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Skylar headed away from the house with her a step behind. He took her hand in his. The gesture startled her. She looked up at him with a question in her eyes, but he shrugged. “In case my parents are watching.”
Holding his hand made her feel like a young schoolgirl on her first date, hopeful and a little awkward. She didn’t know what to say. Should she make small talk with him or enjoy the silence? Her tongue felt too big for her mouth. Even if she wanted to speak, she probably couldn’t.
Max ran ahead of them.
“Don’t worry about the dog,” Skylar said. She thought he meant she shouldn’t worry about his dog disappearing from view. He clarified the statement. “Max usually sleeps at the foot of my bed, but I won’t let him into our room tonight. Wouldn’t want him to kill the mood.”
She stopped walking to gape at Skylar. “We already had this conversation. I am not sharing a bed with you. I’d rather sleep next to the dog on the floor.”
A teasing grin made him appear younger. “If you ever get a chance to buy a sense of humor, do it.”
They started down the path again with him still holding her hand. She bristled. “I have a wonderful sense of humor, thank you.”
“Really? What makes Anna Burkhart laugh?”
“Things that are funny.”
“Like what?” He made a face. “Do you enjoy slapstick comedy?”
“No.”
“Raunchy humor?”
She glared at him.
“I bet you like irony,” he said. “Is that it?”
She refused to answer. She got the feeling he was trying to irritate her on purpose, and she wasn’t going to play along. The man beside her could get under her skin like no one she’d ever met.
“What about sarcasm?” he asked.
“Stop.” She took his hand away from him. “If you must know, I like clever humor. Shows likeFrasier, for instance, make me laugh.”
He shook his head at her. “I never would have guessed.”
“I also enjoy watching old law shows likeBoston LegalandThe Practice.”
The dog suddenly rebounded and ran into Skylar’s legs before he could get out of the way. He tried to regain his balance, arms swinging like a windmill. He went down hard and landed on his backside with a surprised grunt.
Anna chuckled. “I take it back. Sometimes slap-stick is funny.”
He leaped to his feet and took a moment to brush off his jeans. “Ha, ha, ha.”
For several minutes they walked in a semi-comfortable silence. She allowed her mind to wander. Should she offer to help his mother in the kitchen? How affectionate should she be with Skylar in front of his family? What sort of Thanksgiving traditions did they have?
Inevitably, her mind turned to her job. She’d planned to work the holiday and couldn’t help but worry about the stuff she wasn’t getting done. The Jensen case needed her attention. If she didn’t do her job right, an innocent boy could wind up in prison. He deserved to have her solely focused on him. As they walked through the beautiful trees she started compiling notes in her head.
Then the trees parted to reveal a covered bridge. It reminded her of a movie she adored, a sweet love story that made her cry every single time she watched it. Skylar’s arm looped around her shoulders, and he pulled her close. She glanced around to see if they were being watched. The house wasn’t even in sight now.
He took her onto the bridge, stopped in the middle, and pointed out the peaceful water below. A problem with their plan surfaced in her mind. Although she didn’t want to intrude on his thoughts, he needed to know about the trouble waiting on the horizon for them.
“Your grandmother knows we’re lying,” she said.
He scoffed. “No, she doesn’t.”
“When she took me up to your room, she mentioned Clare.” Anna stopped talking when he stiffened beside her. His arm dropped from her shoulders. She rushed on. “I didn’t know who she was talking about.”
“You didn’t tell her that, did you?”
