She pushed the sheets back and leaped
up, scrambling for her clothes and yanking them on. “I meant to sneak back
down, not go to sleep up here with you.”
Jake just smiled, never taking his eyes from
her. She was hopping around trying to pull her jeans up – he only wished that
she was getting undressed instead of putting her clothes on .
“I didn’t pick you as the love ‘ em and leave ‘ em type.”
Faith did up her top button, pushed her hair
off her face and jumped back on top of him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips
before leaping back off the bed and yanking open the
door.
Jake listened to her run down the stairs and
call out to her son, smiling as he heard Sam bark back, like she was calling
out to him. Last night had been… unexpected. But now that he’d had Faith in his bed? He was starting to wonder why he’d
insisted on being a loner for so long. Because having company felt good, and
going back to being alone wasn’t sounding so great after all.
CHAPTER SIX
FAITH stood in the kitchen, leaning on the
counter as she watched Jake and Tom. Her son was more the exuberant Labrador
than Jake’s dog – running alongside his new best friend, no doubt asking a
million questions. Any worries she’d had about being here, they were long gone.
Jake had been nothing but kind to them, even though she knew how hard he’d
found it having Tom around, and last night had made her more interested in
staying than leaving.
She turned away as they disappeared through the
field and poured herself a cup of coffee. She made it strong – she’d need all
the help she could get this morning. Faith crossed the room and sat back down
at Jake’s computer, logging into her email account and scrolling through. She
had messages from the insurance company, her father’s lawyer, and the local
bank, which meant dealing with a lot of crap and making some heavy hitting
phone calls to claim what was hers.
Faith took a long sip and sat back, resisting
the urge to shut the computer down and run off after Tom to see the horses. She
could do with hanging over a railing and watching her son learn to ride, or
whatever it was that Jake had planned for him this morning.
A knock at the door made her sit up straighter.
She’d been here a few days now and no one had ever stopped by.
Faith rose, pulled on her sweater and headed
for the door. But the person she saw on the other side made her want to slam it
shut again. Sheriff Brewster was standing on the porch with his arms folded,
shiny gold badge on display.
She swallowed and leaned against the door jamb,
trying to pretend like seeing him hadn’t rattled her. The
truth? She’d never been so shit-scared. Not since he’d as good as told
her she was a tramp and forced her out of town. Cold laced her spine. She’d
tried to block it out, to not think about it, but the fact he was here told her
that her suspicions were probably true and he was here to make sure she kept
her mouth shut.
“Ms. Walker.”
He tipped his hat but she just stared at him.
Words were failing her, so she kept her mouth shut rather than say the wrong
thing.
“Jake gave me a call, he was worried I hadn’t
been doing enough to find out who’d set your daddy’s house on fire.”
Faith took a deep breath and squared her
shoulders. She was a confident woman now, not a girl, and she needed to behave
like one if she wanted him to take her seriously. He’d sent her packing once,
but whether she left Fairview again or not was her choice now, not his.
“The house was mine, Sheriff, and I’m pretty
certain there’s only one person in this town who’d want to burn me alive.”
He laughed. The
bastard had the nerve to laugh.
“That sounds like a pretty hefty accusation, Ms.
Walker. I wouldn’t be going around running my mouth like that, if I were you.”
“Was there a purpose to your visit? Or did you
just want Jake to think you were actually doing your job?” Her tone had a bite
to it and she was
up, scrambling for her clothes and yanking them on. “I meant to sneak back
down, not go to sleep up here with you.”
Jake just smiled, never taking his eyes from
her. She was hopping around trying to pull her jeans up – he only wished that
she was getting undressed instead of putting her clothes on .
“I didn’t pick you as the love ‘ em and leave ‘ em type.”
Faith did up her top button, pushed her hair
off her face and jumped back on top of him, pressing a quick kiss to his lips
before leaping back off the bed and yanking open the
door.
Jake listened to her run down the stairs and
call out to her son, smiling as he heard Sam bark back, like she was calling
out to him. Last night had been… unexpected. But now that he’d had Faith in his bed? He was starting to wonder why he’d
insisted on being a loner for so long. Because having company felt good, and
going back to being alone wasn’t sounding so great after all.
CHAPTER SIX
FAITH stood in the kitchen, leaning on the
counter as she watched Jake and Tom. Her son was more the exuberant Labrador
than Jake’s dog – running alongside his new best friend, no doubt asking a
million questions. Any worries she’d had about being here, they were long gone.
Jake had been nothing but kind to them, even though she knew how hard he’d
found it having Tom around, and last night had made her more interested in
staying than leaving.
She turned away as they disappeared through the
field and poured herself a cup of coffee. She made it strong – she’d need all
the help she could get this morning. Faith crossed the room and sat back down
at Jake’s computer, logging into her email account and scrolling through. She
had messages from the insurance company, her father’s lawyer, and the local
bank, which meant dealing with a lot of crap and making some heavy hitting
phone calls to claim what was hers.
Faith took a long sip and sat back, resisting
the urge to shut the computer down and run off after Tom to see the horses. She
could do with hanging over a railing and watching her son learn to ride, or
whatever it was that Jake had planned for him this morning.
A knock at the door made her sit up straighter.
She’d been here a few days now and no one had ever stopped by.
Faith rose, pulled on her sweater and headed
for the door. But the person she saw on the other side made her want to slam it
shut again. Sheriff Brewster was standing on the porch with his arms folded,
shiny gold badge on display.
She swallowed and leaned against the door jamb,
trying to pretend like seeing him hadn’t rattled her. The
truth? She’d never been so shit-scared. Not since he’d as good as told
her she was a tramp and forced her out of town. Cold laced her spine. She’d
tried to block it out, to not think about it, but the fact he was here told her
that her suspicions were probably true and he was here to make sure she kept
her mouth shut.
“Ms. Walker.”
He tipped his hat but she just stared at him.
Words were failing her, so she kept her mouth shut rather than say the wrong
thing.
“Jake gave me a call, he was worried I hadn’t
been doing enough to find out who’d set your daddy’s house on fire.”
Faith took a deep breath and squared her
shoulders. She was a confident woman now, not a girl, and she needed to behave
like one if she wanted him to take her seriously. He’d sent her packing once,
but whether she left Fairview again or not was her choice now, not his.
“The house was mine, Sheriff, and I’m pretty
certain there’s only one person in this town who’d want to burn me alive.”
He laughed. The
bastard had the nerve to laugh.
“That sounds like a pretty hefty accusation, Ms.
Walker. I wouldn’t be going around running my mouth like that, if I were you.”
“Was there a purpose to your visit? Or did you
just want Jake to think you were actually doing your job?” Her tone had a bite
to it and she was
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