The Sheriff's Secret Wife Read Online Free PDF Page B

siblings, both seniors at Destiny High School, caught drag racing. Each other.

Hell, she'd done the same thing many times as a teen in her father's rattrap of a pickup that hid a killer engine. Usually against Bobby Winslow, who never seemed to get caught. But she had been, and her old man had left her overnight in jail while he and her brothers went on a bender in Cheyenne.

She doubted the Steele twins faced the same fate.

Gage's eyes narrowed as he took in her attempt to hold back her amusement. "I'm on my way. And take their cell phones. They aren't to talk to anyone until I get there."

"Their cell phones?" Racy asked.

Gage ended the call and jammed the radio back on his hip. "Those two will call our mother with a sob story so fast, she'll end up lecturing me instead of them."

Racy didn't doubt it. Sandy Steele was well known for her nurturing. Racy had experienced it firsthand years ago when the woman had provided a hot meal, a homemade quilt and a soft pillow to a scared teenage girl who'd spent the night in one of her husband's jail cells.

The heat of Gage's touch as he grabbed her hand and slapped an envelope into it yanked Racy back to the present.

"Read this," he said. "We'll talk later."

Her fingers curled around the letter as he headed for the door in Max's office that led directly to the front lobby. She read the envelope's return address. Her stomach dropped to her feet. "Gage, this…this can't be real."

"Oh, it's real." He paused at the door to look at her. "Welcome to my nightmare."

Racy stood frozen in place after he left. Then a knock came on the door. She shoved the envelope into her back pocket and turned. "Come in."

Gina peeked inside. "Has the smoke cleared?"

"What smoke?"

"No one can smolder better than my brother. Gage was here about me." The forlorn expression on Gina's face spoke volumes. "And don't ask me how I know. I'm the smart one, remember?"

Racy crossed the office and ushered the girl toward the stairs, quickly deciding it wasn't her place to relay the antics of Gina's younger siblings. She'd leave that for Gage or their mother. "Yes, he was here, and no, you aren't fired."

When Gina got to the bottom step she turned to face Racy. "The last thing you need is my big brother acting like…well, a big brother. Any more than he already does."

A pang Racy attributed to the craziness of what Gage had just told her hit her square in the gut. The folded envelope in her back pocket seemed to burn through her jeans.

"How's that?"

"You know, overprotective, watching my every move, staring down any guy that even looks at me."

So that's what big brothers did. Too bad nobody had filled in Billy Joe and Justin, who thought their sister was put on earth to keep their buddies occupied, steal bail money from and clean up after their lazy asses. Like father, like sons.

"Don't worry," Gina continued. "He'll behave tonight."

Racy focused on the young woman's assurance. "What?"

"He's here most nights."

"Gage hasn't been here in over two months."

"I was teasing him earlier—oh, that's right. He said he stays out of sight most of the time."

Out of sight? That's impossible.

Built on the same location as the original saloon, The Blue Creek had expanded over the years but remained on one level with an open floor plan. From her vantage point at the main bar, she could see everything, including the smaller bar on the far side near the pool tables and dartboards.

There were pockets of darkness, but there was no way Gage had stepped inside these walls and she hadn't known about it. The kitchen was off-limits to customers, as well as the second floor. The only rooms up there were Max's office and storage areas. Most of the doors off the balcony were fake, mimicking bedrooms where saloon girls would've taken—

The balcony.

Racy's gaze shot to the three-foot-wide area, complete with support beams and railing that ran three-quarters' way around the bar. Always in the shadows, but especially at