Read Online Blaze of Winter: A Loveswept Contemporary Romance by Elisabeth Barrett - Free Book Online

him. Grudgingly, she had to admit that he’d known exactly how to handle the break-in. She probably would have called Kate before calling the Sheriff’s Department, but calling the police first was definitely the right thing to do. Hank had gotten there so fast. If there had been any actual danger, he would have been able to take care of it immediately.
    A few moments later they reached Kate’s little Victorian at the corner of Ashumet and Edgar. She took her key out of her pocket and slipped it into the lock. But before she opened the door, she turned.
    “Thank you again for dinner. And for your assistance at the Inn tonight.”
    “My pleasure,” he said, his gaze boring into hers. “We’ll do it again sometime. Without the intrusion.” It was a promise, not a question.
    Not if she had anything to say about it. The hammering of her heart felt strangely like fright. Except it wasn’t fright. It was something much, much more dangerous—a nameless longing, a craving for something she wished she didn’t want. Dipping her head, she ducked into the house and shut the door.
    That night, it was a long time before she got to sleep.

    “How did you say this happened?” Luke Bedwin asked, peering up at Kate and Avery from where he was kneeling near the busted lock. Skin creased from wind and weather, Luke was dressed in typical New England fashion—fleece-lined khaki pants, a button-down plaid shirt, and worn work boots. His Boston accent was pronounced, though not as thick as Babs Kincaide’s.
    Avery took a quick look at Kate, who was wearing another bright scarf, this one in a yellow paisley pattern, before meeting Luke’s steady gaze. Curiosity and calm exuded from his soulful brown eyes.
    It was nine-thirty on Thursday morning and Avery had already had three cups of coffee. Coffee wasn’t as good as hot chocolate, but she needed something to keep her awake after her less-than-restful night. “Someone broke in yesterday evening,” she said.
    “Weird,” Luke said, scratching his cheek. “Everyone ’round here knows Kate keeps the front door unlocked, and people would have noticed a stranger in town this time of year.”
    “Very weird,” Kate agreed. “There’s really nothing in here worth stealing, anyway.”
    “What time was this?” Luke asked, removing the metal lock from the door and examining it.
    “Ah, around ten-thirty,” Avery said. “I came by the Inn after dinner to organize things for today. Do you think you can fix it?”
    “Well, it’s a really clumsy job. Amateur, but at least there’s not too much damage. A few of the pins inside are bent, so I’ll need to swap them out,” Luke said. “But at least I won’t need to replace the wood.”
    “Yes, that’s what Theo said.”
    Luke jerked his gaze up. “Theo Grayson?”
    “He’s staying at the Inn.” No need to tell Luke what Theo was really doing when they discovered the break-in.
    Luke chuckled. “Leave it to Theo to be near all the action.”
    Avery was curious. “Why do you say that?”
    “Well,” Luke said, leaning back on his heels, “I could tell you stories about that boy that’d make your hair curl.”
    A small shiver ran up her spine. “Really?” she asked coolly, even though she felt anything but cool.
    “Oh yeah,” Luke said, laughing. “Like the time he and his brothers broke into the high school during senior week, stole every chair in the whole damn place, and arranged them on the front lawn of the school to spell Star Harbor High.”
    Avery frowned. “That doesn’t sound so bad.”
    “I didn’t tell you that they chained all the chairs together. Took school administrators a couple of days to figure out how to get ’em unhooked without destroying the chairs or the chains. Called me in to do it, and eventually I just cut the chains.” He shook his head at the memory. “Or the time when they took old Mr. Runyon’s goats and set ’em loose on the Green. The mayor was not happy, seeing as how he’d