Right Behind Her by Melinda Leigh

Author:Melinda Leigh [Leigh, Melinda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic Suspense
Publisher: Montlake
Published: 2021-09-14T07:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Bree’s saddle creaked as Cowboy tossed his head. It was eight a.m. and she was already sweating under her uniform. Her horse’s white-and-brown coat gleamed in the morning sun. People lined the street, waving. Ahead of her, a half dozen local veterans formed the color guard. Behind her, classic convertibles carried the mayor, this year’s Miss Scarlet Falls, and the oldest veteran in the county, Rich Bartlett, age 102. The Scarlet Falls High marching band played a surprisingly good cover of “Bad Romance” a block back.

“Easy, boy.” Bree touched her horse’s sweaty neck. Generally a calm horse, Cowboy snorted. The crowd and noise excited him. The crowd thickened as they approached the fairgrounds. Children held flags. Bree waved to a little boy sitting on a tricycle. Ribbons had been woven into the spokes of his front wheel. Here and there, she spotted a deputy among the crowd. She’d approved overtime to make sure crowd control was adequately covered.

A cheer went up as the color guard turned into the entrance and started up the grass aisle that ran between rows of tents and temporary food stands. They topped a slight rise in elevation. In the near distance, Bree could see the grassy parking areas already filling. A large field held stock trailers parked in neat rows. Larger tents to the south held livestock for judging. Cowboy arched his neck and pranced. Grateful for all the hours she’d spent riding over the past six months, Bree dropped her butt deeper into the saddle and moved with him. The red, white, and blue ribbons braided into his mane fluttered in the warm morning breeze.

Bree spotted her family near the funnel cake stand. Dana and Luke waved. Kayla jumped up and down. Powdered sugar smeared her face. Bree passed the sheriff’s tent. Marge and Matt’s sister, Cady, were collecting donations for Greta’s training and equipment and selling tickets to the black-tie fundraiser being held in September. Deputy Oscar handed out gold star “Sheriff” stickers to kids.

Matt waved at her from his place in front of the table. Brody sat at his side, playing ambassador. As a former K-9 shot in the line of duty, the big dog was a local celebrity. The mayor was making a special announcement midday, and Matt would bring Greta into the ring to show her off.

In the stall next to the K-9 booth, a few of Bree’s deputies had volunteered to be “dunked” to raise additional money. Five dollars bought three tries. Todd was first in line. A few more hours in this heat and Bree would gladly sign up to be dunked.

Fifty feet away, the grandstand and show ring, the end of the parade route, appeared ahead. The fairgrounds were packed, and everyone crushed forward to see the parade. The marching band launched into “Uptown Funk.” The band was close enough that Bree could barely hear herself think. The thought made her feel incredibly old.

Just outside the entrance to the show ring, Cowboy startled, shot sideways, and bucked twice.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.