Page 24 of Bachelor Cop Finally Caught? (Hot off the Press! 2)

Lindsey rose to her feet. “I won’t interfere with your work any longer. I just have one more question for you—is Polly all right?”

“Polly’s fine,” he assured her, hearing the genuine concern in the question. “And I’ll make certain she stays that way.”

“I’m sure you will.” With that she turned toward the doorway, apparently intending to leave without another word.

“Lindsey—” Dan spoke quickly, prompted by the inexplicable feeling that if she left now, like this, something between them would be forever changed. “Why don’t we have a burger or something this evening after work? I think we need to talk.”

She froze for a moment with her back to him, s

o he couldn’t see her face. When she turned, it was with a bland smile that could have been directed toward a total stranger. “Sorry. I have a date tonight.”

“A date?” He felt his eyebrows lower a bit.

She nodded. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do for Polly, okay? And of course you know to notify the newspaper if something comes through on your arson clue.”

She wasn’t going to volunteer details about her plans for the evening, and he wouldn’t ask. None of his business, he told himself. But he couldn’t help being curious about who she was going out with that evening. He knew most of the single guys her age around town—if not personally, then by reputation. He couldn’t think of anyone who seemed like a good match for Lindsey. “Have a good time this evening,” he said, and wished he meant it.

She nodded and left. Dan stared after her for several long moments, knowing he’d been right. Something between them had just been broken.

And it hurt.

Chapter Six

Lindsey was going to have a good time if it killed her. At least, that was what she’d been telling herself ever since she’d impulsively accepted Bo’s invitation to go bowling with him.

He’d called not long after she’d arrived home from the baby shower yesterday. Her first instinct had been to politely decline. But then she remembered her resolve to move on with her life.

Going out with Bo was a first step in that direction. Not that she expected, or even wanted, anything to develop from tonight’s date. But at least she was taking charge of her life again. Putting Dan and her abandoned dreams behind her.

“We should’ve done this a long time ago,” Bo said, giving her one of his lopsided cowboy grins as they laced on bowling shoes.

She knew very well that Bo hadn’t given her a thought in years, not until they’d run into each other at Gaylord’s earlier that month, but she said only, “I haven’t bowled in ages. It’ll be a miracle if I knock down a pin this evening.”

“I imagine you’ll do better than that,” he drawled, setting his boots aside and standing. “Let me help you find a ball.”

From the choices he suggested for her, Lindsey selected a purple bowling ball, because she liked the color. Bo had brought his own, a fancy, blue-and-green swirled ball he carried in a monogrammed leather case. He had his own shoes, too. “You bowl a lot?” she asked, thinking the answer was obvious.

He surprised her by saying, “Not really. My folks bought me all this stuff for Christmas a couple of years ago. I haven’t bowled in months.”

“And you just suddenly had an urge to bowl again?”

Flashing her his trademark grin, he gave a little shrug. “I couldn’t think of anything else to do with you tonight,” he admitted. “It isn’t as if there’s any real excitement that goes on around this burg—at least, not very often. But I figured everyone likes to go bowling sometimes.”

She laughed. “I don’t know about everyone, but it sounds like fun to me tonight.”

“Good. That’s what we’re here for.”

She was spending the evening with an amusing, good-looking companion, Lindsey reminded herself. Maybe having fun tonight wouldn’t kill her, after all.

Riley O’Neal was hanging around the police station when Dan left that evening. Straightening away from the desk where he’d been idly flirting with the pretty young dispatcher, Riley tagged at Dan’s heels to the parking lot. “All kinds of rumors were flying around town today.”

“Is that right?” Dan dug his keys out of his pocket as he approached his truck.

“Hmm. Heard you spent a few hours at the high school this morning. None of the staff there is talking about why you were there.”

“They’d damned well better not be,” Dan muttered. Unfortunately, none of the teachers he’d met with thus far had recognized the handwriting in the notebook, which meant there was nothing much to tell even if they wanted to talk to the reporter.

“You’ve obviously given the order for them to keep quiet. No one’s quite brave enough to break rank.”

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