Page 85 of Delicate Escape

“Yes and no,” a deep voice answered.

I’d seen Shep and Rhodes’ eldest brother around town before, but I’d always tried to steer clear. I hadn’t had the best experiences with law enforcement back in LA. At best, they’d been overextended, not having time for my problems that didn’t exactly fit into the regular crime report box. At worst, they’d been both skeptical and judgmental, making it seem like I’d brought all of it on myself.

“Can I come in, or are you going to make me stay out here freezing my ass off?” Trace pressed.

While it was summer, the early mornings in the mountains were always cold.

Shep turned to me, not letting his brother in, a silent question in his eyes.

I laced my fingers in front of me, squeezing hard and trying to ground myself. “He can come in.”

Things would look far worse if I refused him entry. And Trace would just have more questions. He might start digging and looking into me.

Shep didn’t move for a moment as if giving me a chance to change my mind.

“It’s okay,” I whispered.

He sighed, annoyance clinging to the sound. “Come on in. But beware of the cat. He’ll try to take your hand off if you have food.”

Moose let out his chattering meow from somewhere in the living room.

“Noted,” Trace said, stepping inside. His gaze moved over the entryway, then down the hallway to me. It stilled. It wasn’t harsh or cold, but it was assessing. Something about the way those deep green eyes moved told me they took in more than the average person. And that knowledge had me swallowing hard.

“Morning, Thea. I’m sorry to disrupt you this early,” Trace said, trying to keep his expression gentle.

“Where’s my apology?” Shep asked, smacking his brother’s arm as he moved toward me.

“The little brother who used to think it was funny to throw water balloons at me while I was sleeping does not get an apology for an early visit.”

That had my lips twitching and a little of the tension bleeding out of me. “Water balloons, huh?”

Shep sent me a sheepish smile. “You should’ve heard him curse. Trace got pretty creative.”

I chuckled. “I would, too.”

Shep moved to my side as Trace approached, giving me silent support.

Trace extended a hand. “It’s nice to finally meet you officially. Rho has had only the best things to say about you.”

I took his offered palm and shook, noticing just how handsome the local sheriff was. Dark hair with just a hint of salt and pepper at his temples made his green eyes stand out all the more. As did the scar that bisected his eyebrow.

“Rho is just glad she doesn’t have to do the heavy lifting on her own anymore,” I said, trying to keep a smile in place.

Trace grinned. “That is definitely true.”

No one said anything for a moment, and I couldn’t help but feel like we were all waiting for a bomb to drop.

“I just pulled a frittata out of the oven. Want to join us for breakfast?” My voice had a thread of tightness to it, but at least I’d made the offer.

Trace arched a brow. “Frittata, huh? No wonder Shep wanted to stay with you instead of Cope.”

Shep grinned at that. “I’m not an idiot.”

“Most of the time,” Trace shot back, then turned to me. “I’d love to join you.”

At least I had a task. I hurried to cut slices and plate them while Shep got juice and coffee.

“That’s a pretty impressive greenhouse you’ve got,” Trace said, inclining his head to the kitchen window.

---