From the Shadows (Buckhorn, Montana #2) - B.J. Daniels Page 0,47
news he’d given her this morning that had shaken her. What if Megan’s murder could have been prevented if only Casey had looked in the diary? If only she hadn’t destroyed it? The killer could be in prison now and not possibly inside this hotel considering their next victim. “It’s just...difficult to let go.”
“I’m sure it is.” His look was so sympathetic that she knew if she didn’t drag her gaze away, she would start crying again. Her loss was so fresh, and being here in the place her grandmother had loved so much was wrenching at her heart. She turned away.
“You’re buying an old hotel on a whim, and I’m guessing you still don’t know what you’re going to do with it.”
“You’re right about that,” he said behind her. “What would you like for me to do with it?”
She swallowed. Did she really believe that she could put all of this behind her if the hotel was razed to nothing but dust? Would it help her sleep any better? “Whatever you want.”
Retrieving the tiny china tea set on the shelf behind her grandmother’s chair, she stepped past him, avoiding his gaze. She’d taken but a few steps when she remembered the cup she’d left behind. Her grandmother would have wanted her to return it to the kitchen.
She knew it was silly. The entire place might be gone in a matter of weeks, but she stopped to turn back. When she did, though, she collided with Finn. He caught her with one arm to steady her, and she saw that he had picked up the cup before leaving the room.
The gesture touched her so deeply, making her realize that he really had come to know her grandmother over the months he’d been staying here. She met his warm gaze and saw in those breath-stealing seconds that he also knew her more than she had wanted to admit. The intimacy of it made her skin dimple with goose bumps.
His gaze locked with hers. She felt heat rush to her center. Her knees went weak with a need that made her tremble inside. If he touched her now—
“Casey?” The grating female voice called up the stairs. “Hello? Are you up there?”
The last thing she wanted to do was answer Vi Mullen. Especially right now. But she also knew that the woman wouldn’t go away until she did. She could hear Vi starting to climb the stairs.
“I’m coming down!” Casey called and dragged her gaze from Finn, the moment gone. She still felt weak with need but also with relief. The last thing she needed to do was complicate this already-confounding situation. Not to mention that she was lying to him. That didn’t make her any better than Megan.
* * *
“I’VE BEEN LOOKING all over this place for you,” Vi said disagreeably as she glanced up the stairs as if searching for something. Or was it someone? Had she heard Casey and Finn talking up there?
Finn was nowhere to be seen, as if he’d guessed that she didn’t want Vi seeing them together. Or had that moment they’d had together affected him the way it had her, and he wanted some time before facing anyone?
“Well, now you’ve found me.” Casey could just imagine what this was about. She’d expected Vi would come by as soon as she’d heard she was in town. She guessed she was lucky it had taken the woman this long.
“Let’s go down to the main hall,” Casey said. “It’s not as dusty down there.” She would have preferred the stairs, the way she’d come up, but for the older woman she pushed the elevator button, and the two of them rode to the ground floor.
The woman had some papers she was holding and a determined look on her face. Casey hoped this wasn’t about trying to get the hotel on the historic register and stopping the sale. She motioned to one of the Victorian couches and excused herself to put the tea-party set away in her grandmother’s office.
When she returned and had taken a seat, Casey began. “Vi—”
“Coffee,” the woman interrupted.
“Coffee?” Casey realized it wasn’t an offer; it was a request. “I’ll see if there is some in the kitchen. Let me check.” She got up and walked down the staff hallway to the kitchen. Finn had apparently made another pot. There were also pastries with a note saying he’d picked them up at the bakery and to help yourself. She was touched by his efficiency and his thoughtfulness.