24

Bailey bolted the door and checked all the windows, twice.

She carried Butterscotch to the kitchen and poured him a saucer of milk.

Leaning against the counter, she watched him lap it up. Now she just needed to figure out a way to calm herself down. Landon was right about Thelma’s uncanny ability to stir a panic.

A knock rapped on the door, and she jumped, nearly kicking over Butterscotch’s bowl. Her heart skittering in her chest, she gulped down a calming breath.

Moving into the shop, she found Cole waiting anxiously on the other side of the door.

His face lit when he spotted her, though it did nothing to erase the worry etched across his brow.

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” It was embarrassing. “Something spooked Butterscotch, and I’m afraid the effect was contagious. It was probably nothing more than the wind.”

Concern flickered in his eyes. “There isn’t any wind tonight.”

She swallowed, ignoring the fear pricking at her. “Then I must have forgotten to lock up.”

His expression said he wasn’t buying it.

Another knock sounded, and she jumped, her reaction not lost on Cole.

“It’s just Landon,” he said softly, striding to the door.

She frowned. “You called the sheriff’s department?” Great. Mortification set in. Now everyone would know she’d freaked out over nothing.

“I called Landon on his cell. He just got back from Washington. Said he was following a lead and had some news to share anyway. Besides, I wasn’t taking any chances.” He opened the door.

Landon stepped in and tipped his hat in her direction. “Bailey.”

Piper followed, wearing an oversized UAF sweatshirt, and was that mud streaked through her hair?

Cole’s gaze narrowed on his sister. “What happened to you, and why are you wearing Landon’s sweatshirt?”

Piper brushed her mud-streaked hair back from her face and stifled a yawn.

Landon sighed. “It’s a long story. But first things first.” He turned to Bailey, his tired eyes filled with concern. “Cole said there was an intruder?”

“It was nothing. Butterscotch was just being skittish, and—”

“The front door was open,” Cole cut in, worry thick in his voice. It was sweet. Unnecessary, but sweet.

“Are you sure you locked up for the night?” Landon asked, checking the windows.

“Yes, but . . .” What could she say? She knew in her heart she’d locked the front door. It was the first thing she did every night. Besides, she’d already suggested that explanation to Cole and he wasn’t buying it. Something told her Landon wouldn’t either. “Gus has a key. Maybe he stopped by to drop something off.”

“And didn’t say anything to you?” Cole said.

“Maybe he didn’t realize I was home.” It sounded farfetched even to her, but she was running out of explanations, and there had to be a logical one. She wouldn’t stop grasping until she found one.

Piper wrapped a comforting arm around her shoulders.

“I’m afraid that doesn’t explain why the door was left ajar. Gus would have locked up after himself. Do you see anything new or different in the room, anything missing?” Landon asked.

Simply to appease him, she took a cursory glance around and was ready to shake her head when something silver caught her eye at the base of the worktable. It would have been easy to overlook—small and slender, the width of a toothpick, only longer.

Landon followed her gaze. He bent and retrieved it with a handkerchief. “You recognize this?” He examined the slender object and his jaw tightened.

The worry in Cole’s eyes deepened.

A chill crept up her arms, and she crossed them, refusing to give in to panic. “Who knows how long that’s been there. I’m sure it has nothing to do with tonight.”

Landon carefully slid it into his pocket. “Mind if I take a look around, just to be safe?”

“Sure. Help yourself.”

Piper’s gaze shifted between Bailey and Cole. “I think I’ll help Landon.”

For once Landon didn’t protest.

Bailey took a seat beside Cole on the couch as Landon and Piper made the rounds, inspecting first the interior and then the exterior of the building.

“This is silly. I’m sure it was nothing.” If she repeated it enough, maybe they’d all start to believe it.

“We just want to make sure you’re safe.” Cole squeezed her hand.

How could she argue with that?

Landon and Piper returned, and Cole scrambled to his feet. “Well?”

“Everything looks secure.”

Relief swept over her.

“What now?” Cole asked.

“Lock up tight. I’ll run Piper home and then drive back by and make sure everything looks okay.” He handed Bailey his card. “Anything else happens—you hear a sound, the cat gets spooked—you give me a call.”

She took the card, knowing she didn’t have a choice. “Thanks.”

“I mean it. Many crimes could have been forestalled if people listened to their instincts. God gave us an innate reaction to danger. Sometimes listening can make all the difference.”

“Thanks.”

Piper hugged her. “You want me to stay the night?”

“That’s really sweet of you, but I’m fine, really.” She couldn’t give in to fear.

“You sure?” Piper asked.

“Definitely.”

“All right, but if you change your mind, you give me a call. Doesn’t matter what time it is.”

“Thanks.”

“I’ll walk them out and be right back,” Cole said.

She nodded and tucked Landon’s card in her pocket. It was nice being looked after for a change, even if it was overkill.

Landon pulled an evidence bag from the kit in his trunk and slid the pick in. “I’ll run it for prints as soon as I get back to the station.”

Cole leaned against the patrol car, adrenaline surging through his body. “Is that what I think it is?”

“If you’re thinking it’s a lock pick, then you’re right.”

Piper rubbed her arms, looking up and down the dark street.

Fear gnawed at Cole’s gut. “I was afraid of that. So someone did try to break in. If I hadn’t been on the phone with her at the time, who knows what could have happened.”

“Can’t be positive.”

“How else can you explain the pick?” Piper asked.

“Like Bailey said, we don’t know how long it’s been there. Maybe Miss Agnes used it to open old jewelry boxes that were missing their key or something. We can’t jump to conclusions.”

Cole raked a hand through his hair. “I don’t like it.”

“Neither do I, but there’s nothing else we can do at this point. She didn’t actually see anyone enter and as far as she can tell nothing’s missing. Other than this pick—which may or may not have had any other uses—there’s no sign of a break-in.”

“I heard the cat screech. He saw something or someone.”

“Probably made whoever was using this drop it.” Landon sealed the evidence bag. “Hopefully, we’ll be lucky and get some prints.”

“And if there are none?” Working emergency services, Cole had been privy to enough crime scenes to know that prints were a luxury.

“We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. I’ll let you get back to Bailey, and I’ll get this pick into evidence.”

“Wait, what did you want to talk to us about?”

Landon glanced at Bailey through the window. “It can wait till morning.”

“You sure?”

“Absolutely. She needs your undivided attention right now.” Landon helped Piper into his car and then moved around to the driver’s side. “Make sure Bailey locks up tight, and I’ll drive back by after I take Piper home.”

Cole tapped the roof. “Thanks, man.”

“Anytime.”

The door creaked as Cole came back inside. He paused to lock it before sitting down on the couch beside her. “You doing all right?”

Bailey rubbed her arms, trying to chase the lingering chill away. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Butterscotch lumbered in from the kitchen, licking his lips. Stretching, he flopped down contentedly at Bailey’s feet.

Cole chuckled. “That was a quick recovery.”

She smiled, rubbing Butterscotch’s full belly. “A saucer of milk works wonders.”

“What about you? Can I get you a cup of tea, a milkshake?”

Her brows knit together. “A milkshake? It’s almost midnight.” But it sounded good. She hadn’t had one in years.

Cole tilted his head at the street outside. “The diner lights are still on. I’m sure I could get Gus to rustle us up a couple of milkshakes.”

“I’d forgotten how good Gus’s shakes are.”

Cole got to his feet. “What’s your flavor?”

“You don’t have to go to any more trouble.”

“No trouble. All this talk about milkshakes, now I’m craving one.”

“If you’re sure . . .”

“Positive.”

“Okay, then, chocolate. But if Gus is leaving for the night, don’t keep him.”

“You got it. One chocolate, one moose tracks, coming right up.” He jiggled the doorknob. “Lock this behind me.”

“You’re going to be right back.”

“And I’ll knock like a gentleman.”

Now her heart was pounding for an entirely different reason. Different, but no less frightening.

She needed to tread carefully. She was letting Cole slip past her radar, and for what? Nothing could happen between them. Nothing long-range, anyway. He knew her past. He was part of it. He’d never view her as wife material. How could he? To him, no matter what he may say otherwise, she’d always be that girl, never the girl.