Page 325 of Love Bites

I winced. “You’re not very good at after-glow chit-chat.”

“Yes, I am.” He tugged me toward the door. “But if you don’t leave, I’m going to have to take your dress off again.”

“Oh.” The beast inside me perked back up.Down, girl!

Doc opened the door and led me out into the hall. “Go get the paperwork started.”

He dragged me toward the front door, my feet stumbling, my body lovesick. It wasn’t until he’d pushed me out under the warm sun that I found my voice. “I forgot to tell you, Harvey said the police found some kind of nest up in the mine behind his barn.”

Doc leaned against the doorjamb. “He mentioned that last night at the hospital while you were getting your wrists wrapped.”

“You had a pretty strong reaction to something at Harvey’s place.”

Doc crossed his arms over his chest. “Yes, I did, but you don’t believe in ghosts, remember?”

“I’m not saying this was a ghost. I’m just wondering if you might have smelled thisthingwhen you were there.” That half-eaten possum had to have left a sticky stench on whatever was living there with it.

“No, that’s not what I detected.”

“You sure?”

Nodding, he said, “Harvey’s not alone out there, but what I ran into has been dead for a long time.”

I just stared up at him, speechless. He reached out and tugged on a loose curl. “Come back in an hour, Boots, and I’ll take you to lunch.”

I’d rather take another trip to the moon.

He closed the door in my face and clicked the deadbolt. After a wave in my direction, he disappeared into his back room.

“Holy frickin’ moly.” I pinched myself. Nope, this was the real thing. After taking a moment to pat down my curls and straighten my clothes, I wandered back into Calamity Jane’s.

Mona’s fingers paused. “What happened?”

Criminy!JUST HAD SEX!must be blinking in neon lights on my forehead. “Nothing. Why?”

“You’re beaming.”

Oh, well, what could I say? Sex with Doc had side effects. I closed my mouth to keep the sunshine from pouring out of it.

Ray glanced up from clipping his toenails, his crumpled sock on his desktop, his sneer loud and clear. “I heard you burned down your ace in the hole, Blondie. I’d offer to help pack your desk, but I have houses to sell.”

I locked gazes with the dickhead. While Ray was off my radar as a possible kidnapper, I hadn’t forgotten about that crate at Mudder Brothers. However, today I didn’t feel like fishing for trouble. “I’m not going anywhere, asshole.”

Ray’s upper lip crinkled. “What makes you so sure?”

“Doc wants to put an offer on Mona’s client’s house.”

Mona clapped and cheered.

Scowling, Ray stood. “An offer doesn’t guarantee a sale.”

Jane came out of her office. “What’s going on?”

“Violet got a sale,” Mona answered.

Jane’s eyes lit up. “You did?”

“Well, that depends on Mona’s client. Doc’s going to sign an offer letter today.”

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