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assistant, Celeste Fox, the minute he walked into the building. In her early sixties, Celeste acted more like a mother hen than an employee, the way she fussed over Nathan. “That rowdy girl, Skye. I bet you’re gonna dream of her in that I Dream of Jeannie outfit of hers tonight. Don’t give me that look like you don’t know what I’m talking about.”
    “I don’t know what you’re talking about. And it doesn’t matter, because we do have work to do.”
    “It’s done.”
    “It can’t be. Law enforcement work is never done.”
    “Enough of it is for you to take a break. You work too hard, Sheriff.” Celeste placed her hands on her ample hips. “What did you have for breakfast?”
    “Coffee.”
    Celeste shook her head and tsked him, something she did a lot. “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. You shouldn’t be skipping that. It’s not healthy. I’ll bet you skipped lunch, too. Here.” She reached over to her desk, picked up a thick sandwich covered in plastic wrap, and shoved it at him. “That’s homemade tuna salad on fresh-baked bread. Eat that for lunch. If you keep skipping meals, you’re going to end up skinny as a beanpole, like Timmy Johnson.”
    The name of Nathan’s deputy only served to remind him of how Skye had conned the less-experienced officer into doing her bidding. Well, that wasn’t going to happen to him. She could shimmy her hips all she wanted. He was immune.
    So why was she even in his thoughts? Aggravated with himself, Nathan headed for his office.
    Celeste was right on his heels.
    “Look, I promise I’ll eat the sandwich,” he told her. “Later.”
    “There’s no time like the present.” She plopped into a chair across from his desk. “You can eat while I tell you about your phone messages.”
    “I thought they were supposed to repair the voicemail system by this morning.”
    Celeste nodded. “That was the original plan, yes. But there was a glitch.”
    Nathan had learned that there was always a glitch where the town of Rock Creek was concerned. “So when will it be fixed?”
    Celeste shrugged. “They’re saying tomorrow. Possibly. It could happen. Meanwhile, I’ve been taking your phone messages.” She paused to consult her notes. “Your mother called from Nebraska and wanted to know what’s on your birthday list. And the mayor wanted to remind you about the city council meeting tomorrow night.”
    “Right. Anything else?”
    “Yes. I just wanted to assure you that I squelched any beginnings of a rumor about you and that rowdy Skye.”
    “What kind of rumor?”
    Celeste lowered her voice and leaned closer. “Apparently, someone overheard her telling you not to . . . ‘cop a feel’ was the way I believe they put it. Not that you’d ever do such a thing.” Her eyes behind her huge glasses reflected her outrage. “Which I informed them in no uncertain terms.”
    “That was nice of you.”
    Celeste waved his words away. “Niceness had nothing to do with it. I wasn’t going to just stand by and let someone bad-mouth you. I’ll bet that hussy-woman Skye threw herself at you. Is that what happened?”
    “Uh . . .”
    “Am I interrupting something?” The question came from Nathan’s best friend and college roommate Cole Flannigan, the local vet.
    “No, come on in. I was just about to take a lunch break. Thanks, Celeste.” He nodded at her, hoping she’d take the hint that it was time to leave now.
    She did, reluctantly, closing the door after her.
    “The woman dotes on you, you know,” Cole told him with a grin. He turned the straight-backed oak chair around and sat facing Nathan, his arms propped on the back.
    “Why do you have to rearrange the furniture every time you walk into a room?” Nathan asked before biting into his sandwich.
    “Don’t give me any grief. I had to pick up a hundred-pound Newfoundland this morning, and sitting this way makes my back feel better.”
    “You’re gettin’ old, man.”
    “I’m younger