“Someone might need me.” A glance around the room showed everyone was enjoying themselves. Riley, Logan, and Jasper laughed together at a nearby table. Grace talked to two men at the bar. She couldn’t see who they were with their backs turned, but given Grace’s body language, at least one of them was the man she’d been texting. Good for her.
“It doesn’t look like Victoria’s needs you much anymore.” Chase motioned to where Victoria and the Sullivan cousins headed toward the back of the hall, talking close and intimate.
Victoria’s attraction to the two men had been obvious to everyone since the Fourth of July picnic. Except for maybe the Sullivans. Lydia was surprised to see Victoria coerce them away from the crowd. Her own party or not. That was Victoria, never afraid to go after what she wanted. Once again, Lydia wished she could be more like that.
“I’m sure everything has already been taken care of.” Chase leaned close to whisper in her ear. His heat brushed across her back, sending a tremor through her whole body, and giving her another reason to want to leave the party. An unrealistic one. But another reason all the same.
He was right. Victoria had planned every last detail of the event, down to the cleaning service she’d hired from out of town, so no one from Frostbite Falls would have to spend the night tidying up the town hall. A few odds and ends might present themselves before the night was over, but the majority of the ball had been taken care of months ago. There was no reason why she couldn’t accept the Mannings’ offer.
So why did the idea of leaving with them have her stomach twisting in knots? The Mannings were just being kind to her. Rescuing her from a bad situation. There was nothing more to it than that.
“Looks like Victoria’s heading for the exit. Why can’t you?” Kyle crooked a grin at her that had her knees shaking. He could be deadly with a smirk when he wanted to be. He’d better watch out or he might take out a whole village with that smile.
“Come on, I’m sure we can find something fun to do. Somewhere a little more private.” Chase wiggled his eyebrows at her, and she couldn’t help but grin.
Another crackle of Jason’s laughter filled the air, followed by a very indelicate snort from his date, sealing her answer with the sound. It didn’t matter what the Manning brothers had in store for her the rest of the evening. Anywhere would be more fun than being here.
“Let’s go.”
Chapter Three
She walked into the Mannings’ Ranch, shivering as she stared around the open living room. The whole place was exactly what she expected. The big farmhouse had the old-world charm of most in Frostbite Falls, but inside it was all masculine luxuries. Big leather sofa, bigger flat-screen TV, and enough sports memorabilia on the walls to make any woman cringe. Clearly the place hadn’t seen a feminine touch in a long time.
But it was clean. No beer cans littered the coffee table. No half-eaten bags of potato chips covered the floor. It was a step up from how Jason’s place had looked when she’d first met him. Hopefully Tracey cleaned up after him now. Otherwise Lydia shuddered to think how many health code violations might be broken in his apartment right now. Not that it was her business anymore how he lived, but old habits died hard.
“Can I get you anything?” Kyle filed into the living room behind her. His big body was inches from hers, his heat searing her through the space between them. The urge to lean into that heat, to curl against him like a cat in a sunbeam hummed deep inside her.
She was cold, and he was so warm. That was because they’d just come from outside. A December Montana night would freeze anyone to the bone. That was it. There was nothing more to the urge than that.
She shook her head. “I’m fine.” After all the hors d’oeuvres and drinks at the party, she didn’t need anything more.
Chase cupped her elbow, distracting her with the brush of his hand across her skin. His fingers were rough, hard from working the land, and the course feel shot through her blood like electricity. “I’m going to make a pot of coffee. Would you like a cup?”
If he was already brewing a pot, she didn’t see a problem with accepting one. It’s not like he was making the coffee for her. “That would be nice.” Not that she needed the caffeine tonight. Just being in the same room with these two had her whole body jittery, not to mention what their touch did to her. But she was cold after all. A good cup of coffee would warm her up.
“I knew I could tempt you.” Chase squeezed her arm before letting go and headed toward the kitchen to put on the pot. She sagged slightly without his hand on her skin, surprising even herself with how much she’d enjoy his strength and support beside her.
“Thanks, sweetheart.” Kyle pulled his jacket off beside her and stuck it on the hooks by the door, “Now I’m stuck doing the dishes for a week.”
At her confused glaze, he stepped closer and her heart pounded a little harder. He slipped his hand beneath the lapels of her coat and pushed it from her shoulders. Dropping her hands to the side, she let him pull her coat from her body. Each brush of his fingers along her body sent little shivers across her skin. Shivers she couldn’t blame on the cold at all. “He bet me he could convince you to have a cup of coffee with us. I didn’t know he would play dirty by saying he was making one for himself.”
Kyle hung her jacket on a peg next to his. Something about the way her coat looked, sandwiched between Chase’s and Kyle’s, did something to her chest. They looked right like that. Even and balanced. It was a crazy thought, and she had no clue where it came from.
“He didn’t have to do that for me.” Just the thought that he was going out of his way for her had a nervous quiver settling in her stomach.
“He may not have to.” Kyle’s voice dropped down to that deep serious level that had goose bumps rising across her arms. His intense stare pinned her to floor in front of him. She could only imagine this was how a criminal might feel cornered beneath his stare. Only she hoped they didn’t feel quite this warm or flushed. “But he wanted to. We both did.”
“How do you take your coffee?” Chase screamed from the kitchen, interrupting the moment, and the sound of running water filled the air as he prepared the coffee.
“Black is fine.” Now that she knew the coffee was really for her, she couldn’t bear to put him out any more than necessary. Whether he wanted to do it or not. It was bad enough he was brewing coffee just for her, he didn’t need to go tracking down milk and sugar just for her.
Kyle stepped away from her, moving as if nothing had happened between them in that moment. Her muscles didn’t rebound as quickly. Her whole body was still shaking. Scrunching up eyebrows, he bellowed to his brother, “Light cream and two sugars,” before heading to the couch and settling down on the furthest end.
“Coming right up,” Chase’s merry voice echoed back, along with the rustle of drawers and cabinet doors opening. A guilty band tightened around her stomach.
“Why did you correct me?” She sagged onto the middle of the couch, her uncertainty overpowering her knees.
Being in someone else’s home always made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t sure where to stand, what to touch. Being alone with Chase and Kyle only made it worse. She hardly knew them, and here she was, invited into their home. They were even making special accommodations for her. Staring at her with their deep intense eyes, standing so close she could feel their heat on her skin. If they were trying to unsettle her, they were doing a fantastic job.
“That’s how you drink your coffee.” Kyle responded as if were ridiculous to consider making her coffee any way but exactly how she liked it. “Do you take it differently at night?”
“No.” She didn’t mind her coffee black, but it wasn’t her preferred choice. Kyle had been right about that. “How do you know how I take my coffee?”
It wasn’t a state secret, but she doubted many people noticed, let alone remembered how she took her coffee. She was sure Jason had never learned it. So how did Kyle, who she hardly knew, remember that information?
> “I’m a cop. It’s my business to know these things.” She stared at him, until finally he cracked a smile. “Most of the time I drop off my expense reports at three o’clock. You’re usually getting coffee then.”
Three was around the time she had her third cup of the day. If he noticed every time he dropped off his expense reports he’d probably seen her prepare her coffee a few dozen times since she’d started working at the county clerk office. That didn’t explain why he remembered the information, but she decided against asking. Something deep inside told her not to pick at that thread. That what she revealed might not be to her liking.
It didn’t really matter either way. So what if he knew how she took her coffee? It wasn’t like he’d ferreted out her bank account number.
“What else is it your business to know?” She studied him, suddenly curious what other secrets he might be hiding in that noggin of his.
“I know when you get coffee at three o’clock you get one for everyone else at the same time. And you drop them off to everyone’s desk before you sit down with your own.” He rotated to look her directly in the eye, shifting a little closer with the motion, though she couldn’t tell if it was intentional or not. “I know you love every holiday, not just Christmas, and you decorate your desk to celebrate every one. Even Arbor Day. I know you think you owe Victoria for getting you the job at the county clerk’s office, though you’re the most efficient one there. And I know the bastard that left you didn’t deserve you. Not for one second.”
Her hand shook as she stared into his eyes. She grabbed the leather on either side of her legs, needing a little more stability than she had before he spoke. The intensity in his voice had her whole world feeling a little cockeyed. Her heartbeat pounded in her ears. Served her right for asking. She’d known she shouldn’t push, but she just couldn’t help it.
“You’re the nicest, most accommodating person I’ve ever met.” He continued on, his voice dropping another degree, “Maybe too much so.”
“I know.” He wasn’t the first person to accuse her of being too nice. She’d heard it time and time again. Before and after Jason had left her. “It comes from being an army brat. Being nice always meant you made friends faster. Or you at least didn’t get picked on for being the new kid.” It made everything easier. Or at least it had.
“Your father was in the army?” Kyle perked up, leaning forward, as if galvanized by the idea of learning some new tidbit he could place in his memory bank. What he was saving all these pieces of information for, she could only guess. She couldn’t think of any reason it might be important to know these little bits of trivia about her. But since she didn’t see the harm in him knowing, she didn’t see a reason to stop him either.
She nodded. “He made it all the way to colonel before he retired two years ago.”
“He must be a tough old guy. I bet he chased off every boy that got within twenty feet of you.” He spread his arm over the back of the couch. His fingers lingered an inch from her skin. His heat radiated through the short distance to tickle her skin.
She looked down at her hands, the intensity of his stare making her jumpy all over. Like she’d already had that cup of coffee and a hundred more. “Not that many.”
“I don’t believe that.” He winked at her, and a swarm of butterflies leapt to life in her stomach. What was he doing? If he was trying to be friendly, he was going way overboard. But that’s all it could be. He couldn’t be trying to flirt with her. Not someone like Kyle Manning and not with little old her. He wasn’t one of those guys that flirted with everyone. He’d interact with enough of the townspeople for her to know he wasn’t a natural flirt. But what else could he be doing?
“I’ll have to remember to wear my bulletproof vest when he’s around.” His fingers brushed across her skin, heat swirling just beneath where he touched.
Lydia’s jaw dropped a little as she realized what he said, a second later than normal given the brush of his fingers across her arm. Why would he expect to meet her father? She rarely saw her father. She couldn’t imagine him coming to Frostbite Falls. He certainly wouldn’t be touring the outer ranches, though she did believe he’d appreciate the hard work they put into their livelihood. Her father always appreciated hard work and dedication from anyone.
“Coffee’s ready,” Chase called out in a merry tone as he reentered the room.
Slower than necessary, Kyle turned forward. His hand slipped from her arm and back to his side of the couch. A small part of her, more than she’d ever admit, regretted the loss of his touch.
Chase’s gaze swung from her to Kyle as he paused before the couch, but he didn’t say a word. The upward tilt of his lips said he knew something had happened while he was gone, just not what. Since she had no idea what happened either, that worked just fine. She still couldn’t figure out where any of that had come from. Where had Kyle come up with all those sweet sentiments? A run-in or two a week, and enough fantasies to make a Penthouse editor blush, hardly counted as friendship. Yet he knew far more about her than maybe anyone else in town.
Chase deposited two mugs on the coffee table in front of her, before joining them on the couch. It was a tight fit for all three of them on the sofa, but he snuggled in either way. His full side connected with hers, sending little tingles across her skin.
“Here you go, m’lady.” He shifted one mug closer to her, the color only a shade lighter than black, while his was a light almond color.
“Thank you.” She picked up her cup and blew across the top, appreciating the excuse to ignore the brimming smile across Chase’s face or the nonstop tingles running up her skin where it made contact with either brother.
“No coffee for you?” she asked Kyle as she sucked in a deep fortifying sniff. The familiar scent helped to settle some of her rattled nerves, though nowhere near enough for her to feel normal. As far as she was concerned, a good cup of coffee could solve all the world’s problems. Or most of them. But being sandwiched between the Mannings appeared to be beyond coffee’s magical powers.
He shook his head. “I can’t stand the stuff.”
A bubble of a laugh echoed up her chest. “A cop that doesn’t like coffee, I’ve never heard of such a thing.” It felt good to joke with him. It almost made her feel normal. Nothing about this night was normal in her book, but when he laughed she could almost believe it was.
He chuckled along with her. “It’s been a major career obstacle.”
“I can only imagine how it stopped you from rising to the top.” Since the Frostbite Falls police force entailed only two positions, sheriff and deputy, there wasn’t a long ladder to climb.
“Oh yeah. Though I do like donuts. So I have that.”
“Good.” She grinned back at him over the top of her coffee cup. “At least your job won’t be in that much jeopardy.”
“I think I’ll be okay.” He kicked his feet up on the coffee table. He looked so at ease, she was jealous of him. Lydia wasn’t sure she’d ever felt that comfortable in her own skin. Even in her own apartment, by herself, she rarely felt as at peace as Kyle looked now. She always worried there was something she should be doing, someone she should be helping. Sometimes she just worried for no good reason at all.
“Is there anything else you need, honey?” Chase grabbed his own mug, his eyes never leaving her as he took a swig of the light coffee. Her eyes dropped to his Adam’s apple, suddenly fascinated by the way it bobbed with each sip. “We have some chocolate cake in the fridge, or I could cook you a grill cheese.” She noticed those were her favorite foods. After everything Kyle said before, it didn’t sound like a coincidence.
She shook her head. “No, the coffee is more than enough.”
Chase nodded, but his shoulders slumped slightly, as if he looked forward to cooking for her. But that didn’t make any sense. What man liked to cook? Not any man she’d ever known.
“You don’t have to go to this much trouble. I’m putting you out enough just being here.” She coul
d almost hear her mother’s voice in her head. Be nice. Put others first. Don’t be a bother. She wasn’t obeying any of those rules today. The exact opposite in fact.
Kyle’s eyebrows scrunched, but she ignored it, taking a sip of her coffee. It was still hot, but the warmth coursing to her stomach felt good. The brew was comforting in its familiarity. Everything would be all right as long as she had a cup of coffee in her hand.
“We like having you here.” Chase’s words sounded so honest she tightened her fingers around her mug so hard her joints locked. When she glanced up, the smile on his face almost did her in.
“I don’t understand why you’re being so nice to me.” She looked into her coffee, unable to meet their gaze. She didn’t want to see what they thought of her after she’d talked to them so bluntly.
But she hadn’t been able to stunt the words. Their behavior set her off balance, and she didn’t like it. Lydia was used to being the nice one. The one who put everyone at ease. She didn’t know how to handle them treating her the same. “You don’t have to.”
“Why shouldn’t we be nice to you? You’re the one always making sure everyone else is comfortable and at home. Why shouldn’t someone want to do the same for you?”
Sure, she was prone to putting everyone around her at ease. She just felt more comfortable that way. And what was wrong with that? They were happy and she was happy. Everyone got what they wanted.
“I don’t need—” But before she could argue with them, Kyle interrupted.
“You may not need it, but you deserve it. Whether you want to believe it or not.”
No one had ever said anything like that to her. She had no idea how to respond. Their kindness and awareness made her shaky and uncomfortable, like she’d walked off the map and had no idea where she was anymore. “I don’t know what you want from me.”
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