Page 31 of Cold Case Murder Mystery

The kiss was everything it had always been. That wild heat. That sweet comfort. Mixed up in one perfect package that had never made any sense to him. Because she felt like coming home, when he’d never had one of those in the first place. Never wanted one.

She wrapped her arms around his neck and it could have easily been four years ago. When they were together. When he’d been stupid enough to think he could control what was happening. When the idea of agirlfriendhad been kind of novel, with the potential to be exactly what he wanted.

And nothing he didn’t.

Remembering that lack of control she brought out in him had him easing back. He hadn’t meant to kiss her. He hadn’t meant to get angry. He hadn’tmeantany of this, and she was the only person in his whole life who’d ever mixed him up this way.

She blinked at him, arms still looped around his neck, eyes cloudy with desire and confusion andhell. There’d been no point to this, he supposed, but wasn’t about to say that.

“It’s the same,” he said, his voice rough but certain. Because he wouldn’t let her deny that like she did with the truth. No talk of burdens, because this had never been a burden.

It had been a wrecking ball.

“It’s damn well the same, and I’m tired of pretending like it’s not.”

With that, he turned and stalked away. Because he couldn’t just stand there and keep pretending, and that’s what she wanted. To pretend everything was fine, to pretend that kiss didn’t mean anything—thathedidn’t mean anything.

And, hell, he was used to that, wasn’t he?

Chapter Ten

Brooke stood in the front yard of Zeke’s house with Viola prancing around her for a long while, not sure what had just happened. Today. The past few days. Maybe her entire adult life.

Her body was still a riot of heat and want, and her mind whirled with confusion.

The same. Oh, boy, was it. Their chemistry hadn’t waned or changed. She wasn’t sure she’d really thought ithad, but the angry way he’d thrown it out there suggested thathehad. And he wasn’t too happy about it.

She almost laughed. Maybe it was wrong, but having a better handle on their situation than he did was somewhat comforting.Shecertainly hadn’t initiated any physical contact.He’dbeen the one to comfort her when she’d cried over Royal.He’dbeen the one to grab her and kiss her.

Brooke blew out a long breath. She couldn’t ruminate on a kiss when she had work to get to. When she had responsibilities, and her brother, and the threat he thought their father posed. She could not put those aside because she was still hung up on her ex, who just happened to be protecting her because of some strange turn of events.

So, she needed to get ready for work. But before she could, a Bent County Sheriff’s Department cruiser bumped down the gravel drive. She saw Thomas behind the wheel, so she walked over to greet him.

He didn’t get out of the car but rolled down his window. “I’m headed out to the Hudson Ranch to talk to Chloe Brink about the scrapbook you found, and I was wondering if you’d come with me. It’ll put us a little behind schedule on your excavation, but I think you could help here.”

“Oh.” The Hudson Ranch. She’d been there once. When Detective Delaney-Carson had informed the Hudson family that they’d positively identified last month’s discovered remains as the long-missing parents of the Hudson clan. Brooke had gone along at the detective’s request. Since the family was full of police officers and investigators, Laurel had assumed they’d have a lot of questions about the procedures that only the forensic anthropologist on the case could answer.

It had been... awful. Oh, the Hudsons had all handled the news calmly. They’d known it was coming. Still, watching so many people have to sort through their grief, no matter how anticipated, had been... painful. Usually, she was in the background of that part of what she did, not the front lines.

“There were some pictures in the scrapbook that I think areinthe cave, or near it,” Thomas explained. “I’d like your opinion on what we’re looking at there. We could arrange a meeting at the station, after your normal hours at the cave, but this is quicker.”

And quick was best. Particularly if her theory she hadn’t shared with anyone yet was correct. Brooke nodded. “Let me go grab my work bag.” She did so without running into Zeke, and that was best too. She doubted he wasunawareof a police cruiser on his property, so he’d know where she’d gone. Or at least who with.

When she had everything she wanted, she returned to the car and slid into the front seat. Thomas immediately drove back out to the highway.

“I did put some feelers out on your father this morning,” he offered. “Got some pretty straightforward answers. He’s still in jail. There’s no record of him getting out. He’s not exactly a model prisoner. Lots of fights, solitary confinement, that sort of thing. I wouldn’t anticipate him getting out anytime soon.”

It should have been a relief but only left her with a deeper discomfort. Why did Royal think otherwise? Why did it still seem a threat lingered? But that wasn’t Thomas’s problem, so she wasn’t about to lay it on him like it was.

“I really appreciate you looking into that for me,” she said.

“Anytime.” And he made it sound like nothing, which was kind of him. Like it didn’t matter her father was a former Sons member, in jail for too many things to mention.

Further down the road, he pulled under the big archway that would lead them to the main house where most of the Hudson siblings lived and worked—both the ranch and their cold case investigation group, Hudson Sibling Solutions.

During the long winding drive, anxiety settled into her gut like a heavy weight. Thomas stopped in front of the grand ranch house. Brooke hesitated getting out of the car.

“I get that it feels... uncomfortable,” Thomas said kindly. “I have to deliver a lot of bad news to people I know, people in my life. And so have the Hudsons. We all know how to divorce the messenger from the message.”

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