Free Nate by Delores Fossen Page B

Nate didn’t want to go there. He didn’t want to talk about Ellie. So he shook off her grip and turned to leave.
    “For what it’s worth,” Darcy continued, “I’ve applied to be the assistant district attorney here in Silver Creek.”
    That froze him in his tracks, and Nate eased back around to stare at her. As the A.D.A, she’d have to work with Grayson, Dade and Mason. Work closely with them, on the same side of the law.
    “I’m not a bad person.” Her voice trembled again. So did her bottom lip, and her eyes began to water. “I just got wrapped up in doing…what I thought I needed to do. Old baggage,” she added in a mumble. “Something you might know a little about.”
    Oh, yeah. His old baggage had baggage.
    “When did yours start?” she asked.
    Nate didn’t have to think about that. He also didn’t have to think about it to know this was a conversation he didn’t want to have. But he answered her, anyway. “Twenty years ago when I was fifteen, my grandfather was murdered, and it was never solved.”
    “Yes. Sheriff Chet McLaurin. Kayla asked me about him.”
    Nate was sure he blinked. “Why would she ask you that?”
    “She called me a few weeks ago and wanted to know if I’d come across a photo of your grandfather in any of Charles Brennan’s things. She faxed me a copy of the picture and said it was taken on the day the new sheriff’s office opened.”
    Now, he understood. Kayla had asked because Darcy was the executor for Brennan’s will, and the picture was definitely in question. Kayla had seen a copy, and now the family wanted to know why a man like Brennan had held on to a photo seemingly unrelated to him.
    “Did you find the picture in Brennan’s things?” Nate asked.
    Darcy shook her head. “I looked but didn’t find anything. It might turn up, though, because I’m still going through his estate.” She paused. “Is it important?”
    “Could be. Maybe there’s something in Brennan’s files that will tell us who killed our grandfather.”
    “I see.” And a moment later, she repeated it. “When this is over, I’ll look again.” Another pause. “His death is the reason you became a cop?”
    “Yeah.” And this was another wound Nate didn’t want reopened tonight so he turned the tables on her. “What baggage made you become a defense attorney?”
    A pained look flashed across her face, and Darcy opened her mouth. Closed it. And that pained look got significantly worse.
    “It’s okay,” he quickly assured. “The conversation’s over.” And he was probably as thankful for that as she was.
    They didn’t need to be delving into baggage or what had brought them to this point. Didn’t need to be discussing anything personal.
    He especially didn’t need to be thinking of her as an attractive, troubled woman he should haul off to his bed.
    Besides, he had a mountain of stuff to do—stuff that didn’t require getting Darcy naked and in his bed. Phone calls to make. An investigation to start. He also needed to see if Grayson had made any progress with Ramirez.
    “If you need anything, my room is just across the hall,” he let her know. “The security system is on, and all the ranch hands are on watch to make sure no one suspicious enters the property.”
    There. He’d doled out all the info she needed for the night, and he could go. Good thing, too, because he was exhausted.
    But he didn’t move.
    His feet seemed glued to the floor.
    Her eyes widened, as if she knew a fierce storm was already upon them. And it was. The storm inside him. Nate cursed. Because he saw the alarm on Darcy’s face.
    Followed by the heat.
    Oh, man.
    One-sided lust was bad enough, but two-sided was a disaster in the making.
    His feet finally moved. In the wrong direction. Nate went to her, catching her hands and pinning them against the wall. Hell, he pinned her, too. Pressing his body against hers as he lowered his head.
    And kissed her.
    He captured her breath and the sound of her