The Accidental Sheriff by Cathy McDavid Page B

slammed the door shut and walked away.
    He didn’t have to wait that long. He was already regretting it.

Chapter Six
    “Don’t think just because your family’s guest ranch is one of our sponsors you can pick and choose your assignments.”
    “That’s not it, Ward.” Carolina sat with her hands on the table in front of her, trying not to twist the tennis bracelet on her left wrist. She’d returned the diamond engagement ring Lonnie had given her but kept the bracelet he’d surprised her with their first Christmas together.
    Not all her experiences with her ex-fiancé were bad. Just the final ones.
    After the other day, when she’d informed Ward she’d rather not do the story on Neil, her boss had blown up, but promptly cooled down. Then today, he’d called her into the small conference room, demanding she accept the assignment on Neil. His annoyance came across like an afterthought, as if he were following a protocol he didn’t fully support.
    But even with the lack of intensity, his reproof still caused her extreme discomfort. For an awkward moment, she was that little girl who’d dumped the entire container of fish food into the aquarium. Apparently she hadn’t matured much since then.
    “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Ward, but I can’t help feeling a negatively slanted exposé on Neil would hurt him and his daughter unnecessarily. Not to mention adversely affect the people of this county and their safety.”
    “How so?”
    “Targeting Neil, creating problems for him, could distract him and compromise his ability to perform his job.”
    He crooked an eyebrow at her. “That’s a stretch.”
    “Not a big one. We don’t know how he’ll react. Cops have that adrenaline thing going.”
    Talk about a stretch. Neil was the epitome of cool. Except when he’d kissed her. He’d been hot enough to blister the Jeep’s leather seats.
    “Are you willing to risk your job for him?”
    Ward’s question gave her a start. Vi had asked Carolina the same thing, and she’d believed then her boss wouldn’t threaten her with unemployment.
    Wrong again.
    “Yes,” she said, gulping.
    Reporters had ethics, right? Like Woodward and Bernstein. They’d gone to jail to protect their source.
    Comparing herself to journalistic legends didn’t take the sting out of potentially losing her job.
    “I’m not going to fire you, Carolina,” Ward said evenly.
    Whew! That was a relief. She tried not to go limp or burst into tears.
    “But there will be repercussions.”
    “I understand.” She’d prepared herself for a formal written warning.
    “You can forget about any more roving assignments for the foreseeable future.”
    While not entirely out of the blue, the announcement still hit her hard. Step two of her life-redirecting plan was to advance her career. This was a huge setback.
    “And you’ll be put on probation for ninety days.”
    Correction, a brick wall.
    “Isn’t that a little extreme?” she choked out.
    “Not for insubordination. Read your employee manual.”
    She didn’t reply. How could she with a giant, painful lump lodged in her throat?
    What would Neil say if he knew all she was going through for him? Would he change his mind about dating her?
    Doubtful.
    If she didn’t like him so much and sympathize with his position, she’d resent him.
    “I’m sorry, Carolina,” Ward said.
    “Me, too.” She nodded.
    “If it were up to me alone, I’d let you off with just a verbal warning.”
    Because he did sound genuinely sorry, she risked her fragile state and looked at him. His face showed a strain she hadn’t previously noticed.
    “Are you okay?” she found herself asking.
    “Fine. Why?”
    “You just seem…a little distracted.”
    He busied himself with her personnel file, which lay open in front of him.
    “You’re not usually so nice,” she blurted.
    “Nice?” He glowered at her. “I just put you on probation for ninety days.”
    That was more like it.
    “Is there anything else?” she