Page 44 of Breathless
Once the girls were gone, Rafferty looked at his twin.“Is there something youaren’ttelling me about the two of you?”
Rawlins shrugged. “Not sure. Maybe. There’s been a building flirtation.”
“She’s your assignment.”
“Iknow that.”Rawlins fiddled with the straw wrapper on the table. Thenlookedup at his brother.“Are you telling me youhaven’tgot something similar going on with Justus?Isn’tthat the reason you called me today? I heard the hesitation in your voice.You wanted to say something to me,butyoucouldn’tbring yourself to spill it.I know you like the back of my hand.”
A slow grin spread across Rafferty’s face, and he nodded. “She’s the most confusing girl I’ve ever met. She started out hating me and now she’s warm and friendly. Then today, she’s holding my hand and looking into my eyes at the groomers, all for show mind you, but it felt so real.”
“Or you wanted it that way,”Rawlins said.
“Maybe.”
Rawlins chuckled.“Play it cool. Let it simmer and see where it goes. That is whatI’mdoing.Notsure if what is going on with Chaney will turn into anything either. It might just be her nature to flirt, or maybe she really is interested in me. Only time will tell. But Idon’twant to lose my head and jeopardize protecting her becauseI’mlovesick over her.”
“Ihear that,”Rafferty said, glancing down at his watch. “I justkeep rememberingwhat Kenneally warned us when we signed on about meeting‘the one’while working a case.”
“I know,” Rawlins said. “I’ve replayed that conversation several times in my head.”
“He was so smug about it too and how he’d never met ‘the one’ yet,” Rafferty said.
“It’s hard for him to when he isn’t out in the field working cases,” Rawlins said. “But one day he’ll fill in when we’re all booked up or come across someone when he least expects it.”
“You sound like a hopeless romantic there, bro,”Rafferty said.
Rawlins shrugged again.“Maybe I am. Nothing wrong with that.”
“You still doing your breathing treatments?”he asked him.
“Yeah. I am. Are you doing your PT exercises?”
“Daily before I start my day,”Rafferty assured him.
“Good,”Rawlins looked at his watch.They had less than thirty seconds. “Where are they? How long can it take?”
Rafferty pointed behind Rawlins,andhe turned to see them coming toward the tablestillchatting.“I guess they have a lot of catching up to do.”
“They must,”Rawlins said, shaking his head.“Can you imagine if this is how it is after only one week of not talkingwhatit would be like for one year?”
Rafferty laughed.“I do not want to see that.”
After lunch, they said their goodbyes, but Chaney and Justus were reluctant to part. They hugged one anotherandneither seemed to want to let go, until Rawlins stepped up to pull Chaney away from Justus.
“Call me,” Chaney said.
“I will,” Justus promised.
“We’ll get together again,” Rafferty said. “If we can.”
“Yeah,” Rawlins agreed.
“I hope so,” Justus said.
“Me too,”Chaney called as Rawlins led her away to his car. She liked the way it felt to have her fingers entwined with his as they walked in the parking lot. “Have you ever thought of staying in Colorado after your assignment is over?”
He slowed his stride as if it took effort to come up with an answer to her question. “I really hadn’t thought about it, but it is always a possibility I suppose. Kenneally does move his guys around from one point to another from time to time. I could always be asked to work in this area if there were assignments here. Although, I suppose since Rafferty and I are on loan for this assignment to Hank Patterson, Kenneally may not go for the idea of a relocation. He may say that there are enough of Hank’s men in the area. He doesn’t need to send his own into it too.”
Chaney sucked in her breath and nodded.
