Total pages in book: 104
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101466 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 507(@200wpm)___ 406(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
I groaned. Even my chief got a cookie. I looked at Casey out of the corner of my eye.
“No problem, Chief. Casey here tells me she saved me some for when I got home,” I called, turning to her. “Right?”
She hummed in agreement. “Once we recover my wind chimes.”
She turned to Martha. “It was great to see you.” She glanced my way. “See you around, Thorne.”
“You know it.”
She walked away, and I met Martha’s gaze. She was watching me knowingly.
“What?”
“I don’t know what is up with you, but give those wind chimes back to the girl or I’ll file a report myself.”
“What makes you think I have the wind chimes?”
She laughed. “The food she sent, for one thing. The pile of sparkly things on the front floor of your truck for the other.” She shook her head. “You don’t pull a fast one on Pixie. She was trained by the best.”
Pixie. The little girl Lou talked about so much.
I stared at her. “That’s Pixie?”
Martha nodded. “Lou used to bring her around all the time. Cute little thing, so tiny and sweet. She got the name Pixie right here in this station. Always laughing and happy with Lou. It’s a shame her mother left. Lou missed that little girl something fierce.” She eyeballed me. “And whatever is going on between the two of you needs to be resolved.”
“What are you talking about?”
She laughed, shaking her head. “You saw her here, and you about broke the speed of light to get to her. Worried she was hurt or something. She watched you like you were her next meal. The sexual tension between you is so thick, you could cut it with a knife.”
I didn’t know what to say to her.
“Were you aware how often you started to reach for her hand as she stood there?”
I shook my head in disbelief. “No.”
She laughed. “Of course not. Instead, you resort to stealing her toys like you’re six, so she’d have to talk to you to get them back.”
“I, ah…”
Martha put a hand on her hip. “Man up, Thorne. I know you’re a loner and like to act like you’re aloof, but I see you. I saw the way you looked at her.”
“She’s my tenant.”
“Who cares?”
That stopped me.
“She’s younger than me.”
“Again, who cares? She’s an old soul.” She began to turn away then stopped. “And she looks at you the same way you look at her.”
“I hardly know her.”
“Then I suggest you change that.”
I headed home, grateful the shift was over. I was tired again. It had been a crazy seventy-two hours. Lots of calls. Not a great deal of sleep. The power naps helped, but I was looking forward to my downtime.
I pulled in the driveway, looking at the wind chimes in the box on the floor. I had to return them to Casey.
But first, I had to set down some rules.
I carried them inside, Miller following closely. He ran around sniffing and inspecting his territory, making sure nothing untoward had occurred while we were gone. I threw in some laundry and inspected the fridge for dinner ideas.
Frozen pizza would have to suffice for tonight.
Finally, unable to put it off any longer, I took the box and whistled for Miller, who bounded over, rushing ahead of me as I headed to Casey’s back door. I knocked and waited, bracing myself for her as the door swung open.
It didn’t do any good. Her prettiness still caught me off guard. The curve of her mouth as she smiled. The brilliance of her blue eyes.
She was captivating.
She opened the door enough that Miller slipped in. “Barney is upstairs,” she instructed him, and he took off looking for his friend.
We stared at each other.
“I like your T-shirt. I’m going to assume you like superheroes,” she said dryly.
“I like some. Batman is one of the top.”
“Why?”
I frowned. “He’s not gifted with powers. He uses his brain.” I paused with a grin. “And he has cool toys.”
She laughed, and then she looked at the box in my hand, opening the door and reaching for it, but I pulled it back. “Rules, Casey.”
She rolled her eyes but stepped back, allowing me in.
Her kitchen smelled like heaven. Rich, enticing. I inhaled deeply. “What are you cooking?”
“Dinner.”
I sniffed again. “Is that pot roast again? Please tell me yes.”
“Even if it was, what makes you think you’d get any?”
“Because you’d never deny a local hero, Casey,” I said seriously.
She began to laugh, making my lips quirk.
“Keep telling yourself that, Thorne.”
I followed her to the living room, still holding on to the box. We stood staring at each other. She waited patiently.
“One set of wind chimes on the house,” I acquiesced. “Only one.”
“But they’re all so pretty.”
“One.”
She sighed. “Fine.”
“You decide which one, and I’ll hang it. No borrowing ladders. It’s not safe.”
She pursed her lips. “I rather liked it outside my bedroom window.”