Page 24 of The Woman Left Behind

He’d left her in her pretty kitchen with her pretty flowers and a promise she’d phone a friend. She’d retreated to tetchiness in order to hold her shit together.

Obviously, after he left, it fell apart.

Polly wasn’t wrong. She looked put through the wringer. Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot. Her skin was sallow. And her posture said she held the weight of the world in the pockets of her jean jacket.

“Hey,” she greeted.

He stopped close to her, not as close as he’d like, but close enough to affect a kind of friendliness, even intimacy, in hopes of communicating support and empathy.

When he did, he smelled what he smelled yesterday, fresh green notes of jasmine and rose mixed with something musky and earthy, like a hint of patchouli.

In other words, she smelled like a garden, and he barely knew her, but he knew that was perfect for her.

“I take it you had a rough night,” he noted.

“I look that good?” she quipped, no humor in those green eyes.

He sidestepped that and queried, “You call a friend?”

“Four of them. Two spent the night. Janie and Kay.”

“Good,” he muttered.

She looked around, suddenly avoiding his eyes, saying, “You’re probably busy. Should we get this done?”

“We should. We will. Then I’m taking you to the Double D and feeding you.”

Her gaze whipped to his.

“Sorry?” she asked.

“You eaten this morning?”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Did you eat last night?”

Her lips thinned.

That meant no.

“I’m taking you to breakfast,” he announced.

“Sheriff Moran?—”

“I thought we agreed I was Harry yesterday,” he pointed out.

She said nothing but at least what he said put some color in her cheeks.

“I told you I was going to get you through this,” he reminded her. “And I’m going to get you through it.”

“You’re being nice again,” she warned, tears shimmering in her eyes.

“Get used to it,” he warned in return.

And then, before she could resist further, he took her hand, led her out of his office, and called for his deputy, Wade, to assist when he led her to an interview room to take the swabs.

SEVEN

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