Page 10 of An Unexpected Home

The urge to cry came bubbling back up but she pushed it down. “How?”

“Something in your eyes and the anger in your voice when you said ‘dad’. A person who knew, that had any idea at all what was going on, couldn’t fake that emotion.”

She sat quietly, not sure what else she could say. She wanted this to be the last time that she ever told this story and not because she was sick to death of telling it but because of his response. The way he believed her before she even had a chance to say that she never knew was something she wanted to associate with this story always.

“I can get you those receipts now,” she said and stood.

“There’s no need.” He followed suit and stood too.

She understood what he was saying. He no longer thought of her as a suspect. “If it’s all the same to you, I’d rather you have them. Just in case.”

He visibly swallowed and nodded.

She went up to her room to grab the receipts and when she came back down she overheard Carly and Brandon talking.

“She’s the best person I know, Brandon. Thank you for believing her.”

“Where was I when she was here years ago?” Leah heard his deep voice ask.

“The first time you were at the academy and the second time we only ended up being here for a day before leaving. So you were probably working.”

She had been wondering the same thing since she’d met him last night. It was obvious that he and Carly were close but in all the years she had known Carly she did not remember her friend mentioning him. Deciding she should stop eavesdropping she took the last step and turned toward the kitchen.

“These are all of them.” She held them out for Brandon.

When he went to take them from her, their fingers touched and Leah could have sworn that a bolt of electricity went through her body. She tried to remain calm and not let it show on the outside but then she made the mistake of looking up and into Brandon’s eyes. They had gone dark, almost black with what felt to her like desire.

She pulled her hand back quickly, not sure if she was ready to have the hots for anyone let alone a cop.

“I better get back to my dinner before it burns,” she said and walked around him.

“I guess I’ll see you guys later,” he said.

“Brandon,” Carly said. “Why don’t you stay for dinner? I’m sure Leah is making plenty.”

Leah stood frozen in place waiting for his answer. Her back was facing him but somehow she could feel his eyes on her.

“Thanks for the offer but it’s been a long day and I already have plans for a hot shower and a cold beer.”

At his use of the phrase ‘hot shower’ she couldn’t stop her mind from conjuring up images of him naked and dripping wet. Since she’d already seen his chest last night, she knew at least that part of the image was a true projection of what he would look like.

And if her imagination was even halfway accurate on his bottom half, women all over the world would be swooning.

She heard, rather than saw, him walk away since she refused to turn around for fear that there would be drool on her chin.

“Are you okay?” Carly asked. “I know you didn’t want anyone in town to know but Brandon isn’t going to tell anyone.”

She turned to her friend. “I knew deep down that it was going to be inevitable to keep it a secret. I’m just glad I’m no longer a suspect in the break-in.”

“I don’t think you ever really were, to tell you the truth. I think he just had to follow up on a lead.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty much what he said.” She turned her attention back to the counter so she could chop peppers for her fajita casserole. “How come I never knew you had a hot male cousin?”

As soon as the words left her mouth she realized her mistake.

“Oh so you think he’s hot, do you?”

She put the knife down so she didn’t accidentally cut herself. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

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