Page 31 of Secret Stalker

“You. And me. And Mr. Youngblood’s orchard.”

He grimaced. “Before or after I thought I could outrun that bull to get you some apples?”

“Oh, definitely after.” She laughed. “I warned you not to try it. But you were too stubborn. Once you got an idea in your head you wouldn’t let it go. Maybe you should have gone out for the track team. I swear I never saw a human being run that fast.”

“Not fast enough.”

“You were faster than the bull,” she argued.

“But not faster than Mr. Youngblood’s buckshot.” He winced again, barely refraining from rubbing his posterior at the memory. “I couldn’t sit up for a month.”

“True.” She rested her chin on her palm, a faraway look in her misty blue eyes. “But we had a lot of fun that month. I must have read you over twenty books while you were convalescing.”

“You tortured me. At least three of them were romance novels. I’ve never lived that down with my brothers.” He leaned toward her conspiratorially. “I still have to pay them hush money to this day.”

“You wouldn’t have to pay if you didn’t actually like them. Admit it. You’ve probably got a romance novel under your pillow right now and you read it every night.”

He laughed. “I guess you’d have to come over to my place to find out.”

Her smile faded, and the easy camaraderie that had sprung up between them evaporated. He wanted to kick himself for getting carried away and destroying the light atmosphere.

They both straightened, and she awkwardly cleared her throat.

“Where do you live anyway?” she asked, before taking a sip of coffee.

“I built a house on some land adjacent to my father’s farm. Close enough to keep in touch but far enough away that I’ve got my privacy.”

She nodded, then shoved her cup out of the way.

“I didn’t mean to take up so much of your time. I know you’re really busy with the investigation. Actually, that’s the reason I’m here. I drove into town to take care of a few more errands and when I passed the grocery store I couldn’t help thinking about what happened. That’s when I remembered something that I didn’t tell anyone before. I pulled over to call you when I saw your truck over here in the lot, so I decided to come tell you in person.”

“Tell me what?”

“A name. When I was in the grocery store, hiding from the gunmen, I overheard one of them in the next aisle saying something about Reggie telling them that she was heading toward the front of the store. I’m not sure what they were talking about. But I figured this Reggie person might be someone who works at the store. And if that’s the case—”

“Then there’s an insider who might have helped the gunmen.”

“Exactly. What do you think? Could that be helpful?”

“It’s a lead to follow. Could very well be a great lead. Thanks, Bex.”

“Of course. If I think of anything else, I’ll let you know.” She shoved out of the booth and stood.

Max stood, too. “You seem to be in a hurry.”

She hesitated, her gaze dropping from his. Was she thinking about last night, about what had almost happened between them?

“Just...have a lot to do to wrap up loose ends. How much is the coffee? A couple of bucks?”

She reached into her purse but Max put his hand on hers.

“I’ll take care of it.”

She blinked, and looked like she wanted to say something. But then she cleared her throat as if changing her mind.

“Thanks, Max. Take care.” And then she was rushing down the aisle and out of the diner.

Max watched her until she was driving down the street, her bodyguard following a few car lengths behind. Then he pitched some bills onto the table and headed out to his truck.

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