The Life She Wants. Jo McNally

need a ride. It wasn’t that far. And she normally wouldn’t consider getting into a car at night with a man she barely knew. But something about Shane Brannigan felt safe. Irritating, but safe. She opened the door and slid inside.

      “You drove from Boston? That’s more than a few hours.”

      He huffed out a laugh. “Not at this time of night. And not the way I drive.” He glanced at the dashboard. “I made it in a little over two hours. Who’s Sheriff Dan?”

      After a moment’s hesitation at the abrupt subject change, Mel replied, “He’s a friend of my cousin’s fiancé, and he’s the law around here. He likes to give me grief about my nighttime strolls.”

      “What do you mean, he gives you grief?” Shane had pulled away from the shoulder now, and his fingers tightened on the wheel.

      “Easy there, Macho Man, I just meant he politely advises me not to do it. He’s concerned for my safety. That’s his job, right? But seriously, this is Gallant Lake.”

      He glanced her way and frowned. “I get what you’re saying about this town being sleepy, but that doesn’t mean it’s safe. What if I’d been some drunk looking for trouble just now?”

      “I would have run into the woods. I had it all planned out.”

      They pulled behind the shops and he parked the car, then turned to stare at her in disbelief.

      “Your plan was to...run into the woods? Do you have night-vision goggles on you so you wouldn’t run straight into a tree or fall in a ditch? Did it occur to you that maybe the drunk guy would be familiar with those woods and catch you? In the woods?”

      It rankled her to admit he had a point. She scowled.

      “But you weren’t some drunk, were you? And I’m perfectly fine. So it doesn’t matter, does it?” She opened the door, flooding the interior of the car with light. This close, she could see the glints of turquoise in Shane’s blue eyes. They reminded her of Caribbean waters. Warm and inviting... She blinked. She needed to remember that Shane Brannigan was an agent. He wanted to be in charge. And he was clueless about women. It was time for her to go.

      Instead of saying thank you or good night or drop dead or any one of a dozen perfectly sensible things to say, she got out of the car, then leaned over to look at him and said the most ridiculous thing she could imagine.

      “Want to come up for a cup of coffee?”

      His eyes went wide.

      “What about Luis?”

      She was as surprised by his question as they’d both been by hers.

      “What about him?”

      “Isn’t he staying here?”

      “He’s in New York.” Why did he care so much about Luis? “Look, if you don’t want coffee, just say so. Thanks for the ride.”

      She turned away, shutting the car door firmly. The invitation had been a mistake. It would be best for everyone if he just left. She’d almost made it to the stairs when she heard his door open behind her.

      “Hold up. Coffee sounds good. No sense trying to get any sleep at this hour.”

      Mel nodded. “Come on, then.”

      “You use a fire escape to get to your back door?” He followed her up the stairs. “Just when I thought this town couldn’t get any weirder.”

      Mel unlocked her door. “Using the downstairs entrance means disarming and rearming the café alarm system. This is much easier.” The door swung open and she flipped on the light. “Nora told me the story behind the fire escapes once. Something about a huge fire decades ago and the town made it law for a while that every level of every building had to have a fire escape.”

      “It’s not the classiest way to come into your home, is it?”

      It was odd having him here, in her space. Shane exuded a raw power that made the air in the small loft almost sizzle. Not in a frightening way. But it was still scary because it was so unfamiliar to Mel. She wasn’t used to men who excited her without setting off all her alarms.