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right for me, too.”
    “Sure. Of course. No problem.” He stuffed the cards into a box and handed them to her. His hand brushed hers and a jolt of adrenaline hit him right in the middle of his chest. Suzy blinked. Did she feel it, too? Was that a faint tinge of red in her cheeks?
    He wondered if she was very disappointed that Allan was not the man she was looking for. He wanted to tell her she was too good for him. Too good for any man he knew. But it was late, and she’d just think he had ulterior motives. “Go to bed,” he said. “I’ll clean this stuff up. I’m the one who made the mess.” ,
    “I suppose Travis had something to do with it,” she said.
    “Yeah, but he’s not good at picking things up. We tried that.”
    “Leave it. You’ve already done enough for me. How can I repay you for tonight?” she asked.
    He stood and noticed there were dark smudges under her eyes. He brushed a strand of blond hair off her forehead. His fingers grazed her petal-soft skin. “I’ll think of something,” he said and then he walked quickly out the front door. Before he did something stupid.

Chapter Three
    O n Monday morning Brady gave a talk at the Grange to the farmer and rancher’s union about poaching. Then he went to the women’s quilting group where he explained how the crime statistics had declined in Harmony under his administration. After that he met with the PTA after school to talk to parents about crime prevention. All the while he thought about Suzy back at the office addressing flyers to every registered voter in the county.
    By the time he headed back there his head ached and his throat hurt, but nevertheless he was feeling pretty good, until he saw a new poster plastered to the side of the general store with a picture of Darryl Staples and his family—two children and an adoring wife.
    He stopped the car and stared at it while he imagined his own picture where Darryl’s was. As if he was the married candidate with two kids. If he was, would he be a shoo-in for reelection? Not that he’d stoop to getting
     married to win an election. Damn that guy, anyway, for putting it into his head.
    He threw the office door open and shouted to Suzy. She came out of her office, dressed in a trim pants outfit and a scarf around her neck in gold and green which exactly matched her eyes.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    “Nothing. Everything. Did you see the poster?”
    “Of Staples? Yes, I saw it. Look, there’s nothing to worry about. You have your record to stand on. Everybody knows you. Everybody likes you. What does he have that you don’t, anyway?”
    “He has a wife and two kids for starters. Don’t tell me voters don’t respond to that, I know they do.”
    “So get married.”
    “Get serious.”
    “I’m sorry,” Suzy said. “I should know better than to bring up marriage with you.”
    “I’ve been married, you haven’t,” he reminded her. “You think it will solve all your problems. It won’t. Marriage can cause more problems. You have no idea or you wouldn’t be so set on it.”
    “You’ve never talked about your marriage,” she said. “I just assumed...”
    “You assumed it was my fault for being hard to get along with? Well, you assumed right. Lawmen make lousy husbands. They’re never around. Their minds are on their work. They forget birthdays and anniversaries. They forget to come home at night when they’re working on a case. Remember that when you’re looking over your prospects.” He couldn’t help the bitter note that crept into his voice. The words his ex-wife hurled at him before she walked out were forever engraved in his
     memory. All your fault. Never around. No good at love, no good at marriage.
    “I will,” Suzy said, but the look in her eyes was soft and sympathetic. Why, he had no idea.
    “I’m not looking for sympathy,” he said brusquely. “All I nwant is to win this election.”
    “I know that,” she assured him just as brusquely. “All I want