Temptation Trails (The Haven Brothers #3)

Garrett

The scent of something sweet caught my attention. It was nearly lunchtime and I’d skipped breakfast, so no wonder my stomach growled at the smell. I glanced up from the desk I used when I was in the office to see Deputy Spangler walking by with a pink box from Angel Cakes bakery. Whatever was inside, it smelled delicious.

My phone buzzed with a text, vibrating against the surface of my desk. I ignored it. Again. I didn’t want to know why I was getting so many texts in the middle of the day. I wanted to get this report finished. Paperwork wasn’t my favorite thing, but in this job, it was never ending. We had to document everything.

Which also meant I was going to ignore the treats in that pink box.

The sheriff’s office could be abuzz with frenetic activity, a ghost town, or anything in between. It just depended on the day, and who was on duty. Mornings were busy, with deputies on day shift checking in for roll call before heading out on patrol. Mid-day was usually quieter—and a good time to get admin work done when I wasn’t on a patrol shift—but there were still people coming and going, uniformed and civilian alike.

A man in a suit jacket, no tie, walked past with a large cookie on a napkin. Phillip Lancaster, one of the attorneys in the county prosecuting attorney’s office, tipped his chin and veered my direction. He and his fellow prosecutors worked closely with our agency. As my field training officer had told me, we catch `em, they put `em away. It wasn’t unusual to see him in the office, usually meeting with one of us about cases he was prosecuting.

“Got anything new for me?” he asked, pausing next to my desk.

That cookie smelled damn good. I clearly needed to get some lunch. I wasn’t usually so distracted by food.

“Yeah, actually. Trent Jones. Frequent flier. Caught up with him at the scene of a stolen vehicle, likely with contraband inside. He ran and resisted.”

“Name sounds familiar.”

“I’m finishing up the arrest report.”

“Sounds good. I’ll be out of town for a few days, maybe out of cell range. But it’s just a quick trip.”

“Hunting?”

He smiled. “Fishing this time.”

“Have a good one.”

“I will. Thanks, Haven.”

For a lawyer, Phillip wasn’t a bad guy. I’d worked with him on quite a few cases over the years. Marie, one of our admin assistants, eyed him appreciatively as he walked out. Ever since he’d gotten divorced a while back, the women in the agency had taken extra notice of him.

I didn’t worry about that. Wasn’t my circus.

My phone buzzed again, demanding my attention. Reluctantly, I picked it up and swiped to see my messages.

Mom: Give me a call when you get a chance. Not an emergency. But did you stand up Doris Tilburn’s niece?

Annika: Not trying to pry, but what’s the deal with blowing off a date? I heard she’s nice.

Marigold: Sorry to bug you, but I just want to make sure everything is okay. There’s some gossip going around, and of course I don’t believe it, but I also want to know if you’re all right.

Zachary: Dude, why would you blow off a date Aunt Louise set up? That was dumb.

Luke: Heard you blew off a date Aunt Louise set up. Probably a good call. What happened?

Aunt Louise: You better explain yourself, mister.

I shook my head. I’d wonder how they all knew, but this was Tilikum. You couldn’t sneeze without someone across town showing up to bring you tissues.

To be fair, I hadn’t blown her off or stood her up. I’d texted her to let her know I couldn’t make it. And it wasn’t my fault crime didn’t stop when my shift ended. Tell that to the bad guys.

Hey, could you stop the crime you’re about to commit? I have a date.

Yeah, no.

I’d have to answer everyone at some point, but for now, I wanted lunch.