Page 214 of Love Bites

“I hope you brought an umbrella.”

“I dry easily.”

I nodded, out of silly things to say about the stupid weather.

His dark eyes probed mine, making me squirm in my heels. What was it about this guy that made me feel like my bra was cinched too tight? Something that I couldn’t put my finger on even if I wanted to—which for some reason, I did.

“How is the chicken?” he asked.

“Still a problem.”

“And the kittens?”

“Up for adoption. You interested?”

He grinned, shaking his head.

I wondered if he had a girlfriend stashed away somewhere. Then I wondered where in the hell that thought had come from and why I cared.

Miss Plum cleared her throat. “Here’s the machine.”

I welcomed the interruption with my full attention.

She beckoned me over to the corner of the room.

Peeking at the stacks of books in front of Doc as I passed, I saw the wordsRegister of DeathsandCity Directory. What was he looking at those for? Researching his genealogy? Digging into Deadwood’s infamous past? Or was he checking out estate sales? Looking up possible real estate investments?

Miss Plum pointed at a cabinet filled with tiny drawers, each labeled with a year. “When were you interested in?”

“Last summer,” I murmured, keeping my back to Doc. I didn’t want him to learn that I was chasing a paper trail for something that could just be a coincidence on Jeff Wymonds’ part and a bit of over-reaction on mine.

Miss Plum pulled out a small spool and handed it to me. I stared at it like it was a toad waiting for a kiss.

“Here, let me help you.” She plucked the spool from my open palm. I watched as she stuck it in the machine and clicked a switch. A backlit newspaper page appeared on the screen. “There you are.”

With a nod of thanks, I dropped into the seat and set my purse on the floor at my feet.

“If you need anything else, I’ll be at the front desk.” She left, closing the door behind her, leaving me alone with Doc.

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