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“I don’t want your money.”
The words didn’t help. If anything, they made the situation worse.
“The GGPD owes you.”
She nodded, and he breathed out a sigh of relief as the third try got him out of hot water. Momentarily, at least.
“I don’t want to scare you, but I think it’s pretty obvious that you aren’t safe here...” He glanced around them and then back at her. “And based on what happened at the grocery store, you might not be safe in town, either. So, what I’m proposing, first and foremost, is that you...”
“I’m not leaving town. Not with Gram still in jail. No way.” The adamant shake of her head, the way her hair bounced, distracted him for a second.
“I was going to suggest... In truth, my sister, Chief Colton, advised me to suggest I help keep you safe. I’d be happy for you to temporarily move into my guest room,” he told her. “It’s there specifically for the use of anyone my family needs to house. As your newly appointed personal private investigator, I’m advising you to accept this invitation. Just for a few days. Maybe less. Give us time to find out who’s behind the incident at the grocery store this morning. And the break-in.”
“I’ve got my family...my mom... I can stay with her...” She frowned again. “But...I don’t want to put them in danger...”
He pounced. “Exactly. I’m armed. And trained.”
“I’m also still dealing with the fact that they all turned on me, believing I’d actually murdered Fritz... I love them, but I’d rather not stay there, not with dealing with this, too...still... I’m not going to put you out because your sister orders you to...”
“Hey.” He cut her off right there. “Police chief or not, she’s my little sister, and she doesn’t order me to do anything. She thought it would be a good idea for me to help you out. I offered for you to stay at my place.” He took a breath, surprised at the tension tightening his chest as he waited for her response. “She claims that I have a tendency to speak my opinions as though I’m always right and leave little room for others to disagree.”
“Do you?”
He shrugged. “Not as much as I used to. But I don’t often say something unless I’ve looked at the situation and have reason to believe I’m correct. And I’ve learned to trust my gut. It generally steers me right.” But maybe not about this. What was he doing inviting this woman into his home? Just the two of them. Alone. With her being so gut-wrenchingly a...turn-on...and him...noticing that?
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Okay, I’ll stay in your guest room.”
Wow. He’d gotten off easy on that one. “You should get some stuff together—let us get out of here before Troy and his crew take over the place...” He wanted to get her out of there before she changed her mind. He wasn’t telling her, but he was in no doubt whatsoever that her life was in real danger.
Anyone who’d try to run down a person in a grocery-store parking lot in broad daylight in the middle of downtown wasn’t going to just go away. Or follow any kind of logic, either.
“Is the idea to leave my car here?”
She caught on quick. The beater would be easily recognizable. “Yes.”
“Then I have a favor to ask...”
Whatever she needed...he was officially at her disposal.
“I need to see my grandmother. I’m worried about her spending too much time without seeing a loved one... She thrives on family and...”
That wouldn’t even be a favor. It was a given. “Of course,” he told her. “I’ll call ahead to make sure that she’ll be available for a private visit with you...”
Because there were times when knowing the police chief’s brother in Grave Gulch came with perks—not a price to pay.
Chapter 3
He didn’t want her money. How did you trust a guy who wanted you to believe he was asking nothing from you? Women the world over knew that if a guy didn’t want your money, he most likely wanted something else.
Her money was all he was going to get.
Didn’t matter if he billed her or not, she would pay him. Everleigh had spent too many years of her life forced to take what others were willing to part with and to be grateful for it.
She wasn’t doing it again. Life had exacted too much from her already. She wasn’t giving away any more of her pride.
