Page 41 of Matthew
“Too soon?”
“Way too soon.”
Her smile lingered, though, even as she turned back toward the path, Sammy padding ahead as if on perimeter duty now that he was officially awake.
Matthew followed, aware of the heat still pulsing under the surface between them. It hadn’t gone away. It had woven itself into everything now. The way she glanced back when shethought he wasn’t looking. The slight lean toward him when their shoulders brushed.
He wasn’t imagining it, and he wasn’t letting it go.
Something was building here. Between the missing links in this case and the moments they kept nearly slipping into something more, it was all connected. The key was to keep moving forward. Keep digging and keep her safe while they figured out who was using her land to hide secrets better left buried.
They’d barely rounded the corner by the back lot when Sammy growled low in his throat and veered two steps ahead.
Matthew stilled, his instincts prickling. Sammy wasn’t the barking type unless he had reason.
Callie caught up beside him, her brow furrowing. “What is it, boy?”
The Golden Retriever’s ears were up, tail stiff, body tense. He was staring toward the gravel drive.
A second later, the sound of tires crunching reached them.
Matthew angled his body slightly in front of Callie out of instinct. The truck that pulled in wasn’t the white one from before—it was older, a weathered Ford with a mismatched door and no clear company logo. Dust coated the windshield as if it hadn’t seen a car wash in weeks.
The man who stepped out had a clipboard and the look of someone trying too hard to seem casual. Mid-forties, tan work shirt, a ball cap pulled low. His boots were clean. Too clean.
Callie shifted beside him. “Expecting someone?”
“Nope,” Matthew muttered.
The man spotted them and raised a hand. “Hey there. Looking for the manager.”
“That’d be me,” Callie said, stepping forward, keeping her tone neutral.
Matthew moved with her, silent and watchful.
The guy glanced at his clipboard, then back at her. “Name’s Greg. Was told to stop by, check on a standing order. Said y’all needed a soil test report re-run? I’m filling in for Roy.”
Callie blinked. “Roy?”
“Uh, Roy Jensen. Used to run deliveries for you folks. I picked up his route last week.”
Matthew didn’t move. “Who gave you that assignment?”
The man hesitated. “Uh…dispatch, I guess? Sorry, I thought someone here put in the request. If not, no harm meant. I can head out.”
Sammy gave another quiet growl.
Callie folded her arms. “Roy hasn’t handled our account in over a year.”
“Right,” the man said quickly. “That’s probably why I got confused. I’m trying to get my bearings.”
Matthew stepped forward. “Who’s dispatch?”
The man hesitated again…too long. “Look, I’m just the fill-in guy. Honestly, I don’t even remember the full company name. Some third-party outfit they contract out of Austin. I’ll get out of your hair.”
He turned without further prompting and climbed back in the truck. The vehicle kicked up a tail of dust as it slowly rolled back out of the lot.
Callie stood in the settling haze, frowning.
