“We don’t have the tech here to do that. Normally things like this don’t happen in our town,” Dawson said, glaring suspiciously at Viper. The meaning was clear. The deputy believed Viper was behind this.
“What about the sheet that he... used?”
Sheriff Dawson nodded. “We’ll take that with us. We have to send it to a lab two counties over and we won’t have the results back for at least a week. Do you have a trash bag we can put it in?”
“Yes, let me get one.”
Callie walked to the kitchen and opened the cabinet under the sink. A minute later, she returned to find the men with their arms crossed over their chests, trying to appear taller than the next man, and eyeing each other with squinting eyes. She had to fight the laugh bubbling up from their male posturing.
“Your broken window is a safety issue. I wouldn’t recommend you stay here until you have replaced it. You should stay with a family member or a friend.”
“You know I don’t have any family here,” Callie reminded him softly.
“You could stay with me,” Dawson offered, reaching out to her.
Viper growled. Callie startled. He heard her heartbeat double. Dammit, not a smart move on his part.
He cleared his throat. “That won’t be necessary. I’ve called my people at the ranch and they are bringing supplies to board up the window. We also have a security system we are no longer using that we can have installed tomorrow.”
“Will it alert us?” Sheriff Dawson asked.
“Yes,” Viper responded with his one-word etiquette.
“Good, good. We will look at your back balcony and yard. If I remember correctly, there used to be stairs that led down to the back.”
Callie walked them to the balcony doors. “Yes, but we fenced the entire backyard in years ago. It’s eight feet high.”
“We’ll see if there are any gaps in the fencing,” the sheriff told her.
The sheriff pulled on the handle of the balcony French doors and it opened too easily. “I think he got in this way. He broke the handle.”
Dawson scratched his head. “Then why did he break the window?”
“Good question. He had to know by breaking the window someone would hear it.”
Callie frowned. “So he wanted us to know he was here?”
“Maybe he was jealous of you spending time with this guy. Do you have any angry ex-lovers we should know about?” Dawson asked.
“My ex-fiancé is in Dallas and he wouldn’t do this. He’s never even been to Arizona.”
“What’s his name? We’ll verify his whereabouts,” the sheriff asked.
“Jonathan Deets. He works for the Anderson Oil Company in Dallas, Texas. It can’t be him, though.”
The sheriff looked pointedly at his deputy before answering, “Ex-boyfriends can do stupid things.”
“But he’s happily married to someone else,” Callie insisted.
“We’ll still verify his whereabouts. Now, Mr. Viper, I want to make sure you don’t leave town in case we have more questions for you.”
“I understand,” Viper responded.
Callie could feel his gaze on her the entire time she spoke about her ex. It was humiliating to admit that her ex-fiancé had married someone new in less than a year after their breakup. It should have devastated her, but after a few days of feeling sorry for herself, she felt relief.
Jonathan was not her Mister Right. Maybe she didn’t have a Mister Right. Her parents weren’t the best example of domestic bliss. But her aunt and uncle were the epitome of genuine love. Caught up in her thoughts, she missed something the sheriff said.
“I’m sorry, what was that?”
“I asked if you were feeling all right. I could call the paramedics to check you over or drive you to the emergency room.”
“I’m fine, just confused why someone would bother with me. I mean, I’m just a librarian.”
Dawson snorted and mumbled in a low voice. “You’re a hot librarian. Stuff of wet dreams.”
Viper growled next to her and looked like he would rip the deputy’s head off. He didn’t need to bother.
The sheriff slapped the back of his man’s head—hard. “Watch how you talk to people. No wonder you’re still single.”
Dawson looked embarrassed. “My apologies.”
Callie was so stunned, she just nodded, not sure what to say. Did men think she was hot? Well, she didn’t care about JJ Dawson but the idea that Viper might think so made her heart skip a beat.. She glanced up at his handsome but stern face. He didn’t show any emotion at all. Why was he so hard to read?
Viper stiffened before reaching for his cell phone from his back pocket. “My people are in the library's foyer with the supplies.”
“Damn it, I didn’t even lock up the library.”
“I’ll bring them up. We’ll board the window and the balcony doors. We’ll do a perimeter check and when we’re done, I’ll make sure everything is secure downstairs before we leave.”
The sheriff looked concerned. “Callie, are you sure you feel okay staying here tonight? The security system won’t be installed until tomorrow.”
“I’ll be fine. We will board up everything and I have my uncle’s shotgun in the closet. I’ll pull it out and make sure it’s loaded with the safety on.”
“Do you know how to use the weapon?” Viper asked with concern.
“Yeah, my uncle taught me. I’m not a crack shot, but if the target is within fifteen feet, I’ll hit it.”
“She’s right. I helped her uncle train on the proper way to use a shotgun. Just make sure you see what you’re shooting and not hit the neighbor or their dog. Now, we’ll go out the back balcony and check over the back fencing before we leave.”
“Do you remember where the key to the gate is?” Callie asked.
“I do, under the big
