danger. “I’m texting you my email address.”
She texted hers to him.
About a half hour later, while hearing the vintage songs playing in the background, Josh saw the customer who was interested in the records come out with a whole stack of them. It looked like Brooke had done well with some sales.
“I’ll be back after the new year once I get my tax refund, and I’ll listen to some of the other records you have,” the man said. “I’d take all of them if they were in this good condition, but I have to watch my bank account.”
She chuckled. “I totally understand.”
With his armful of paid-for records, the customer left the shop, and she turned on her Christmas music again.
“Good haul?”
“For both of us. I gave him a deal, but I still made a bundle.”
“That’s good. Maverick and I might have a bunch of old stuff we could sell.”
“You never know. How long have you had the reindeer ranch?”
“Forever. Our grandparents started the ranch. The ranch house is only ten years old, but there’s an old house way off on the property that was abandoned about a hundred years ago. We never tore down the old homestead because it reminds us of our heritage.”
“Hmm, what if it contains some treasures?”
He smiled. “Does everything remind you of treasure?”
“You bet.”
When the ladies took their purchases and left the shop, Josh asked Brooke, “Which boxes did you want me to take to the house that we can work on tonight?”
“Any of them.”
“Why don’t I get them, and you can continue to watch Brooke,” Adam said.
Josh appreciated it. “How’d it go with your date?”
Smiling, Adam shook his head. “I told you. She’s dating every eligible wolf just once. Then she’ll decide who she wants to see further.”
Brooke smiled. “I really need to do that.”
Josh chuckled. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
“I guess I’ll be sleeping on that child’s bed for the next few nights,” Adam said, tromping up to one of the second-floor rooms.
“You said when you were a wolf, there was no problem with it,” Brooke said.
“Yeah. If anyone comes in the shop in the middle of the night, I might forget I don’t want to kill them as a wolf.”
“I’d really like to know who’s behind all this.” Josh was glad he was sharing Brooke’s bed and not a child-sized one.
“When we figure out what he’s after and tell the world, that will be the end of it.” Brooke began working on a poster.
Josh came over to see what she was doing. A New Year’s Eve sign. He wanted to be ringing in the new year with her. He just hoped they could catch whoever was responsible for this before anyone got hurt again.
Adam returned to the shop. “We need to get hold of some muscle to stay with Brooke while we question the two armed men we just arrested.”
Josh agreed.
“If you two can learn what is going on, then do it. If you have someone else who can come and protect me, that will work. No one else can question these men like the two of you can,” Brooke said, sounding afraid Josh might not go with his partner to learn the truth.
Josh got on his phone and called Maverick. “Hey. I need you to come and protect Brooke.” He explained what was going on. “I’ll call Sierra’s brother, Brad Redding, to be here too.”
Chapter 18
“Maverick and Brad Redding, Sierra’s mated brother, a former Navy SEAL, are coming to watch over you for a bit while Adam and I go to the bureau and question these men then, if you’re sure you’ll be all right,” Josh said to her as she closed up shop.
“I will be,” Brooke assured him.
An hour later, Maverick and Brad came to the door of the shop while Brooke and Josh were still straightening things up. Brad smiled and shook Brooke’s hand. “Sierra told me you gave her the best description of a perp she’s ever had to sketch.”
“I enjoyed meeting her. We’ll all have to get together sometime.”
“We will.”
“Good to see you again,” Maverick said to Brooke, “but I wish the circumstances were less dire.”
“I agree with you there.”
“We’re on our way to the bureau.” Josh gave her a hug and a kiss, and then he said to Adam as they were leaving, “Hopefully between the two of us, we’ll get what we need from these guys.”
* * *
At the bureau, Howie Carpenter was brought to the interview room for questioning, his shaggy brown