Free The River Rolls On (Bellingwood Book 10) by Diane Greenwood Muir

another day."
    "We can go out and see them, if you like."
    "It's okay. Your stable man doesn't think too much of us yet. We can wait."
    "He's just protective. We've been through some stuff. He's shed blood for me more than once."
    Ray put a protective arm around her shoulders. "It bothers me that you have so many opportunities out here for people to shed blood for you. Drea has stopped telling your tales at the dinner table because Mama gets so upset. More than once, she's demanded that we come get you and bring you home so she can keep you safe."
    Polly laughed. "She's pretty wonderful."
    "Yes she is," Jon said. "But don't you ever tell her I said that."
    "She knows."
     
    ~~~
     
    After dinner, Jon offered to take the dogs out for a walk. He'd spent the evening doing everything in his power to build a relationship with Obiwan. It had worked. Both dogs followed him, waiting for attention.
    "This is what he does to women, too," Polly said to Henry. "It's pathetic to watch. Granted it took him longer with Han and Obiwan than it usually takes with a girl. I've seen him turn one of those into a fawning idiot in five minutes."
    "Hey," Jon said. "That's not..."
    Ray interrupted. "It's true. You can't deny it. You love 'em and you leave 'em."
    "I'm just waiting for the day Jon falls in love," Polly said. "I'm pretty sure the earth will stop spinning."
    "Come on dogs," Jon said. "I need to escape before they go any further." He started for the front door and Polly stopped him.
    "Let me show you the back way out," she said. "Leashes are at the bottom of the steps. Don't let Han try to tell you where to go. Obiwan is much more responsible. Pay attention to him."
    "Got it. We'll be fine."
    The dogs obediently followed him down the steps and waited while he snapped their leashes on. Polly just shook her head. He had a great touch with them.
    She went back into the media room. "Anybody for more wine or another beer?"
    "It was a great dinner," Ray said. "Thank you."
    "I will cook for you as often as you like, but there are great restaurants in town. Now that you're tagging along, maybe Henry will actually let me go out."
    "The whole town knows to keep an eye on you now," Henry said. "You've probably never been safer. Let's plan on going to Davey's tomorrow night. Steak and all the fixin's."
    Polly came back from the kitchen with a plate of cookies. "We should make it a party. I'll see who's available. I might as well introduce the two of you all at once."
    "Fine with me," Ray said. "All the better to identify who the good guys are. I wish I knew who was stupid enough to hook up with Joey Delancy. It doesn't bode well that he's got a partner."
    Obiwan and Han came racing into the room and Polly looked down at them. "You two are back early. What did you do to Jon?"
    "Guys?" Jon called from the steps. "We might have a problem."
    Ray was up before Polly and Henry had even registered Jon's words. "What do you mean, a problem?" he asked.
    Jon came into the room holding a stick. On the end of it dangled a woman's blouse.
    "Where did you find that?" Polly asked.
    "Your dog was the one who sniffed it out. It was hanging on the handle of the main kitchen door. Someone wanted us to find it. I didn't want to touch it, so I found the stick. Are you calling the Sheriff or should I?"
    Polly looked at the clock. It was only nine thirty, so Aaron was surely still awake. "I'll do it. He's used to hearing from me."
    Luke had decided that the dangling shirt was quite interesting and made one half-hearted attempt to jump up and grab it. Henry managed to snag him out of the air before he made contact and Jon took the stick and shirt back into Henry's office and put them on his desk.
    "Aaron?" Polly said when he answered.
    "You're supposed to be safe in your house. I hear you have two bodyguards. Tell me no one is dead."
    "I don't know about that last statement, but Jon just found a woman's blouse hanging from the kitchen door handle outside. I know they checked