Page 242 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I’m fine, Sam.” She took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and held it to the back of her neck before twisting off the cap. “Or, at least, I will be once I recover from this brutal day.”

“Give me the inside scoop.”

Emily sank onto the couch and put her feet up on the coffee table. “There’s not much to tell. We were searching for a missing hiker around Boulder Field. I stepped in a hole and twisted my ankle. When I looked for a branch to use as a walking stick, the skull caught my eye. An animal must’ve dug it up.”

“Did they find the rest of the skeleton?”

“They did. You know I shouldn’t be telling you any of this.”

“And you know you can trust me.”

“The woman was buried in a shallow grave, dressed in her Sunday best with her hands folded. It was creepy.”

“Wow.”

“That isn’t the half of it. Guess who the detective was?”

“I haven’t the foggiest idea.”

“My ex-boyfriend.”

“What ex-boyfriend? You hardly ever go on a second date. When did you have a boyfriend? Wait. Not the guy who left when your sister went missing?”

“One and the same. Wade Brunner.”

“Wow. What did he say? What did you say?”

“We were surprised to see each other.”

“I’ll bet.”

“What did you think of him as a grown man? Is he as cute as the boy you remember?”

“The adult version of Wade is far better looking, but what does that have to do with anything? He broke my heart.”

“He was a teenager.”

“I’m not interested in reliving that nightmare. Besides, he thinks I’m dating Austin.”

“Why would he think that?” Sam asked.

“I didn’t come right out and lie, but I did make sure it looked that way. I’m not sure why, but I suppose I didn’t want him to know I’m single. Twenty-nine and unattached. I didn’t want to sound pathetic.”

“Do you think I’m pathetic? I’m thirty-one and alone.”

Emily shook her head. “Of course not. I was being ridiculous.”

“Is he dating anyone?”

“It didn’t sound like it.”

“I smell love in the air. You’ll be married by winter,” Sam said.

Emily choked on her water. “Not if he were the last man on Earth.”

“Something tells me otherwise.”

“Something tells you wrong. I’m going to grab a bite to eat, take a hot bath, and hit the sack. It’s been a trying day.”

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