Page 48 of Rogue Wave

Totally forgetting what I was wearing, I walked right up to the door and looked out the peephole to see Hank on the other side.

I swung the door open and took in his appearance. He looked just as tired as I did, but no less sexy than usual in his uniform.

As I finished dragging my eyes up his body, I noticed he had done the same. That’s when I remembered what I was wearing.

My top wasn’t sexy per se, but even with the shelf bra built in, it didn’t leave much to the imagination since it was a little cold this morning.

This led to a staring contest.

Me staring at his tired face, then down to admire the way his shirt molded flawlessly across his arms and chest, and finally the very obvious bulge just off-center in his pants. It could be his cell phone, but my assumption was that it was something more glorious.

Him staring at my crazy hair, then down at my chest, and finally stopping at my tank top where it wasn’t hard to see how cold I was. Oh yeah, he definitely liked what he saw.

He cleared his throat and readjusted his stance. “Dougie called to say two women came up to your door and barged in,” Hank said. “I tried to call you, but you didn’t pick up.”

Ugh. The stupid phone again.

“Did you guys just get back from your run or something?” I asked, because usually Dougie was a night owl unless they were going for one of their morning jogs.

“No. My deputy in front of your house had to be gone at six a.m., so I had Dougie take over patrol duty after that. I had to go into the office at six thirty for a meeting with some folks on the East Coast about your break-in.”

It was one thing to have one of his deputies watch over my house, but it was a whole other level to have a neighbor take over when he knew he had a gap. I don’t know why, but it gave me butterflies and pinched my heart just a little at his caring.

“Either invite that man inside for coffee or close the door. You’re gonna freeze us all,” Auntie yelled from behind me.

He looked down at me, clearly waiting for me to make the decision.

“It’s my family. Come on in.” I waved him through.

He stepped in and looked beyond me to my kitchen, where no doubt Mom and Auntie were staring back at him.

“Mom, Auntie, this is my neighbor, Hank,” I introduced.

Both of them scanned him up and down, but it was Auntie who spoke first. “You’re a sheriff. You the one who keeps writing my poor sweet baby tickets for no good reason?”

Inside I was chuckling, but I kept my face as blasé as I could. I realized there was no need, though, because Hank’s face held a little smirk.

Before he could respond, Mom chimed in with her own question. “Is this a neighborly visit with Hazel or something else?”

I knew what she was asking since he was in his complete sheriff’s uniform.

I needed to know what he had learned in his meeting, so I gave them both a brief rundown of what had happened the past few days so they were up to speed for any new info he gave us.

“Someone broke into your house?” Auntie yelled.

At the same time, Mom also chimed in. “Your father showed up? Did you call the cops?”

“Technically, I am the cops, which is why I’m here,” Hank interrupted, and I was forever grateful for it.

I knew how these women were. They were loving, caring, and fiercely loyal, but they were also vicious if someone came after someone they loved.

“Well, son, sit down and have some coffee, because I’m not letting you leave here until you’ve told us everything,” Auntie all but ordered.

I snorted at Auntie’s “son” comment but figured he’d better get used to it because there was no such thing as a filter with her.

Hank sat next to me at my kitchen table, his chair close enough to let his confidence calm me in a way I had never felt before.

He filled us in on everything he had learned from his meeting, including the fact that Rourke had been convicted of two small felonies in Virginia a few years back.