Page 38 of Murder at Rescue Ridge

“You wouldn’t be conflicted about who you are if you thought it meant getting a degree and stepping into Harrison’s footsteps,” he said.

No one had really seen her before Conrad. Not her father. Not her stepfather. Certainly not her mother. Not one of them had discouraged her from going to law school and opening a lucrative defense practice.

The fact Conrad knew her better than those closest to her was both surprising and confusing because the connection felt a whole lot like they might be soulmates.

And she believed in those about as much as she believed in the Tooth Fairy.

Could spending time with Conrad change her mind? Was it worth it to stick around and find out when he could end up in prison?

Logic argued against it while her heart disagreed.

Nikki was nothing if not logical.

13

“What’s going on in that beautiful head of yours?” Conrad asked Nikki. Based on her expression, she was deep in thought.

“Keep talking like that, and I’ll be forced to kiss you again,” she quipped with more than a hint of a twinkle in her eye.

“For the record, I kissed you,” he corrected. “And if you keep looking at me like that, I’ll be the one who is forced to do it again.”

Nikki laughed, and then her gaze unfocused like she was absorbed in thought again. A few seconds later, she said, “Do you notice how little anyone laughs anymore?”

The change in subject was welcomed, though it caught him off guard. He had to think about the shift for a second before responding. “I do.”

“Why is that?” she asked as he motioned for her to sit down at the table so he could doctor the cuts on her feet.

“Life, I guess,” he said. “It doesn’t get any easier as we become adults.”

“I used to think being older was the holy grail,” she said as she took a seat. He brought over the medical supplies and took a knee in front of her. “You know, you get to make your own decisions.”

“No one tells you what to do or when to do it,” he added.

“Exactly,” she said. “I couldn’t have been more wrong. Being an adult means more pressure.”

“You’re a law student,” he said. “Surely you didn’t think it would be a joyride.”

Nikki rolled her eyes. It made him smile.

“Obviously not,” she said. “All I’m saying is that it didn’t turn out to be like I believed it would.”

He studied her as he dabbed antibiotic ointment on her cuts. Holding her clean foot in his hand shouldn’t be erotic, either. Yet here he was thinking about what he’d like to do to her and with her.Shake it off.The Taylor Swift song lyrics popping into his head made him laugh.

“What?” Nikki asked.

“Nothing,” he said. No way was he admitting what was really going on inside his thoughts. “Go on. You were saying something about childhood being happier.”

“Itshouldhave been,” she corrected. “Mine certainly wasn’t.”

“Agreed,” he said. “You had to have had a crappy childhood for it not to be better than adulthood. All that innocence and wonder usually works out for people in normal families.”

“I know,” she said with a sigh that made him want to find a way to bring a smile to those gorgeous lips of hers.

Great job, dude. You’re really keeping the attraction thing at bay.

Once again, he had to stop himself. It was a little too easy to fall into the attraction trap with Nikki. Her good traits added up to someone special. No doubt about it. But he had nothing to give in exchange except disappointment and heartbreak. His adult life wasn’t exactly turning out as planned, either. He hadn’t intended to have a criminal record. Yet, he would do the same thing all over again if put in a similar position. He’d done the right thing, which was the reason he slept well at night. A clear conscience made for a soft pillow.

“I’ve seen the evidence of happy families,” she continued. “I have friends who are happy as larks in their families. They look forward to parent weekend at school.”

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