Free Reckless Hours: a Romantic Suspense novel (Heroes of Providence Book 3) by Lisa Mondello Page A

that.”
    He finished getting dressed, pulling on a favorite T-shirt that his mom always threatened to throw out because it was so old.
    He was debating about whether to eat some breakfast before heading over to the Davco mansion or wait and invite Tammie out to join him when he heard a car pull into the spot next to his Jeep.
    Curious, Dylan pushed aside the faded curtains on the small window to see if it was Julius. To his surprise, he was met with a warm smile and a wave from a beautiful girl. That beautiful girl sitting in the front seat of the car had a nicer smile than the campground owner by far. Dylan wasn’t quite sure he liked the effect that smile had on his gut.
    Pushing the camper door open, he stepped outside just as Tammie got out of the car and shut the door. She looked around, and then her gaze fell on him.
    “What happened?” he asked, stepping out onto the gravel driveway of the campsite.
    She looked at him, seeming puzzled. “Nothing. What makes you think something has happened?”
    He glanced at the sky. “I don’t have my watch on, but I can guess it’s pretty early. There had to be something that drove you from the house to come and seek me out. Especially since just yesterday you tried to run me down with your car.”
    She gave a sheepish grin and touched her lips with her fingers. “I did do that, didn’t I?”
    “Yes, you did.”
    Tammie nodded. “Well, stranger things have happened.”
    “Such as?”
    Her brows furrowed. “Boy, you just get right down to things, don’t you? Not even a mention of coffee—which, by the way, I haven’t had and am dying for right now. In case you forgot, I’m still on Oregon time.”
    With a shrug, he said, “No coffee, I’m afraid. I didn’t have a chance to pick up anything for the kitchen yesterday.”
    She gave a mock pout and snapped her fingers in disappointment.
    He added, “We can get some at the campground store, or just run down to the diner for breakfast. Take your pick.”
    Tammie lifted her eyes to him and held her gaze. “There was a man in the backyard last night.”
    “A man? What man? You mean, outside the mansion?”
    “Yes.”
    He laughed humorlessly. “And you say I cut to the chase. We went from coffee to a man in the backyard?”
    She sighed and rubbed the back of her neck. “I haven’t had coffee yet. My mind is a little fuzzy.”
    “What was he doing?”
    “I don’t really know. It looked like he was digging.”
    “In the dirt?”
    With a roll of her eyes, she said, “Where else?”
    “Did anyone else hear or see him? Any of the other people in the house?”
    “It was the middle of the night. They should have heard him. He was making enough noise for me to hear him from the second floor. But Serena had had a nightmare, and Aurore and Susan were so busy with her, they probably didn’t notice.”
    His brow creased. “Did the man try to come into the house?”
    “Not the house. But he did go into a shed out back.”
    Dylan nodded. He’d never gone out back. He’d never even made it past the front door before yesterday. But with all the trees surrounding the property, and the desolate country roads that led up to the mansion, it would be easy for someone to get in and out of the yard unseen.
    Tammie was leaning against her car, her arms folded across her chest and her head bent slightly.
    He cleared his throat. “Did you say anything to anyone?”
    Another roll of those beautiful eyes. “Do you think I would have gotten a straight answer if I had?”
    “Point taken. But still, if someone is searching the grounds in the middle of the night, whoever it is might get bold enough to try to get into the house next time.”
    Looking alarmed, Tammie stood straight and unfolded her arms.
    He answered the unspoken question written on her face. “That mansion is like a fortress, but people have been known to break into buildings with even the tightest security systems.”
    “I wonder if that had happened before,” she