one of the advantages to having women around, they knew how to make things comfortable and paid attention to details.
Still, buying new towels was a lot cheaper and held far less irritation than a relationship, so he supposed a trip to the store was on his list of things to do when he was done with the case. Maybe he’d spring for new sheets and blankets, too. The current ones almost matched his towels.
He pulled on jeans, a shirt and boots, and ran a brush through his damp hair. He considered putting on cologne, but then remembered he hadn’t brought any with him. It was just as well, as cologne might make it look too much like a date. The last thing he wanted was to make things personal. Seeing Josie every day, especially so worried, was harder than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined damned hard. This was worse.
Every time he looked at her, he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her it would all work out fine. Then his thoughts drifted to less honorable actions.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of thoughts of Josie in his arms. It wasn’t going to happen now any more than it had happened when they were teens. He was just as out of his depth as before. She was the world-traveled high-fashion model who’d inherited a family fortune and owned expensive horses. He was just the local boy with a cheating father and drunken mother who spent all his time staring at mud.
Those two planes would never meet. She had no reason to lower herself to live on his, and he could never get himself high enough to match hers.
His cell phone rang and he answered Holt’s call.
“I got that information you requested,” his brother said. “Everyone’s clean except Mack Prevet. He was arrested on an assault charge about eight years ago when he was running a bar in New Orleans.”
“You get any details on that?”
“Yeah, I talked to the arresting officer. He says Prevet got into a fight with his live-in girlfriend at the bar and clocked her in the face. She refused to press charges, but there were a dozen witnesses in the bar.”
“Sounds like a nice guy.”
“Oh, yeah, and apparently one that has no problem terrorizing women. He’s also in the red with his bar in Miel. Has it hocked to the gills. Rumor has it, he has a bit of a gambling problem.”
“Thanks for the information. I’m going to get an up-close and personal look at him tonight.” He told Holt about his plans for dinner and drinks in Miel, hoping to pick up some information on the locals and perhaps flush out the vandal.
“Be careful,” Holt said. “If you spook him, he may escalate. Is Josie okay with this plan?”
“Yes. We discussed it earlier and she knows the risks involved.”
“Well, in that case, enjoy your dinner with a beautiful woman.”
Tanner could practically see his brother smiling as he delivered that last comment, but Tanner wasn’t about to take the bait. “I will,” he said, and disconnected.
He stepped out of his room at the same time as Josie walked out of hers. One look at her and he felt his chest tighten. He’d seen her on the cover of magazines, wearing clothes that probably cost more than he made in a year, but standing in the hallway in jeans, a blue top and black heels, she looked more gorgeous than ever.
Critics had been fond of saying that her auburn hair was her downfall to greatness, that if she’d been a blonde, she could have hit the big time. Tanner didn’t know anything about the modeling big time, nor did he normally go around describing hair as “auburn,” but he knew they were wrong. Her hair fell in waves across her shoulders, gently framing her face and making her green eyes stand out even more.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Yanking himself out of his stupor, he said, “Not at all. Actually, I was just thinking about how going to dinner might not be the best idea.”
Her face fell and she tugged at the hem of her blouse. “Oh, okay.”
“Because I might have to fight
Still, buying new towels was a lot cheaper and held far less irritation than a relationship, so he supposed a trip to the store was on his list of things to do when he was done with the case. Maybe he’d spring for new sheets and blankets, too. The current ones almost matched his towels.
He pulled on jeans, a shirt and boots, and ran a brush through his damp hair. He considered putting on cologne, but then remembered he hadn’t brought any with him. It was just as well, as cologne might make it look too much like a date. The last thing he wanted was to make things personal. Seeing Josie every day, especially so worried, was harder than he’d imagined, and he’d imagined damned hard. This was worse.
Every time he looked at her, he wanted to pull her into his arms and tell her it would all work out fine. Then his thoughts drifted to less honorable actions.
He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of thoughts of Josie in his arms. It wasn’t going to happen now any more than it had happened when they were teens. He was just as out of his depth as before. She was the world-traveled high-fashion model who’d inherited a family fortune and owned expensive horses. He was just the local boy with a cheating father and drunken mother who spent all his time staring at mud.
Those two planes would never meet. She had no reason to lower herself to live on his, and he could never get himself high enough to match hers.
His cell phone rang and he answered Holt’s call.
“I got that information you requested,” his brother said. “Everyone’s clean except Mack Prevet. He was arrested on an assault charge about eight years ago when he was running a bar in New Orleans.”
“You get any details on that?”
“Yeah, I talked to the arresting officer. He says Prevet got into a fight with his live-in girlfriend at the bar and clocked her in the face. She refused to press charges, but there were a dozen witnesses in the bar.”
“Sounds like a nice guy.”
“Oh, yeah, and apparently one that has no problem terrorizing women. He’s also in the red with his bar in Miel. Has it hocked to the gills. Rumor has it, he has a bit of a gambling problem.”
“Thanks for the information. I’m going to get an up-close and personal look at him tonight.” He told Holt about his plans for dinner and drinks in Miel, hoping to pick up some information on the locals and perhaps flush out the vandal.
“Be careful,” Holt said. “If you spook him, he may escalate. Is Josie okay with this plan?”
“Yes. We discussed it earlier and she knows the risks involved.”
“Well, in that case, enjoy your dinner with a beautiful woman.”
Tanner could practically see his brother smiling as he delivered that last comment, but Tanner wasn’t about to take the bait. “I will,” he said, and disconnected.
He stepped out of his room at the same time as Josie walked out of hers. One look at her and he felt his chest tighten. He’d seen her on the cover of magazines, wearing clothes that probably cost more than he made in a year, but standing in the hallway in jeans, a blue top and black heels, she looked more gorgeous than ever.
Critics had been fond of saying that her auburn hair was her downfall to greatness, that if she’d been a blonde, she could have hit the big time. Tanner didn’t know anything about the modeling big time, nor did he normally go around describing hair as “auburn,” but he knew they were wrong. Her hair fell in waves across her shoulders, gently framing her face and making her green eyes stand out even more.
“Is something wrong?” she asked.
Yanking himself out of his stupor, he said, “Not at all. Actually, I was just thinking about how going to dinner might not be the best idea.”
Her face fell and she tugged at the hem of her blouse. “Oh, okay.”
“Because I might have to fight
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