Short-Order Sheriff (River's End Ranch Book 1) Read online

  Short-Order Sheriff

  RIver’s End Ranch Book 1

  Kirsten Osbourne

  Unlimited Dreams

  Contents

  Copyright

  Introduction

  Acknowledgments

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  About the Author

  Also by Kirsten Osbourne

  Copyright © 2016 by Kirsten Osbourne

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Introduction

  Kelsi Weston, the youngest of six siblings, loves life. She has a job she adores, is surrounded by people she loves, and gets to work with people she cares about. If only she could keep cooks in the café she manages, life would be perfect. When her long-time boyfriend announces he’s leaving town for a new job on the same day her cook leaves with no notice, she does what she always does. She handles it.

  Sheriff Shane Clapper has loved Kelsi for years, going to her café for lunch every day simply so he can see her. When he hears she’s broken up with her boyfriend, he immediately goes to the café to make his move. Why let grass grow under his feet? He knows what he wants, and he plans to get it! Will the sheriff be able to convince Kelsi she would be happier with him? Or will she give into her mother’s demands to date the man picked out for her?

  To sign up for Kirsten Osbourne’s mailing list and receive notice of new titles as they are available, click here.

  Acknowledgments

  I have to take this time to thank the woman who has agreed to keep up with all the storylines and make sure we mesh on this huge project I’m embarking on with my dear friends. Amy Petrowich, I don’t know how you keep all those little details in your head, but someone has to, and I’m greatly impressed that you can! Thank you for taking on this project with us!

  This book is the beginning of an awesome project with Pamela Kelly, Amelia Adams, Caroline Lee, and Cindy Caldwell. All of the books will be “sweet” romances, meaning there will be no explicit scenes, and they will all intertwine in the world of River’s End Ranch that we’ve created. Every week for five weeks, starting on October 10th will be a new book. After that, it will be every other week. I encourage you to read all of the books for the full story of this amazing world I feel so honored to write in!

  Every sibling will eventually find love as well as so many of the people you’ve already read about. Yes, all my worlds will collide as part of this ranch, because that’s how my worlds seem to work. Thank you for following my journey! I appreciate each and every one of you.

  Kirsten

  Chapter One

  Kelsi Weston looked at her cook, Kathy, frustrated. “You can’t leave us with no notice at all!” Why did all the cooks she hired take off so quickly? It made her crazy.

  Kathy shrugged. “I have to. Did you see him?” She pointed to one of the guests of the dude ranch where Kelsey’s Kafé was located, who was waiting for her at the front of the café. “He wants to take me away from all this and keep me in the style to which I want to become accustomed. Please understand!”

  Kelsi looked at the guest with a frown. He was handsome, but a good fifteen years older than Kathy. Kelsi had no doubt that the real draw was his wallet and not his face. “How are we supposed to feed the guests that come in here?” Kelsi couldn’t man both the front and the back.

  “I’ll work ‘til noon. I don’t really have to be packed until this evening, and I don’t have much.”

  Kelsi sighed. Kathy had drifted in six months before looking for a job, so she wasn’t terribly surprised she was drifting out the same way.

  “I’ll call Dani and see if she can fill in for the rest of the week.”Dani was Kelsi’s twin, and she filled in whenever they were between cooks, which happened more often than Kelsi would like.

  She saw her boyfriend, whom she’d been dating for eight years and annoyed with for most of that time, settle into a booth with a wave. Donn would have to wait, though, because she had to deal with her cook crisis first.

  Kathy hugged Kelsi and ran out to tell her man that she would leave with him, but work that morning first.

  Kelsi quickly dialed her sister’s cell number, picturing her at her desk in the main ranch house. When Dani answered, she already sounded slightly peeved, and Kelsi put on her best happy voice. “How’s my favorite sister?”

  “Only sister. What do you need, Kelsi?”

  Kelsi sighed. “How’s your day?” She knew if she could get her sister to talk for a minute first, she’d be a lot less grumpy about her request.

  “I’m working here. What do you need?” The annoyance in her twin’s voice was getting stronger by the minute.

  “Kathy is running off with one of the guests. I talked her into working until noon, but I’m going to need you to fill in,” Kelsi finally just told her, sensing that her sister was going to be very difficult to deal with that day, even more so than usual.

  Dani, short for Daniella, groaned. “Why can’t you keep a cook in that café? I don’t understand the problem.”

  “I wish I could answer that! I can’t cook and manage the front and wait tables. You know that’s too much for one person. Please, Dani! We can’t shut the café down or Mom and Dad will hear about it and kill us!”

  Their parents hadn’t yet passed the ranch down to their six offspring, and it felt like they never would. Their mother had mentioned some sort of test for them, but Kelsi didn’t know what it was yet. She wasn’t sure she wanted to. For now, she knew their parents had spies in town, and they needed to keep everything running as smoothly as possible.

  The six siblings had been raised as a tight-knit unit, along with their cousin Jess, who’d come to live with them when she was eight. Their grandparents had a house there on the property as well, and they had all spent a great deal of time together—for good and for bad.

  “I’ll be there. Just make sure I don’t have to come out of the kitchen and deal with any people. People are not my friends, and they are not to be brought back into the kitchen to meet the chef, or any of that quirky nonsense you like to pull. Not today, and not ever. Got it?”

  Kelsi sighed with relief. “Got it. Dani owns the kitchen, and Kelsi owns the front. No people for Dani, because all are evil and must be destroyed. Please don’t poison anyone, Dani! Please!” She couldn’t help teasing her sister because, well, she was fun to tease!

  “Done listening to you!”

  Kelsi looked down at the phone in her hand. Her sister had ended the call. She smiled happily, bouncing over to where Donn sat in a booth waiting for her. “Hey, you.”

  Donn hadn’t been by in over a week, and he hadn’t called much, but that’s just how he was. Kelsi wasn’t terribly worried. She was busy with her own life, and wasn’t exactly waiting for Donn to put a ring on it. “We need to talk.”

  “So talk.” She looked around, glad it was during the lull between breakfast and lunch, the only two meals the café was open for. Most of the guests ate their dinner in the restaurant that was part of the main ranch house. Some cooked for themselves or meandered into town. In May they would start offering chuck wagon meals for dinner, and a lot of the guests wou
ld like that.

  “I’m moving to California.”

  Kelsi blinked at him a couple of times. “Really? Why?” She wasn’t hurt by his announcement at all, which told her how bad their relationship had become. He was like a well-worn shoe. She was used to him, but not in love. She wasn’t sure she’d ever been in love. It was always good to have a man around for dress-up events or for the odd Saturday night, though.

  “I got a job at Disneyland. Being that close to Hollywood, I’m sure someone will spot me, and I’ll get the big break I’ve been waiting for.”

  “Really?” Donn had always thought he was a gifted actor and incredibly handsome, and she was sure he was in his own mind. “What about your job here on the ranch?” He did a lot of the maintenance work at River’s End Ranch, the dude ranch she and her siblings ran under their parents’ watchful gaze, wherever they happened to be at the moment.

  “I’ll go tell the boss,” he said, referring to her brother, Wade, the ranch’s general manager. There were six siblings in all, and they all played essential roles in keeping the ranch going, now that their parents were off exploring North America in a Winnebago.

  “When will you leave?” she asked curiously. “And what are you going to do at Disney?”

  “Well, I’m hoping eventually I’ll get one of the prince roles, but right now, I’m going to be selling cotton candy in one of those little carts.”

  She wanted to laugh at him and tell him he was an idiot, but truly, she didn’t care enough. “When are you leaving?”

  “This afternoon. I found a guy to room with, and I’m heading out. My car is all packed, but I thought you’d want to know.”

  “Yeah, it’s usually a good idea to let your girlfriend of eight years know when you’re about to move out of town and leave the job her family has given you. I appreciate the head’s up.” Two people quitting without notice in one day must be a record. I hope Mom and Dad don’t hear about this.

  “Don’t be ugly about this, Kelsi. You knew the job was temporary.”

  Kelsi shrugged. “I’m really not being ugly. I wish you the best.”

  “You should come down and see me soon.”

  “Why would I do that?” she asked. It was early April, and the snow was mostly melted. She was ready for the summer tourist crowds the ranch brought. Kelsi loved her home in Idaho more than she could ever express. If he didn’t, he was welcome to move on.

  “Because you’re my girl?”

  She laughed. “I don’t think I’ve really been your girl since a month or two after graduation. Goodbye, Donn. I hope you have a good life.” She stood and walked toward the back of the café to the kitchen, proud of her calm, dignified exit, until she tripped over a box and slammed into the wall. So much for being dignified. She didn’t care though. She was glad to wash her hands of him.

  Sheriff Shane Clapper, the chief of all law enforcement in Riston, Idaho, sat down at his desk and looked at the paperwork that had been piled there while he was out on patrol that morning. He was already looking forward to going down to Kelsey’s Kafé for lunch. He loved to watch Kelsi Weston in action. She could charm an entire café full of ranchers and cops and guests in five minutes flat. It was the highlight of his day, most days.

  One of the three deputies that worked under him, Bartholomew Bigelow, wandered in from the kitchen, a donut in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. “Hey, Sheriff.”

  “Must you be so stereotypical?” Shane mumbled under his breath. “Anything going on in town?”

  Bart sat on the edge of his own desk to answer. “No crimes or anything to report. But rumor has it that Donn Samuels left town pulling a U-Haul trailer behind his truck.”

  Shane felt his breath catch for a moment. “Really? Any idea where he’s going?” Did that mean Kelsi was finally free of the idiot?

  Bart shook his head. “Nope, but I bet you aim to find out.”

  Most people in town knew how Shane felt about little Kelsi Weston, except maybe the woman herself. “I think I may have to go over there and get myself a cup of coffee right now. Paperwork can wait.” He wasn’t sure he’d have been able to remain at a crime scene with the news he’d just been given. It was like a giant magnet was pulling him toward the River’s End Ranch and Kelsey’s Kafé.

  He stood and put his hat on his head, striding toward the door. If Kelsi was available, he wasn’t going to wait for her to find someone else. No, this was his chance with the sweet woman, and she was going to be his.

  Once he was in his car, he seriously considered turning his lights on to get to the café as quickly as he could, but he was sure someone would spot him and follow him. People in Riston didn’t have the kind of respect for the law he would like to see, because they were just a bit too curious about whatever crime could be taking place. It was different where he’d come from. He loved the town too much to complain about it a lot, but he did frequently warn its citizens to wait in their cars if he was approaching with his siren blaring. Of course, sirens were usually only used for traffic stops in Riston.

  Ten minutes later, without the use of his lights and sirens, he pulled up in front of the café and went inside, nabbing one of the corner booths. It was after eleven, so he could order his lunch and take his time with it.

  He didn’t have to wait long for Kelsi to come and see about him. She was wearing a pair of black slacks and a bright pink top under her apron. Her hips swayed as she walked to the booth and sat down across from him instead of standing to take his order. “You’re early today, Sheriff. Did you forget to eat your Frosted Flakes before heading to work?”

  Shane grinned. “Nope. I heard tell of a certain idiot leaving town pulling a U-Haul, and I thought I’d come find out for myself what the story is.” He was never one to beat around the bush. After ten years of law enforcement, there didn’t seem to be a reason.

  Kelsi shrugged one slender shoulder, her ice blue eyes meeting his. “If you’re talking about my idiot ex-boyfriend, Donn, he decided he was going to give up his job here at the ranch, with no notice, to go and make cotton candy at Disneyland. He’s going to get discovered by some big Hollywood producer there, or maybe he’ll be one of the Disney princes. He’s not sure yet.”

  Shane looked at her carefully. “You don’t seem too broken up about it.”

  “I’m not. We should have broken up years ago.” She pushed her blond hair out of her eyes. “He wasn’t right for me. Never has been.”

  “Why did you date him for so long then?”

  She shrugged again, her eyes intense. “Habit, I guess. He asked me out in our junior year of high school, and it seemed like more effort than it was worth to break up with him. Besides, it was always good to have a date for weddings.”

  “So how long do you think a man should wait after a girl he’s had his eye on breaks up with her boyfriend of eight years? Is there a set amount of time that’s best?”

  Kelsi looked at Shane, with his dark brown hair and eyes of chocolate brown. She hadn’t thought of him as potential boyfriend material, because she’d been part of a couple for so long, but now that she considered it, the idea seemed like a good one. “Oh, I don’t know. Depends on the man who’s wanting to know.”

  “What if it’s me who wants to know?”

  “Let me think about it.” She tilted her head to one side, tapping her index finger on one cheek. “I think maybe ten minutes is a long enough wait.” She had little butterflies in her belly at the idea of going out with him, but she’d play it cool. It was never good to give a man too much power in a relationship from what she’d read.

  “That does seem sufficient, doesn’t it?”

  “Well, it’s not like you’re asking me to marry you.” Although that idea was intriguing as well. She wondered if a child of theirs would have his dark looks or her eyes like blue ice?

  “Well, I considered it, but thought it might be better if I took you to a movie first.” He winked at her, doing his best not to let on just what he was feeling
. Kelsi was his dream girl, and everything he’d ever wanted in a woman. He needed to take things nice and slow so she wouldn’t be scared away.

  “A movie? It would be nice if we had a theater in Riston, wouldn’t it?”

  “I could go to the Redbox at the drugstore in town and rent a DVD. I wouldn’t mind watching it in the living room of the ranch house, or you could come to my place and watch it.” He’d rather she came to his place, of course, but he knew she was careful about her reputation.

  “We’d better keep it in the guest living room of the ranch house if you don’t want my brothers coming down on you.” Kelsi’s four older brothers could be a pain, but she loved them all. “You know how they get.”

  Shane nodded. “I’d hope they’d trust the sheriff, but I know them, and I’m sure they don’t.” They were stereotypical older brothers where she and Dani were concerned.

  She laughed softly. “When are we going to watch this movie?”

  “Well, I know it’s Monday night, but I’m not waiting for Friday or Saturday, so let’s say tonight. Do you have a preference on the movie?”

  Kelsi shrugged. “Something gruesome.”

  He shook his head at her. “So the rumors are true, are they?” He’d made a habit of gathering as much information about Kelsi as possible over the years, knowing it would only help when he finally had his chance with her.

  “What rumors?” Kelsi asked, a grin playing at her lips.

  “The rumors that you only like movies if there’s enough blood to drown somebody in.”

  “I have a unique taste in films. What can I say?” She’d always loved the teen horror films, filled with blood and gore. They were great date movies when she was in her teens, because she could bury her face against the shoulder of her escort whenever she wanted.

  He frowned. “Maybe you should provide the movie. I’m not sure Redbox is going to run to slasher movies.”