Page 37 of Moonlit Colorado

As I drove toward my place, I still wasn’t exactly sure what had just happened.

I had agreed to be Dane’s guide to Silver Ridge and to have dinner with him. We would have to spend a lot more time together. I had no idea how that man was so convincing. He was so persuasive it was unnerving.

I had a reputation around town for being easy to get along with, but I was no pushover. Anybody who ever worked with me knew I had a stubborn streak, which my brothers could attest to. But that didn’t seem to apply to Dane. It seemed like my life wouldn’t go back to boring until Dane finally got tired of Silver Ridge and left town.

You were right, Dixie. The man is wily.

I would have to be careful with this one. Otherwise he would talk me into any number of questionable situations.

The worst part was that I might enjoy every second of it. I had to keep some emotional distance.

I parked in front of my house and got out. Dane’s SUV hadn’t caught up to me yet, and I wanted to make this quick. Otherwise, I had no doubt he would follow me inside and introduce himself to my roommates. I could only imagine his reaction when he found out I was living with four burly firefighters, only one of whom was related to me. I didn’t need a repeat of the testosterone showdown he’d had with Teller.

Even if I enjoyed it atinybit when Dane made it obvious he was attracted to me. I was only human.

Grabbing the box of bingo equipment in my trunk, along with the donation money, I made a beeline toward my front door. Luckily I didn’t spot Callum’s truck or the vehicles belonging to the other guys.

I was putting my key in the lock when the door pushed open on its own. Had one of the guys forgotten to close and lock it earlier?

Then I noticed the splinters in the frame.

Someone had forced the door open. Oh, God.

I pushed the door wider, and my entire body went cold at what I saw inside.

ELEVEN

Dane

I pulledup to the curb outside Grace’s house. She’d just gone inside.

Her place was half a mile from Main Street, a one-story ranch with mature trees growing around it. It looked nice, but not exactly what I would’ve expected for Grace. It was nondescript. Grace had an indefinable, special quality about her, even when she was dressed casually. A spark that naturally drew my eye. But maybe she hadn’t lived here long, and she hadn’t had the chance to put her own personal mark on it yet.

She’d left the door open, which I figured was an invitation for me to follow her inside. I made my way up the front walkway with a grin on my face, still feeling triumphant that she’d agreed to have dinner with me and be my guide to her hometown. It was all platonic, of course, but I had every intention of enjoying her company.

I’d also been relieved to hear she and the police chief were no more than friends. I had no claim to Grace, and I couldn’t be more than friends with her either. But she seemed to bring out a possessive streak in me that I’d never experienced with anyone else.

Then the hairs on my arms started to prickle, and my smile faded in an instant.

Grace was standing just inside the doorway, not moving.

I jogged the last few steps to reach her. “Hey, what’s—Oh,shit.”

The living room was a disaster area. Cushions thrown off the couch, lamps knocked sideways. The kitchen was visible through an archway, and the drawers and cabinets were all open, contents strewn everywhere.

“Grace, you need to get out of this house. Whoever did this could still be here.” I put my hand on her shoulder, and that seemed to wake her back up.

“My bedroom!” She slipped out of my grasp.Shit. The girl was fast.

I rushed after her, catching up to her in the hallway. My fingers closed around her wrist to keep her from going into the bedroom. “Did you not hear what I said? We need to get out of here.”

She struggled. “Dane, let me go. Some asshole has been in my room.”

“Exactly my point.” Her bedroom hadn’t fared any better than the living room. Her bedding was thrown haphazardly, drawers rifled through. My stomach lurched with anger when I saw broken glass on the carpet.

Whoever had done this to Grace, I wanted to smash every bone in his body the way he had smashed her possessions. But only once I was sure she was safe.

“We’re going outside, and we’re calling your police chief friend.”

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