Page 31 of Alex

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“We were in town, and I thought I’d see if you found anything yet.”

“How did you find where I lived?”

“I asked someone and don’t ask me who because I won’t tell you.”

“That’s a little creepy, Dylan,” he said, making her laugh.

“Do you mind if we come inside?”

“Oh, sure. Come get out of the cold. I have to warn you, I have a dog and she is going to be all over you both. She’s friendly though.”

“Okay.” Dylan took the little girl’s hand. “Come on, Zoey, let’s get inside and out of the cold.”

“’Kay, Mama.”

When they reached the steps, Alex stepped down one and put his hand out to Dylan. She took it and smiled at him, making his heart skip a beat. He looked at Zoey and saw a miniature Dylan staring back at him. He winked at her when she smiled shyly at him, making her giggle.

“This is my daughter, Zoey. Zoey, honey, this is Alex. He’s helping mama find her bull.”

“Hello, Miss Zoey,” Alex said as he put his hand out to her. He grinned when she placed her tiny hand in his much larger one and smiled at him. “Let’s get inside.”

Once they stepped inside the kitchen, Peaches was trying to get to both at the same time. Zoey squealed when she saw the dog.

“Zoey, let me take your coat off, baby. Then you can play with the dog.” Dylan tried to unzip Zoey’s coat, but she was more interested in the dog.

“That’s Peaches. Just tell her to sit.” Alex grinned.

“Sit,” Zoey said and laughed when Peaches did, then she threw her little arms around Peaches’s neck and hugged her.

“Great. She’s going to want a dog now,” Dylan murmured as she finally got Zoey’s coat and hat off, and worked on her own.

Alex couldn’t believe she was here. Why? She could have called to get information.

“Dylan? After our last conversation, I didn’t think I’d see you so soon.”

“We had to go into town and when I entered your address into my GPS, I saw I was close. We can leave if you’d like.”

“No. It’s fine. I hope the roads are clear.”

“It was starting to lay, but we won’t stay long. Hopefully, it won’t amount to much.”

“After going through old cases, I have a few leads.” He held his hand up when she opened her mouth. “I will not discuss them with you at this time.”

“When?”

“When, I’m sure. Please, have a seat. Would you like something to drink?”

“Do you happen to have hot cocoa? Zoey and I love it.”

“I do. I’ll make you both a cup. I’ll just be a minute.” He stared at her for a few seconds, then entered the kitchen.

****

Dylan glanced around the living room. It was small, but nice. She walked to the stone fireplace and held her hands out to the flames wrapping around the logs. The heat felt amazing. Even though she’d only walked from the truck to the house, it was bitterly cold, and the air was frigid. She took a seat on the sofa and watched Zoey playing with Peaches. The big Golden Retriever seemed to love the little girl.

As she sat there, she wondered what leads Alex found. Why couldn’t he tell her? Who was she going to tell?

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