He nudged her toward the driveway when she started up the cobblestone walk to retrieve her suitcases. Ill get them. You go get in the blue truck. He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and pushed a button. Lights came on at the end of the driveway, slanting light across Aarons grim features.
She felt annoyance flood her system. Id rather drive my own car.
He gave her a considering look. Youre tired and youre shaking. You dont need to be driving. Ill get a deputy to bring your car to the marina tomorrow.
Picking her battles, Melissa relented, trudging through the frost-limned grass to an enormous blue pickup truck sprawled across the mouth of her driveway. Feel free to pee on his upholstery, she muttered to Jasper as she put him on the small bench seat behind the front bucket seats.
He sniffed the length of the bench as she pulled herself wearily into the passenger seat and shut the door behind her. The trucks cab was warm compared to the bitter cold outside. It smelled better than she expected, toospicy, a little masculine.
Like Aaron Cooper himself, a traitorous teenage voice whispered in her head.
Melissa tucked her legs up and rested her chin on her knees, gazing through the windshield at Aaron as he lifted her suitcases as if they were lunchboxes. He may have left his football career behind, but he still looked good, she noted grudgingly. Hed been leaner in high school, but the extra flesh seemed to be all muscle.
Too bad he was such a bully.
Aaron heaved the suitcases into the truck bed, where they landed with gentle thuds. Circling to the drivers side, he opened the cab door and looked over the seat at her.
For a second, the suspicion in his eyes melted, revealing sympathy. He shrugged off his thick brown leather jacket and handed it across the seat to her. Here, put that on. And buckle up.
He belted himself in while Melissa pulled the enormous jacket around her. It swallowed her whole, enveloping her in the same heady scent that filled the cab of his truck. She held her breath, holding that scent inside her for a moment. She felt sixteen all over again, tongue-tied and hopelessly infatuated with the star football player who barely even knew she was alive.
But a quick glance at Aaron Coopers stony profile dragged her back to the present reality. She was temporarily homeless, frozen half-solid and apparently the prime suspect in a case of arson. And Aaron was a big, pushy guy who probably wouldnt think twice about twisting arms to get his way.
Lovely. Just lovely.
Do you honestly think I set my own house on fire with my dog and myself inside? she asked.
Aaron shot her a sidelong look. I think youre keeping something from me.
Thats not what I asked.
He shrugged. Lies make me antsy.
I havent lied.
He looked her way again. Why did you want us to drop the case, Ms. Draper?
The cool formality of his tone stung her, even though she knew it shouldnt. They were strangers, really. Passing in the halls and a few classes together didnt constitute a friendship.
Not that she wanted Aaron Cooper as a friend anyway. Shed known entirely too many men in her life who didnt know how to keep their handsor their fiststo themselves.
She turned her face away from him and gazed out the passenger window, remaining quiet.
I rest my case, Aaron said.
She bit back a protest. Anything she said in her defense would only pique Aarons interest more. He was probably going to find out about her pro bono work sooner or later, but the longer it took, the more time shed have to warn the women she worked with that scrutiny might be headed their way.
And maybe, if she could figure out which of the many violent men whod threatened her over the years was the one whod set fire to her house, she could tip off Aaron and put an end to the whole mess before he had to bother her clients.
The women she worked with had lived in sheer hell for years before making their escape. The last thing they needed was a nosy deputy dragging them back through hell all over again.
BY MIDMORNING, the day had warmed to the low fifties with bright sunlight to ward off the chill. The living room of the guest cottage was cozy and warm, morning sunlight through the front windows casting a cheerful glow across the homey furniture. Aaron found himself fighting the urge to stretch out on the sofa and take a nap.
Melissa and her puppy had disappeared into one of the bedrooms soon after theyd arrived, staying awake only long enough for a quick shower and the breakfast of eggs and toast Aarons mother had had waiting for them when they walked through the door to the lakeside cabin.
His mother, Beth, had also put fresh sheets on the beds and turned up the central heating to a cozy warmth. After Melissa had gone to bed, Beth had stayed a few minutes to talk to him, managing to glean the basics of Melissas plight from him with a few subtle, well-aimed questions.
You dont seriously think that poor girl tried to burn her own house down, do you? His mothers tone of voice had made him feel as if he were a complete creep to entertain the notion for a second.
Hed been relieved to admit he didnt think Melissa had set the fire. But he hadnt told his mother his strong feeling that Melissa knew who had.
The expression on her face when Perry had told them the fire had been set deliberately hadnt been shock. It had been fear, liberally tinged with a strange sort of fatalism, as if shed been waiting for just such a thing to happen.
So as he finished up calls to the office to brief his commander and get a few investigative balls rolling, he found himself wondering why Melissa Draper had been so unsurprised to hear someone had tried to kill her.
The soft click of the bedroom door down the hallway gave him time to school his features into a cool mask of professionalism. He waited until he heard her pad quietly into the living room before he turned to look at her.
His breath hitched halfway into his lungs. He forced himself to breathe slowly and deliberately despite the sudden, unexpected pounding of his heart. She wasnt what hed call pretty, exactlyshe never had been. Her forehead was too wide, her blue eyes too large, her lips too bow-shaped, her skin too milky pale. Her dark hair had always been straight and shapeless, though instead of letting the straight locks hang down over her shoulders she now wore it pulled back into a sleek ponytail.
She wore a pair of faded jeans just tight enough to reveal a nice pair of legs and a loose-fitting gray T-shirt that concealed too much for him to get a good idea what the rest of her body looked like. Unfortunately, his mind seemed determined to fill in the blanks all by itself.
I thought youd be gone. Her sleep-raspy voice hit like a jolt of caffeine. He instantly focused on her, from the faint scent of shampoo in her still-damp hair to the way her lips parted to reveal a flash of perfect white teeth.
He was reacting to her like some sex-starved loser who hadnt gotten lucky in a decade. And that definitely wasnt him. What the hell was wrong with him?
He liked tough, driven women who embraced his no-promises, no-regrets idea of relationships with as much enthusiasm as he always had. He sure as hell didnt play with the hearts of women who looked as breakable as Melissa Draper.
Shed said something, he reminded himself, trying to gather his scattered thoughts to remember her remark. Im working here, he answered, appalled when he stumbled over his words. Clearing his throat, he dragged his attention back to the notes hed been making for the report hed type up when he got back to the office. I thought Id wait until you woke up.
Shed said something, he reminded himself, trying to gather his scattered thoughts to remember her remark. Im working here, he answered, appalled when he stumbled over his words. Clearing his throat, he dragged his attention back to the notes hed been making for the report hed type up when he got back to the office. I thought Id wait until you woke up.
Im up, she said.
Trying to get rid of me?
She gave him an odd look and moved to sit stiffly on the chair across from the sofa where he sat. She looked nervous, he noted, but he didnt think it had anything to do with whatever secrets she was keeping. Is my car here yet?
He frowned. Youre not thinking of leaving.
She met his frown with a scowl of her own. Am I under arrest? I must have missed the Miranda warning.
Youre not under arrest.
Yet.
He pressed his lips together, annoyedat her for being so stubborn and confrontational and with himself for the way his heart was pounding with excitement because she was sitting close enough that he could smell her soap-and-water scent every time he took a breath.
He hadnt been on a date in a while, thanks to his recent promotion at the Sheriffs Department and all the catching up he had to do on current cases. Clearly, he needed to remedy that problem, pretty damned pronto.
But he was finding it harder these days to find a woman who really sparked his interest. Wasnt that really the problem, more than the lack of time?
He wondered how much it had to do with the changes in his own family. Four marriages in the last three years, all of them deliriously happy, at least from the outside looking intheyd been enough to force him to take a second look at the way hed chosen to live his life over the past few years.
Hed come to believe that true, lasting lovethe kind his parents sharedwas the exception, not the rule. Hed seen people destroy each other in the name of love.
Hed seen people destroy themselves
Is my car here or not? Melissas impatient voice interrupted him.
Its out front. His voice emerged in a low growl. Deputy Clayton dropped it off about an hour ago. Youre free to go anywhere you want, as long as you dont leave the area. Were going to have more questions for you.
He grabbed his phone and his notebook, stuffing both in the pocket of his leather jacket. The faint smell of smoke assailed his nostrils, reminding him how shed looked earlier that morning in the cab of his truck, all big blue eyes and shaky bravado. Hed better run by his house to get another jacket, he decided, or he might not get any work done the rest of the day.
Youre leaving? She trailed him to the door.
He paused in the doorway, surprised to find her standing so close. I need to type up the report and check on some other cases were working. If you need anything, give me a call. He leaned forward, telling himself it wasnt to get a better whiff of her heady scent. And if you suddenly remember who might have wanted to hurt you, you know where to find me.
Her eyes met his, full of secrets. When she didnt answer, he forced himself to turn and leave.
In the cab of his truck, he took a couple of long, deep breaths. Grabbing his phone from his pocket, he dialed the number of the Betancourt Law Firm in Maybridge and asked for Tina Lewis, a lawyer hed gone out with a few months earlier.
Hey, Tina, its Aaron, he said when she answered. What are you doing tomorrow night?
MELISSAS BOSS, Carter Morgan, insisted she take the whole day off. Youve probably got a million things to take care of. Where are you nowat home?
Im staying at a friends house on Gossamer Lake. Melissa glanced at Jasper, who was whining softly at the front door of the cottage. Are you sure you dont need me to come in? With Alice off this week, youll be shorthanded. She willed Carter to say yes. Hanging around the cottage all day, waiting for Aaron Cooper to decide to arrest her after all, would drive her insane.
Besides, she wasnt sure she could even trust him.
You dont have any cases going to court this week. Take the rest of the week off, too, if you need it, Carter insisted, his tone almost fatherly. You can come back fresh and prepared on Monday.
Ill be there tomorrow, Melissa insisted. She hung up the phone with a growl of frustration. So much for using work to distract herself today.
Of course, there was always Domestic Crisis Center work to be done. She had a list of clients she could call to check on. There were two child custody cases pending, and another woman had taken a restraining order out on her boyfriend recently. Melissa should probably check with her to see if he was complying with the order.
Shed made a couple of calls and was about to check on the woman with the restraining order when Jasper jumped into her lap and started whining. I guess youre about ready to go outside, arent you, big boy? She scratched behind his soft, floppy ears and set him on the floor, tucking her phone into the pocket of her jeans.
Outside, with the day creeping toward noon, the temperature had risen high enough that the cardigan shed donned before leaving the cottage was sufficient to keep her comfortable. She was tempted to settle down in the weathered wooden rocker on the cottages front porch to make the rest of her calls. What a difference from the previous nights frigid cold and discomfort.
Jasper began to bark wildly, his tail wagging with canine joy. It took Melissa a few seconds to spot what Jasper had clearly seen moments before: a pretty young woman walking up the path to the house, a baby on her hip.
Aarons sister Hannah, Melissa realized as the woman came closer. Shed been a couple of years behind Melissa in school. Like Aaron, Hannah had moved in a different social circle, but Melissas memory of the youngest Cooper was positive. In high school, at least, Hannah had been the rare kind of person whod related easily to anyone shed met.
Hannah looked a lot like her brother Aaron, though smaller and much more feminine. Her eyes were green, not gray like Aarons, but they had the same ridiculously long, dark lashes and bright inquisitiveness. And the womans square jaw was also clearly a Cooper trait.
Hi, Melissa. She smiled brightly, ignoring Jaspers barks. I dont know if you remember meIm Hannah Cooper. Well, Patterson now. Aarons sister. She grinned at the puppy. And this must be Jasper.
I remember you. Melissa smiled back at her, surprised to feel instantly at ease. And yes, Mr. Manners here is Jasper. Who really needs to stop barking anytime now, she added with a hint of frustration in her voice.
Jasper, hush, Hannah said in a forceful tone. The puppy quieted down immediately, gazing up at Hannah with a look of sheer adoration, his tail wagging merrily.
How did you do that? Melissa asked, incredulous.
You just have to let them know you mean business. Sort of like dealing with brothers, too.
The baby, whod handled Jaspers yapping without a whimper, began to cry when the puppy stopped barking. Hannah laughed. Poor Codythe only thing that scares him is peace and quiet. Luckily, he doesnt get much of that around here.
Melissa shook off her darker musing. Hes adorable. Is he yours?
Hannah beamed. Yeah, hes my little wrangler. My husband wanted to name him after a town back in Wyoming. Thats where Rileys from.