The Maverick & the Manhattanite. Leanne Banks

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