Shifting Dreams Read Free Page A

up, you’re two months older than me.”
    He just gave her a quiet smile. Quiet smile. Quiet man. If you didn’t know him, Ollie Campbell might seem like a hard case. He was well over six feet tall, had dark curly hair, trimmed short, and a full beard that hid his dimples. Black and grey tattoo work decorated most of his suntanned arms and a lot of his back.
    And Ollie was a giant teddy bear.
    “Hey, did you hear Kevin shifted? Fox, just like Allie. Low told me he wasn’t in school today.”
    Ollie’s face softened at the mention of Allie. But then, it always had. Ever since they were kids.  
    “Good.” He nodded. “That’s real good. She was worried about that. I’m sure Joe’s relieved, too.”
    “Yep.” Ignoring the sorrowful tinge to his eyes, Jena fluffed her hair and put her hands on her hips. “How do I look, boss?”
    He whistled. “If you weren’t like my sister, I’d hit on you. Between the band tonight and those jeans, we should both make out pretty good.”
    “Good to know.”  
    Ollie rose from his desk and ushered her down the hall. “Hey, did Old Joe Quinn really run out of the diner buck-naked today?”
    “He shifted and ran when I handed him the bill. His favorite hat’s nailed behind the cash register.”
    Ollie chuckled and shook his head as they walked down the hall and into the bar that was growing louder by the minute.
    “He won’t forget that one.”
    “Neither will I.”

Chapter Two

    The music was good. Loud, but good. The beer was cold, and Caleb Gilbert was just a little drunk. Not too much, but if he was going to make it back to his hotel in Indio that night, he’d better switch to coffee. Which was too bad, because the brunette behind the bar who’d been serving his drinks had grown a little more flirtatious with every beer. Or maybe that was wishful thinking.
    The band on the stage was better than he’d expected. The hard rock with a bluesy edge was just what he’d been looking for when he’d been out the night before. The hotel bar didn’t have much to offer, but the boys who’d been bragging about playing The Cave had invited him to come catch their show the next night. When he’d heard the name “Cambio Springs,” Caleb knew he couldn’t pass it up.
    “Another beer?” The brunette was smiling at him and he gave her his most charming, crooked grin. He hadn’t shaved that morning. Hadn’t thought he’d be trying to impress anyone, but then Caleb knew his looks weren’t what drove most women away after a few months. Looks had never been the problem. So he cocked his head at the waitress and rubbed a hand over the stubble on his jaw, then back through the curling black hair on his neck.  
    “I’d love one. Love to keep running up my tab for you, too, but I gotta drive back to Indio tonight. How about some coffee?”
    “On the house.” She smiled. “And aren’t you responsible?”
    “Pathologically.”
    She raised her eyebrows at him before sliding away to grab a mug for coffee. She’d been drinking, too, but only a couple all night. And she bantered back and forth with the scary guy behind the bar with no hint of fear. He’d been listening to the band and watching her all night. It was the best entertainment he’d had in months.
    She was damn cute. Tall and lean. Long, sexy legs and nice hips that begged for grabbing. She was no girl, but then, he wasn’t exactly a kid, either. Caleb Gilbert had more than a few miles on him. Over five hundred according to the odometer he’d reset when he left Albuquerque. Taking the job as a police chief in the Mojave Desert wasn’t what he’d planned on, but plans change, especially when life and family got messy.
      The brunette came back after arguing with a surlier customer down the bar. That had lasted all of about two seconds before the giant bartender—the owner, if he was guessing—stepped in. The woman put a cup of steaming coffee in front of him. Despite the fact that it wasn’t beer, it did