The next Monday morning, Karissa thought back on her long and crazy night at work. There had been a medical emergency at the jail, two car accidents, a heart attack in town, and a gas skip where someone had taken off without paying after filling up their tank. As if that wasn’t enough, a domestic violence case had turned into a drug sting. They had to call in other Sheriff’s office staff from out of their beds to help deal with the meth house. Then the hazmat team had been called out to help dispose of the chemicals. The state would send hazardous materials experts to town to help deal with the mess as well.
Karissa had been on the radio all night, her back growing weary, her eyes blearing, and she had to take her mother to Denver for an appointment with her specialist that day. When she stepped out of the jail, she looked up into a solid wall of clouds that were already dumping snow. She’d heard on the radio that the snow plows were out, but they hadn’t reached this part of town yet.
Thank goodness she’d brought her dad’s truck to work instead of her car. Snow tires and four-wheel drive were a necessity on days like this.
In case she had begun thinking her day couldn’t get any worse, Karissa was only half a mile from work when she heard a popping noise and felt her steering wheel yank to the left, causing her to slide on the icy roads. She twisted the steering wheel and managed to get it back under control, maneuvering to the side of the road. “Fabulous. Just what I need.”
The back driver’s side tire was beyond flat, and she wished for the hundredth time she hadn’t quit cursing when Paul started learning to talk. It could come in handy at a time like this. She hopped into the back of the truck and unlocked the steel tool box, digging for the jack.
She had positioned the jack in the snow and begun lifting the truck when she heard another vehicle pull up behind her. Karissa felt her face flush and resolutely ignored it. She didn’t need any help and could wave away assistance without any difficulty.
“Hey, Kar, looks like you’ve got some trouble.”
Karissa didn’t need to turn around to know who that was—of course, the last person she wanted to face. She’d been doing her best to avoid meeting his gaze since their kiss, thoroughly embarrassed by her actions. “Hey, Marsh, I’ve got it under control. You can continue on your way. No doubt you’ve got some delinquent-in-training waiting to talk to you.”
“Nah, I only meet with the delinquents on Wednesdays.” Marsh leaned back against the end of the truck and looked down at her, earning a scowl.
“Come to watch the show?” Karissa asked, turning back to her work.
He crouched down, picked up the breaker bar, and started loosening nuts on the tire. “I thought maybe I’d let you sit back and watch a pro, but then I realized you’d probably pull a gun from a shoulder holster and shoot me if I suggested it.”
Karissa didn’t mention the fact that she didn’t carry one as a dispatcher. She missed her long-ago days as a street cop as she considered the advantages of being armed. “I might. What, do you think I’m some mamby pamby woman who can’t change a tire? I can take care of myself.” She wasn’t sure if she was more irritated that he started helping without so much as a by-your-leave or that he had started on the lug nuts when it should have been her first step before lifting that side of the truck. Obviously she was more tired than she thought.
“Yeah, I know you can. I saw you clean Jason Hardman’s clock in high school, remember?” As the tire lifted from the asphalt, he pulled it from the bolts and set it aside, removed the spare from under the bed of the truck, and slid it into place.
She remembered; Jason had gotten more than a little fresh in the hallways, and they hadn’t even been dating. He never bothered her again. “So what’s the deal?” She stopped and glared at him this time, her hand doubled up on her hip.
“Just because you’re capable of doing things on your own doesn’t mean you don’t deserve a little help once in a while. Besides, one of my kids might drive by, and they could use a few lessons in being a Good Samaritan.” He didn’t look at her but continued twisting the nuts back onto the bolts.
“You have students driving around town at this time in the morning?” She knew she shouldn’t be so churlish—he was being helpful. She couldn’t seem to help herself.
He shrugged. “A few.”
“Being a Boy Scout, huh? Your good turn for the day?”
“Something like that.” He twisted to look at her again, studying her face for a moment. “You know your eyes glint when you’re mad. It’s pretty, but I bet it scares criminals. You’re an intimidating woman.” He grinned and released the jack to finish tightening the lug nuts.
“You sure act intimidated.” She put the jack away and slid the flat tire into the truck bed.
“Why do you think I never asked you out in high school? You scared me.”
“And all this time I thought it was because you didn’t know I existed except as someone to tease.”
“Were you pining away for me?” he asked, then stood and placed the breaker bar back in the tool box.
“Not a chance. I’ll leave that honor to Mary Ellen Kesler.”
Marsh winced. “That was a low blow, Kar.” Mary Ellen had boldly chased him all through high school, throwing a glass of soda in his face at senior prom after he brought a girl from a rival school instead. He turned to Karissa, his eyes level. “You know you have a smudge on your face, right there.” His dirty finger reached out and rubbed along her cheek. “It’s kind of cute.”
“Yeah, now I have a smudge.” She rubbed the back of her hand across the cheek and wondered if she managed to do anything besides smear it.
“I’ll be happy to take a kiss as payment,” he teased her.
If her face hadn’t already been red from the cold, she would have flushed in embarrassment at his reminder. She didn’t need him taunting her. “Drop dead.” She turned back to her cab door, wrenching it open again and climbing in, her irritation piqued.
“You’re welcome. See you around.”
She slammed her door shut and watched him amble back to his faded, blue SUV, unfazed by her annoyance. She twisted the key in the ignition ruthlessly and peeled away from the parking spot, less calm than when she had stopped.
When Karissa was halfway back to the farm, she started to calm down. She wondered why she still let Marsh get under her skin. Despite the way she reacted to him, she wasn’t easily offended. Not usually anyway. And he’d been unusually nice lately, despite reminding her about their kiss. She vowed to try to get along better, to be less abrasive in the future. Trying wouldn’t hurt. Much.
***
The next morning when Karissa got off work, she came home to find her father and son sitting at the table with bowls of cereal and toast. “Is Mom okay?” Karissa’s mother usually made sure that her husband had something hot in his stomach before he went back out to do farm chores.
Lines bracketed his mouth, growing deeper with worry. “She’s having a rough morning. Her arthritis is kicking up, and she has a fever.”
Karissa nodded, not wanting to worry Paul by asking more specific questions. She knew these were signs of an acute flare up of her mom’s lupus. “Good thing I have a few days off then. Should I see if Mary can watch Paul today, or do you want to take him with you?”
“I’ll take him out. If he gets too bored, I’ll take him over to Mary’s. Don’t worry about it.”
“Okay, I’ll check on Mom before I head to bed.” Karissa gave her son a hug and kiss, then turned toward the hall.
She found her mom still lying in bed, the curtains drawn over the window. “Hey, Mom. Can I get you anything?”
“I don’t want to be a bother,” Beth said, curled under her blankets.
Karissa sat on the edge of the bed. “You’re not a bother. Just let me know; I’m here to help.”
Beth hesitated for a moment. “I was going to ask your father for a glass of water, but I forgot.”
“No problem.” Karissa picked up the glass beside the bed and refilled it, placing it back on the nightstand. “Anything else you’ll need before lunch? Books, a movie?”
“No, honey. Thanks for asking. You get some sleep. I’m not an invalid.”
Karissa put her hand on her mother’s forehead and lifted a brow at how hot she was. “Right. You’re perfectly fine. Not ill at all.” She didn’t even try to keep the sarcasm out of her voice. “I’ll sleep for a few hours and make lunch. You take it easy and keep an eye on that fever. Feel free to holler if you need anything.”
Beth smiled wanly. “Thank you, sweetheart. It’s so good to have you here.”
“It’s good to be home.” Karissa pressed her lips to her mother’s forehead, realizing that she really was home, where she belonged.