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Randall and Delia left with many assurances that I would be next on the list, and Terry resumed work. Alcide said, “You’re never alone,” in mildly exasperated tones.

“What did you want to talk about? Terry can’t hear us over here.” I led the way over to where my aluminum chair was sitting under a tree. Its companion was leaning up against the rough bark of the oak, and Alcide unfolded it. It creaked a little under his weight as he settled into it. I assumed he was going to tell me about the arrest of Connie Babcock.

“I upset you the last time I talked to you,” he said directly.

I had to change mental gears at the unexpected opening. Okay, I liked a man who could apologize. “Yes, you did.”

“You didn’t want me to tell you I knew about Debbie?”

“I just hate that the whole thing happened. I hate that her family is taking it so hard. I hate that they don’t know, that they’re suffering. But I’m glad to be alive, and I’m not going to jail for defending myself.”

“If it’ll make you feel any better, Debbie wasn’t that close to her family. Her parents always preferred Debbie’s little sister, though she didn’t inherit any shifter characteristics. Sandra is the apple of their eye, and the only reason they’re pursuing this with such vigor is that Sandra expected it.”

“You think they’ll give up?”

“They think I did it,” Alcide said. “The Pelts think that because Debbie got engaged to another man, I killed her. I got an e-mail from Sandra in response to mine about the private eyes.”

I could only gape at him. I had a horrible vista of the future in which I saw myself going down to the police station and confessing to save Alcide from a jail term. Even to be suspected of a murder he hadn’t committed was an awful thing, and I couldn’t permit it. It just hadn’t occurred to me that someone else would be blamed for what I’d done.

“But,” Alcide continued, “I can prove I didn’t. Four pack members have sworn I was at Pam’s house after Debbie left, and one female will swear I spent the night with her.”

He had been with the pack members, just somewhere else. I slumped with relief. I was not going to have a jealous spasm about the female. He wouldn’t have called her that if he’d actually had sex with her.

“So the Pelts will just have to suspect someone else. That’s not what I wanted to talk to you about, anyway.”

Alcide took my hand. His were big, and hard, and enclosed mine like he was holding something wild that would fly away if he relaxed his grip. “I want you to think about seeing me on a steady basis,” Alcide said. “As in, every day.”

Once again, the world seemed to rearrange itself around me. “Huh?” I said.

“I like you very much,” he said. “I think you like me, too. We want each other.” He leaned over to kiss me once on the cheek and then, when I didn’t move, on the mouth. I was too surprised to get into it and unsure whether I wanted to anyway. It’s not often a mind reader gets taken by surprise, but Alcide had achieved it.

He took a deep breath and continued. “We enjoy each other’s company. I want to see you in my bed so much it makes me ache. I wouldn’t have spoken this soon, without us being together more, but you need a place to live right now. I have a condo in Shreveport. I want you to think about staying with me.”

If he’d whomped me upside the head with a two-by-four, I couldn’t have been more stunned. Instead of trying so hard to stay out of people’s heads, I should consider getting back into them. I started several sentences in my head, discarded them all. The warmth of him, the attraction of his big body, was something I had to fight as I struggled to sort my thoughts.

“Alcide,” I began at last, speaking over the background noise of Terry’s sledgehammer knocking down the boards of my burned kitchen, “you’re right that I like you. In fact, I more than like you.” I couldn’t even look at his face. I looked instead at his big hands, with their dusting of dark hair across the backs. If I looked down past his