driver in Valentine Valley,” Tony explained with a shrug of his shoulders.
“Let me guess,” Emily said with a touch of bitterness. “He only comes at night if it’s an emergency.”
“She,” Nate said reluctantly.
Her posture seemed to slump as she tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. He’d smelled that hair, tasted the skin on her neck. He stirred on the barstool, wishing he could adjust himself. And it had been his stupid idea to head back to the pool room.
“Since you’re not from around here,” Tony said, “there’s a motel just down the block.”
Nate could see her jaw clench from across the room.
“I own a building in town,” she finally said. “I need to get there.”
Tony and Nate shared a surprised glance. Both of them knew just about everybody—and every building—in town. Who was this Emily?
“I can drop you off,” Nate offered. It was the least he could do.
She studied him, wariness in her narrowed eyes. “If you can tell me how to get—”
“You can’t walk there in this,” Tony interrupted. “You can trust Nate to take you, regardless of what happened in the back room.”
Her eyes shut as she grimaced. Ned and Ted Ferguson gave another matching set of snickers.
Nate frowned. He could see Emily’s blush like a beacon. He glared at the brothers, and they both hunched their shoulders and turned back to the game.
“But first,” Tony continued. “I’ve just brewed a fresh pot of coffee. Nate, how ’bout something to eat?”
He was just about to protest that he was not drunk, but then he remembered kissing a woman he didn’t know a thing about. “Sounds good.”
Emily perched on a chair closest to the door. “Thank you. I’ll wait.”
Tony served him some fajitas with the coffee, and although Nate offered her some, she didn’t leave the safety of her chair, making him feel even more like a monster. After a half hour, he quietly said, “Guess it’s time to leave, Tony.”
Tony smiled and glanced at Emily. “I might have to call you tomorrow.”
“There’ll be nothing to report.” He stood up and slid on his jacket.
Emily waited by the door, wincing as she peered out at the rain.
He opened it and gestured. “After you.”
He ran toward the pickup as rain dripped off the edges of his hat. He followed her to open the door, but she veered toward her own car first and tried to lug a suitcase out of the trunk. He grabbed it out of her hand, opened the truck door, and slid it onto the rear bench. She was short enough that she had trouble getting up inside, and he almost boosted her up by the ass but figured she wouldn’t appreciate it. He ran to his side and hopped in, and the slam of both doors echoed in the rain-drumming silence. He started the pickup and quickly rolled up the partially opened window, swearing again at the rain that streaked the inside of his door.
At the soft “woof” from the backseat, Emily gave a little cry. Scout stuck his black-and-white nose over the seat and sniffed at her. Nate held back a smile as she sagged against the door with a shudder.
“Afraid of dogs?” he asked.
“No, but he startled me.” She eyed Scout. “Does he like strangers?”
“Yep.”
She put out her hand, palm up, and within a second, Scout turned traitor and happily licked her before settling down again next to her suitcase on the bench seat.
“What’s his name?” she asked.
“Scout.”
With a sigh, Emily buckled herself in, then sat facing forward, hands in her lap. When Nate didn’t put the truck in gear, she glanced at him with a frown. He could sense the tension as if it were a force field around her.
“So where are you going?” he asked.
“Sorry. Two Oh Four Main Street.”
Damn, he knew that building. His luck had definitely run out tonight.
“I’m sorry if I didn’t appear grateful for the ride,” she began, speaking quickly. “It’s just that—”
“You don’t know me. I get that.”
She didn’t look at him, didn’t say anything more. He didn’t blame her. And she was about to find out some bad news.
Two Oh Four Main Street was less than six blocks away, so the drive didn’t take long. In the rain-soaked darkness, he could see nothing but the blurry image of lights along the street, and the flat-fronted buildings nestled side by side along each block of Main Street. There wasn’t even a traffic light to slow them down. He pulled into the alley behind the