but its deteriorating condition and the floundering town had driven away all the qualified buyers. No one in Winchester could afford to buy it, much less live in it. And no one from out of town wanted to live here.
She pulled the keys out of her pocket and opened the front door, letting it swing wide before she stepped across the threshold. To her surprise, the house didn’t smell musty. Although the air was hot and stuffy, the scent of lemon oil and floor wax lingered in the air.
As Elodie strolled through the nearly empty rooms, she ran her finger over chair rails and mantels, finding barely a trace of dust. The sound of running water startled her and she followed it to the back of the house where the kitchen was located. A slender figure, dressed in a familiar gray uniform, stood over the sink.
“Mary?” Elodie said. “Mary Cassidy?”
The woman turned, a bucket clutched in her hand. “Miss Elodie. I heard you were back in town. The minute I did, I came right over. The place is a bit dusty, but I’ll have it sparkling again in no time.”
“Mary, I don’t understand. Have you been cleaning here all along?”
She nodded. “I just couldn’t let it all go to ruin,” Mary said. “I come once a week and do what I can. I have to say, it’s much easier without all the furniture.”
“Who is paying you?”
“Oh, no one. I don’t need to be paid. I just want the house to look presentable. For you and the rest of the family.”
Elodie stared at the woman in disbelief. The family had left six years ago and they’d closed the house a few months later. “I—I don’t know how to thank you,” she murmured.
“Are you planning to stay here?” Mary asked. “If you are, I’ll go up and get your room ready. Most of the furniture is still there. We’ll need to get the electricity turned on, but the plumbing works just fine. And with this weather, you won’t need heat.”
“Mary, it’s not necessary for you to— I mean, I can’t pay you a lot. I don’t have much left.”
“Oh, don’t you worry about that, Miss Elodie. I’m sure we’ll sort it all out later. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m just going to get to work on your bedroom.”
“Thank you, Mary.”
Elodie watched as the woman hurried off. An image of Dev flashed in her mind, and she sucked in a sharp breath. Twice now, she’d been reminded of him. Earlier this morning, when she’d seen a man who resembled him, and now, coming face-to-face with Devin’s mother.
Her thoughts returned to the policeman. Maybe she’d just been hoping that he’d still be in Winchester. Elodie knew the odds were against it. He’d always wanted to leave. And why would Dev stay? There was nothing for him here, especially now that the jobs had dried up. And she hadn’t really seen the guy’s face. He’d worn sunglasses and a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes.
But there had been something familiar about the man’s mouth, she mused. It reminded her of that crooked smile of Dev’s that she remembered so well.
Drawing a deep breath, she started out of the kitchen, then stopped short.
There he was. Dressed in navy blue, a badge hanging from a chain around his neck. But the cap and the sunglasses were gone. Elodie swallowed hard. “Hello.” It was all she could manage.
“The front door was open,” he said. “I thought it was you this morning.”
“I thought I recognized you, too.”
He grinned in that same sweet boyish way she remembered. “You haven’t changed a bit,” Dev murmured. “Still...beautiful.”
“Devin Cassidy.” Her heart slammed in her chest and her knees trembled. This was crazy. They’d been high school sweethearts, but that had been years ago. Why was she having such a powerful reaction to seeing him again? Other than the fact he was now an absolutely gorgeous specimen of manhood. “You look...older. I mean, you look like a—a grown-up.”
“Elodie,” he replied with a chuckle. “Still the most honest person I’ve ever met.”
“You’re a—a policeman?”
“Chief of police, actually,” he said. “What are you doing back in town?”
Elodie wasn’t sure she wanted to get into the complicated details of her trip. But if she didn’t continue the conversation, he might leave, and she was certain she didn’t want that. In truth, she wanted a nice, long time to just stare at him, to admire the adult he’d become, to take in every little detail of his face until she’d erased the boy in her memories and replaced him with this incredibly sexy man.
“I’m here to tie up some loose ends. The house has been for sale for years and we’ve had no biters, so I’m considering donating it to the town or maybe to the county.”
“Why would you do that?”
“I can’t afford the taxes any longer. And there’s maintenance that needs to be done that can’t be put off. It’s become an anchor around my neck.”
“Instead of abandoning it, you could always stick around and make something of it.”
She laughed softly. “Like what?”
“I don’t know. It just seems to me that a Winchester should be living in this house.”
“Well, there will be one living here for the next week or two,” she said.
“You’re staying here?”
“It’s cheaper than a motel. I can rough it. Your mother is upstairs putting my bedroom back together.” Elodie met his gaze. “Has she been coming here all along?”
Dev shrugged. “I suppose someone should have asked you, but she wasn’t doing any harm. Your family was her life. She started working for your parents when she was a teenager. I think this is the closest thing she’s ever had to a real home and she couldn’t stand to see it neglected.”
“I can’t pay her,” Elodie said.
“That’s the last thing that matters to her,” he replied.
A long silence grew between them. “I—I’d offer you a cool drink, but I haven’t had a chance to shop.” She laughed. “And right now, I have no electricity for the refrigerator.”
His portable radio squawked. He grabbed it and clicked it on. “This is Dev,” he said.
“We’ve got a report of a 10-68 out on Highway 16, just west of Mike Murphy’s place.”
“I’m five minutes away,” Dev said. “I’ve got it. Out.” He smiled at Elodie. “I have to go. Duty calls.”
“I hope it’s not something dangerous,” she said.
“Nope. A 10-68 is livestock in roadway. I suspect one of Mike Murphy’s pigs got loose. He raises particularly brilliant pigs. They always seem to figure out a way to open the gate and run onto the road rather than crawl through the big broken gaps in his fencing and into the field beyond.”
Elodie laughed. “Glad to hear it’s nothing dangerous. I won’t have to worry.” A blush warmed her cheeks. Had that been too forward? After all, they were barely more than strangers now. And yet, it didn’t feel that way. He felt like an old friend, like someone she’d known very well and hadn’t seen for a few years.
“All right,” he said. “I have to get back to work. I’ll stop by later.”
“I’ll be fine,” she said. “Don’t worry about me.” Oh, now she was assuming he was concerned about her? “Not that I think you’re worried,” Elodie added. “You have more important things to deal with. So don’t—”
He reached out and pressed his finger to her lips. The contact