Texas Ranger Dallas Sanders parked in the back of the sheriff’s station in Cimarron Trail, his home for the past few years. Although he worked out of the Texas Rangers’ office in San Antonio, he loved returning to the smaller town northwest of the city at the end of a long day at work. Now that he’d wrapped up an intense case involving a turf war between two rival gangs that had lasted six months, it was time he introduced himself to the new sheriff, and then all he wanted to do was go to his ranch and spend quality time with his daughter, Michelle.
When he slid from his SUV and started for the building, his cell phone’s ringtone played “The Yellow Rose of Texas.” He smiled when he saw who was calling him. “Hi, princess. I should be home in half an hour.”
“Dad, I’m not at the ranch. I’m babysitting for Aunt Lenora. Grandma drove me here, and Aunt Lenora will bring me home in a couple of hours.”
His thirteen-year-old daughter was the reason he’d bought a small ranch right outside of Cimarron Trail rather than living in San Antonio. Yes, it added an hour to his commute to and from work, but it was worth it. Some of his relatives lived nearby, and after his wife had walked out on their marriage, his daughter needed family around her for support. “How about dinner?” he asked as he opened the rear door into the sheriff’s station.
“I’ll let you know. Aunt Lenora has a committee meeting that might run over. If I get hungry, she has stuff to eat here. The reason I’m calling is that the store where I want to buy my electronic keyboard is open until nine, and I’ll have enough money after Aunt Lenora pays me. Can you take me later when I come home?”
He glanced at his watch. Three o’clock. All he had thought about on his drive home was relaxing and spending some quality time with Michelle now that he didn’t have to put in fourteen-hour days.
“Dad, please.”
He released a long breath. “Sure, if we have time. If not, we can go tomorrow. I’m taking a few days off.”
“I think I called the wrong number. Are you sure you’re Dallas Sanders?”
He laughed. “I know, princess. I’ve been working way too much, but I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
“I’m holding you to it. Gotta go. Brady’s crying.”
When he disconnected the call, he slid his phone back into his pocket. He smiled as he scanned the large room where most of the deputies worked. Michelle was his life. When Patricia left him a few years ago for another man, he’d spiraled into a depression that he’d had to fight his way out for the sake of his daughter. Without Michelle, he might have wallowed in his misery for years.
Dallas approached Deputy Carson, a member of his church. “Mark, is the new sheriff here?”
The young man gestured toward a closed door off the main room. “I know you don’t work this county, but I was expecting you last week.”
“I was working a big case that rapidly blew up. The good thing is we have the main perpetrators safely in jail now. My life will get back to normal.”
Mark chuckled. “But for how long?”
“Please don’t say that. I want only positive thoughts.” Dallas strolled to the closed door and knocked.
“Come in,” a female voice said.
He entered the office and found a woman dressed in a brown uniform with her head bent over a paper she was writing on. His gaze latched onto her shoulder-length auburn hair, which fell forward, framing her face as she looked up at him. Crystal-clear green eyes locked on his face for a few seconds before she noticed the Texas Ranger star pinned to his white shirt over his heart.
She rose, came around her desk and extended her hand. “I’m Sheriff Rachel Young. Since you aren’t the Texas Ranger who covers my county—because he’s on vacation—I’m assuming you’re here on one of your cases. How can I help you?”
He shook her hand. “I’m Dallas Sanders, and no, I’m not here on a case. I live right outside of Cimarron Trail and wanted to welcome you to the area as well as let you know if you ever need extra help, I live at the Five Star Ranch. I understand you were a sergeant for the Austin Police Department before becoming sheriff.”
Her smile lit up her whole face and made him feel at ease. “When my father retired, I jumped at the chance to fill his position