“There’s the culprit,” she said.
Cade crossed to the broken window and pulled out his phone to call emergency dispatch.
She hung back, soaking in the changes time had wrought. He’d been handsome as a teen, the combination of inky-black hair, vivid blue eyes and a winsome smile earning him scores of admirers. More athletic than studious, he’d possessed an energy that couldn’t be tamed. But he hadn’t let his popularity go to his head. He’d been kind to everyone, no matter their status, a hero even before he’d donned the uniform. No wonder she’d fallen for him.
He’d matured into an intriguing, gorgeous man. His military regulation haircut, buzzed short on the sides but long enough to run his fingers through on the top, lent him an intimidating edge. He was taller than she remembered. Broader. In top physical condition—able to scale walls, leap out of helicopters, wrestle bad guys or whatever the Marine Corps asked him to do. She really didn’t want to know specifics. She’d worried about him during every deployment, praying for his safety and experiencing a rush of relief with every homecoming. Tori may have turned her back on military life, but thanks to her mom’s regular reports of Cade’s movements, she hadn’t escaped the emotional rollercoaster. If Jason enlisted, she’d be worrying about him, too.
He ended the call. “The fire department will be here soon.”
She joined him at the window. From this angle, the burning vehicle looked even more ominous. “This isn’t commonplace, is it?”
“Commonplace? No. But not impossible, especially considering the age of your vehicle. I doubt it had an electric fan. The catalytic converter could’ve been clogged. Or there could’ve been a fuel leak.”
Those options sounded reasonable. Far more reasonable than the paths her mind were taking. She had to reconsider her choice of reading material. There was no one after her. She sold pet supplies, not classified information.
Cade turned toward her, his gaze narrowing. “Do you suspect this wasn’t an accident?”
“Of course not.” That would be ridiculous.
His gaze dropped deliberately to where she was fiddling with her ring. “Is someone giving you trouble? A customer? Neighbor? Boyfriend?”
She studied his face for clues. Did he know about her former boyfriend and the activities that landed him in prison? Tori had made her mom promise not to tell anyone in the McMann family.
“None of the above.”
Seemingly satisfied with her answer, he peered through both windows. “People are congregating on the sidewalk.”
“I should go down there and reassure my neighbors.”
Outside, they found a gathering crowd, shock reflected on their faces. Her next-door neighbor wove his way to her side. “Tori, are you okay?”
Her wrist throbbed and she was without transportation. It wasn’t the best day, but it could’ve been much worse. She was grateful that the house and her mom’s beloved shop were still intact.
“I’m fine, Kenneth.” She introduced the harried tax man to Cade. The two nodded to each other in greeting. Slightly older than her, the reed-thin bachelor with owlish features seemed to always be at loose ends. But he had a steady stream of customers, so he must be good at his job.
“I was putting my frozen dinner into the microwave when I heard the explosion.” Blinking behind the thick glasses, he tried to smooth his riotous curls. “You’re fortunate this didn’t happen fifteen minutes later.”
Cade shifted his stance. “Why do you say that?”
“Tori drives to the bank every day after she closes the store, like clockwork.”
He blanched. Their gazes locked, and the questions surging in his eyes mirrored her own. Who else besides Kenneth had taken note of her habits? Had the destruction of her car been, in fact, an act of deliberate violence?
“Don’t say it, Cade.” Tori wrapped her arms around her midsection.
“You have to admit the timing is suspicious,” he murmured.
“It’s a coincidence.”
She was a regular citizen. A librarian. Except she’d temporarily traded books for pet supplies.
Before he could respond, the whine of sirens careened around the corner. A fire engine rumbled to a stop in the middle of the street, followed by several patrol cars. Cade remained by her side as firefighters doused the flames. By the looks of the darkening sky, rain would’ve soon taken care of it.
Deputy Wayne Claxton introduced himself and wrote her information on a palm-sized paper pad. About the age her father would be if he’d lived, the wire-haired, mustached deputy had perfected his poker face, not giving so much as a hint of his thoughts.
“Your car wasn’t running, correct?”
“That’s right.”
“Did you see or smell evidence of a fire before the explosion?”
She’d been too distracted by Cade to notice. “No.”
“You haven’t had any electrical issues? Problems with your ignition switch?”
“No, nothing like that. I take it in for routine maintenance.”
He put away his pad and promised to contact her with the fire department’s investigation results, which he warned would take several days. The tow truck was departing when she felt the first raindrops on her exposed skin.
Cade squinted toward the sky. “You have anything to cover that window?”
Tori’s hesitation vanished at the peal of thunder. “Maybe in the garage.”
In the month since she’d returned, she’d split her time between unpacking and manning the shop, so she hadn’t had time to check out the garage. They quickly rifled through the contents and discovered a couple of sheets of plywood against the rear wall. He also located an electric drill.
In her bedroom once again, they worked together to clear the glass and debris. Wind whistled through the gap. Rain splattered the sill.
While Tori supported the plywood, he drilled the screws along the edges. “Feels like old times. Us doing chores,” he said, his attention on his task. “You gonna pay me in Popsicles like your mom used to do?”
“Sorry. I’m fresh out.”
He grunted and continued working.
She studied his profile, the proud line of his forehead and the jut of his cheekbones. His features had been branded on her mind years ago. Granted, he was even more handsome now than he’d been at eighteen.
He’d once been her closest confidante. When her feelings for him had shifted to something more, she’d kept them hidden for fear of losing his friendship. Remaining silent while he dated other girls was one of the hardest things she’d had to do. Then, on the night of their senior prom, Cade’s kiss had changed everything. That summer, they’d whiled away the days playing in the surf, crabbing in the river and counting stars from her front-porch swing. She’d begun to think of the future in terms of her and Cade as a couple. Instead of heading to a prestigious university as her mother expected, she enrolled in the community college. Cade was supposed to follow in his father’s footsteps and assume the family fishing business. He hadn’t questioned his path, so neither had she.
His proposal had come earlier than expected, but that hadn’t stopped her from saying yes. Cade was her soul mate. Her best friend. Her heart was safe