Page 93 of His Wounded Heart

“Okay, okay, now I know you’re related to Drake.”

“No. Now you know I’m a mother. Simon, I’m trusting you with the most precious thing in my world. I really don’t want to bring my brother into this. My gut is saying don’t, that he’ll just muddy the water.”

I coax her to sit back down beside me. “What else is your gut telling you?”

“To trust you. That you are the man who will handle this. That if you can’t, you will not let your ego stop you from bringing in other people if you need them.”

“You’re reading me right. Right now, you don’t have enough to go to the police. This might be a threatening email, but until you’ve been accosted, their hands are tied. With Dex looking into this, we can most likely find out what’s in the will and find out Carla’s motive for sending you these threatening emails. I wouldn’t be surprised if he finds out what’s in the will tonight, okay?”

She slumps against me, like her bones have turned to water.

“That’s more than okay. That’s perfect.”

“Now why don’t we get you to forward the email to Dex, and then finish the beer and this platter of food.”

“Do we have to?”

“Forward the email?”

“No. Of course I’m forwarding the email. Can we get rid of the beers and put this platter in the fridge and concentrate on the ice-cream, or will your hard body go into some kind of toxic shock?”

“Lady, you make me laugh. Thank you for that.”

“That’s not an answer,” she pouts.

“Definitely ice cream.”

“Hallelujah.”

Chapter Twenty-Four

While I’m booting up my Mac computer I realize I don’t want him to go home.

Ever.

When he told me that he liked me sharing my emotions, and how his wife didn’t share? Well, I felt like I had won the relationship jackpot.

I mean, he wasn’t Jeffrey Dahmer! He is one of life’s good guys, and he likes me! Me! Trenda Avery. And I have chosen correctly. My brother respects him, and says he’s a ‘good guy.’

Then there’s the fact that he’s off-the-charts gorgeous. That salt-and-pepper head of hair, with the silver scruff. I want to scrape my fingers through his hair for days. And, he is a good kisser, despite what Pearl said. How in the hell Pearl got that piece of information was beyond me. This town is kooky!

“I think it’s turned on,” he whispers.

His arms are on either side of me, resting on the table as I move my mouse to open my email. I scroll through the normal business emails as well as the shoe advertisements until I get to the evil email. I click it open.

Simon tells me the email address and I forward it to his friend.

“Okay, done. Now you get some ice cream,” he says as he strokes his hand over my hair. I’d worn it down again tonight. I had noticed him noticing it. Apparently, he likes my hair as much as I like his hair.

I get up from the kitchen chair that I use as an office chair, and head to the freezer. I pull out the bag and feel that there are two quarts of ice cream in the bag. “So, what all did you get?” I ask.

“Real ice cream,” he answers.

I open the bag and find rocky road.

Of course.

“We need to set them out for a few minutes to let them thaw so we can scoop them out easier,” I explain.