Page 17 of Midnight & Mavericks

Beau nodded, stepping back slightly to put some distance between them. “Why don’t you start by showing me where you last saw him?”

The blonde beamed. “Of course! My truck’s just outside.”

She turned and sashayed toward the door, her hips swaying with exaggerated purpose. Beau glanced at Abbie, who was glaring after the woman like she wanted to set her on fire with her mind.

“I’ll be right back,” Beau said to Abbie, his tone light but tinged with amusement.

“Take your time,” Abbie replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “I’m sure the goat is priority number one.”

Beau smirked, tipping an imaginary hat at her before following the blonde out the door. He couldn’t help but chuckle under his breath as he heard Abbie mutter something about ridiculous men and their inability to focus.

Ten minutes later, Beau returned, brushing a few stray strands of hay off his shirt. Ernie had been found a few blocks away, munching contentedly on someone’s garden. The blonde had been overjoyed, smothering the goat in kisses before driving off with a lingering wave in Beau’s direction.

He stepped back into the office, shutting the door behind him and glancing at Abbie, who was now perched on the edge of his desk, arms crossed and one foot tapping against the floor.

“Find your damsel’s goat?” she asked, her tone flat.

“Found him,” Beau replied, leaning against the doorframe. “No thanks to you, by the way.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” Abbie said, her voice saccharine and sarcastic all at once. “I didn’t realize you needed my help playing farmhand.”

Beau grinned, pushing off the doorframe and stepping closer. “You jealous, Carter?”

Abbie’s eyes widened, and for a split second, she looked genuinely flustered. Then she recovered, narrowing her eyes at him. “Of what? A goat?”

Beau chuckled, crossing his arms and leaning against the edge of his desk. “Not the goat.”

Abbie rolled her eyes again, but this time there was a faint hint of color in her cheeks. She pushed off the desk and took a step toward him, her chin tilted up in defiance.

“You’re ridiculous,” she said, her voice quieter now but no less firm.

“And you’re avoiding the question.”

Chapter Eleven

“I’m absolutely not,” Abbie said, her tone light but edged with something she couldn’t quite name. “Watching you play farmhand was the highlight of my day.”

Beau’s lips twitched that infuriating smirk of his making a reappearance. “Jealous, Carter?”

“Of a goat?” she shot back, lifting her chin. “Hardly.”

“Not the goat,” Beau said, his voice dropping just enough to send a shiver down her.

Abbie’s heart skipped a beat, but she refused to let him see it. Instead, she rolled her eyes again, though the color in her cheeks betrayed her. “Please. As if I’d waste my energy on that.”

“Whatever you say,” Beau replied, his tone teasing but his gaze sharp as if he were seeing right through her. How was he able to do that, she wondered, when no one else could?

They stared at each other for a long moment. Abbie hated how easily he could frazzle her concentration, how he could rile her up with just a look. She hated it even more that a small part of her liked it.

Finally, she broke the silence. “So, is goat rescue part of your usual duties, or is this just your way of keeping things interesting?”

Beau chuckled, shaking his head. “You’d be surprised how often animals cause trouble in small towns like this. Keeps us on our toes, I’m told.”

Abbie arched an eyebrow. “Well, I’m glad to know the town’s finest are on the case.”

“Glad to know you’re so supportive of the work we do,” Beau said, his tone dry.

“Oh, I’m supportive,” Abbie said, her voice taking on a saccharine sweetness. “I just think maybe you should prioritize actual investigations over livestock retrieval.”

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