Dang, he had a sexy profile, all gorgeous, sharp lines and beautiful raven hair.
He’d been silent for most of the drive, seemingly preferring to just listen to her talk. It was oddly nice having someone so happy to listen to her. Pretty much all of the men she knew ignored her, talked over her, or trivialized what she had to say.
But with Dallas, it seemed like he really listened.
That was rare. As a reporter who interviewed people for a living, she ran into quite a few people who talked a lot but had little to say, and he was the opposite of that. He didn’t speak much, but when he did, it was important.
She’d never felt this way before, so wholly fascinated and comfortable with another person, but then again, she’d never met a man like him.
“You know,” she said. “I’m glad you came along today.”
“Not just today.”
Mel sat up, wide-eyed. “You mean you’ll come with me tomorrow?”
He nodded, still staring out at the road.
That made her feel a lot better. Being around him was so easy and fun in a way, although the thoughts she had when he carried her were far from holy.
Still, could anyone blame her? Had they seen Dallas?
The only thing she still wasn’t sure about was if the attraction was mutual. Over the day, she’d felt like there had been a few times where she had caught him staring at her, but then maybe she’d been imagining it.
She rubbed a kink from one of her shoulders as they pulled into the hotel lot and parked.
“I’m excited for tomorrow,” she said, stretching as they both got out.
Dallas just nodded at that, his gaze narrowing for a second before going back to normal.
“What was that look?” she asked as they entered the small hotel foyer. At the counter, an older woman was chewing gum loudly while reading a paperback novel.
Dallas frowned. “Just not sure what we’ll find.”
Mel smiled as they stepped into the elevator. “That’s the fun of it, isn’t it? Maybe it’s nothing. Maybe it’s something. But you don’t know until you look closer. That’s why I love working in news. It’s all about perspective.”
He nodded, taking that in.
When they reached her floor, she got out of the elevator, excited to finally be back so she could get some rest, but when they got to her hotel room, the door was ajar.
Mel’s blood went cold, and she motioned to Dallas, pointing at the wide-open door.
He was curious. Then his eyebrows turned downward in a scowl when he realized what she was talking about.
Someone had broken in.
He put a finger to his lips, then reached out and took the door handle, opening the door fully and stepping in first. She followed after.
Her jaw dropped as she took in the destruction. The place had been thrashed, thoroughly torn to pieces. Furniture was overturned, and her clothes and belongings were spread all over the place. Mel looked around, taking it in for a second, while Dallas prowled around the room.
After a minute or two, he walked over to her, shaking his head. “It’s not safe here.” His voice was even lower than usual, and it sent a thrill through her.
“Why would anyone do this?” she wondered aloud. Then she sighed. “My cameraman’s next door. Maybe he heard something.”
Dallas followed her from the room and out into the hall, where she stopped and knocked on Trent’s door.
No answer.
“He’s just a heavy sleeper,” Mel said, going to knock again when Dallas frowned and rapped his knuckles against the door even louder.
When there was still no response, he scowled. “You can’t stay here.”
“Right, I get that, but where will I stay?”
There were only two other hotels in town, and this one was the nicest. If this wasn’t safe, there was no way she’d be safe in either of the other two.
It must have just been random ruffians or thieves.
Dallas thought about it for a second, then pursed his lips. “I have an idea.” He reached out and took her hand, leading her back to the elevator.
She could feel her heartbeat accelerating as he held her hand in his. Why did he have to affect her so much?
“What do you have in mind?” she asked as he pulled her across the lobby to the back door of the hotel. When they got outside, she realized there was a large field with trailer hookups. Off to the side was an immense one. It could only have been pulled by the largest of trucks.
There is no way…
But her doubts faded away as he pulled her over to it until they were standing next to the door.
“Wow.” She blinked a few times, looking between him and the trailer and back again. “Is this your home?”
Dallas cocked his head to the side. “Kind of.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t live in town, so I bring this with me whenever I’m here.”
Mel cocked an eyebrow. “And you just happened to have it here, right outside my hotel? That’s kinda fishy.”
He shrugged, holding the door open for her. “Coincidence. Only hotel with trailer spots.”
That was fair enough, she supposed.
The first thing she noticed when she stepped into the trailer was the wood carvings everywhere. On the walls, tables, everywhere. All different colors of wood and different shapes.
Other than that, the trailer was immaculately clean and well-kept.
Dallas got in after her, then stepped to the far side and patted the bed. “This is for you.”
She frowned. “No, I couldn’t. I’ll sleep on the couch.”
Dallas shook his head at her.
Mel tried to convince him that she didn’t need it, but he would not be persuaded, so she decided it would be better if she just conceded.
It was funny
