Page 50 of Tempting Fate
“Because there wasn’t snow on the ground when we walked here.”
Good point. She hadn’t thought of that. Gabe and Rhys exchanged another glance, and she was starting to get the feeling that they knew something she didn’t.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing. I’m just thinking whoever it is also has our pickax.”
The possibility hadn’t entered her mind, but she supposed two crimes in one day wasn’t a coincidence. And suddenly she was struck with the idea that this might not be random. “Do you think I’m being targeted?” Perhaps these were pranks to scare her and get her to leave town sooner.
On second thought, it didn’t seem like the Rodriguezes’ style, and they were the ones with the biggest ax to grind against her. Tomorrow, she planned to put a check in their mailbox for Tawny’s damaged dress. Perhaps she’d go straight to their house and ask them face to face.
Rhys combed his hand through his hair. “Let’s just keep our eyes out, okay? Tomorrow morning, someone will come by to take prints. Would you mind staying out of your truck until then?”
“I guess.” She didn’t like the idea of being without wheels. She’d wanted to start searching for the gold first thing in the morning and had to meet with Dana at some point in the day. “You think it’s that big of a deal?” As far as she could tell, the thieves hadn’t even gotten anything.
“You never know” was all Rhys said. He turned to Gabe before heading to his police vehicle. “I’ll talk to you later.”
“Roger that. Thanks for coming out.”
Rhys waved his hand in the air, got in his SUV, and drove away.
Gabe walked over and shined a flashlight on her flannel pajama bottoms and lifted his brows. The pants had little horses on them and said, “I’d rather be riding.”
“They’re warm.” She’d stopped wearing sexy lingerie around the time Butch started making her skin crawl.
“They look hot with the boots.”
She rolled her eyes.
Gabe’s mouth slid up. “Let’s go inside, it’s freezing out here.”
He slung his arm over her shoulder and guided her up the stairs with his light. “You okay?”
“Just a little weirded out.” She flipped on the heat as soon as they got inside. Before she’d gone to bed she’d turned it off, and it was nearly as cold in the house as it had been outside. “Can you stay the night?”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice gruff. Raylene waited for one of his standard-guy come-on lines, but he just opened the door, turned on the light switch, and headed for the kitchen. “Is there anything to eat?”
“Tons. What are you in the mood for?”
He glanced at her, letting his caramel eyes take a stroll down her body, then quickly turned away. “Some of that smoked ham from the wedding.”
Inexplicably disappointed, she pulled the ham out of the refrigerator, along with a container of stuffed mushrooms and some potato salad. He got down two plates and they took turns warming the mushrooms in the microwave.
“You want a glass of wine?” He perused the rack in the sideboard and pulled out a red. “It might help you get back to sleep.”
“No thanks.” And, for no reason she could understand, she told him what she’d never told Logan. “I’m an alcoholic.”Ninety days sober.
He took that in, mulled it over for a second or two, and nodded. “How about a soda or a glass of water?”
“Tea,” she said, and started a flame under Annie’s kettle. “You want some? It’s peppermint.”
He scrunched his nose. “Nah, I’ll stick with water.”
They sat in the kitchen, eating in silence until it drove her nuts.
“Go ahead and say something.”
“About what?” He snagged a stuffed mushroom off her plate because he’d eaten his. “About you being an alcoholic? Clearly you’re doing something about it; I haven’t seen you touch a drink since you’ve been here.”
