Echo Lake. Carla Neggers

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СКАЧАТЬ Five

      Not only was Brody still at Vic’s when Heather arrived with Eric, he was also standing at the end of the driveway. She wasn’t sure what he was up to. Checking for icy spots? Looking out at the lake? Then Rohan burst over a snowbank and leaped down to Brody in a ball of golden, snow-encrusted fur.

      Her brother glanced at Heather without a word. She shrugged. “Meet Rohan. And that’s Brody. Do you recognize him? I didn’t.”

      “I recognize him,” Eric said, tight-lipped.

      Heather pointed back toward the trunk. “I can grab the jumper cables and return them to you later.”

      Eric shook his head. “I’ve got a few minutes. I’ll help get your truck started and make sure that’s what’s wrong with it. I did tell you it needed a new battery when I sold it to you.”

      No argument from her. “Yes, you did.”

      She got out of the car. She was grateful for his help, but at the same time was uncertain about having him and Brody meet in front of her—uncertain of her own reaction to Brody.

      Not like her.

      Rohan was rolling on his back in the snow. Heather grinned casually at Brody, who had on his suede jacket, unbuttoned over a dark sweater. “A playful puppy isn’t what you’re used to, is it?”

      “Not lately.”

      “Puppies need protecting, I suppose.”

      “Don’t tell Rohan. He thinks he’s doing the protecting.”

      “Maybe you two have something in common.”

      Eric joined them and nodded at his onetime friend. “Long time, Brody. I don’t know if you remember me. Eric Sloan.”

      “I remember you, Eric,” Brody said, his tone neutral.

      “What brings you to Knights Bridge?”

      “I’m visiting Vic.”

      Eric didn’t look convinced. “I understand you own your family’s old place on the lake.”

      “The cabin is gone but I’ll check on the land while I’m here.”

      “It’s the dead of winter,” Eric said. “Not the best time for a visit.”

      Brody smiled. “I won’t be kayaking, that’s for sure.”

      “You’re on vacation?”

      “Close enough.”

      “Well, then. Welcome back.” Before Brody could respond, Eric turned to Heather. “Let’s get your truck started.”

      Brody scooped up Rohan and headed inside. Heather tried not to watch him mount the steps to the small porch and then go in through the back door. Her overnight conclusion chalking up her reaction to him to adrenaline wasn’t holding up, and it had nothing to do with Eric’s presence. If she’d come up here on her own, she would have had the same reaction to Brody. She decided she would be smart to remain calm and in control around this man. Even without the bad blood between him and her brothers, she had no business messing with Brody Hancock in any way, shape or form. They had nothing in common beyond a Knights Bridge upbringing.

      “You aren’t twelve anymore, Heather,” Eric muttered, then headed to her truck.

      The jumper cables did the trick, and her cop brother took off back down the long driveway without further comment on Vic Scarlatti’s new guest.

      Heather left her truck to run for a few minutes and went inside, trying to focus on her to-do list for the day. She found Brody at the kitchen counter with a mug of coffee. “Where’s Rohan?” she asked.

      “Wandering.”

      “I can’t imagine you expected to be on puppy duty when you got here. Bored yet?”

      “I’m never bored in Knights Bridge.”

      She noticed the slightest smile as he drank some of his coffee. She pulled off her hat and gloves and set them on the table. Rohan galloped into the kitchen from the adjoining dining room, his furry softness and endless cuteness in sharp contrast to Brody’s broad shoulders, muscles and general seriousness.

      Heather unzipped her vest. “It’s hard to believe you’d come back here in the dead of winter just to see Vic’s renovations. Is Vic in some kind of trouble?”

      “Maybe I’m the one in trouble, and I want to talk to Vic.”

      “That’s not an answer.” She shrugged off her vest and hung it on the back of a chair at the table. “You’re the one who’s supposed to prevent trouble. This is your first visit back home, isn’t it?”

      “My first visit back to Knights Bridge. It was never home. It’s where I lived until I turned eighteen.” There was no trace of bitterness in his tone. “Vic’s a friend.”

      “Your only friend in town?”

      Brody didn’t hesitate. “That’s right. My mother and father went their separate ways when I was fourteen, but they both managed to end up in Florida. Different parts of the state.” He set his mug on the counter. “We were never like the Sloans.”

      “And the Sloans would be—what?”

      “Tight-knit, stubborn, fixtures in a little town that time forgot a hundred years ago.”

      Heather grinned. “That sounds about right.”

      She untucked stray hair from inside her sweatshirt, which she decided to leave on. She noticed Brody watching her but warned herself not to read anything into it. In his work, he probably watched people as a matter of course.

      “Might as well take a look at my land while I’m here.” Brody set his mug on the counter. He seemed casual, at ease with himself and his surroundings. “I figure I’ll walk over there later on.”

      “Today? In this cold?”

      “I thought a tough Sloan like you would relish the cold weather. You did look a little frozen yesterday when you rescued Rohan, but I assumed it was because you weren’t in your kick-ass carpenter clothes.” He nodded to her. “I see you are today.”

      Now she felt sexy. “The road’s plowed out to your old place. That’ll help. You know, Justin and Adam will be out here soon to look over some of the renovation plans.”

      “Warning me?” He seemed amused by the idea.

      “What happened between you and my brothers?”

      “Ask them.” He started for the mudroom. “I’ll shut off your truck and leave your key on the seat.”

      “Thank you.”

      He paused and smiled at her. A deliberate, sexy smile. “Anytime.”

      He СКАЧАТЬ