Page 38 of Maddox: Wild Alaska
"Babe, you and Sofie are alone here. There's a killer on the loose. I'm sticking to you like glue until he's caught." Colton leans against the wall, crosses his arms over his chest, and rests a booted foot against it. If I weren't with Maddox, I'd be drooling.
Judean tries to appear indifferent, but I notice her sidelong glances at Colton. I'm sure he does too, judging by the spark of desire in his eyes when he looks at her.
Judean's stomach grumbles again, this time loudly enough for Colton to hear. He straightens against the wall. Before he can open his mouth, I blurt out, "Sandwiches!" Reaching inside the box, I pull out three wrapped sandwiches and hand them out. "Colton, come and sit with us. Oh! Where did Landon go?"
"He's hiding in the back," Colton hisses, shaking his head in disgust. "Landon, lunch is here," Colton shouts.
His footsteps announce his arrival, and Colton nods toward the box of food. I add, "There's a sandwich in there for you. Nothing fancy, just chicken and mayonnaise."
"Thank you."
The door bursts open. "Landon." Branson narrows his eyes at his deputy. "I sent you the address. Head out now." He pauses when he spots Colton but does an about-face. Landon shoves his hat onto his head, sighs loudly, and takes the sandwiches with him as he follows Branson outside.
I turn to Colton. "Why is he a deputy when it's obvious he doesn't want to do anything?"
"Branson inherited him from his predecessor." Colton shrugs. "He needs to send the guy to a refresher course in Anchorage.” Pause. “Either that or a kick up the ass.”
I ignore the latter. “Surely, he can't have forgotten his training. He doesn't look like he's worn the uniform for that long."
"He's close to thirty, I think. He's been a deputy since he turned nineteen, from what I heard." He takes a huge bite of the sandwich and starts to chew. "I'm not sure why he's so lazy." Colton continues to eat while deep in thought.
Judean smirks at me and asks, "So, you've moved in with Maddox, huh?"
"As you know, Richard showed up last night. He insisted on staying in my room. There was no way I was going to stay there.Maddox insisted." I offer her a small smile as I feel my cheeks start to heat up. "He's a good man."
"I agree." Judean says. "There aren't many places to rent here."
Colton goes still, which draws our gaze. Judean asks, "What's wrong?"
"Are you staying in Hawke's Ridge?"
Judean grins. "We are!"
“Don't worry about finding a place. Maddox said you can move into his guest room,” I add.
"Uh, no way! You can move in with me."
Judean and I both give Colton our full attention, and, for once, I notice him squirm in his seat. "You're a horn-dog, and you expect me to move in with you?" Judean asks.
"You are not moving in with Maddox."
"Sofie," she says, pointing my way, "is Maddox's girl. I'll be in the guest room." She asks me, "Are you sure he won't mind?"
"He offered." I smile.
"Not happening," Colton states, then smiling. "You can move in with my dad!" he says, snapping his fingers. "Ugh! Moms supposed to be coming here." He winces. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Look, I can stay with Sofie and Maddox until I find a place," Judean says.
“Babe, if you think I’m going to let you sleep with my brother, then you don’t know me very well.”
Sensing an argument about to start, I jump into the fray. "You," I say, pointing to Colton, "need to listen. She will be sleeping alone. I'll be sleeping with your brother. Now, stop acting like a Neanderthal and help us finish this filing so we can be done with it. I hate filing."
He grumbles some more, then mutters, "I don't have the hots foranyonewith a pussy."
I burst out laughing, and Judean turns bright red. I snicker and avoid her gaze.
Agents Adeleand Kalluk work well together. They are efficient and work at a fast pace. All this sucks. Branson seems to have slipped back into his old detective ways. It's something he hasn't had to do since he moved here. I'm relieved he's found his way back, but I'm not too happy about the reason why.
