Maddie’s eyes automatically went to Hannah’s uniform, which showed off a lot of cleavage. She swallowed hard. “Is she going to wear that?”
Hannah grinned and nodded. “Yeah, and I can’t wait to see how she looks.”
Maddie was horrified. “This really is turning into a nightmare of a trip.”
14
Fourteen
They searched the storage building from top to bottom and came up empty. Hannah even pulled out an inventory list, but it was impossible to tell if anything was missing.
“Maybe we’re looking at it wrong,” Boone noted as he sat down at one of the saloon tables to enjoy the breakfast Tyler had run out to collect. “Maybe it wasn’t our killer but someone else.”
“For what reason?” Cooper queried, pouring syrup over his pancakes. He kept shaking his head at Jinx, who was resting with his head on the security chief’s knee in an attempt to beg food. “I’m pretty sure you’ve already been fed.”
“He doesn’t care,” Hannah noted, grinning when she saw what the dog was doing. “He could eat five breakfasts, couldn’t you, Jinx?”
As if to show he understood the question, the dog thumped his tail and turned back to Cooper. He almost looked to be grinning.
“Ignore them, Jinx,” Tyler admonished. “I got you a breakfast all your own.” Tyler removed a takeout container that was located at the bottom of the bag and opened it, revealing sausage links and scrambled eggs. “Merry Christmas,” he enthused to the dog as he upended the food in the bowl Hannah kept behind the bar.
“Look at what a good boy he is,” Boone offered, grinning as the dog excitedly pranced behind Tyler. “He’s the best boy in the world.”
Cooper made a face. “Let’s not fill his head with lies.”
Boone’s gaze was dark. “Don’t tell me you’re not a fan of dogs. I’ve seen you with Jinx. You’re good with him.”
“I happen to love Jinx.” Cooper aimed a smile directly at Hannah. “He’s a great dog.”
“But?” Boone prodded.
“But I’m convinced that he hates me,” Cooper admitted, causing Nick and Maddie to snap their heads in his direction.
“You think the dog hates you?” Nick queried as he carefully dumped scrambled eggs and hash browns on Maddie’s plate. She’d made a big show of waving off the food, which meant he was even more determined than ever to feed her.
“He does hate me,” Cooper argued. “I’m not imagining it. He gives me dirty looks at night when we crawl into bed. I swear he wants to smother me in my sleep.”
Hannah chuckled at Cooper’s overwrought description. “I think you’re exaggerating just a bit.”
“I’m not.” Cooper was firm. “He absolutely hates me.”
As if to prove Cooper’s point, Jinx picked that moment to look up from his breakfast. He wagged his tail at Hannah, Tyler, and Boone before going completely still as he regarded Cooper. “See,” Cooper intoned. “He thinks I’m stealing Hannah from him.”
“I think you’re exaggerating,” Boone countered automatically, although his gaze was intense as he regarded the dog. “He just picks up on the fact that you’re nervous around him.”
“I wasn’t nervous until he tried killing me,” Cooper grumbled. “He cuts in front of me just as I’m going down the steps because he wants to trip me.”
Hannah laughed delightedly as she shook her head. “He’s not trying to kill you. He just likes being the first one on the street in the morning because then he can investigate all the smells without anyone else ruining them.”
“Uh-huh.” Cooper didn’t look convinced. “And what about the way he glares at me at night? Are you saying he doesn’t want to lay directly over my face and cut off my airway?”
“That’s exactly what I’m saying.” Hannah was calm as she regarded him. “It’s not that he thinks you’re stealing me from him. It’s that he thinks you’re stealing his place in the bed. I don’t know if you realize this, but before you came along he was the one who slept with his head on that pillow.”
“Oh, trust me, it’s hard to miss all that dog hair,” Cooper muttered, his eyes drifting back to Jinx. He was thoughtful. “Are you saying if I figure out a way for all of us to regularly fit in that bed together that he’ll like me again? I mean ... he was all over me when we first started dating. Once the overnight visits kicked into high gear, though, he started plotting his revenge.”
“I think you’re reading too much into it,” Hannah teased. “He’s fine. Aren’t you, boy?”
Jinx thumped his tail against the bar in response.
“I’m still going to figure something out,” Cooper muttered. He stared at the dog a beat longer and then flicked his eyes to Nick, who was continuously prodding Maddie to eat something. “Do you guys have a dog?”
“No,” Nick replied, shaking his head.
“We have Granny,” Maddie offered, making a face. “Nicky, I don’t know if I should eat so soon after getting sick this morning. Maybe I should just wait.”
“You need your strength.” Nick was adamant. “The hash browns and eggs are bland, Mad. You should be fine.”
“Or I can just have tea and see how I feel when lunchtime swings around,” Maddie argued.
“I think that’s too long to go without food.” Nick refused to back down. “Think of it this way, Mad, the baby needs the nourishment.”
All chatter at the table ceased and a multitude of eyes flew in Maddie’s direction. For her part, the blond psychic was mortified that Nick had so brazenly uttered the words.
“Are you pregnant?” Hannah asked, her eyes roaming Maddie’s slim body. “You don’t look pregnant.”
“Definitely not,” Cooper agreed.
Hannah elbowed his stomach. “Why are you checking out her body?”
It was only then that Cooper realized his words could be misconstrued the wrong way. “I wasn’t checking her out. I was just ... hey!” He extended a finger in Hannah’s direction. “I’m a trained observer. I wasn’t looking at her in an inappropriate way and
