Page 150 of Burning For You

But he wasn’t going to tell his buddy no either.

On the way to Clay’s, he called Ford and asked if he could meet him on the farm for an update.

Neither of his brothers asked what was going on and both said yes without hesitation.

When he pulled onto the property twenty minutes later, Ford’s sheriff SUV was parked in front of the mill. Ash got out and went into the front, then up the stairs to Clay’s office where he knew he’d find them.

“I heard,” Ford said.

He wasn’t surprised there either. “From Keegan or Detective Brown?”

“Detective Brown. He’s keeping me in the loop faster because of your relationship with Skye.”

“So it’s true? Kyle is in the clear and it’s not just him saying it to Skye.”

“He is,” Ford said. “But by the look on your face, something else had to have happened.”

He filled them in on Kyle’s reaction. What was said to Skye, and what she’d said back.

“Gale would eat that right up and go after him in less than two seconds for that conversation alone,” Clay said.

“I know. Which is why she doesn’t need to know. Not yet anyway. And honestly, I’m okay with her not doing that stuff on the side.”

“Did you tell her that?” Ford asked. “Because your skin still seems intact.”

“Only because we talked on the phone and not in person.”

“It burns you to not get your way,” Clay said. “Get used to it. That’s what happens when you’re in love.”

“It shouldn’t be this way if she’s in danger. And she is.”

“Does she think she is?” Clay asked. “Or is she shrugging it off?”

“I think she knows it’s a possibility but doesn’t really believe anything is going to happen. And yes, I brought up the cabin again and she said absolutely not. She’d stay with one of her brothers before she came here.”

“Here she’d have her own space though,” Ford argued.

“She doesn’t want to bring more people into this.”

“We are already into it,” Ford said.

“It’s like talking to a brick wall to get her to understand that. As I told Corbin, one hour at a time. I’m talking to you guys, I’m going back to work, then home to Skye, and hopefully by tomorrow night someone can talk sense into her and have her staying anywhere she’s not alone.”

“Do you really think that will happen?” Clay asked.

“Probably not. I’ll try to get her to at least let patrol cars stay outside the building, but she said that will draw more attention to her.”

“There is no getting away from it,” Ford said. “Not right now.”

“I know that. What do you two think? What are we missing? I don’t want to believe it’s Alan, but damn it all, there is part of me that can’t let it go now.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s been out of town until Sunday. I’ve been driving by his house and then he returned. She gets the email on Monday.”

“It means nothing. Why not send it sooner?” Clay asked.

“Maybe he didn’t have a chance to do it. I don’t know. I don’t want to believe it, but I don’t know what else to think. Could this really be random and she just got caught up in it?”