Page 8 of Break My Fall

Mo approved.

He didn’t need Mo’s approval. Especially not when it came to Meredith.

Meredith shoved Mo’s arm. “I’m right here, you moron.”

“Yes. I see that. In the middle of nowhere out of diesel.”

“I had a full tank!”

“It doesn’t matter if it leaks out all over the road!”

Meredith turned to Gray. “We need to call Mrs. Frost. She has animals. If it leaked out at her house—”

“I’ll go see her.” Mo’s voice was reassuring.

She gave him a hug. “You’re the best big brother. I don’t care what I said earlier.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Mo made eye contact with Gray, and Gray gave him a quick nod of appreciation.

Gray would have loved to go to Mrs. Frost’s home and investigate the scene, but he couldn’t. It was out of his jurisdiction. Mo had no such limitations. He could do a favor for his baby sister, and Mrs. Frost would flirt and ply him with cookies and hot cocoa. She might even tell him things she hadn’t thought to mention to Meredith.

Mo Quinn was an interesting guy. Quiet in a crowd. Funny and sarcastic with the people he was close to. A favorite of all thelittle Quinns, and goodness knew there were a lot of them, and the first one to volunteer to hang out with his aunt Minnie when his granny needed someone to look after her.

He also had a mind that understood patterns and loved spreadsheets. He’d been something secret with Army intelligence, and no one knew for sure why he’d left when he did. He claimed it was because his mama had cancer and he decided it was time to move home.

Gray figured that was about 30 percent of the story. The remaining 70 percent had yet to be told.

Regardless, Mo wasn’t a man to be trifled with. He could handle himself and whatever came at him.

“Meredith, who do you want to work on your van? Do you want to take it to a mechanic?”

Her eyes widened in horror. “Are you kidding? Daddy would strangle me. I’m driving Flossy straight to my parents’ house.”

“I refuse to call your van Flossy.”

Meredith patted her van. “Why not? It’s the perfect name. The kids love it. Flossy, the mobile dentist van.”

Donovan stood nearby with the gas can at the ready. “I still say you should get a vanity plate.”

“I tried.” Meredith’s expression was so disgruntled that Gray had a sudden and intense urge to call the DMV and insist they provide her with whatever she wanted. What was wrong with him?

It was time for him to get away from Meredith. He did fine as long as he kept his distance, and today had topped him off for at least a week. Gray clapped his hands together. “Okay. Let’s get out of here. Donovan, fill her up. Mo, if you’ll pay Mrs. Frost a quick visit?”

Donovan and Mo nodded.

“Meredith, Donovan will take the lead. I’ll follow. We’ll staywith you all the way to your parents’ house. And if you need a ride back to your office, one of us will take you.”

Meredith flashed him her trademark smile and dropped into a sugary-sweet Southern drawl. “Why, officers, I just don’t know how to thank you for coming to my aid.” She fluttered her eyelashes to dramatic effect.

Donovan bowed dramatically. “It was our pleasure, ma’am.”

“You’re just sucking up so I’ll make that obnoxious flower arrangement you asked for.”

Donovan shrugged. “I’ll do whatever I have to do.”

“I’mnotmaking it. It’s a crime against nature.”

Donovan poured diesel into the tank. “Meredith, you make flower arrangements out of wood. I’m not saying they’re a crime, but they aren’t exactly following the nature of things.”

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