Page 49 of Wag More Bark Less

As I waited for Connor to start his car, I checked my phone. No new messages from . . . anyone. Mayor Chambers obviously got to everyone, likely threatening my entire department and all of the city officials if they reached out to me during my time off. But it was still eerie as fuck to hear from no one. Not even Grandma Connie. I was usually lucky if my phone was silent for three hours, let alone three days.

As my brother drove away, I tucked my phone into the breast pocket of my jacket—a spare flannel since Maggie still had my favorite one—and prepared to head west on foot. I’d left my truck at home on purpose. Rosalyn couldn’t get on my case for checking on the bookstore if I was simply out for an evening stroll, could she?

“Aren’t you going the wrong way, Chief?” Maggie called from behind me.

I turned toward the sound of her voice and immediately regretted it. Miss Mayhem was bathed in the soft glow of the streetlights, her honey-blonde waves framing her face. Her eyes were somehow bluer for it. Her hands were tucked into the front pockets of tight jeans, reminding me of the long, sexy legs hiding beneath the denim. They had been taunting my dreams.

“Am I?” I finally answered as she approached, her floral scent floating on the breeze toward me. I’d never wanted to identify a flower so badly in all my life. I wish I’d paid more attention when Mom walked me around her garden and introduced all the different species.

“Oh, a side quest! Can I come?”

I should say no. I hardly trusted myself around this woman inside a crowded Legion Hall after what happened earlier. But the two of us alone in a dark alley? That promised trouble with a capital T.

“Where’s Ellie tonight?”

“If I had to guess, probably passed out in my bed. Oh wait, should I be admitting that out loud? My rental host is a stickler for the rules. That might get me kicked out.”

“I admit, I may have been a little . . . harsh at first.”

“Understatement of the year.”

Maggie sent me a playful smile, and dammit if the blood didn’t rush south at the sight of it. It was embarrassing, really, how easily she affected me. I looked away, focused on the few remaining cars parked a block over, counting them.

“If you have Batman things to do, I can let you to it.”

She walked ahead, also in the opposite direction of home, and gave me a little wave as she went.

“Wait. Where are you going?”

“I’m not lost if that’s what you’re worried about. I crushed land nav.” She turned around, walking backward to face me as she added, “But if you must know, I’m on a top-secret mission of my own.”

I hated that she was out alone at night. I hated it more that my curiosity was piqued.

“Where’s Walter?”

“Still socializing. Dylann’s giving him a ride home, like she does after every meeting.”

“Right.” I knew that, didn’t I? Maybe I had been a little too wrapped up in the job these past few weeks. Maybe longer.

“If you’re worried about my safety, Chief, you could always come with me.”

Those eyes sparkled—a clear warning—and yet, I stupidly took the bait.

“What’s so top secret that it can’t wait for daylight?” I asked, catching up to her.

“I’m on a mission to find the best ice cream in town. And everyone knows ice cream tastes the best at night.”

“Won’t you be cold?” I scanned her body, as though it were the first time I’d done so tonight—it wasn’t.

She wore jeans, white tennis shoes, and a pink and gray flannel top that she tied at her waist, revealing a tight, soft gray shirt beneath it. The same one that made me go a bit stupid back at the Legion Hall. The faintest hint of cleavage, and my brain short-circuited.

Hell, it wasn’t firing on all cylinders now.

It was embarrassing how easily I lost grasp on reality when I was around this woman. She was basically a stranger. Who the hell knew how many secrets she was harboring? I was better off keeping my distance, yet here I was, walking headfirst into bad decisions.

“I’m not as fragile as I look,” she said, spotting Mountain Creamery across the street.

“If you wanted ice cream, why didn’t you go to The Daily Scoop? It’s right across the street from the Legion.”