Page 74 of Heating Up (Nugget)
From the looks of the house, the furnishings, and the manicured grounds, he’d say it was a pretty safe bet that she came from more money than Sue, whose family had been quite comfortable. Yet Dana acted more like someone from his family’s background—good middle-class stock. Sue wouldn’t even have considered a home in Nugget. Too rustic, too rural, too blue collar.
He took a few seconds to check out the front of the house. Last night he’d been too bowled over to take a really good look. In the light of day, it was very impressive. The place had to be a hundred years old but meticulously maintained right down to the water in the giant fountain. Strange that Dana’s parents hadn’t just let it go, like they seemed to have done with everything else, most notably their daughter. He’d seen the hurt in Dana’s eyes when her mother had ignored her last night. If one of the McBrides’ houses had burned down, his parents would’ve been involved in every aspect of the aftermath. As far as he knew, Dana hadn’t even gotten a chance to tell her mother about the big real estate transaction on which she was about to close.
He got in his truck and checked his phone for messages. Nothing but a few emails from his folks and brothers. He’d hoped to get a few tips on the sporting goods fire but nada. It was already getting hot, and Aidan questioned the wisdom of turning on the AC. Running the engine might draw more attention than necessary.
But a few seconds later Dana opened the door and scooted into the front seat, throwing a bag at him.
“What’s this?”
“Calloway candy. I used up your stash at our barbecue.”
His lips curved up into a smile and he started the engine. “Thanks. Crack one open.”
“Now?” She made a face.
“Yeah. Breakfast of champions.”
He found his way back to the main road as she fed him chocolate. “Did you talk to your parents?”
“They weren’t up yet.” She fiddled with the vents until they blew maximum cool air. “Are we going to talk about it?”
He knew she’d eventually get back to her rules and regulations. “Why can’t we just enjoy it? Without a doubt, our night together was the best thing that’s happened to me in the last seven months.” Maybe ever.
“We’re roommates, Aidan. Last night could make things really strained.”
“Why? You planning to bring men home?”
“Of course not. Are you planning to bring home women?”
He slid her a sideways glance. “Not the way I roll.”
“So we’re just planning to play house?”
He tilted his head against his backrest in frustration. Why couldn’t women just live in the moment? “We should just see how it goes, don’t overthink it. Can you at least try to do that?”
She sat quiet for a few minutes and finally said, “Fine, but don’t say I didn’t tell you so when it blows up in our faces.”
“You’re one of those I-told-you-so chicks, aren’t you?” he teased.
“I’m just very practical.”
No, she was scared shitless. He got that because he was too. In fact, he should be running in the opposite direction. But for some crazy-ass reason, he wanted to stick around to see what would happen.
“Are you going to work?” she asked him.
“Technically I’m off, but with the sporting goods case I thought I’d put in a few hours.” Though he had nothing to go on.
“Is there a possibility the fire could’ve been an accident?”
“Not likely.”
“That kind of stuff just doesn’t happen in a place like Nugget. Although we had the cattle thefts and a big drug bust. Then there was the dead guy who washed up . . .”
Aidan knew that had been Sloane’s case. Sad story. “It might’ve just been kids, but it was intentional.”
“You’ll solve it,” she said.
“How do you know that?”
