Ridin' Solo (Sisters From Hell Book 1), Marika Ray [librera reader txt] 📗

had been threatening to retire since I was in elementary school, but he never went through with it. He loved his job.

Izzy looked concerned. “Is he sick?”

Esme hopped up and put her arm around Izzy. “No! He just said it was time to start moving in that direction. He said something about leading the horse to calmer pastures.”

“That sounds like one of Dad’s ridiculous phrases,” Amelia piped in. “Maybe the threat of his first grandchild got him thinking about putting his time in elsewhere.”

“Speaking of putting in time elsewhere,” Esme drawled, “where have you been recently, Oak? Haven’t seen you around much lately. And why do you have this glow about you?”

All heads swiveled in my direction, making my cheeks heat despite how clenched I kept my jaw. Leave it to Esme to butt into my private business. The girl watched us all like a hawk, always putting the spotlight on our most insecure private moments like it was her damn job.

“I’ve been working,” I stated, glancing meaningfully down at my uniform.

“Oh, yes. With that hot cop, Wyatt.” Esme’s grin turned smarmy. She winked at me. “Did you hit that yet?”

“Esme!” Izzy whisper-shouted, appalled at her twin’s behavior.

I wasn’t appalled so much as pissed.

Esme threw her hands up in the air, but didn’t look apologetic at all. “What? That man could put me in cuffs any day of the week.”

My rage boiled over. “Stop talking about him that way! He’s my partner.”

Amelia got off Titus’s lap and came over to put her arm around my waist. “Hey, sis. Don’t let her get to you. If there’s something going on, we just want to know so we can hear about the hot sex. That’s all.” She giggled, and Titus folded his arms across his chest with a frown. “Not that I’m not getting it on the regular—I mean, I am knocked up—but I’m always up for an R-rated story time.”

“Oh! I have a hot story! I just started a new class and my professor is a super sexy silver fox.” Vee squealed and jumped up, ready to spill all the details of things we didn’t want to know about.

“Stop! You’re still a baby. We don’t want to hear it.” My cheeks had already betrayed me and I knew there was no way I could cut the conversation off now without all four sisters hounding me for weeks to come. Better to come clean. “Yes, I slept with him, and no, I’m not sharing details.”

All four erupted in squeals, surrounding me like a pack of hyenas.

“Was it hotter than hot?”

“Please, God, tell me he used the cuffs! Or maybe the baton?”

“Did you stay the night?”

“He seems like a big-dick-energy kind of guy. Am I right?”

“Girls!” I yelled, pushing their grabby hands away from me. “I’m not discussing it, and if you so much as bring it up around anyone but me, I will personally haul your ass to jail. Do not try me.”

Amelia pouted. Esme put her hands on her hips with a frown. Izzy sighed and looked dreamily out the window. Vee just kept smiling at me like she was about to burst.

“Jesus, take the wheel…” I muttered, rubbing my forehead.

The door clicked open and Mom clapped her hands, saving me from further discussion about Wyatt. “Come on, girls! The table won’t set itself!”

We all headed into the kitchen, Titus included. He’d learned that while he was definitely not one of the girls, he couldn’t escape chores. Mom had told him the second that ring was on Amelia’s finger that he was part of the family now, and that meant he wasn’t a guest. He grumbled about it all the time, but he kept coming over to help Mom and Dad with things around the house, sometimes even when Amelia wasn’t with him, so I had a feeling he didn’t mind being an honorary Waldo after all.

After the food was on the table, Dad pulled out a chair for Mom, giving her another kiss we all tried to ignore. Titus did the same with Amelia, sending an ache right through my chest. I saw the way they looked at each other, like the other person completed them in a way a single girl like me just couldn’t understand.

We all dug into the food, and for a few minutes, no conversation was had. That happened frequently when partaking of the meals Mom cooked. The woman was a culinary genius. The ticktock of the antique clock Mom kept in her china hutch sounded louder than normal, setting off a crazy thought in my head.

My biological clock, the one I thought I didn’t even possess, began to tick away, the stroke of the minute hand ratcheting up my unease. My whole life, I’d wanted to be in law enforcement, serving my community and working my way up to management. One night with Wyatt and suddenly I didn’t want to do any of that if it meant I had to do it solo. I wanted a partner, at work and in life. I wanted it all: the career, the house, the husband, the baby showers, and the making out on the porch grossing out our kiddos.

I wasn’t sure what I ate after that, as it had all turned to dust in my mouth. I wasn’t sure if Wyatt was the one to give me all that, but for the first time in forever, I wanted to try. I was willing to sacrifice my job to have the rest of it.

Which meant tomorrow morning, I was coming clean to Sheriff Locke. Wyatt was out of time. If he and I were going to have anything together, it would be on a foundation of honesty or nothing at all.

16

Oakley

My heart felt like it was going to gallop right out of my chest. I’d arrived at work early, knowing the sheriff liked to get a head start on paperwork before the change of shift happened. I also wanted to beat Wyatt to