Page 30 of Dairy and Deadly

“I’m not a charity case!” The look she gave him would’ve easily peeled the new paint off his farmhouse.

“Never said you were.” He thumbed a wad of twenty-dollar bills and dropped them into her lap.

“What are you? A walking bank?” she spluttered. However, she didn’t hesitate to stuff the money into the pocket of her running pants.

“I don’t normally have this much cash on me.” He jutted his chin at her. “Lucky for you, I paid a visit to the ATM today.”

“You’re right. I’m very fortunate. I don’t know why I’m being so cranky about it. Thanks.” Her voice grew muffled as she took another bite of the sandwich. “Thanks for everything.”

To his amazement, she saved the last bite for Can Opener. The enormous cat chewed with his mouth open and yawned in her face afterward.

Johnny curled his lip at the creature. “Boy, you really have a way with the ladies!”

Can Opener flicked his tail, purring as loudly as an incoming train. Then he dropped his head in Ashley’s lap. She tore the lid off the fruit salad next and dove in.

For no particular reason, Johnny’s gaze dropped to her toes which were painted the same color as her sweatshirt. Not all the way blue or all the way green. He was pretty sure he remembered his late wife calling it teal.

“How was the party?” Ashley used the plastic fork he’d brought her to spear a fat red grape.

“Not short enough.” He dragged his gaze over her and found her studying him through half-lowered eyelashes. “I claimed Brie was having a medical emergency so I could make my escape.”

Her eyes widened. “Liar, liar, pants on fire!” She popped the grape into her mouth.

Not even! As far as he was concerned, little Brie was a walking emergency. “Got some other bad news before I took off.”

“I’m sorry.” Ashley mulled over that for a moment. “Is that what you wanted to talk to me about?”

“It is.” He scowled at her. “Are you leaving me, Ash?”

She blinked at him, making him realize how he’d made it sound.

“I’m talking about the farm,” he clarified hastily. “Are you quitting?”

“What?” She glared at him, setting the bowl of fruit salad on the end table beside her. “Do you really think I’d pocket a couple hundred dollars from you and dash?”

Relief coursed through him. “Rumor has it that you may be embroiled in a lawsuit.” He gestured awkwardly. “Back in Dallas.”

Her face grew so white that he lunged for his water glass on the mantle. Moving with it to the sofa, he crouched in front of her and held it to her lips. “Drink.”

She drank, coughed, and drank some more. Then she shoved the glass back into his hands. “I’m not being sued. I don’t know who started the rumor or why, but it’s not true. Unlike my partner, my name was cleared pretty quickly after I was shot. He wasn’t so fortunate. But he’s no more of a dirty cop than I was, and I intend to prove it!” She grew so vehement that she looked like a different person.

Johnny’s jaw dropped in astonishment.

The steel in her expression abruptly disappeared. “Or so a girl can dream,” she mumbled.

He didn’t believe for a second that what she’d just declared was nothing more than a pipe dream. His gut had been telling him that Ashley Perkins was up to something in Heart Lake. He still didn’t know the details, but he was betting it had something to do with clearing her partner’s name.

“Isn’t your ex an attorney?” He watched her closely.

Her gaze locked with his. “I never told you that.”

“Nope. You didn’t.” She might’ve resigned from the force, but his new farm hand still possessed the heart and mind of a detective. In a burst of inspiration, he drawled, “For now, we’ll call it an anonymous tip.”

Something flickered in her gaze, something edged with alarm.

Gotcha!His suspicion was confirmed. Ashley must have called in the anonymous tip about Caro Madison to the Heart Lake Police Department. But why? What did she have against Caro? And what did her beef with Caro have to do with her dead partner, if anything?

Silence settled between them. It was broken only by Can Opener’s steady purring.

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