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“Troubled.” The word had left Bryce’s lips before she could consider the wisdom of sharing her friend’s private business.

She trusted Finn. As a cop and as a person. He would never share anything she told him in secret. Plus, he was her boss. He had a right to know what she was working on when she was in the office. Even if it was on her own time.

His smile faded. “What’s wrong?”

She shared the few details she knew about Jacob Pearson, well aware that there wasn’t enough to warrant an official investigation, but fully committed to making sure her friend wasn’t in danger.

It was clear that Finn remained on the fence. “Jacob Pearson sounds sketchy, but it’s not really our jurisdiction,” he pointed out.

“It might be.”

“Why? You think he followed her to Rushville?”

“No, but Livia caught Jacob sneaking into her house a couple of weeks ago,” she said. “And he wasn’t alone. She thinks she saw Winston Durand come in and attack him.”

Finn stiffened. “Winston Durand was in her house in New Orleans?”

“That’s what she said.” Bryce tapped on the keyboard of her computer, logging into her private email account. “Let’s see if she sent the picture.” She scanned through the junk until she found what she wanted. “Yep. Here it is.”

“She’s sure it was Winston?” Finn demanded, moving so he could peer over her shoulder.

Bryce breathed in the scent of a warm male soap, pretending the heat from his body wasn’t sending tingles of pleasure down her spine. Since returning to Rushville she’d become the queen of denial.

“No, and this picture isn’t exactly conclusive.” She clicked on the email, opening the attachment to reveal the blurred picture from Livia’s phone.

“That’s an understatement,” Finn murmured. “It could be anyone.”

Finn straightened and stepped away, his expression hard to read. It was only then that Bryce remembered that the Maxwells were related to the Durands, like his grandfather had been a brother to Winston’s grandfather or something.

“Sorry. I forgot he’s a distant cousin, isn’t he?”

He looked offended by the reminder. “Very distant. Just like I’m distantly related to half the people in this parish.”

“True.” In such a small town, it was hard not to have a family connection. She was different. Her family had originally lived in Chicago. They’d moved to Rushville when Bryce was a baby to get away from the big city. The one thing they hadn’t considered was the possibility that Bryce’s mom would grow bored with living in such a small town. Or that she’d take off with the first man who offered her a way out. “I promised to check out Jacob just to make sure he isn’t a threat, but I’ll do it in my personal time.”

Finn waved a hand toward her computer. “No, go ahead and do it now. It’s not like we have anything pressing to deal with.”

“Really?”

“Livia will be in the area for the next couple of weeks,” he said, revealing his awareness of Livia’s compulsory visits to the Willows. Of course, most people in Rushville knew about Henri Benoit’s crazy will. “It’s our job to keep her safe.”

“Thanks, Finn.” She was genuinely grateful. “I hate to be late getting home to Josie.”

“Speaking of Josie, did you find her stuffed hippo?”

Bryce’s breath tangled in her throat. She didn’t know why Finn’s kindness toward Josie always caught her off guard. Maybe because most men didn’t hide their boredom when she mentioned Josie. Even the ones who wanted to date her.

“My dad put it in the washer and forgot to tell me. A near tragedy averted.”

“So peace has returned?”

“Don’t be silly. Josie is four. This morning I fixed her the wrong cereal, socks are stupid, and the rain hurts her face.”

Finn glanced toward the window where the early morning rain had given way to blue skies and smothering heat.

“Well, the rain can be unpleasant and socks are stupid. I can’t comment on the cereal.”

He glanced back at Bryce and they shared a smile. The sort that led to dangerous emotions and stupid decisions.