ONE
“There’s a new girl in town.”
Sheriff Zach Turner first heard the news from Cam Murphy when he arrived at the man’s outdoor-sports shop, Refresh, on his day off. The fly rod he’d noticed on his previous visit was proving to be quite a temptation. A sports equipment junkie, Zach had been both delighted and dismayed when Murphy’s shop opened this past winter. Having such a great selection of gear within spitting distance of the sheriff’s office was playing hell with his wallet.
Zach lifted the rod from the rack, tested its feel, and replied, “A troublemaker?”
“A looker.”
Ah. “And you are compelled to share this information why? Still threatened that Sarah will come to her senses and decide that she can’t live without my superior kisses after all, Murphy?”
Cam flashed the shark’s smile he’d become known for since his return to Eternity Springs from Australia, and his blue eyes gleamed with contentment. “I’m too sexually satisfied to respond to that dig, Sheriff.”
“Ouch.” Zach set the rod on the counter, then wandered over to the bicycles, where a red Enduro EVO caught his eye. He’d been wanting to move up from his Stumpjumper, but he couldn’t justify the cost. Not now, anyway. Maybe this summer …
“Actually, I’m giving you a heads-up,” Cam continued. “The quilt group met at my house last night, and your love life—specifically, your lack of a love life—was one of the main topics of conversation.”
Zach glanced up from the bike and fastened a frustrated look upon his friend. “You’re kidding me.”
“Nope. The women have matchmaking on their minds.”
Zach groaned aloud. “Does it never occur to them that they don’t know everything they think they know about my love life?”
Cam folded his arms and arched an inquisitive brow. “You have a fish on the line we don’t know about, Turner?”
Zach’s thoughts went to the ski instructor he’d been seeing over at Wolf Creek. Inga Christiansen was a lovely, tall, talented woman who was as athletic in bed as she was out of it. He’d enjoyed the time they’d spent together, but they’d both gone into the relationship knowing it was seasonal. “Actually, I recently cut one loose.”
“Someone I know?”
Zach gave a slow smile. “Inga.”
“Inga?”
“She’s going home to Sweden, and I just didn’t want to move with her.”
“Ah, a Scandinavian! I used to love it when we had snow bunny Scandinavians sign up for dive trips,” he said, referring to the reef diving tour business he’d owned when he lived in Australia. “Nice scenery.”
Zach mentally envisioned Inga the last time he’d seen her naked. “Very.”
“Although I will repeat that the new southern comfort we have to enjoy is pretty scenic.”
“Southern comfort?”
“Ms. Savannah Sophia Moore, from Georgia. Wait until you hear her accent. I told Sarah that the way she says ‘sugah’ sorta licks up and down a man’s spine.”
“And your bride didn’t take a knife to you?”
“No. She was too busy trying to figure out a way to set the two of you up.”
Zach snorted and decided it was time to change the subject. “So have you heard how the rainbows are biting on the Taylor River this week?”
The conversation turned to fishing, and Zach forgot about the newcomer to town as he went about his errands. His next stop was the local vet’s office to pick up his whippet, Ace, whom he’d left with Nic Callahan first thing that morning. The tall, blond mother of twin daughters had an appealing girl-next-door beauty and a friendly demeanor, and she gave him a welcoming smile as he opened her office door and strode inside. “Hey, Zach.”
“How’s my dog?”
“Ace is a doll, and I’m happy to say that he’s doing just great. Even better, he seems to have gotten his spirit back. You’ve done a great job with him, Zach. Aren’t you glad we talked you into keeping him?”
Ace had been in pitiful shape when Nic and her friends rescued him from a bad situation the previous summer. Scarred, starved, and scared, he’d required extra doses of TLC to nurture him back to health. Surgery had helped his hip injury, the likely result of being hit by a car, but the speed-demon escape-artist days enjoyed by most whippets were behind him. “He’s a good dog. Good company.”
Nic snapped her fingers. “Speaking of which, have you heard the news? Eternity Springs has a new permanent resident. Savannah Sophia Moore. Isn’t that a lovely name? She’s from Georgia and is a dog person. She adopted the cutest little mutt recently. A mini. Savannah brought her to