Page 23 of Texas Scandal

Loki was winding up to his usual overactive self. Tiernan fed his dog while he thought about whether or not it was a good idea to bring Loki along for the day. Leaving him here alone was a recipe for disaster. Tiernan could grab a leash and water container so he could tie Loki to a tree while they visited the prison. That trip might not happen today, though, depending on how it went with the other two stops. She was right about one thing. They had an entire day planned with all the driving involved. It occurred to him they would have to check prison visitation hours since it wouldn’t be a drop-in situation.

After filling his dog’s bowl, he walked over to the sliding glass door and opened it. Loki was a well-oiled machine at this point when it came to bolting outside and doing his business despite the occasional squirrel chase. After what happened yesterday, Tiernan stood at the door and kept watch.

The hairs on the back of his neck pricked as he looked out onto his yard. He surveyed the land. Was someone out there? Watching?

MELODYTOOKAstep into the living area and then froze. The look on Tiernan’s face as he looked out onto the backyard caused her stomach lining to braid and a knot to form in her chest. She cleared her throat so she wouldn’t startle him. “Everything okay?”

The first clue he was concerned was the way he stood at the door with his hands fisted at his sides, tensed up like he was ready for a fight.

“I’m just watching Loki,” he said without a glance in her direction. It was her second clue he was on guard.

“Mind if I join you?” she asked, figuring his answer would be a good gauge at how worried she should be.

“No,” he said. The third clue was how quickly his answer came. His arm extended out like when a driver stepped on the brakes too hard, and their arm flew out to shield their passenger from being thrown into the dashboard. Then, he called Loki’s name with the same authoritative voice as someone in law enforcement who’d walked into a hot situation.

The knot in her chest tightened as she stood rooted to her spot. She glanced around, looking for anything she could use as a weapon. Her gaze landed on a fireplace poker. If anything went down, she wanted to be prepared.

A few seconds later, the black Lab came bolting through the glass doors, but Tiernan didn’t immediately shut them. Instead, he took a step to block the opening with his heft. He stood there, arms crossed over his chest and his feet apart in an athletic stance.

Rather than work herself up to full freak-out, she decided to check out the fridge to see if there was anything easy to grab. Food might prove a good distraction and there were knives in the kitchen she could use if needed.

At the moment, she was a ball of anxiety just thinking about law enforcement officers picking through her personal belongings, going through her home. The helpless feeling took her back to standing in the doorway to her English teacher’s room when her father had his slacks around his ankles and her teacher bent over a desk. The grunts still echoed in her head and made her sick to this day. She’d spent years trying to block the image that had a way of popping into her thoughts every time she saw her father.

Melody tried to shake off the gross feeling. That day, the perfect family of four image had exploded like a watermelon being tossed onto a summer sidewalk. Except there’d been no way to clean up the shattered pieces.

She sighed, doing her best to force the memory out of her mind as she focused on the contents of the fridge as she opened the door. The inside was surprisingly organized for a bachelor. She’d clearly been dating the wrong guys because she was lucky to find a box of cold pizza and beer in theirs.

For a split second, her mind went to Tiernan having a woman in the background. Then, she remembered he did. A house cleaner.

Containers were neatly stacked and filled with food that looked delicious. There was a container of milk and another filled with orange juice. She searched for eggs, grated cheese and maybe some chives. After locating the items, she loaded her arms.

Turning around, she nearly plowed into Tiernan. The solid wall of a man caught her by the arms, and then held her steady until she regained composure.

“Are you okay?” he asked, dipping his head down until he found her eyes. Locking on was a big mistake on her part if she was going to keep from kissing the man again.

“Fine,” she muttered, hearing the shakiness in her own voice. “Is it all good outside?” She could play off her nerves as being concerned there was an intruder on his property. Would he buy it?

“False alarm,” he said, letting go of her arms. The absence of him was immediate when he took a step backward. “But I’d rather be safe than sorry.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” she said, turning toward the counter near the stove. “Mind if I whip up some eggs?”

“Sounds good to me,” he said. The only hint that he was as affected as she’d been came when his voice cracked. He coughed to cover. “I can help or do a little digging to find out more about Bebe.”

“We’ll get things done faster if we divide and conquer,” she said. Putting distance between them seemed like a good idea right now. The temperature in the kitchen had gone from moderate to blazing hot a minute ago.

He nodded, hesitated like he was about to say something, and then shook his head as he walked off.

Melody got busy rinsing and chopping green onions. His kitchen was orderly and intuitive. What it lacked in size, it made up for in ease. Everything she needed was within reach. She remembered milk, so she grabbed the container from the fridge. After whisking all the ingredients, aside from the cheese, she turned the heat on the gas range and located a suitable pan. A loaf of bread sat next to the fridge and she’d spotted a toaster. While the eggs worked in the pan, she made toast. Finding jelly in the fridge was the equivalent of hitting the lotto.

Plates were filled in a matter of minutes. She brought them over to the granite island and set them down near the stools. She skipped one so she wouldn’t have to sit so close to Tiernan that she could smell his spicy male scent. Getting too used to it, to him, would be a fatal mistake to her heart.

Loki made a bed right next to her feet as she claimed her spot. Tiernan walked over, laptop in hand. He glanced at her and then his plate but didn’t comment on the distance in between. The dog was growing on her, too.

“I found information on Bebe,” Tiernan said, keeping his gaze on the screen. He positioned it so she could see. “She’s the morning manager at Green Things Grocery in Lake Thickett.”

“Where is that?” she asked.

“It’s in between Cider Creek and Austin,” he supplied.

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