The man looked from me to Joe, narrowing his eyes. “Is there anything I can do for you, chief deputy?” He grinned. “Sorry we haven’t had a chance to drop off a plate of cookies to welcome you to town.”

The men behind him laughed.

“Oh, that’s not necessary,” Joe drawled, rolling back his shoulders. “There’s plenty of time for all of us to get acquainted. And I have a feeling we will.”

The man staring down Joe grumbled, then turned away, heading out the doors with his friends. And Samantha Jo.

“What the hell were you doing, Rose?” Joe’s angry voice barked as soon as they were out of earshot.

“I’m in church, Joe.” I shrugged off his hand and stepped away. “Surely you can’t object to that.”

“That’s not what I’m objecting to, and you know it.” He moved closer. “Why were you talking to those guys? Did this have anything to do with you talking to Toby Wheaton at Jasper’s?”

“Why do you always assume the worst of me? I was heading over there to talk to Samantha Jo. We went to school together and she was in the bank robbery too. I was going to check on her and see how she was handling it.” It wasn’t a total lie.

Joe’s anger visibly faded. He seemed to be buying my story.

“You can check the police report to verify that she was at the bank that day,” I volunteered. “And ask your date if I went to school with her.”

His mouth dropped in shock. “Date? Who said we were on a date? Violet asked me to help her get the kids to church.”

“Why on earth would you agree to that?” I scoffed. “You can’t stand Violet and you never once went to church the entire time we were together.”

His grin turned wicked. “Maybe that’s because when I was with you I had better things to do in the morning before I got out of bed.”

A blush rose to my cheeks, but thankfully Neely Kate appeared beside me.

“Well look at you, Detective Simmons,” she said, looping her arm through mine and pulling me back a step. “I didn’t know you were a church-goer.”

“Seeing as I’m no longer with the state police, detective is no longer necessary,” he said, tilting his head good-naturedly, but I knew him well enough to read the challenge in his eyes. “It’s Chief Deputy Simmons now.”

This was all for show. Joe was well aware that my best friend knew about his current employment. So what was he trying to prove?

“Do you know what’s so strange?” she asked. “You always hated this town. Yet here you are, living in it by choice.”

He shrugged one shoulder and gave her a smug grin. “Well, that’s the beauty of being in the sheriff’s department. I don’t have to live in town. I only have to live in the county.” He turned his attention to me and winked. “Are any of the places by your farm available for rent or sale, Rose?”

“Leave her alone, Joe Simmons,” Neely Kate spat out.

Joe’s smile fell, and a mask of authority settled over his features. “If you just wanted to talk to Samantha Jo,” he asked me, “what caused all that ruckus?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe they recognize me because of Crocker.”

It was obvious he didn’t believe me, but he wasn’t sure what to do about it. “You better not be trying to investigate this case, Rose.”

Neely Kate’s eyebrows lifted in surprise. “What case?”

He grinned, but it wasn’t friendly. “Don’t encourage her, Neely Kate. Tell her to leave this one to the authorities. Next time I might not be around to save her.”

“I’ll tell her to keep that in mind.”

I snorted. “Or you two could pretend that I’m actually here.”

Neely Kate looked past Joe and smirked. “Someone’s not happy, Joe,” she singsonged.

Sure enough, Violet walked up with Mikey on her hip. Ashley was with a group of little girls on the other side of the foyer. Violet put her hand on Joe’s upper arm, her face tight with anger. “Joe, I wondered where you had gotten off to.”

“I had some official business to take care of, and lo and behold, I ran into Rose.” He waved a hand toward me as though he was presenting a prize.

Violet gave me a withering look. “Imagine that.”

“I’m surprised you’re not here with Brody MacIntosh,” Neely Kate sneered.

Violet tried to look affronted, but instead she looked like she’d been caught red-handed. “What a silly thing to say, Neely Kate. Everyone knows that Brody got back together with his wife.”

Neely Kate glared at my sister. “As if that would stop you.”

Rage flooded Violet’s face. She glanced around, but I knew it was all for show. “Where’s Mason?”

“Working.”

“On a Sunday morning?” she gloated. She’d warned me before that she thought he was a workaholic.

“He’s working on a big case.”

“Oh, really.” Joe shifted his weight. “Which one?”

I straightened my back and crossed my arms. “Seeing as it’s official county business, how do you suppose I’d know, Chief Deputy?”

Violet put her hand on Joe’s arm. “Sundays are sacred. And how you choose to spend them says a lot about your character.”

“Yeah, it sure does,” I said dryly, arching my brow at her pointedly. “And in Mason’s case, it says he’s a dedicated, hard-working, conscientious man who works long hours to ensure that the citizens of Fenton County get justice.”