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away. Just when she thought she might have to back down, he jerked his head toward the passenger seat and instructed her to “Get in or get off.”
    She jumped down and scrambled to the passenger side and climbed in beside Quinn with a sense of triumph.
    “Thank you. I—” she started amiably until Owen cut her off by switching the radio on and drowning her out with a blast of country music.
    By way of explanation, he said, “Interview’s not yet,” and then, tucking his arm out the window, he tuned her out as effectively as if he’d left her standing alongside the road.
    Oh, and she hated country music. Was it possible that he knew that? Quite possible and he was loving the advantage.
    So much for swimming with sharks.
    Right about now she felt like a guppy—and it had nothing to do with her outfit.





CHAPTER SEVEN
    O WEN RETURNED TO HIS truck after escorting Quinn safely to her classroom. He didn’t feel comfortable only dropping her off when things were so touch and go with that asshole Danny still at-large. He had no idea whether Danny might try and come after Quinn but Owen wasn’t taking any chances.
    Piper sat primly in his truck, back straight and hands clasped in her lap as if she were unsure of how to relax. She always looked so perfectly put together. That was one thing he noticed about her. Every detail appeared painstakingly thought out and planned, which to him seemed contradictory to the image he had of her hedonistic childhood. When she wasn’t badgering him, she was a little on the cute side. Snap out of it, he said to himself when he realized where his thoughts were headed. It’d been a long while since he’d dated anyone serious and, because he didn’t have the time—or the inclination—for casual dating, there’d been a drought of sexual activity in his bedroom.
    And his hormones had picked a cherry of a time to remind him of that fact.
    He climbed into his truck and tried not to look at her.
    “So are you ready now?” she asked.
    He turned to her, forgetting his seconds-earlier decree to stay focused on the road rather than her for the time being. “You’re something else, you know that?” he said, his tone hard. “Do you ever think of anyone other than yourself? Quinn is going through something you can’t even imagine yet all you can focus on is your story. You haven’t even asked if Gretchen has been found.”
    She drew back imperceptibly and her eyelashes fluttered as if she were trying to find an acceptable comeback yet found herself struggling. She moistened her lips and the slight motion drew his reluctant attention to the soft fullness of her pink lips. Totally clear of make-up of any kind, she had a dewy freshness about her that made his mind wander into dark corners before he realized where he was going.
    “I’m just doing my job and, since you’d already removed the possibility of doing the story on Gretchen, I had moved on,” she said finally, her chin jutting out, but her eyes held a wounded softness that he found incredibly intriguing. Sweet and charming yet hiding a dagger behind her back. That was Piper Sunday. He needed to stay reminded of that fact before he found himself stuck and bleeding. She glanced over at him through a thick curtain of lashes, adding stiffly, “I’m assuming she’s been found. I haven’t heard any chatter on the scanner that would support the fact that they were still searching for her.” When he grunted an affirmative, she nodded and tacked on, “I’m glad she’s been found. How is she?”
    “You don’t need to patronize me. I know you don’t care, and your fake concern is insulting.”
    She glared but shifted in her seat as if his words had illuminated an uncomfortable truth. “Of course I care. Are you going to tell me or do I have to find out through the grapevine?”
    He could only imagine the tangled network that comprised the local grapevine and he didn’t want to take the chance of Piper getting hold of bad