“She’s barely five feet tall.” Shane chuckled.

“Ah yes, but your mother is ten feet tall in personality. That’s what I mean. Her hair is very…” Cassie chewed on her lip and he grinned, waiting to see what she’d say. “It’s so festive and her accessories are all very large.”

She looked over the things on the table and shook her head. “I don’t have anything that’s right for her.” Reaching down, she pulled out a plastic container and flipped it open, rustling through it for a few moments. “Aha!” She held up a pretty piece of glass swirled with blues of all hues and a thread of silver. “This. Let me make her something with it. I’ll let you know when I’ve finished it. If you don’t like it, no harm.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Sure. I was thinking of having it hang vertically, I think it would draw out her neck.”

He smiled at her, not knowing what the hell she was talking about but it sounded good. And it gave him the chance to see her again. “Thank you. That’s very nice of you. Her birthday is next month. Can I buy that necklace there for Maggie now though?”

“Oh.” She blushed and he liked that the blush was for something innocent and sweet between them and not her usual shyness. “Sure. Thank you. Would you like me to wrap it up for her?”

He nodded, without words. He watched her graceful hands draw the necklace from where it was hanging and lay it in a box and then proceed to wrap it up so fancy he was sure he’d f**k it up by the time he got it to Kyle and Maggie’s.

She handed it to him and he paid her. He didn’t want to leave but people had come to her table and were browsing.

“Well, thank you again, Cassie. I’ll see you around.”

She waved at him as he walked away.

Cassie watched him walk away, feeling giddy. Oh man, she had a crush on the sheriff. She wanted to put her head down on the desk and sigh wistfully. Wanted to write his name on her notebook and ask Maggie if Shane liked her.

This was bad. She couldn’t have a crush on the damned sheriff. She didn’t need the big goon, damn it. She—if and when she decided to ever date again—needed some nice, easygoing man about half a foot shorter. With like, a third the testosterone. Shane was a walking testosterone factory. He emanated masculinity. It disturbed and attracted her all at once. What she needed was a plumber, an accountant or a carpenter. She didn’t need law enforcement or men with god complexes.

That made her wince. She was being unfair and she knew it. Shane Chase had been very sweet to her and while he was obviously arrogant in some ways, he didn’t appear to have a god complex. Still, what the hell would she do with a man like him?

A smile crept back onto her face as she pondered the answers to that question.

Several days later, Shane walked into Paperbacks and More and held up a take out bag when Cassie looked in his direction.

“Hi there, darlin’. Care to share a couple of sandwiches and some soft drinks with me?” This was just another step in the “get to know me” plan. He wanted to just sort of barge in and order her to come have lunch with him. It probably would have been how he’d have handled another woman. But this one needed special handling and he wasn’t sure where his patience was coming from but he was thankful for it nonetheless.

“I don’t know. I…”

Before Cassie could finish her sentence, Penny poked her head out of the back. “It’s lunchtime anyway. You came in early and worked late day before yesterday. Flex out the time. That’s a Honey Bear bag he’s holding. Best sandwiches in town. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Cassie’s mouth moved a few more times but Penny simply took over and pretty much pushed her into Shane. He’d have to thank her for that later on.

“I guess I can, yes. Thank you, Shane.”

“There’s a big ol’ shady spot near the fountain at City Hall that’s got our name on it.” He held out his arm and after a brief hesitation, Cassie took it.

“Shady sounds very good.”

They walked the few blocks to City Hall. He liked the way she felt next to him, her arm in his. Liked the way she fit against him even as she’d forget herself and lean a bit before pulling herself away.

Shane wasn’t a fool, he wanted her to himself so he’d chosen a time after the lunch rush and had scoped out the bench earlier that day.

“This is nice. Thank you very much. How much do I owe you?”

He snorted, handed her a soda and unwrapped her straw, poking it in the top of the lid. “Please. It’s not going to ding my retirement account to buy you a sandwich, a lemon bar and some soda.”

“A lemon bar?”

He grinned, liking the sound of eagerness in her voice. “You like them huh? Me too. Turkey okay? It was the special today.” He handed her a sandwich wrapped in wax paper. While she unwrapped it, he flattened the bag between them and put a bag of potato chips there for them to share.

She toed off her shoes and dipped her feet into the cool water of the fountain, sighing. He wanted to groan aloud at the sight of her pretty red toenails.

“Uh oh. Are you gonna give me a ticket now?”

He nearly choked on his sandwich and looked up at her. “What?”

She gestured toward her feet. “You were staring at my feet in the water. I figured I was breaking the law somehow.”

He laughed, if she only knew just what he’d been thinking. “Nah. I like your toenail polish. It’s sexy. And if I didn’t have work boots on, my feet would be in there too.”