The Hunk Next Door(11)
He shrugged. “I wouldn’t know. I’ve never met them.”
“Never met?” she echoed. “But that’s their house.” Exasperated, she stepped forward. “I need some sort of proof of your claim, Mr. O’Brien.”
He raised his hands like he was surrendering. “Take it easy. Let me get the paperwork.”
This was intolerable. He couldn’t be her neighbor. She couldn’t cope with having a stranger living so close. Not right now when she saw a potential threat in the faces of people she’d known for years. Okay, so maybe it was more than the easygoing attitude and absolute raw sex appeal. While neither of those traits had ever ranked high on her list of trustworthy features, Riley affected her differently. At precisely the time when she needed to trust herself, life dumped this hunk of handsomeness and doubt right next door.
Frustrated, she hastily flipped through the folder he handed her. The letterhead was familiar, as was the Realtor’s name. The lease agreement and signatures all seemed to be in order.
“She should have told me,” Abby muttered.
“I told you I liked your town.”
“That hardly validates renting a house.”
“Are you always this anxious when someone moves in?”
The question seized her attention, forced her to think like a cop rather than a frightened victim trapped in the crosshairs of a rifle she couldn’t see. “No. No,” she repeated as the day suddenly caught up with her. She handed him the folder. “My apologies. It’s been a little dicey around here lately. I’m surprised the realty company didn’t warn you off. I thought everyone believed I was a magnet for trouble.”
“They did mention it actually.”
She laughed. The sound was laced with a bit of weary hysteria, but it felt pretty good anyway. “So you’re looking for trouble?”
* * *
RILEY TOSSED THE paperwork back into the cab and stuffed his hands into his pockets. He almost felt bad that he couldn’t tell the woman the truth, but breaking cover wasn’t the answer. “I’m not looking for trouble, just work.” He glanced to the house. “And anywhere that isn’t a hotel room, really.”
“That lease is for a year,” she said.
He watched her shifting, rubbing her legs together a bit. She was cold but too stubborn to take care of herself until she knew if he was friend or foe. Based on the threats aimed her way, he figured that showed remarkable determination and a hefty dose of intelligence.
“The Realtor approached me while I was decorating their building. When I learned the owners wanted some work done and ideas for a remodel, I knew this was the right place for me.” Again he was grateful for the deep background and work history Director Casey had created for him. The proximity to the chief simplified his surveillance plans.
“Welcome to the neighborhood,” she said with obvious reluctance. She stuck out her gloved hand.
He accepted the gesture. Her hand felt small in his, but there was strength in the grip. He wanted to ask what kind of weapon she preferred. The woman oozed tough under the contrasting layers of wariness and the feminine heels and power suit. She was a puzzle he wanted to solve, but he suspected he wouldn’t get anywhere by pushing her.
“You’d better get inside and warm up,” he said, releasing her hand and closing his truck door. “If you need anything, just come on over.”
“Right. Same goes.”
“Thanks.” When she walked away, he turned for his own front door.
“A word of warning, Riley.”
“Yeah?”
“Mrs. Wilks will probably be down with a plate of cookies.”
“That doesn’t sound so awful.”
“Exactly. Her cookies are addictive, you’ll see.” Her smile changed everything about her face. It chased away the worry and brightened those blue eyes. It gave him a glimpse of what she was like without the cloud of stress over her head. “It’s why we all put up with her benign nosiness.”
“Got it.”
With a nod, she pushed open her front door and disappeared.
He walked around the truck and up the path, entering the front door of his house wondering what the hell to do now. When they’d left the vandalized sign, he’d hoped she’d go to the police station so he could take a quick walk through her house.
Light flirting hadn’t worked at the station and just now she’d barely accepted him being neighborly. He had to find a way to keep an eye on her without driving her out of his sight while he searched for an imminent threat. From what he’d heard around town, everyone was at least irritated with her if not outright angry. It made it tough to sort out who was hiding the terrorist tendencies.