going on.”
Jumping into things without thinking them through was one of his bad habits, and a tough one to break. But this time, his gut told him everything would work out all right. She hadn’t changed that much. So, she was a deputy. She hadn’t told anyone about last night, had she?
He pulled out a chair and sat down. “My career, the one I screwed up, was as an investigator for the...”
“Justice department. Yes, I know.” She sat at the table across from him.
He let a big, sloppy grin cross his face. “Been checking up on me, Deputy?”
“It’s my job.”
Before she could say anything else, he plowed ahead. “The job made me the inquisitive type. Do you ever wonder about things from our childhood? Things that never seemed quite right back then?”
“Stop doing that.” She screwed up her mouth and narrowed her eyes on him. “This is my time to ask questions.”
God, she was beautiful. Not classically gorgeous or sophisticated in her uniform and with a gun on her hip. But he’d always thought she was the most alive and vibrant person he’d ever known. None of that had changed.
“No, really,” he said, ignoring her complaint and urging her to answer. “Anything still bothering you about the past?”
“I’m a little curious about a few things.” She frowned but added, “That’s at least partially the reason why I came back to Chance—to exorcise old ghosts.”
The way she said that last sentence made him wonder if he counted as one of her ghosts. “Yeah, me, too. The thing that bothers me the most is wondering about what really happened that day when my mother was murdered.” He tipped the water bottle to his lips again, but watched for her reaction over the top of the rim.
“I don’t remember much about the murder,” she murmured quietly. “You and I were only ten at the time. It really made a major difference in your life, though. I do remember that.”
“Yeah.” Colt stood but had to hang on to the back of the chair to keep his balance. “Losing Mom was hard enough. God, I thought the pain in my heart would never go away. But within days, we’d lost Dad, too, when your stepfather had him arrested for the crime. There were lots of times those first few weeks when I wished I’d died along with Mom.”
Shaking out his leg, he felt a familiar twinge. He gritted his teeth and began to pace like a caged animal, determined the pain would not slow him down. “You were the only one I could talk to. Do you remember that?”
“What does any of this have to do with last night?”
Colt reached the sink and spun back around. “Now you’re doing it. That was a question not an answer. But I never believed my father could murder anyone. Especially not my mother. He loved her. I know he did.”
Nodding, Lacie seemed to agree. “I remember you saying that back then. All this time and you still think the same? Both your parents are gone now. What difference could it possibly make at this point?”
Limping over to the table, he stood beside her. “I have to know for sure. You can see that, can’t you?”
He laid a gentle hand on her shoulder, gazed earnestly into her eyes and pleaded his case. “Help me, Lace. Together you and I can find the truth. I know we can.”
“Ah.” It hit her then—at last. “You were inside the sheriff’s office last night looking for old case files. Your father’s murder case.” She was shocked. “How in the world did you manage to break in?”
“Uh...I didn’t exactly break in.”
“But then how—” Amazed she hadn’t thought of it sooner, the answer came instantly. “Louanna. Our night dispatcher let you in. Why? Did you offer her a bribe?”
He backed up, ran a hand through his shaggy hair and ended up making it messier than ever. “She’s a second cousin. My aunt asked her do it for me. Seems everyone in town owes my aunt June for one thing or another.”
His expression changed suddenly—darkened. “You won’t mention that I told you? And you won’t turn her in to your stepfather? Louanna needs her job. I didn’t get a chance to find the files before you arrived.”
Lacie popped up out of her chair. “I won’t do anything to endanger Louanna’s job. Besides, nothing was taken or destroyed. Why can’t you talk to the sheriff about the old murder case? He was there and participated in the first investigation. He should...”
She lost her train of thought as she remembered finding Colt in tears behind the school one afternoon right after his mother died. Her heart had gone out to him then and there. Come to think of it, she may never have gotten her heart back. Not to this very minute.
But she couldn’t let him know that. They were not those same two kids. Far from it.
Colt took her by the elbow. “Can you really picture the sheriff helping me? You know he’s never been too crazy about the Chance family.” Touching her was making him crazy as the electricity between them zinged through his veins.
“True,” she said and suddenly looked uncomfortable. “I do remember my stepfather never liked it when you were hanging around. And he hated when I went to the Bar-C.”
She glanced down to where his hand was holding her arm. Trying to pull free, she drew in a breath. “I won’t say anything to the sheriff.”
At this point he almost didn’t care. All he cared about, all he’d ever cared about, was being with her.
But she went on to explain, “I make it a habit not to speak to him unless I’m forced to. We aren’t exactly a close-knit family. What would you need me to do?”
Hearing that should have relaxed him. “I knew I could count on you.” But there was no relaxing when her eyes grew wide and she licked her bottom lip.
A war was going on inside him. He needed to kiss her more than he needed to breathe. But he didn’t want to scare her off. He needed her help.
Sidestepping closer to her, he backed her against the kitchen counter. “Be my partner in the investigation,” he murmured against her lips.
Tightening both hands on her shoulders, Colt couldn’t help himself. He pulled her against his chest and leaned in even closer. “Be my everything—for now.”
He whispered a kiss over her lips. Instead of pulling away, she pressed against him and wrapped her arms around his neck. A dark lust roared in him. And when she moaned, he deepened the kiss.
Shuddering with need, his erection grew hard against her belly. He cupped her bottom with both hands and growled, deep and low in his chest. He couldn’t catch his breath. Had stopped thinking minutes ago.
“Wait a moment.” Suddenly she lifted her head and pushed at his shoulders.
He was too far gone to understand the change in temperature between them. Dipping his own head, he went back for another taste of those sweet lips.
“Whoa,” she said past a raspy voice and stepped out of his reach. “I... I’ll help you with your investigation because now I’m curious, too. But as far as—” she waved a hand between them “—anything else...it’s a no go. I don’t know who you are anymore. And you don’t know me. This isn’t happening. Not now. Maybe not ever.”
* * *
Much later that day, while Lacie finished up her paperwork, she found herself still mulling over everything she’d said to Colt. At that moment, kissing him, she’d wanted exactly what he wanted. The need had been racing headlong through every cell in her body. But she’d put a stop to things between them before they went too far. And she knew why.
She’d been scared. Afraid of getting too close. The two of them had changed. Maybe they could be friends again, and work together