Six-Gun Investigation
Page 19
With shaking fingers she slipped the chain off the door and opened it.
“Hi,” Zane said, looking sheepish and achingly handsome at the same time. He had on dress pants and a white shirt open at the collar.
Anna swallowed. “Hi,” she croaked. “What…what are you doing here? Did something happen?”
He looked down at his boots then lifted his gaze to hers. “Can I come in?”
Her heart thundering in her ears, she stepped back and opened the door wider.
He walked in and stepped over to the French doors, his back to her. She studied him. His shoulders were tight, his hands were jammed in his pockets.
Anna closed the door and stood in front of it, won dering why he wasn’t talking. Her brain raced with all the possible reasons he’d come here. Had Leland confessed? Had someone else been killed? Was he missing her as much as she missed him?
“Nice apartment,” he said without turning around. He jingled the change in his pocket.
“Thank you…” She had no idea what to say. She’d never seen him like this. Tentative, almost shy.
“Zane? What is it?”
He turned, a small wary smile on his face.
“Why are you here?” She was beginning to be scared. “Is everything all right?”
“I don’t know.” He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair. “Annie—”
Her throat tightened. She’d started out hating that he called her Annie. She’d never let anyone call her that. Now she realized that she might have to live the rest of her life with that voice echoing in her ears.
“I don’t know how to do this,” he continued. “I’ve spent my life striving to be as unlike my father as I possibly could. But I think my real fear was that if I ever made a lifetime commitment to someone, I’d end up breaking it, just like him.”
Anna stared at him. He was as nervous as a teenage boy on his first date. Despite her effort not to be hopeful, her heart fluttered like a girl with a crush.
His gaze moved over her face like a caress. Finally he frowned and looked down. “Well, you might want to know that your attacker came in through the bathroom window. We found a footprint on the sill.” He moved toward the door, on his way out of her life.
She watched him as he walked past her, as his unmistakable scent wafted across her nostrils.
Her scalp burned with anger. If he thought he could come here and give her some lame excuse for his inability to make a commitment, he was dead wrong.
“Zane?” She reached out and caught his arm.
He stopped and angled his head without actually turning to look at her.
“You came all this way to tell me the murderer came in through the bathroom window?”
His jaw clenched. “And to make sure you were all right.”
“I’m just fine. But you could have found that out from your Ranger buddy who escorted me here.” She sucked in courage with a lungful of air.
“This is not fair. You’re going to make me take the risk, aren’t you? You can face a killer but you can’t handle one relatively small female?”
He raised his heather-blue eyes to hers, but he didn’t speak. He looked both miserable and hopeful.
She took a deep breath. “Okay, then.” She took his hands in hers. They were trembling.
“Zane McKinney, will you—” her breath caught “—marry me?”
“Marry me?” Zane said at the same time.
For a few seconds Anna stood there, wondering if what she’d seen and heard was real. She squeezed his hands.
He smiled at her, a big beautiful smile. “Well?” he said. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Unable to speak, she shook her head.
“Okay, then, what about your answer?” His smile faltered a little.
She swallowed. “What about yours?”
He slipped his hands from hers and pulled her close. “I guess this is how it’s going to be. No matter what I do, you’re going to be right there, aren’t you?”
She grinned, even though her eyes were blurry with tears. “You bet. If we’re in this at all, we’re in it together.”
He smiled, gazing down at her. “Okay, then, one, two, three—”
In unison, they said yes.
ISBN: 978-1-4592-2258-8
SIX-GUN INVESTIGATION
Copyright © 2007 by Rickey R. Mallory
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Table of Contents
Dedication
About the Author
Books by Mallory Kane
Cast of Characters
Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Copyright