All of the Voices by Bailey Bradford (little red riding hood read aloud txt) 📗

Carlin nodded, keeping his gaze locked with the sheriff’s. “Thank you.”

“I’m Sheriff Laine Stenley, and that cute guy walking with Nixon is my partner, Severo Robledo.”

Carlin got the opportunity to ogle Nixon’s fine butt as he turned with the sheriff to watch the men walking away.

“You’ll find McKinton has changed, but not so much that unjustified accusations are tolerated.” Sheriff Stenley gave him a hard look. “Least not by me, and not to my deputy, who, by the way, cared for your aunt a great deal. That there”—Stenley pointed at Nixon—“Is the one deputy on my force you can be sure didn’t take Mrs. Hawkins’ call lightly. Every time she reported a prowler and Matt was on duty, he hauled it out to Mrs. Hawkins’ place. Some of the other deputies might not have been so dedicated, all things considered. He’s even been taking care of her chickens, gathering eggs and feeding and watering them even though there’s one rooster that goes after him every time Matt checks on them.”

“I didn’t mean it the way it came out,” Carlin tried to explain, feeling like a jerk and more than a little curious about the ‘all things considered’ part of the sheriff’s admonishment. Right now, however, he needed to mend the fence he’d bulldozed over and judging by the sheriff’s demeanor, Carlin rather thought honesty was the best policy at this point.

Carlin hadn’t even thought about his aunt’s chickens. Shit. Something else he needed to see to. “I admit I did want to make sure my aunt’s emergency call was acted on quickly, but surely you can understand that? I’d just meant to do it more tactfully. Normally I’m a lot smoother than that, at least I am in the courtroom.”

Sheriff Stenley’s expression hardened, the look in his eyes foreboding. “Your aunt called in false prowler reports over a dozen times a year. I never brought charges against her for it, even when she’d…” Stenley coughed and ruddy strips of color bloomed on his cheeks. “Well, I don’t know what you knew about Mrs. Hawkins, but she had a…a thing for my deputies, and, uh, me.”

Now the man looked flustered and Carlin was intrigued even as his gut twisted with guilt. He’d heard stories before of elderly people calling in false reports just to get a cop out so they’d have some company. Carlin just hadn’t known his aunt was that lonely. “She never said a word about it, about the calls, or—” Carlin swallowed as his throat muscles tightened. His eyes were stinging, warning of another deluge of tears.

“Come on,” Sheriff Stenley said in a voice so laden with compassion Carlin couldn’t stop the flow of moisture that leaked onto his cheeks. He gingerly set his arm over Carlin’s shoulder, then nudged him with his hand. “Let’s take this conversation inside before everyone in McKinton hears it.”

* * * *

“You know, even with that scowl, you’re a handsome man,” Severo said as he stirred his coffee. “I can see why Carlin Douglas was drooling over you.” His pale green eyes crinkled at the outer corners as he grinned. “I mean that in a friendly way, just so we’re clear.”

Matt slumped where he sat in the booth of Virginia’s Café. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” But he did. Even now that he knew who the gorgeous blond was, just thinking about the way the man had looked him over had Matt’s dick hardening uncomfortably. He quelled the urge to shift, unwilling to give Severo a clue about his body’s reaction.

“Sure you do,” Severo argued. “I might not have been able to see your face, but I didn’t need to. Anyone could pick up on the sexual tension between you and Carlin.”

Matt darted a nervous glance around the café and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw no one else in the place. His skin prickled as an odd buzzing sounded in his head then vanished. It was as if the restraints he’d kept on his thoughts and emotions had been stripped away. The possibility of talking those things over with someone other than Mrs. Hawkins held an appeal he’d not seen before now. Matt could almost hear Mrs. Hawkins encouraging him to reach out to the man across the table from him.

Maybe he could talk to Severo about all the crap in his head he’d been trying to unknot for months now, ever since Houston PD detective Rich Montoya had showed up in McKinton. The man was gone now, packed up and off to God knew where, but the feelings he’d roused in Matt hadn’t gone with Montoya. No, those were rooted inside Matt and growing stronger every day.

Matt looked at Severo and weighed his options. There weren’t many. Mrs. Hawkins had been the only person Matt had confided in, and he desperately needed to figure this shit out. Severo watched him in return, his expression peaceful, as if promising silently to help Matt and maybe shoulder some of his load.

“All right,” Matt murmured, more to himself than Severo. The door to the café jangled as someone entered and Matt’s heart thumped heavily in his chest. “Ah, can we maybe talk, in the cruiser, or somewhere less”—Matt waved a hand at the newcomer—“less public?”

Severo didn’t answer him directly, turning instead to wave at the waitress. “Can we get our coffees to go please?” The waiter, some new guy Matt hadn’t seen before, nodded and darted off to toward the kitchen. “Wonder who he is,” Severo mused. “He doesn’t have a name tag, and I’ve never seen him anywhere around town before. He’s a damn sight better looking than Irma was, that’s for sure.”

Matt pulled himself from his chaotic thoughts long enough to study the waiter. Young, that was his first impression, and hungry, probably literally. The kid was so thin it was almost painful to look at him, but he had really big