Free Fan the Flames by Katie Ruggle Page A

her. As uncertain and ill-prepared as she was, it felt so very good to be seen.
    When she finally tore her gaze from the closed door and returned to her paperwork, she was smiling.

Chapter 4
    The rest of the afternoon was quiet, so Rory had a chance to switch out the plastic safety button on Fire Chief Winston Early’s Mossberg shotgun with a steel replacement. As usual, working on the gun soothed her, although she couldn’t completely shut off her rambling thoughts. To her, the intruder’s absence the past night was a good thing. She wasn’t sure why it had provoked Ian’s anger.
    Once she was done with the replacement, she called Chief Early and left a message that his shotgun was ready to go. It was after four by then, and the shop was still dead. Rory eyed the pile of paperwork she hadn’t quite managed to complete, but she knew she was too twitchy at the moment to concentrate. Anything she attempted to do would only need to be redone later.
    She was dusting—not a great distraction, but it was something she couldn’t really screw up—when Ian returned. Feeling the usual stomach lurch of excitement, Rory studied his face. Although he didn’t look much happier than he had before he’d left, he did appear more controlled. She turned back to the display case and squirted the top with the vinegar and water mixture in her spray bottle.
    â€œDid you accomplish what you set out to do?” she asked, wiping at the glass with her rag.
    â€œNo,” he grumped. Since she was standing on the other side of the counter, he took a seat on her usual stool by the cash register.
    Wiping the glass with more force than was probably necessary, she tried to wait him out. After a solid minute of silence, she couldn’t take it anymore. Dropping her spray bottle and rag onto the top of the display case, she demanded, “Well?”
    â€œWell, what?” His hard expression had softened a little, and the corners of his mouth twitched.
    Rory gave him her best glare. “Why’d you go storming out of here earlier, all mad and cryptic?”
    That killed any amusement in his expression. “I had told Billy.”
    â€œTold him what?”
    â€œAbout the deer cameras. That I was going to stay with you if they didn’t work.”
    She looked at him for a few moments before her brain clicked into gear. “So you thought Billy was the one trying to break into the shop?”
    Ian shook his head. “Not Billy. We were standing next to the bar in the clubhouse when we were talking about it, though. Some of the other guys were close enough to overhear.”
    â€œSo you think one of the Riders is my trespasser?”
    â€œMaybe.” His frown deepened as he tapped his fingers on the newly cleaned counter. “They could’ve talked to someone else, too. They gossip worse than the guys at the station.”
    â€œSeems to be a county-wide epidemic.” When he looked at her, she elaborated, “Gossiping.”
    His laugh was gruff. “No kidding.”
    â€œI comped Belly a hundred bucks to shut down the rumors about…” She belatedly closed her mouth when she realized what she was admitting.
    â€œRumors about…?” he echoed, cocking his head.
    â€œNever mind.” There was no way to stop the heat from warming her cheeks. “So you went to the clubhouse this afternoon?”
    This time, his chuckle was low and knowing. “I’ll just have to guess what those rumors were, then. And, yeah. I talked to Billy, but he doesn’t think any of our guys is the one who’s been coming around here at night.”
    â€œDo you? Suspect any of the Riders?”
    That brought the return of his frown. “Not anyone in particular. I wondered if Zup was trying to get back at you for making him look like an idiot, but I doubt he could avoid getting caught four nights in a row. He’d be more likely to stick his stupid face