Page 31 of Wanted by the Lawman

Zander pointed at the hand Wynn had bandaged. “Better have that looked at by a doc. Looked pretty painful.”

“Not after Wynn’s touch. I’m all better.” He wagged his brows.

Fucking bastard. Damn. Zander needed to step out and dump snow over his head. He had never been a jealous man and suddenly his skin was green like the Hulk.

“Thank you again, Jeff. Now that I have a phone I can call you if I need to,” Wynn said.

Grr. Zander almost swallowed his tongue. Wynn smiled at the man and an icy pain ripped through Zander. He didn’t own her smiles, but he certainly had wanted to think that this one certain grin was only his. He was losing his mind.

Damn, he was jealous. Rudy was right. Zander was a goner.

Once the deputy made his exit, Zander stood against the sink and crossed his arms, narrowing his gaze on Wynn. “He seemed very helpful.”

“Yes, he was. He also gave me a phone he had just sitting around, then took me to the store and I was able to get service.” Her eyes lit up. “People around here are so helpful.”

“A knight in shining armor right here in Crooked Creek.”

She blinked. “What?”

“Oh, nothing.” He set his glass in the sink.

“Don’t tell me nothing when I can see there’s something.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted a hip. “Are you angry that I went over and got Susie-Q? I thought we agreed that I’d help take care of her.”

At the mention of her name, the dog popped her head up for a lazy second then laid it back down.

“No. She needs more activity.”

“Okay then, what?”

“I’ve just had a rough day. That’s all.” And he needed to get his head on straight. He couldn’t tell her the truth, that he had been thinking about her, wanting to see her, and it had thrown him for a loop to walk in and find Deputy Lansing in the kitchen making himself valuable. Zander had offered to help Wynn, but his every attempt seemed blocked by her words, “I can help myself”.

“Jeff told me about the young girl found dead over on the farm. Do you or the Sheriff have any clue if it’s drug related or is it homicide?”

He stared at her for as long as he could without coming off as an idiot. She looked radiant with her eyes shining, her cheeks flushed, and the yellow blouse hugged the curves of her upper body. He placed his hat next to the sink. “There are signs of foul play, but we won’t know anything until the preliminary testing comes back from the medical examiner.”

“’Do things like this happen often here in Crooked Creek?” she said in a lowered voice as she grabbed up the bandage wrapper and tossed it into the trash.

“No, not often, although the drug epidemic is getting bad all over the place,” he mumbled.

“For a man of the law, I’d figure you’d keep your door locked. I opened the door, called out Susie-Q, and I could have easily robbed you blind.”

He shrugged. “You wouldn’t find much. Because I am a lawman, I don’t keep anything of value at the house.” He skimmed his gaze over her hair. “You’re covered in paint.”

“I guess I probably am.” She plucked at her hair.

“There’s a lot of work that needs done on this place.”

“Yes, it’s a big project and without the funds, it’s not easy. How about more tea? I’d offer you something stronger, but I’m a little bare right now.” The corners of her mouth lifted. She still had the dark circles under her eyes but considering how emotional she was the last time he saw her, she looked a lot calmer. Her voice was back to the melodic tone that made him think of a soft tune.

He watched her open the refrigerator and bend over to look in. Although he shouldn’t have, he couldn’t resist admiring how rounded her bottom looked in the faded jeans. His mouth watered and the temperature rose by ten degrees.

“I have water too. And that’s about it.”

“I’ll take more tea.” Bells and whistles went off inside his head, warning him to say farewell and get away, but he couldn’t seem to form the words. He liked being here. Liked catching up. Really enjoyed watching her move about the kitchen as if she was starting to own the place, or rather making her mark. The more she invested in the place, the more certain he was that she would stay.

As she poured more tea for him, she swept her tongue along the plump curve of her bottom lip like she had all her focus on filling the glass. When she handed it to him, their fingers brushed, and gazes met. The connection was strong, and he thought she just might lean in and allow him to kiss those beautiful lips, but she suddenly turned away and busied herself wiping down the already clean counter.

“Are you hungry?” she asked.

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