Free Her Mother's Killer by Melissa Schroeder

From the look in her eyes, he would definitely be paying for his temper for at least a month.
    Closing his eyes, he tried his best to get his mind back to work but it was a wash. Granted, the problems with Thea were part of his job. That is, the ones dealing with the stalking. And that was the problem. She was now considered part of the job and there could be no…fraternization.
    He opened his eyes and stared unseeingly out the window. That was it in a nutshell. Duncan wanted her, planned to have her, and now this. He couldn’t very well sleep with her while he was on the case. It would fog his ability to protect her. He’d been down that road before and he didn’t want to go back there.
    It had been at least a year since he’d thought about Jessica. She’d been another Texas Ranger, tough as nails, a pain in the ass. He’d fallen head over heels the first time she told him to kiss her ass. And it had been his love that had gotten her killed. In a split second, he’d froze, unable to make a decision. He’d lost her, gotten shot himself, and left the Rangers.
    He shook his head, pulling his thoughts out of the past and into the present. It was going to be hard to keep it quiet that he was bunking out at Thea’s. She was going to pick him up at his house, but still there were eyes around and it wouldn’t take long before someone saw them together. Especially when he wasn’t getting any side benefits. Granted, he didn’t mind if people thought they were sleeping together. Thea wouldn’t be happy, and there was a chance it could make him a target, instead of her. If this man was obsessed with her, he wouldn’t want anyone near her.
    His cell phone rang and he smiled when he recognized her number. He clicked it on. She didn’t even say hello.
    “When the hell do you want me to pick you up?”
    He smiled, he couldn’t help it. Call him sick, but he loved a woman with a smart mouth. “I’m about to shut down my computer and head home. Should take me thirty minutes. What’s for dinner?”
    She snorted. “You expect me to feed you?”
    His smile widened into a grin as he felt some of his earlier irritation drain away. “You are a world-class chef. I thought I should take advantage of that while I could.”
    She huffed. “You’ll eat what I put in front of you.”
    He laughed, then sobered. “No more messages.”
    “No.”
    “Are you sure?”
    “Listen, Perry. I’d know if I had gotten a call or a letter.”
    “Okay. Make sure you go straight to my house.”
    “Bite me.” And she hung up. He knew she would. Thea was a lot of things, but she wasn’t stupid. He knew she would’ve contacted him about the letters. She might have waited longer if he hadn’t found the one today.
    As he shut down his computer, he mulled over the case a bit. They were going to sit down and go over the letters tonight, but he dreaded the suspect list. It was twenty years later and many suspects might’ve moved, died…disappeared. It wasn’t going to be easy, and he was going to have to hunt up old Sheriff Dailey for help.
    But, he thought with a smile, he was going to have a world-class dinner with a beautiful woman tonight. There was one thing he could take comfort in.
    * * * *
    Thea moved around the kitchen, preparing a simple meal for the two of them. She wasn’t truly in the mood to cook, but then again, it helped her work off some of her frustration. Duncan wasn’t helping because every time she said something to him, he would just smile and answer whatever question she put to him.
    It was pissing her off more.
    “So what was the reason for picking you up at your house?”
    He flicked her a glance, then looked back at one of her mother’s letters. His lips quirked before he asked, “Do you want me to park in front of your house? Everyone in town would know.”
    She huffed out an irritated grunt and grabbed a package of chicken from the fridge. “Who the hell cares?”
    “I don’t, but it might get back to