The Alpine Yeoman Read Free

get a cashier’s check for Melville. Except for overseeing the Bourgette crew, his part of the work is done.”
    “Come on, big guy. I hear you chewed out your crew today. How come you’re calling on your wife instead of supervising those rascals?”
    “Because she’s cuter than my crew?” He ran a hand through his graying sandy hair. “I do have news, my little smart-ass. Jack Blackwell just dropped the charges against Jennifer Hood.”
    I stared at Milo. “Why? He didn’t mind that she tried to kill him?”
    The sheriff finished the doughnut before he responded. “She was only trying to scare him for revenge after their long-ago and very brief marriage in California. Frankly, I hoped she might get serious about it and do him in. No such luck.”
    Milo and Blackwell had a history. As the only mill owner in Alpine and now a county commissioner, Jack considered himself a big mover and shaker. The two men had been at odds since they were both in their twenties. Jack liked to throw his weight around, and even as a deputy, Milo hadn’t taken kindly to anyone who tried to bring him to heel. The relationship hadbeen further fractured when Jack ran against Milo for sheriff—unsuccessfully—back when the job was an elected position.
    “Since when did Blackwell get so softhearted?” I asked.
    “I don’t think it’s that,” Milo replied. “I figure the SOB’s embarrassed. Oh, the brake tampering, the attempt to run him down, the shot that only tore his pants—he might’ve gone with that, but when Jennifer stabbed him in the back after he banged her for old times’ sake and then he went to sleep—that was too much. Especially since the moron didn’t even know he’d been stabbed and the wound got infected.”
    I nodded. “That doesn’t make Jack look too swift. And even you have to admit he’s a shrewd businessman.”
    “Oh, yeah,” Milo conceded, “the asshole is that. Will you write the story or hand it over to Laskey?”
    “I’ll let him do it. I’d be tempted to turn it into a humor piece. Besides, Mitch gets touchy if he thinks I’m interfering with his beat.”
    “He’s a prickly sort,” Milo said, taking a last swig of coffee before standing up and glancing over his shoulder. “Hey—there’s still nobody around. You want to close the door and pretend we’re in conference?”
    “I have an editorial to write, Sheriff,” I said primly. “In fact, it’s the one where I announce Fuzzy’s reorganization plan.”
    “Sounds like your readers will try to run you and Baugh out of town. Maybe I should assign a deputy to protect you. Too bad I can’t afford to do that.” He picked up his hat and started out the door.
    “Hey!” I called after him. “Wait! What’s going on at the fish hatchery? Amanda got a strange call from Walt.”
    “Oh.” Milo turned around and moved to the side of my desk. “I don’t know yet. Doe Jamison and Dwight Gould headed out there a few minutes before I went to the bank.Some problem with the hatchery’s wetlands.” He folded his arms across his chest. “Damnit, now that we’re married, why do I still have trouble keeping my hands off of you?”
    I looked up at him, craning my neck to make up for the thirteen-inch difference in height. “We promised to not be … um …
demonstrative
in public now that we’re a sedate married couple. It isn’t good for our professional images.”
    His hazel eyes sparked. “That doesn’t make sense. Now we’ve got legal grounds to make fools of ourselves.”
    I leaned as far away from him as I could without tipping over. “That’s my point. Do we really want to look like a pair of idiots?”
    His arms fell to his sides. “We’ve already done that.”
    “For the first few years we hung out together, you hardly ever touched me. Dare I ask how you exercised such self-restraint?”
    “It was tough. I thought if I made a move, I couldn’t stop and I’d scare you. We weren’t even dating. Oh, hell,” he