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hope for your future in this town after all.” He smiled and turned to join a group of local businessmen passing by.
    Great. It was beginning to look like he had made a mistake locking the old guy up. But town safety had to come first. Right?
    He needed to talk to Heather. Needed to clear the air. Even though he had told her his reasons last night, a new day brought about a clearer mind. Maybe he could get her to understand. M aybe they could put their heads together to come up with a good solution for Gus.
    Scanning the crowd again, he attempted to locate her in the undulating mass. A bright red head of curls caught his attention. Where there was Beth Ann, Heather was usually close by.
    Tugging his hat down securely on his head , he made his way toward her best friend.
    She caught sight of him as he drew near, her smile slipping a bit. “Well, i f it isn’t our law - abiding Sher iff Andrews. Thrown any more geriatrics in the pokie today?”
    Billy nudged her. “Be nice.”
    She smiled up at Billy. “Oh, I’m just teasing.” Then she returned her gaze to Bronson, her smile not so warm. “Sorta.”
    Bronson cleared his throat and tried his best to smile. “Have you seen Heather?”
    The redhead eyed him suspiciously. “You looking to cause more trouble?”
    â€œ Now, come on , Beth Ann. The s her iff’s just doin’ his job.” Billy hugged her a little closer.
    â€œI know.” She giggled and poked him in the stomach. “Hey, can you grab me a sod a so I can talk to the good s he riff for a minute?”
    Billy winked at her and strode off toward a nearby street vendor.
    Beth Ann turned and pinned him with an assessing look. “Here’s the part where I tell you that I tend to get real protective over Heather. She’s my best friend. Been there for me no matter what, even when she was away at school , and I’ll do just about anything for her.”
    â€œOkay.” Unsure of where the conversation was heading , Bronson decided it was best to let the redhead say her bit.
    â€œWhat about you?”
    Bronson wasn’t exactly sure what sort of a question it was. “What do you mean?”
    Beth Ann rolled her eyes. “How do you feel about her?”
    â€œHeather’s a great woman. I’d never do anything intentional to hurt her. This whole thing with Gus isn’t about Heather. It’s about safety for him and everyone else in town.”
    She nodded. “Just so long as we understand each other.” She quickly glanced around as if she didn’t want anyone to overhear what she had to say. Stepping closer , she lowered her voice. “She’s been schmoozing folks , trying to find a place for Gus before your deadline. She’s working with Carl and Molly , trying to get leads on property in the area to buy , but things aren’t going quite as smooth as she’d hoped. Now, with that said… take it a little easy on her. M’kay?”
    He’d had no idea the lengths Heather had been going to , trying to get a permanent setup for Gus. Yeah, he knew she spent a lot of time worr y ing about him and taking care of him, but this information shed a new light on the situation. He needed to talk to her. Needed her to know he was on her side and would do pert - near anything to help her. “Where is she?”
    Beth Ann motioned over his left shoulder toward the town square. “Schmoozing.”
    He turned and immediately saw her near the gazebo , speaking with the local realtor, Molly. He murmured a quick thank you to Beth Ann and made a beeline toward the two women just as they parted ways .
    Trotting across the distance, Bronson caught up with Heather as she started making her way back to The Pickle. “Hey.”
    She turned and gave him a half smile. “Hi.”
    He tucked his thumbs into his front pockets. “How’s it goin’?”
    â€œBusy.” Heather didn’t