Page 23 of Midnight & Mavericks

There was a beat of silence on the line, the kind of pause that was heavy with unspoken words. Beau could picture her, biting her lip as she decided whether to push the conversation further or retreat.

“Somehow, Detective, I don’t doubt that one bit,” Abbie murmured, and Beau could swear he heard the faintest hint of a smile in her voice. Then her tone shifted, a bit more serious, as if she was trying to remind herself of why she was even entertaining this conversation. “I’m warning you now, Elliott, you’d better wrap this case up soon. I’ve got a job waiting for me back in Manhattan, and I can’t stay here forever.”

Her words hit him harder than they should have. The thought of her leaving, of her walking away from this town—and from him—left a strange heaviness in his chest. But instead of showing it, he leaned into his usual sarcasm.

“Funny you should mention that,” he said, his tone casual. “I’ve got a job waiting for me too.”

“What?” Abbie asked, her surprise clear through the phone. “What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t exactly come here planning to stick around,” Beau admitted, keeping his voice light even as the truth weighed on him. “This was an outpost for outcasts and now that I’ve been called back to the fold, as soon as it’s solved, I’m gone.”

There was silence on the other end of the line, and for a moment, Beau wondered if she’d hung up. But then she spoke,her voice softer now, almost hesitant. “So, this is just temporary for you?”

“Yep,” he replied, forcing a grin she couldn’t see. “Just passing through, Carter. Which means I’ve got just as much reason to wrap this case up as you do.”

“Good,” she said after a pause, though there was something in her tone he couldn’t quite place. “Then we’re on the same page.”

“Glad to hear it,” Beau said, his voice dipping lower, softer.

“I’ll see you tomorrow then,” Abbie said finally, her tone clipped as though she was trying to regain control of the conversation—and herself.

“Goodnight, sweetheart,” Beau replied, letting the endearment linger. When Abbie didn’t take the bait, he ended the call.

He stared at the phone for a moment, the grin fading from his lips. She’d leave when this was all over. So would he. That should’ve made everything simpler. But as he set the phone down in the seat beside him, the truth gnawed at him—nothing about Abbie Carter was simple.

He pulled into his driveway, ready to put the day behind him.

After a quick shower, Beau was just wrapping a towel low around his hips when his phone buzzed on the counter. Seeing Abbie’s name on the screen, he frowned and answered. “You okay?”

“I just got another call from Teddy,” she said, her voice tight. “He wants to meet with me again tomorrow at the ranch. He claims he’s willing to up his offer, but only if Grampa signs the contract tomorrow.”

Beau straightened, his cop instincts kicking in. “And he just decided to share that with you now? What else did he say?”

“I’ll tell you everything,” she said. “Open your door.”

“What?” Beau turned toward his front door, the phone still pressed to his ear. A soft knock echoed through the quiet apartment.

Beau opened the door, his phone pressed to his ear and a towel slung low around his hips. He hadn’t been expecting company, especially not at this hour, and certainly not the woman currently standing on his porch. Abbie Carter. Her green eyes locked on him, and for a moment, neither of them spoke.

Her gaze flickered—quick and almost imperceptible—but he caught it. A glance that started at his bare chest, lingered just a second too long, then darted back to his face. Beau lowered the phone from his ear, ending the call without a word. He leaned casually against the doorframe, his free hand bracing the wood above him, and raised an eyebrow.

“Well, Counselor,” he drawled, the corner of his mouth twitching upward. “What can I do for you tonight?”

Abbie stood frozen, one hand gripping her phone so tightly her knuckles were white. Her lips parted slightly as though she’d come here with something important to say but had forgotten all of it the moment he opened the door.

“I was wondering if the offer to handcuff someone was still open.”

Chapter Fourteen

Abbie stood in Beau’s open door, her heart pounding against her ribcage like it was trying to escape. The cool night air bit at her skin, but the heat coursing through her veins was all-consuming. She clenched her phone, trying to summon the resolve she’d been relying on since she first laid eyes on him.

She told herself she was here for practical reasons. Teddy. The ranch. The case. All the messy, tangled things she and Beau were trying to sort out. But a small voice in the back of her head whispered the truth.

This wasn’t about the ranch or Teddy or any of the chaos that had brought her back to Jessup Peak. This was about Beau Elliott—the infuriating, maddening, undeniably sexy man who had somehow slipped past her defenses and lodged himself in a place she couldn’t ignore.

Beau stood in the doorway, his hair damp and tousled, droplets of water trailing down his chest. A white towel hung dangerously low around his hips, leaving very little to the imagination. For a moment, all she could do was stare.

“Abbie,” he said, his voice low and rough, as if he hadn’t expected her. “Didn’t think I’d see you again tonight.”

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