Cold Judgment by Joanne Fluke Page B

night. It’s nice to have someone to cuddle in the middle of the night.”
    She had blushed and nodded, not quite meeting his eyes. Her hands had trembled as she’d opened the suitcases and started to put away her things, but Mac had noticed her grateful smile.
    Bogie and Hepburn were going through the marriage ceremony now. Mac watched for a moment. This movie was one of his favorites. He knew every scene. Debra was so absorbed she didn’t even notice when her crochet hook slid off her lap and dropped to the rug.
    It was good, having Debbie here. Her clothes hung in his closet on the side that was empty after Mary had left. Now there were bright, feminine colors to balance his browns and grays. The scent of her perfume made the whole house smell wonderful. Her makeup sat on a tray in the bathroom, precisely arranged to take up the least amount of room. The bottles of shampoo and conditioner were in the shower, and Mac grinned. He had used the shampoo when he’d gotten home from work. Now the levels were no longer even.
    Mac hoped his untidy habits wouldn’t drive Debra up the wall. He was a notorious slob. Even though he tried, his clothes never seemed to wind up in the laundry basket. On wash day he had to check every room for forgotten items. And he wasn’t very good about doing the dishes. Mostly he made do with paper plates and TV dinners. He noticed that Debra had straightened up the refrigerator, and the bathroom sink was almost white again. Luckily Debra hadn’t found his beer can collection. He had 114 different labels on the top shelf in the spare room. They hadn’t been dusted in three years.
    The house was beginning to benefit from a woman’s touch. Pretty soon he wouldn’t be able to find anything without asking her. Mac was a little surprised to find it didn’t bother him a bit. He even promised himself that he’d try to be neater. Having Debra stay here was the best thing that had happened to him in a long time.
    Mac turned back to the movie in time to see the German gunboat blow up. Hepburn and Bogart were swimming to safety. There were tears in Debra’s eyes.
    â€œI just loved it!” She leaned back and sighed. “Our lives are so ordinary in comparison. There’s no romance anymore.”
    â€œMaybe there could be if two people were willing to take a chance.”
    Debra turned to look at him. She saw the warmth in his eyes. Mac wanted to make love to her.
    She knew she could put him off, misinterpret his meaning. It would be easy to pretend not to understand. But that would put a lie between them. She had to decide quickly before Mac noticed her fear.
    She wanted to make love with Mac. She felt a warm shudder of anticipation when she thought of it. But what if he couldn’t? What would happen then?
    â€œLet’s go to bed, Mac.” Debra tried to hide her nervousness as she smiled. She got up and a skein of yarn rolled to the floor. She left it there. Being neat and tidy wasn’t important right now.
    Debra’s hands were trembling as she went to the bathroom to put on her new nightgown. It was a thin silk negligee, totally unsuitable for winter. She had dashed into Dayton’s this afternoon to buy it, while Mac was down at the station. She had picked it on a whim, without even trying it on. It was totally unlike her to be so expensively spontaneous.
    Debra gasped as she faced her reflection in the mirror. The peach color made her skin seem rosy and enticing. Her breasts were barely covered by the lace of the neckline. Every curve of her body was revealed. The thin, clinging material was shamelessly transparent, falling over her hips in a sleek, unbroken line. She looked voluptuous and ripe, like an accomplished paramour.
    Suddenly Debra felt ridiculous. The negligee was so blatantly seductive that she was afraid to face Mac. How should she act? What would she say?
    Debra shivered in the cold bathroom. Perhaps she should