Her Lawman Protector. Patricia Johns

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СКАЧАТЬ was ominous, and it reminded him a little too closely of the people who had been pressured into selling their family homes...they would have realized too late, too.

      “It’s getting late,” Liv said after a moment. “I should really get ready for bed.”

      “Sure. You don’t need to entertain me. I’m here on a job.”

      Liv rose and glanced around. She seemed to spot the slip on the radiator, because she hurried across the room and snatched it up. When she looked back at him, she looked embarrassed.

      “Sorry about that,” she said.

      “It’s your home,” he replied. “Don’t apologize for anything. I’m not a guest here, Liv.”

      She tucked the slip under her arm and headed for a cupboard. She pulled out some sheets, a blanket and a pillowcase.

      “I don’t have any more bed pillows,” she said. “But we could cover a throw pillow with this pillow case, and you should be comfortable. I think.” She grimaced. “No one visits me.”

      “I’ll be fine.”

      Liv licked her lips. “I normally take my shower at night. If you wanted yours first—”

      “Liv.” His voice came out as more of a bark than he’d intended, and he softened his tone. “I’m not a guest. Do what you would normally do, okay? I’m fine.”

      She pulled a hand through her auburn waves. “Okay. If you insist.”

      She disappeared into the bathroom, and a few moments later the water came on with a rattle. Jack distracted himself by making up his bed on the sofa. He made his bed at home with military precision, and he did his best to replicate that job here. The sofa was too short, but he’d make do. He noticed that even the sheets had that soft, floral scent about them.

      It was all very diverting from the case that he’d rather be thinking over, as was the sound of the shower through the shut bathroom door. He was a man, after all, and Liv was a very beautiful woman. Her divorce hadn’t dampened any of her natural spunk, and he wished it had. If she were a little less radiant, maybe he could focus better on the work at hand.

      Instead, as he spread the blanket on top of the sheet, he was remembering what it felt like to pull her close for the camera. She felt just as good in his arms as he’d imagined back before he’d realized she was tied up in Evan’s mess.

      The water in the bathroom turned off, and Jack glanced around the living room, his gaze moving over a bookshelf, an ottoman that had a hinged lid for storage and her closed bedroom door. If she had something to hide, where would it be?

      The bathroom door opened, and Liv came out with a billow of steam. Her hair was wrapped up in a towel, and the rest of her ample curves were draped in a white terry cloth robe that she held shut with one hand at her throat.

      “Done,” she said, shooting him a smile.

      She looked different in her robe—her face clean of makeup and her eyes all the more entrancing without the liner and mascara. She looked younger this way, softer. She was barefoot, and he noted that her toenails were painted hot pink. And he liked it.

      “The towels are on the rack in the bathroom,” she said, heading toward her bedroom and opening the door. “If you’re hungry, feel free to raid the fridge. You’re guarding my life—it’s the least I can offer.”

      Her lips turned up in a smile and she slipped into her room, then turned back. “Good night, Jack.”

      His name on her lips sounded sweet, and he gave her a curt nod because it was all he trusted himself to do. He wasn’t faking to be her boyfriend here in her apartment. Here, he was a cop, and he needed to remind himself of that. Her big, dewy eyes, her lips, the milky whiteness of her skin—none of that was his business here. And for all he knew, she was working it to keep him distracted.

      The bedroom door closed with a decisive click and Jack let out a pent-up breath. He was hoping he could sleep at all.

       CHAPTER FIVE

      MOUNTAIN COFFEE CO. was relatively empty. Liv sat by a window, listening to the hiss of the milk steamer in the background while she waited for her cousin. Outside the window, she watched as a pickup truck stopped at the four-way stop, then eased forward again. She couldn’t see the snowcapped peaks in the distance from where she sat. The real view in this town had to be enjoyed from outside, standing on the street and looking up. The Rocky Mountains were awe-inspiring, and even though she had grown up in this town, they hadn’t lost their grandeur in her eyes.

      The outside door opened, and Liv waved as Tanya came in. Tanya waved back and headed to the counter to give her order, then she came to the table and sank into the chair opposite Liv. Her chestnut hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and it swung forward as she leaned over to give Liv a quick hug.

      “Hey,” Tanya said with a grin. “It’s been too long since we’ve had a cousin catch-up.”

      “I know.” Liv took a sip of her chai tea. “You look great, by the way.”

      “You look great,” Tanya retorted. “Look at you—all glowing. I love your dress.”

      Liv was on a vintage dress kick lately. This morning she wore a gray woolen dress with an A-line skirt and an asymmetrical neckline that drew the eye toward her curves, and she’d paired it with a sleek red lipstick.

      “Thanks. It’s new.” Liv smiled back. “So what happened after I left the barbecue?”

      “What you’d expect,” Tanya replied with a shrug. “Wild gossip and conjecture.”

      Liv chuckled. “I like it.”

      “You would,” Tanya retorted drily.

      “Hazelnut latte,” the girl at the counter called, and Tanya got up to retrieve her drink.

      Liv had left Jack at the apartment that morning. She didn’t need protection from a girl talk with Tanya, and she didn’t want someone else listening in on them, either. Jack had grudgingly agreed to stay back and take a look around “the perimeter of the store,” as he put it. She had to admit, she felt safer with Jack close by, but the timing was terrible.

      “Have you talked to Evan recently?” Tanya asked as she slid back into her seat.

      “No, why?” Liv took a sip of her tea, leaving a red lip print on the rim of the cup.

      “There’s trouble in paradise.”

      Liv considered her cousin for a moment, then put her cup down in front of her. “How do you know?”

      “I’ve kept up with Evan a little bit.” She dropped her gaze for a moment.

      “And you never told me?” Liv demanded. “You’ve been chummy with my ex-husband? Seriously?”

      “You’ve kept a few of your own secrets!” her cousin shot back, and Liv bit her tongue. СКАЧАТЬ