LITMIR.BIZ

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before I leave this afternoon.”

      She seemed eager to get rid of him. How could she so easily push him away? This was not what he expected at all, not after the magic they’d generated together. He wrestled his disappointment under control.

      Maybe the intensity scared her. And they had only just met yesterday. He shouldn’t rush her. He may be ready to take that plunge, but maybe she wasn’t.

      “All right.”

      “Good.” A flicker of a smile curved up her mouth, but seemed rather forced. “I’ll see you there, then.”

      With that, she left him standing nude in the bedroom, unmade bed to his left and the smell of her shower wafting from the bathroom.

      She might be running scared, but he wasn’t about to let go so soon. One night wasn’t nearly enough.

      * * *

      Sitting in the bright lobby at DAI, Reese stared out the front window. Last night tracked through her head, from the treat of seeing the wild horses to the moment she fell into contented sleep, wrapped in Jamie’s strong arms. Any more of that and she’d be lost. She’d belong to a man who’d sweep her away from everything she’d worked so hard to achieve. He didn’t realize it, but getting messed up with her would only lead to a broken heart. She’d be doing him a favor by leaving as casually as possible.

      If only her knotting stomach would agree.

      The front door clicked open and the sight of Jamie in tan pants and a dress shirt with a tie and a leather jacket came with a familiar electric zap. She could see his glowing blue eyes from all the way across the lobby. She began to get hot just watching him stride toward her. Even her subtle rejection this morning hadn’t dimmed his inexhaustible supply of confidence. She might have gotten herself into a fine mess with this one.

      He stopped in front of her.

      The receptionist had gone in the back office and hadn’t returned. They were alone.

      “I can see now we should have had a much more in-depth conversation about our expectations,” he said.

      “It’s too soon to talk expectations,” she replied.

      “I was in the military before I joined a private military company. I didn’t have time for serious relationships. I had a couple, but they didn’t last and didn’t come near what we had last night.”

      “Jamie...” She stood.

      “What about you? You’re pretty young, so I’m guessing you haven’t had many, if any, serious relationships.”

      Why was he going into this now? He seemed to have a habit of getting right to his point. He knew precisely what he was after, and right now that was her. Maybe he was operating on unfamiliar ground. He’d never gone after a woman this seriously before.

      She decided his tactic was wise. Just come out and lay it out for him right now. “I’ve dated and been with two men fairly long-term. They lasted a year and two years. I’m not looking for anything serious right now. You said it—I’m young. I’m not ready for that yet.”

      In his silence, she couldn’t tell if that crushed his hopes or not.

      “Of course,” he finally said. “We only just met yesterday. It’s far too early to be talking serious relationship.”

      Did they have an understanding? Why did she get the feeling he’d strategically set his course in action?

      “Ms. Harlow?”

      Grateful for the interruption, Reese said to Jamie, “I’ll stop by your office on my way out.”

      “Mr. Tandy will see you now.”

      Reese stepped around Jamie and followed the receptionist through the back offices. The receptionist let her pass at Kadin’s door.

      Her heart thumped harder and faster. How would Kadin take the news she was about to drop?

      He approached the door and, seeing Jamie walk toward the opposite office, called after him, “Jamie. You might as well join us.”

      Reese smothered a gasp. “No, it’s all right. You and I can just talk.”

      “Don’t be silly. Jamie was here yesterday. He might as well listen in now. I don’t have much anyway, not more than we already discussed.” He turned and walked back into his office. “How was your evening together?”

      So, that’s why he invited Jamie. He didn’t know how tortured she would be with him near her, much less given what she was about to tell him.

      Jamie grinned as he passed her, winking in a way that warmed her to the point of awkwardness. She couldn’t resist him. Her body wanted to smile and so it did.

      Reluctantly, she went to the seating area, where Kadin waited.

      Jamie sat next to her on the sofa and she wished she had taken the chair adjacent to Kadin. His mere presence, with his big body and fresh scent, sent a pleasurable shiver through her.

      “Your cold case is quite interesting,” Kadin began. “The notes are all very small-town, but the sheriff did a thorough job collecting evidence.”

      “Small-town?” Should she be insulted?

      A flash of a smile lifted his lips. “It was like reading a mystery. I could follow his thoughts like the character in a book. He made comments about the people of Never Summer that made it rather entertaining.”

      When she’d read it she hadn’t picked up on that. But then, she lived there.

      He stood and went to the whiteboard on the wall beside the seating area. “Even though it seems there wasn’t much to collect, I’m confident we’ll find some trace evidence.” He picked up a marker and wrote Ella, Tourism and Highway 149 in a row and spaced apart. “There are a few areas I’m not sure were examined close enough.” He turned to look at them, marker in hand. “Ella is from California. No one checked there for family because she told everyone she had no family.” He drew a line from the word Ella and wrote Family? “That includes checking out Jeffrey’s alibi. Also, why did Ella move to Never Summer? When did she move there? These are all questions that were never asked at the time of her murder.” He drew a line from the word Tourism. “Never Summer survives on its tourism industry. Since no one in town was a suspect, it seems likely a stranger passed through and may have committed the crime. I found nothing in the report to suggest any tourists were questioned.” He wrote Locate and Question Tourists. “And the highway. Why dump the victim’s body on that road? Sure, it’s remote, but it’s also close to Never Summer and no attempt was made to hide or conceal the body...” He wrote, Why this highway in this direction?

      Reese sat transfixed and in awe. He’d just laid out the course of her investigation for her. She could learn a lot from this man...her father.

      “I can help more if you’d like.”

      The offer chased her awe away. If he helped with the investigation, she’d have to see more of him. He didn’t even know she was his daughter. That had to be addressed first. She had to tell him before any of this went any further.

      “Yes, well...” She cleared her throat and adjusted her position on the sofa, clasping her hands on her lap. This was harder than she thought. Not only for her, but for what it would mean to him.

      “There’s something I need to tell you.”

      Kadin’s brow rose a fraction and Jamie looked sharply at her.

      “I...I didn’t come here to talk about the case. I...I mean I did, but...but there’s another reason.”

      Kadin looked from Jamie to her, clearly perplexed.

      “Maybe you should sit down for this.” Oh, God, she was nervous. Did she really want to do this? What choice did she have? He deserved to know. He had a right to know.

      She licked her lips

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