Page 142 of Hidden Nature

The reality far outpaced his imagination.

Having her ask him to listen to her theories on police work, that had surprised him. The way her mind worked surprised him, though it shouldn’t have, he thought. He’d seen how she approached the improvements to her house.

Step by logical step.

He’d enjoyed being with her—and not just in bed, or the shower. He’d enjoyed sitting, listening, talking over pizza in her ugly kitchen. And standing in that poor excuse for a home office watching her dig for answers.

That wall, he remembered as he let himself and the dog in the house. That showed a lot more than casual, professional interest.

It showed an investment of time, of effort, and over three people she’d never met.

He went back to the kitchen, fed the dog, got coffee, looked out the big window at the snow, the trees, the path he’d cleared to the workshop.

He’d surprised himself, he admitted, telling her he’d seen her walking, that he’d admired her. Usually, he tended to be more cautious in sharing his personal thoughts.

But there’d been something about her, sitting there, that excellent body marred by that scar so close to her heart.

Not marred, he corrected immediately. More a badge, he decided, for someone who’d faced the worst and fought back.

Now, he realized, he was thinking about her too much. They’d had sex—really good sex. He found her interesting, appealing, all fine. No need to dwell on it.

He looked down at the dog. “And I guess, since we never did reach that later for talking about why not, we’ll keep the whole thing between us. No blabbing out of you.”

Tic wagged, then rushed over to pick up the old pair of socks Theo had knotted together.

“Not now.” But Nash gave the other end of the socks a couple of tugs. “I have to go change my famous shirt. Got work to do, and the appliances are coming. Thank Christ.”

He’d started downstairs again when Theo came in, and Tic raced to greet him.

“Finished the trim at Sloan’s,” Nash began. “I’ve got Robo going over to poly it. I’m going to work on the backsplash. Since we’ve got the appliances coming, and aren’t scheduled to start the Kildare job until tomorrow, you can start on the crown molding in the dining room.”

“Yeah, sure.”

Giving Tic an absent pat, Theo walked by him in what Nash considered a daze.

“You okay?”

“Huh? Good. Great. You?”

“Fine.” Unsure, Nash followed his brother back to the kitchen. “No coffee at Drea’s?”

“What? Oh, coffee. Yeah, I’ll get some.”

“Did she suck out your brains through your ears last night?”

“We had a really good time,” Theo said, and dreamily. “We decided to stay in, so we made dinner.”

“And did a lot of drugs?”

Theo stopped staring into space long enough to laugh. “Come on, man! We put on music, and talked. So, I need you to come with me.”

“Where?”

“To buy the ring. The engagement ring.”

“The—” They didn’t have the counter stools yet or Nash would’ve sat on one. Immediately. “You asked her to marry you?”

“Not yet. I need the ring first. I’m going to do this right.”

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