This Hero for Hire Read Free Page B

of his neck. “I’m really not up on my chicken statistics, ma’am, but I feel the need to point out the most relevant detail here. These chickens were destined for a fate much worse than being injured anyway.”
    She stared off into the distance, where hens were scampering over the meadow. And she smiled. “There’s a right way and a wrong way to do a job,” she said.
    â€œAnd a legal and illegal way,” Boone replied.
    The ambulance came to a stop. Boone asked the woman if she had been in the accident and if she needed medical attention.
    â€œNo. I’m fine. And I had nothing to do with the truck ending up in the creek. Your buddy here...” She pointed to the driver. “He took that last curve with a bit too much enthusiasm.”
    Boone dismissed the ambulance and went to his vehicle to get the standard incident report and a clipboard. When he returned, he said, “These birds are the property of Mr. Sam Jonas, and his driver here, Hank, was just doing his job.”
    Hank pounded his fist into his opposite hand. “And someone’s got to pay for the loss of income this crazy woman caused today.”
    â€œMaybe you should start by explaining to your employer that you can’t drive a truck!” she said.
    Hank stepped forward, and Boone placed his palm on the man’s chest. “Let’s all calm down now. We’re obviously not going to get those chickens back.”
    â€œThen do your job and arrest this woman,” Hank said.
    â€œI intend to.”
    â€œWhat?” The woman crossed her feather-covered arms over her chest and glared at him. “This would have been a massacre if I hadn’t come along when I did.”
    Boone didn’t quite consider the loss of a few chickens going to slaughter as a definitive example of a massacre, but he knew better than to say that out loud.
    â€œYou caused a loss to one of our citizens, ma’am,” he said. “Hank’s right that someone’s got to pay, either for the loss of his chickens or by spending some time in jail—or both.” He swept his arm toward his squad car. “Sooo...if you’ll just follow me.”
    â€œYou’re taking me to jail?”
    â€œFor now, yes, I am.”
    â€œOh, for heaven’s sake!” She looked across the road, where the large, weathered SUV was parked. “What about my car?”
    â€œI’ll make sure it’s towed into town,” Boone said. “And I’ll call another tow to get you out of the ditch, Hank.”
    He scratched the SUV’s license plate number on his report and stopped short. He hadn’t been wrong. The blond hair, the voice, the governor’s mention of Oregon. This day was only getting worse. “You’re from Oregon?” he said.
    â€œYes, so?”
    â€œWhat’s your name?”
    â€œSusannah Rhodes. Does the name Rhodes mean anything to you, Officer?”
    Did it ever. It meant he had to tell this woman’s father that he’d put his worrisome little princess, covered in chicken dung, in jail. But on the other hand, it also meant he might have found a way out of this ridiculous assignment. Surely Albee wouldn’t want him for this detail now.

CHAPTER TWO
    T HIS   WAS   INCREDIBLY   not good. Sitting in the police cruiser with the so far nice but ultra lawful police officer, Susannah could almost hear her father’s voice. “In town less than an hour and already you’re in the back of a police car.”
    It would be impossible to keep him from hearing about this incident. The Chief of Police would call him even if she didn’t. And there was no way to keep him from being disappointed in her—again. She was going to jail for destruction of property! Whereas she believed she deserved a medal for humanitarian actions. Well maybe not that exactly, but the simple truth was, she didn’t have time for jail.
    She stared out the