“I’ll be in the study as usual. You may want to turn on the light outside beside the door.” She waved that direction. “It’s grown quite dark.”
Brad reached past Cara to pull the back door open as she flipped the switch, inhaling the fresh, subtle fragrance wafting from her hair. It smelled like springtime and hope and—
“Give me a couple of minutes to get the laptop and bag.” Cara angled toward him after she exited onto the galérie. “I’ll meet you here.”
Laptop. Bag. Right.
“I’ll, uh, check my messages while I wait.” And try to corral his unruly hormones.
Unfortunately, they weren’t anywhere near under control when she rounded the corner of the house four minutes later.
“Let me take those for you.” He motioned to the items shewas carrying, putting his back to the light to keep his face in shadows. Who knew what his expression looked like?
“I’ve got the laptop, but if you want to carry the bag, I’d appreciate it.” She handed it over.
They descended the steps from the galérie and walked down the path. “So now that we’ve left Natalie behind, what’s your take on the fire?”
Twin furrows creased her forehead, visible despite the darkness closing in around them as the glow from the light beside the door faded. “I don’t know what to make of it. From what I’ve seen during our brief acquaintance, Natalie’s not careless in general, and certainly not with anything that could be dangerous. And her mind is as sharp as mine. If she says she didn’t burn a potholder and put it in the trash, I’m inclined to believe her.”
“She did have two dizzy spells in the past week, though. I wonder if they could have messed with her brain.”
“Not that I’ve seen, and I worked with her for hours last week. To tell you the truth, she’s as puzzled by the dizzy spells as she is by the fire. She told me that other than her bout with polio and an illness during her college days, she’s always been in excellent health.”
“I’ll talk with Paul and Lydia, since they were in the house today. I don’t have contact information for her cousin.”
“I’m sure Natalie would provide it if you asked, but I doubt any of them—” Cara caught her breath as she stumbled on an uneven flagstone.
He grabbed her arm. “Watch your step.”
“Thanks.” Once she regained her balance, he released her arm and they continued forward. “I usually take a flashlight if I’m out at night. Which I try not to be.”
They rounded a bend in the path, and the cottage came into view ahead of them, a dim light burning by the door.
“I don’t blame you. It would be easy to fall in the dark.”
“I’m not concerned about that. But the criminal element tends to like the dark.”
“I don’t expect you’ll run into anyone out here except Micah. Granted, he’s a bit odd, but he’s never been involved in any trouble in all the years he’s lived on the property. I doubt Natalie would keep him around if she had any worries about his character.”
Cara stopped in front of the cottage and pulled out her key. “That’s what Steven, her cousin, says. I suppose for a city girl, isolation can breed apprehension.”
He pivoted away to scan the surroundings. “Caution is never out of place.”
“I’m sorry.” She touched his arm. “I missed that.”
He swiveled back to her, letting the dim light beside the door illuminate his face as he repeated the comment.
“That’s what my brother and sister always tell me.” She smiled. “I suppose law enforcement types all think alike.”
“You have cops for siblings?”
“No. A detective and a fire investigator.”
“That’s a lot of law enforcement in one family. Were you tempted to join the ranks too?”
“No. I’m content to spend my days diving into research that would put most people to sleep—including my siblings. They investigate deaths—and other crimes. I investigate dying languages.” The corners of her lips tipped up, and she shrugged. “What can I say?”
“I can’t speak to your research overall, but I think your current project is very interesting.”
