Ride-along (Bounty County Series Book 1) Read online

  During the last three years of her life, Nana’s health issues became too complex for Chloe to handle, so Nana insisted that she move into a skilled nursing facility. Chloe still visited her nearly every day despite her grandmother’s demand that she “go out there and get your own life!” Chloe smiled fondly at the memory. The curveballs that life had thrown at her meant that she was behind in her original plan, to say the least. She’d stopped and started her education more times than she’d like to admit in the past eight years. But with six weeks left to complete her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting and eight weeks from turning 30, Chloe was nearly done. The problem was that she already wanted a change. She had a job offer in the financial department at Peterbilt, but she wasn’t excited to take it. Taking on the responsibility of caring for her grandmother had taken the majority of Chloe’s twenties away from her. She was a responsible, serious adult while most of her friends were the exact opposite. Chloe would never regret the time she got to spend with her grandmother, but it was hard not to resent her parents for shifting the burden to her entirely.

  Shortly after Chloe returned to Duchesne from her botched summer with Justin last year, Nana passed away. It was heart wrenching to lose her, but Chloe was glad she was no longer suffering. Still, she missed her every day.

  Nana left Chloe with a small inheritance, including her house. If Chloe decided to leave Duchesne, the house would be the only thing that would be difficult to leave. She’d done what she could to fix it up in the few years she’d been living there on her own. It wasn’t quite “Nana’s house” anymore. Chloe had taken down the floral wallpaper, modernized the kitchen, and installed hardwood floors. If she ever needed to sell it, she was going to make a killing. It would be hard to let go, but she knew her grandmother would want that for her.

  Her only other two ties to the area, besides a handful of good friends, were her two dogs, Bella and Arnie. Bella was a black pitbull she got from a rescue and the sweetest dog she’d ever known. Arnie was a bulldog she happily took off her friend's hands when they found out their daughter was allergic to dogs. The two dogs were her pride and joy and, seemingly, the only children she was ever going to have. She could hear her mother's shrill voice in her head, Clock's ticking, Chloe! God, her mother was such a bitch. Thankfully, Chloe’s fur babies were the kind that she could leave at a friend's house for a few weeks. So that’s exactly what she did. She’d go back and get her pups when she figured out what she was going to do with her life.

  Chloe felt relief knowing she was hundreds of miles away from Duchesne. She was in a completely different state. Montana. Big Sky Country. She filled her lungs with the fresh mountain air. She hoped she’d be able to relax and not feel the need to constantly survey rooms full of people, look over her shoulder, or check her rear view mirror. She had every intention to let loose while on vacation. She planned to dance, drink, get rowdy, and hell, maybe even get laid by a random stranger while she was in town.

  Of course, that plan was somewhat thwarted after seeing Justin today. Her feelings for him had definitely not gone away. She shook her head and scoffed at herself. This trip was going to be harder than she thought. Buck up and relax, Chloe. She was going to have a good time with her family come hell or high water.

  With that thought, Chloe turned down the dirt road and headed toward Brenden and Sierra’s place. There would be plenty of distractions for her and a lot of new people to meet. Justin wasn't going to get much of her attention, she promised herself, even if the only thing she could think about were his massive hands circling her waist while his eyes searched hers and his mouth began to plummet toward hers.

  Sonofabitch. It was already happening.

  ➰

  Pulling up to the Ramey’s for the first time in a year wasn’t nearly as nerve racking as she thought it might be. Maybe because you already saw Justin? No, Chloe. This is your family’s home and they love you...

  It didn’t take long before Emma and Jayce were running out the front door to greet her. Emma was three and Jayce was pushing six years old. Emma bullied her way around her big brother and hugged Chloe’s right thigh. Jayce came up right behind her with a huge grin. These two were going to be trouble for their mama and daddy.

  “Cousin Chloe! Cousin Chloe! Play hide and seek with us!!!”

  “Of course I will, you cute little monsters! But let me go see your mama and daddy first, okay?”

  “Okay,” they said in unison.

  “Emma! Stop copying me!” Jayce shouted.

  They took off around the side of the house, bickering as brothers and sisters usually do. She walked inside and the house smelled of barbeque. Oh my hell, does Sierra know how to cook!

  The home was a split level with the kitchen just up from the landing. She could hear music blaring. Chloe figured she’d find her cousin there. The sexy sound of Jason Aldean’s “Dirt Road Anthem” wooed her in and that’s where she found Sierra shaking her booty -- well, what she had of one anyway -- while standing at the kitchen counter, elbows deep in pulled pork. Chloe didn’t want to startle her cousin, so she stomped her pink chucks loudly and shouted, “Happy Birthday, cuz!” Sierra turned around, her smile stretched from ear to ear and she screamed.

  “Are you fuckin’ kidding me?! I didn’t know you were comin’!” she squealed. “Holy shit! I want to hug you, but let me wash my hands off first!” Sierra ran over to the sink and scrubbed her hands. As she was rinsing, she looked out the kitchen window onto the back porch. Her eyes got huge. She shouted, “Fuck!” It was Sierra’s favorite word, so it wasn’t surprising hearing it come from her. Unfortunately, little Emma had recently taken a liking to the word as well.

  Sierra filled a mason jar with water and hauled her ass to the back porch, pouring the water over a smoking planter. Chloe stepped aside so Sierra could run back in the house and repeat the process. Chloe giggled to herself. Finally after a minute or two of staring at the soil, Sierra traipsed back in the house.

  “Do NOT tell Brenden about that. He’s been telling me for weeks that shit was flammable and I’ve been ignoring him and putting my smokes out in the planter. I really don’t want him to know that he was right and I almost burnt our deck down!” Sierra pleaded.

  “I won’t say anything!” Chloe laughed.

  “Good, now get over here!” Sierra squeezed Chloe tightly, reassuring her that she made the right choice in coming to Imminence.

  “So, Chloe! What’s new? Have you been getting any cock on the regular? Do you have anyone in your life to introduce us to? Please, please let me live vicariously through you!” She said it all quickly, in one breath. Chloe laughed.

  “Not yet. I'm hoping to find a hot man or two while I’m up here, though!”

  “Well, you came to the right town. We've got some damn fine men here. Snatch you up one of those sexy cowboys or one of Brendan's deputies! They all love beautiful women.”

  Yeah, all of them except for the one she wanted. No, Chloe. You don't want him anymore. Stop it.

  Chloe needed to get her attitude in check before the activities of the weekend commenced.

  "Where's Brenden?"

  "Work. He should be here any minute though."

  Sierra’s husband Brenden was the Sheriff of Bounty County. Not a deputy. He was the Sheriff. He was only thirty-five and was officially (in the county record books even!) the youngest Sheriff in Bounty County history. What was even more remarkable was he had already held the position for seven years.

  Born and raised in Imminence, Brenden had been a deputy since he graduated from Montana State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice when he was twenty-two and decided to return back home. When his boss, the long-time Sheriff of Bounty County, announced his retirement, Brenden’s knowledge, expertise, work ethic, and hometown appeal made him the shoe-in candidate for appointment. Following appointment, he ran unopposed in his first Republican primary. No one in Bounty County was going to vote for a Sheriff that was a Democrat and “sof
t on crime,” so he’d won the general election handily. He’d recently withstood a formidable primary challenge, but ended up winning by several thousand votes -- a fairly large margin of victory for such a small county. The good work he was doing for Bounty County was keeping him employed. His employees liked and respected him. He knew the law and was fair and constitutional in his application. Sierra was endlessly proud. Brenden was a great guy. Chloe was happy for her cousin.

  “Got anything to drink?” Chloe asked.

  Sierra gave her a “duh” look and said, “I have a toddler and a kindergartner. Of course I have something to drink! What would you like? Beer, wine, vodka tonic, margarita, bloody mary, crown and coke?” She rattled off the choices quickly, as if she’d had them memorized. “The choices are endless in this house, really.”

  “A beer would be great.”

  Sierra handed her a Shock Top Belgian White and they sat at the kitchen table.

  You may as well tell her now rather than wait until the crowd gets here.

  “I saw Justin already.”

  Sierra's eyes got big and she nearly choked on her beer, “When? How?”

  “He pulled me over on my way into town. He had no idea it was me at first.”

  “Holy fuck. What happened?”

  “I was speeding. Whoopsie…” Choe shrugged. “He asked for my license and registration. Apparently I jumped a little too quickly for him because he hollered for me to put my hands on the steering wheel and then ordered me out of the car.”

  “Jesus. That guy can be such a dick. He's a good cop, though. But I bet you were pissed.” Chloe shrugged. “So...were there any feelings there still?” Sierra asked.

  “I'm so mad I’m still so attracted to him,” she sighed. "My stomach was doing backflips."

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah. The weird thing about it though? He acted completely opposite from the last time we saw each other. He looked at me like he wanted to lick me up one side and down the other. It was like he was zoning out. I was talking to him, but he wasn’t responding. He just kept staring at my tits. Totally not how I expected our first meeting to go. But it was kind of hot. Not gonna lie.”

  “He is a sexy m-f’er. I’m happily married, but if I wasn't,” Sierra exhaled loudly. “I’m not sure I’d mind if he pulled me over and ordered me out of the vehicle!” Sierra and Chloe laughed. Then Sierra got serious. “You know he’s coming tonight, right? He’ll be here after he gets off duty. It’s not gonna be awkward is it?”

  Chloe cringed, but, much to her chagrin, she also felt a little excited. “I’ll do what I can to keep it from being awkward.”

  “Let’s drink up and get that liquid courage running through our veins!” Sierra laughed.

  Chloe took a long pull off her beer. I can do this.

  Just then the front door slammed. Chloe could hear Brenden's boots clomping up the stairs. He came around the corner to the kitchen and his blue eyes immediately connected with Sierra. His gaze was intense. You could see love, lust, and adoration when he looked at her. It was the sweetest thing to see these two together and know that it was possible for polar opposites to find love with one another. He wasn’t bad looking either. He was only about 5’9”, but he dwarfed Sierra. Shaved head. Goatee. Icy blue eyes. Her cousin lucked out.

  Brenden gave Sierra a sexy smile that turned sweet as he looked over and made eye contact with Chloe.

  “I see you got your surprise present already,” he said, quite proud of himself.

  “I knew you had something up your sleeve! Thank you!” she told her husband.

  “Hey, cuz. Good to see you!” Brenden walked over to Chloe and gave her a hug with the same genuine welcoming squeeze that Sierra had bestowed upon her earlier. “Thanks for coming for the party.”

  “I wouldn’t miss this!” Chloe replied.

  Brenden looked back to his wife, “The hellions are outside spraying each other down with the hose. At this point it’s anyone’s game, but it’s only a matter of time before one of them is crying.”

  “Dammit, Brenden! We'll finish this conversation later, Chloe!” Sierra hopped up and ran for the door. Brenden laughed.

  Chloe drained her first beer and grabbed her second out of the fridge. She had about two hours before everyone started to show. She could take her time getting ready and then help with with setup for the party. “I’m gonna go freshen up, Brenden. See you in a bit,” Chloe said, as she headed down toward the basement.

  “Take a load off and relax, Chloe. You look like you could use a breather. Is everything okay?” Damn, Brendan was observant. But he was the Sheriff. That was his job.

  "I'm fine, Brenden,” Chloe sighed. “I’ve just had a wild couple of months that I’m trying to forget about. I’m hoping I can do that while I’m here,” she said with a fake smile plastered on her face.

  “Well, you know you are always welcome to escape here. And if you need to talk to someone, you can always talk to me.”

  “Thanks, Brenden. I know. I'll tell you guys all about it tomorrow while we're nursing hangovers.” She walked to him, gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek and started back downstairs toward the basement with her suitcase in tow. She may be here secretly to escape her problems in Utah, but she was certainly going to buck up and have a good time for the sake of her cousin Sierra. Maybe she could use one of Brenden’s deputies to help with that part.

  Chapter 3

  Keeping his mind off the sun-kissed brunette goddess wasn’t going to be an easy task for the rest of his shift. Flashbacks of her full, shiny lips had him imagining what they would look like wrapped around his cock, stretched wide, taking all eight inches. He wondered if she’d be able to handle every bit of him. He had an inkling that she’d do just fine. Fuck! Focus!

  Justin’s wandering mind caused his package to press tight against his pants. Shit, he was going to get zipper indentations on his dick. A wet lick to the cheek and hot panting in his ear brought him back to reality.

  “Gross, Avery! Dammit.” He laughed. His dog was the best partner he could have asked for. She'd found more drugs over the last four months that they’d been partners than he'd found in the last three years by himself when he had been working patrol full time.

  Avery helped him regain his focus and complete his shift. He’d been hoping he wouldn’t have to do any more traffic stops for the day, but a rusty white minivan with blue doors going 25 in a 45 mile per hour zone changed his plans and he made the stop. He wanted to attribute the slow pace to the driver’s inexperience with the mountain roads in Montana, but he got a strange vibe from the driver and the smell coming from the van was putrid. But it’s not a crime to shit your pants when a cop pulls you over and Justin couldn’t really put his finger on anything else suspicious. It certainly felt like something was up, though. Justin felt it in his gut. And he’d learned in the few years that he’d been a police officer that he should always trust his gut.

  Instead of violating the Fourth Amendment and searching the man for no reason, Justin gave the driver a stern warning and explained to him that going too slow on the windy mountain roads was just as dangerous as going too fast, and sent him on his way. Not without taking note of his Utah license plates, though.

  As the van pulled away, Justin looked at his watch and was relieved his shift was over. Most citizens assumed cops were able to sit in their patrol vehicles and harass any passersby of their choosing. Unfortunately, this was not the case. In addition to pulling people over for traffic violations, he also had to respond to any calls for service, vehicle accidents, investigations, any drug related calls (since he was the officer partnered with Avery), and he had to attend court every week. This was in addition to doing to all the reports and paperwork involved with the job.

  Justin had spent all day patrolling the 85 mile stretch of highway and pulling campground duty. Going into each Forest Service campground and counting people and vehicles was not his idea of fun, but it was part of the job and someone had to do
it. He was the lucky asshole who drew the short straw and got the responsibility for the week. Thankfully, he was done for today. He climbed back in his truck and headed home. He was looking forward to tonight and had things he needed to accomplish before he saw sweet, sexy Chloe again.

  ➰

  His home was a shotgun style bungalow; a popular style in the 1940’s. It was finished with vaulted ceilings, hardwood floors, and a galley kitchen in the rear of the house. The setup worked perfectly for a man of Justin’s stature. Surprisingly for a bachelor living alone, the living room was warm and welcoming with two overstuffed brown suede leather couches and a solid oak coffee table. He even had throw pillows (courtesy of his mother). To his right were two bedrooms separated by a bathroom with an enormous walk in shower.

  Justin went to his liquor cabinet and pulled out a bottle of Absolut. He grabbed a can of red bull and a rocks glass, made himself a stiff drink, and then headed for the shower. His groin had been aching for some relief since he laid eyes on Chloe again. He wanted to unload his pain and frustration before he headed to Brenden’s house for the party. He walked into the bathroom and turned on the shower to get it warmed up, taking a large swig of his drink. Just what he needed.