Smoking Hot by Karen Kelley

robbery and trying to figure it all out. I guess when everyone came into the room I was still lost in thought.”
    â€œGood,” Dillon told her. “Now say that you put two and two together and you figured out it was all a setup to make people think you robbed the bank. The robber who fired the gun probably used blanks and the man who pushed you out of the way had fake blood.”
    Really? She’d told him that very same thing before the others came into the room. It was her idea, not his.
    â€œJust say it. You can tell me later the idea was yours.”
    Later? Yeah, she would certainly do that and then some, but she wasn’t off the hook yet. “This is my theory.” She put emphasis on my and went on to explain.
    â€œWhy would someone try to set you up?” Emily asked when Raine finished.
    â€œSo you would look at me and Grandpa and spend less time looking for the real perpetrators.”
    Silence filled the room. Raine studied their faces as they digested her theory. They didn’t believe her. It was a far-fetched idea to begin with. If she lied and said she planned the whole thing, would they leave Grandpa alone?
    â€œIt’s plausible,” Emily finally said.
    Raine’s heart skipped a beat.
    Emily turned to Sheriff Barnes. “We have been more focused on Raine and her grandfather.” Her gaze swung back to Raine. “But how would they know you wouldn’t have backup with you?”
    â€œThey probably knew what was going to happen before they robbed the bank. Ethan was only on call, not on duty. That night he was at the south end of the county. It’s no secret he plays cards every Wednesday. There’s no way he could get back into town before the bank robbers finished the job, and isn’t it odd Leo had a flat on that night? Everyone was delayed getting to the bank.”
    â€œShe’s right,” Sheriff Barnes said.
    Raine could feel some of her tension easing.
    â€œLike you say, it’s one theory.” Emily’s gaze met Raine’s.
    â€œYou at least have them thinking about it,” Dillon said. “Nice work.”
    â€œOf course,” Raine countered, then realized they still didn’t see or hear him. She cleared her throat. “Of course that’s only one theory, but it makes more sense than me taking the money.”
    â€œDo you regret leaving Fort Worth?” Emily asked, changing the subject.
    It took a moment for her brain to switch gears. “I miss a lot of things, but regret?” She shook her head. “No, I don’t regret coming home. I would do anything for my grandfather.” Loyalty meant something to her. She met Emily’s gaze head-on and refused to look away.
    Emily finally broke the connection when she sat in the chair next to the sheriff’s desk. Raine felt a brief moment of victory, but it quickly disappeared. She longed to go back to the ranch but she had a feeling Emily wasn’t finished. More questions. Raine knew she should be thankful they were still at this stage and they hadn’t locked her in a cell, but she wasn’t feeling generous. They should have put her at the bottom of the list of suspects, not the top.
    Sheriff Barnes sat in the oak chair behind the desk. The same chair her father sat in when he was sheriff. The chair was on rollers and the seat swiveled. Hank called it his lazy man’s chair because he could reach just about anything he needed without getting up.
    There was a familiar squeak when Sheriff Barnes turned slightly. Raine gritted her teeth as a flood of memories rushed back. Her father would lean back in the chair and cross his arms in front of him and they would talk about everything under the sun. If they were going fishing that weekend, or maybe they needed to ride the perimeter checking fences.
    You never know when a fence will be down, Raine. Always take care of what belongs to you. If you don’t, someday you might look around