“I’ve been drinking so I don’t have to deal with things, Jake. Cubby found me sitting between the closet and my bed, hiding from him, like I have from you every night you called. He threw me in the lake, made me drink coffee, then told me he’d help me straighten out.”
She’d painted last night into a picture where he was the hero, when in fact he was anything but; however, Cubby ran with it. Jake didn’t need to hear what they’d really been up to.
“And you told him but not me?”
“He found me, so it wasn’t a tough guess on his part.”
“Don’t get smart with me, Katie McBride.” Jake pointed a finger at his sister, and Cubby waited for her to break it. But she surprised him by remaining calm.
“I’m not getting into this now, not with Jilly’s death still in my head, and Cubby and his deputies as witnesses.” Katie nodded Cubby’s way.
“Get in the car; we’ll talk at home then.”
She didn’t speak or pitch a fit, just gave her brother a steady look before walking to his pickup and getting in the passenger side.
“You weren’t exactly an open book when you came back from Iraq either, Jake; maybe you need to remember that,” Cubby said.
“This is different. She lied to me.”
“Get over yourself, McBride. Your sister’s been to hell and back. You’re worried about one lie when she’s got a price on her ass, and shit in her head that would drive most people to drink.”
“Don’t lecture me about my sister.” Jake glared at Cubby.
“I don’t have time for this, Jake. Not now, with Jilly’s murder on my hands, but I’m going to say one last thing and you better listen.”
His friend glared at him.
“She’s hurting, confused, and scared. She doesn’t need her big brother coming down on her now, she needs him supporting her. So man the fuck up and stop worrying about your wounded pride. Remember what lengths you would have gone to, to keep us from learning what was going on inside your head.”
Cubby watched Jake and Katie drive away, wondering if, when he saw the McBride siblings next, they’d be talking to each other or him.
“You doing okay, there, Sheriff? Tank told me this girl, Jilly, is a friend.”
Pushing Katie and Jake from his head, he turned to face Brady. “Yeah, she was a local, and I’ve known her since she was a kid.”
“That’s rough. Who the hell would want to murder her?”
“Don’t know, Brady, but that’s what we’re going to find out. We start searching in grids, the four of us together, and we get this bastard.”
Chapter Twelve
She’d come home and instead of finding peace Katie had found nothing but trouble. She’d hurt her brother, one of the few people she loved in this crazy mixed-up world. She’d made the mistake of sleeping with Cubby, and all the feelings she’d once had for him were stirring inside her again, which messed with her already unstable head.
Last night had been amazing… beyond amazing. Katie had never ever experienced such emotion just from the act of touching, kissing, and being held by a man. Her body had become a part of his as they made love, and she found it hard to believe he was not as moved as her.
Believe it, girl.
Cubby had told her not to make more of what happened last night than it was, so she wouldn’t. Katie wasn’t going to make a fool of herself over him again. She’d never stand before a man and declare that she felt anything for him unless she was 100 percent sure he returned those feelings. There was no doubt that she’d woken with something lodged in her chest this morning that hadn’t been there yesterday, but whatever it was would ease when she left again. Ease, and eventually settle into a dull ache when she thought about the sheriff of Lake Howling. Because for some unknown reason, he was the man who pushed all her buttons. She’d met a lot of men, worked with some nice ones too, but she’d always felt different about James Hawker.
Bastard. She hated him for that. Hated that he was indifferent. Or maybe not indifferent, she thought, remembering last night and what they’d shared, but he refused to give in to anything he may feel for her. Thinking about it was not going to change the way things were, so she pushed thoughts of him aside to deal with when she saw him again. Right now she had to deal with the thundercloud that was her brother.
“I did lie to you before, when I told you Peter Buck didn’t kiss me; he did.”
“That little sneak, I knew he was up to no good.”
Katie found a smile. Her brother had to love her, no matter how much she annoyed him; it was a given in their family.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, Jake, I guess I just didn’t know how.”
