Page 3 of Heating Up (Nugget)
“We’re good. See anything suspicious?” Johnson tried to hide a grin.
“Looks like it went down the way she said it did. Where’d she go?”
“Maddy Shepard insisted she stay at the Lumber Baron tonight. Carol wanted Dana to stay at her place, but she’s allergic to her cats.”
“Who’s Carol?” Aidan assumed that Maddy was married to Rhys Shepard, the police chief and Sloane’s boss.
“She’s Dana’s real estate partner. The inn will be good—she’ll be treated to some of that five-star service. Tomorrow”—he turned to the burned-out remnants of her house—“she’ll have to deal with this.”
Aidan got a ride back to the station with the captain and drove his own Expedition to Sloane and Brady’s. They lived in Sierra Heights, Nugget’s only planned community. He parked his truck in their driveway and punched in the key code at the front door. The place still blew him away. The McBride kids had grown up in a better-than-nice home in a safe suburb of Chicago, but this house was like something you’d see inArchitectural Digest. A nearly four-thousand-square-foot log house with views that went on forever.
He went into the kitchen to see if there were any leftovers from dinner. Brady had grilled wild salmon that melted in Aidan’s mouth and he was still thinking about those rosemary potatoes.
“You’re eating at this hour?”
Aidan pulled his head out of the industrial-sized refrigerator. “Yeah, I’m starved.”
“I don’t know where you put it all.” Sloane rubbed her eyes, tightened the belt around her robe, and grabbed a plate for him.
“Sorry I woke you up.” Aidan had tried to be quiet.
“I was waiting up. Is it as bad as everyone says it is?”
“You mean the house?” He nodded. “It’s a total loss.”
“Ah, jeez. Poor Dana.”
“You know her?”
“Just in passing, but still. All her stuff too?”
“Gone.” He loaded the plate and heated it in the microwave.
“How did it happen?”
“She left a candle burning next to a couple of rags covered in furniture varnish.”
“Seriously?” Sloane went slack-jawed.
When the microwave dinged she pulled out Aidan’s plate and looked at it askance. “In a few hours it’ll be time for breakfast.”
“Can’t wait.” He chuckled, and she shook her head. “Hey, it’s not my fault your boyfriend is a four-star chef. A guy can get spoiled living here.”
“I can’t figure out why you’re not big as a house.”
“Good metabolism.” He shoveled a forkful of salmon into his mouth. “I probably won’t have time for breakfast anyway. I’ve got to be out of here pretty early to sign the rental agreement for the house, then the captain wants me to come in.”
“Wow. They’re not giving you a lot of time to get settled.”
“What’s to settle? My furniture comes at the end of the week. I’ll move it into the new house and get the cable connected. Done!”
“You like the house?” she asked.
“It’s fine. More important, it’s available, affordable, and a block away from the firehouse.”
“You’re lucky it’s available. From what I hear, Tawny and Lucky’s new house isn’t even completely finished yet, but with the cowboy camp in full swing, Lucky needs to be on the property.”
“Tell me the deal with these people again . . . the guy is a champion bull rider?”
