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Duh. Why does he think we need his help?
“Come on.” I motion for him to follow me around the building where we find Ashlyn puffing and sweating.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you needed help.” Cole nabs the shovel from Ashlyn and begins digging.
“His muscles aren’t as big as Rowan’s but he’s still pretty to look at,” she remarks as we watch Cole dig.
I ignore her. I’m too busy drooling at the play of Cole’s biceps as he digs mounds of dirt up. His neck strains and I can’t help but think about how the muscles of his neck strain when he’s doing other strenuous activities. The kind where we’re both naked and sweaty while he shows me how much he cares for me.
Ashlyn waggles her eyebrows. “I’d love to know where your thoughts went.”
She knows exactly where my thoughts went. Before I can tell her she will never be privy to those thoughts, Cole grunts. We rush to him.
Ashlyn drops to her knees in front of the hole he’s dug. “What is it? Did you find something?”
He taps the ground and a clang rings out. “Based on the sound, I’m guessing it’s metal.”
“What are you waiting for? Dig it up.” Ashlyn doesn’t wait for him to follow her orders and starts scratching at the earth with her hands.
I grasp her hood and use my hold to draw her away. “Stop it. Rowan will kick my ass if you come home with damaged hands.”
She stands and Cole uses the shovel to clear the dirt from around the metal. “It appears to be an old-fashioned lockbox.”
Ashlyn bounces on her toes. “We found it. We found it. We found the loot. We’re going to be rich!”
“You’re already rich, remember?”
Cole digs the box out of the dirt and sets it on the lawn.
“Open it!” Ashlyn yells at him.
“No,” I order. “We have a deal. I take possession of whatever you discover.”
She sticks out her bottom lip. “But there could be fifty-thousand dollars in there.”
“I doubt it.” Cole lifts the box. “It doesn’t weigh enough to be filled with cash. Plus, I can hear an object rolling around inside.”
She blows out a puff of air. “It’s probably another clue. Whatever. I’m out of here.”
She appears dejected with her shoulders hunched over as she walks away. This is not the baby sister I know and love to annoy. Cole wraps an arm around my shoulder.
“Is she going to be okay?”
“I’ll message Rowan and suggest he bring home a vat of chocolate for her. And maybe some Long Island iced teas and tequila.”
He kisses my forehead. “She’s lucky to have you.”
“And I’m lucky to have you,” I tell him.
“You sure are.”
He reaches for me, but I dance out of the way. “You’re filthy and you need to fix my yard.”
He chuckles but returns to shoveling dirt into the hole as I pick up the lockbox and carry it inside. I’ll deal with it and the mystery later when I’m not growing a baby. The baby kicks and hits my bladder. Who has time for a mystery when you need to use the restroom every fifteen minutes?
