He itched to call Law but he could imagine what he would have to say about recent events. He’d sent Kye here to be his sister’s protector. Not his finest hour, leaving her to deal with Stokes, innocently or not. Still, nothing had changed now that his responsibilities included Yardley asking him to protect her almost-fiancé.
He looked around the living room that seemed cold despite the pile of logs snapping and hissing in brilliant flames in the fireplace. There was nothing here for him but a sorry-ass assignment that he wished he hadn’t taken. Curiosity, hell! He was feeling way too many things than was good for either of them. He was only going to get his head handed to him on a platter, again.
Kye shook himself like a dog, causing Lily to lift her head and bark.
“Shh. Sick people inside.”
She gave him her famous huff and laid back down.
Even Lily thought he was out of line.
He wagged his head and turned his music volume in the headphones up to eye-bleed territory.
*
Kye almost missed the knock on the front door for what it was. The person was knocking a second time when he reached the door. He flipped on the porch light and peered through the small window set in the plank door at eye level. Yardley’s eye level. He had to stoop.
Beyond the door, a man in a baseball cap was bouncing on his toes and shivering. His hands were shoved in his jean pockets. He looked cold. Which made perfect sense since he wore only a corduroy jacket unbuttoned over a T-shirt advertising a microbrewery. He was lean, almost wiry, not carrying much insulation.
Kye opened the door six inches, bracing a booted foot firmly behind it. “Yeah?”
The guy flashed him a grin, revealing a gap between his right front tooth and incisor. “Hey, man. Sorry to bother you but my truck broke down back on the road.” He pulled a hand from his pocket to hitch a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m Purdy Hollister, by the way. I called a buddy who lives over this way to come get me. But he says the roads are so bad he don’t know when he’ll get here. I been waiting over an hour and freezing my ass off in the truck. Now I’m about outta gas. Last time I leave Georgia without checking the forecast first. Friggin’ Yankee weather.” He paused, waiting for Kye to respond.
“You want to come in to warm up?”
“Hell yeah. If that’s cool with you. Not disturbing the family or anything.”
He reached for the door but Kye held it firmly. “Where’s your truck?”
The guy grinned wider and pointed in the general direction of the road. “Just back up over there.” He turned and picked up a sack he had evidently brought with him. “Got some New Year’s cheer, if y’all partake.”
Liquor in a sack. Real class. Kye gave him his MP stare, noticing that the man wasn’t as young as he’d first appeared. And his scruffy jaw and country way of talking were at odds with his haircut. A very complicated fade was only partially hidden beneath his cap. Not that it mattered. “You can get warm but you can’t stay here long.”
“Sure, man. Just need to thaw my balls.”
Kye blocked him as he was about to enter. “Also. You can’t use that kind of language here.”
“Oh, sure thing. Excuse me. All due respect.”
“On second thought, how about we just check on what’s wrong with your truck.”
The guy shrugged but Kye would swear he saw a flash of irritation he quickly locked up behind a chicken-shit smile. “Aside from it’s out of gas, I’m guessing the flat tire.”
“You said it broke down.”
“I don’t think so.” He suddenly glanced up past Kye’s biceps blocking the open space and smiled. “Evening, ma’am. I was just here asking your husband if I could come in and get warm. My truck broke down out yonder.”
Kye didn’t need to look back to know Yard had, finally, come out of the bedroom. He did check with the hope that Gunnar wasn’t with her. He wasn’t. In fact Yardley was closing the door tightly behind her. “He can come in, Kye.”
Kye raised an eyebrow at his about-to-be guest. “She says okay. I say for a short time.”
The man paused to wipe his shoes on the doormat before coming in. Something at least. Kye was more interested in the footprints in the snow beyond the porch.
Gunnar’s still unexplained—at least to him—appearance had him edgy. It wasn’t yet fully dark, but the world outside seemed closed off. On a good day Yardley’s nearest neighbors were a quarter mile away, by the road. In the glow of the NightWatcher light coming to life on the utility post nearest the house, he saw only one pair of footprints coming up the drive. The snow was swirling thickly now, filling in the imprints even as he noticed them. He guessed they were getting close to six inches. Heck of a walk for a man in a corduroy jacket. He would close and lock the gate after the guy was gone.
“Would you like coffee?” Yard’s gaze flicked from the man to Kye. “I’m just going to make some.”
“I’d purely love anything hot, ma’am.” He moved forward with a kind of quick, jerky movement and held out his hand to her. “I’m Purdy, like I told your husband.”