The kiss started soft, almost tentative, but it deepened big time when she slid her hands up his chest, clutching at his shirt as if needing the anchor. Harlan’s fingers threaded into her hair, drawing her even closer. Her lips parted, and the taste of her sent a surge of heat through him.
Every worry, every question, every danger they faced fell away for that moment. All that existed was the press of her body, the way she leaned into him as if she trusted him to hold her up.
He felt the tremor in her legs, the faint hitch of her breath, and tightened his arms around her. So much heat. So much need. And part of him just wanted to sink in and never let go.
When they finally pulled back, her gaze stayed locked on his, her cheeks flushed, her lips still parted. Harlan’s heart thudded hard, and he knew he had just crossed a line that he could never uncross.
He brushed his thumb along her cheek, fighting the urge to kiss her again. His voice came out low. “Should I apologize for that?” he asked.
Laney opened her mouth, but before she could get out a single word, her phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket, glanced at the screen, and her expression tightened.
“It’s Sherry,” she relayed to him, swiping to answer and putting the call on speaker. “Hello?”
“Laney, I just got off the phone with the sheriff.” Sherry’s voice instantly filled the sewing room, and it was loaded with frustration. “He told me what Billy said. I swear to you, there was never an affair between David and me. Billy’s just stirring up trouble.”
Laney’s eyes flicked toward Harlan before settling back on the phone. “Why would Billy do that?” she pressed.
“Because he’s angry,” Sherry shot back without hesitation. “Maybe this is his way of getting revenge on David, even now. David was the one who arrested him, the reason he ended up in prison, and I assisted in that arrest. Billy’s never let that go.”
Harlan stayed quiet, though the weight in his chest grew heavier. He wanted to believe her, but his gut kept him cautious. Billy’s DNA had been on that hair clip, and Billy had been in thearea where they’d found that bomb. The evidence didn’t lie, but he knew plenty of people did.
Maybe Sherry was doing that now. Lying to cover her tracks.
Sherry’s voice softened a fraction on the other end of the call. “Laney, maybe I should just come over. We can talk this out face-to-face.”
“That’s not a good idea, Sherry,” Laney quickly said. “We’ve got installation for a security system going on.”
That was true, but Harlan figured the real reason Laney didn’t want the woman in the house was because she didn’t want her near Evie. And neither did Harlan.
“We can come to you instead,” Laney added a moment later.
There was a pause, the faint sound of Sherry exhaling. “All right. If that’s what you want. I just… I don’t like this hanging between us. I’d like to clear the air.”
“We’ll be there soon,” Laney said, ending the call.
The silence in the sewing room stretched after the line disconnected. Harlan studied Laney, her shoulders tight, her expression pulled taut with the mix of doubt and determination he had seen building since the sheriff’s office. She looked as if she was bracing for a hit, the kind that might land harder than gunfire.
“We’ll go to her, but not before I check in with Garrett,” he said, making sure to keep his voice steady. Hard to do after that scalding kiss. “I want to be sure the house is locked down tight before we leave again.”
Laney nodded, though her fingers tightened on the phone she still had in a hard grip. “I don’t want Evie put at risk if it turns out that Sherry is behind this.”
“Neither do I,” Harlan said. His chest ached with the truth of it. “We’ll keep her safe. And then we’ll find out if Sherry is hiding anything.”
Laney’s eyes met his, haunted but resolute. She gave a small nod, and he knew she was ready to face whatever answers Sherry had to give.
“You know Sherry could try to kill us,” he reminded her.
He didn’t need to spell out the thought. From the look in Laney’s eyes, the possibility had already lodged itself deep inside her.
Laney gave a nod, her mouth settling into a tight line.
“The safe thing to do is vest up before we head out,” Harlan went on. “It’s only a short drive to her place, but after what happened on that road… we don’t take chances.”
“You’re right,” Laney agreed. Her voice wavered, then steadied. “We’ll do it.”
Harlan squeezed her shoulder once and then stepped back. “I’ll check with Garrett, make sure everything here’s covered.”
He turned toward the door, ready to head down the hall, when his phone buzzed in his pocket. The sharp alert tone sliced through the silence, and his gut clenched, because it was the sound of the motion sensors.
