Page 37 of Naughty by Nature

“You ought to go look at the driveway.”

She padded across the room, also stepping over the vicious guard dog, and let herself out the front door. When she saw the artwork, she laughed and shook her head. “The girl has such an imagination.”

Grace came running around the side of the house, Daisy tight on her heels. She skidded to a stop beside her mother and held out a little white pansy. “Here, Mom. I love you.”

“Love you too, baby!”

But Grace was already gone again, racing on around the house.

“Thank you for the artwork, Grace,” Sheridan called.

“You’re welcome!”

They laughed, and Cheyenne slipped the little flower behind her ear. “She’s super excited because it’s officially summer for her now. Mom’s summer school requirements are a drag.”

“Ah, yes. I understand now. There’s so much running and flower picking to do this summer.”

Cheyenne lifted a brow at him and nodded, serious-faced. “You know it.”

Then she sighed. “I do have a few things planned for their summer, but it’s hard to know what to do with Wade hanging around.”

“What did you have planned?”

“Well, Savannah is supposed to be leaving for a summer camp at Kemp Lake next week. And Carolyn has been invited to Aspen with a friend from school. I know the parents and trust them with her.”

Sheridan frowned, trying to think how a possessive asshole would think. “They’ll probably be fine, don’t you think? If anything they’ll be safer away.”

Cheyenne nodded. “Perhaps you’re right. I just hate to let them go right now.”

“Well, you’re their mother, so it’s completely up to you.”

She was quiet as she returned to the house and Sheridan could tell she was thinking. It was a good time to slip into his room and change.

Sheridan stripped down and took a moment to put his Glock into the gun safe. He’d gotten out of the habit since Olivia had gotten older, but there was no risking younger hands getting on his weapon. Then he stepped into the shower.

When you were on a fatal traffic scene, it tended to be messy. And even though he hadn’t physically touched any part of the victim, the air had been full of smoke and ash. The vehicle had been consumed when it hit a tree at the bottom of the bank, and had burned for a long time. By the time the fire department had put it out, the entire scene was destroyed. He was waiting on dental records from the coroner to positively identify the victim.

In the days to come, he hoped someone would call looking for their lost brother or cousin, whoever the man had been to someone. And then they could narrow their investigation and try to figure out what happened. Loose ends in any case bugged him.

Maybe that was why he was feeling tense. Wade was running around free, and Cheyenne was walking around like she was waiting for the hangman’s noose to slip around her neck.

Maybe they needed to spur things on.

He wondered what Wade would do if it became known that Cheyenne was with someone. They were heading into the weekend. Maybe Sheridan would take Cheyenne on a date.

The thought of even asking her was thrilling, but it also made him feel guilty. Asking her on a date would serve to stir Wade up, but it also sent a bolt of excitement through Sheridan. He hadn’t been on a date in a long time, and definitely not with a woman as beautiful and kind as Cheyenne Lowell.

He doubted she would even agree to the ruse.

Sheridan slipped on shorts and a t-shirt, planning on mowing the grass after he ate. When he returned downstairs, Cheyenne had set a plate of lasagna and salad at the island, along with a tall glass of iced tea. Until he saw it, Sheridan didn’t realize how thirsty he was. He tipped the glass back and drank the thing down.

Before he could even set the glass down, Cheyenne was there with the pitcher to refill.

“I think Wade was a colossal idiot for ruining what he had with you.”

Cheyenne smiled. “Yes, he was,” she agreed.

The food was amazing, as always, and he made sure to tell her that as she puttered around the kitchen. When the girls tromped into the kitchen in their bathing suits, she cautioned them to be safe.

“You can go with them,” he told her.

Blinking, she shook her head. “Nah. I’ll just watch for now.”

Sheridan cleaned up his mess when he was done eating and put the plate and utensils in the dishwasher, then he wiped down where he had eaten. It was the least he could do for the amazing meal she’d just fed him. Slapping a ball cap on his head, he headed for the garage and his lawn mower.

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