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  Jessie leaned against the door frame. “Let’s just play it by ear.”

  His eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, this is just a fl—”

  “Do not say fling,” he interrupted. His face hardened. “I don’t ever want to hear that word again as long as I live.”

  “Then what do you think it is?”

  “A relationship. Although I hate that word, too.” He looked away from her, his body a study in frustration. Then he turned and their eyes met. “We’re two people who are together.”

  Her heartbeat quickened, and she felt a sick sensation in her stomach. “No. This is just fun. No plans.”

  “Jessie, I want to ask ‘What are we doing tonight?’ instead of wondering if I’ll see you or not. I want plans. I want to fall asleep with you. Wake up with you. Although the games are great, I want to make love with you, too.”

  She didn’t want this. Didn’t want to need those things. She’d wanted them with Keith, and look where it had gotten her. “Why can’t we keep it fun?”

  Cole reached out and cupped her face, his thumb caressing her bottom lip. A shock of sweet desire pounded in her blood.

  “Because I love you, Jessie. I’ve fallen in love with you.”

  Jessie now realized her mistake in trusting in the myth of the bad boy. A boy used that persona to mask his longings, what he ached for. But Cole wasn’t hiding. He wanted her.

  She stepped away from him, not able to handle his touch. “I don’t want to be in love, Cole. I don’t want you to love me. It’s too hard. Hurts too much when it doesn’t work out.”

  “Yeah, I was married to a woman who kicked my heart around for sport. But I’m still willing to give it a shot.”

  “This, what we have right now, is what I’m willing to try.”

  He looked shocked for a moment. Cole took a step away from her as if she’d hit him. “Then it has to end here.”

  “Why?”

  She saw the sadness in his eyes. “Because I’ll always want more from you, Jessie.”

  She forced herself to act casual, not wanting to appear cruel or cold. But she needed to make Cole understand. “I’m sorry. This is all I have to give.”

  “Then I guess that’s all you have to say.”

  15

  JESSIE HUELL WAS IN A relationship.

  Dammit.

  It had only taken her two days to realize it. Of course, she’d pretty much blown that new relationship apart on Sunday evening, but she’d still been in one for at least a while.

  How had this happened?

  She’d got caught up in the rules of the fling, and forgot to remind herself about the dangers of the man.

  Cole Crawford loved her, and that was a devastating reality.

  She loved him. Felt torn inside without him. How had he done it? How had he sneaked under every defense she had?

  And with that love, all the baggage, all the insecurity that came with it would surely follow. Right?

  It would be only a matter of time before she found herself knocking on his apartment door. Making up some cutesy excuse, like demanding he stop holding her fedora hat like a common criminal. Pathetic, really, but right now she’d grab at any chance to be alone with him and hear him say he loved her again.

  Jessie Huell wanted to stay in that relationship.

  She had tried to bury herself in work. Two intense days with the Brocks had, sadly, yielded nothing. They hadn’t recognized the man in her photo. She’d tried a little reverse surveillance, following them to see if maybe their blackmailer would be following them still. Their plan was to find him and then call the police.

  He’d given them a deadline of this weekend to come up with a staggering amount of money or he’d go to the media with his pictures. The Brocks’ desperation to find out his identity before their secret was spilled had become a palpable thing. The situation seemed to add five years to both of them. Mayor Brock, a woman Jessie admired, had grown quiet and cautious because her secrets were about to be made public.

  And secrets made her think of Cole.

  Cole was still a man with many secrets. Jessie had sensed them around him. But what was there left to tell? What was he trying to protect? Who?

  What’s the one thing she stressed to women before they entered a relationship? Find out all the dirt, because there was always dirt. She was so far behind the curve here with Cole. She had to find out what she was dealing with. She’d grown a little panicky herself.

  Where did he go at night?

  What did he do?

  Maybe it was time to put her investigative skills to work.

  Finally. Relief drove away some of her anxiety. Finally she had a plan. She didn’t have to meet the Brocks until tomorrow, and her other cases wouldn’t become top priority until the end of the week.

  She could spend the rest of her day playing catch-up on Cole. If she had to be in love, she’d at least arm herself, knowing all there was to know about the man.

  Jessie drove to his apartment, only to be surprised when she spotted him walking down the staircase toward his car.

  Figures.

  What was even more surprising was the movement of a head ducking below the seat in a car several rows away from his.

  Now this was an interesting development. Jessie tapped on her steering wheel as she waited for the light to change. A sense of déjà vu assailed her. Someone else was spying on Cole, the same way someone unknown had spied on the Brocks. This time Jessie wouldn’t push it aside. This time she’d find out why.

  Cole drove out of the parking lot and headed for the highway. A brown compact pulled out behind him. Keeping to his exact path.

  Jessie smiled. The chase was on.

  She flipped on her radio and relaxed in her seat. This was something she was comfortable with. She’d hoped that maybe the brown car was a coincidence. That maybe after a few turns, the vehicle would head in another direction.

  No such luck.

  Five minutes into the trip, Jessie grew thankful she wouldn’t have to worry about losing him in the traffic. Based on Cole’s direction, he was heading for the cabin. How could that be? It didn’t make sense. She eased back from the brown car. No reason to tip him or her off.

  The car following Cole dropped back, too, whoever it was obviously familiar with his route.

  Not a good sign.

  As they progressed, both Jessie and the brown car fell farther and farther behind. As the traffic thinned, and Cole turned off the highway, their presence would be even more noticeable.

  Jessie allowed herself to get a full ten minutes behind Cole. Surely that would give him enough time to reach the cabin. Luckily, after last weekend, she was familiar with the lay of the land. She could conceal her car at the base of the drive and hike up to the house to get a better vantage point.

  Jessie followed that plan, until the log cabin slowly came into view. Cole was walking across the clearing as she approached, and she ducked behind some bushes. She took a few deep, calming breaths. No sense in alerting him to her presence. Her nerves grew cool. Her muscles tensed in quiet expectation. This was her element. What she was good at. She had advantages here, in that she already knew the layout of Cole’s cabin. Although, she’d been a little too busy jumping that man’s body to do any really decent surveillance. She hadn’t noted the best outside hiding spaces.

  Apparently, she’d been too busy to note a lot of things, because what she was seeing right now was Cole with a shovel. Digging.

  What the—

  Was he burying something? Or retrieving?

  So much for he only came out here on weekends. This was definitely suspicious. Here was the dirt she’d expected all along. A man didn’t reach Cole’s age without a lot of dirt. Her breath came out in a sad sigh. She’d been hoping…

  Jessie shifted silently, preparing to crouch there, hidden, for as long as she needed to.

  What she wasn’t prepared for was the woman crowding behind another bush.


  Just how many women was Cole stringing along right now?

  This was why Jessie didn’t want a relationship. Why she didn’t want to fall in love. She didn’t want to feel angry. Jealous. Hurt.

  Cole stopped his digging, bent and pulled from the ground a black sack of some kind.

  That’s when the woman behind the bush stood up, her red hair flowing. Jessie caught a quick look at her face. Amber. Cole’s ex-wife. She’d seen her once or twice in the early days of their relationship. Jessie had put an end to her weekend visits to see her parents for almost a semester so she wouldn’t accidentally run into the happy pair.

  By Thanksgiving of her freshman year in college, Jessie realized she was being ridiculous. She reminded herself that she liked Cole enough to be happy for him and she could greet them both on the street with a smile. By her sophomore year, he’d stopped coming to Thrasher, and she was both sad and relieved.

  It was supposed to be over. He’d assured Jessie it was. She took a deep, calming breath. She’d believed him.

  “Cole, let me have them,” Amber yelled.

  Well, that was one way the woman could use the element of surprise. Had Jessie wanted that sack, she’d have grabbed for it before he was truly alerted to her presence.

  Cole tucked the sack into the back of his jeans, his expression resigned. He’d been expecting her. Maybe that’s why he’d been trying to move them. To take them to another, more secure hiding place?

  “I need them, Cole.”

  “These are my insurance policy, Amber. We had a deal, remember? I didn’t turn these over to the police and you stayed away from me and the girls.”

  Amber began to softly cry, her beautiful face turning red. “I’m scared, Cole. I really messed up this time. Harton, he knows it’s me who stole the coins. He’s going to send someone after me. One of his associates is going to kill me.”

  Cole shook his head. Even from Jessie’s hiding spot, she could tell his every muscle was tight with frustration. “The people you’re calling associates. Amber, would you listen to yourself? You need to get out of this. Get out of this lifestyle. Turn yourself in. A judge would take that into consideration in sentencing. You could finish college in prison. Do something other than this.”

  “Cole, would you can it with all the ‘be a better person’ crap? It’s not like I didn’t get enough of that in our marriage. You used to be a lot more fun.”

  How cold could this woman be? She hadn’t even asked Cole about her children.

  Cole’s expression turned grim. “Marriage to you has a way of killing all the fun.”

  Amber’s tears stopped abruptly and her body language softened. She trailed her fingers down his arm. That bitch. Was she trying to seduce him now?

  “I know, and I’m sorry. Let me make it up to you. We can go abroad. Sell the coins. We could live like kings for years.”

  He shrugged. “Until what? Until the money ran out or until Harton’s people found us? Leave the girls for Annie and George to raise?”

  “I don’t know.” Amber’s voice lost its seductive edge. Now she just sounded scared and tired. “I haven’t planned that far.”

  Cole shook his head. “No, I’m going to turn these over to the police myself. That’s what I should have done in the first place instead of making that bargain with you. Being an accessory to a crime doesn’t sit well.”

  “Yeah, like Harton is a model citizen. Hardly a crime. Who knows what he did to get them. The police would probably give me a medal for stealing from him.”

  “Not a convincing argument.” He kicked at a clot of dirt by his boot. “I have to give them back.”

  Amber’s hands gripped Cole’s arm. “You can’t,” she said, her tone desperate. “Then I’ll have nothing. Please give me the coins, Cole. You’ll never see me again. I have to disappear.”

  That would do it. Jessie knew without a doubt now that Cole would give her those coins.

  He yanked the sack from his back pocket. Amber sucked in a breath. “You know you can never return to the United States. If you take these and sell them, staying away is your only chance.”

  Amber nodded. “I know.”

  He held the sack out, but did not let her tug it from his hand. “There’s always the option of turning yourself in.”

  Cole’s ex-wife shrugged. “Would I look good in orange?”

  His shoulders sagged in disappointment. Jessie understood now his attraction to Amber. He’d wanted to save her. Save her like his uncle had saved him.

  Only Amber didn’t want to be saved.

  She pulled the sack from his hand, closing her eyes for a moment. “Thank you, Cole. Thank you.”

  Who could doubt the fear and relief in her voice?

  “Take care of yourself,” he said.

  She looked as if she wanted to kiss him, but instead gave him a sad smile and turned away. She stopped a few paces later and glanced back at him. “You can always come with me. We could have a lot of fun.”

  “No. I belong here.” His voice was final.

  “You with someone?” she asked.

  She saw him shake his head, then reach for the shovel. With frustrated swipes, he refilled the hole.

  So that was Cole’s dirt. Literally and figuratively.

  Jessie watched him a few more minutes before he disappeared inside the cabin.

  AFTER A SLEEPLESS NIGHT during which she was tempted to call Cole about a hundred times, Jessie finally just rolled out of bed. A little prework for a case never hurt anyone. Besides, she had a long conversation with the Brocks ahead of her.

  Three hours later they were gathered in the seating area in her inner office.

  “Whoever this guy is, he’s good. He’s not followed you since, and he’s avoided every conceivable trap. My advice now is to go to the police so they can develop a sting when you’re ready to drop the money.”

  “The media. There’s no way they won’t find out,” the mayor said, staring into her coffee cup.

  Tom Brock had been pacing the length of Jessie’s office, but now sank into the chair beside his wife, rubbing the back of his neck.

  “That’s it then,” the mayor continued. “We’ll go to the police. What’s more, if we have to, we’ll make a full disclosure to the media. Call a press conference. If my private life has to be made public, at least it will be done on my terms.”

  There it was again. That strength Jessie had so admired in her.

  The woman’s shoulders sagged. “I can still do good in Knightsville as mayor.”

  “You can do good in other ways,” her husband said.

  Jessie heard the pain in his voice. The agony he felt for his wife probably having to leave a job he knew she loved.

  Then Jessie watched as this powerful woman, who had such big responsibilities, leaned against her husband’s side and drew comfort.

  Jessie felt a pang in her own heart.

  Amy Brock stretched and set her coffee cup on the end table. The woman looked relieved. The stress and anxiety were vanishing from her face. “You know, I thought it would be the end of the world if I lost this election. I would have done anything to avoid it. It was the absolute worst thing I could imagine. But losing you, Tom—that would be the worst thing that could happen. We’ll get through this together.”

  He squeezed her hand. “Come on, I’ll take you home.”

  The Brocks held hands as they exited Jessie’s office. They were in love. They really were. So they had a thing for unusual foreplay. Who cared? It could be a lot worse.

  A strong ache ripped through Jessie. She reveled in it, in her ability to feel. She didn’t want a fling. She didn’t want to be intimidated by the word relationship. She wanted what she’d just witnessed. Two people sharing their lives together. She liked how Cole had described it.

  To take strength. To give strength. Cole’s love, and her love for him, didn’t make her weak. It actually made her stronger.

  Cole wasn’t Keith. He’d shown her time and time
again he could be trusted. How he kept the secret about the mayor. The way he loved his daughters. Even the way he protected his ex-wife.

  Suddenly, Jessie was impatient to talk to him. She burned to be with him. She didn’t want to wait until this afternoon when the show would be over.

  She locked up her office and headed to the TV station, running through a dozen scenarios in her mind. This had to be the mother of all grovels. He’d told her he loved her, and she’d practically thrown it in his face. That had to hurt.

  She had major amends to make.

  It would be worth it to see Cole’s smile, though. To be held in his arms. To know he still loved her.

  Jessie rushed through the glass doors of the station, forgetting about security. She’d wanted to surprise him. Not give him the chance to close himself off to her for the rest of their lives.

  But this was reality. She’d have to sit and wait for him. It was probably only for a few minutes since the receptionist had announced her, but it felt like an hour before he arrived.

  He turned the corner. Cole looked so good. Tired, but good.

  She smiled at him. Couldn’t help it. Just gave him the biggest I-love-you-so-much-I-don’t-care-who-sees-it smile.

  He seemed shocked. Then he glanced toward the receptionist. “I’m going to take her back with me.” He leaned down and signed what she spotted was a guest register.

  They walked side by side down the hallway. Was it just a few weeks ago they’d done the exact same thing? Then, she’d been nervous because she was about to make an idiot of herself on live TV. Now, she was nervous because if she didn’t do this right, she’d lose him forever.

  He shut the door behind her. Her normal self would do a quick assessment of his office. Try to glean clues about the man based on his surroundings. But she didn’t need to do that. Jessie knew all she needed to know about Cole Crawford.

  He leaned against the closed door. His expression was neutral, but his eyes burned with curiosity.

  “I want to be with you.” Okay, not one of the scenarios she’d worked up in her mind on the drive over here. Blurting that out like that. But she was committed now. She might as well go for it.