Page 47 of An Unexpected Home

Refusing to deny it, in part because it was true, he instead asked. “Why does Melanie seem to hate you all of a sudden?”

He took a slow drink of his beer. “I honestly have no idea.”

“I thought you guys were close?”

“So did I,” he said. “Ever since I got back last week she has been standoffish and angry.”

He pointed his beer at his brother. “Fix it because I don’t want your shit seeping into Leah’s life. Or mine.”

“This is the real deal then, you and Leah?”

“I want it to be,” he said quietly.

“Does she want it to be?”

“For now,” he said. In reality, he had no idea. She seemed game to make a real go at this. But her life, to put it mildly, was a mess. How would she feel when it all settled down?

“I’d say to take it slow,” Logan said, “but I can already tell you are in deep.”

“You say that like you don’t like her?”

“Just the opposite actually. She’s really cool and funny as hell. I can totally see why she is friends with Carly and Mel.”

“They are like The Three Amigos, aren’t they?” He watched them dance, all of them looking happy and carefree. “It’s almost like together they are stronger.”

“Yeah.” Logan turned to watch. “What’s happening with the guy who followed Leah here?”

“Nothing,” he said. “There is no sign of him anywhere.”

“Are you thinking he’s dangerous?”

He sighed and continued to watch Leah dance. “That’s just it, I have no idea. His history shows nothing that would make me think he was, but after talking to the cop in New York, I don’t know, man, something just seems off.”

“I’ve left the cameras up in town, just in case. But I haven’t seen anything in the pictures.”

He turned back, placing his empty bottle on the bar and signaling for another. “I hate having the girls alone in that big house with no neighbors within shouting distance.”

“I could have Tony come take a look. Maybe we can have him put a security system in at their house?”

That wasn’t a bad idea. Tony had done the system in his own house and it was state-of-the-art. But he knew Carly and Mel and he was starting to know Leah. “How do you propose we get them to go along with it?”

“Dude, I can’t do everything. Figure something out.”

Brandon would have to because having Leah safe, and also Carly and Melanie, was too important.

They left the bar after just another drink, dropping Logan at his house on the way back home.

That night, like the last, Brandon fell asleep with his arms wrapped tightly around Leah. He didn’t think life could get better.

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The week passed in a blur. Between Leah getting ready for the studio’s open house and him frantically searching for Will Huntington along with his regular police chief duties, there was barely time to breathe let alone have fun.

He had yet to broach the subject of getting a security system, but that had less to do with him being afraid to approach them, and more to do with hectic schedules.

At least that is what he’d told Logan when he’d asked.

The day of the open house came and all three girls were stressed to the max. Brandon had made sure that he wasn’t on duty so that he could be around to help with anything they needed. Plus, he’d added extra patrols, figuring that the town would be bustling with people.

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