Free A Most Shocking Revelation by Kristi Gold Page B

a quick kiss. “I’ve left some money for you in the kitchen in case you need it.”
    â€œI’ll probably pick up something for dinner at the store, but I have my own money.”
    â€œKeep your money. An even trade if you’ll do the shopping.” Before Valerie could argue that buying food was a fair exchange for the room, Gavin left, calling, “I’ll see you tonight when I get home.”
    Valerie collapsed back onto the bed and rested one palm over her pounding heart. In Gavin O’Neal’s company, she was as weak as a sapling tree and as foolish as a teenager. The longer she stayed, the deeper involved she might become. But she couldn’t resist him anymore than she could change who she was, and that created a terrible dilemma.
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    Gavin pulled up in front of the post office, left the SUV running and hurried inside, thankful to be out of the less-than-pleasant elements, at least for the time being. He walked up to the window and rang the bell, waiting for several minutes for Abe to get out of his chair and shuffle to the counter.
    â€œHowdy, Sheriff,” the man said with a smile, revealing a set of yellowed dentures. “What can I do for you?”
    â€œHarvey Joe Raleigh told me he sent some mail back that belongs to Valerie Raines. Do you know where it might be?”
    Abe rubbed his stubbly chin. “Let me look. It might take a while.”
    Gavin didn’t doubt that for a minute. “I’ll wait.”
    Leaning one elbow against the counter, Gavin turned and stared out at the deserted street. Everyone had taken shelter from the bitter cold, with good reason. The forecast called for a winter storm due to arrive in a matter of hours, bringing with it the threat of snow. An unusual occurrence for this time of year for Royal, or so he’d been told, but not completely unheard of. If he had his way, he’d stay in for the night with his houseguest, alone, and get to know her better. And it would probably be best not tothink too much about that now. He’d had one heck of a time blocking the images of her on his bed where he’d left her that morning. He’d had an even harder time erasing the fantasies of seeing her there again, this time naked. Hell, he was having a hard time, period.
    He turned back to the window and peered inside to find Abe working his way through a stack of mail at a snail’s pace. At this rate, it might be midnight before he went home to Valerie, and that wouldn’t do. The sound of the opening door turned Gavin around to discover another blonde entering the building. She pulled her black leather coat closer to her body when she contacted his gaze.
    â€œHello, Sheriff.” Her tone was as cold as the rush of air that had followed her inside.
    He tipped the brim of his hat. “Gretchen. Haven’t seen you around much lately.”
    Her gaze slid away. “I’ve been busy.”
    Now that she’d lost the mayor’s race, Gavin couldn’t imagine what was keeping her so busy. He guessed shopping and extolling the virtues of a stellar bloodline were time-consuming. Right then, he had a prime opportunity to ask a few questions in an informal setting. “I don’t think I’ve told you that I’m sorry about your friend’s death.”
    She raised one thin eyebrow. “Friend?”
    â€œMalcolm Durmorr.”
    After pulling off her leather gloves, she rifled through her purse, avoiding his scrutiny. “I wouldn’t exactly call him a friend.”
    Gavin leaned back against the counter. “From what I hear, you two were pretty tight at one time.”
    She withdrew a stack of envelopes and clutched them in her fists. “You can’t always believe what you hear in this town, Sheriff.”
    And he didn’t believe her for one minute. “I guess that’s true. By the way, where exactly were you the night that he died?”
    Her expression turned to