Page 38 of Puppy Love & Snowflake Kisses
She shook her head. “The point is that you can’t offer to make me anything. I don’t have a lot of ingredients. In fact, I need to go shopping, so I’m set for the week.”
“Well, if you want a burrito or whatever, I’ll just drive into town and get it for you.”
Her brows rose. “You’d really do that?”
“I would.”
The smile returned to her lips. “Well, thank you. But the pancakes are good.”
“Then why aren’t you eating?”
She hesitated, as though trying to decide how honest to be with him. “I’m just trying to wrap my mind around putting my house back together and…”
“And what?”
She sighed. “Trying to figure out who keeps breaking in and what they want. Other than the sentimentality, the stuff in here isn’t worth much.”
“What about an antique?”
She gave it some thought. “The only thing I can think of is my grandmother’s china.”
“Is it rare or anything?”
“Not that I know of. I would think if it was that, my grandmother or mother would have mentioned it. There’s no way those dishes are valuable enough to have a criminal commit repeated break-ins.” She shook her head. “I just don’t believe it.”
“I understand. But there is something in this house.” He paused to give it some thought. “How long has your family owned this house?”
“My grandfather built it. It’s always been in the family.”
He gave it some more thought. Whatever the criminal wanted was here and either Belle was unaware of its presence or she overlooked it. But how did he jar her thoughts?
“Maybe it’s a piece of jewelry.”
She immediately shook her head. “I don’t have anything valuable.”
“How about a diamond ring?” The breath hitched in his throat as he waited for her response.
Sure, they’d grown up in the same small town, but he didn’t listen to all of the gossip. And he didn’t keep up with the goings on with Belle’s love life. For all he knew she could have been engaged five times.
“No. I don’t have any diamond rings.”
He released the pent-up breath. He didn’t know why it should matter to him whether she’d been engaged in the past. After all, it hadn’t even been a year since the plug was pulled on his own engagement. And now that it was over, he was able to look back with clear eyes and see that they were never meant to be together—not for the long haul.
“Let’s go see what’s in your jewelry box,” he said. “Maybe there’s something you forgot about.” When she frowned at him, he said, “I’m serious. You might have forgotten a gift you were given or an heirloom.”
She shook her head. “It’s not that. It’s the fact that I don’t know where my jewelry box is. My bedroom looks like a tornado blew through it.”
She was right. He was so focused on solving this case that he’d forgotten they had a lot of work to do that day. He thought about his desire to go into the office, but he supposed he could just have his staff email him the necessary reports.
He picked up his fork. “Well, then eat up. You’re going to need your energy if we’re going to clean up this house.”
Her brows drew together. “You’re going to help?”
“Of course. Friends help friends.” It wasn’t until he uttered the words that he wondered if he’d overstepped. His gaze searched hers.
Her blue eyes sent him a questioning look. “You think of us as friends?”
He shrugged. “I never thought of us as enemies.” It didn’t exactly answer her question. He didn’t know why labeling their relationship made him feel so uncomfortable. When she arched a brow at him, he said, “It’s true.”
