“I doubt this is the first time he’s spent the night out here alone.”
“What if he runs into a bigger and more powerful animal?” A vision of her defenseless little friend at the mercy of wild animals stole her voice.
Ryan climbed the stairs, invading her personal space and coming eye-to-eye with her. “Why, Mia Blackburn, I think you actually care about something of the male persuasion. Maybe there’s hope for me in the future.”
Picking up on his light mood, she stabbed her finger into his firm chest. “What? A future? For someone who just told me he never wanted a long-term relationship again, this sounds to me like you’re hoping to start one.”
He latched onto her finger and pulled her against his chest. His eyes were smoky and irresistible in the shadowed light. “Newsflash, Mia. Women aren’t the only ones who can change their minds. I may have found a reason to reconsider.”
She opened her mouth to issue a snappy comeback, but his lips descended on hers before she could speak. Soft and warm, they melted away the cold that had taken hold of her body. She slid her hands over his shoulders and up his neck, past the rough stubble of his jaw. Just as her fingers tickled the ends of his hair, he set her away.
He traced her face and then leaned close. “I’ll see you in the morning,” he whispered with his breath tickling her neck.
He jogged down the steps and to his pickup. She touched the spot on her neck and listened to his truck door slam.
Had he just asked to pursue a future with her or was he simply flirting? She shook her head and went inside. Didn’t matter what his intentions were. She wouldn’t get involved with him for the long run.
Problem was, she’d proven she was barely able to resist his kindhearted nature for a few days. How would she survive unscathed for an entire year?
23
The next morning, dressed in her favorite jeans and equally favorite T-shirt that always brought her comfort, Mia called for Bandit from the porch. No response. Hands cupped around her mouth, she yelled three more times. The only attention she drew was from Sierra and Chad, both clad in their white suits working in the area by the barn.
Nothing for it but to go look for Bandit.
A patrol car pulled down the drive and parked near the barn. Russ. Maybe he had news. Searching for Bandit would wait. She jogged down the steps and across the yard to meet up with Russ. Hopefully, he would let her stay, and she could hear his conversation with Sierra.
The sun beamed from clear skies as usual this time of year, shining down on the rubble and not improving the look of devastation. And no matter how fresh and sweet the breeze usually was around here, it couldn’t do anything for the burnt smell that lingered in the air.
She swallowed away her unease and approached the couple.
“Good morning,” she said, doing her best to seem sociable and not like an interloper. “Could I offer anyone breakfast or some tea? Coffee?”
Russ shook his head. “Just here to get an update.”
“I’m good for now,” Sierra said. “But maybe later if you’re around. Seems like I’m always hungry these days.”
“You said in the voicemail that you have some results,” Russ said to Sierra and didn’t tell Mia to take a hike, so she relaxed a notch.
Sierra shifted to face Russ. “We were able to lift two sets of prints from the charms on the bracelet, and a set on the fake hand, but none of the prints returned a match.”
“Did you get prints from my father and David?” she asked.
Russ shook his head. “They consulted with your dad’s attorney. He told me they’d be glad to comply when we have a court order compelling them to do so.”
She gritted her teeth. “What you expected.”
“It is.” Russ tightened his gaze. “But don’t go reading anything into this. It’s a common response even for innocent parties.”
“And especially for my father.”
“If you say so.”
“When you get the prints, I’ll be glad to run a comparison,” Sierra said.
Mia was thankful Sierra was moving them on. “What about the letters or box? Any prints there?”
“Paper is trickier to process and will have to wait until we get back to the lab, but we did get a print from the bullet casing. It matched one of the prints lifted from the bracelet as did the print from the hand.”
