“I understand—”
“Do you?” She turned to look at him. “Would you turn one of your brothers in if he broke the law?”
“Yes.”
“You don’t know that. Nobody knows what they’d do until they’re actually in it.”
She pushed the door open and stepped out. She was halfway to the porch when she heard his door open and felt his hand close around her arm, turning her gently to face him.
“You’re right that I haven’t been where you are,” he said. “But your sister has done this before. You weren’t the first person she stole from. She stole from your aunt too. What would your aunt do if Avery had done it to her again?”
Aftyn exhaled. “She’d press charges. Same as she did the first time.”
“Right.”
She looked at him for a moment. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have snapped at you.”
“It’s fine. You’re allowed.” He let go of her arm but stayed close. “Let me ask you something. If a stranger had done exactly what Avery did to you, would you hesitate for a second?”
“No.”
“Then don’t hesitate now. She’ll do it again, Aftyn. As long as she can get away with it, she will.”
Aftyn reached for his hand. “You’re right. I’ll talk to Sam on Monday.”
“Good. Let’s get inside. I’m beat.”
“Me too.” She pressed her fingers to her temples. “This whole mess has given me a headache.”
“I’ll find you some aspirin. Come on. It’s getting chilly.” He turned toward the porch.
“Getting chilly? It’s downright cold.”
He looked back at her with a slow smile. “I could warm you up.”
“I thought you were tired.”
“Never too tired for you.”
She laughed and took his hand. “Let’s go inside.”
They came in out of the cold, shed their coats, and Ollie met them with his usual enthusiasm, tail going, circling until he’d gotten sufficient attention from both of them. Cole hung his hat on the peg, then took her hand and led her down the hall to the bedroom.
****
Cole was at the window with his coffee when she came in, watching the snow come down out of a dark grey sky.
“Good morning.”
He turned. “Morning. Sleep okay?”
“Not at first. I kept going over everything.” She pulled her robe tighter. “Avery.”
“We’ll head into town after breakfast. Get your statement on record.”
“Will Sam be in?”
“Probably not on a Sunday, but any deputy can take it. I should have thought of that last night.”
