Page 19 of No Good Deed

Troy stood and held his hand out to her. She hesitated for a second before she placed hers in it, and he helped her up. He really should find reasons to stop touching her, but he liked the zip he got every time they were skin to skin.

And he really needed to stop thinking about being skin to skin.

Oreo stood at the door, wagging his tail and staring expectantly at the doorknob. Someone had trained this guy well. Troy wouldn’t be surprised if Kimi found his owner soon. And he wondered how Piper would feel about that.

Neither Jim nor Carl was around, and Troy checked the time. Almost nine. Definitely better to let Piper have the rest of the evening to herself and start again fresh in the morning.

Piper leashed up Oreo, opened the door, and followed him onto the back porch and down the stairs. Thick snow was falling, and Troy looked around for any new prints. Nothing. Hopefully, they’d scared the guy away permanently.

After Oreo finished up his business, he loped to where the snow from the back walkway had been piled into a bank. Tail wiggling so hard his entire back half shook, he jumped headfirst into the snow and buried his head.

Piper laughed, and Troy wanted to give the dog an extra treat for helping her relax. Oreo, still wiggling, lifted his head, spotted another pile, and repeated the procedure.

Piper smiled at the dog. “Do you think it’s okay that he does that?”

“Looks like he’s having a blast to me. Check out that tail.”

She grinned when the dog moved from snow pile to snow pile, sticking in his head and shaking with delight.

By the time he flopped to his back and lay panting with his feet up in the air, they were both laughing. Piper leaned down and scratched his belly. “Are you done playing now? Want to go inside?”

The dog popped to his feet and trotted to the stairs.

Troy forced his feet to remain on the ground as the pair moved up to the porch. “Make sure you lock up once you’re inside.”

Piper turned. “I will. Thanks for all of your help today.”

He nodded. “No problem. You have my number. Call me if you need anything. Anything at all.”

He was pretty sure her cheeks flushed in the dim porch light. He tried hard to ignore that. “I’ll see you in the morning. What time should I pick you up? Nine?”

She smiled at him. “Sounds good. I’m looking forward to it. Good night, Troy.”

Troy waited until he heard the deadbolt slide home, then he looked around the yard again. The snow showed no one had approached the driveway or the B&B, so he continued to his vehicle. He drove around the town for a few minutes, looking to see if he could spot a hooded figure skulking anywhere. Or any suspicious activity. Vehicles he didn’t recognize.

The town didn’t boast any motels. The only place to stay was the B&B. If someone had followed Piper, where were they? Had they holed up in a nearby town? Had they broken into an empty building?

Troy didn’t find anyone or anything suspicious, so he finally headed home to his little house. After the warmth of the B&B and Piper’s company, his bungalow looked dark and lonely.

With a sigh, he picked up the shovel. He wasn’t going to sleep any time soon, so he might as well clear the driveway.

* * *

Piper closed the door to her room in the B&B and locked the deadbolt, glad of the extra security it provided. She’d tried to contain her nerves while with the others, but they were frayed. She was on the second floor, so she checked to ensure the windows were locked and closed the curtains.

Was there a chance that the bad luck she’d experienced was more than that? When she’d discussed it with the local police, they’d assumed there was no connection. Going through it again with Troy and the deputy had her wondering, especially with a tracker on her car. Didn’t that stuff only happen in movies?

She wanted to dismiss it all as coincidence. She didn’t have a single thing worth stealing.

Despite what Troy had said, she was a disaster. After her stay in the B&B, she would be homeless and jobless. Her severance package from her last job would tide her over for a while, but she needed a new job and a home.

In a place like this?

So far, everything about Phail appealed to her. And it wasn’t simply because her body lit up every time she saw Troy. Everyone she’d met had been welcoming and wonderful. Piper really wanted to help them.

She looked at Oreo, who was exploring the room. “And to help them, I need to know more. Time for some research.”

Instead of using the pretty desk in the corner, Piper changed into an old t-shirt and sleep shorts then climbed onto the massive bed. Oreo sat on the floor at her feet and pouted. Laughing, she scooped him up and set him on the cover. “Don’t blame me if you topple off the side.”

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