Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 51995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 51995 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 260(@200wpm)___ 208(@250wpm)___ 173(@300wpm)
Time to make this official.
He phoned her and went straight to voice mail. He left a message, requesting a response from her or her attorney by morning.
Back at GBH offices, he assigned Hightower the chore of monitoring the Headliner for any new references to gold. Something he would have done himself if he hadn’t had a date-non-date. Then Conrad drove home, showered and dressed in a T-shirt and jeans. A sense of anticipation grew as he returned to the Garden. By the time he arrived, he practically shook with it.
He parked in the clearing in front of the cottage. Beau’s truck was gone, and the hearse was in its usual space. A notification for a text popped up on his phone.
Hightower: 11 people were discussing the possibility of gold being found in the cemetery this afternoon. 6 haven’t stopped.
Eleven. Eleven potential treasure hunters casing the Garden. And what of those who weren’t posting? He went stiff as a board.
He replied: Let me know if anyone decides to act.
Beau’s truck eased next to his sedan. Here for dinner, too? Hmm. Did Jane invite him as a buffer? Or had Beau come without an invitation?
They exited at the same time. The guy wore a T-shirt and shorts and held a duffel bag. No invitation, Conrad decided. This was payback for the crack about checking the guy’s work.
“You waited until seven on purpose,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “Admit it.”
Smug, Beau responded, “Isn’t my presence admission enough?”
They made their way to the porch in companionable silence. Conrad knocked, giving two hard raps of his knuckles, and it wasn’t long before hinges were squeaking, the most incredible scents drifting from the house. His mouth watered. Then he spotted Jane, and his mouth watered for a different reason. She wore a tank top and shorts beneath a ruffled apron, her mass of dark hair anchored in a ponytail.
Punch. How adorable was she?
Rolex sat at her feet. He hissed at Conrad, then Beau.
“Don’t mind me,” the vet said. “I’ll be installing an alarm system from wall to wall, floor to ceiling.” With a nod, he marched inside, disappearing beyond the door.
Jane wrinkled her nose, calling, “Not unless I get a bill first. Which you can give me at dinner. Which you are eating with us, so don’t even consider saying no.” She motioned Conrad inside. “You told him about Dr. Garcia, I take it?” Accusation tinged her tone.
“I did not.” He entered the house. “I informed him of the gold hunters. As he is your security guard, I believed he needed to be in the know. I made a judgment call. The real question is, why didn’t you tell him?”
She backed up, maintaining distance between them, raised her chin and squared her shoulders. A soldier ready for battle. “I won’t take advantage of our friendship.”
Too bad. “When it involves your safety, scales cease to matter.” He shut and locked the door without looking away from her. “Why is there a scale between you and Beau in the first place?” Blood heating, he leaned into her. “Until I catch the killer, let Beau help you every way he can. Okay?”
Would she allow the nearness? Perhaps even approach him on her own?
Chewing on her bottom lip, she…did. She eased into his personal space to sniff him, and he nearly barked out a laugh. Then she straightened with a snap, as if she’d just come to her senses.
“I know why Beau decided he liked you,” she said. “But what flipped the switch from animal-kingdom rules to bro code for you?”
A subject for a day. “Do you really want to discuss it?” His voice dipped. “Or would you rather hear my thoughts about you instead?” Her reason for rejecting him waited in their discussion queue amid a host of other topics. But he preferred to save that particular topic for a time when they were alone.
Their gazes remained locked. Her pupils expanded, and her lips parted. He loved how strongly he affected her.
“I don’t need you to tell me,” she said, raising her chin another notch. “I can guess your thoughts about me. Too curious. Too superstitious about curses. And fun.” Her brow lifted as her irises sparkled with sudden amusement. “Am I right? I’m right, aren’t I?”
Oh, to see that sparkle every day for the rest of his life.
He jolted. Permanence? For him? A lump grew in his throat. “Sorry, but I deem my impressions of you classified until the case closes.” He untied her apron, because he needed something to do with his hands. “The food smells amazing. Let’s eat.”
She sputtered for a moment. “You’re gonna end the conversation like that?”
Without a doubt.
Conrad winked at her, as if he hadn’t lost all his cool, and sauntered farther inside. Jane darted ahead to lead the way to the dining room. Rolex perched in the table’s centerpiece bowl, watching him. Beau was busy laying out his tools and equipment on the yellow counter that divided the two spaces.