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Dani didn’t know whether to be relieved or botheredthat he hadn’t tried something. Either way, the day was ahead of them, and so was his exit from her house. He’d go home, and she’d be here. Maybe he’d call, and maybe he wouldn’t. She didn’t like the options, but it was out of her control, so she threw back the covers. It was time to begin the day, but after last night, she was dreading walking back into the kitchen.
She showered, then came out of the bathroom in her bathrobe and shouted down the hall.
“I’m out of the shower!”
“I’m next!” Aaron answered.
Dani heard the water running as she got dressed. He was still in the bathroom when she left her room. Her stomach knotted as she moved down the hall, dreading her first sight of the kitchen. Last night there had been a dead man by the door.
But her fears were unfounded as she turned the corner. Sunlight was pouring into the kitchen from every window. The floor was shining. The room smelled of her pine-scented cleaner and fresh coffee. Not a trace of last night’s chaos was visible.
“Oh, Aaron. If I wasn’t already falling for you, I would be now,” she whispered, then poured herself a cup of coffee and took it outside to drink.
The porch swing squeaked as she sat down and pushed off with her toe, letting it swing as she took her first sip. In her mind, she could almost hear her mother’s voice.
“Today is the day that the Lord has made. Rejoice and be glad in it.”
Chapter 13
It was the squeak of the chain that led Aaron to the back porch. He paused in the doorway as she turned.
“Being alive this morning means more than usual to me. Everything is so beautiful,” she said.
“Yes, it is,” he said, but he was looking at her.
She eyed his forehead. “The cut on your head. Did it bleed in the shower again?”
“A little. It’s fine.”
She frowned. “No. It’s notfine.It’s notfineuntil it stops bleeding.”
“Yes, ma’am. I’m ready to go when you are.”
She rolled her eyes and walked past him, setting her empty coffee cup in the sink.
“I need to go get my purse,” she said, and walked out of the room.
Aaron was right where she’d left him when she came back, and when they exited through the utility room into the garage, his hand was in the middle of her back, gently guiding the way.
Cameron entered the front door of the police station as Aaron and Dani came into the lobby from the back.
The moment Dani walked in, she recognized Cameron, and he recognized her.
“You’re Dani, the girl from the parking lot!” he said.
“I am, and seeing you and Aaron together, it’s no wonder I first thought he was you.”
“What?” Aaron asked.
Dani began to explain. “I saw Cameron in the supermarket parking lot the other day. He was a distance away, and at first, I thought he was you. By the time I realized it wasn’t, he’d caught me staring. When I apologized for mistaking him, he cleared up the confusion.”
“We can’t deny the Pope in all of us, and I better get in gear,” Cameron said. “I’m off to spend a little time with an ancestor.”
“Still reading the journal?” Aaron asked.
Cameron nodded. “Yes, and I left Rusty and Ghost at home today. She’s not feeling good this morning, and Ghost is babysitting…literally. We’re expecting,” he added.
Aaron grinned. “Congratulations! When is she due?”
