Free Fox, Morgan - Discovering Temptation [Texas Stallions 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) by Morgan Fox Page B

father’s hand. She wanted so badly to tear into them and discover just who Duke Blake really was. She also wanted to know why he’d abandoned her, but she couldn’t bring herself to open the letters. It was too much right now. Her head had to be clear when she read them, and she needed to be alone. The number of watchful eyes on her was just too much.
    “Thank you, Sophia,” she murmured.
    The front door opened and the sound of booted footsteps filled the room. All eyes shifted as Tyler rounded the corner into the kitchen. As soon as he saw Abby, his entire expression changed, and he didn’t seem to care who noticed.
    “How’d you sleep?” he asked matter-of-factly.
    “Good,” she said with a shy smile. “I almost didn’t get up, but thanks to Hunter, I had an alarm.”
    Tyler’s expression was stoic. “The sheriff’s supposed to be here around ten this morning. He said he’d be by with an update.”
    Abby glanced at the clock above the stove and realized the sheriff would be arriving soon. She stood, pushing the chair back with her legs, and grabbed the box filled with her father’s letters, clutching it to her breast.
    To Cooper, she said, “I’ll just put these away and then we can finish up.”
    “Actually, I’m good. Most of what I need to do I can handle alone, but once I’ve gotten everything worked out and all the invoices totaled up, I’ll show you how to manage the journals. We’ll need to back each other up so that you always know what’s going on with the books.” Her eyes widened as she thought about the math she’d have to do, and he must have noticed her concern. “No need to worry about a thing, Abby. I’ll teach you all you’ll need to know and it will be no big deal once we get it all cleaned up. You’ll see.”
    Abby nodded with a smile. Tyler watched her every move as she approached him, just as she watched his. The intensity of his stare left her flesh warming with bursts of fever. Stepping around him, she felt her pulse begin to race as she gently brushed against his firm arm.
    Tyler did that to her. She liked how he was able to distract her with a simple glance, and enjoyed it even more when he touched her. Her nipples hardened at the image of his arms wrapped around her, his fingers caressing her face.
    When she finally reached her room, she placed the box on her unmade bed. The solid thud of Tyler’s boots thundered in behind her. She shivered as he entered her room and stalked straight over to the windows, checking to make sure they were locked.
    She couldn’t help but notice his apprehension riding along his broad shoulders. “Tyler? Is everything all right?”
    “I’m just checking the windows,” he said in a gruff tone.
    She scoffed. “I can see that, but you’re giving off a vibe that screams something else.” She forced her hands to her hips. “What’s going on?”
    He pulled his hands away from the window, turned and faced her. His strong hands balled into tight fists. “I want to know what the sheriff was able to discover about Jackson.” He inclined his head, glancing away from her eyes. “I don’t like the fact that there’s some damn freak running around town hurting people.”
    Abby grimaced and a shiver of dread charged up and down her spine, reminding her of what she endured her first night in Temptation. “I don’t really like that little fact, either.”
    Tyler’s eyes darted up to lock on hers, and he quickly closed the distance between them. He cupped her face in his uncompromising hands. “Abby, promise me you won’t leave the house without a chaperone.”
    A sudden wave of nervousness flared inside her and she immediately placed her hands over his. “Tyler, has something happened?” She could feel it in the marrow of her bones that something wasn’t right with him. He was keeping something to himself, but what?
    He audibly swallowed and gently stroked her cheeks with the pads of his thumbs. His eyes were a sea of concern, but