When his gaze pinned her in place, she saw his eyes weren’t black—they were midnight blue and brimmed with skepticism. “He wouldn’t leave his store unattended.”

“He asked me to mind the register.”

“And steal the goods?”

“Listen, Sheriff—”

“There are no sheriffs in Alaska. Call me Chief.”

“Chief.” Oh, she was so screwed. He wasn’t merely a small town cop, but the Chief of Police. She swallowed. Where was Dante? Shouldn’t he be back by now? “Chief what?”

“MacNair. And you are?”

“Juliette Wilson.” She’d done her homework. Wilson was almost as common as Jones, Johnson, and Smith. Juliette was a popular name, too.

“Wilson, huh?” His mouth flattened in a cynical way.

The door opened. As Dante moseyed into the store, relief filled her.

Only a few inches taller than she was, the wiry grocery store owner had receding white hair and a thick white mustache and beard.

He saw her, and his bushy brows pulled together. Turning to Gabe, he snapped, “Yo, buddy, leave my girl alone.”

When the chief turned toward him with a scowl, Dante blinked. His face lit. “It’s Gabe, isn’t it? I’ll be. You’re really here?”

The chief didn’t even notice Dante’s delight. “Ms. Wilson here was stuffing her purse with groceries and says you left her to mind the place.” The cop’s low baritone held enough sarcasm to fill a lake.

“Heh, working in LA done made you cynical, boy.” Dante might’ve left Oklahoma behind a long while back, but the southern twang in his voice remained.

“She told the truth?”

“Yep, she sho’nuff did.” Dante stepped behind the counter and set down a travel cup and white paper sack from the coffee shop. “She’s working now and then in exchange for one of my rental cabins and some groceries. Room and board, you might say. Keeps me from having to close up every time I want to leave the store.”

Audrey’s muscles began to unknot.

“I see.” The chief glanced at her, and his sharp gaze lingered on the yellowing bruises on her face. His suspicions didn’t appear much abated, but he said, politely enough, “I’m sorry to have bothered you, Ms. Wilson.”

“Quite all right. I can appreciate how guilty I must have appeared.” If she’d been a criminal, she’d be running from him as fast as possible.

To her relief, he nodded and joined Dante at the front.

After the two men shook hands, Dante glanced over. “Julie, how about you unpack those boxes of cereal?”

Yes, she totally needed something to keep busy. “I would be delighted.”

“You shopping or walkin’ your beat?” Dante asked the chief.

“There’s no food in my cabin, but I’ll shop later.” The chief shrugged. “I wanted to see what I had to deal with here.”