Excerpt of A Most Shocking Revelation by Kristi Gold

December 2005

Sheriff Gavin O'Neal hated being jarred from a deep sleep — unless a woman happened to be doing the jarring. Unfortunately tonight that was not the case, and it hadn't been for quite a while.

With an unsolved murder hanging over his head and enough mayhem in Royal, Texas, to drive a weaker man to drink, his social — and sex — life had been nonexistent for months. Probably just as well. Another complication was the last thing he needed right now. He also didn't need a 1:00 a.m. domestic-disturbance call at a pig farm after a tough week at work, but that's exactly what he faced at the moment. With several of his deputies out of commission because of a raging flu epidemic, he'd had no choice but to answer the dispatcher's summons himself.

As he navigated the winding rural road, Gavin flipped the heat on high and the radio on low, muttering a string of curses aimed at the conditions and the call. Whatever had warranted this late-night expedition to Harvey Joe Raleigh's house, it had better be good. The guy had a used- car-salesman swagger and a big mouth, and Gavin didn't like him one bit. He liked him even less now.

Gavin turned up the pothole-filled drive that led to the rickety white farmhouse and skirted a graveyard of beat-up cars and run-down livestock pens. He pulled up beside a rusty truck, braked hard and yanked the SUV into park. The overpowering smell of hogs greeted him as he trudged up the dirt path toward the house. If that didn't wake him up, nothing would. The weathered porch, decorated with a string of helter-skelter holiday lights draped from the eaves overhead, groaned beneath his weight as he scaled the three steps to the entry. Considering his recent luck, he could end up falling through the dried-out boards and breaking something vital.

Before he could knock on the door, fifty-something Sue Raleigh appeared wearing a tattered blue terry housecoat and an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for getting you out so late, Sheriff."

Gavin had liked Sue immediately when he'd met her a few months before, although he questioned how such a nice, proper lady could have ended up with a worthless moron like Harvey Joe. "No problem. What's going on?"

She leaned out the screen and pointed to her left. "It's our renter. She lives in the little house out back. According to Harvey Joe, she threatened him."

A woman? She had to be tough to endure living in this place. "Is she armed?"

Sue shook her head. "I don't know. Harvey went to take care of it."

Talk about walking in with limited information. "So you don't know if she's armed or if Harvey's in any real trouble?"

"I'm not sure. He told me to stay here and call you."

"What's the renter's name?"

"Valerie Raines."

Valerie Raines? "You mean the waitress down at the Royal Diner?" Brilliant, O'Neal. In a town the size of Royal, how many Valerie Raineses would there be?

"Yes, that's the one," Sue said.

Gavin had a hard time believing any of this. "She doesn't seem like the violent type."

"I didn't think so either, but people aren't always what they seem."

He couldn't agree more, a hard lesson learned in his line of work. "Okay. I'll see what I can do."

As he strode through the damp grass toward the ramshackle cottage, Gavin tugged his collar up as protection against the north wind and wondered what he was about to encounter. Granted, he didn't mind seeing Val again, even under these circumstances. She was as cute as a blue heeler pup, and he doubted she'd turned pit bull overnight. Knowing Harvey Joe, he'd probably done something to warrant Val's rant. Not to mention, she was a slip of a woman half Harvey's size. Gavin couldn't imagine her doing the guy any real harm.

He arrived at the house to find the door ajar, but even if it had been closed and made of steel, half the county could probably hear the sound of the feminine voice shouting, "I mean it, you jerk! Stay right where you are."

Gavin stepped inside the cracker-box living room to find Harvey backed against the wall, Val standing before him, wielding a mop. The sight was pretty comical at that — one balding, beer-bellied farmer looking bug-eyed and one wisp of a waitress looking downright furious. She also looked mighty sweet wearing that oversize white shirt, baggy pajama bottoms and her blond hair piled high atop her head.

"What's going on here?" Gavin asked, trying to keep his tone light.

"Now you're in trouble," Harvey said while pointing a stubby finger at Valerie. "She's crazy, Sheriff. I want her arrested."

Val turned her face toward Gavin and eyed him with surprise that melted into frustration. "Oh, great. I should have known he'd call you. But that's okay because he's the one who should be arrested." She emphasized her words by waving the mop at Harvey's groin.

Gavin took a step closer. "What seems to be the problem exactly?"

"I told you, Sheriff, she's nuts," Harvey said.

She pointed the mop at Harvey's face. "I'm not nuts. I have about two inches of water in the bathroom from a leaky pipe beneath the sink, no heat and rats as big as small terriers in the kitchen. I've asked him nicely to fix the problems, but he won't listen. When I bent over to show him the pipe, he grabbed my butt and I got tired of being nice."

Gavin gritted his teeth and spoke through them. "That true, Harvey?"

The man looked only slightly chagrined. "I didn't grab nothin'. I just brushed up against her."

"Liar," Valerie snapped.

"And as far as the other stuff goes," Harvey continued, "she ain't payin' all that much to live here."

"All that much?" She jabbed the mop in Harvey's chest. "If you charged me a dollar, it would be too much."

Time to take some action, Gavin decided. If he didn't, Val could very well turn that mop around and beat Harvey over the head with the stick handle instead of the strings. "Drop the mop, Val, and step away from Harvey Joe," he said, rather pleased that he'd maintained a straight face while delivering the order.

Val lifted her chin and didn't move. "Not until he promises me he'll call a heating repairman, a plumber and an exterminator tonight."

"I ain't callin' no one tonight," Harvey said. "I'm not gonna pay overtime rates. You can light the stove for heat and use the old outhouse out back."

"You idiot!" When Val raised the mop, Gavin was on her fast, wresting the thing from her grip and grabbing her around the middle.

Like the coward he was, Harvey Joe dashed out the door, letting go a few foul words aimed at the woman in Gavin's arms.

"Let me go!" Val shouted, and it took all Gavin's power to keep her from wriggling out of his grasp. For such a little thing, the lady was pretty strong. And she smelled good, too. She was certainly doing some potent things to him with her bottom pressed against his fly. The tighter he held her, the more she struggled against him and the more he weakened. He had an atomic blonde in his arms bent on destroying his dignity, but she didn't even realize it. Yet.

He brought his mouth to her ear and said, "Val, if you don't be still, I'm going to charge you with torturing a peace officer."

She stopped struggling and looked back at him. "Torturing you?"

"Yeah. If you think that's my gun at your backside, you're wrong. I'm wearing a shoulder holster."

Both awareness and a deep blush passed over her pretty face. "Maybe you should let me go then."

On one hand, that was a wise idea. On the other, he didn't exactly mind her brand of torture. But this was business, and that meant defusing the situation immediately. "Are you going to take off and go after Harvey Joe?"

She sighed. "No."

Gavin loosened his hold on her, then took her by the shoulders and turned her around to face him. "Okay, let's talk about your options."

"What options?"

He took a quick look around and he didn't like what he saw. The place was disgusting, from the tattered furniture to the dingy tile floor. It didn't smell much better than the pigsty outside.

"This house isn't fit for decent living, so it would be best if you find somewhere else to stay."

"I can't afford a hotel — or at least any I care to stay at." That gave Gavin an idea. A good idea. He'd had a thing for Valerie Raines for months now, and she'd responded to his overtures with a few sassy jabs with her straight-razor tongue, unfortunately only in the figurative sense. If he had her in his house, had her undivided attention, even if only temporarily, then maybe he could convince her that he wasn't just looking for a good time. Truth was, he liked her. A lot. "You can stay with me for the night...or as long as you need."

Her eyes went wide. Deep blue eyes that had gotten Gavin's attention on more than one occasion at the diner. "Are you insane?"

Not yet, but he was getting there fast. "I have a guest room. A couple, in fact."

She shook her head and folded her arms beneath her breasts. "I can always sleep in the city park, thank you very much."

"Okay. Suit yourself."

She eyed the handcuffs he withdrew from his jacket pocket.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm going to give you another option — the county jail." Her gaze snapped from the cuffs to his face, and he saw a flash of fear in her eyes. "You're going to arrest me?"

"Yep, unless you get this fool notion out of your head that you'd be better off on the streets. We've got a killer on the loose and you could be his next victim. The only way I know you'll be safe is with me or in a cell. Take your pick."

He saw several emotions cross her face, starting with fury then finally resignation. "All right. I'll go home with you." She pointed at him. "But only for tonight."

Gavin couldn't deny the sense of satisfaction. "Now that we've settled your arrangements," he told her, "go pack a bag."

She tugged at her shirt and started down the narrow hallway. "Fine. I'll be back in a minute."

"I'll go with you."

He took all of two steps before she spun around. "That's not necessary."

"Yeah, it is. I don't want you going out a window."

She gave him a serious scowl. "Does this mean I'm your prisoner, Sheriff?"

"No, but I am responsible for you tonight,Val, so get used to it." That earned him a sour look. "For the hundredth time, it's Valerie. And I'm responsible for myself."

She was definitely going to be trouble. "Let me rephrase that. Tonight I'm responsible for your safety. But again, the jail's an option if you'd rather go that route."

Her shoulders slumped from surrender. "Okay. Message received."

Val started back down the hallway and turned right into a bedroom, Gavin close on her heels. He stopped at the door and leaned a shoulder against the facing to watch her retrieve a bag from under the rickety bed and a few clothes from the dresser. When she came to the drawer housing her underclothes, she shot him a dirty look, but that didn't cause him to avert his gaze, although he probably should have. Viewing her underwear wasn't necessarily a good idea, especially when she systematically held each pair up for inspection before placing it in the bag. No doubt about it, she was taunting him, and his body was taking the bait. He shifted against the subtle stirring where her bottom had been only moments before, cautioning himself to behave.

Valerie closed the drawer, then took a small wooden chest from the top of the dresser, cuddling it close to her breasts, as though she was afraid that it might grow legs and run away. "Special keepsakes?" he asked.

She laid the chest on top of the clothes and zipped the bag. "Yes. If I leave it, Harvey might take it upon himself to pawn what little jewelry I have left."

Gavin couldn't argue with that. "Are you ready now?"

"Almost." After she slipped the bag and her purse strap over her shoulder, she walked to the closet and retrieved the pink polyester uniform dresses she always wore at work. On most women, they wouldn't be considered flattering — old-fashioned, like the Royal Diner. But as far as Gavin was concerned, Val looked good in them. Hell, she'd look good in a burlap sack. She'd look even better in nothing at all.

She turned and announced, "Okay, now I'm ready." Unfortunately so was Gavin. A little too ready to be considered a gentleman. He pushed off the doorjamb and gestured toward the hall. "After you."

She breezed past him in a rush and it was all he could do to keep up with her without sprinting. At the front door she told him, "I put my car in the shop today, which means you'll have to drive us."

He'd planned to do that anyway. Her mechanical problems had fortunately saved him from another argument. "How did you plan to get to work tomorrow?"

"Sue volunteered to drop me off, and since that's no longer an option, looks like you'll have that responsibility, too."

He winked. "Not a problem at all. I like to eat breakfast at the diner anyway."

He opened the screen and she stormed out before he could even get the door closed behind him. She was strong and she was fast and she was definitely piquing Gavin's curiosity, among other things.

For the past six months she'd remained a mystery to most of the town, including Gavin. But he liked mysteries and he wanted to solve this one named Valerie Raines. After all, that's what he did. And he did it well.