Chapter 4

Gigi studies ER charting when Sheriff Jess appears with her favorite latte and a rare apology for misjudging her relationship with Ben. The gesture rattles Gigi, and mutual attraction surfaces, but she resolves to protect herself and keep emotional walls high.

Deputy Sam arrives to interview the hospitalized John Doe. Afterward, Sam and Jess report the victim is Alex Benson, a traveler camping by the river, who claims he was jumped at the Silver Dollar and dragged outside, stabbed with a bottle, and robbed. Jess doubts the account, citing the likely duration, daylight, and lack of witnesses, and plans to press Benson later.

Concerned about patterns, Jess asks Sam to pull three unsolved summer cases: fertilizer stolen from Jack Drummond’s barn, silver taken from a downtown jeweler, and trespassers who killed a calf on Silas Grant’s ranch. The cluster unsettles Jess, suggesting a larger issue in Prescott.

Maisy impulsively tries to match Gigi and Jess for dinner, offering to babysit Rowen. Jess unilaterally sets a 6:30 pickup despite Gigi’s protests. Afterward, Maisy vouches for Jess’s character and the farmhouse connection, urging Gigi to give him a chance.

Back at her desk, Gigi struggles to focus, newly cautious about Prescott’s safety and her responsibility to Rowen. She debates accepting dinner to understand Jess’s sudden shift and wonders if his interest is romantic or a ploy tied to his attachment to the farmhouse.