”

“What everyone else does,” she said. “Soldier through.”

“Sweetheart, trust me on this,” he said. “You don’t need to be tearing up the back roads of Rust Creek Falls. I don’t want to have to rescue you from a ditch or worse.”

“One accident and you talk as if I’m completely incompetent,” she said. “As if I can’t learn how to drive in the snow. You know something, Sheriff Gage Christensen? You are a condescending jerk,” she said and walked away.

Fuming all the way back to the rooming house, she climbed the stairs and decided to work from her room today. She could start scheduling the activities of the group of volunteers that would be arriving soon. Sipping hot chocolate, she made calls to the church, where the volunteers would be staying overnight on cots. She double-checked the availability of blankets and linens and was pleased to learn that the community would help prepare some meals for the volunteers.

Lissa contacted the first group of citizens she would be helping. All of them were excited to be receiving assistance. One young mother had been forced to toss all of her children’s stuffed animals and favorite comforters due to mold. Lissa added those to the list of things she would do her best to replace.

She skipped lunch, working through it instead, doing her best to avoid thinking about Gage. Oh, how he seemed to know exactly how to upset her and make her feel useless. She would show him. What made it worse was that Gage seemed to be so kind to everyone else. What had she done to make him dislike her so much? Except for driving into a ditch, she thought and frowned.

A knock sounded at her bedroom door. “Lissa, this is Melba. You have a visitor.”

Curious, Lissa jumped to her feet and swung open the door. “Visitor? Who is it?”

Melba’s lip twitched with humor. “Head on down to the front door and you’ll find out soon enough.”

Lissa followed the older woman down the stairs until Melba stepped aside and waved her hand toward the front door. “Go ahead.”

Even more curious now, Lissa opened the door to find Gage standing on the front porch. She stared at him in surprise. “What are you doing here?” she asked.

He gave a wry grin that was somehow too sexy for words. “Now is that any way to greet a guy who brought you flowers?” he asked and presented her with a fistful of flowers he’d hidden behind his back.

Shock and pleasure raced through her. “Wow,” she said. “I don’t know what to say.”

“That’s a first,” he muttered.

Lissa frowned at him and seriously considered giving back the flowers.

Gage lifted his hands. “Hold on. I’m here to apologize. You’re right. I’ve been acting like a jerk lately.”

Lissa dropped her jaw, shocked for the second time.

He sighed. “I haven’t been myself since the flood. I shouldn’t have—” He cleared his throat. “Kissed you and then taken out my frustration on you. It wasn’t fair. If I act like a jerk again, I give you permission to haul off and slug me.”

“Oh, I have to confess I’ve imagined what it would be like to haul off and slug you, but the kiss,” she said with a laugh. “The kiss wasn’t bad.”

He blinked then shot her a smile so charming it took her breath away. “Let’s start over. Hi. I’m Sheriff Gage Christensen,” he said and extended his hand. “And you are?”

She couldn’t resist returning his smile and his handshake. “I’m Lissa Roarke. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“I’m gonna make sure it’s very nice to know you,” Gage said.

Lissa felt a funny little twirling sensation in her stomach. “I look forward to that,” she said, and she really did.

* * *

The next morning, she walked to the sheriff’s office and sat at the desk she’d been given in the corner of the front room. She made a list of the calls she planned to make. She was getting excited that the first volunteers would be arriving soon and she could do more than plan. Soon, she would be able to make those promised repairs happen.

A few seconds into her work, a coffee cup and muffin appeared in front of her. She looked up, surprised to find Gage delivering the caffeine and sugar. “Thank you very much. How did I rate this?”

“You’re overdue. You rated it before you got here. Though you might not have any room for that muffin if Melba fed you before you left,” he said.

“I’ve learned how to scoot out the back door if I don’t want a full country breakfast. Some mornings, it’s the most delicious splurge in the world. Other mornings, I don’t want that much food.”

Gage chuckled. “In my world, I’d love to have that kind of breakfast every day. But maybe not having it’s for the best.”

Lissa took a big bite of the muffin and chewed on the pastry.

“Looks good,” Gage said in approval.

“It is,” she said and took another big bite of the muffin.

“Gage,” the dispatcher called from across the room. “Harry Leonard’s lawn ornaments were stolen again.”

Gage groaned. “Somebody needs to give his neighbors’ teenage kids something to do. Looks like I may have to be the one. Tell him I’ll be right over.” He turned back to Lissa. “Let me know if you need anything. Will is escorting a prisoner to Livingston.”

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