Since he’d taken the job as Chief of Police back in November, Ethan had rarely had a night off. Their department was small, encompassing only himself, four officers, a day-time dispatcher, and a night-time dispatcher. There were a couple of reserve officers who were brought in from time to time, but, in general, small-town policing meant he was rarely truly off duty. That wasn’t all that different from his time with the Marshals. He’d lived his life prepared to be called out on a warrant at the drop of a hat.
But tonight he’d been looking forward to something else. A step in the direction of having that life Clay kept bugging him about. The fact that postponing dinner with Miranda until Saturday had made him twitchy and restless was a sign that he had a long damned way to go before he eff
