Page 24 of Sadie's Guarded Harbor

“I assure you, sir, it was just part of our investigation. Routine questioning.” She shifted her gaze toward Tommy’s building. Where was he? It shouldn’t take this long to grab a damn bag and get his ass back outside.

“Do you think I’m an idiot?” He pressed his face closer, the blue eyes just like his baby girl’s full of venom. “You showed up at my house when you knew I wouldn’t be there. Why? What does my wife know? What does she have in this?”

Her gut churned, but she swallowed the anxiety dancing up her esophagus. She’d dealt with bigger pricks than this in her life. No way she’d let him intimidate her. “I suggest you back away and calm down. I’d be more than happy to speak with you about the matter of Shawn Downs, but not like this. Not with you breathing down my neck demanding answers for some perceived slight. Now. Back off.”

He sneered. “Or what?”

She clasped her hand on her weapon and pushed at the door. She’d had enough of his bullshit.

“Parson! What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Tommy strode over, authority ringing loud in his stern voice.

Mitch took one step back and raised his palms. “Just asking the lady some questions.”

“She’s not just a lady, she’s a deputy and my partner. Go home or back to work…wherever you need to be right now. We’ll schedule an interview later.”

Mitch grinned, the anger and hostility sliding off him. “No problem.” He retreated to his car with his hands in his pockets, whistling the whole way.

Tommy jumped in beside her. “You good?”

She blew out a long breath. “Yeah. Man, that guy’s an ass.” She might not have understood why a pretty woman with two small children would risk it all by stepping outside her marriage with a man like Shawn, but she did now. Mitch Parson didn’t respect women—his wife or the ones who served the law—but how far would he go to hurt a man who was part of his wife’s betrayal?

An image of Shawn’s body floated into her mind. Yeah, Mitch was angry enough to hunt down a man and make sure his victim knew exactly who killed him. Only one question remained. Did Mitch know Shawn was sleeping with his wife?

10

Coffee dripped into the now-full pot, the liquid slowing as it finished brewing. Tommy filled two mugs and brought them to the kitchen table. Anger still vibrated his bones after their encounter with Mitch Parson. He needed a second to calm himself before jumping back into action.

“It’s so beautiful here.” Sadie hooked her fingers around the handle of the mug and slid it closer. She sat with her chin propped in her hand and gaze fixed out the floor to ceiling windows in the adjacent great room.

He took the chair across from her and shifted to enjoy the view. His dad’s cabin was tucked into a dense patch of woods. Trees glistened with snow and light flurries fluttered to the forest floor beyond the glass, the mountains visible beyond. He faced her with a grin. “You sound surprised.”

She lifted the steaming mug to her mouth, but he’d caught the amused smirk before she took a long sip. “Your dad found a slice of heaven. And with the Christmas tree in the corner and the snow falling outside—it’s like a scene from one of those old-time movies. I can only imagine the room with a roaring fireand the lights twinkling from the branches of the tree.” With her hands still wrapped around the mug, she set it back on the table.

Tommy couldn’t keep his eyes off her. As she talked, the tension melted away from her face. Her full lips curved into a small smile. Her hair was still pulled back into the ponytail she preferred, but a softness he couldn’t look away from settled over her features.

She blinked, landing her focus on him, and a light blush pinked her freckled cheeks. Without her usual tough-as-nails attitude wrapped around her, it was easy to see the person she was when she let her guard down. Gentle, nice, and pretty as hell.

“Sorry. We’re not here to talk about your dad’s cabin or Christmas trees.” She traced the pad of her finger over the white rim of the mug.

“We’re here to decompress after the incident outside my apartment with Mitch. I can’t think straight when I’m upset. No better way to take a breather than sitting and talking about simple things for a minute.”

The tense lines of her face hardened again. Dammit. He wanted her soft and easy to talk to. Maybe if he kept her mind off work for just a little while longer. “Where did you live before you came to Water’s Edge?”

“Where didn’t I live?” she asked with a soft chuckle, her expression growing sad. “My mom had a bad habit of falling for very bad men. She’d fall in love, we’d move, then head to a shelter as soon as things blew up in our faces—which they always did. That’s why I’m so passionate about helping at the shelter.”

He leaned back against the hard chair. Her upbringing didn’t just explain her constant presence at Safe Haven Women’s Shelter, but also why she kept her walls up so damn high. She’d been hurt—a lot—and wanted to protect herself and herdaughter. “I’m sorry about that, but I know how much you and Amelia mean to Mrs. Collins.”

She grinned. “She’s the best. And thanks for your sympathies, but my past made me who I am today. Honestly, it’s what pushed me into joining the Army as soon as I turned eighteen. And if I’d never done that, I wouldn’t have Amelia.”

“I didn’t know you were in the service. Thank you for that.”

Lifting a shoulder, she connected their gazes. “There’s a lot most people around here don’t know about me.”

He cringed. Sure, her tough exterior made it difficult to get close to her—or even want to spend any time with her outside of work. But he should have tried harder. Water’s Edge was a small town full of people who chose to stay and live in the same place they grew up. Hell, where their parents grew up. As an outsider, making friends and fitting in couldn’t be easy. “I’d like to change that.”

She took another sip of coffee. “Why? We weren’t friends before this. There’s no need to be after.”

The hint of hurt in her voice squeezed his insides. Ignoring her comments, he pressed on. “Does your mom live close by? What about siblings?”

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