“Hey, sis,” said Nick when she opened the door. His arms held three stuffed paper bags, and she reached to take one from him.
“Wow. You went all out.” She led him into the living room to see what he’d brought. “Perfect,” she said as she held up a pair of jeans. A sweatshirt and sweatpants followed, along with a blue flannel shirt.
“I just cleared out the back of my closet for things I don’t wear.” He reached into the second bag. “I figured he’d need a jacket, too.” He drew out a navy fleece-lined jacket sporting the logo of his shop.
“What’s in the third bag?” This was a great assortment.
“A bunch of T-shirts, and another pair of jeans.” He pulled them out and put them into the pile on the couch.
“Thanks, Nick, you’re a dear. We’ll probably go to the discount store later to get socks, underwear, and anything else he’ll need.”
Nick growled at her words, and she did her best not to giggle. The thought of Rob going commando apparently didn’t please her brother nearly as much as it pleased her. Spoilsport.
“Want some coffee? I just put some on.” She heard the bathroom door open and hoped Rob would wrap himself in the blanket. Her protective brother wouldn’t like him running around in a towel.
“Sure,” Nick said, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Rob had left the bathroom.
“Go help yourself. I’ll put these into the guest room.”
Nick glared at her as she gathered an armful of clothes. She ignored him and scurried toward the hall.
“Hey, Maverick,” she said to the dog. She approached the open door to the guest room and entered, only to run smack into a hard, bare chest. The clothes flew from her arms, and she gasped, as strong arms steadied her. She did her best to stop her eyes from roaming over the towel-clad hunk of masculine muscle. Really, she did.
“Sorry,” Rob said, squatting down to help her pick up the clothes scattered around them on the floor.
Lordy, please, not in that towel. “My fault. I couldn’t see around the pile of clothes. Nick’s here. Why don’t you find something to wear and join us in the kitchen?” She stood up rapidly, unnerved by the way the towel gaped in front as he squatted down. Her face burned, and she lifted a hand to her cheek.
Rob grinned at her as he stood up, arms full of various items of clothing. “Okay, I’ll join you in a minute. Why don’t you take Maverick and feed him?”
Nodding, she backed out of the room. Good grief. What was wrong with her? She was acting like a desperate, sex-crazed woman. Unfortunately, that accurately described her at the moment. She grunted in self-disgust and headed for the kitchen. “C’mon, Maverick. Mangia.”
***
She’s cute when she’s flustered. He liked making her blush. Her emotions were easy to read. Despite everything she’d been through—they’d both been through—she was attracted to him. “I hope this is okay with you, Trevor,” his mind whispered. He waited for the guilt to hit him, but it didn’t this time.
He picked up the remaining clothes, and chose the gray sweatpants and sweatshirt, pulling them on. He folded the towel and took it back into the bathroom to hang up. He’d go through the rest of the clothing later. Coffee sounded good, and he knew he’d better reassure MJ’s brother if he could. He headed for the kitchen, glad to hear MJ and Nick laughing.
“Hey, Nick,” he said as he entered the room. “Thanks for the clothes.”
“No problem. MJ said you lost everything in the fire.”
“Yeah. We didn’t have much time to save anything, except our skins. It’s nice that you and MJ are willing to help us out.” He gestured toward Maverick who was scarfing down a bowl of kibble on the other side of the kitchen table.
“Want some coffee?” MJ asked.
“That sounds terrific. Black’s fine.”
The three of them sank into chairs around the pine table. “Maverick was hungry,” MJ interjected into the uncomfortable silence.
“Yeah, thanks for taking care of him.” Rob caught her eye and winked.
“I hope you staying here won’t lead to trouble,” Nick said. “I understand they think the fire was arson. What sort of enemies do you have?”
“I don’t know enough people in Ridgeview to have pissed off somebody like that. Maybe it’s somebody Derrick knows.”
Nick looked like he was pondering that. “I haven’t been in touch with him much over the years, and frankly, I’m surprised he moved back. He couldn’t leave town fast enough after high school. I expect between the fire chief and Sheriff Daniels, they’ll figure it out soon enough.”
“What about Kent Barnard?” MJ blurted. “He doesn’t like you and Maverick. I know it sounds far-fetched, but he’s crazy enough to do something like that, isn’t he?”
Nick scratched his chin, clearly giving the idea careful consideration.
Rob shook his head. “Seriously? Do you think he’d be crazy enough to kill two people and a dog, just for spite? Other than the park and the parking lot of the IGA, we’ve had no contact with him.”
“I think you ought to mention it to the sheriff, Nick. He can consider it, without Rob having to name him. Kent Barnard’s the only person I can think of who has a grudge against Rob.”
“I agree,” replied Nick. “In fact, I think I’ll join Sheriff Bo for breakfast at The Diner. Keep yourselves safe. Keep your eyes open.” He cleared his throat and gave MJ a look. “When word gets out he and the dog are staying with you, you’ll be at risk, MJ.”
She made a face and flapped a hand at him in dismissal. “We’ll be fine.”
Nick raised his chin at Rob and glared a warning.
