Or so Ryan thought.
His once skeptical brother expected him to hunt the thing down for a personal powwow. Stupid, except Ryan had gotten himself wrapped up with Katie Lynch and wasn’t thinking straight. Women had a habit of doing that to a guy. He was a perfect example, sitting on an engagement ring he’d tucked into a drawer, waiting for the right moment to ask Eve to marry him.
What if that moment never came? Life got effed up on a regular basis. Look at Parker Kline. One day a kid playing a prank, the next booked for murder.
Cold must return. Evening will follow.
Caden exhaled and dragged a hand through his hair. Somewhere in the distance, a dog yapped, a nighttime sound that trailed into silence. He hoped it wouldn’t end up in a barren field, its brain bleeding through its ears. Effed up didn’t begin to cover the parade of oddities in Point Pleasant.
“Hey.” The door to the house creaked open, spilling a puddle of light onto the porch. “What are you doing out here?” Arms wrapped close for warmth, Eve stepped to his side. Without a doubt, she was the best thing that had ever happened to him.
“I thought you were reading?” he asked.
“I was. I must have dozed off.” She huddled more deeply into her sweater. “It’s cold out here.”
“Yeah.” He offered his arm and she ducked beneath it, snuggling close. So much had changed in such a short time. He’d never imagined himself getting married or raising a family, but those were all things he desired. Would his kids play in the same creek Eve had, echoes of yesteryear ringing in their laughter? “It is cold. We should go back inside.”
She tilted her head to look up at him, her eyes sparkling in the darkness. “The moonlight is nice. Romantic too.”
“No argument.” He kissed her temple, enjoying the warmth of her pressed to his side.
Cold must return. Evening will follow.
Time to set his own rules. “Let’s go inside. I have something I want to ask you.”
The suggestion of a smile touched her lips. “That sounds mysterious.”
He kissed her lightly. “Let’s hope there’s nothing mysterious about your answer.”
Chapter 9
Katie hummed softly as she mounted the steps to the front porch of the Parrish Hotel. Morning sunlight cut beneath the covered overhang, splashing on vibrant orange pumpkins and brightly colored gourds. The light-hearted setting matched her mood as she swept into the lobby and dropped her purse on the reception counter.
“Someone’s cheerful.” Eve rounded the corner from her office, carrying a cup of coffee. A mischievous smile flirted with the corners of her mouth. She glanced at her watch. “You’re early too.”
“I couldn’t help myself. Ryan had a morning shift and I wanted to make him breakfast.”
“Ryan?” Eve’s perfectly tweezed brows arched higher. “Breakfast?”
Katie waved the coming interrogation aside. “It’s not what you think.” She disappeared into Eve’s office long enough to fetch her own coffee before returning to the lobby. Her friend sat perched on a stool behind the counter, an expectant look on her face.
“Well?” Eve prodded.
Katie resisted the temptation to share a while longer, tipping her cup to her lips while she inhaled the nutty aroma of almond decaf. “Well, what?”
Eve rolled her eyes. “Don’t play dumb. You can’t drop ‘Ryan’ and ‘breakfast’ in the same sentence and not share.”
Katie laughed. “Okay. Honestly, though, it’s not what you think.” Eve’s imagination was probably in overdrive. Time to squash those ideas before they took flight and sprouted gossip. “Ryan came over last night and I made dinner. We talked about Jerome and I showed him a note I’d found.” She explained about the coded message in her jacket. “Afterward, he stayed the night—on the couch—in the event Lyle returned.”
“How gallant.” Eve appeared to overlook the emphasis Katie placed on his sleeping arrangement. “I hope Lyle showed up and Ryan put a scare into the creep.”
“No luck. The van never came back.”
“Figures. Just when he would have gotten what was coming to him. What do you think the note means?”
“I don’t know. Ryan was going to run it by Parker’s doctors.”
Eve shivered. “I hope they find him. I don’t think Parker would actually hurt anyone, but the thought of him roaming around is scary. You know…all that stuff about communicating with UFOs and aliens.”
Ryan was on the fence about most of that, but he’d shown another side of himself last night. He’d let her set the pace when their kisses grew heated. It had been far too long since she’d been involved with a man, and she had Sam to think about. Ryan had understood when she’d slowed things down, worried they were moving too fast. It came as no surprise their attraction was mutual and had simmered beneath the surface for a long time. Rather than act on impulse, they’d finished the night talking about UFOs, Parker, and Men in Black. This morning Ryan had kissed her good-bye and told her he wasn’t interested in seeing anyone else. Only her.
Fairytale words that had left her floating on a high. By the end of the day, the late night hours would take their toll, but she’d manage the fatigue. The cost was well worth the trade-off.
Eve cleared her throat and poked her on the arm.
Shaken from her thoughts, Katie gave a guilty start. Warmth swept across her cheeks. “Um… Why are you staring at me?”
“Because you’re so obvious. You’re completely gone on a Flynn brother. Take it from someone who knows.” She fluttered her left hand.
“We’ve agreed to date.”
Another roll of the eyes from Eve. “You make it sound like a contract. You’re lucky Sarah isn’t here. You’d better invite her to lunch and tell her.” She wiggled her hand again. “I’ve got news too.”
“What news?” Katie waited. Then waited some more.