“I’m not acting tough.” She looked out the window. Hell if she’d complain about it being painful to use her arm in the exercises. It was true that she didn’t like the perception of being weak in any way. “It was fine.”
When she glanced back at him, he was concentrating on the road. He looked like he had something on his mind.
She tilted her head to the side. “What’s up with you?”
“I hope you like tortellini.” He pulled his truck up to her house and killed the engine. He clearly was changing the subject this time. “Because that’s what you’re getting for dinner.”
“Oh, yeah?” She raised her brows.
He nodded. “That’s right.”
She shook her head as he jumped out of the truck and went around to her side to help her out. He had a chivalrous cowboy nature, but when they worked together he never tried to open a car door for her. Doing that in her line of work would have undermined her authority as a cop.
After she was out of the truck, he grabbed two big grocery bags then locked his truck and walked with her up to her front door.
She unlocked it, stepped inside, and held the door open for him. “What’s in the bags?”
“You’ll see soon enough.” He walked in and headed toward the kitchen while she shut the front door.
She followed him, curious, and he set the bags on the counter. She peered into one bag as he emptied the other. Two packages of fresh cheese and spinach tortellini, grated Parmesan cheese, a big onion, a garlic bulb, a stick of butter, fresh basil, and a small carton of half-and-half. Out of the other bag he produced a loaf of French bread, a package of pre-made salad along with tomatoes, a bottle of bleu cheese dressing, a can of chicken broth, a box of corn starch, a can of black olives, and a small chocolate cake with chocolate Ganache icing.
“You know how much I love chocolate.” She felt better just looking at all that yummy chocolate icing. “You’d already won me over even without the tortellini, but now you’re my favorite person in the universe.”
“For today.” He gave her a quick smile as he emptied the sack she’d been looking in. “I know the way to your heart, Petrova.”
It wasn’t long before water was boiling on the stove and the house was filled with the delicious smells of garlic and onion sizzling in a pan. She watched him move efficiently around the kitchen. The fact that he was missing two fingers didn’t seem to affect him, or at least he didn’t show it if it did.
As she watched him, a warm squishy sensation went through her belly that she’d never felt before with anyone. Ever. Tall and muscular, he looked so damned good, standing there in front of her stove. She studied his profile, his hard but handsome features, his well-cut and defined biceps and triceps, and the way his T-shirt molded to his impressive physique. His Wrangler jeans showed what a nice ass he had. It was hard not to love a cowboy in Wranglers.
Reese looked a lot different from John, his brother. John was a good-looking man but tended to be more serious and rarely smiled. Reese, though, had a smile that was sexy as hell.
Yes, she had to admit he was one of the sexiest men she’d ever met. When she first started working for the Prescott Police Department, she’d made a point of not noticing how attractive any man might be on the force. Okay, she’d noticed, but had kept thoughts like that out of her mind. She’d been determined to make her way in a man’s world without anyone thinking she was sleeping her way to the top. She’d kept her distance and kept things professional.
Pushing thoughts of sexy partners aside, she peered around the big man’s shoulder. “What are you making?”
He stirred the ingredients he’d put into the pan. “A garlic cream sauce to go with the tortellini.”
“All this time we’ve been working together and I had no idea you know how cook like this,” she said. “I’m impressed. That’s definitely one thing we don’t have in common.” She pointed toward her phone. “My dinners are always on speed dial.”
“I figured as much.” He gave a low chuckle. “In a town this size, you can’t have a lot of options.”
“I live on a lot of pizza.” She leaned up against a counter. “Where did you learn how to cook?”
“My mom.” He added half-and-half, broth, and cornstarch to the mixture in the pan. “She made me and my brother, and my stepbrothers, learn how to cook.”
“My mother tried to teach me.” Kelley gave a rueful smile. “But I never had an interest in it.” Kelley felt an instant weight on her chest and she didn’t know why it came out, but she said, “Now she’s not around to teach me anything. She’s in a cemetery in Phoenix.”
He glanced up from cooking. He looked intent but not surprised. “I’m sorry.”
Kelley looked away from him but for some reason she felt like talking. “My father used to beat me and my mom.” She touched the thin scar on her chin. “After I ran away from home, he beat her to death. The bastard is in prison now.”
“Is that where you got the scar?” he asked as he watched her fingers tracing it. He reached up with his index finger and ran it along the scar, too.
She let her hand drop away from her face. “Yes.”
Reese was quiet for a moment then said, “We have a lot in common. Both of our fathers abused us and both are convicts.”
Kelley looked at him in surprise. “Your father is in prison?”
Reese gave a nod. “My father used to physically abuse my mother, my brother, and me. He did it for fun. Fortunately, we got away and Mom took my brother and me to a shelter. The old man’s been in prison for a while for having sex with a minor.”
“At least your mom was smart enough to get you away from your father.” Kelley shook her head. “No, that’s not fair. My mom was sweet and gentle. She was raised to believe you stuck with marriage through good and bad. And she didn’t have the first idea what she’d do if she left him.”
“I’m sorry you went through all that you did,” Reese said.
“I miss her,” Kelley said quietly. “All I have left of her is a snow globe she gave me when I was a child.”
“You collect them?” he asked.
She shrugged and changed the subject. “So you’re not a McBride from birth?” she asked.
“Nope.” He shook his head. “My mom married my stepdad, Hal, and he legally adopted Garrett and me. John and Mike are our stepbrothers.”
“That’s why you look so much different than John and Mike.” Kelley tilted her head to the side. “How odd we both have such similar stories.”
“It’s probably why we’re doing what we’re doing now,” he said.
She let out her breath. “And why it’s so important to both of us to rescue women who can’t or won’t rescue themselves.”
They were quiet for a moment, and she watched as he added the rest of the ingredients, making a thick sauce that smelled delicious.
Gradually the tension from their discussion evaporated and they eased into talking about work and what was going on at the station.
As he finished making dinner, she got out a couple of plates and silverware, and looked into the fridge for something to drink. “I have plenty of Heineken or water. I’m going for the beer—I can really use one.”
“I’ll take a beer, too.” He glanced over his shoulder at her. “What about your pain meds?”
She drew out one bottle of beer at a time with her free hand and set them on the countertop. “Not taking anything but ibuprofen, and my last dose was four hours ago. I’m hoping the beer will do the trick now.”
“I should have known.” He put the pan of sauce on a cold burner and opened up both bottles of beer using an opener stuck to the side of the fridge with a magnet. She didn’t argue that she could do it herself because her shoulder ached.
When they sat down to eat, Reese spooned tortellini and salad onto her plate. Again, the stubborn part of her thought about telling him she could do it herself but secretly she had to admit she liked him cooking for her and just being there. Why s
he liked it was a reason she didn’t want to explore further than the fact that they’d been partners for some time now and she cared about him. A lot.
“You’re more useful as a partner than I ever realized.” She took a bite of the tortellini and gave a blissful sigh. “And a damned good cook.”
He grinned. “Glad to be of some use.”
She had just taken a bite of her salad when Reese said, “Something was bothering you earlier today.”
The observation made her hesitate as she chewed. But then she finished and swallowed. “Why do you say that?”
“My keen investigative senses.” He studied her. “And Nikki said you were really upset earlier but wouldn’t talk about it.”
Kelley pushed her food around her plate, not wanting to meet his eyes. “I’m over it now.”
“You know you can talk to me,” he said quietly.
She thought about telling him everything she’d told Johan. But a part of her was afraid of being perceived as weak in any way. She’d told him about her past, but telling him about how she’d lost it earlier today went too far. Reese was her partner, damn it. Not to mention she didn’t want to go back and dredge up more about her family.
“It was nothing.” She bit into a piece of garlic toast that had been made with fresh garlic and butter. When she finished chewing she said, “This is great.” She looked at him and smiled. “This whole dinner is fantastic.”
He looked at her, obviously knowing that she was doing her best to change the subject. He seemed to accept the fact that she wasn’t going to talk about what she’d been upset about earlier. If she was honest with herself, she was still upset, but she wasn’t going to let her grandmother dictate her mood.
“How is the search going for Taynor and that other bastard?” She sobered as she asked the question. “Any good leads?”
“Nothing that has led anywhere.” Reese eyed her squarely. “Don’t worry, Kelley. We’ll find them.”
She pushed her fingers through her hair. “Do you have any idea of how hard it is to sit on the sidelines when you need to be out there finding the bastards who kidnapped a little girl?”
“Yeah, I do.” He nodded. “It sure as hell isn’t easy. Especially when it hits close to home.”
“That’s putting it mildly,” she said in a grumble.
He managed to guide their conversation elsewhere and she let him. Right this minute there wasn’t anything she could do, but try and enjoy the evening. The beer helped her to relax, too.
The chocolate cake they had after dinner was so good it, along with Reese’s company, greatly improved her mood. After she managed to keep herself from licking her plate clean of chocolate Ganache, they cleared the table and loaded the dishwasher.
When they were finished, he said, “I’d better get going.”
She found herself inexplicably disappointed that he was leaving and she wished he could stay a little longer. Maybe she could ask him if he wanted to watch a movie?
But all she said was, “Thank you for dinner and dessert.”
“Any time,” he said as they walked to the front door.
He turned to face her and their gazes met and held. She felt like she couldn’t breathe and she couldn’t look away from his blue eyes. She thought she might melt from the heat of his gaze.
For the first time since they’d become partners, she wanted him to kiss her, wanted to taste him. She wanted his touch more than anything in this world, to feel his callused fingers brushing her skin. She wanted to nuzzle his neck and inhale his familiar scent and fill her lungs with it.
She swallowed as she held herself back from throwing herself into his arms. “Good night, Reese.” Her words came out low and throaty.
He gave a nod. “Good night, Kelley.”
And then he opened the door and walked into the night.
Reese blew out his breath as he walked down the steps to his truck. He unlocked it with the remote but the lights didn’t flash or the alarm beep since there were times when he had to go out on a call when he was in the truck instead of the car he normally used for work.
Damn, he must be losing his marbles. When he’d reached for the doorknob and had looked into Kelley’s eyes, he’d wanted to take her into his arms and kiss her with everything he had. He wanted to more than kiss her. He’d wanted to take her to bed.
He ground his teeth. That was no way to be thinking about his partner. They had a solid working relationship and had for some time now. The last thing he needed to do was try to kiss her and ruin that relationship.
Before the insanity of wanting to kiss her, most of the night his thoughts had stayed on Kelley’s past. He’d already known at least part of her story, but hadn’t wanted to tell her that he had researched it. She probably wouldn’t have liked that he’d taken that upon himself. No doubt she’d want to kick his ass.
With his jaw set, he headed back to his ranch that wasn’t too far from town. It wasn’t really much of a ranch, but it was what he called home. He had a horse, a couple of steers that he raised for beef, and a mutt named Ruff.
When he reached home, Ruff bounded out to meet him in the driveway. Reese killed the engine and climbed out of the truck, and Ruff greeted him with enthusiasm. The dog was definitely man’s best friend and Reese gave him an affectionate rub behind the ears.
Reese locked up his truck and headed into the house with Ruff at his side. Ruff had one ear that perked up and the other flopped down, and he almost always had a doggy smile. Reese had taken him in as a stray, and guessed the dog was part Australian shepherd, part Lab, and part Dalmatian. It was hard to tell due to Ruff’s crazy quilt of brown and black spots on white, and he had one green eye and the other was blue.
Ruff happily trotted at Reese’s side as he walked and sat as Reese unlocked the door. The dog waited for permission to go in and Reese gave him the sign to come inside the house.
Reese couldn’t get Kelley and what had happened tonight off his mind. Maybe it was the fact that she’d come so close to death—twice now—that made him feel more protective toward her, and like he might have feelings for her beyond their partnership.
The living room was what his mom called rustic. He wasn’t into decorating, so she’d taken it upon herself to do it for him, and he had to admit she’d done a good job. The house suited him with the overstuffed brown leather and wood couches, the coffee table on a tree trunk with end tables that looked like they were sitting on wagon wheels. Native American and western artwork was on the walls and a brown and a white cowhide rug was on the floor.
A large-screen TV was in the entertainment center where he liked to watch football and baseball games and the occasional movie.
He went to the kitchen and grabbed a can of beer out of the fridge before cracking it open and taking a long pull from it. He set the beer on the counter and grabbed a box of dog treats from the cabinet. He tossed one of the treats to Ruff who easily caught it before wolfing it down. Reese grabbed a large rawhide bone and gave it to the dog that happily took it and curled up on the dog bed beside the refrigerator to chew on it.
Reese thought about the similarities between his and Kelley’s backgrounds. The big difference was the fact that he could pick up the phone and call his mom, and that was something Kelley would never be able to do.
While he drank his beer and watched Ruff chew on the rawhide, Reese leaned back against the counter. Guilt pressed down on his chest. He didn’t call or see his mom nearly enough—his work took up so much of his days. Hell, he’d just have to make a point of visiting her and his stepdad more often. He loved his stepdad like a real dad and could care less about his bio-father.
Reese thought about Kelley again. He’d really like to introduce her to his mother. No doubt in his mind that they would like each other.
He pushed away from the counter and took a last drink of his beer before heading to his bedroom, hoping for a good night’s sleep despite the fact he couldn’t get Kelley off his mind.
Cha
pter 5
The morning after he’d made dinner at Kelley’s place, Reese parked his car in front of Dickey’s Auto Shop, following up on a lead in the Taynor case that he’d been given by the owner of the Highlander Bar. Reese couldn’t help but think how much he missed having Kelley with him—they made a great team.
After he climbed out of the car, he headed into the auto shop. It was a hot summer’s day but the breeze helped to cool things down.
When he entered one of the two bays, he saw a pair of overall-covered legs sticking out from under a truck on the left and an office to the right.
“Bill Dickey?” Reese called out.
“Hold on,” came a muffled voice from beneath the truck.
Reese heard a clank and then a moment later a man rolled out from beneath the truck. The wiry man got to his feet and started wiping grease off his fingers with a blackened rag he’d pulled out of his back pocket. His fingernails and hands were black from working on vehicles.
“I’m Bill,” the man said. “What do you need?”
“I’m Detective McBride with the Prescott Police Department.” Reese pulled aside his overshirt as he showed the man the gold badge attached to his belt.
Looking wary, Bill stuffed the dirty rag into his back pocket. “What can I help you with?”
“Do you know this man?” Reese held out a picture and watched Bill as he looked at it.
Bill hesitated then gave a nod. “That’s Darrell Taynor.”
“How do you know Darrell?” Reese asked.
“I play cards with the boys every now and then in the back room at the Highlander. When Darrell has some kind of big payday, he’ll join in.” Bill chuckled. “Idiot will lose every damned dime he has and still he comes back for more, always thinking the next time will be his lucky day.”
Reese studied Bill. “What kind of payday?”
Bill shrugged. “Always wanted to know but never asked.” He looked like he was thinking hard about something and Reese waited for him to speak. “Stan was in the business with Darrell, whatever it was. Stan was the one who got Darrell in on the games. Stan’s not much better a card player than Darrell is.”
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