Cold River - Carla Neggers [80]
“I wish it were that simple.” She carefully wiped off the top of the desk. “I don’t know why I’m bothering. It’ll be dusty again in a day down here.”
“Hannah, you’re an emotional mess.”
“Just get my brothers safely to California.”
“You could go with them.”
She shook her head. “I can’t. Not now. The next few days will be busy at the café, and then I have to get organized and start studying for the bar. Plus, Bowie will be working on the leak.” She made an attempt at a smile. “I keep hoping to find hidden treasure down here, but so far, there’s just a lot of junk and spiderwebs.”
“Would you tell anyone if you found treasure?”
This time, her eyes gleamed as she smiled. “I could buy a house next to yours in Beverly Hills and let you wonder how I got the money, except that’d never work. There are no secrets in Black Falls. The truth would find its way to you in California.”
“There are loads of secrets in Black Falls. They’re just not that easy to keep.”
She softened, even laughed a little. “Come on. I assume you’re having dinner at the lodge or out at Elijah’s, but I can at least give you one of our New Year’s cupcakes.” As she started past him for the stairs, she stopped next to him abruptly. “Your plane—do you fly it yourself?”
“Not yet. I’m still learning.”
“Is there nothing you can’t do, Sean Cameron?”
Her tone was light, but he saw the discoloration on her cheek and the pain in her eyes, even as she smiled. “Figure you out,” he said, brushing his fingertip along the edge of her jaw. “I think I’ve been trying to figure you out since Latin class.”
“You hated Latin.”
“Yeah, I did.”
He tucked a finger under her chin, and when she didn’t run for the stairs, he lowered his mouth to hers. “Hannah,” he whispered, kissing her gently. She didn’t back away from his kiss or, at first, quite return it. Then she put her hand on his hip and kissed him back—but only for a half second, just long enough, he thought, to let him know that she wanted more.
She stood up straight and swiped at a cobweb above her with a shudder. “I’ve gotten used to dealing with spiders,” she said, “but that doesn’t mean I like them.”
Sean kept his gaze on her. “You can’t pretend this isn’t happening.”
She grinned at him. “Yes, I can. I have a favor to ask you. And I didn’t let you kiss me because of it.”
“You wanted that kiss,” he said.
“Well, yes. Yes, I did, because it’s been just that crazy around here.” She seemed suddenly self-conscious. “I can’t deny or begrudge my brothers this chance in their lives, or blame them for wanting to get out of here, especially after what’s happened. Even without what happened—what can I offer them?”
“You’re their sister.”
“I don’t have a house in Beverly Hills with a pool,” she said lightly.
“They’ll miss you.” Sean brushed the back of his hand over her cheek and onto her hair and was glad when she didn’t bolt for the stairs. “They’re teenagers. They’re not necessarily good at expressing that sort of thing.”
“It’s not as if I haven’t known this day was coming. I want Toby and Devin both to figure out their lives.”
“You have your own life to figure out.” He thought of his sister’s accusation about breaking Hannah’s heart and wished he hadn’t come down here—even as he acknowledged that he wanted to kiss her again.
“When your brothers are in California and you’re here alone…” Sean hesitated, struggling to find the right words. “There’s still a killer out there. Don’t try to be a prosecutor before it’s time. You need to back off.”
“You can tell Jo that my father was a positive influence on Bowie. Not a negative one. Or she can ask me, and I’ll tell her myself.”
“You can trust me, Hannah. I hope you know that.”
“Do you trust me?”
“It’s not just a question of trust.”
“I should go,” she said.
“Hannah—”
But she finally ran for the stairs, taking them two at a time, fast.
Sean moved the damn desk, just to get rid of some of his pent-up energy, then turned out the light and headed upstairs.
Rose was