Mission: Without a Trace - Nicole Edwards Page 0,7

you in the mornin’?”

She flashed a smile as she slipped the laptop into her bag. “You most certainly will.”

“I’ll walk you to your car,” Reese offered.

“You don’t have to do that.”

“Have to, no. Want to…?” He smiled.

“Whatever. You guys are far too chivalrous for your own good.”

When the two of them left, Brantley made his way up the ladder to what used to be the hayloft, glanced around at the space. While the main barn floor was roughly four thousand square feet, the loft was no more than twelve hundred. Which was a considerable amount of space that was currently unused. It was empty because getting furniture up here was damn near impossible without a set of stairs. Might make a good break area. Especially if they brought others on board. Wouldn’t be too hard to build stairs, bring in some furniture. Relocate the foosball table that was currently down below. At the very least, it would offer some useable square footage for storage or whatever.

He turned and stared out over the lower level, taking it all in. It looked almost professional, in a very rustic sort of way. Then again, he didn’t know much about professional. Brantley was familiar with war rooms and mobile command centers. Working in the field was more his forte. He hadn’t really given much thought to what it would mean to put down roots. Now he had a house, what passed as an office, a task force to run, and last but not least, a man he was more than a little intrigued with.

Settling down, that was what he seemed to be doing.

The door opened and Reese strolled in, drawing his attention.

Yep. Settling down.

In more ways than one.

***

Reese woke on Monday morning, his neck tight from sleeping on the damn couch in his apartment. Perhaps he should consider getting a bed. It was a studio apartment, but that didn’t mean he had to be uncomfortable when he slept. Maybe just a couch with a pull-out bed. That would be a hell of a lot better than continuing to cram his six-foot-five-inch frame on this damn thing.

As for why he was thinking about it now, after years of living here, he didn’t know. If he had to guess, he was getting spoiled thanks to those few nights he’d spent in Brantley’s bed.

Forcing himself up, he went to the kitchen, flipped on the coffeepot, then made a detour to the bathroom. After a quick shower and shave, he dragged on his clothes, grabbed a travel mug, filled it with Folger’s Best, and then headed out the door. He could’ve waited to get his coffee until he was in the office, but he found he worked better when he got his caffeine in earlier, even if it was only a three-minute drive.

When he pulled into the small lot behind the Walker Demolition office less than five minutes later, he noticed Autumn had already arrived, her truck parked in the spot Reese usually used. He pulled the Walker Demo dually in beside it, realized then that he was going to have to invest in a vehicle of his own. He hadn’t bothered because Travis had allowed him to use the company vehicle as his own. Now that he would no longer be working for Travis, he would have to secure his own ride.

Mentally, he added it to the to-do list, knowing full well he would forget it and every other thing on it the next time he blinked.

The door to the office opened and Autumn appeared, a brilliant smile flashing at him. He offered one back because that was what you did in a small town. You smiled and/or waved at everyone.

Autumn Jameson was a beautiful woman, something he’d noticed the very first time he’d been introduced to her. Her hair couldn’t be classified as either brown or blond, but rather somewhere in between. An interesting mix of color that hung to her shoulders in gentle waves. Her eyes were a deep brown, filled with curiosity, and always seemed to be smiling. Her mouth was a little wide, her nose a tad on the small side, but altogether her features created an intriguing mix.

“Mornin’,” she greeted, stepping back and holding the door open for him.

“Mornin’. You’re here early.”

“I know. Excitement, I guess. I’m sure it’ll wear off eventually, but right now, I’m riding that new job high.” She closed the door behind them. “You’re probably the opposite, huh? Eager to get out of here so you can move