Dead Heat by Kathleen Brooks

was too! They bickered over little things, like the fact she ate on the run as opposed to cooking a meal. But, at the same time, she had been enjoying herself with him- in more ways than one.
    She stopped when she heard a footfall behind her. Chuck growled and they both turned around. It made her worry even more when no one was there. Was she going crazy? No, Chuck seemed to have heard something too. She heard some noise, now coming from the direction she had been walking. She turned back up the street and saw a couple of mothers pushing strollers and some young kids running around them. They were coming from the school playground and were walking back into town.
    Something just didn’t feel right. Did the mothers scare off whoever was behind her? Chuck hadn’t moved from where he was looking. She followed his stare to the alley running along the feed store and butcher shop, less than a block from where she stood. Maybe she was jumping at ghosts, but she wasn’t about to find out. She looked at the street and when the slow moving pick-up truck towing hay passed by, she ran across. She looked around again, but didn’t see anything or anyone out of the ordinary. What really worried her was the fact she could still feel the vibrations of a low growl from Chuck. She walked as quickly as she could back towards town. She could see her shop across the street when a man stepped in front of her. She screamed and jumped back. Chuck growled and barked as he stood guard.
    “That’s not usually the reception I get when I run into a hot woman like you.”
    “Henry! Oh, you scared me.” She took a deep breath and looked around. She saw she was at the alley leading back to the parking lot behind the law office. She had been so intent on looking across the street that she hadn’t noticed what was right in front of her.
    “Again, not the normal reception I get.”
    “I am sorry. I just thought I was being followed and it freaked me out.” Paige looked back to where the moms were passing the feed store. There was no sign of the boogeyman.
    “It’s okay, really. You want me to walk you back to your boyfriend? You know, make sure you get there safe?”
    “Henry. How did you know Cole’s my boyfriend?”
    “Easy. Edna told John she saw you all go at in the office. No one who wasn’t dating you would be stupid enough to do that.”
    Paige groaned. If Edna was the second biggest gossip, then John Wolfe was the first. Between the two of them most of the state would know by now that she got kissed, and kissed well in her office all of thirty minutes ago.
    “What do you mean 'stupid enough'?”
    “Hello? Did you forget who your brothers are? I mean you’re great and all, but they’re a wee bit overprotective. Why do you think I have never hit on you?”
    Paige couldn’t decide whether that was a good thing or not. It was nice not being hit on by Henry, but finding a guy who wasn’t afraid of her brothers was close to impossible. Great. Her brothers were going to make her an old maid.
    “Thanks, Henry. If you just watch me, then I will head back to the store and let Cole know what’s going on.” Paige waved bye and ran across the street.

Chapter Seven
     
    Paige sat on the couch in her living room and watched Cole pace back and forth. The conversation had not gone well. Cole had first called the Sheriff’s Department and then her brothers. Red’s men were already outside looking around. Miles and Marshall were in Lexington and would get here soon. Ugh, a safety lecture from Cole, and then her brothers. As if an FBI agent wasn’t enough, her brothers' years of military intelligence were going to be even worse. It was bad enough when they were kids. But then the U.S. went and trained them to interrogate terrorists. This was really going to suck.
    “Paige, did you hear what I said?”
    “Hmm?” Paige snapped her focus back onto the irate Cole. 'Wait a minute' she thought. She watched him a couple seconds more as he ran his