phone out of her pocket and sat down at the kitchen table to call Noah when it occurred to her that she never heard a car start. Jumping up, she peeked out the curtain on the front window, but there was no car in sight.
Chapter Six
The jangling of the phone in Dani’s ear woke her from a surprisingly sound sleep. “Hello,” she mumbled, reaching for the alarm clock to see what time it was. Three o’clock in the morning!
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Noah’s voice through the phone warmed her all over.
“Noah, hi,” she smiled, snuggling back down under the comforter. Even though the weather was still reasonably mild and she hadn’t cranked up the heater yet, it got down in the 40s at night and she liked to keep the window open a crack.
“I woke you, didn’t I?” he asked.
“Duh,” she chuckled. Like she would be awake at this hour. “It’s okay, I missed you.” It was dangerous to talk to him in this half sleepy state. Her defenses were almost non-existent.
“I saw your lights on and thought maybe you’d waited up.”
“Oh, yeah,” she’d forgotten. Feeling a little nervous after Joe left, she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone with Bandit in a dark house, so she’d left the lamp on in the living room. “I guess I left the lamp on.”
“Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I just felt a little nervous earlier. I thought I saw someone standing in the trees across the road, then my boss came over and I wasn’t expecting him…” her voice trailed off.
Noah didn’t say anything at all for a moment. “Want me to come over?” he asked finally.
“You don’t need to do that,” she answered. What she wanted right now was something else again. “Bandit would bark if anyone was out there, right?”
“Did he bark earlier when your boss showed up?”
She didn’t remember Bandit making a sound until Joe knocked on the door. “No-o, not really,” she admitted. She didn’t even know where the dog was when she watched the sunset out the window, but she’d have remembered if he was barking at something.
“Let’s try him out, then,” he said. “I’ll be right over. Don’t get up till I ring the bell.” With that, he hung up the phone.
Dani lay still in the dark, waiting. Bandit was asleep in his usual position at the foot of her bed. A few minutes later, she heard the crunch of footsteps on gravel, but Bandit didn’t stir. So much for her theory that Bandit might not be big and ferocious but at least he’d warn her by barking.
Trying hard to stay motionless, she listened as Noah made his way around the front of the house, rattling the downstairs window. She even heard the porch boards creaking beneath his weight before he rang the bell, but Bandit slept on. When the doorbell pealed, she saw him lift his head and cock it like he was wondering if he’d really heard something or was just dreaming.
“Some help you are,” she muttered, swinging her feet to the floor. She shivered when she opened the front door, this time from the burst of cold air that entered with Noah. The shiver was followed closely by a rush of warmth as he enveloped her in a hug, letting his hand linger near the small of her back as he followed her to the kitchen.
“He isn’t barking yet,” he observed.
“You noticed,” she said wryly. She put on a pot of coffee, then led him back into the living room and curled up next to him on the couch, tucking her feet up under her to keep them warm. “Where have you been?”
He looked as fresh as if he’d just started the day. If she’d been working around the clock like that, her raccoon eyes would have told the tale.
“I covered a surveillance detail for a guy who got sick,” he explained, pulling off his jacket and laying it over her lap. Draping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“You know, I probably just imagined it,” she said, feeling foolish now that he was there. “Do you
Chapter Six
The jangling of the phone in Dani’s ear woke her from a surprisingly sound sleep. “Hello,” she mumbled, reaching for the alarm clock to see what time it was. Three o’clock in the morning!
“Hey, sleepyhead,” Noah’s voice through the phone warmed her all over.
“Noah, hi,” she smiled, snuggling back down under the comforter. Even though the weather was still reasonably mild and she hadn’t cranked up the heater yet, it got down in the 40s at night and she liked to keep the window open a crack.
“I woke you, didn’t I?” he asked.
“Duh,” she chuckled. Like she would be awake at this hour. “It’s okay, I missed you.” It was dangerous to talk to him in this half sleepy state. Her defenses were almost non-existent.
“I saw your lights on and thought maybe you’d waited up.”
“Oh, yeah,” she’d forgotten. Feeling a little nervous after Joe left, she couldn’t bear the thought of being alone with Bandit in a dark house, so she’d left the lamp on in the living room. “I guess I left the lamp on.”
“Is everything all right?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I just felt a little nervous earlier. I thought I saw someone standing in the trees across the road, then my boss came over and I wasn’t expecting him…” her voice trailed off.
Noah didn’t say anything at all for a moment. “Want me to come over?” he asked finally.
“You don’t need to do that,” she answered. What she wanted right now was something else again. “Bandit would bark if anyone was out there, right?”
“Did he bark earlier when your boss showed up?”
She didn’t remember Bandit making a sound until Joe knocked on the door. “No-o, not really,” she admitted. She didn’t even know where the dog was when she watched the sunset out the window, but she’d have remembered if he was barking at something.
“Let’s try him out, then,” he said. “I’ll be right over. Don’t get up till I ring the bell.” With that, he hung up the phone.
Dani lay still in the dark, waiting. Bandit was asleep in his usual position at the foot of her bed. A few minutes later, she heard the crunch of footsteps on gravel, but Bandit didn’t stir. So much for her theory that Bandit might not be big and ferocious but at least he’d warn her by barking.
Trying hard to stay motionless, she listened as Noah made his way around the front of the house, rattling the downstairs window. She even heard the porch boards creaking beneath his weight before he rang the bell, but Bandit slept on. When the doorbell pealed, she saw him lift his head and cock it like he was wondering if he’d really heard something or was just dreaming.
“Some help you are,” she muttered, swinging her feet to the floor. She shivered when she opened the front door, this time from the burst of cold air that entered with Noah. The shiver was followed closely by a rush of warmth as he enveloped her in a hug, letting his hand linger near the small of her back as he followed her to the kitchen.
“He isn’t barking yet,” he observed.
“You noticed,” she said wryly. She put on a pot of coffee, then led him back into the living room and curled up next to him on the couch, tucking her feet up under her to keep them warm. “Where have you been?”
He looked as fresh as if he’d just started the day. If she’d been working around the clock like that, her raccoon eyes would have told the tale.
“I covered a surveillance detail for a guy who got sick,” he explained, pulling off his jacket and laying it over her lap. Draping his arm around her shoulder, he pulled her close. “Now, tell me what happened.”
“You know, I probably just imagined it,” she said, feeling foolish now that he was there. “Do you
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