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  He raced down the home stretch to the cheers of the crowd, and when he crossed home plate, he grabbed Emma around the waist, hoisting her high. His lips captured hers as the rest of the team surged onto the field. She couldn’t fight the giddy feeling when he twirled her around to the hoots and backslaps of their team. She held the emotion tightly to her, knowing the beautiful day, the fantasy day where Brad was hers, would soon end.

  ***

  Dusk had fallen when the picnic and baseball gear were finally packed into assorted vehicles. Emma closed the hatch on her Toyota after stowing her camp chair and the container for her fruit salad.

  “I’ll follow you back to make sure everything is okay at the cabins.” Brad’s truck was parked next to her little car. He stood in the waning light, still in only his t-shirt despite the dropping temperature.

  “You don’t need to do that, Brad. I’m fine on my own.” She knew she had to start the separation now. For her own sanity she couldn’t let the dream continue. She had no future with Bradley Gallagher, and the intensity of her attraction to him terrified her. She had to pull back or her emotions would be so overwhelmed when the final break came she wouldn’t survive; she would simply die of a broken heart.

  Brad opened his mouth to respond but before he could, a male voice called out, “Hey, Chief. Britt and Ralphie are getting into it over by the picnic tables.” Brad acknowledged the man with a wave, then narrowed his eyes at Emma. “You may be fine on your own, Emmaline, but you’re better with me. I’m better with you. Think about it.” He frowned. “I have to take care of this, but I’ll come by on my way home.”

  With a quick kiss, he took off at a trot.

  ***

  Night had settled in by the time Emma pulled in front of her cabin, the yellow glow of her porch light welcoming her. The little cabin had the feel of home now, just like Hangman’s Loss was beginning to feel like her town. The Founders’ Day picnic had been fun, with the added spice of all the drama and gossip a small community would have. You had to take the good with the bad.

  Balancing her fruit salad container with the leftover barbecue Trish had insisted she take, Emma pushed open her cabin door. She flipped on the light, then sucked in a breath as her eyes took in the chaotic scene. Papers lay scattered across the floor, desk drawers had been pulled out, their contents strewn about. It looked like a hatchet or ax had been used to hack at the check-in counter and to destroy a chair. Heart in her throat, Emma took a step back. Who would do such a thing? Fear chased an icy shiver down her spine and brought a scary thought to mind: What if whoever had caused this destruction was in her back room, waiting with a hatchet?

  Hastily, she set her containers on the floor and backed out of the doorway, pivoting to race back to her car. She pulled open the door, slid into the seat, and jammed down the locks. Keeping a wary eye on the cabin, she fumbled in her pocket for her cell phone. She found Brad’s number and pressed call.

  Emma heard the ringing on Brad’s end. “Pick up, pick up.” Scanning the trees and other cabins, she uttered the next mantra, “Please don’t go to voice mail. Please don’t go to voice mail.”

  “Emmaline.”

  Thank God. “Brad, someone broke into my cabin.”

  “Are you inside? Get out.”

  His voice was strong and steady, and Emma took a deep breath, her eyes focused on the light shining from her cabin. “No. I locked myself in my car. I don’t know if anyone is still in there.”

  “Drive over to my place until I can check it out.”

  A disturbing idea flashed across Emma’s mind. “Wait. What if Dory and Adrian are back? What if someone broke into their cabin, too? What if someone’s still there?”

  “Emma, listen to me. Drive over to my house. I’ll make sure Dory and Adrian are okay. I’m in my truck now, I can be there in five minutes.”

  “I need to check on them. What if they’re hurt?”

  “No, Emma—”

  ***

  She’d disconnected. Swearing ripely, he hit the accelerator. The drive out of town had never felt so long. When he turned onto Emma’s road, he saw her car. He slowed his truck and a quick scan showed him her car was empty, so he sped past toward Dory’s cabin. Killing the headlights, he eased his truck to a stop and got out. Strapping on his belt, he paused briefly to communicate with dispatch, then crept into the trees to make his way to the front of Dory’s cabin. He immediately noticed Dory’s car was absent from the parking spot next to the porch.

  The sharp crack of a twig had him whirling, Glock palmed into his hand.

  “Brad, it’s me.”

  Emma materialized from behind a clump of boulders. Brad holstered his weapon and moved to wrap an arm around her shoulders and bring her into cover next to him. He bit back the scathing reprimand for not driving to his place, for putting herself in danger. He could yell at her later. “What have you seen?”

  “Dory and Adrian aren’t here. I don’t think they’ve come back from the picnic yet. I looked in the window. It doesn’t look like anything in their cabin has been disturbed.”

  ‘“Good. You stay put and I’ll check out your cabin.” Brad was moving away when Emma’s grip tightened on his arm.

  “No. You should wait for backup.”

  “Whoever messed with your place is long gone. I’m just making sure. Stay here, Emmaline. I mean it. A patrol car will be here any second.”

  Brad moved toward Emma’s cabin. He glanced back to verify that indeed she was staying put. Easing through the open front door, he conducted a quick, thorough search of the building and found it empty. Shattered glass by the kitchen door indicated where the intruder had broken through the window to reach in and unlock the door.

  He stepped onto the porch as a patrol vehicle pulled into the driveway. Warren got out and approached Brad. Together they walked in and scrutinized the scene. The destruction was contained to the front office where files had been tossed around the room, chairs overturned, and a telephone cord ripped from the wall. Beyond the debris, the fresh gouges caused by a hatchet told of the intruder’s rage. “Warren, photograph everything. I’ll get Emmaline in here to see if anything is missing. Dust for prints.”

  “Sure thing, Chief.” With Warren whistling as he went out to the patrol car to retrieve his gear, Brad followed him and radioed in their status. He saw Emma in the shadows across the parking area and went to intercept her.

  “Come on in, Emmaline. Whoever did this has cleared out.”

  When he offered his hand, Emma gripped it tightly and walked with him to the cabin. Experience had taught him that victims went through fairly predictable stages when confronted with the reality of a crime committed against them. When they stepped into the room, he expected a shocked reaction, maybe even tears, but the silver glitter in her eyes told him she’d moved well onto the anger stage.

  ***

  Emma surveyed the damage. This felt personal. Someone was trying to get at her, to drive her away, to destroy her dreams. The business her grandfather had created, had built up for all those years, lay under siege. Scowling, she turned to Brad.

  “It’s Singleton. That smarmy, slick-talking worm thinks he can scare me into selling. Go arrest him.”

  Brad raised an eyebrow. “Sure thing, honey. I’ll throw him in the pokey, maybe rough him up a little on the way in since we don’t want to stand on anything like law and procedure.”

  “He did it. You know he did. He wants me scared so I’ll sell. But there’s no way in hell I’ll give up.”

  “Glad to hear it. I’d be pissed if you did.” Emma fumed but felt calmer when he rested warm hands on her shoulders. “Listen, Emmaline. I will investigate this and do it right. I’ll question Singleton and if he’s our man, I’ll arrest him. But it won’t do any good to get ahead of ourselves. He’s not the only one with motive.”

  “What do you mean? Who else has motive?”

  When he only shook his head, Emma growled. “Don’t play games with me, Brad. Who else w
ould do this?”

  He gave her shoulders a squeeze before dropping his hands. “I’m not playing games, but I’m not ready to say who, either. You’ll have to let me deal with this.”

  Still fuming, she looked around the room again. “I guess I need to go through this mess.”

  Her gaze caught on some broken glass and she hurried across the room to where the old army surplus desk stood amidst the debris. She reached out her hand and Brad called out a sharp, “Don’t touch anything.” She let out a sigh and dropped to her knees.

  On the floor and under a broken frame, the photograph was torn in two and the half with her face on it ripped into tiny shreds. “Why would he destroy that picture? It was my favorite.” She picked up the half showing a smiling Walt.

  “Grandpa looked so happy.”

  Warren paused, department camera in his hands. “Some folks are just mean that way, Emma. Your gramps had that picture on his desk long as I can remember. It’s a shame.”

  Brad crossed over to where Emma knelt. “That photo sure grabbed me when I first saw it. Those eyes of yours can bring a man to his knees.”

  Emma looked up at him, surprised. His grin flashed. “Yep, your grandfather showed it to me and every time I came by I had a look at Walt’s granddaughter.”

  Suspicious, she asked, “So that night I first got here, you recognized me? And still you frisked me?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Pervert,” she muttered, getting a laugh out of him.

  His face sobered and he went down on one knee beside her. “Emmaline, ripping your picture like that is personal. Leaving your grandfather’s half of the photo undamaged, but shredding yours, means the focus is on you.”

  “Well, that makes sense. Gramps isn’t here anymore, and I’m the one who refuses to sell. Singleton wants to drive me away.”

  Warren left the cabin and Brad pulled Emma to her feet. “When he’s done with the dusting kit, I’ll help you clean up this mess. Then you’re coming with me. You can sleep in my bed, and I’ll sleep on the sofa; I don’t want you here by yourself until we figure out who’s responsible.”

  Emma was already shaking her head before he finished. “No. Dory and Adrian can’t be here alone.”

  Brad nodded. “You’re right; they can stay with her parents.”

  Emma looked at him calmly. “No, Brad. I’m not letting him drive me away. Dory and Adrian can certainly stay with her parents, but I’m not budging.”

  He gave her a frustrated look, then shrugged. “I’ll sleep here, then.”

  “Think again, Ace,” she growled. “I have one bed and no sofa and right now I’m not sharing.”

  “Not that I wouldn’t mind sharing, but I can sleep in one of the other cabins. I’ll be able to keep an eye on you, and Dory if she stays. And maybe you’d make me breakfast out of gratitude.”

  Emma couldn’t help smiling at his hopeful tone, which she figured had been his goal. She knew she’d be stupid to turn down the offer of protection from the chief of police. But it wasn’t the chief of police part that bothered her. Bradley Gallagher without the badge was potent enough, but add the authority that came with his position and he was lethal. She didn’t know if she could deal with seeing him more frequently when she had resigned herself to not seeing him at all.

  A movement caught Emma’s attention. Dory stood at the door, hand tight on Adrian’s shoulder. The little boy’s eyes grew wide as he looked around the room.

  “What’s going on?” Tension underlay Dory’s voice.

  “Someone broke in while we were at the picnic,” Emma said. “They trashed the office.”

  “Singleton?” Dory directed her question at Brad.

  “I’ll find out,” he said resolutely.

  Emma saw determination in the set lines on his face and didn’t envy anyone who became the focus behind that statement.

  Dory nodded in acceptance. “I’ll help you straighten up in here, Emma,” she offered.

  She shook her head. “Adrian looks beat. I can clean this up.” Her gaze shifted between Adrian and his mother. Not wanting to alarm the boy, she chose her words carefully. “You may want to stay with your parents for a few days. Until things settle down here.”

  “No. We’re staying. This is our home now, and we won’t give up so easily.” The strength and pride Dory had been steadily building since she’d left the abusive Rodrigo were evident.

  Brad shook his head as if realizing the futility of getting two strong-minded women to do something they didn’t want to do.

  Emma said firmly, “It looks like my friend and I aren’t going anywhere.”

  Brad laughed briefly. “Yeah, I can see that. I’ll get my gear.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  The next morning, Emma stepped out onto her porch with a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and a piece of toast in the other. Since her arrival in the mountains she’d grown to love this time of day. With the sky glowing pearly silver in the east, birds began to stir in the morning stillness. A car made a whooshing noise as it drove by on the highway, probably a fisherman on his way to one of the lakes higher in the mountains.

  The sound of a screen door closing came from Badger cabin, followed by the crunch of gravel. Brad walked over to climb the steps to her porch. She swallowed the last of her toast with a sip of coffee. He stopped on the step below where she leaned against a post.

  “Hello, beautiful.” His voice held the gruffness of early morning. He took the mug from her hand, drank deep, then set it on the rail.

  “How about a good-morning kiss?”

  “Is that why you stayed over? To get good-morning kisses?”

  “You bet.” Emma ran a finger across the dark stubble on his jaw. “Hmm,” she murmured as if to gauge whether he was suitable to kiss.

  “Forgot my razor. You can kiss me anyway.”

  “You seem pretty sure of yourself, pal. Maybe I don’t want to kiss a guy with morning stubble. I’ll lend you my razor.”

  “Is it pink? I can’t shave with a pink razor. Come on, give us a kiss.”

  He was sexy and adorable and Emma couldn’t resist. Being a step lower on the porch put him exactly at lip level. She leaned forward and brushed her lips against his.

  When she tried to straighten warm hands settled on her hips. “Uh-uh. There wasn’t enough good morning in that kiss. You can do better.”

  The challenge was evident in the dark glitter of his eyes. She smiled slyly. “You think?” With that she leaned fully into him until they were touching from knees to lips. His hands on her hips tightened convulsively. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders, fingers combing through thick hair still damp from his shower. His lips parted and liquid heat spread when his tongue skimmed against hers. He tasted of coffee and a hint of mint toothpaste.

  She pulled back to smile at him. “Good morning, handsome.” Something shifted in his eyes, and what had started as playful turned intense.

  “Emmaline.”

  Her hands gripped his shoulders and she eased back farther, a bit baffled by his change in mood. “Bradley.”

  He took her hand and brought it to his lips. The kiss against her palm with his eyes intent on hers stoked the fire low in her belly.

  “Emmaline, we need to talk.”

  “I know.” She shifted uneasily. “I think—”

  She broke off at the sound of a car pulling onto the driveway. Emma pulled back from Brad’s hold when a late-model Porsche SUV pulled into the parking area. Marla Banks stepped out, looking overdressed in an ivory pantsuit amid the grass and pinecones.

  She strode toward them, and Emma wondered why Marla bothered with the city look while living in a mountain community that catered to outdoor activities. “Brad, I see you’re here early.” Marla took in their closeness with an irritated expression. Small of her, but Emma couldn’t help a little boost of triumph that maybe she’d ruined the mayor’s morning. “It’s nice to see you take your duties so seriously.”

  “Marla.”
He acknowledged her with a nod of his head.

  With Brad obviously unwilling to make small talk, the mayor turned her attention to Emma. She was suddenly glad she’d put on a trim jacket earlier rather than her usual bulky sweatshirt. Not that it mattered. This woman always made her feel drab and gauche. She needed to remember that Brad had asked her for good morning kisses, not Marla Banks.

  “I heard there was a break-in here yesterday afternoon. Was anything stolen?”

  “Not that I could tell,” Emma responded. “The office was trashed, so if they took papers or documents, I likely wouldn’t know those are missing.”

  “Are you investigating, Bradley?”

  “Of course I’m investigating.” Brad gave her a long look. “But it’s an assumption that the break-in happened in the afternoon. We don’t know when it happened. Emma and Dory left early yesterday to help prepare for the picnic so it could have happened any time after they left.” Brad looked thoughtful while he studied the mayor, but didn’t comment further.

  “You’ve had a rough time since you got here, Ms. Kincaid. I’m worried about your safety.”

  Emma wondered why Marla bothered with the concerned act. Maybe she considered it her job as mayor to support citizens who’d been victims of crime. But when the woman’s burning gaze locked on Brad, another reason occurred to Emma. There was possessiveness in that look, a hunger that seemed predatory. Marla had the hots for Brad and wanted him far away from Emma.

  Marla seemed to be making an effort to modulate her tone. “I know this place has sentimental value for you, but are you aware that at one point your grandfather had agreed to sell it?”

  Emma must have looked surprised because Marla’s expression turned smug. “Oh yes, it’s true. It was about a year and a half ago. Walt and I had lunch over at Hero’s Diner and I promised to represent him in negotiations with the developers. He said he needed the money for his daughter’s medical expenses.”