The Deputy's Baby. Tyler Anne Snell

spoke together, canceling one another out with no real progress.

      It wasn’t until one voice climbed its way above those of the patrons and staff that the chaos was curbed.

      “Billy! Billy’s down!”

      Cassie’s personal cage loosened around her enough so that she could look toward Suzy. The chief deputy dropped to her hands and knees next to the sheriff, hands already pressing into the gunshot wound in his stomach. Cassie couldn’t look away as blood began to flow onto Suzy’s dark hands.

      Billy didn’t complain about the shot or the pressure.

      He didn’t even move.

      “Are you okay?”

      A new voice was at Cassie’s ear. The weight on her eased off until a man’s concerned expression swam into view. Still, she couldn’t look away from the sheriff. She could almost smell the blood.

      “Are you okay?” the man repeated. “Cassie?”

      Two warm hands came up to cradle her chin. He was gentle as he forced her to look away from the anguishing scene no more than two feet from them. Her boss. Her friend.

      “Are you hurt?”

      It was like he reached out and slapped her. The shock, the fear, the panic turned analytical. Cassie focused on her body, a new kind of worry coursing through her.

      Had they been hurt?

      Other than her racing heart, nothing felt different.

      “Cassie?”

      Clear eyes implored her. She finally recognized them as Henry’s. If they had been in any other situation, she would have been fighting a storm of emotions just at the sight of him. Instead she answered him simply. “I think I’m okay.”

      Henry dropped his hands from her face to her shoulders. He pulled her up but not to her full height. Instead she let herself be led behind the counter that ran the length of the diner. Two waitresses were already huddled there, a reflection of the fear Cassie felt in their faces.

      “Stay here,” Henry ordered. “There could be more than one shooter.”

      She nodded and watched as he disappeared. Without his weight keeping her arms down, Cassie was able to reach up and touch the scar on her neck.

      Then she dropped her hand to her stomach.

      Henry’s voice joined the chorus of law enforcement in the diner. It had been so long since she’d heard it like this. Panic and determination. Fear and anger. Uncertainty and planning.

      And then here Henry was, among them, adding to the group. It had been over seven months since she’d seen him. Now here he was after no contact whatsoever.

      And still he’d tried to protect her.

      Cassie rubbed the bump beneath her loose-fitting shirt.

      Henry Ward had no idea he’d just protected his unborn child, too.

       Chapter Two

      The man who had shot Sheriff Reed had been killed on sight by Chief Deputy Simmons. She hadn’t even needed to leave the diner to do it, shooting through the shattered window from next to the booth. Though the man had taken a hit or two from Deputy Dante Mills and Detective Walker in the process.

      As for who the shooter was? That wasn’t answered until that night inside the department. Suzy, as everyone called her, straightened her back and addressed a room filled to the brim with staff on and off duty. With the sheriff out of commission, she was next in line to lead, and from what Henry had seen of her so far, he more than believed she was ready for the job.

      “I just got off the phone with Mara,” she began.

      Henry knew she was talking about the sheriff’s wife. It wasn’t a secret how much the man loved his wife and two children. It had been a point of envy for Henry when Billy first talked to him. Now it did nothing but make him feel even more for the man. He knew he wasn’t the only one.

      “She said that according to the doctor, he isn’t out of the woods yet. The bullet missed any vital organs, but he lost a lot of blood.”

      The woman paused, pain crossing her expression before she could rein it in. Billy had also not kept it a secret that his chief deputy was his best friend and had been for years. They were even godparents to each other’s children. He was her family just as the rest of the department was. That closeness was apparent in how the room around Henry seemed to be hanging on her every word.

      He couldn’t deny he missed that feeling.

      Camaraderie that was familial.

      “But the doctor also said he’s optimistic,” she continued. A small smile pulled up the corner of her lips. “And we all know how hard-headed Billy is. Knowing him, he’ll be giving out orders by the end of the week from his hospital bed, fussing for his cowboy hat.”

      There was a chorus of laughter and agreement.

      It didn’t last long.

      Neither did Suzy’s smile.

      “The reason we’re all here is a man named Darrel Connelly,” she started again, her tone sharp, serious. A leader addressing those who followed her. “He had no ID on him, but a local police officer recognized him. We ran his name and found that he hadn’t been arrested before, but his brother, Tanner, had been for the attempted murder of his girlfriend. Billy’s testimony sent Tanner to jail, where he was killed in an inmate-led riot. He was Darrel’s only family. So I don’t think it would be going out on a limb to say that Billy was targeted out of revenge.”

      The same group who had laughed in agreement a minute before cursed in unison.

      Henry joined in.

      “However, until we complete an official investigation, no one in the department will comment to the press. Understood?” Suzy didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she took a quick breath and gave a small nod. “While Billy is out, we will continue to do our jobs with the best of our abilities. Any and all questions in the meantime can be addressed to me or Captain Jones. When I know more about Billy’s condition, I will update you. Until then, let’s continue to make the sheriff proud.”

      The room’s mood swung into a cheer before they started to break up. Suzy stayed up front, talking to those who stopped at her side. Almost like a widow after a funeral. Henry just hoped the analogy didn’t come true.

      He stayed to the outskirts of the room, hanging back while the bulk of people filtered out. He looked through the crowd, hoping to see the woman he hadn’t ever thought he’d see again.

      Cassie Gates.

      One of Riker County Sheriff’s Department’s dispatchers.

      Henry hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to her since the diner. After they had secured the area, she’d left with one of the deputies and his wife. She’d been visibly shaken. They all had been, though, if he was being honest.

      “Hey, Ward.”

      Henry turned as Detective Walker came up to his side. He ran a hand through his blond hair and let out a sigh. It was tired.

      “Not how you pictured your first week,” he commented. It wasn’t a question. “Wasn’t how I pictured my week, either, to tell the truth.”

      Henry nodded. “Bad guys don’t take breaks for long,” he said. “My partner used to say that all the time.”

      “I hate that it’s true but it is.” Matt ran another hand through his hair. He’d been the one doing the legwork on Darrel since they got back. Henry imagined he’d have a full, exhausting day tomorrow, too. “One minute we’re eating cake and the next—” The detective cut himself off, anger rising to the surface of his expression.

      Henry