Fined? Kayla followed him out, locking the door behind her.
When he didnt respond, she didnt push. She wanted to ask him what he meant, but the stormy look on his face didnt invite confidences.
With a tap on her key fob, she popped the latch on her SUV and the back door rose. The backseats were still folded down from when shed loaded all her suitcases and art supplies for the trip south from Seattle.
Between the two of them they managed to get the bicycle in place, laying it on its side. Kayla let Dakota handle the heavy lifting. Once it was inside, Dakota climbed into the passenger seat while Kayla closed the hatch and rounded the vehicle to the drivers side.
As she settled behind the steering wheel, the sun glinted off something shiny, blinding her for a moment. That something dangled off the rearview mirror. She blinked and held up her hand to keep from being flashed again. She touched a thin chain, her fingers curling around it. When she looked down, her heart stopped, her breath lodging in her throat. In her palm lay a golden locketthe locket shed worn the night of the art show in Seattle. The night shed almost lost her baby. The night shed almost been murdered.
Gabe stepped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and scrubbed the water from his hair, his thoughts poring over the events of the day, the murder weighing heavily on him.
Hed been with the sheriff when theyd given the young womans parents the news. His chest was still tight from witnessing their disbelief and then the overwhelming grief in their eyes.
Adding to his crapper of a day, Dakota hadnt been home when hed gotten off work. Another ten minutes and hed be late for dinner.
Not that Gabe cared so much about punctuality. He worried where the boy was and whether or not he was in any kind of trouble.
The front door opened and closed on the big old house.
Gabe looped the towel around his neck, slipped into a pair of jeans and padded barefoot through the bedroom door and out onto the landing overlooking the large foyer. Dakota?
When no one answered, he hurried down the stairs, reaching the bottom just as the door opened again and Kayla Davies entered, followed by Gabes sister, Molly, with Dakota bringing up the rear.
Kayla stopped so suddenly that Molly ran into her back, bumping her forward and into Gabes bare chest.
His hands automatically rose to steady her, a smile quirking at the corners of his mouth. Hello, again.
She stared up at him with deep green eyes, her hands resting against his bare skin.
Oh, Im sorry, Molly said. I was too busy looking down I didnt see you stop. Hi, Gabe, meet our new neighbor, Kayla. Her brows rose. You might want to put a shirt on.
Yeah, really, Dakota agreed, edging past the women and his father to lope up the steps two at a time, his face a mottled red.
Wash up, dinner is on in a few minutes, Molly called out to the retreating teen. She shook her head. I dont know what its gonna take to get through to him.
Kayla stepped back, twin flags of color rising in her pale cheeks. Excuse me. Im not usually so clumsy.
Blame me. Molly hooked her elbow and dragged her toward the kitchen. Gabe, get dressed while Kayla and I put the finishing touches on the soup. Oh, by the way, shes staying for dinner.
Kayla glanced over her shoulder at Gabe as Molly pulled her through the swinging door and out of sight.
For a long moment, Gabe stood staring after them, his skin still tingling from where Kaylas hands had rested on his chest. He dragged in a deep breath and let it out, stunned by the impact she had on him. His pulse beat faster than normal, his blood burning through his veins. Hed thought his reaction over their earlier meeting had been one of fear for her life, but this kick in his gut had nothing to do with fear and more to do with physical attraction.
Gabe shook himself, grabbed the towel from around his neck and followed Dakota up the stairs. He needed to remember to keep his head clear. This was no time to get caught up in an untimely attraction. He had too much going on, between trying to connect with his son and finding a killer.
He also had to remind himself that women werent on top of his most trustworthy list since Siena showed up at his door with a son shed kept secret from him for years. Growing up in a small town, hed always assumed that the people he felt close tofamily, friends, loverswere as open and honest with him as he was with them. He couldnt assume that anymore.
He suspected his lack of trust was part of the strain in his relationship with Dakota. He doubted Dakota would feel any better about it if Gabe explained that he was suspicious of everyone, not just teenagers with juvenile court records.
Gabe even had his suspicions that Kayla was keeping something from him. He wanted to know everything he could about this stranger with the porcelain skin and long silky hair. But the timing was all wrongnot least because he was afraid she might be in danger.
Hed spoken to the detective on her case back in Seattle. It sounded bad. Very bad. It obviously hadnt been just a random attack. There had been phone calls leading up to itthreats, harassment. And then, on the night at the gallery, the attacker had told her that it wasnt over.
No, this definitely wasnt a time when either one of them needed the distraction of a relationship.
Three minutes later, he stepped out onto the landing, securing the buttons on a crisp white dress shirt, his hair combed back, shoes on his feet.
Well, just because he wasnt looking for a relationship was no reason not to look his best.
Hed stopped to knock on Dakotas door. Ready?
Ill be down in a minute, the teen muttered, the steady thump, thump of music carrying through the wood paneling.
Gabe descended to the ground floor and headed straight for the kitchen, where he found Molly pouring a stockpot full of clam chowder into two large soup tureens.
Hold that, will ya? She handed him the stockpot, hot pads and all, and scraped the last drops of soup into the serving dish.
Thats an awful lot of soup for the four of us.
We have additional guests coming for dinner.
Gabes gaze drifted around the kitchen.
A smirk lifted one corner of his sisters mouth. Shes out on the porch, taking in the sunset.
Who?
Molly shook her head. Dont play dumb with me. You had your hands on her long enough to grow roots.
Heat rose around Gabes collar. His sister knew him all too well. Probably better than he knew himself. She stumbled.
Yeah, but you held onnever mind. Molly took the stockpot from him and plunked it into the sink. Tell me all, and make it fast, I have to get this on the table before the guests start bellyachin.
Gabe stiffened. Theres nothing to tell. And, really, there wasnt, just a feeling. He barely knew the woman.
Molly snorted. Bull.
Gabe refused to elaborate. Molly was stubborn, just like their father, but so was Gabe. Howd she end up here?
She brought Dakota home. His bicycle tire is flat. Youll need to help him fix it. Since she was nice enough to bring my nephew home, and I had enough clam chowder to feed an army, I invited her to stay for dinner. His sister grabbed a tureen and backed into the swinging door. Dont just stand there, bring the other, she commanded.