“We don’t need her help. Christy is at peace now. It’s time to move the hell on.”
Hayden was walking around the car, but his gaze lifted and, just for a moment, his stare seemed to lock on Kurt.
Kurt let go of the curtain and stepped back.
“Christy is dead and buried,” his father muttered. “She deserves her peace. She doesn’t need some FBI agent picking around at her...hell, this isn’t some TV show. No one’s going to go digging up my girl—”
Kurt’s eyes widened as he spun to face his dad. “Is that what she wanted to do?”
His father was pacing, his movements tight and angry. “That’s what they do on TV! They exhume the bodies, look for evidence and run all their tests.”
Look for evidence. Kurt swallowed. “You don’t want that to happen?”
Tears glittered in his father’s eyes. “She’s at peace now. I want her to stay that way. And I—I don’t want to bury her again.” His dad’s face crumpled. “I need a drink.”
“No,” Kurt snapped out the denial. “That’s the last thing you need.” He closed the distance between them and put his hand on his dad’s shoulder. “I’ll take care of Jill West, okay? Don’t worry about her. Christy can have her peace. I’ll make sure of it.”
* * *
JILL WAS DEAD on her feet. Not that she’d ever admit it, Hayden realized, but he could see the weariness pulling at her.
He eased his patrol car to a stop next to her cabin. The sun was dipping low over the ocean, striking the waves a dark red. It had been one hell of a day. They’d spent hours searching for her intruder, going over crime scene details, getting the motorcycle checked for prints.
Only there hadn’t been any.
Just as there hadn’t been any prints left on the stolen SUV that had been abandoned on the West End.
“Thanks for the ride back,” Jill murmured.
Oh, she thought he’d just given her a ride? That was cute. Sweet.
She climbed from the car and her fingers moved in a little wave. “Guess we’ll pick up tomorrow?”
Um, no.
“Good night.” She slammed the door shut and headed for her cabin.
The same cabin some creep had broken into the night before. The same place that had meager locks and far too easy access.
He slid out of the vehicle and followed behind her.
Jill stopped and glanced over her shoulder. “Is there a problem?”
A very big one. “How long do you think it will take you to get your things?”
Her eyes widened. “My...things?”
“Yes, you know...fresh clothes. Your laptop, any other items that you feel you can’t live without tonight.”
“Why would I need my things?” She put her hands on her hips and faced him.
He stalked closer to her. All day long, he’d been walking on a tightrope. That rope was way too close to snapping. He came after Jill. He’d shot at her. “You aren’t staying here alone tonight.”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, excuse me?”
“That intruder—”
“I think I did a pretty good job of defending myself.”
She didn’t get it. “Do you want me to stay sane?”
Her brow furrowed. “That would probably be a good plan.”
He thought so, too. Hayden nodded. “Then you’re staying with me tonight. I’ll have a deputy keep watch on your place.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “Did you just tell me I was staying at your place?”
“I did.” He inclined his head toward her.
“I’m not afraid, Hayden. If he comes back, I’ll be ready for him. I’ll be—”
“I know you’re not scared.” He got that. What she didn’t get... “I am.”
She laughed. “Right, the big, bad navy SEAL is afraid. You’re—”
“Absolutely terrified that something will happen to you.”
Her smile slipped away. His hand rose and his fingers slid into the thickness of her hair as he tilted her head back and stared into her eyes. “You just don’t get that, do you, Jill? You don’t see how important you are to me.”
“So important that you walked away.” There was pain in her words. Pain that he hated.
“I wasn’t going to stand in your way. I cared about you too much for that.”
Her lips parted.
“What was the one thing you always wanted to do?” Hayden pushed.
She licked her lips. “Join the FBI.”
He nodded. “And you did. You’re a great agent, I know that. I also know that you had to leave Hope to follow that dream.” His thumb brushed over her cheek. “So you had to leave me.”
Her eyes seemed to flash at him. “I didn’t leave you. You’re the one who walked away from me. The one who wanted adventure. The world...because I wasn’t enough.”
No, that wasn’t what he’d thought. Not ever. “You were always enough.” Then, because he wouldn’t lie to her, Hayden confessed. “I wasn’t.”
Everyone in town had known that truth. Why hadn’t she?
“Hayden...”
“You’re the FBI agent,” he murmured. “But I’m the town sheriff. Right now, my authority trumps yours. You’re the crime victim in this case, not the investigator.” He couldn’t stop touching her. “So you have two choices. One, you come with me. You stay the night at my house.”
“That’s an interesting take on protective custody,” she said, voice wry.
Oh, he’d make sure she was protected plenty. “Option two, we both stay at your cabin tonight.” And if her late-night visitor came back, they’d both be ready.
“Option three,” Jill added, “I stay by myself and you get back in your patrol car.”
“It’s not happening. You were nearly killed twice in the past twenty-four hours. My job is to keep the people of my town safe. You’re one of those people, FBI badge or not. So you’re either coming with me or I’ll be bunking down with you.”
He waited for more arguments. He waited...
“You know, when you’re this close and when you touch like that... I keep expecting you to kiss me.”
Okay, he hadn’t expected that response. His heartbeat kicked up. “Do you want me to kiss you?”
“That’s the problem, Hayden. I’m not sure what I want from you. Sometimes, I want you as far away from me as you can get.”
Hell.
“And other times...” Her voice had gone so soft. “I feel like you’re the one person in the world I need to hold close. Hold you close and tight.”
And never let go. Because that was the way he felt about her. He wanted to grab Jill and hold her close, keep her safe and never, ever let her go again.
“You know what’s better than one FBI agent waiting for a perp to attack?” Jill asked.
She was losing him. He wanted to get back to talking about her needing him close.
“An FBI agent and a sheriff waiting...that’s what is better. So I’ll take option two. You can bunk down on the couch.” She stepped back.
His hand fell to his side.
“Just the couch, Hayden. I’m not offering anything else.”
If only she was. She marched toward the cabin.
“Jill!” Hayden called.
She kept walking.
He smiled after her. “When you figure out what it is that you want from me, just let me know.” Hold you close. Never let go. “After all, I’ll be on your couch, so you just come out and tell me.”
She gave a little snarl. His smile stretched. Maybe she didn’t see it, but he was making progress with her. Real progress.
They just might have a real chance together.
If they could just put the past to rest.
&nb
sp; Chapter Seven
“Do you still have nightmares?”
Hayden’s quiet question caught Jill off guard. She’d just pulled an extra blanket from the hall closet, and she looked toward him, grasping that blanket close to her body.
“You used to have them a lot,” he noted. “I was...just curious.”
She hurried across the room and put the blanket on the sofa, right next to the extra pillows she’d already gotten out for him. “Worried I’ll wake you up with my screams?” Jill backed away from the couch and turned—only to find him right in her path.
“No, that’s not what I’m worried about. I’m worried about you.”
Her breath whispered out.
“And you didn’t answer my question. Do you still have nightmares?”
Her stomach was knotting.
“My father...”
She tensed. Hayden never talked about his father. Never. That was his one rule. She’d heard the stories growing up, but she’d never pressed him because every time she heard a whisper, she’d seen pain flash in Hayden’s eyes.
“He was a killer. Before the kidnapper came to Hope, my father was the worst thing to ever happen to this town. He abused my mother, gave her more black eyes than I could count, and one drunken night, he robbed two tourists on the beach. Shot one guy in the chest...”
“Hayden—”