LITMIR.BIZ

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but no sound reached her.

      She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, then crept down the side of the barn. At the end of the barn she paused again and stiffened as she heard the crackle of dead grass around the corner. Her heart pounded in her chest and despite the chilly weather, her hand felt clammy as she gripped the pistol. She said a quick prayer, then spun around the corner, gun leveled.

      “Whoa!” Tanner said. “It’s me.”

      She hadn’t even realized she’d been holding her breath until it rushed out of her in a giant whoosh. She lowered her pistol and tried to will her racing heart into slowing.

      “Did you see him?” she asked.

      “No, but I found what was moving out here.”

      “What is it?”

      “Horses. There were two of them wandering around back here. I’ve put one back in the stall, and was going back for the other one when I heard you and came to investigate.”

      Panic rushed through her. “My horses!”

      She shoved the pistol into her sweatpants, then rushed past Tanner into the open pasture and squinted into the darkness, looking for the remaining horse. Finally, she spotted him about twenty yards away peacefully grazing at the edge of the fence. Softly, she called him and he nickered, then walked over to her, lowering his head to be rubbed. She rubbed his head and then took him by the halter and led him back into the barn.

      She flipped the light switch just inside the barn door and flooded the huge structure with fluorescent light. Her heart still racing, she scanned the stalls, doing a mental roll call.

      “Are they all there?” Tanner asked.

      “Yes, thank goodness.”

      “I didn’t know which stall the other horse belonged in, so I just put her in the first one.”

      “That’s hers,” she said as she led the other horse to the empty stall.

      Her racing heart was starting to slow and she gave the horse another head rub before exiting the stall. As she slid the dead bolt back into place, she looked over at Tanner, her panic now turning into anger.

      “If he was trying to piss me off,” she said, “this was the fastest way to do it. The last thing I will tolerate is someone putting my horses in danger, and they did not unfasten dead bolts and let themselves out.”

      Tanner nodded, his expression grim. “Don’t worry. I’m going to catch him.”

      His voice was so determined that Josie felt her hope rise just a bit. Tanner did not strike her as a man who was good with failure. Maybe with him on her side, she had a chance to get to the bottom of all this.

      He stepped close to her and looked directly at her. She looked up at him and forced herself not to take a step back. He was so virile, so male, and being that close to him made her body tingle in ways that had been dormant for a long time. Ways she intended to keep dormant forever.

      “You know,” he said, “that a swamp monster did not wander into your barn and turn your horses loose.”

      She blew out a breath, forcing herself to shift her focus from the incredibly attractive man in front of her and back to the night’s situation that could have ended badly. “I know.”

      “You need to think about who has a grudge against you, no matter how slight, and you need to tell me about every single one of them.”

      She nodded. The last thing she’d wanted to do was lay out her personal problems to a complete stranger, but she was going to have to give Tanner enough information to do his job. “I have an idea where to start.”

      Tanner looked around the barn. “I don’t think he’ll come back tonight. Let’s try to get some sleep, and we can talk in the morning.”

      “Okay,” Josie said. She reached for the light switch, but Tanner reached for her hand before she could turn the light off.

      “Leave it on,” he said, still holding her hand. “He’ll be less likely to try something in the light, and if he’s foolish enough to come back, it will be easier to catch him.”

      His hand was warm on hers, firm but gentle. The skin on his hands was rough in some places, as she would expect from someone who worked outdoors, but his rough skin pressed against hers made her instantly wonder how those strong, rugged hands would feel on the rest of her body.

      She pulled her hand from his and nodded. “Okay, then. I’ll leave it on until he’s caught.”

      Tanner walked out of the barn and she followed behind him and closed the door. They walked silently back to the house, and she couldn’t help wondering what he was thinking. Had he felt the same charge she had when he’d touched her hand?

      She hoped not, because if he made a move on her, she was afraid she’d abandon her vow to swear off men. And then she’d regret it.

      Getting involved with men always led her to regret.

      TANNER LOOKED OUTSIDE his bedroom window across the silent lawn. The light from the barn windows created a dim glow around it. When he’d told Josie that he didn’t think the vandal would return that night, he hadn’t been lying, but there was an uneasiness in the air that he didn’t like.

      Something was out there … watching, waiting.

      Someone thought they were being clever, but to what end was the question. Josie was hiding something from him. He’d known that from the beginning. Maybe after the scare with her horses, she’d be willing to part with whatever she was withholding.

      He stepped away from the window and shrugged off his jeans and shirt. What he needed to do was follow his own advice and get some rest. He’d just been thinking about a hot shower when he’d heard the noise earlier, but after seeing Josie all wet and wearing only a towel, a cold shower might be more in order.

      Even earlier in the barn, she was still gorgeous. No makeup, wet hair, baggy sweats and she was still the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. Over the years he’d seen her in magazine ads, usually for clothes, perfume or jewelry. He knew that usually those pictures were altered with filters and software, but for Josie, it wasn’t necessary. She was just as perfect now as she’d been when she was a teen.

      It had been a mistake to touch her. He could have told her to leave the light on. He didn’t have to grab her hand. Certainly, he didn’t have to hold it, but he hadn’t been able to resist making even the smallest contact.

      Her hand had been so warm, despite the outside chill. Her skin was soft and smooth, just as he’d imagined it would be, and his body had stirred from that tiny bit of contact. For a moment, she’d stared at him, then looked confused and just a tad nervous. He’d like to think it was because she was attracted to him, but he knew that was a high school fantasy that his overactive imagination had dug up from the place he’d buried it long ago.

      And that’s just where it belonged.

      He strode into the bathroom and turned the cold water on full blast. Any and all thoughts about Josie Bettencourt that didn’t have a direct bearing on the case had to go. He wasn’t about to disappoint his brothers by screwing up his first case.

      Making a fool of himself wasn’t on his list of things to do, either.

      JOSIE WAS UP BEFORE DAWN and out the door to check on her horses. Although she’d agreed with Tanner’s assessment that the vandal wouldn’t return that night, she was still relieved to see everything was in order in the barn. She doled out feed, hay and head rubs to all four of her beauties, then headed back inside to clean up and get ready for the breakfast conversation she’d tossed and turned about all night.

      She pulled off her boots in the utility room, put coffee on to brew and hurried upstairs for a quick shower. By the time she came back to the kitchen, Tanner was already standing at the back windows, looking out across the lawn and drinking coffee.

      He

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