by Amy Reece
Her heart thudded dully. Friends. Of course. He’d even placed a slight emphasis on the word, hadn’t he? Well, message received. “No, of course not.” After all, having him as a friend was better than nothing.
“Good. Now, what do you do all day? I’ve seen you interrogate a suspect, and I’ve seen you blaze into a horrible situation, but I suspect your job involves a lot more.”
“Yes, thankfully. I don’t typically go around shooting people on a daily basis.” He’d been with her when she arrived on the scene a few months ago to find Mel and Finn’s neighbor, Lena, holding a gun on both of them, about to shoot. The woman had fixated on Finn after a brief encounter they’d had at a bar; Finn had been drunk and didn’t even remember her, while Lena built an obsession about him that ended in Chris shooting her before she could kill Finn. Lena lived through it and was now awaiting trial. Thankfully, the judge had recognized the danger she represented and refused to set bail. She was safely incarcerated in the Bernalillo County Metro Detention Center.
“Hey.” He reached out and took her hand, holding it loosely while he rubbed his thumb across her fingers. “You saved my brother’s life, and possibly my sister-in-law’s life. I’ll never forget that, Chrissy.”
She gulped and stared at their clasped hands. It was so hard to be okay with ‘just friends’ when he was touching her. “Yeah, well, decent partners are hard to come by. I didn’t want to lose the one I’ve got. Actually, I spend a whole lot of my time writing reports. Most people don’t realize how much writing cops have to do.”
“It’s the same with construction, at least when you’re the boss. I swear I write more than I ever did in college! I would have paid more attention in my English classes if I’d known.”
“I wrote a twenty-seven-page report last week.”
“Ouch.” He winced and squeezed her hand lightly. “That’s brutal. Maybe we—”
But one of the forensic techs came in at that moment, smirking as he noticed their clasped hands. Chris hastily dropped Hugh’s hand and stood. “What have you found, Mike?”
“Two more bodies. Looks like there could be more.” He led them outside where the crime scene had been enlarged and more techs were crouched and sprawled, brushing dirt away from more exposed bones.
She left Hugh under the shade canopy the techs had set up and strode to the newest area uncovered. Who knew how many bodies were here? It was patently obvious they weren’t dealing with any ancient Indian burial ground, but she had no idea what it was. Each of the three skulls had identical holes in the center of the forehead, which screamed execution-style killing. God, what a mess! And now the techs were telling her they couldn’t get what they needed to do their job. She pulled her phone out of her back pocket and punched buttons violently. She finally got through to someone in charge of requisitions. “Yeah, well, I don’t give a shit about backlogs! Get me a fucking ground-penetrating radar unit now! You tell him it’s on the authority of Lieutenant Hart.” She clicked off and stormed away to talk to the man in charge of the forensic team.
It was nearing three o’clock by the time she had five minutes to call her own. She exited the tiny bathroom in the construction trailer office to find Hugh setting sub sandwiches and chips out on his desk.
“Come have some lunch, Chrissy. You must be starving.”
“Thanks, but I’ll eat later. My guys will be hungry too.”
“I ordered lunch for everyone. They’re eating already. Come sit down for a few minutes.” He held his hand out for her.
She surrendered, glad to get off her feet for a while. “Thanks, Hugh. This is really nice. Most crime scenes don’t come with lunch.”
He chuckled and handed her a soda. “Well, we’ll have to try it again sometime without the crime scene.”
She froze, a chip halfway to her mouth. Did he just ask me out? “Sure. Sounds great.” She ate the chip and reached for the soda. She spent the rest of the time concentrating on eating without knocking anything over or spilling her drink. She mostly succeeded, but hurried through her food so she could get back to work.
By five o’clock they’d brought in the ground penetrating radar, which showed at least two more bodies nearby. Hugh had retreated to the trailer, so she went to find him. He looked up when she walked in. She straddled the chair she’d sat in earlier. “Hey. Why don’t you go home? We’ll be a few more hours.”
He walked around his desk and came to stand behind her. He put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing and massaging the tension in her neck. “Okay, but why don’t you come by when you get done? I’ll grill you a steak and you can fill me in on the rest of this shit storm.”
She laughed and let her head loll. God, his hands were magical. “It could be late. I’ll need to stop by Finn’s place and feed the animals.”
“Doesn’t matter. After the day you’ve had, you need a good meal and some decent wine. And I’ll go by and feed Fluff and CJ. I’ll even take Fluff to my place so he’s not alone so long.”
“You don’t know how good that sounds.”
“Great, then I’ll see you in a few hours. I’ll text you my address.”
She followed him out of the trailer and watched him drive away in his truck, Bob in the back of the king cab. She watched the dust chase his vehicle down the road then turned to the officers working the crime scene. “All right, guys! Let’s get this wrapped up, pronto!” She had a date and she wasn’t about to miss it.
Chapter Four
Hugh
“Hugh? Is that you?”
“Yeah, Mom.” He closed the kitchen door of his parents’ house behind him and found his mother at the sink, washing dishes. Delicious smells filled the room and Hugh guessed it was pot roast night. Bob trotted off to locate Hugh’s father, who always managed to find a treat for him. Bob knew this and was gifted at manipulating him. “Don’t you have a dishwasher?” He put an arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head.
“It’s such a waste to run it for just a few dishes. Have you eaten yet, dear? Let me set a place for you.” Her voice still held a lovely Irish lilt regardless of the fact she’d lived in the United States for more than thirty years.
“No thanks. I’m going to stop by the grocery store on my way home and pick something up.”
“Oh, sweetie, that’s not necessary. I hate that you eat alone every night.” She turned and opened a cabinet. “I fixed plenty.”
Hugh rolled his eyes—behind her back, of course—and gently closed the cabinet. “I won’t be alone tonight.”
She stared up at him, a slow smile spreading across her face as comprehension dawned. “You have a date?”
It was his mother’s dearest desire in life to see each of her six children happily married and busily producing grandchildren for her to spoil. Finn was currently at the top of her favorite child list for getting married last week. “Sort of, but it’s extremely early days yet, so don’t get excited.”
“What’s her name?”
“Nope. My lips are sealed until I see how it goes, okay?” He certainly didn’t want to tell his mother his date was with Chrissy. She had grown fond of Finn’s partner during the wedding planning, not to mention the fact that Chrissy had saved Finn’s life. His mother would be over the moon if she knew Hugh had the hots for her, but he wasn’t ready to go public with it quite yet. “I need to talk to Dad about something.”
“He’s in the den, probably feeding your dog potato chips or something.”
He was feeding Bob bits of Moira’s homemade peanut butter cookies. Hugh grabbed one off the plate and flopped onto the sofa. “You’re going to get him fat, Dad.”
“So take him for a run. He likes cookies, don’t you, Bob? Yeah, you love to come visit Grandpa, don’t you?”
God, his parents needed more grandkids. He’d be happy to get busy with that, but a wife would make it a heck of lot easier. He didn’t envy Izzy in her role as a single parent. And he didn’t want any old wife, either. He wanted someone special, someon
e who would be a best friend, a companion, a lover for the rest of their lives. Was it supposed to be this hard? “I stopped by to let you know we’re putting a bid in on the Kensington job tomorrow.”
“Good. What number did you come up with?”
They talked shop for a while; Hugh knew his father enjoyed being kept in the loop even though he’d retired nearly four years ago and handed the company over to his eldest son and daughter. They all had hopes the youngest DeLuca, Tony, would eventually join them when he finished his business degree. Finn, Cara, and Seamus had all found other occupations and passions to follow, but Hugh had always felt drawn to the family business and had never regretted his decision to work for his father during and after college. Now with his father’s retirement, he and Izzy were determined to take the construction company to the next level.
He left his parents’ house and stopped by the grocery store to pick up porterhouse steaks, potatoes, and a nice merlot. He added some salad fixings as an afterthought. Chrissy would probably appreciate something healthy. Once home, he put the steaks in the fridge to marinate, wrapped the potatoes in foil and stuck them in the oven, and set to work on the salad. He knew he was fussing, trying to impress the woman, and he wasn’t even sure he wanted to pursue a relationship with her. He set the knife down next to the tomato he was chopping and closed his eyes, gripping the edge of the countertop hard. He needed to stop lying to himself. He definitely wanted to pursue a relationship with her, but he didn’t know if it was a good idea. He wasn’t sure she wanted the same things from life he did…and he was desperately afraid to ask her. Okay, idiot. She’s coming over here tonight and you need to make a decision. Are you going to let her know you how you feel, or are you going to chicken out? She deserves to know, one way or another. If you’re not going to make a move, then you need to let her go. Stop dicking around with her.
The doorbell rang, startling him. She was earlier than he’d expected and he wasn’t ready. He’d planned to shower and change, but it was too late. Shit. He wiped his suddenly sweaty hands on his jeans and forced himself to walk to the door. “Hey, I didn’t expect you for at least—” His brother, Tony, was on the other side of the door.
“Hey, Hugh.” He pushed his way past his brother and made himself at home on the sofa, pausing to pet Fluff, who was curled up on the couch, and Bob, who was on the floor next to him. “I was in the area and figured I’d stop by so we could watch the game together on your big-ass TV. I brought beer.” He reached for the remote. “Why don’t you have it on yet? We’ve missed the first down. And why is Mel’s dog here?”
Hugh had completely forgotten about the Broncos game and chose to ignore the question about Fluff. It wasn’t unusual for him and his brothers to get together, frequently at his house since he had a 60-inch flat screen with surround sound. But tonight was not going to work for him. He needed to get rid of his brother fast. He ran through various scenarios in his head and rejected most of them, finally settling for the truth. Or a reasonable facsimile of it. He reached for the remote and clicked the television off.
“Hey! What the hell?”
“I need you to leave, Tony. I’m expecting someone any minute.”
The grin spreading across Tony’s face was absolutely evil. “Ohhh. Do tell, brother.” He reclined and twisted the top off a beer.
“Not gonna happen, Tony. Get your ass out of here before my date arrives.”
“But I’m so comfortable here, Hugh. I don’t have homework tonight and I want to spend some quality time with my big brother. I’ve missed you.” His eyes were large blue orbs over the top of his beer.
Hugh crossed his arms and frowned at the younger man. “Hmm. I’m trying to decide which episode Mom would rather hear about first: the one where you called me from jail or the one where I found you naked in bed with two equally naked girls when you had the house to yourself for the weekend last year.”
Tony choked on a sip of beer and stood. “I had permission to be in that house! And I only remember going to bed with one of those girls, I swear!”
Hugh didn’t say anything.
“Okay, fine! I’m going! Jeez, you don’t have to get so cranky! I can’t believe you, of all people, would stoop to blackmail. You think you know a guy.” He stuffed the remaining five beers in the brown paper bag. “But I’m taking my beer with me.”
Hugh saw him to the door.
Tony turned at the last minute. “It’s not Lauren, is it? You guys getting back together?”
Not in a million years. “Goodnight, Tony.”
“Yeah, I’m going.” He turned and headed down the walkway.
It would have been perfect if Chrissy hadn’t pulled into his driveway at that moment. Hugh sighed as Tony swiveled his head back and forth between the two of them, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Well, hey there, Chris. Fancy meeting you here.” Tony’s tone was gleeful.
“Hi, Tony. It’s nice to see you again.” She glanced between the brothers, uncertainty written across her features.
“Tony was just leaving. Remember what we talked about, Tony.”
“Yeah, yeah. Have fun, you two! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t!”
Hugh figured that left a whole lot of territory open to him. “Hi, Chrissy.” She looked exhausted, but still gorgeous. “Come on in.” He led her through to the kitchen and motioned for her to sit at the bar while he poured her a glass of the merlot.
“Sláinte.” She raised her glass. “Did I say it right?”
He grinned, enchanted anew. “Close enough. You must be starving.”
“I could eat.”
***
Chris
She’d been disappointed when she arrived and found Tony already there. She’d hoped Hugh had meant his invitation as something of a date. But if he had also invited siblings, it was more of a get-together. But then he’d basically kicked his younger brother out, and she’d felt a surge of renewed optimism. Stupid. Don’t get your hopes up, girl. But she couldn’t help it. She watched him chopping a tomato and enjoyed the way his muscular shoulders moved as he worked the knife. She imagined him doing it shirtless and smiled.
He chose that moment to turn and look at her, of course. He raised his eyebrows, as if asking what she was grinning like a fool about.
“You have a nice house,” she blurted.
He grinned return. “You want the nickel tour?”
“Sure.”
He held out his hand and helped her up. “This, of course, is the kitchen. It doesn’t get a lot of action, but the fridge and microwave do amazing things with leftover pizza.”
She laughed and glanced around at the spacious room, envying the top of the line appliances and counter space. Her kitchen was a small hallway. It made cooking a chore. “You don’t like to cook?”
“I don’t hate it, but I’m not very good. Finn got all the kitchen talent from our mother.” He had retained her hand and now pulled her through to the living room. Bob and Fluff followed, tails wagging.
“That’s a big TV.”
“Yeah. It’s very popular with my brothers.”
The room was large and comfortable. The dark brown overstuffed sofa looked like a great place for an afternoon nap. The coffee table held an assortment of sports magazines. Framed pictures of his family graced many of the surfaces, with an entire section devoted to his young niece, Janey. The room wasn’t messy, but neither was it fussily neat. He’d used various shades of blue as an accent and she wondered if it was his favorite color. A large dog bed and a basket of chew toys was tucked away in a corner.
“Upstairs we have the master bedroom and bath.” He led her up the curving flight of stairs and into his bedroom. The king-size bed was made, although a bit lumpy, and the room smelled like him, a mixture of his aftershave, soap, and masculinity. Another dog bed and a smaller toy basket filled the space next to the bed.
She inhaled deeply, trying not to be too obvious about it. She wished she could bottle that sce
nt. There was a large, jetted tub in the bathroom, and she imagined herself submerged, bubbles up to her chin, with a glass of wine and candles around the perimeter. There were two smaller bedrooms across the hall. He used one as a home office and the other was a guest room. A toy box in the corner and a large dollhouse told her Janey was his most frequent visitor. “This is certainly not your stereotypical bachelor pad.”
He smiled and tugged her out of the room. “I like to think I’m not your stereotypical bachelor. Let me show you the backyard.”
It was gorgeous, with a green lawn, a small pool, and a Jacuzzi. “God, that hot tub looks amazing right now.” The afternoon had been endless as she stood in the baking sun, waiting for the forensic team to finish. She always put all her stress in her shoulders and today had been incredibly stressful. She would love to be able to let all the tightness and stress float away in his hot tub.
“Feel free. You could have a nice long soak while I grill the steaks.”
“Sounds great, but I don’t have my suit,” she said with a sigh.
“Suits are totally optional here. I can’t promise I won’t peek, though.” He grinned and winked at her.
She laughed at his outrageous flirting. “Maybe next time. For now, how about if I just drink some more wine and watch you grill?”
“Spoilsport. Have a seat. I’ll be right back.”
They ate on the patio in the cool of the evening. The steaks were delicious and he’d cooked hers exactly the way she liked with a deep pink center. She started to tell him where they were with the investigation, but he suggested they talk about more pleasant things during dinner.
“I asked you here so you could relax, Chrissy. You can tell me about that other stuff tomorrow. You’re off the clock for tonight.” He poured her another glass of wine. “Tell me about growing up in El Paso.”
“It was hot.”
He raised his eyebrows and frowned. “That’s it? I want details.”
She chuckled self-consciously; it was difficult to let her guard down and talk about herself. “Well, my younger sister and I were very close. She’s only eighteen months younger, so we always played together. We grew more apart in high school when we developed different interests, then I came here for college and never left.”
