Page 22 of Scorched

She puffed a breath through her nose and shook her head. “You sure it was your ribs they worked on and not your brain? If you need me to prove I’m suitable for you to date, I’m not.” She swiped up the coffee grounds and tossed them in the sink, then closed the coffee bag and shoved it back to its spot on the counter. “I’m going to go put on a pretty dress and heels, then take my prissy self to Peppy Brewster for a latte.” Glaring at him, she stormed out.

Declan watched her go, running a hand through his hair as she stomped out of the room in her thick wool socks. He knew he’d been an insensitive jerk, but the thoughts he’d been entertaining before she walked in left him feeling a little raw. The last few days with her around were nice. They reminded him of what it was like to be in a committed relationship. The desire to have her around even after she went home was strong.

She was worming beneath his defenses at an alarming rate, so he latched onto any reason he could to put her at arm’s length, which in this case was his last serious relationship. He met Lilah in Colorado Springs. Beautiful, smart, sexy, she’d captivated him, but she was also high-maintenance. In the end, they hadn’t been able to make it work, neither of them willing to give up their lifestyle and move for the other. The whole thing left a sour taste in his mouth.

But Maggie wasn’t anything like Lilah, other than her love of sky-high heels and pretty dresses. She was a rancher’s daughter, one who worked alongside her father growing up, and wasn’t afraid to get dirty. She was the total package, which was a good part of what he found so attractive about her. He didn’t want to be attracted to her. He didn’t want to be attracted to anyone. He liked his solitary life. Fewer possibilities of having his heart smashed to bits.

He groaned and covered his face, scrubbing his hands over the stubble dusting his jaw. He shouldn’t have taken his frustrations and fears out on her, but it just popped out. Now, he had some groveling to do to get back in her good graces. God, what a mess.

The sound of water running as the shower started upstairs drew his attention. Unbidden, thoughts of her naked and slick with suds floated into his head and stuck there. He growled and pushed out of his chair. Sexual frustration was just what he needed to add to his misery.

He flipped off the kitchen light as he left the room. It was slow-going as he ascended the stairs to his bedroom. He knew he needed to apologize and try to make amends, but there was no way he was going to do that with her fresh out of the shower. It could wait until she returned from court later. He was going to hide out like the coward he was until she left.

Ribs on fire, he reached his room and sank onto the bed, groaning as he shifted. He couldn’t wait until he no longer felt as weak as a kitten.

The shower cut, and Declan stayed put, hoping she would think he went back to sleep. Her anger at him was more likely to keep her away, though. Fifteen minutes later, he heard her heels click on the hallway floor, then down the stairs. When he heard the garage door rise, then close again, he got up and went back downstairs.

Maggie’s light floral scent lingered in the air. He couldn’t even get away from her when she wasn’t here. Frustrated, he wandered into his office. He still had a couple days before he was allowed back to work, but he didn’t care. He needed the distraction.

Declan sat down at the desk and logged into his computer, navigating to the fire department’s employee portal. He logged in and clicked on the tab for his email. Hundreds of messages greeted him. Sighing, he clicked on the oldest one and got started. Most of them were nothing important, but as he weeded through, he found several related to the fire. Katie had analyzed the trace evidence and discovered the accelerant used was gasoline. There was a higher concentration of it near the kitchen, and she found melted plastic from a gas can there. He also had a message from Seb. They’d made a positive ID on the victim. It was the ranch hand from the Broken Bow.

He picked up the phone on the desk and punched in the number for his sergeant, Keith Walters. The line rang twice before he picked up.

“Walters.”

“Hey, it’s Briggs.”

“Lou! How are you doing?”

“Getting better.”

“That’s good. Are you bored? Hell, you must be if you’re calling me.” He chuckled.

Declan felt a smile tug at one corner of his mouth. “Just a bit, yeah. Can you tell me anymore about the fire investigation? I just read the reports from the lab.”

Walters blew out a breath. “There isn’t much more to report. No one saw anything. The only trace was the accelerant and the gas can, which could have been bought anywhere. The sheriff’s department is working the victim angle, trying to find out if he had any enemies. That’s about all I know.”

His mouth pulled in a frown. “Damn. I was hoping there was a stronger lead on the arsonist. I don’t like this. That scene was organized.”

“I agree. I don’t think we’ve seen the last of this guy.”

Fire tones sounded before Declan could reply.

“I gotta go, Lou. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Stay safe.”

“Always.”

Declan hung up, perturbed. The lack of evidence bothered him. It meant this wasn’t the first fire the arsonist had set. But he couldn’t think of any other unsolved suspicious fires in the area. He made a mental note to have Seb check for similar fires in surrounding counties. Maybe they would get lucky.

He turned back to the computer to comb through his emails again, but the fire tones still clanged through his head. He wanted to be there! It was driving him nuts to sit around doing nothing. His eyes flicked to the door and back to the screen.

Screw it.

He pushed away from the desk and went in search of his truck keys. He couldn’t drive yet. Not because he wasn’t allowed, which he wasn’t, but because he couldn’t lift his arms high enough to turn the wheel. But he could sit in the truck and listen to the radio traffic.

Back in the living room, he grabbed his phone from beside the recliner, then headed to the kitchen. He snagged his keys off the hook by the door and stepped into the garage. The truck’s door locks clicked as he unlocked them with the remote. Opening the door, he hoisted himself into the driver’s seat and turned the key to the accessory position, then flipped on his fire radio. It only took him a moment to find the correct channel.

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