The Sheriff's Runaway Bride. Arlene James

“I don’t even understand it myself, really. I never wanted to come back to Clayton. I was happy in Denver, and I’ve always intended to get back there, but with Mom and Dad’s financial mess …” She shrugged.

      “You wanted to help your family that much?” Zach asked, feeling humbled. Sure, he’d come back to Clayton to help out family, but he stood to gain, too. He couldn’t positively say that he’d have come back if something hadn’t been in it for him. That brought a twinge of shame.

      Kylie lifted a hand. “Look, my little sister is heading to college in a couple months. She has a scholarship. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be possible. But even with that, it’s going to be a challenge.”

      “You gave up college so she could go.”

      “I just have a single semester to complete. I can do that anytime, online even.”

      “But you won’t until she graduates.”

      Kylie didn’t reply to that. Zach stood transfixed for a moment, caught by the purity of her beauty and the depth of her soul. He didn’t even realize that he’d dipped his head and leaned toward her until a spray of gravel caught his attention. Jerking straight, he glanced around. Others also walked toward the football field, but some who had parked around the square tried to drive the block or so to the school grounds, resulting in what passed for a traffic jam in Clayton. No one seemed to pay them any attention. Besides, he had not almost kissed her just now. Really.

      “I’m parked on Barn Owl between School Road and Goose Lane,” he said, taking her by the arm and walking her along the edge of the green past the grocery. “We can watch the fireworks from the back of my Jeep.”

      “Oh, I didn’t mean to rope you into keeping me company.”

      “I thought you were keeping me company.” He gazed down at her. “Come on. Unless you prefer to sit in the stands.”

      She made a face. “I’m not big on imitating sardines.”

      Zach laughed. Because the stands on either side of the football field might accommodate a hundred people each, she could be right about the crowded conditions. Many would doubtlessly sit outside the chain-link fence around the field in their lawn chairs, but most would want the seats in the stands. Like her, Zach appreciated a bit of breathing room. They weren’t the only ones. Vehicles of every description lined the street.

      He nosed in on the north side. Swinging open the tailgate on the Wrangler, he sat on the bumper and stretched out his legs before him. He crossed his ankles and leaned back on his elbows. Kylie perched on the lip above the bumper and drew up her feet, folding her arms atop her knees. She asked why he’d moved back to Clayton, and he told her about his grandfather’s unconventional will.