going to come between you and your work--you and Ranger."
"I appreciate that."
She could see the pain in A.J.'s blue eyes, which so reminded her of their father. "You must be beat. Have you had lunch?"
"I had something at the cafe. I just wanted to stop by before I head home."
"You shouldn't be alone, Rose. Why don't you stay here tonight? Your favorite room's available. Or you can stay with us at the house." He seemed to make an effort to smile. "The kids love their aunt Rose."
"Thanks, but I'll be fine at home. I'll have Ranger--"
"Ranger's great, but he's still a dog."
Normally she'd have come back with a retort, but she didn't have one.
A.J. sighed and unzipped his canvas coat. "I talked to Elijah. He's debating whether to head back up here. He says he's not getting much done in D.C., anyway."
"What about Sean?" Rose asked.
"Nick Martini had already called him." A.J.'s gaze narrowed slightly. "I assume you know Nick's staying here."
"I do, yes," she said, keeping her tone neutral.
"He was just here. He grabbed a sandwich and took off again. He didn't say where he was going. He drove. That's all I know."
Rose glanced down at Ranger, settled in comfortably on the hearth. She could hear the suspicion and curiosity in her brother's voice, but he wouldn't ask her outright if there was anything personal between her and Nick. She'd wondered last week when Sean was in town if he had begun to suspect, but he hadn't said anything. Of her three brothers, Elijah was the most likely to flat-out interrogate her about her love life, but they all kept a watchful eye on her, especially since their father's death. Now Nick would be facing her brothers' scrutiny.
Would he even care?
Probably not, Rose thought.
She couldn't imagine where he'd gone. To confer with the firefighters on the scene that morning? To pry information about her from people in town?
She could hear the squeals and laughter of small children down the hall and knew they were from Jim and Baylee, her four-year-old nephew and two-year-old niece.
A.J. took in a shallow breath. "Lauren's having a hard time with this," he said, referring to his wife of five years.
"I'm sorry, A.J."
"Never mind. We'll get through it. Take care of yourself, Rose. Let us know if there's anything we can do."
"I will. Thanks."
He left her by the fire to join his wife and children in the dining room. Rose quickly got Ranger onto his feet, acknowledging with a little jolt of surprise as they headed out that she felt better for having seen her brother. She didn't lack for offers of company, friendship, solidarity and even protection, but she was looking forward to being back on her hill, alone, with her dog.
She drove out to Four Corners and turned up Cameron Mountain Road. Her small house was tucked onto a hillside, with expansive views of the surrounding mountains and valley. Anyone could stand at the top of her driveway with a pair of binoculars and see people getting in and out of cars in the Black Falls Lodge parking lot.
Which was what Lowell Whittaker had done in November.
He'd waited, watching for Melanie Kendall, one of his hired killers, to get into her car. When she did, he'd set off the crude pipe bomb he'd assembled and placed under the driver's seat. She'd screwed up an assignment and the penalty was death.
Rose had been out of town at the time. When Hannah and Sean had uncovered Lowell's role in the violence in Black Falls, they learned that he himself had killed Melanie Kendall.
But what if he'd had help?
As Rose pulled into her steep driveway, she noticed Nick's rented car parked close to a snowback and eased in next to it, sighing at Ranger. "We have company."
She noted smoke curling out of the chimney and figured Nick, being a bold type, had built a fire in her woodstove and made himself comfortable. Maybe he was taking a nap. He'd be jet-lagged, after all, and he hadn't had a good first day in Black Falls.
She and Ranger took the stone steps to the back
"I appreciate that."
She could see the pain in A.J.'s blue eyes, which so reminded her of their father. "You must be beat. Have you had lunch?"
"I had something at the cafe. I just wanted to stop by before I head home."
"You shouldn't be alone, Rose. Why don't you stay here tonight? Your favorite room's available. Or you can stay with us at the house." He seemed to make an effort to smile. "The kids love their aunt Rose."
"Thanks, but I'll be fine at home. I'll have Ranger--"
"Ranger's great, but he's still a dog."
Normally she'd have come back with a retort, but she didn't have one.
A.J. sighed and unzipped his canvas coat. "I talked to Elijah. He's debating whether to head back up here. He says he's not getting much done in D.C., anyway."
"What about Sean?" Rose asked.
"Nick Martini had already called him." A.J.'s gaze narrowed slightly. "I assume you know Nick's staying here."
"I do, yes," she said, keeping her tone neutral.
"He was just here. He grabbed a sandwich and took off again. He didn't say where he was going. He drove. That's all I know."
Rose glanced down at Ranger, settled in comfortably on the hearth. She could hear the suspicion and curiosity in her brother's voice, but he wouldn't ask her outright if there was anything personal between her and Nick. She'd wondered last week when Sean was in town if he had begun to suspect, but he hadn't said anything. Of her three brothers, Elijah was the most likely to flat-out interrogate her about her love life, but they all kept a watchful eye on her, especially since their father's death. Now Nick would be facing her brothers' scrutiny.
Would he even care?
Probably not, Rose thought.
She couldn't imagine where he'd gone. To confer with the firefighters on the scene that morning? To pry information about her from people in town?
She could hear the squeals and laughter of small children down the hall and knew they were from Jim and Baylee, her four-year-old nephew and two-year-old niece.
A.J. took in a shallow breath. "Lauren's having a hard time with this," he said, referring to his wife of five years.
"I'm sorry, A.J."
"Never mind. We'll get through it. Take care of yourself, Rose. Let us know if there's anything we can do."
"I will. Thanks."
He left her by the fire to join his wife and children in the dining room. Rose quickly got Ranger onto his feet, acknowledging with a little jolt of surprise as they headed out that she felt better for having seen her brother. She didn't lack for offers of company, friendship, solidarity and even protection, but she was looking forward to being back on her hill, alone, with her dog.
She drove out to Four Corners and turned up Cameron Mountain Road. Her small house was tucked onto a hillside, with expansive views of the surrounding mountains and valley. Anyone could stand at the top of her driveway with a pair of binoculars and see people getting in and out of cars in the Black Falls Lodge parking lot.
Which was what Lowell Whittaker had done in November.
He'd waited, watching for Melanie Kendall, one of his hired killers, to get into her car. When she did, he'd set off the crude pipe bomb he'd assembled and placed under the driver's seat. She'd screwed up an assignment and the penalty was death.
Rose had been out of town at the time. When Hannah and Sean had uncovered Lowell's role in the violence in Black Falls, they learned that he himself had killed Melanie Kendall.
But what if he'd had help?
As Rose pulled into her steep driveway, she noticed Nick's rented car parked close to a snowback and eased in next to it, sighing at Ranger. "We have company."
She noted smoke curling out of the chimney and figured Nick, being a bold type, had built a fire in her woodstove and made himself comfortable. Maybe he was taking a nap. He'd be jet-lagged, after all, and he hadn't had a good first day in Black Falls.
She and Ranger took the stone steps to the back
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