Read Getting Wet for Free Online Page B

some police or fish and game officers to his place and no one will come. I am getting the feeling that his being an occasional stripper is going to be a problem.”
    “Augusta, that is more than I have heard you say in years. I will call your cousin Jordan. He will make some calls. Where can I direct his answer?” Justine was practical. She would be able to quiz Augusta later.
    Augusta rattled off all pertinent information and the number of the phone in her hand. Randal came back in, and he was bristling with hostility.
    “Two, they set two more damned traps near my property.”
    She shook her head. “They probably heard about the giant beaver in the lake and were too greedy to pass it by. It could be construed as your fault.”
    He froze for a moment and then burst out laughing. “Fine. All my fault. Now, let’s get the coffee going.”
    “I couldn’t agree more.” She went to the freezer and found some waffles in a box. It wasn’t even close to Teebie’s muffins, but it was the most important meal of the day.
    They were sitting and having breakfast when the phone rang. She picked it up. “Hello?”
    A masculine voice asked, “Is this Augusta Samuels?”
    “It is.”
    “I am Captain Andrews Larkson of the Draycott police department. What can I do for you?”
    With Randal watching, she outlined the situation. “There was a trap last night as well, and it is making the damned yard dangerous to walk in.”
    “Yes, ma’am. I will have an officer stop by in the next hour to collect the traps and take your statement.”
    “Thank you, Captain Larkson. I was thinking of holding the wedding here in a few weeks, and I want the place safe for the kids running around. They don’t always stay on the paths and the mowed yard. Not when there is a lake and forest to explore.”
    The voice on the other end warmed. “Wedding you say? It is about time that the Forester boy got himself a good woman. We were beginning to believe that he was too pretty for the girls.”
    “Well, sir, he is very pretty, but I can hold my own. I look forward to meeting your officer. Thank you for calling.”
    He mumbled something, and she hung up.
    Randal blinked. “You are actually getting them to come down here?”
    “I am. They will collect the traps and take a statement. If those buggers come back, I will simply call Captain Larkson. I think he is sweet on my no-nonsense turn of phrase.”
    Randal came up behind her and massaged her shoulders. “I know I am. Someone will be here in an hour?”
    “Yup.”
    “Then, we had better get showered and dressed. I want them to think well of you. You may have to bail my butt out of jail one day.” He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her neck with delicate fingers.
    “Don’t worry. I have done that for brothers and cousins. Everybody dips their toe in sometimes.”
    He took her by the hand and tugged her back upstairs. As if by magic, her bag was sitting next to his bureau.
    “Who takes care of this place when you aren’t home?”
    “My brothers or sisters come by and keep the yard up for me when I am working out of the county.”
    “Does that happen a lot?”
    “It did, but it won’t anymore.” He smiled brightly. “I will stay close to home. I promise.”
    “Promise all you will. I am still going to have an hour commute to and from the shop.”
    He frowned. “We are going to have to look into that. I don’t want you on the road that much.”
    “Same here. Perhaps an apartment near the shop? I can come here on the weekends.”
    He scowled. “I want you with me all day and all night. If I can only have one, I will have you next to me each night.”
    She laughed. “We will negotiate later. For now, we need to shower before the police get here. I want to be presentable.”
    He wrinkled his nose but waved her into the large bath with its barrage of showerheads that struck at all angles. “I will scrub your back.”
    She nearly answered that the shower would probably reach her