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"Nah, it wasn’t like that," Billy said "She gave me a few slices of her apple cinnaht cops only liked donuts"

The coave hih "I like donuts, too, sir I just like Sorrow’s bread uarantee it’d make you a srunted h a fervent reply, but when he turned in his stool to deliver it, his foot caught and he stu his elbow to steady hi his features "I had a stroke I’er He guessed Bear had once been as fierce as his na feeble

But the behavior also worried hi one tooelse? He ell-versed in first aid--all sheriffs were--and he was particularly on alert where a history of stroke was concerned

He decided to keep theto assess "What’s on herboth elbows on the bar

The man had a startled look on his face, and Billy kneave of syhter has things on her ot her so preoccupied she was forced to retreat into the kitchen?"

The man sniffed "She found some letters and has it in her head we’re all related to Buck Larsen"

The unexpected turn in the conversation took a irl?" Bear’s expression softened He spun his bottle around and around on the counter, shaking his head "She found some old letters in the attic, and now has a bee in her bonnet about the whole thing Says randdad was the natural child of Buck Larsen"

"The Buck Larsen?"

Bear shrugged, but the faint smile on his face saidabout Sorrow thatand chopping Go see for yourself"

Eight

She dried her prized butcher knife till it gleamed It was German, used by professional chefs, and had cost her a pretty penny She hated when even the most minor of water spots ht, wondering if it could use a sharpening After all, a chef was only as good as his--or her--sharpest blade

"Remind me not to cross you"

The voice in the doorway startled her Her knife froze, midair

Sheriff Theher pounding heart skip a beat

She darted her eyes back to her task, giving it her whole focus The sauce was si, and she’d taken a moment to clean up A dirty kitchen was one of her pet peeves "You know better than to surprise a wo knife"

"It’s safer than a woman…" His eyes flicked in the direction of the tavern as he htened sort of face "Well, never mind that"

She suess?"

She shrugged, sliding her tools back into the knife block She knehat he’d been about to say Helen worked as their part-time waitress and part-time bartender, but she was a full-time flirt Billy Preston was a fine man--the wo with Helen was, most men seemed to run to her All except for her husband And that, Sorrow guessed, was the crux of the issue But it wasn’t her place to gossip

Although she did file in the back of her mind the fact that Billy appeared the sort of ave her knives an appreciative nod "Nice"

She loved her knives and had to telanced around the kitchen, quietly taking it all in, and Sorroondered what he"Your mother let me in," he said after aup so late in the day"

"On the contrary" The sound of a rapid boil startled her frohts, and she jumped to turn down the burner She stirred her sauce, relieved it hadn’t burned She used an ar is perfect You’re just in tia up his sleeves "What are we non"

He scraped bits of onion and bacon fat from the casserole into the sink "Don’t you h, she tapped her spoon clean "Impressive"

"Hey, I saw that Julia Child rabbed a sieve from a cabinet under the island "So that means you won’t complain if I ask you to hold this for me?" It was ti everything always gave her arms a workout

"I’ll do you one better" He took up both sieve and saucepan with an easy confidence that surprised her "I’ve got this, you just scrape"

She couldn’t help but think of Damien, as so powerful and in control in other aspects of his life, but ot near a kitchen

Billy added, "I’ll only complain if you don’t let me eat it when it’s done"