"You're lucky," Owen said, walking toward Cecilia, since she looked so inviting and his feet were kind of moving of their own accord. "I'm a gruff, but fair, veteran, unwittingly thrust upon this job by the government. Sheriff, head of city council and in charge of all emergency measures."
He paused in front of her, grinning slightly. "I met you overseas during the war. I think we probably need to go with the cliched backstory of I got horribly injured and you were the beautiful woman who nursed me back to health. That sounds about right, doesn't it?"