Free Lone Wolfe Protector by Kaylie Newell

back.”
    But Maggie had noticed a deep frown had settled over his mouth.
    “Let’s hope so,” Ara had said. “For his sake.”
    The rest of the evening had passed uneventfully. Candi said her good-byes shortly after dinner, refusing Koda’s offer of a stroll around the block. It’s clear, he’d said. No fog, no rain. No telling when we might see the sky again.
    Maggie supposed it might have been his way of trying to make things better again. She was beginning to see this was part of his very nature. The peacemaker. The one who made things right for everyone.
    Ara had also turned him down, and after hugging them all good night, had headed somberly upstairs.
    Koda kicked a rock now, and it went tumbling down the sidewalk and into the gutter. Maggie glanced at him, but he didn’t look back. He seemed lost in thought, his face smooth and expressionless.
    “You know,” she said, breaking the silence, “Aimee was a wild child, too.”
    He turned toward her, his eyes shining in the moonlight. “Yeah?”
    “She was always staying out all night, going with guys she didn’t know. Making her parents crazy. Trying to drag me along with her.”
    She now had his full attention, but she kept her head down, watching one of her sneaker laces bounce along the cement.
    “I know,” he said. “I’ve read the OSP reports. But honestly, I’m surprised to hear you say it. You’ve never mentioned it on TV or in the papers when you described her. Or your friendship with her. And some of that stuff was pretty in-depth.”
    Maggie glanced over, her mouth going dry. She hadn’t meant to bring Aimee up, and now that she had, felt the need to defend her. “I couldn’t bear the thought of them saying she might have run off or that she went willingly with someone and might have deserved what happened. Even so, they dug up some things and tried to hint at it. She didn’t go willingly, Deputy. And she sure didn’t deserve what happened to her.”
    “I know she didn’t.”
    Those four little words covered her like a warm blanket. It felt good to have him on her side, even if it was just this one small admission.
    They walked in silence for a minute longer, their breath crystallizing in the air.
    “You know,” he finally said. “We’ve had dinner together. You’ve witnessed my little brother’s total lack of common sense, and you’ve eaten my aunt’s world-famous roast beef. I think you can probably stop calling me Deputy, now.”
    She smiled. “Does this mean we’re friends?”
    “Let’s not push it.”
    “Acquaintances?”
    “Consider yourself lucky. I don’t make acquaintances easily.”
    “Neither do I.”
    “ No .”
    “What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, shivering despite her down jacket. “I’m so nice. You just have to get to know me. Funny, too. The whole package, really.”
    “I’ll take your word for it.”
    Is he flirting with me ? She slid him a look, resisting the urge to elbow him in the ribs.
    “But you also have a rather large chip on your shoulder,” he added.
    “Wouldn’t you? Under the circumstances?”
    “Yes. But I wouldn’t necessarily ride into town hell-bent on proving that everyone here is a murderer.”
    “I’m not.”
    “Oh, come on. Tell me you’re not just itching to accuse the first hillbilly you see who didn’t have an alibi that night.”
    “Not true.”
    “Is true.”
    “No.” Frustrated, she crossed her arms over her chest and took a deep breath. “Can we please just call a truce and agree to disagree on some of this stuff that doesn’t really matter? Maybe we can work as a team to try and find out what happened to Aimee.”
    Stopping, she turned to him. For a second he just stood there, staring up at the moon. Then he faced her. “I’ve been thinking a lot since last night,” he said. “You were right. We shouldn’t have cut you out of the investigation altogether. I think, under the right circumstances, you might be able to help a little. If I