Page 27 of Claimed by the Lawman

Chapter 8

A FIRETRUCK WAS pulling away from Tyler’s when Kace pulled onto the street. His heart about beat out of his chest when he received the call from Deputy Payne about the fire.

Rolling down his window, Kace stopped next to the fire chief who was climbing into the rescue truck. “What the hell happened here, Meyer?”

Chief Trent Meyer was in his mid-fifties, probably no taller than five eight with a smooth baby-face, but Kace knew the man was tough and had been a hero in Bohannan. “Looks like we have a case of arson. Shed is nothing but ashes now. We found an empty gas can near the scene so it’s pretty obvious what the cause of the fire was. Your deputy is still inside the house with the owner.”

“Was Ms. Posey home?” Kace had to push the words out.

“Yeah. She called 9-1-1. She’s a little scuffed up, but she’ll be okay.”

Scuffed up? How the hell did she get scuffed up?

Racing from his truck, Kace made it to the door in a fast stride, his stomach burning. He should have been here. Instead, he was making a last-ditch effort to release his tension. Why was he kidding himself? It was time he was honest. His last-ditch effort was to prove to himself that if he could possibly have sex with Sadie Mae, then he didn’t still love Tyler. He guessed now he had his answer.

~~**~~

Tyler had answered Jake’s questions, still in shock that someone had set the shed on fire. She looked up and he was looking at her with a sweet sincerity that made her relax some. Although she didn’t know him, he seemed nice and had kind eyes. And he seemed to care about doing his job. He closed his small notebook and slid it into his front pocket.

“Your insurance will take care of all the damages, Tyler.””

“Okay. I’ll have to call my father.” She choked back emotion that was quickly turning into anger. How could someone do this? And why?

“You might want to take care of that as soon as possible,” he said. “I might even suggest calling a security company. It never hurts to install cameras. New locks. Alarm panel.”

“Do things like this happen a lot in Bohannan? Mysterious fires? Vandalism? I don’t remember it being like this when I lived here before.”

“On occasion we see some criminal activity.”

“Who would do this, Jake? If only I had gotten my hands on them.” She clenched her hands into fists. “Sorry, just that…”

“Hey, no apology needed. I know this was scary.”

And the tears that she’d held back blurred her vision again. She wanted to be stronger than this. He must have sensed her weakness because before she knew what was happening, he wrapped a strong arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a hug. Although he was a stranger, and his touch was a bit awkward, she did appreciate his kindness and consideration. He smelled good and he didn’t squeeze too tightly.

With the intrusion of a clearing of a throat somewhere in the room, she and Jake parted and both looked to see Kace standing in the doorway. He filled the frame with his large body and his hard jaw couldn’t go unnoticed. Seconds felt like hours as each of them stared, no one saying anything, and Tyler’s emotions trickled like creek water over rocks. More tears streamed from her eyes and she cursed herself for allowing her emotions to show, especially in front of Kace. He seemed to trigger something in her that she couldn’t control.

She realized things could have been worse. It could have been the house that caught on fire. The thought didn’t ease her tension, not when someone had set the fire on purpose.

Kace took several steps into the room, his gaze narrowed and his eyes were meditative.

He looked at Jake first, tipping his hat, but his jaw didn’t soften. “Can I talk to you a minute, Deputy?”

Tyler watched the two men step to the side, but her eyes stayed steady on Kace who had his back to her. She couldn’t hear what they were saying, but when they were finished, Jake gave her a quick nod. “I’m heading back to the office. I’ll see you soon, Tyler.”

“Sure. Thank you, Jake,” she responded.

When the younger man didn’t make a move, Kace cleared his throat. “That’ll be all, Deputy. I’ll see you back at the office.”

Jake gave her one of his friendliest smiles and then took his leave.

She swore she heard Kace’s neck crack, but he wore his emotions behind a mask now. “Tyler, what happened here?” He skimmed his pale gaze up and down her.

“I came home, smelled smoke and looked outside to see the shed was on fire. I-I tried to put it out, but—”

“You tried to put it out?” He gave her a long, agitated look.

“I found the extinguisher in the cabinet.”

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