Chapter One
Bobby Barton sat in the farthest corner table in the diner with his back to the wall so he could watch the door. His friend, Jared Gordon, sat opposite, coffee mug in hand.
It was a sad day when a man, an officer of the law no less, had to sneak out of his house in the middle of the night just to have a moment of private conversation with a buddy.
While absently playing with the sugar packets on the table, Bobby laid out his plan. “So tomorrow, five-thirty a.m., I’m heading to the lake to go fishing. If she wants to be with me every waking moment I’ll show her exactly how awake I can be. You wanna come?”
Jared winced. “Not really, but I will. You sure are going to a lot of trouble to make this girl’s life miserable. What’d she ever do to you?”
“You mean besides her and her cameraman trying to follow me every damn place I go, including to the men’s room?”
Jared laughed.
“Sure. It’s real amusing for you, Jared. Your producer is your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, which means I can’t let anyone know she’s my girlfriend so her network doesn’t fire her.”
Bobby sighed. “All right. So we agree this damn reality show has put a kink in both our lives?”
“Damn straight.” Jared nodded. “But it’s only for eight weeks, and it’s good for the businesses around here. At least that’s what you told me when you were trying to convince me to agree to it in the first place.”
Jared was right. Bobby had been for the idea in the beginning, and it was good for the small businesses in town. Mac had even had to add an extra shift at the diner when he started staying open into the wee hours of the morning to accommodate the television crews who were taping late. It turned out the local honky-tonk bar in town was providing quite a bit of grist for the television mill. There was a crew at the bar until closing every night. That was why Bobby was safely free of cameras at the diner at the moment. The camera crew assigned to the diner during the day usually moved to the bar until closing each night, hoping to capture drunks at their worst.
His own personal hell—uh, crew—had gone back to their rooms at The Hideaway for the night, thinking he was tucked safely away asleep in his bed at home. That was exactly what he’d wanted them to believe, before he snuck back out like a teenager breaking curfew.
“She is cute though.” Jared’s voice cut into Bobby’s ponderings about why they’d ever agreed to the taping of this damn TV show.
He glanced up at his friend. “Who? Your girlfriend, Mandy? I should hope you think she’s cute since you’re sleeping with her.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “I was talking about your producer. Christy. Don’t seem like such a hardship having that pretty face shining up at you day and night.”
Bobby groaned. Yeah. She was cute. She was also as tenacious as a pit bull and had the nose of a bloodhound. “Maybe under other circumstances I’d agree with you. But damn it, Jared, do you know all I had to do to wrestle that tape of me punching Cole at the ball field away from her?”
Jared grinned. “You still have it? I’d love to watch that. You, Mr. Cool, losing his head.”
Bobby scowled at his supposed friend.
Jared shook his head at him, still grinning. “Oh, stop giving me that look, Bobby. It’s funny. All right. Tell me, what’d you have to do to get the tape? Was it good?” Jared waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Bobby sighed and ignored Jared’s insinuations in favor of more bitching. “I had to agree to let them ride with me from now on during my shifts. I’d been able to at least get away from them when I was in the patrol car answering calls around town. I’d convinced them it was the sheriff’s policy, no civilians in the car. But now that’s over.”
“Hmm. A tape of you, the local deputy, punching out the famous pitcher Cole Ryan at a little league game, or you sitting in your car drinking coffee while taking a radio
Bobby Barton sat in the farthest corner table in the diner with his back to the wall so he could watch the door. His friend, Jared Gordon, sat opposite, coffee mug in hand.
It was a sad day when a man, an officer of the law no less, had to sneak out of his house in the middle of the night just to have a moment of private conversation with a buddy.
While absently playing with the sugar packets on the table, Bobby laid out his plan. “So tomorrow, five-thirty a.m., I’m heading to the lake to go fishing. If she wants to be with me every waking moment I’ll show her exactly how awake I can be. You wanna come?”
Jared winced. “Not really, but I will. You sure are going to a lot of trouble to make this girl’s life miserable. What’d she ever do to you?”
“You mean besides her and her cameraman trying to follow me every damn place I go, including to the men’s room?”
Jared laughed.
“Sure. It’s real amusing for you, Jared. Your producer is your girlfriend.”
“Yeah, which means I can’t let anyone know she’s my girlfriend so her network doesn’t fire her.”
Bobby sighed. “All right. So we agree this damn reality show has put a kink in both our lives?”
“Damn straight.” Jared nodded. “But it’s only for eight weeks, and it’s good for the businesses around here. At least that’s what you told me when you were trying to convince me to agree to it in the first place.”
Jared was right. Bobby had been for the idea in the beginning, and it was good for the small businesses in town. Mac had even had to add an extra shift at the diner when he started staying open into the wee hours of the morning to accommodate the television crews who were taping late. It turned out the local honky-tonk bar in town was providing quite a bit of grist for the television mill. There was a crew at the bar until closing every night. That was why Bobby was safely free of cameras at the diner at the moment. The camera crew assigned to the diner during the day usually moved to the bar until closing each night, hoping to capture drunks at their worst.
His own personal hell—uh, crew—had gone back to their rooms at The Hideaway for the night, thinking he was tucked safely away asleep in his bed at home. That was exactly what he’d wanted them to believe, before he snuck back out like a teenager breaking curfew.
“She is cute though.” Jared’s voice cut into Bobby’s ponderings about why they’d ever agreed to the taping of this damn TV show.
He glanced up at his friend. “Who? Your girlfriend, Mandy? I should hope you think she’s cute since you’re sleeping with her.”
Jared rolled his eyes. “I was talking about your producer. Christy. Don’t seem like such a hardship having that pretty face shining up at you day and night.”
Bobby groaned. Yeah. She was cute. She was also as tenacious as a pit bull and had the nose of a bloodhound. “Maybe under other circumstances I’d agree with you. But damn it, Jared, do you know all I had to do to wrestle that tape of me punching Cole at the ball field away from her?”
Jared grinned. “You still have it? I’d love to watch that. You, Mr. Cool, losing his head.”
Bobby scowled at his supposed friend.
Jared shook his head at him, still grinning. “Oh, stop giving me that look, Bobby. It’s funny. All right. Tell me, what’d you have to do to get the tape? Was it good?” Jared waggled his eyebrows suggestively.
Bobby sighed and ignored Jared’s insinuations in favor of more bitching. “I had to agree to let them ride with me from now on during my shifts. I’d been able to at least get away from them when I was in the patrol car answering calls around town. I’d convinced them it was the sheriff’s policy, no civilians in the car. But now that’s over.”
“Hmm. A tape of you, the local deputy, punching out the famous pitcher Cole Ryan at a little league game, or you sitting in your car drinking coffee while taking a radio
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