LITMIR.BIZ

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dinner every night. They were all welcome—for a fee, of course, which Hadley charged only because her sister tended to get on her case when she didn’t—but usually one or two showed up.

      Fortunately, cooking for a handful of people was mindlessly familiar to Hadley, and by the time they sat down around the oval walnut table in the dining room, the resulting meal was perfectly edible and showed no sign that Hadley had fretted her way right through preparing it.

      In the morning, after she’d baked up a batch of sticky cinnamon rolls and cranberry walnut muffins, she prepared a small picnic basket and walked back downtown to Shane’s office.

      The door was unlocked. Carla wasn’t at her desk yet, but she could plainly hear her brother’s voice coming from his cubicle in the back, so she walked right through.

      His eyes perked up at the sight of the cloth-covered basket in her mittened hands, and he waved her over to the chairs. A good sign. Shane had always had a soft spot for her rolls.

      She set the basket on his desk and sat down, busying herself with tugging off her mittens and unwinding her red scarf from the collar of her serviceable blue parka while he finished his phone call.

      “So, you are still speaking to me.” He reached for the basket.

      She nimbly slid the basket out of his reach. “Have you come to your senses and let that poor man go?”

      “If I haven’t, you think I’m going to change my mind through your bribery attempts?”

      “I’m sure he didn’t really try to bribe you.”

      He folded his arms across the top of his desk. “Are you, now?”

      She had a moment’s pause. She had no idea what might have transpired between Shane and Wood when she wasn’t around.

      Then she thought of those intensely blue eyes that had occupied her dreams the entire night. “Yes. I am sure.”

      He eyed her, shook his head and sat back. “Fine. As it happens, I’ve let—”

      “Good morning.”

      Hadley jumped a little and turned her head. Wood stood behind them. His hair was darkly damp and falling over his forehead as if he’d just showered, and it partially obscured the fresh bandage there. He’d also replaced his bloodstained shirt with a royal blue one she distinctly remembered giving Shane two Christmases earlier. “Good… morning.” Speech was hard when her breath was caught in her throat.

      Shane grabbed a large manila envelope and held it toward Wood. “Check the contents and sign the report. Bus leaves for Billings in about thirty minutes. I’ll drive you over.”

      “You’re leaving? But what about your car?” She looked from Wood to her brother. She was glad Shane was being more reasonable about holding Wood, but she couldn’t say the same thing at all about the prospect of the man leaving so quickly.

      And wasn’t that ridiculous? He was a stranger, just passing through. A victim of her preoccupied driving, for pity’s sake. Of course he wants to get the heck out of Lucius. The silent thought mocked her.

      Shane gave the phone a glare when it started ringing. “His car’ll be fixed whether he’s in town or not.”

      Wood had upended the envelope over the side of Shane’s desk. A narrow leather wallet. The wad of bills, held by a silver clip engraved with a race car disappeared in the front pocket of his black jeans. Then he flipped open his wallet, looked inside, flipped it closed and pocketed it, as well, before scratching his name across the form Shane had indicated and shrugging into his leather bomber jacket.

      And still Shane’s phone rang. “I’ll give him a lift to the bus station,” she offered suddenly. “Better answer that. Carla’s not out front.”

      “She called in sick.”

      “All the more reason for me to give Mr. Tolliver a ride. It’s the least I can do,” she added hurriedly when Shane shook his head.

      “Appreciate it.” Wood picked up her scarf and handed it to her, as if the decision were made.

      She didn’t look at her brother as she tucked her fingers into her mittens and preceded Wood out of the cubicle. Behind her, she heard Shane pick up the phone, growling a greeting.

      “He’s usually more pleasant in the mornings,” Hadley whispered. She had to curtail the urge to run out of the office before she crumbled to Shane’s displeasure.

      Wood reached out and opened the door. The bell jingled softly. “He’s protective of you.”

      As soon as they stepped out on the sidewalk, Hadley realized that she didn’t have the means to even give Wood Tolliver a ride to the bus depot. Because her truck was still over at Stu’s garage.

      Embarrassed beyond belief, she looked up at him. “He’s had a lot of practice, I’m afraid. Of being protective, I mean. I, um, I forgot one detail.” The fringed ends of her scarf skipped around in the breeze. “My keys are across the street at the garage. And Riva—she kind of manages the place for my brother—won’t be there for another hour at least.” She felt like an utter fool, which was something she ought to be used to, considering she’d been feeling foolish since she’d run him off the road. “I’ll tell Shane he should take you. I can answer his phones while he’s out.” She reached for the door.

      Wood closed his hand over hers and she jumped. His eyes narrowed a little and he let go. “Are you afraid of me?”

      “No! No, of course not.” She pressed her hands together. She was not so stupid that she’d tell him she’d felt a zing right through the fluffy red mitten when he’d touched her hand. He’d probably laugh right out loud at her. “I’m not afraid of anyone.” Which wasn’t strictly true if she thought about it. “And Lucius isn’t big, but walking all the way out to the bus depot would take too long, so—”

      “I don’t want to go to the bus depot. Is there a café around here or something?”

      “Yes, of course. But Shane—”

      “Doesn’t much like strangers in his town. He made that abundantly clear.” He toyed with the fringe of her scarf that had blown across his sleeve. “The burger your sheriff gave me last night was okay, but I haven’t had a full meal since yesterday morning. I’m starving.”

      And she couldn’t seem to draw in a normal breath. “The Luscious Lucius has the best waffles around.”

      “Luscious,” he murmured softly. “Interesting name. Any other restaurants?”

      “Sure. But Luscious is the best for breakfast. And lunch.”

      “And dinner?”

      “The Silver Dollar. I know the owner.”

      “I’ll bet you know everyone in town.”

      “Not quite, but close.” She didn’t know how they’d come to be standing so closely. She could smell the clean scent of soap on him and it was definitely affecting her thought processes. “Sort of comes with my dad being a minister at the largest church in town and my brother being the sheriff.” She swallowed and reached past him, pointing down the street. “Luscious is right over there. See the sign? It’s kind of small.”

      He lifted the ends of her scarf and slowly looped them together. “It’s cold out.”

      She nodded hesitantly. The truth was, her skin felt as though it was being melted from the inside. “If you miss the bus this morning, there’ll be another one late this afternoon. Tomorrow’s Saturday, though, and there’s only that last run until Monday.”

      “I couldn’t care less what the bus schedule is, today or tomorrow.”

      “I thought you wanted to leave.”

      “Your brother wants me to leave.” His knuckles brushed her jaw as he tucked

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