The Sheriff's Son by Stella Bagwell Page A

climbed to the ground, a collie was there to greet them with a friendly bark.
    â€œDon’t worry. He doesn’t bite.”
    She looked up to see Roy rounding the corner of the house. This morning he was dressed in jeans and boots anda plain blue work shirt. The absence of his badge and gun made him seem more approachable, somehow, and more like the man she’d first fallen in love with.
    To her disgust, she felt a faint smile tugging at her lips. “Hello,” she said.
    He came to stand a few steps away from them, his eyes running slowly over Justine, then on to Charlie, who was on his knees, hugging the collie around the neck.
    â€œHello,” he replied. “I’m glad you decided to come.”
    â€œYou really didn’t give me much choice, did you?”
    A little grin crooked his lips, and suddenly, deep in her heart, Justine could admit to herself just how happy it made her to see him.
    â€œOh, I think you could have come up with some excuse if you’d wanted to.”
    â€œI’m not a woman who would ever stand in the way of the law,” she said lightly, then pulled a small slip of paper from the back pocket of her blue jeans and handed it to him.
    Roy read it, then nodded. “You couldn’t find anything on the female? Her name was Earlene, wasn’t it?”
    â€œI couldn’t find an address for her, but I did find a short letter from her mother saying she was living in a small town north of Boise, Idaho. That was three years ago.”
    â€œOld information is better than none at all,” he said. Then, turning away from Justine, he squatted down on his heels in front of Charlie and the dog.
    â€œWhat do you think about Levi?”
    Charlie gave him a broad grin. “He’s got sandburs in his hair, but he’s pretty. Does he help you round up the cows?”
    Roy was impressed. He hadn’t expected the boy to know about working dogs or rounding up cows. “He sure does. He can do more work than two cowboys put together.”
    Forgetting the dog for a moment, Charlie inspected Roy with the bold innocence of a child. “You’re not wearingyour gun or badge,” he said. “Who’s gonna be the sheriff today?”
    â€œI’m still the sheriff. But I’m taking today off. Unless something really bad happens, my deputies will take care of things.”
    Smiling happily, Charlie continued to pat the dog’s head. “That’s good. Because Mommy says you work too hard.”
    Roy cut his eyes up to Justine. “So your mother thinks I work too hard, does she?”
    Justine could feel heat splotching her cheeks. Charlie had embarrassed her before, by repeating things he shouldn’t. All children did that to their parents. But she’d rather it happen with anyone other than Roy.
    â€œYep,” Charlie answered. “She say that’s why you don’t smile. I thought you were just sad. But Mommy says you get so busy being the sheriff you forget to smile.”
    â€œWell, I guess I do forget sometimes,” he told Charlie. Then, rising to his full height, he looked at Justine, his brows arched with a dry presumptuousness. “I didn’t realize you were concerned about my emotional health.”
    â€œI’m not. Charlie is.”
    His eyes searched hers, as though he were trying to find something more revealing than her words. Justine nervously folded her hands in front of her and glanced away at the desert hills.
    After a moment, Roy gave up and turned to Charlie. “Come along, son,” he said, taking the child by the hand. “I have something down at the barn I want you to see.”
    â€œCan Mommy come, too?” Charlie asked him.
    â€œOf course. If she wants to,” he added with a glance at Justine.
    Without a word, she fell into step behind the two of them. As they walked behind the house and toward the corrals in the distance, she was acutely aware that Charlie was