Finn shook his head. “It was a clean cut. Whoever did it left about a quarter of the line intact, so that the brake fluid drained out slowly.”
She furrowed her brows. “So they couldn’t have known when the brakes would stop working. Which means Gideon would have to be a mind reader to know to be on that stretch of the road at the exact moment.”
“Unless he was following you since you left his house, waiting for you to die.”
“But when would he have tampered with my brakes? I was with him the entire time at his house.”
“Did you go anywhere else?” Finn asked. “Park somewhere for a bit?”
Cole’s house. She’d been at Cole’s house. But she couldn’t tell Finn, not when he’d ordered her to stay away from the man. Besides, she’d been with Cole the entire time too. They’d been busy…not sleeping together. No way could he have messed around with her car.
“By the way,” Finn added darkly, “I walked over to the parking lot at the station and saw four puddles of fluid on the pavement.”
“You did?”
“Yep. How the hell didn’t you notice that, Jamie? You shouldn’t have gotten into that car, damn it.”
“I…I was distracted, I guess.”
By Cole Donovan and his potent masculinity.
She wanted to berate herself for being so stupid, for not noticing that her car was leaking brake fluid all over the place. God, she could have died. And all because she hadn’t been firing on all cylinders, all because her confusing feelings for Cole kept spinning around in her head like a damn carousel.
“Steve will go over the car more thoroughly, but I think it’s safe to say that someone intentionally tried to hurt you,” Finn said.
“I think you’re right. But who?” She swallowed. “Gideon tried to imply that it was Cole.”
“Did he say why?”
“He thinks Cole wanted me off the case because he doesn’t like me snooping around.”
Finn didn’t answer.
“Come on, Finn, that’s ridiculous and you know it,” she shot out. “I just backed up Cole’s alibi.”
“But he doesn’t know that. And besides, I’m not convinced the alibi even clears him,” Finn replied. “Maybe Gideon’s right and Cole wanted you out of the way before you got too close to the truth.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she said again.
“Doesn’t make it untrue.”
“Doesn’t make it true either.”
They scowled at each other for a second, only turning away when an angry voice echoed from the hallway.
“Damn it, I want to see Agent Crawford.”
Jamie’s heart skipped a beat as she recognized the voice.
“I told you” came Dr. Bennett’s muffled voice. “You can’t just storm in here making demands. You are not allowed to go back there. You aren’t— Mr. Donovan! You can’t go back there!”
The thump of heavy footsteps sounded from the corridor and then Cole burst through the doorway, his dark eyes immediately seeking out Jamie’s.
“Are you all right?” he demanded.
The anxiety flashing across his face made her heart do another flip. She tried to ignore the rush of warmth that flooded her body. “I’m fine. Just a little scraped up.”
Slowly, Cole entered the room. He looked like he wanted to take her into his arms, then thought better of it and stopped, leaning one broad shoulder against the wall. “I heard about the accident and came right over.”
That earned him a hard glare from the sheriff. “And how exactly did you hear about it, Donovan? It surely wasn’t on the news.”
Cole glared right back. “I was getting takeout from the diner and saw Jamie’s car being towed in. I went outside, noticed your Jeep parked in front of the clinic, and figured she was here.”
Discomfort roiled in Jamie’s stomach as the two men studied each other like two wary animals making a territorial stand. Their mutual dislike was hard to miss, and she decided to diffuse the situation before one challenged the other to duel or something.
“I wasn’t in the car when it crashed,” she assured Cole. “I jumped out just in time.”
He looked appalled. “You jumped out? Are you crazy?”
“Watch your tone,” Finn snapped, despite the fact that he’d been lecturing her about the same thing less than five minutes ago.
Cole swiveled his head at the other man. “Did someone tamper with the car?”
“Looks like it. The brake lines were cut.” Finn offered a mocking smile. “How good are you with cars, Donovan?”
“Are you implying I’m to blame for this?”
“I’m not implying a damn thing.”
“Like hell you aren’t.”
“Hey,” Jamie interceded. “Both of you, just calm down.” She glanced at Cole. “We’re not sure what happened yet. The mechanic is going to take a closer look.”
Cole didn’t seem appeased as he turned to Finn once more. “What if the person who killed Teresa has Jamie in his sights now?”
When Finn snorted, Cole’s jaw tensed. “That person wasn’t me, damn it! No matter what you think of me, I don’t want Jamie hurt.”
“Neither do I,” Finn relented.
“Then find out who cut those brakes, Finnegan.”
“Don’t tell me how to do my job.”
Jamie sighed loudly. “Can you two please stop? Stop bickering so we can figure out who did this.”
“That’s the sheriff’s job,” Cole retorted. His lips tightened. “And while he does that job, I’m going to make sure you’re protected.”
She had to laugh. “I don’t need you to protect me. I’m a federal agent.”
“Tough,” he said, sounding like the consummate alpha male. “You’ve got my protection whether you like it or not.”
She laughed again.
“I’m serious, Jamie.”
“Okay, and how do you propose to protect me?” she had to ask.
“I think you should stay with me until the sheriff catches whoever tried to kill you.”
A deafening silence pounced on the room. Jamie tried to hide her shock, but it was difficult. A couple of hours ago he was telling her they couldn’t get involved, and now he wanted her to stay at his house?
After a long moment, Finn cleared his throat. Shooting her a strange look, he said, “Jamie, can I speak to you alone?”
A breath shuddered out of her mouth. “Cole, will you excuse us for a second?”
With a nod, Cole stepped out the door, which Finn made a quick move toward so he could close it. He walked back to the gurney, stood a foot away from her and said, “What the hell is going on with you and Donovan?”
She gulped. “Nothing’s going on.”
“Then why is he suddenly your biggest protector?” Finn cursed. “And why the hell is he demanding you stay at his house?”
“I guess he’s just trying to be nice.” She winced at the feeble tremble to her voice.
“Nice?” Finn roared. “Look, I don’t care if you got Gideon to back up his alibi! I don’t trust the guy, and there’s no way in hell I’m allowing you to have a slumber party with him!”
She clenched her teeth. “You’re not allowing me to do anything. I make my own decisions, Finn. And you’ve got to admit, he’s got a good point. His house might be the safest place in town.”
Finn’s face went beet red. “I can’t believe you’re even considering this!”
“Why not? He’s got a locked gate, a top-notch alarm, cameras, motion sensors around the property. I took a peek into his security room and it was pretty impressive.”
“The best security system in the world isn’t going to help when it keeps you locked in with a murderer.”
“He’s not a murderer,” she said in an even tone.
And this time there was no doubt in her mind. Maybe Finn didn’t trust in Cole’s alibi, but she did. In her profession she’d come across a lot of pretty awful people. She knew a bad man when she saw one, and C
ole Donovan was not a bad man.
“You’re not going home with him,” Finn said, making a frustrated sound in the back of his throat. “I agree that you need protection, now that someone tried to bring you harm, but you can stay with me.”
She crossed her arms. “At your isolated farmhouse?”
Finn’s lips tightened. “Fine, then leave town. We’re not making any headway with the case anyway.”
She experienced a burst of irritation. “I’m not leaving Serenade until we catch this killer, Finn. You asked for my help. So guess what—you’re stuck with me. And I think staying at Cole’s place isn’t such a bad idea.”
Finn raked both hands through his black hair, then let out a string of curses that would’ve made her blush if she weren’t so pissed off. “I can’t believe this,” he muttered. With a scowl he stalked toward the door, over his shoulder adding, “I swear, Jamie, if he pulls something, you’ll have nobody to blame but yourself.”
Finn stormed out of the room, leaving her staring at the doorway in shock. For a moment she was tempted to run after him, but she forced herself to stay put. She understood his anger stemmed from concern, that he was truly worried about her safety, but she didn’t appreciate being treated like a dumb kid. She could protect herself, with or without Cole’s offer to stay with him, but a good security system didn’t hurt. She just wished Finn would put aside his damn dislike for Cole and see that she had nothing to fear from him.
“Uh, yeah. So I didn’t mean to cause trouble between you two.”
She glanced up at the sound of Cole’s voice. He looked uncomfortable as he reentered the room, his dark eyes flickering apologetically.
“Finn is just being overprotective,” she said with a sigh.
“I don’t blame him. Someone tried to kill you today.” He gave an awkward pause. “I couldn’t help but overhear— Finnegan wasn’t trying to be quiet about it—but…did Gideon really sign a statement backing up my story?”
“He did,” she confirmed.
His handsome face lit up, stealing the breath right out of her lips. He looked even more gorgeous without that crease of worry in his forehead. And his voice was husky as he said, “Thank you for getting the truth out of him.”
“My pleasure,” she murmured.
They watched each other for a few seconds, and then Cole let out a breath. “I’m sorry if I was unreasonably harsh before, when I said we couldn’t be friends.”
“You were right,” she said quietly.
“I was wrong,” he corrected. “Just because we shouldn’t act on this crazy attraction between us doesn’t mean we can’t be friends. And I really think you should stay with me until the sheriff finds the person who messed with your car.”
She hesitated.
“Please,” Cole added, his voice gruff. “Let me do this for you. You got the truth from Gideon, the least I can do is make sure you have a safe place to stay.”
Jamie bit her lower lip, feeling her resolve crumble. His house was more secure than her room at the B&B, and though she wasn’t going to say it aloud, the car accident had left her pretty shaken. Somebody had intentionally cut her brake lines. Whether her death was the ultimate goal didn’t matter. She could have been seriously injured, and it troubled her to know she’d made an enemy in this town, that someone truly wanted to hurt her.
But was placing herself in close quarters with Cole a good idea? Her body continued to betray her whenever this man was around. Each time she looked into his charcoal eyes she melted. She was drawn to him, aroused by him. Yet she knew getting involved with him would be a mistake. Not only did they come from different worlds, but she was trying to solve his ex-wife’s murder. She might not be working the case officially, but she had a strict code when it came to sex on the job.
Then don’t have sex with him.
The nonchalant thought gave her pause. Because really, why was she assuming that staying at Cole’s house automatically meant they’d sleep together? She was thirty-two years old. Surely she could muster up some self-control and keep her hands off the man.
“Okay,” she finally said.
“Okay?” he echoed.
She exhaled a long breath. “I’ll come home with you.”
Chapter 10
This was a bad idea. The entire drive to his house, Cole kept his eyes on the road and tried not to question his motives for bringing Jamie home with him. He was just providing her with a safe house. Protecting her. It had nothing to do with the fact that whenever he was around her a rush of heat shuddered through his veins, or that the thought of falling into bed with her made his groin tighten.
Right, nothing to do with that.
But…he could no longer deny that he cared about this woman. When he’d looked out the diner window and seen Jamie’s crumpled SUV being towed in, his entire body had gone paralyzed with fear. Then flooded with relief when he’d seen Jamie in the clinic, safe and sound.
It made him ill at ease, how much he cared about her well-being. Ever since the divorce, he’d vowed to stay detached, to avoid any lasting contact with the female gender. When Jamie had left his house after they’d almost made love, he’d told himself it was for the best, that he’d successfully avoided any risk of developing feelings other than desire for her. And then she went ahead and almost got killed, and now there was no way he could pretend he didn’t care.
Shoving away his disconcerting thoughts, he drove through the gate and pulled into his driveway, shooting her a concerned look as he shut off the engine. “How are you feeling?” he asked.
She shrugged. “A little sore, but I was lucky to escape with only a few bruises.”
“Maybe a hot bath will help. You can use the Jacuzzi in the master bedroom,” he offered.
Although he’d sincerely been thinking about her aching body, the second he pictured Jamie naked in his Jacuzzi, arousal burned in his blood. Must have burned in his eyes too, because Jamie gave a sharp intake of breath, her own eyes going heavy-lidded.
Then she sighed. “This was a bad idea.”
He swallowed. “We’re adults, Jamie. We’re perfectly capable of reining in this attraction and keeping things on a friends-only basis.”
“Are we?”
Their gazes locked. Another burst of heat flared in his groin.
“We are,” he said in a firm voice, though his tone didn’t seem to convince either one of them.
Sighing again, Jamie reached for the small suitcase sitting on the seat between them. They’d stopped by the B&B to get her things, and the suitcase only served as a reminder that she would be staying with him. Sleeping in the room next to his. Possibly soaking in his Jacuzzi.
Cole gulped, then took the bag from her hands and hopped out of the truck. He rounded the vehicle to open her door and the two of them headed for the porch. After he unlocked the door and disabled the alarm, he dropped her suitcase on the parquet floor and glanced at her, suddenly noticing the disheveled state of her clothing. Dirt streaked her T-shirt and there was a small hole in her jeans, revealing the pale skin of her knee. His heart thudded again as he pictured her jumping out of a moving car.
“I should get cleaned up,” Jamie said, noticing the sweep of his gaze. “Should I use the guest room you gave me the night of the storm?”
“Sure, and don’t forget to take one of the painkillers the doc prescribed you.”
She rolled her eyes, then brushed past him and climbed the wide staircase. “I don’t need painkillers,” she called over her shoulder. “I’m honestly fine, Cole.”
He gave up on the pills—he knew a stubborn woman when he saw one. “Whatever you say, Agent Crawford. How about I make us some dinner?”
“Sounds good.” Her voice was muffled; she was already disappearing into the second-floor landing.
Cole waited until she was out of earshot, then released a breath.
He wanted her, damn it.
And it drove him crazy, this insane need to claim her. The way they’d almost fall
en into bed without a single concern for reason or consequence had reminded him far too much of his courtship with Teresa. He refused to jump into anything rash ever again, yet when it came to Jamie Crawford, he couldn’t seem to remember the new set of rules he’d outlined for himself.
What was it about her that drew him in like a moth to a flame? Her intelligence? Her intriguing beauty? And what exactly did he feel for her? Gratitude, especially now that she’d gotten the truth out of Joe Gideon. Admiration, for the professional way she handled herself. Awe, that she could jump out of a moving car without hesitation. And desire.
He glanced down at the erection straining against his jeans. Oh yeah, definitely desire.
With another heavy breath he rerouted his troubling thoughts, deciding to distract himself with dinner. An hour and a half later, as he removed a hot pan from the stove and set it on the cooling rack on the counter, he realized Jamie still hadn’t come downstairs.
He wiped his hands on a dishrag, then trudged up the stairs and knocked on Jamie’s door. When she didn’t answer he went ahead and opened it, hoping he didn’t catch her in a state of undress. Or maybe praying he would. But when he walked in he was surprised to find her sprawled on the burgundy bedspread, sound asleep.
His heart squeezed in his chest. She looked young and sweet while she slept, and not so obstinately professional. For all her easygoing smiles and casual tilts of the head, he’d noticed she was always alert, always observing and analyzing.
Trying not to wake her, he edged backward, only to jump when Jamie shot up in a blur, those shrewd lavender eyes fixed on him. “What’s up?” she asked immediately.
He was impressed. “You’re a light sleeper.”
“Part of the job—always be prepared for anything.” She rubbed her eyes. “Is everything okay?”
“I was just coming up to tell you dinner was ready, but if you want to keep napping, then—”
She was already off the bed and on her feet. “No, I’ll come down. Just give me a minute to freshen up.”
When she entered the kitchen ten minutes later, she was wearing black leggings, a red, hooded sweatshirt and her auburn hair was tied up in a high ponytail. He fought a smile. In that getup, she looked more like a college coed than an FBI agent.