Most Eligible Sheriff By Cathy McDavid
A Reason To Stay
Las Vegas casino manager Ruby McPhee needs to lay low while the police deal with a stalker at work. So she’s trading in her high heels for cowboy boots and assuming her twin sister’s identity at the Gold Nugget Ranch. Ruby only plans on staying in Sweetheart, Nevada, until the threat back home has passed. But then she discovers a detail her sister forgot to mention—the handsome sheriff she’s dating.
It only takes a single kiss for Cliff Dempsey to realize the woman in his arms is someone entirely different…and completely irresistible. To protect Ruby’s secret, Cliff maintains her ruse, but soon the lines between duty and desire begin to blur. Ruby and Cliff know they have a once-in-a-lifetime connection, but will they have a chance to let their love grow?
“I’m fine, Cliff.” Ruby tossed her purse on the table. “You can leave.”
“I will. Soon.”
Was it possible he didn’t want to go?
It was entirely possible she didn’t want him to go.
“Can I get you something?” She wasn’t thinking of water.
Neither was he. Heat flared in his eyes. “I’m okay.”
Seconds ticked by. Neither of them moved.
This was stupid, Ruby thought. Any relationship they had was doomed from the start. Her home was in Vegas. His was in Sweetheart, three hours away. She was evading a stalker and would probably be a material witness in his upcoming trial. One of them needed to be the adult.
“I’m pretty sure the coast is clear,” she said.
“You’re right.” He inched slowly away.
She buried her frustration. What did she expect? For him to sweep her into his arms? Hadn’t she just admitted the pointlessness of that?
He hesitated on the porch. “I had a nice time tonight.”
Her heart skipped. That was the kind of remark a man made to a woman at the end of a real date. Not a pretend one.