Page 38 of Breathe Me In

“You trying to make me feel better?”

“Maybe.” I held the door open. “Is it working?”

“Maybe.” She shrugged, and we headed toward her addiction and ordered our treats.

As we drove toward my parents’ place, the car soon smelled like a bakery, and I eyed her extra-large coffee and warm cinnamon bun and wished I’d caved and gotten one. She licked her slim fingers, and my stomach clenched. My appetite suddenly went from a warm bun to a much warmer feeling inside. Get yourself together. I pretended not to notice when she looked over and forced myself to focus on the road and not how much I wanted to taste the sweetness from her lips.

I spent as much time as I could at my parents’ place now that Ronnie was back home for good. My brother’s PTSD made me worry. His time overseas in the service might have been over, but he still carried a lot of it with him. I knew it was hard on my mom and dad to see him slip in and out of the dark places, as he called them. By being there, I acted as a buffer. The fact that Dad was fixing the fence around the property gave me a good reason to be there, and I liked to help.

“Another dead end.” Bree pulled me from my thoughts as she held up her phone. “Smith said the guys in the photo were her friends who all have an alibi for Shelly’s murder, and the phone number was to a dry cleaner.”

“On to the next lead.” I squeezed her arm to let her know it was all right.

“Yeah, I guess so.”

It started to rain when we hit the highway, and we were in the middle of a good downpour. Bree angled the vents in her direction.

“It’s cold,” she explained as I looked at her. “And I don’t like leaving my truck in town,” she grumbled. I smirked at her. I loved that she was still pissed I’d convinced her to leave her hunk of a truck at the station. I liked having her with me. She wasn’t the girl next door anymore. I had to be honest with myself, it felt good to just be with her.

“But it worked out for Patrick.”

“Mm-hmm.” She knew I was right. He was already in town with Maxine and wanted to borrow Bree’s truck to haul some stuff home from the feedstore. “He’d better be careful with my truck. She’s touchy at times.” I turned off the road and headed down her long driveway.

“That I believe.” I laughed and ran a hand through my hair when I caught her glare. “You know, you’re still cute when you’re mad.”

She glared harder.

“Oh, not the main house.” She pointed for me to swing around and head toward the cabins. “I’m living over there now. Number three.” She tucked her coat around herself as I pulled in, then reached for her bag. “Thanks to Lainey, I’m now bunking with a bunch of businessmen who thought this place was better than a hotel. I really like it, actually. I like my space, and this allows it.”

I didn’t like it, but I couldn’t say much. I turned off the car and looked at the cozy cabin.

“Wait here.” I opened my umbrella and got out into the pouring rain and hurried to her side. “Come on.” I walked her to the covered porch and waited for her to open the door, though not before glancing at the other cabins around her, wondering what kind of men were just a few steps away from her.

As I stepped inside, I immediately felt comfortable. Her cabin was nice and homey with a bit of country living woven through. It was a big open room with a fireplace straight ahead and a door off to the right that led to what I assumed was a bathroom. She had set up a big whiteboard where she had written some thoughts on our case. She bent to quickly light the fireplace that was all laid for her and hung her jacket from a peg on the wall.

“This is home.” She waved.

I looked around and admired the place again, before spotting cookies on the table. “Are these . . . ?” I lifted the glass dome on the cake display and snagged one. I’d forgotten that her mom could bake a mean cookie. “Oh my god, they are!” I let the chocolate melt in my mouth and fought the urge to groan. Her mother always used to have them for us after school when we were kids. I leaned on the table and watched her plug in her phone and laptop. “So, when’s your date arriving?”

She reached around me and held up a package. “He’s already here.”

She barely had time to blink as I grabbed the package and tore it open. I pulled in my chin, and my brows shot up as I eyed the sex toy in my hand.

“Hey!” She grabbed it from me and tossed it onto the bed, where it turned on and did a little flop and a wiggle motion, then died. “That’s not for you.”

“No, it’s not.” I laughed, and she gave me the finger. “Seriously, you don’t need a fake—you can get the real thing from almost any guy we met today.”

“Right.” She sipped her coffee and looked out the window as the rain pelted it. “I’m not really into dating strangers right now. So, he’ll”—she pointed to her bed—“have to do.” She slowly turned, and I saw an expression I didn’t recognize cross her face. “Hey, Brad?” I felt my insides twist with heat. “You still know how to ride?”

“A horse, you mean?” I grinned.

“Yes, you idiot.” She laughed.

I side-eyed her. “Yeah.”

“Great.” She beamed. “Meet me here tomorrow at noon.”

“Why?” I swallowed hard as I watched her reach back to undo her damp dress. The zipper was partway down when she grabbed something silk from the dresser drawer, then headed into what I assumed was the restroom. “Hey, you never answered me.”