Death Checks Inn (Aspen Valley Inn 1) (5 page)

Lacey studied his tired face and suddenly felt the urge to take care of him
, “Let me get you a warm meal and maybe a glass of wine,” she offered.

He smiled wearily and
said, “Food sounds great but I’ll have to turn down the wine. I’d like a rain check on sharing wine with you though.”

Lacey felt a
fission of pleasure at the intimate undercurrent in his voice. As she headed to the kitchen to reheat some of the casserole and rolls from dinner, she shook head. Again, she reminded herself that he was married. Somehow, she was going to have to bring up his wife. Just thinking about that made her feel disappointment but she was not going to even entertain the thought of anything more than a friendship with him.

She carried a tray into the library and set it down on the table in front of him. He looked down at the heaping portion of casserole and thanked her for going to so much trouble.

“Nonsense,” she said, “it was no trouble at all. I didn’t even make the food, my neighbor did.”

He
looked up from his plate and said with a twinkle in his eyes, “I really like honesty in a woman.”

She felt herself blush.
Surely, he was paying entirely too much attention to another woman. She bustled around refilling his water glass and trying to avoid the amused looks he was sending her way.

After he finished the meal and repeated how much he appreciated it, she carried everything into the kitchen to clean up.

It was late, and Lacey was very aware that they were probably the only people awake in the Inn. She turned suddenly from the sink and found him close, too close. They were practically touching. His face was very close to hers, he looked directly into her eyes. He reached up his hand as if to touch her lips but instead tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear.

She stepped back as if burned and
blurted, “I won’t get involved with a married man!”

He looked puzzled for a moment and then followed her glance to his wedding band. “Ah
...” he said, “I’m sorry. I thought you knew.”

“Know what
?” she barely breathed.

“My wife died five years ago. I
guess I never had a reason to take my ring off, until now. Because right now I want to kiss you Lacey, may I?” he said so softly she wasn’t sure she had heard him correctly.

She stepped closer intending to ask him to repeat what he had said. He took her movement as
permission, closed the distance between them, and took her into his arms. He looked right into her eyes as he moved his lips closer and closer to hers. As their lips met, he registered the surprise in her eyes and his lips were smiling as they brushed hers. Gently at first and then with a groan he deepened the kiss.

She found herself kissing
him back just as wantonly. It had been so long since she had kissed or even wanted to kiss anyone. He was a very good kisser; she closed her eyes and leaned into him. They both were surprised at the passion that so quickly ignited between them.

He pulled just an inch away and
gasped, “Wow!” before he took her lips again.

It was probably the third ring of his cell phone that finally penetrated the
shroud of bliss that consumed them. She felt cold as he withdrew with obvious regret and answered his phone. His hand played with a strand of her hair as he listened intently to whatever was being said.

He hung
up, with a deep sigh pulled her completely against him, and held her there.

“I have to go
,” he whispered close to her ear, “but we will talk. And we will continue this…” he gestured to her lips, “Okay?”

Pushing him gently away she
murmured, “I promise.”

  He gave her a quick hug and reached for his jacket. She walked him to the door. He kissed her again gently on the lips and then a quick peck on her forehead.
Then he was gone, out into the night.

She realized that he turned on the cruiser’s siren as he turned out on the road.  That brought her back to this world. What had happened? Why hadn’t she asked? She knew why, for the first time in years she was falling in love.
Moreover, she had just been more thoroughly kissed than she could ever remember. She couldn’t think straight. Oh, boy, this was going to be interesting.

She headed upstairs with no doubt
that, it would be hours before her besotted brain could settle down for something as ordinary as sleeping.

Even though she had not fallen asleep until the pale fingers of dawn were appearing outside her window
, she rose at eight in the morning. First thought? Wyatt was not married and he kissed her.

Next thought, had they found Heather? Then she chided herself for the order her thoughts had come.

Some Innkeeper she was, she should have been up over two hours ago to get a decent breakfast together for her guests.

She dressed quickly in worn jeans and
turquoise shirt. She paused in front of the full-length mirror on the back of her bedroom door. She was surprised that she didn’t look any different. She felt her entire world has shifted in the last thirty-six hours.

She looked closer, same medium height girl, same glossy brown hair with just the hint of red highlights peeking through. Same clear green eyes looking back at
her. She was not thin; in fact, she was quite curvy. She accepted this and enjoyed dessert without guilt. Her face was a bit pale, making the dusting of freckles dancing across her nose more noticeable than usual. She looked a little tired but nothing she saw on the outside gave a hint of the turmoil she was feeling inside. How can that be, she wondered.

She had found a murder victim and thought she was falling for the
officer who was investigating the crime. She saw a secretive smile tilt the corners of mouth. He was something special. She felt a definite tingle up her spine when she remembered the way he had said he hadn’t had a reason to remove his wedding ring, until now.

She shook herself and firmly said out
loud, “Come on, get going, you are not in high school, Lacey!”

She hurried downstairs. As she moved around the giant
kitchen, she hummed softly to herself.

Fortunately,
while waiting for the Inn to be ready she had stored a few emergency meal items in the restaurant quality refrigerator. She removed a dozen blueberry oatmeal muffins and some steel cut oats she had cooked until they were creamy and delicious. She set these in the microwave to thaw slowly. She got out several small earthenware bowls. She chopped up some dates and strawberries. Then she added raw brown sugar and raisins to the others.

The microwave signaled the thaw cycle was complete. She placed the muffins in a pretty basket with a warming stone underneath. She carried these to the dining room. She set one table up with a chafing dish of hot oatmeal surrounded by the add-ins and then placed some fresh butter next to the now warm muffins.
Everything looked good, she thought.

Charlotte came in the front door and joined her in the dining room. As she surveyed the
mouth-watering spread, she nodded her approval and wordlessly began setting up another table so the guests could put their plates together and then sit by the window to eat.

Charlotte turned from her task and looked hard at Lacey. “
Okay girl, you need to tell me what happened. You look like a cat that got a dish of cream,” she said curiously.

Lacey tried to brush
off her scrutiny to no avail. Charlotte knew her sister and wasn’t about to drop the subject.

Lacey recognized the stubborn glint in her
sister’s eye.

“Okay, okay, Wyatt kissed me last night
,” she practically giggled.

Charlotte looked stunned
, “Oh hell no, my sister is not a home wrecker!” 

For a moment, Lacey wasn’t sure what the woman was talking about.
As comprehension dawned, she quickly corrected her sister’s belief that Wyatt was a married man.

“Are you sure?” she asked suspiciously, “He wouldn’t be the first man to tell a woman that
.”

Lacey didn’t tell her everything that had transpired between them last night but enough that she understood he had said his wife was deceased. Charlotte narrowed her eyes and Lacey knew that she would research and verify this before she would relax her protectiveness.

Lacey could understand and appreciate this, having felt the same way about
protecting Charlotte a few years ago.

Charlotte had married her high school sweetheart right after graduation. Everything had been great until they lost a child five years ago. While a tragedy like that can draw some couples
closer, that was not the case for her sister. They seemed unable to love each other through the crisis.

One of the hardest things Lacey had ever been through was watching her sister face
the pain of that loss. Charlotte had even lost herself for a while. Charlotte would never quite be the same but Lacey had supported and loved her through it. There would always be a hint of sadness around Charlotte’s eyes but that was just proof of how much she had loved both her husband and the sweet daughter they had lost.

Lacey had vowed during that horrible time that she would always be there for Charlotte and because of that bond, she was not irritated that Charlotte was protective.

Sister’s love was one of the most powerful of family love. Lacey knew that they both only wanted the other to be happy.

This made Lacey think about her feelings. She felt more excited about life than she had in a long while. Was this because death had intruded and made her value life more or because she kissed a man that made her tingle all over. Probably a bit of both, she thought wryly.

Miranda
and John Braverman appeared in the doorway holding hands and sniffing the air appreciatively. Lacey smiled in greeting and gestured to the food table. As they began enthusiastically filling their plates Suzy and Joan also joined the group.

After everyone was
settled, Lacey asked, “Well, how is everyone holding up?”

As she looked at each person at the
table, she got the same reaction, a shrug. She didn’t expect any real answers, after all, what can you say when you have been a witness to a murder.

The Braverman’s were scheduled to leave day after tomorrow and the college students the day after that.

Joan cleared her throat and said, “Suzy and I have been talking and we would like to join the search for Ms. Mason. We are experienced hikers and we want to help.”

Lacey had just answered that she thought that would be great
when they were interrupted by Wyatt coming purposefully into the room. Lacey smiled shyly at him but she could see he was all business.

“That won’t be necessary
,” he addressed Joan, “We found her.”

Everyone literally stopped mid bite and looked at him in stunned silence. He seemed to realize how bluntly he had spoken and looked at them with an apologetic glance.

Lacey stood and asked, “How is she?”

His eyes softened as they rested on her as if he wanted to touch her but instead he informed them all
, “Not good, she’s dead.”

There was a gasp around the table and Lacey sat back down quickly.

John Braverman asked what they were all wondering, “How?”

Wyatt answered simply,
“We don’t know, but we will definitely find out. Lacey, can I speak to you privately, please?”

Wyatt nodded to
everyone, laid his hand gently on Lacey’s arm, and led her into the library.

After closing the door behind
them, he grasped her chin and turned her to him.

“How are you?” he asked gently.

She couldn’t help
it; her heart actually skipped a beat.

She straightened herself and answered
firmly, “I’m fine. Now tell me what happened.”

“That’s my girl
!” he said as he searched her face closely.

She had to put some distance between them so she could think. For god’s sake, another person had died!

“She stammered, “Wh.. wh.. Was she murdered too?”

He shook his head and told her they would not know for several hours.

Her body had been found amongst the rocks in the area known as the devil’s playground. Whether she had fallen, been pushed or even jumped was something they would not know until the medical examiner completed her work.

Lacey had seen pictures of the area he spoke of. Very desolate, near the summit of Pike’s
Peak and known most famously for the phenomenon of being struck by lightning more often than any other area of the mountainous landscape. She had thought the name whimsical when she first heard it picturing the lightening bouncing around the rocks. Now the picture in her brain took on an ominous shadow. For just a moment, she felt overwhelmed by all that was happening.