Violet's Sheriff

*1*

"Hey, Ma! Did you hear about the new sheriff?" Gage yelled as he walked in the door.

"Son, stop yelling, please," Ma answered as she turned to face him.

Violet Massey also turned from where she was rolling out dough to make cinnamon rolls. "We finally have a new sheriff?"

"We do," Gage agreed as he picked up an apple and took a bite. "He's probably some old geezer, that's the only kind of law enforcement this town ever gets."

"You mean you haven't seen him yet?" Violet asked her brother as she smacked his hand for trying to pinch off a piece of her dough.

"Naw, but I know the way the mind of the mayor works," Gage answered.

Ma snorted. "Yeah, our fine Mayor is all about who can help him line his pockets with the most money. Some days I truly wonder why your father insisted we move here. However, I'll give the new sheriff the benefit of the doubt, for now."

Violet nodded. What her ma said was true, but she hoped this man would be better than the last one. Shariff Mills had been as crooked as they come, not surprising really, he was a gator. Not that gators couldn't be good people; she knew some who were. However, Sheriff Mills has always caused strange chills to move over her skin with his oily grins.

Her hands paused in her work, and she stared off into space, thoughtfully. I wonder what kind of shifter this sheriff will be? Well, whatever kind he turns out to be, I hope he's a good lawman because this town needs one.

"I say we wait and see what he's like before judging him," Violet stated. "I'm sure the mayor will introduce him to us all at the next clan meeting."

Gage snickered. "Yeah, I'm sure he will, softy."

Violet glared at her brother. "I'm not a softy, I just believe in letting a man's actions speak for him, not those of the man in office before him."

"Whatever," Gage grunted before leaving the kitchen.

"Gage is such a jerk," Violet muttered as she went back to preparing her cinnamon rolls.

"Now, Violet, don't stoop to his level," Ma said. "You know how he feels about the law after they harassed him for months over that stolen car."

"Well, if he hadn't been hanging around with Martin he wouldn't have been in trouble to begin with," Violet muttered. "However, I didn't like Mills either because he just seemed so slimy, so, I guess Gage has a right to feel like he does."

"Yes, he was a bit creepy the way he was always leering at you during those clan meetings."

Violet nodded but couldn't help the shiver that went down her back. What her ma didn't know was that Mills had caught her more than once at those meetings and made some comments about her body. He'd also told her he'd be back for her, soon. She just hoped he didn't make good on his threat; it was one of the reasons she no longer went anywhere alone if she could help it.

#

Owen Cooper sat back in his chair with a sigh. He'd only been the sheriff for a month, and it already felt like he'd been here forever. Why had he taken this job? He hadn't wanted it and he hadn't been the Clan council's first pick. No, they had wanted his brother, but Greg had told them straight up he wasn't leaving his post as police chief two towns over.

Standing, he stomped across the room and yanked up the blind covering the window so he could stare out at the darkening sky. His brother had tried to warn him, but he'd thought a change of scenery might help him and his panther get over the fact that at thirty-five they still hadn't met their mate.

It hadn't. All it had done was make his panther even more irritable because if it wasn't the mayor all in his business it was his daughter.

Betty Jean was an irritating girl who was all of nineteen and was used to getting everything she wanted. Once the mayor had realized she'd set her sights on Owen he'd thrown them together every chance he got.

Owen wasn't happy about it because the first time he'd met her it had been very clear she wasn't his mate. He'd told her that too, after the third time he'd had to pull her hand from his crotch.

Betty Jean had laughed and told him it didn't matter; she'd already rejected hers because he was a bird shifter and since she was a bear it wouldn't have been a good mix.

Owen had been shocked and disgusted at her attitude. Even if they were different the fact that fate had placed them together meant they would be perfect. No, he wanted no part of her, at all, and had been trying to avoid her ever since.

Tapping on the door had him turning. "Yes?"

The door opened and Edna poked her head around it. "The Clan meeting starts in roughly five minutes, Sheriff."

Owen glanced down at the watch on his wrist and frowned. "I completely forgot. I'm not speaking or anything, am I?"

Edna laughed. "No. The mayor is too long-winded to let anyone speak if he doesn't have to."

Owen nodded. "Good. Who is staying to watch the phones?"

"Jason," Edna answered. "Even though he's human and knows about us he can't go to the meetings."

"Makes sense," Owen said as he grabbed his hat and jacket. "Let's go."

#

Walking into the Clan Meeting Hall, Owen paused. Taking a quick glance around, he spotted Betty Jean standing with a group of girls pointing and laughing. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at her because he knew she was probably making fun of someone. That was something else he truly didn't like about the girl, her tendency to poke fun and gossip about the other girls in the Clan she felt were beneath her. He'd found her to be cruel in a way that was unbecoming.

When he saw Betty Jean glance his way, he hustled toward the platform and hoped the mayor planned to start before she was able to track him down.

Halfway there though, he caught a faint hint of something that caused his panther to sit up and take notice. It was a scent he'd never smelled before and had him almost salivating as he made the decision to walk around and search for the source.

Before he could though, a hand smacked him on the back. "Finally, I found you. Come along, sheriff, I have a meeting to start."

Owen nodded slightly at the mayor and followed him to the platform. He took another glance around, sniffing hard, but the scent was gone.