LITMIR.BIZ

       Chapter Six

      Waylon had never been one for sleep much, but last night had been long and filled with dark shadows. It was almost as if Dunrovin had started to move in around him, threatening to trap him with its candy canes and pink princesses. He had managed to escape once before, but it had been when things had been ending with Alli. Now that he was back at the ranch, it was hard to remember any of the other reasons he’d left besides his disastrous marriage.

      Rolling out of bed and making his way to the kitchen, he was surprised to find Christina already standing in front of the coffeepot as it percolated and bubbled with life. The scent of hot coffee filled the kitchen, but beneath it was the heady aroma of the woman standing with her back to him. The strange mixture made him suck in a long breath, pulling the scent of her deep into his lungs. She smelled like shampoo, hay and something earthy. It reminded him of something he couldn’t quite put his finger on.

      Christina swayed her hips as though she were dancing to a song only she could hear, but as she moved, she hummed a few bars. A piece of hair fell from the butterfly clip that held up her blond locks. She was so dang beautiful. If he wasn’t here about her sister, if he was just living his everyday and somewhat mundane life back at Fort Bragg, he would have made his move. As it was, he simply stood there, taking her in.

      Last night there had been a moment when he’d been dancing with Winnie in her princess dress and he had caught Christina smiling. That look had almost made it seem possible she liked him, but he wasn’t sure he was qualified to get a good read on that woman. She was so confusing. Mad one minute, and the next she was giving him a look that in most circles meant they would be exchanging more than phone numbers.

      He chuckled.

      Christina turned around with a jump. “How long have you been standing there?” She pulled at her Van Halen nightshirt. There was a hole over her left hip, and her hand found the spot like she hated the thought of him seeing any part of her naked flesh.

      He smiled as he stared at her fingers and thought about the word naked. Just the thought made his body quiver to life. Yes, he could handle seeing her lying on his bed, waiting, wanting.

      “Waylon, how long have you been there?” She gave him a look as though she was wondering if he had lost his mind.

      “Huh? Not long.” He forced himself to look at the clock on the stove while he tried to get his body back under control, but mornings and him...well, it was just another battle that he rarely seemed to win. He shifted his weight to hide anything that might have slipped into view. “Actually, I was just going to grab a cup of joe before heading up to where they found Alli’s car.”

      “I thought you might have something in mind. I’m glad I caught you. I want to go.”

      “Haven’t you already gone up there?” A minute ticked by on the clock.

      She turned back to the cupboard and took out two travel mugs. “Yep, but after I saw you work the investigation on the car yesterday...well, I would love to think that you might be able to pull something from the scene, just like you pulled that note out of the headliner.”

      That was pure dumb luck, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to admit it to her. He liked the thought of her thinking he had some special gift when it came to an investigation. He would take being her hero any day.

      “I doubt there’s anything left up there for us to find. They went over that scene pretty good, according to Wyatt’s notes. And it’s been nearly a full week. By now, between the weather and normal wear and tear—well, we’d be lucky to even find the exact spot.”

      “I’ve been up there. I can show you where they found the car.” Christina sloshed the coffee into the cups. Her hands were shaking slightly.