by Debbie Mason
Not trusting his voice to remain steady at the realization that he was falling in love with Sadie, Chase raised an eyebrow at her instead. The simple quirk of his brow wouldn’t give away that his heart was practically pounding out of his chest.
She sighed. “Okay, so when you were grilling Hunter about Dwight, Abby and I got to talking about Payton. We’re going to drop by her place tomorrow.”
This was exactly the distraction he needed. He had to stay focused on the task at hand. “No. I don’t want you near her.”
“But just the other day you told me it would be a good idea to get close to her.”
“That was before I knew she had a connection to Dwight.” They’d dated in high school.
“It’s a small town. Everyone has a connection. If it makes you feel better, I’ll bring my grandmother, and Abby can stay at the store. Nate can tag along. Payton could be the key to all of this, Chase. She might have an idea what Elijah did with the drugs.”
“If you and your grandmother want to pay her a visit, I’m okay with that, as long as Nate goes with you. He has a feeling your grandmother has been sneaking over there anyway. He’s lost track of her twice already.”
“Are you serious? How does he lose track…Forget I asked. I should know by now not to underestimate my grandmother. I guess it’s a good thing the bank manager froze the store’s line of credit.”
She’d lost her earlier sparkle. Now she looked like she carried the weight of the world on her shoulders. Her family was draining her, physically, mentally, and, as he’d come to learn, financially. He wished he could step in but it wasn’t his place, no matter how he felt about her. He doubted she’d accept his financial help, even if he framed it as a loan. All he could do was help out with Michaela and make sure Sadie got her rest and they were safe—that, and get her brother back in one piece. Before he arrested him, he thought with an inward sigh.
“You can’t question Payton about any of this, Sadie. It’s too dangerous. Whether you believe it or not, I think there’s more of a connection between her and Dwight than we know. I didn’t get a good vibe off the guy. You need to stay clear of him.”
“But what if she can tell us where Elijah was the day Brodie was murdered? Maybe she can give him an alibi.”
“It wouldn’t explain why he has the gun that killed Brodie in his possession.” Her face lost all of its color. “Sorry, I know how hard this is on you.” He stood up, resting Michaela on his hip. “Let’s not talk about it anymore tonight. You need a break.” He blinked as he got closer to the kitchen. It was an absolute disaster—sauce and dishes everywhere. “How did you manage to make such a mess? All you were doing was heating up the—” Michaela spat up on him, and not just a little spit-up. It was like the scene in The Exorcist. He felt something warm in his hand and looked down. She’d pooped through her diaper too.
An hour later, Sadie was still chuckling at the shocked and disgusted expression on Chase’s face. He hadn’t appreciated her doubling over in laughter but oh, she had appreciated the release. His comment about her brother and the murder weapon—her gun—reared its ugly, scary head. She pushed the thought aside. She honestly couldn’t deal with it tonight.
She went to close the door to the nursery as the bathroom door opened. Chase walked out of the steam-filled room, and her mouth dropped open. He was bare chested, his navy sweatpants riding low on his hips, his feet bare. Maybe it would be better if she dealt with the gun tonight after all. Dealing with Chase looking like this was just as terrifying.
She knew she had feelings for him when he was Michael, but she’d easily dismissed them when she’d learned the truth—okay, not so easily. But the kiss they shared today had made it obvious she had feelings for him, for Chase. And her fear when he stood facing down the Jackson County deputies with nothing more than his big brain showed her just how deep her feelings for him truly were. She was falling in love with him.
Worse, he was beginning to regain his status as her knight in shining armor. She didn’t need or want a man to fight her battles; she wanted a man who would be her partner. A man who shared in the care of her daughter when she needed to catch up on some sleep, a man who surprised her by unpacking her moving boxes when she was feeling overwhelmed. A man who looked like he’d walked out of a dream, she thought, as her gaze met his.
His hand stalled in the middle of drying his hair with a towel. He looked around. “Is everything okay?”
“Everything’s good.” She cleared the breathless quality from her voice. “Michaela went out like a light. I think we might be in for a quiet night.”
“Yeah?” He nudged her out of the way to peek into the room. Cast in the glow from the nightlight, her daughter looked adorable in a pink sleeper with her thumb in her mouth. Finn was stretched out on the unicorn area rug beside the crib, his golden head resting on one of the soft dolls he’d stolen.
“Good boy,” Chase whispered to Finn, who’d raised his head to eye them. Chase gave Sadie a smile that made her ovaries twitch. “He won’t let anyone near her.”
Without thinking, she pressed a palm against his hard and muscular chest to move him out of the doorway. His pec flexed beneath her hand, and she slowly lowered it from his chest before she did something stupid like trace his defined muscles with the tips of her fingers.
“We’ll wake her up if we’re not careful,” Sadie said, pulling the door closed, leaving it open an inch in case Finn wanted out. “Your dinner is in the oven.”
“Are you going to bed?”
She couldn’t tell if he hoped she was or hoped she wasn’t. “I thought I’d watch some TV.” She couldn’t remember when she’d last enjoyed the simple pleasure of curling up on the couch and binge-watching her favorite shows.
“Sounds good.” He started to walk away but then turned. “Do you mind if I join you? I wouldn’t be offended if you needed some time to yourself. I can eat”—he looked around—“in the spare bedroom.”
She held back a smile. “With the rest of my boxes? I don’t mind if you join me. I just thought you had to work.”
An hour later, from where she sat curled up on the couch, Sadie said, “Are you sure you don’t have work to do?”
He grinned around a forkful of tiramisu and put his bare feet on the coffee table. Of course, Mr. Neat Freak had to put the towel he used to dry his hair beneath his feet.
“And miss this? Not on your life.” He licked the last bit of chocolate off his fork to point it at the screen. “Why does Darcey let Tom treat her like that?”
It took a moment for her to pull her gaze from his mouth. She’d had a hard time staying focused on the screen, which was telling, because she loved 90 Day Fiancé. She always felt better about her own romantic failures after watching the show. But tonight, she’d been more interested in watching Chase eat his tiramisu. It was like food porn.
Finally managing to pull her gaze back to the screen, she said, “My guess is she’s in love with the idea of love.”
“That’s not love.” He grinned at her. “But the way you’re eyeing my tiramisu looks a lot like love to me. Come on, I don’t mind sharing. You gave me more than half the container.” He leaned forward, picking up a fork from the coffee table. “I even brought you your own fork.”
She had to remember how well this man read her. “Of course you brought me my own fork. Heaven forbid you’d have to share yours with me,” she teased, in hopes he wouldn’t give more thought to the lust he’d seen in her eyes.
“There you go implying I’m some kind of neat freak again. Come here, and I’ll prove you wrong.” He waved her over with the fork.
“Says the man who cleaned the kitchen after me.” She moved to sit beside him. The thinking part of her brain told her she was an idiot, while the emotional part of her brain suggested she forget about the fork and lick the creamy chocolate dessert off his lips.
She leaned in and got an up-close look at the stubble on his chin, his warm, sexy fragrance enveloping her as she
opened her mouth to accept the tiramisu from his fork. She hummed around it, as much in appreciation of him as the dessert.
His smile faltered, something that looked a lot like heat flashing in his eyes. “Beautiful,” he murmured, and then blinked. “I mean, the dessert is beautifully made.”
“They are,” she agreed, looking into his eyes. She shook her head. “I mean, it is.”
“So beautifully made you can’t think straight.” He touched the side of his mouth. “You have some chocolate here.”
Kiss it off, she wanted to say, but instead she wiped a finger down the side of her lips. “Did I get it?”
He stared at her mouth. “What was that?”
“The chocolate, did I get it?”
“No. You still have some here.” This time, instead of using his own face to show her where, he touched a finger to the side of her mouth. She shivered as he slowly wiped the edge of her lips and then offered the chocolate-coated digit to her. She accepted the offer without hesitation, her brain a lust-fogged mess. She licked the chocolate off his finger as slowly as he’d wiped it off her face.
She pulled back at his stunned expression. It would have been comical if it wasn’t the result of something she had done. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong.”
As lust cleared from her brain, she connected the dots and groaned. “You were just showing me you got it all, weren’t you? You didn’t mean for me to lick it off.”
“Yeah, but I, uh, liked your idea better. I liked it a lot.” He smiled, his cheeks flushed as he drew the throw pillow onto his lap.
From the nursery, she heard a tiny squawk and a low woof. She’d never been happier to hear her daughter. “I should get her.” She practically jumped to her feet. In her hurry, she accidentally bumped the plate, and it fell onto Chase’s lap. “Good thing the pillow was there.”
“Yeah, good thing.”
Chapter Twenty-One
The next morning, Sadie pulled her SUV alongside the curb in front of a white clapboard house that had seen better days. “I can’t believe you went to visit Payton without telling me, Granny.”
“What was I supposed to do? I can’t rightly bring you with me when she told me not to, now can I?”
“Why didn’t she want you to bring Sadie, Agnes?” Nate asked from the backseat before she could. She’d been warned by both Chase and Nate to let him do the questioning when it came to Payton.
She didn’t think this counted. “That’s what I’d like to know. I don’t even remember her.”
“I suspect it’s on account of the money. She thinks you’re the reason I can’t help her out now and again.”
“You could have told her the truth, Granny.”
“I couldn’t tell her it was Elijah’s fault. He’s the father of her bairn. She might leave him if she were to hear that. Besides, I’m not sure your brother had anything to do with the missing money. Maybe someone hacked into my account.”
“Someone did. Elijah.”
“Sadie’s right, Agnes. You have to stop making excuses for your grandson.”
The hard edge in Nate’s voice brought Sadie’s head up. She glanced in the rearview mirror. His expression was a little scary. Chase might be willing to hear her brother out and see where the evidence led, but Nate had already tried and convicted Elijah.
“It’ll be okay, Granny. Everything will work out in the end. I promise. We’ll turn things around.” Sadie patted her grandmother’s hand. She hated to see her upset.
“You’re part of the problem, you know. You coddle her, and she’s a lot tougher than you think. Devious too,” Nate muttered as he got out of the SUV.
Her grandmother frowned. “What did he say?”
“Same thing as me, Granny.” Sadie opened her door as Finn bounded out of the backseat.
“Do you want to tell me again why Mikey foisted the dog on us?” Nate patted his pocket. “He stole my keys!”
“Finn, come here,” Sadie called after the dog, who had darted away to chase a squirrel. Finn cast her a mournful glance but did as she directed, coming to sit at her feet. “He doesn’t have them now. Check under the seats. He likes to hide things. And in answer to your question, Michael wanted me to have company on my way to and from work.”
“You’re lucky, dog,” Nate said, pulling his head out of the SUV. He wiped his keys on his jeans before shoving them in his front pocket and looked around. “Mikey didn’t just want you to have company. There are too many places for me to watch on my own. I hate when he’s right.” Nate glanced at her grandmother, who’d come around to open the trunk. “I’ve got it, Agnes. That’s why you brought me, remember? I’m your pack mule.”
“Is that why you’re here, laddie? I thought you were Sadie’s and my protection.”
“Told you she doesn’t miss a trick.” There was an irritated but admiring note in Nate’s voice. And while his face was stern, Sadie didn’t miss the amused glint in his eyes or the twinkle in her grandmother’s. Clearly, they liked each other, which was a good thing since they were living together. The thought reminded her of the man currently living under her roof.
They liked each other too. Only in their case, Sadie was afraid of what would happen to their relationship when this was over. She brushed the thought aside and beeped the locks on her fob before tucking her grandmother’s arm through hers.
“Let’s go welcome Payton to the family.” And get an alibi for her brother.
“Your face doesn’t look so welcoming, my girl. You were never very good at hiding your feelings.” She patted Sadie’s arm. “Let me do the talking. I know what I’m about, and I know what Nate’s about. Your new man too. I like him even if he is trying to put our Elijah behind bars. He’s good for you.”
Sadie stared at her grandmother, stunned that she knew who Chase and Nate were.
From behind them, Nate groaned, and it wasn’t because of the ten bags he carried. He’d overheard her grandmother.
Agnes grinned. “Never underestimate the blue-haired ladies, laddie.”
“All right, Agatha Christie, what’s your take on the lady of the house?” Nate glanced at the front window. “The woman who is currently watching us from behind the curtains. Both of you turn around and pretend you’re looking for something in the bags. We need to buy some time.”
They did as he asked, Finn joining them in the huddle.
“I think she’s pulled the wool over our boy’s eyes. She’s been stepping out on him with another man,” her grandmother said, her head half in one of the bags.
“And you know this how?” Nate glowered down at her. “And do not give me some bullcrap story about it being on account of your second sight. Oh yeah, she tried to pull her scam on me,” he said at Sadie’s questioning glance. “She freaked me out with her creepy monotone voice, but I figured out fast enough what she was up to.”
“You didn’t fake it?” Sadie asked her grandmother. “You were able to do a reading?”
“Aye, my gift’s back online. I’d lost it on account of the stress, I think. I’ve never been all that good at keeping secrets, especially from you.” She gave Sadie an apologetic smile. “I didn’t want to worry you. You already had more than your share of worries, thanks to Drew. Good riddance to him, I say.”
“Okay, ladies, let’s stay on track. This was a surprise visit for a reason. We don’t want Payton to have time to hide anyone or anything. Start moving toward the door. Slowly. Agnes, pretend you’re having trouble walking.” When her grandmother did as he suggested, Nate said, “Now tell me why you think she’s involved with someone other than your grandson.”
“I saw it with my own eyes. So did Colin. Colin Murphy. He used to be a spy,” she said with a proud smile.
“Where and when, exactly, did you and Sherlock witness this clandestine rendezvous?”
“Here. A man visited her twice in the dead of night. I can’t tell you when he left. When you get to be our ages, creeping around and staying
out of sight is hard on the knees.”
“Granny, what were you thinking?” Sadie whisper-shouted. “You—”
Nate cut her off, a muscle bunching in his jaw. “What nights exactly?”
“The night you were spying on me from across the street. You should have Colin teach you the tricks of his trade,” her grandmother said to Nate. “He spied you right away. We saw Payton’s man sneaking in again last night.”
“What?” Nate said at Sadie’s accusatory stare. “I thought she was in bed. It’s your fault I missed her the first time.”
“How do you figure that?”
“Because just before I could investigate the man I now know to be Colin Murphy going up to Agnes’s apartment, I got called away to rescue you and your brother.”
Before Sadie could warn him not to say anything about the shooting in front of her grandmother, Finn took off barking.
“Great, now he’s off chasing squirrels,” Nate muttered.
“I don’t think so. He has an excited bark when he chases squirrels. That’s the same bark he made when the deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department came to the cottage.”
Nate shoved the bags into Sadie’s arms and took off at a run toward the back of the house.
“Granny, maybe we should—” Agnes was no longer at her side; she was knocking on Payton’s door.
“It’s me, lass. Granny MacLeod. I’ve brought Sadie, the bairn’s auntie, with me. We’ve come to help you set up the nursery for the new addition to our family.” She glanced over her shoulder at Sadie and winked.
Ten minutes later, after getting no response to her knocking or bell ringing, Granny sighed. “It looks like she’s not home.”
“Someone was,” Sadie said as she retrieved the bags from the doorstep. In the distance, she heard Nate calling Finn. “We might as well wait in the car, Granny.” She’d just gotten her grandmother and the packages loaded back in the SUV when Nate appeared at the corner of the house, Finn racing past him with a piece of light-blue fabric hanging from his mouth.
