Scott, panting, stopped in the workroom doorway to catch his breath. “Jesus, you took ten years off my life. I thought you shot him!”

“I did, but I shot him with this,” Grace said, reaching for the Taser that lay on the floor where she had dropped it.

“No!” at least four people shouted at once.

Troy grabbed her and pulled her toward him. “Gracie, it’s still got voltage. If you accidentally pulled the trigger again, you’d give me another blast.”

“Oh, God! Troy, this isn’t going to work. I can’t be trusted with one of those things. I’m going to kill someone. I’d be better off with a road flare.”

“Ever hear of the great Chicago fire?” Seth muttered to Scott.

“Shh, I forgive you already,” Troy said. “Just don’t touch it again until we figure it out.”

Scott Grant crouched next to Troy, his open bag beside him. “Why didn’t you take these prongs out?”

“Seth told me not to.”

“We usually have to call medical for that,” Seth said. “Not that I think it’s necessary, but I figured...”

“Not complicated,” Scott said, moving one slightly so it slid right out. They were shaped like small apostrophes and pulling it straight out could make it bleed a little, but wasn’t likely to even require stitches. He then removed the second prong. “There. Feel better?”

“I’m fine,” Troy said.

“I’m not,” Grace said. “I’m not fine. I almost killed my boyfriend.”

“Nah, not even close,” Scott said, standing. “Want a Band-Aid for that, Troy?”

“Funny,” Troy said, standing. “Let’s joke around after you’ve taken your hit.”

“I don’t know how much physical damage was caused, but your mood is definitely affected,” Scott said, smiling.

That’s when Troy heard all the voices from the shop. She shot him with the Taser. Worried about that note, so he bought her a Taser. It’s just a Taser. Yeah? You ever been hit by a Taser? Damn near killed my cat with one of those! At least something interesting finally happened. Let’s have a beer on that, should we? And there was laughter all around as the shop emptied of everyone but Seth.

“Damn,” Troy said, giving his leg a shake as if to bring the feeling back into it. “That sucker packs a punch!”

“I’m going to leave now if you think you can manage the situation without further injuries,” Seth said.

“You’re going to tell Iris, aren’t you?” Grace asked.

Seth nodded. “I’m thinking of quitting early. I can’t wait to get home.”

“I’m never going to hear the end of this,” she said. “I guess everyone knows about my note.”

“They don’t all know what it said or how it was written out. Just that it upset you and we’re looking for a prankster. If gossip works like usual around here, I think you’re probably safe.” Then he smiled. “Have a nice evening.”

* * *

Seth was home by five o’clock and Iris walked in right behind him. Iris laughed so hard at Seth’s tale that she could hardly stay upright. “Oh, she’s right, she’s never going to hear the end of it. Poor Grace. How does that thing work? Let me see yours, Seth.”

“Ah, no thanks, Iris. You never touch my weapons, right? Because that wouldn’t be good. You don’t know anything about them.”

“Maybe you should train me,” she suggested, then giggled again.

“You’re doing just fine not touching.”

“Aw, come on,” she said, moving closer to him, sliding her arms around his neck.

Instead of arguing with her, he kissed her. Then he kissed her more seriously, sliding his hands over her butt and pulling her close. After a little more kissing, he said, “I have an idea...”

“Before supper on a Wednesday afternoon? Why, Deputy...”

“Are you expecting company?”

“Only your mother,” she said. “But ever since she caught you in your boxers, she calls ahead if your car is home.”

“Good. Troy said something interesting. He told Grace that a few inches to the left and she could have wiped out the next generation of schoolteachers and I thought, don’t we have work to do?”

“I wouldn’t call it work, exactly.”

“Wouldn’t it be easier to do naked?”

“Absolutely,” she agreed. “But then we have to stay in bed for a while.”

“I can do that. I’m very good at staying in bed with you. Are we making any progress on the next generation of deputies and school counselors?”

“I don’t know, Seth. We’ve only stopped using protection for a few months and Peyton said to check with her if we have no results in six months. I’m doing my best. And you are definitely doing your best.”

He kissed her again. “I love when you talk dirty.”

She laughed. “I haven’t started talking dirty yet. I just said you were doing your best...”

“I can do better,” he said, and his voice had grown husky.

A half hour later, as they lay tangled in the sheets, Iris said, “That was better.”

“That had to make a baby. That was good,” Seth said. “Maybe two babies.”

“I only want one at a time, if it’s all the same to you.”

“Are you hungry?” he asked.

“Yes, but I’m staying in bed for thirty minutes to give those little guys time to swim. Then we can get up and eat.”

“We don’t have to get up. I’ll be right back.” He found his boxers and disappeared.

Iris snuggled into the sheets, her head against the pillow. There were so many times, like now, that she couldn’t believe her life had worked out the way it had. She’d loved Seth since she was just a girl, but they’d been estranged for seventeen years while they took different journeys. Hers took her to university and a postgrad program in counseling to bring her back to Thunder Point as the high school counselor. Seth had gone from the football field to a long recovery from injuries he sustained in a terrible car accident, but in the end his choice of law enforcement brought him home. And now he was hers again. All hers.

It wasn’t very long before he was back. Iris had actually dozed a little. Seth held a tray with one plate that held two grilled cheese, bacon and tomato sandwiches, pickles, a glass of wine and a bottled beer, a bag of chips held tenderly under one arm.

“Here we go,” he said. “It’s not much, but it was fast and I bet it’s good. Scoot over,” he said. He put the tray between them and sat on the bed. He passed the wine to her hand and lifted his beer. “To us.”

Iris brought the wine to her lips and to Seth’s dismay, she sniffed. He took a big swallow of beer and when he looked at her again, tears were running down her cheeks. “Iris?”

Her nose turned a little pink. “This is all I’ve ever wished for,” she said. A small sob followed.

“Grilled cheese?” he asked.

“You. You and me, together, in love, trying to make a baby. I didn’t even hope for a baby. I thought that was impossible. Just you and me, that’s all I ever wished for. I love you so much.”