She flushed and drew in a long breath. “He backed me into the wall and...” She moved restlessly. “Scared me to death. After what Morris did, anything roughly physical was frightening. I guess he was practicing his Tarzan routine—me Tarzan, you Jane, go make sandwich.” She chuckled.

He didn’t. He was furious, after the fact. “The sheriff fired him.”

Her lips parted. “I didn’t know.”

“Our sheriff doesn’t tolerate sexual harassment in any form. He said so.”

“He had to go to the hospital. I felt bad about it. I just panicked. I’m not sure he meant to be that aggressive. Maybe it was the way he thought women liked to be treated,” she added.

“Don’t, for God’s sake, make excuses for him,” he said curtly. “If the gun hadn’t gone off...” He ground his teeth together, “You’ve never been with a man, have you, Clancey?” he asked bluntly.

She fumbled with the gun, shocked at the question. He took the pistol out of her cold hands.

“Never mind,” he mused. “I knew the answer before I asked the question.”

“I’m out of step with the world.”

“So is my sister.” What Grace had said about Brenda irritated him. Brenda was a good, kind woman with a loving heart.

“I know. I like Brenda,” she added with a warm smile.

“She likes you, too.” In fact, his sister had several things to say about Grace and Clancey. Mostly about Grace, who’d seen her at lunch one day and given her a lecture about the way she dressed.

Clancey cocked her head and looked up at him. He was brooding. “There’s nothing wrong with the way your sister dresses,” she said abruptly. “It isn’t as if she’s going around in a thong.”

His thick eyebrows lifted. “And how do you know what a thong is?” he asked with twinkling eyes.

She gave him a glowering look. “Watch crime shows, learn about life.”

He sighed and shook his head. “She dresses very conservatively at the vet, when she’s working,” he said. “If she wants to wear short skirts after hours, it’s nobody’s business except hers. She has nice legs, even if she is my sister.”

“Yes, she does. And she has a very smart boyfriend who works for Edward Jones, the investment company.”

He smiled. “She takes him to church, I hear.”

“Yes, and they aren’t shacked up together,” she added shortly.

He pursed his lips. “Grace accused her of it. How did you hear about that?”