One Year's Time - What Got Cut...

So, One Year's Time, for any that don't know by now, is the book I have been working on, tirelessly.  Just almost ready to go to print, looking back, I have so many things that didn't make the finished product.  Some of these things were fun, and I hate to cut them, but rather than have them go to waste, I thought maybe, some of them would be suitable for a little literary snack for what is to come.  What'dya think?  Should we do it?  Let's!

This particular cut didn't make the final project because, while it was full of information, I felt like it was too slow to start our story.  I edited this part out, and there is no way for it to make an appearance, and make sense, in another book in the series.  So, I would like to share it with you.  Please excuse any typos, or editing issues.  This was captured from the very first draft, before ANY edits were done.  The mistakes will show that I'm only human!  If you read this, please take it when you and keep it for when the book actually comes out.  There is information that might make the final product more meaningful to you!  I hope you enjoy it.  Please comment and let me know what you think!


When Derrick wasn’t working, he found things to entertain himself.  He had his workout routine.  He liked to go fishing.  He felt empowered every time he completed a home repair project.  But, his favorite place in the whole world was the pier his grandfather had built.
For the past 72 years, the Decker family had owned the 823 acres that Derrick, currently, called home.  Derrick’s grandparents bought the property when they were first married.  His parents, John and Elise, never had an interest in the property.  They had three sons and the small house his grandfather had built was not large enough for the family of 5.  However, after he graduated the police academy, Derrick decided he would live with his grandfather to help him out.  A short time after his grandmother’s passing, his grandfather joined her at the Pearly Gates.  Derrick promised himself, then and there, that his grandfather’s house would never be a run down shack.  Plus, the fact that the house was at the edge of one of the largest lakes in Lock Creek made it everything Derrick had wanted in a home.  The lake was private since it was seated in the middle of the Decker property.  Derrick’s grandfather had built the pier “just out of earshot,” as his grandfather would say.  He built it close to the house, but far enough away that he could go out on the pier and fish without being disturbed. 
Derrick and his two brothers had all pitched in on a boat.  Out of the three boys, Derrick was the youngest.  Grady was the oldest and Josh was the middle child.  Even though the boys all pooled their money and bought the boat, the two older boys rarely had an interest in going to the lake.  So, it was up to Derrick to maintain the boat, the property, the house, and the pier.  Thankfully, he had spent a lot of time, as a boy, learning skills from his grandfather.  Plus, his dad, John, was in construction.  So, whatever one man couldn’t teach Derrick, the other could.  As a kid, it seemed like more fun than anything.  Now that he was the one responsible for the acreage, he could see how much work it really was.  He didn’t mind it though.  Having a private lake was very rare.  There were other lakes that were “private,” meaning they were shared by all the residents of that particular subdivision.  But, in this case, Derrick truly had his own private lake.  Come hell or high water, he wasn’t willing to give up that luxury.
The Sheriff, sometimes, being off duty, would go milling around town.  He had errands to run, the same as anyone.  But, most of the time, when he was out and about, he would drive his personal truck with tinted windows and he would wear a baseball cap to help shield his face.  He wasn’t an antisocial recluse, by any means.  He loved his community.  He was the muse of most of the women that knew him.  That could become a daunting ordeal when he was trying to conduct his business around town.  Occasionally, he would have to put his foot down and that was the part he hated the most.  He just wanted to live his life, the same as anyone else.
Many men would use his position and his popularity to his benefit.  Derrick Decker had spent too much time with his grandparents, as a child, to be anything other than old fashioned as an adult.  He knew how to conduct himself.  He had a lot of friends, but there were very few that really knew him.  His grandfather had taught him to be diplomatic, direct, honest, sincere and loyal.  But in the case of his following around town, it was not a situation that required diplomacy, honesty, sincerity or loyalty.  It just required creativity so he could navigate through his day and accomplish the things he had set out to accomplish. 
Until Anne came to town, Derrick has decided he was just destined to live a life of solitude.  He had grown up with most of the women in Rindle county.  If he didn’t know them as a kid, he had gotten to know them as an adult.  He just felt uninspired.  He had dated women through out his life.  But, most turned out to be the same.  They were superficial, shallow and vain.  Any women that he dated also liked to flaunt him around like a trophy and they seemed to like to try to show ownership by barking commands at him.  He knew he would never be happy to be hen pecked and he made his mind up that he would be single before he’d be miserable. 
When Anne came to town, Derrick wasn’t sure about her.  He didn’t know her, so he was curious about the newcomer.  It didn’t take him long to see that he wasn’t the only one looking for something the current dating pool didn’t offer.  There were plenty of guys that would talk about Anne.  They would gawk at her.  They would chat about her amongst themselves.  Derrick heard the chatter.  Sometimes, the townspeople would try to involve him in their speculation and gossip.  Derrick would just dismiss them.  The bottom line was that no one really knew the new girl in town.  As far as Derrick was concerned, that was even more appealing.  His desire to keep his private life off of center stage in the small town just made a girl that seemed to be able to keep her story to herself even more interesting. 
Derrick spent a lot more time at the café these days.  Since Anne started working there, it was a lot more fun.  He did his best to conceal his interest.  He just liked to stare at her when she wasn’t looking and try to find clues to who this pretty, small framed blonde was.  He just knew that when she looked at him, he felt like he had found an answer to every question he ever had.  He found her attractive, without a doubt.  He also listened to conversations she would have with other diners.  He saw her sense of humor.  He watched her as she moved.  He liked it when she curled her long blonde hair and the curls would tumble around her shoulders.  If she was in a hurry, the curls bounced as Anne moved through the room.  He was starting to feel like a stalker.  He could only admire her internally.  It had not escaped him, however, that she seemed unimpressed with him.  It was almost a refreshing change for him.