Lawman's Redemption by Marilyn Pappano

added sugar, then seasoned it with salt, garlic and oregano. Usually he added Italian sausage sautéed with onions and bell peppers, but this time they would have to settle for just the vegetables.
    Once the sauce was simmering, they returned to the living room. Hallie sat on the sofa, and Brady chose the easy chair at one end. “So…what did you guys do this afternoon?”
    Hallie looked at Les, who was pretending to be engrossed in a rerun of “The Andy Griffith Show.” When the kid ignoredher, Hallie gave a gentle tug to one of her purple spikes, then said, “I rented a house.”
    A feeling oddly akin to panic tightened in his gut. “You’re only staying a few more weeks. Why would you go to all that trouble?”
    She gave him a chiding look. “It wasn’t any trouble. For half the money I was paying at Motel Le Dump for one room, I’ve got five rooms and a huge bath. And it’s just far enough outside town to be peaceful and quiet. As far as I can figure, my nearest neighbor is a grumpy undersheriff who likes to keep to himself, so he shouldn’t be any trouble, either.”
    He frowned, considering the houses he could claim as neighbors. There weren’t many, and all of them were occupied except… “You rented the Tucker place?”
    She poked her elbow in Les’s ribs. “It’s that sharp mind and those brilliant powers of deduction that made him become a cop.”
    â€œBrilliant like Barney Fife,” Les replied with a snort.
    Brady chose to ignore the insult. “When are you moving in?”
    â€œThe furniture we picked out this afternoon will be delivered tomorrow, and I plan on sleeping in my very own bed tomorrow night.”
    So tomorrow night—and every other night she stayed in Buffalo Plains—she would be sleeping only a five-minute hike away. How easy was it going to be for him to sleep then?
    Not at all.
    Abruptly Les muted the television. “Did you bring my stuff?”
    He was still thinking about Hallie in her bed and him in his own, so close but apart. Blinking, he focused on Les. “Your…Yeah, it’s in the truck.”
    â€œCan I have it?” she asked with exaggerated patience, as if that had been her question all along.
    If the duffel were in his pickup, he would toss her the keys and let her get it. But it was in his sheriff’s vehicle, along with handcuffs, Flex-cuffs, his radio, his shotgun and plenty of other stuff he’d prefer she not get into. “I’ll get it.”
    It took him maybe two minutes to get the bag and return. Shewas waiting impatiently at the end of the sofa, and as soon as he set it down, she hefted it over her shoulder, then looked around. “Where can I put it?”
    Feeling helpless, he looked around, too. “I told you, I have only one bedroom. You’ll have to sleep in here.”
    â€œOh, that’s just great.” She flung out her arm to point at the closed door across the hall. “What’s in there?”
    â€œJust stuff.” It had once been a guest room, but when he found the time, he intended to knock out the wall and enlarge the living room. What did he need with an extra bedroom? Logan was the only relative he could face without the very real threat of violence, and the chances that he would come knocking on Brady’s door after seventeen years were nil. His only friends were Reese and Neely, who had their own place. He never brought women home with him, and the odds of him ever having a family of his own were slim.
    Slimmer this morning than they were tonight.
    â€œI’m fourteen years old,” Les complained. “I can’t camp out on the sofa like…like a boy. I need my privacy!”
    â€œMaybe…” He glanced at Hallie, who looked as uncomfortable as he felt, then back at Les. “Maybe tomorrow you can pick out a bed, and I-I’ll clear a space for it.”
    â€œYou’re