Page 41 of The Coppersmith Farmhouse (Jamison Valley 1)
Jess
“The best,” she’d said in that sweet, soft voice she used for me often. Right after calling me “honey,” something I liked a whole lot.
I’d never taken anyone to Wade Lake before.
Fishing gave me a chance to free my mind, to ignore the burdens from my job, my mother and whatever else was weighing me down. Just a couple hours on crystal-clear water to find some peace. Let it all go. I usually drove the boat to a quiet, deserted corner and stayed there all day, unmoving.
Today had certainly not been quiet. Roe had clamored the entire time, taking turns talking to me, her mother or the dog. Georgia would call attention to animals, birds or whatever else she thought Roe would want to see. And I’d spent most of the day driv
ing them around the entire lake. Christ, I used more gas today than I had in all of last year combined.
But just like Friday night dinners at the café, I’d never go fishing alone again. Because what I’d thought was peace was just an illusion. Today, with Georgia and Roe, I learned what peace truly felt like.
Gigi
“Hey, baby.”
I was at the kitchen island chopping vegetables for stir-fry. Roe didn’t like it so I was glad she was outside playing with the kittens and not in the kitchen complaining about my dinner choice.
It was Tuesday night, two days since our fishing trip and his first sleepover, and Jess was just getting off work, coming to the farmhouse for dinner.
“Hi,” I said, lifting my cheek so he could give it a quick kiss. “How was crime fighting today, Sheriff?”
He leaned back against the counter opposite me. His arms crossed over his chest and his legs were planted wide, making his jeans pull just right at his thighs. He had rolled up his sleeves, revealing his strong forearms. His stance was hot. But my favorite part of Jess coming over was the way he’d walk around in bare feet. Now that was sexy.
I needed to fan my now-flushed face but didn’t want Jess to see.
He hadn’t shaved this morning so he had stubble on his handsome face. I couldn’t wait to feel that stubble against my skin later tonight. We’d been having some pretty hot make-out sessions. Jess always stopped us before we could get too carried away, usually leaving for his own house shortly after we stopped kissing.
At first it was fun. Like when you started kissing as a teenager. But, after weeks, I was over it. Way over it.
Both of us desperately wanted relief from the sexual tension that kept building tighter and tighter. But he was adamant about waiting until Rowen wasn’t at the house.
“Had to close the case on Alex Benson today,” Jess said, pulling my thoughts away from sex.
“Who?”
“Alex Benson. Guy who got that beating last month.”
“Oh, right. John Doe. Why did you have to close the case? Did you find out who beat him up?”
“Nope. He never did give Sam anything else to go on. Kept tight-lipped and then left town the day he got released from the hospital. I kept the file open a week in case someone came forward but decided today it was dead. Marked it unsolved and pulled Sam from digging. Not that he was finding much anyway.”
“Sorry,” I said.
He shrugged. “Nothing else to do. Need Sam working on other shit. It just sucks. I fucking hate not solving a case. It gnaws at me. Up until this summer, I was on a streak. Two years of a hundred percent closed cases.”
“Mommy?” Rowen called, interrupting our conversation.
“Kitchen!”
She came rushing through the door, carrying Captain Lewis in her arms.
“Mommy—”
“Rowen, you get that kitten outside. They don’t come in the house. We’ve talked about this.”
“But—”
