Snowfall on Haven Point(49)
“Can’t wait.” The deputy headed for the door, but when he opened it, he nearly bumped into the soft, pretty woman standing on the other side.
“Oh. Sorry.”
Marsh felt a hard little kick in his chest at the sight of Andie, cheeks pink from the cold and a cute little powder blue scarf twisted around her neck.
“I’m the one who’s sorry,” Ruben said. “Should have been watching where I was going. Are you all right, ma’am?”
“I’m fine, Deputy Morales. How are you?”
“Please. Call me Ruben. You must be the sheriff’s ride.”
Before his eyes, he saw Ruben again start putting out the vibe, smiling down at Andie like she was some delicious piece of Christmas candy he couldn’t wait to pop into his mouth.
She seemed oblivious. “I am,” she said. “It was no trouble, though. I needed to come into Shelter Springs anyway.”
“I hope the sheriff knows how lucky he is to have such a nice neighbor. We’re all very grateful to you for the good care you’re taking of him.”
Andie shot a glance in his direction and he was almost certain he saw color climb her cheeks again. “He hasn’t let me do much. I was rather amazed he allowed me to drive him here today at all instead of climbing behind the wheel himself, using one of his crutches to hit the gas.”
Ruben’s laugh was full and rich and as annoying as hell. “You know him well.”
Again, she darted a quick, sidelong look at Marshall but said nothing.
“Aren’t you supposed to be out on patrol?” Marshall said, with no subtlety whatsoever, when Ruben seemed content to stand there the rest of the day gazing down at the lovely widow.
“Yeah. You’re right.” His smile was filled with appreciative warmth. “I hope I see you around again.”
“Good to see you, Ruben. Be careful out there.”
He waved and took off and Andie moved farther into Marsh’s office.
“You could have texted me you were in the parking lot. I would have come out.”
“Or better still, I could have just honked the horn, like a teenage boy picking up a date,” she said drily.
“That would have worked, too.”
She rolled her eyes as he pulled himself up on the crutches and started gathering his laptop and the other things he wanted to take home.
“I know you said you didn’t want to look weak in front of your deputies, but I thought if you did need something carried out, you would prefer my help over having to ask someone from your staff.”
She was right, he realized. He couldn’t do something as simple as carrying a lousy box of files on his own.
He hated this helplessness. He was going to be on the crutches for several more weeks and he didn’t know how the hell he was going to survive it.
“I guess you’ve got a point,” he said gruffly.
One thing he liked about Andrea Montgomery, she didn’t gloat. She simply smiled. “What do you need me to carry, then?”
He gestured to the cardboard box. “Just that box on top of the pile. I figured I would go through some of the department’s coldest cases while I’ve got time on my hands.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“A little more challenging for my brain than soap operas and game shows, anyway.”
“Are you ready, then?”
“Just need my jacket.”
“I’ll grab it for you.” She moved to the coatrack, where he’d hung his blazer. She pulled it off the hanger, then carried it back to him. When she handed it to him, he tried not to notice the soft, flowery scent of her.
“Thanks.”
Trying to balance on the crutches while slipping his arms through the sleeves of a jacket was tricky. Again to her credit, Andie didn’t step in to help, she simply waited until he was done, then slipped the laptop bag over her shoulder and scooped up the box of files.
“Anything else?”
“That should do it. Let’s go.”
* * *
HE FOUND THIS EXCRUCIATING.
Andie could tell by the sheriff’s body language how much he hated having to depend on her for anything, even something as inconsequential as carrying a box of files. His mouth was set in a hard line and he moved swiftly through the office, stopping only briefly to speak with a couple of deputies who seemed to be comparing notes over a map of the county.
She had complete sympathy for him. When she sprained her ankle earlier in the summer, she had been astonished at how difficult every single thing became, from grocery shopping to fixing her hair to going out to the mailbox.
She walked slowly, matching her pace to his. When they finally reached her SUV, that mouth was set even tighter, with lines radiating out. She shifted the box to one hand so she could open the passenger door for him, then quickly set the files and the laptop bag in the backseat while he maneuvered his way inside.