twinkle in his eyes.
She knew that twinkle
well. Just like she knew what his body felt like pressed up against her own.
Just like she knew what his hands felt like when they ran possessively over her
skin. Stop it! She commanded herself. Don’t go there. Just don’t. “What? Josh doesn’t stock coffee at his place?”
“He does, but he’s not
very good company this morning. He needs his beauty rest and he didn’t get it
last night.”
She watched him climb
down from the horse all lean muscles and smiles and felt her stomach tremble. Dear
God, she thought, you idiot! You can’t love him. You can’t love a man
you can’t trust! And trusting him again was out of the question.
Especially, she thought grimly, considering his chosen profession as a
politician. “I suppose I could spare a cup.” She looked to the horse he’d had
in tow. “You have something else in mind, senator?”
“Actually, I do,” he told
her as he tied the reins of both horses off to the porch railing. His gaze
locked with hers and a corner of his mouth lifted. “The moment I laid eyes on
you last night all kinds of things came to mind.”
She didn’t miss his
meaning but decided to shove it to the side. “About my sister,” she guessed.
“For starts,” he answered,
coming up the steps.
“There can’t be any more
than that.”
Again, with that same
crooked smile he told her, “We’ll see about that.”
There he went again,
making her stomach flutter. In the interest of her own safety she turned and
headed into the house, leaving him to follow along behind. When she heard the
door shut softly behind him she turned back to him. “I was going to catch up to
you today anyway. I forgot to tell you something important last night.”
He shoved his gloves into
his coat pockets and hung the coat on a peg by the front door. “You didn’t
stick around long enough to tell me much last night. You ran like a rabbit the
minute my mother walked up to us.” Again, his gaze delved into hers, probing
for answers. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing. I… I was just
overwhelmed, seeing you so unexpectedly.”
He frowned, not really
buying her reply, but he decided to let it go for the moment.
“C’mon, I’ll get you some
coffee.”
He followed her through
the small living room, his eyes traveling the place. He’d not stepped foot in
it in thirteen or so years. Not since the last day he’d seen Lizzie. The memory
of that day was etched into his mind. As was the pain.
“In an effort to help
find whoever tried to kill my sister I told Matt I felt she’d been up to
something shady the day she disappeared,” Lizzie told him, reaching into the
cupboard for another coffee mug. She inspected it carefully before pouring
coffee into it. Katy, she’d discovered, was not the best at washing her dishes.
JD pulled a chair out
from under the tiny kitchen table and turned it around to straddle it. “When
did you tell him this?”
“The day she showed up on
the back porch.” She turned to bring him his coffee and hesitated ever so
briefly, seeing him sitting there that way, his eyes on her every move. “He was
pretty pissed I hadn’t told him sooner.” She handed over the mug, making sure
not to let her fingers brush his. “He’ll be even more pissed when he finds out
we’re hiding more information from him.”
“You worried about upsetting
Matt?”
She detected the
jealously and it elated her. Stupid! She chastised herself. Stupid! “Not as long as I’m not breaking any laws and will get thrown in jail. I’ve no
intention of keeping a cot in a jail cell warm. Katy did enough of that for the
both of us.”
The law thing was iffy
and he knew it. “As far as he’s concerned you don’t know about the blackmail.”
“Blackmail,” she
She knew that twinkle
well. Just like she knew what his body felt like pressed up against her own.
Just like she knew what his hands felt like when they ran possessively over her
skin. Stop it! She commanded herself. Don’t go there. Just don’t. “What? Josh doesn’t stock coffee at his place?”
“He does, but he’s not
very good company this morning. He needs his beauty rest and he didn’t get it
last night.”
She watched him climb
down from the horse all lean muscles and smiles and felt her stomach tremble. Dear
God, she thought, you idiot! You can’t love him. You can’t love a man
you can’t trust! And trusting him again was out of the question.
Especially, she thought grimly, considering his chosen profession as a
politician. “I suppose I could spare a cup.” She looked to the horse he’d had
in tow. “You have something else in mind, senator?”
“Actually, I do,” he told
her as he tied the reins of both horses off to the porch railing. His gaze
locked with hers and a corner of his mouth lifted. “The moment I laid eyes on
you last night all kinds of things came to mind.”
She didn’t miss his
meaning but decided to shove it to the side. “About my sister,” she guessed.
“For starts,” he answered,
coming up the steps.
“There can’t be any more
than that.”
Again, with that same
crooked smile he told her, “We’ll see about that.”
There he went again,
making her stomach flutter. In the interest of her own safety she turned and
headed into the house, leaving him to follow along behind. When she heard the
door shut softly behind him she turned back to him. “I was going to catch up to
you today anyway. I forgot to tell you something important last night.”
He shoved his gloves into
his coat pockets and hung the coat on a peg by the front door. “You didn’t
stick around long enough to tell me much last night. You ran like a rabbit the
minute my mother walked up to us.” Again, his gaze delved into hers, probing
for answers. “What was that all about?”
“Nothing. I… I was just
overwhelmed, seeing you so unexpectedly.”
He frowned, not really
buying her reply, but he decided to let it go for the moment.
“C’mon, I’ll get you some
coffee.”
He followed her through
the small living room, his eyes traveling the place. He’d not stepped foot in
it in thirteen or so years. Not since the last day he’d seen Lizzie. The memory
of that day was etched into his mind. As was the pain.
“In an effort to help
find whoever tried to kill my sister I told Matt I felt she’d been up to
something shady the day she disappeared,” Lizzie told him, reaching into the
cupboard for another coffee mug. She inspected it carefully before pouring
coffee into it. Katy, she’d discovered, was not the best at washing her dishes.
JD pulled a chair out
from under the tiny kitchen table and turned it around to straddle it. “When
did you tell him this?”
“The day she showed up on
the back porch.” She turned to bring him his coffee and hesitated ever so
briefly, seeing him sitting there that way, his eyes on her every move. “He was
pretty pissed I hadn’t told him sooner.” She handed over the mug, making sure
not to let her fingers brush his. “He’ll be even more pissed when he finds out
we’re hiding more information from him.”
“You worried about upsetting
Matt?”
She detected the
jealously and it elated her. Stupid! She chastised herself. Stupid! “Not as long as I’m not breaking any laws and will get thrown in jail. I’ve no
intention of keeping a cot in a jail cell warm. Katy did enough of that for the
both of us.”
The law thing was iffy
and he knew it. “As far as he’s concerned you don’t know about the blackmail.”
“Blackmail,” she
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