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She ran inside to collect her things, then hurried down the walk to Kyle’s squad car. Dev turned to Elodie and held up the shopping bags. “I picked up a few groceries for you. I wasn’t sure whether you wanted to be seen around town.”
“I guess everyone knows I’m here. What was that all about? What did those men want?”
“Why don’t we go around to the back? There’s a nice breeze from that direction.”
He followed her along the veranda, and when they reached the rear of the house, Dev set the bags down and pulled out a bottle of white wine. It was still cold. He grabbed the package of plastic cups and handed them to her.
“You bought me wine?”
“I figured you might need a few necessities. I also got you coffee, some bread and eggs. Ham. You drink wine, right?”
“I drink wine all the time,” she said. She tore open the package of cups and handed him two. “And it is nearly four, so I think we’re safe. My mother always said a proper lady never has alcohol before four p.m. Except at weddings and funerals.”
“I’m the last guy who wants to break the rules,” Dev said.
They sat down on the porch steps, staring out onto what was left of the gardens. Everything was overgrown and had long ago gone to seed. A few rosebushes still bloomed, but most of the rest was brown and dry from the heat. Dev glanced over at Elodie and caught her staring at him. He smiled. God, she was beautiful, and not in that overblown, beauty-queen style that so many women favored.
She had the elegance of another time, a past when women weren’t judged based on their surgically enhanced breasts and carefully applied cosmetics. She had a simple, natural beauty that came from a lucky combination of genes and attitude. Elodie had never been conscious of how sexy she really was, and that’s exactly why he’d fallen in love with her all those years ago.
“Are you going to tell me what that was all about?” she asked.
“You need to be careful around town. There are still a lot of hard feelings, especially over what your family did with the millworkers’ pension money.”
“I can understand that. It was a terrible thing my father did, to steal their security. He should have realized long before that time that he was in trouble. And if I could give that money back to them, I would. There’s just nothing left.”
“They don’t know that. They assume that your family took it all and got out of town.”
“That’s not true,” Elodie said. “We had what was left in the trust funds that our grandfather gave us, but that couldn’t be touched in the lawsuit. I gave most of my trust money to my mother. She was devastated by all of this.”
“How is she?”
“After the divorce, she went to live with her sister in San Diego. She has a job that she loves and a few grandchildren. It’s as if her life here in Winchester never existed. She never talks about it—or my father. I think he’s still in love with her, but the betrayal was just too much for her to forgive.” She leaned back against the porch post and sighed softly. “I’m glad I wasn’t here at the end.”
“Why is that?” Dev asked.
“My memories of this house weren’t spoiled. I think about this place all the time. I loved my life here, until they sent me away.”
“What happened to you?” Dev asked.
“Swiss boarding school,” she said. “It was just one of those extravagant expenses that brought the family business down. And all to keep me away from you.” She laughed softly. “And here I am anyway.”
“Because of the house,” he said.
“I wanted to see it once more,” she said. “I never expected to find you here. I thought you’d get out of this town as soon as you could.”
“I did, but I came home. Even then, I didn’t plan to stay for long, but things just happened. And now I’ve got a job that I love and people who need me.”
“But no wife,” she said.
“Ah, I see you’ve been talking to my mother.” A blush colored her cheeks and she covered her face. “Don’t worry. I don’t mind. It means I have the right to ask about you. You’re not married?”
She shook her head. “No.”
“Why is that?”
“I guess I’ve just been looking for someone...special,” she said. “I almost got married, but then I realized I wasn’t really doing it for the right reasons.”
“What happened?”
“I was twenty and had met a man who swept me off my feet. And, in the beginning, it felt like what we had when we spent that whole summer together. It was exciting and passionate and I thought I was in love. But I was just trying to re-create a happier time.”
“I guess we never had a chance to find out whether we’d last,” he said.
“We were so young and so crazy,” Elodie said. “I lived on those memories for years.”
“Me, too.” He paused. “You never wrote or called.”
She reached for the wine bottle and added more to her cup. “You didn’t, either.”
“Your father told me that if I tried to contact you, he’d fire my mother and evict us from our house.”
“He told me the same thing. I guess I figured you’d find someone else. You were too charming and handsome to be single for long.”
“You give me too much credit,” he teased. “Nowadays, I can barely find a date.”
“I don’t believe that.”
“No one wants to date the police chief. It’s like dating a minister. You can never really enjoy yourself.”
“I’m having a good time now,” she said.
“Sure, now. But if you get too drunk, I’ll throw you in jail,” he said.
They spent the next two hours sipping wine and reminiscing about the past, though Dev limited himself to one glass because he was still on duty.
The party came to an end when the lineman from the power company appeared to turn on the electricity.
Dev figured it was a good time to say goodbye, but he didn’t want to. He wanted to spend the rest of the night with her, indulging in more wine and sharing supper, but he knew better than to get greedy. He’d see her again and maybe they’d try to recapture what they once had. But he knew better than to look beyond a week or two with Elodie Winchester. She was here only until she’d “tied up loose ends,” as she’d called them, with the house and then she’d be gone again.
Sadly, Elodie was probably the last Winchester who’d set foot in Winchester. And in a week or two, she’d go back to the life she’d built for herself. There was nothing for her here except this house, and she’d already said she was willing to give it away.
And yet, what could it hurt to enjoy the short time they had together? It might ruffle some feathers, but once she was gone, he could smooth those down. Right now, he was grateful for small miracles—especially the one that had brought her back into his life.
* * *
ELODIE WOKE TO the sound of thunder. She rubbed her eyes, surprised that she’d managed to sleep at all. The empty house was filled with odd noises, rattles and thumps and snaps that were no longer familiar. And her mind had been racing all day long, from the moment she’d set eyes on Dev Cassidy.
With a groan, she sat up in bed and scrubbed her face with her hands. A breeze buffeted the lace curtains on the window, and she flopped back and enjoyed the cool wind teasing her damp skin. She’d forgotten how hot the summers were in the South, how still the air became before a thunderstorm. She’d also forgotten how sweet the smell of flowers drifting on the air could be—honeysuckle and jasmine and wisteria. And most of all, she’d forgotten how easily Dev Cassidy could occupy her mind.
By most standards, they’d had an almost chaste relationship as teenagers. Though they’d danced around the edge of what might be considered sex, they’d never given in to those urges. Elodie had been terrified of pregnancy and Dev had been terrified of her father. But now, as a fully experienced woman, Elodie couldn’t help but wonder what surprises and pleasures a night in bed with Dev might yield.
Even fully dressed, it was clear that he had a beautiful body. And he’d always been kind and generous, and even as a seventeen-year-old, his kissing skills had been exemplary. He’d known how to use his tongue and his lips to great effect. She wondered if he’d become even more of an expert over the years.
Thunder rumbled again, and few seconds later a flash of lightning illuminated the room. Elodie swung her legs off the bed and pulled a light cotton dress from her bag. Tugging the fabric over her head, she walked to the window overlooking the street.
The wind rustled the towering maples that lined the curb. Her gaze came to rest on a car parked in front of the house. Elodie frowned. It was a police cruiser. Was Dev having her watched? Was he afraid those men might come back in the middle of the night? If he was, why hadn’t he warned her?
Elodie hurried downstairs and threw open the front door. The first spattering of rain began to hit the porch floor. She stepped out into the storm, running across the lawn. When she reached the car, she stood in front of the police car.
“What are you doing out here?” she shouted above the wind and the storm.
Dev slowly got out of the car, his hand braced along the top of the door. “I couldn’t sleep.”
“I couldn’t, either,” she shouted.
It was all he needed. He stepped toward her and before she knew it, she was in his arms, his hands smoothing over the rain-soaked fabric of her dress. His lips covered hers in a desperate, deeply powerful kiss.
Nothing about this reminded her of the past. This passion between them was fresh and raw and filled with undeniable need. His fingers tangled in her hair and he molded her mouth to his, still searching for something even more intimate.
The fabric of her dress clung to her skin, a feeble barrier to his touch. She might as well have been naked.
Elodie fought the urge to reach for the hem of her dress and pull it over her head. They were on a public street, with houses all around. Someone might be up at this hour, watching the storm.
“Come with me,” she murmured, her fingers skimming over his face. She laced her fingers through his and pulled him toward the house.
Once they reached the protection of the veranda, where it was dark and none of the neighbors would see them, he grabbed her waist again, pulling her into another kiss. Dev smoothed his hand up her torso until he found her breast and he cupped it, his thumb teasing at her taut nipple.
He was impossible to resist. She couldn’t form a single rational thought, even if her life depended upon it. Every reaction to his touch and kiss, to his taste and smell, was purely instinct.
Elodie reached for the hem of his shirt, but it was tucked in his trousers and his belt was hidden by his leather utility belt. “Take this off,” she murmured, frantically searching for the buckle.
She stood back and watched as he carefully unclipped his gun and set it on a nearby table. A moment later, his utility belt dropped to the ground, followed by his badge and, finally, his shirt.
Her palms skimmed over hard muscle and smooth skin. His shoulders, once slight, were now broad, his torso a perfect vee.
Dev dragged her into his arms again, cupping her face in his hands as he kissed her.
“Tell me what you want,” he murmured. “I’ll give you anything you ask for.”
She wanted him deep inside her, moving slowly, their bodies melding into one. But she had surrendered so quickly. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours. Though she’d always been able to trust him with her heart, for Elodie, this was something more.
In the fantasies she’d imagined of them making love, it had always been perfection between them, the ultimate joining of desire and romance, of need and satisfaction. It all clicked as if they’d been made for each other all along.
But what if the fantasy was nothing like reality?
Dev reached for the hem of her dress and bunched it in his fists, pulling it higher and higher until it was twisted around her waist. He gently pushed her back against the door, and she moaned as his fingertips skimmed the soft skin of her inner thigh.
Wild sensations raced through her body and she trembled as she anticipated what would come next. When he slipped his fingers between her legs, delving into the soft heat he found there, Elodie moaned.
Every nerve in her body trembled with pleasure, and she was grateful for his arm around her waist. Her legs felt weak and her knees wobbly. The only safe place for them both was her bed, but she wasn’t sure they’d be able to make it all the way upstairs without being overwhelmed by their need.
A moment later, she didn’t care. As he slowly began to stroke her, she could no longer think. Her attention was solely focused on his touch, on the sensations his fingers created as he brought her closer and closer to the edge.
His touch took her higher and higher, until her whole body trembled in anticipation.
When her release finally came, it stole her breath away, her body twisting and shuddering beneath his hand. She gasped with each spasm, caught up in the pleasure and barely aware of her surroundings. The intensity was almost more than she could bear, and she finally pressed her hand against his chest. “Stop,” she pleaded. “I’m going to fall over.”
“I have you,” he said. “I won’t let go.”
She sank against him, and he scooped her up into his arms and opened the door, carrying her toward the stairs. But then his radio split the silence. “Winchester zero-one, this is county dispatch. Winchester zero-one, this is dispatch, come in.”
Dev cursed beneath his breath. “Can you stand, Elodie?”
Elodie nodded and he placed her back on her feet. She watched as he retrieved his radio from where he’d left his utility belt. “This is Winchester zero-one. Go ahead, dispatch.”
“We have a 10-50 on River Road one half mile north of the Quentin Gap Bridge. Paramedics en route. Please provide backup for Yancey County six-nine.”
“I’m on my way, dispatch. Winchester zero-one, over.”
Dev picked up his shirt and tugged it over his head. “I have to go,” he said.
“What is it?”
“A traffic accident. About seven miles out of town.”
“Is it serious?”
“I’m not sure. I’ll find out when I get there. Will you be all right?”
Elodie nodded. “I—I’m fine. Will you come back?”
“If I can, I will.” He fastened his utility belt around his waist, then clipped his gun holster to it. In just a few long strides, he crossed the entry hall and pulled her into his arms. His lips came down on hers and he left her with a soul-shattering kiss.
“How the hell am I supposed to concentrate on work now?”
“Try?” she said.
He chuckled softly, then stole one last kiss before heading out the door. Elodie slowly lowered herself to sit on the bottom stair, plucking at her damp dress until it hung loosely around her legs.
Never in her wildest dreams had she thought the day would turn out this way. But now that it had, Elodie had to wonder whether there was anything that would entice her to leave Winchester again.
* * *
THE SUN WAS already well over the eastern horizon when Dev and the boys from the county sheriff’s office finished up the investigation of the accident. They’d found open containers in each car and had determined that both drivers had been at the same party and had challenged each other to a road race.
Unfortunately, both of the boys had ended up racing to the trauma center in Asheville in a Flight-for-Life helicopter. Though they’d both been conscious when found, Dev knew that didn’t always mean a good outcome.
His handheld squawked, and he glanced at his watch then waited for Sally’s voice. “Winchester zero-one, this is dispatch.”
