Page 40 of Hot For You

She raised her chin in mock indignation. “I am not lying, Mr. McBride.” She turned toward the kitchen. “Come on and have some breakfast.”

“Smells great,” he said as he sniffed the air. It smelled like baked potatoes and cheese. He followed her into the kitchen.

“It’s a breakfast casserole.” She opened the oven and took out a casserole dish with potholders and set it on the stove. “Hopefully it’s not dry. I’ve been keeping it warm for you. I managed not to burn it.”

He grinned. “I bet it’s great.”

She grabbed a trivet and he carried the casserole to the table. “Only taste will tell,” she said.

Over breakfast he described the kids in the second grade class who had come to the fire station. He and the other firefighters had enjoyed the kids’ visit and he could tell that Carilyn enjoyed hearing about it. She told him a little about what she’d been doing, but told him overall it was pretty boring compared to having a group of second graders visit.

After breakfast, Cody went outside to take care of chores. He couldn’t get Carilyn off his mind. More importantly, he didn’t want to get her off his mind.

He was glad to see that she was feeling better. It was clear from the animated way she talked, her smile, and how clear her green eyes were, that she was doing a lot better. The only thing that bothered him was her insistence that she needed to go back to Leigh’s. Yes, he was concerned for her safety, but he enjoyed her company and didn’t want her to go.

Somehow he had to convince her to stay until they had a better handle on this Firebug thing, or the bastard was caught.

Chapter 14

A sick feeling settled in Carilyn’s belly as she walked into Leigh’s living room. It looked even worse the second time around. The first time she’d been in shock. Now she was just angry.

“How dare someone do this?” Her voice came out hard.

“I don’t like the thought of you staying here.” Cody’s words were tight. “Like I’ve said before, the bastard could come back.”

She said nothing as she righted a chair and adjusted the couch cushions. Cody helped, too, picking up the pieces of a broken lamp from off the floor.

Carilyn looked at the end table and her skin went cold. The frame that had contained the photo of Leigh, Misha, and herself was empty. The photograph was gone.

“Oh, my God.” Carilyn’s heart thumped so hard her chest ached. “He was here again.”

“What?” Cody was at her side in a couple of strides. “How do you know?”

Carilyn pointed to the frame. “I picked that up off the floor when we were here last. The glass was broken but the photograph was there.” She looked at Cody to see anger on his features. “He came back.”

“You’re not staying here tonight.” Cody’s eyes were narrowed as he looked at the empty frame. He turned his gaze on Carilyn. “No arguments.”

“Believe me, I’m not arguing.” She shuddered. “Just knowing he was here again makes me sick inside.”

Cody nodded. “I’m calling Reese. Maybe they’ll get fingerprints this time.”

They didn’t touch the frame in case the bastard’s fingerprints were on it, and waited for Reese who arrived with a couple of police officers and a forensics specialist.

Once the officers were there, Carilyn went through the house again to see if anything else was disturbed that hadn’t been the last time. They didn’t know if the emailer, the person who ransacked the house, and the arsonist were related, but Cody searched for any sign that the arsonist could have tampered with the house.

After they were done combing the house, the only thing Carilyn could tell had been touched was the photo. The forensics guy said the frame had been wiped smooth—even Carilyn’s fingerprints from when she’d handled it the last time were gone.

When they were finished, the officers left and just Reese remained. “You’ve received no other contact from Firebug, have you?” he asked Carilyn.

She shook her head. “No.”

Reese looked from her to Cody. “No unusual visitors to the ranch?”

“Only Gisele, the mail carrier, and Tom, the ranch hand,” Carilyn said. “No one else has come by Cody’s ranch since I’ve been there.”

“Have you noticed anything else strange that you can think of?” Reese asked.

“No,” Carilyn responded.

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