“Do what?” Justin asked.
“This.” She pointed at all three of them. “I’m from Wilde. You guys are from Elko. I can handle this myself.”
Brandon bent down and cradled her chin. “No you can’t, Shelby. I think you’re getting ahead of yourself on this one.”
“Am I?” she snapped, shaking her face free of Brandon’s fingers.
“Baby, just breathe,” Alex said.
“Sweetheart, it’s going to be okay,” Justin added.
The more they tried to be good to her, the more she felt her heart break.
Her foolish dream had continued to permeate her every sleeping and waking moment since Alex’s arrival in Wilde. Now—since the ground breaking ceremony, since Justin went to her office and got her heart to racing, since her date with Alex, and since seeing how protective Brandon was being with her—the dream had changed and grown into a longing that flooded every part of her. Crazy? She knew her heart would suffer if she gave in to the hopeless pursuit.
“I don’t think I’m getting ahead of myself at all, Brandon. Why are you three so intent on helping me? Alex barely knows me, and you two just met me. It doesn’t make any sense. I can get another attorney. Jackson Wilde is an attorney. I’m sure he’ll be willing to represent me. You don’t need to help me.”
“Jackson isn’t a defense attorney, sweetheart,” Alex said. “Brandon is.”
“And the best damn one in the entire state,” Justin added.
“Then I can’t afford him. My five-dollar retainer is already spent.” Tears of worry pricked at the back of her eyes, but she kept from shedding them by sheer will. “Do you really think Byrd is like that? Dirty?”
Brandon no
dded. “Very. About my fee, Shelby. The five will cover all my expenses on this. Besides, for now, it is only about him interrogating you. Nothing else. If we can get you two through that and get him off your scent and onto someone else, you’ll be home free.”
“That sounds perfect to me,” she said, feeling a little hope spring up inside her. But was she being foolish to trust them? She was from Wilde. They were from Elko. Their kinds just didn’t mix. “What now, Brandon?”
What now? Run, Shelby. This might have started out as just three charming men who wanted to give her a helping hand, but what about after this was all settled? God, she hoped Brandon was right about being able to get the Elko sheriff off her and Alex as suspects. Once done, what would they want with her?
Alex’s sudden jealous look at Justin holding her hand had sent her into a tailspin. She’d allowed herself to go too far with these three already. Foolish dreams were only dreams, and her current one was extremely foolish. Wasn’t now the best time to cut her losses and save her heart from certain disaster? Of course it was, but she couldn’t bring herself to make the right decision. Not now. Not with them.
“Who can verify your whereabouts other than Alex after your date?”
“She was with me,” Alex said. “We were together all night.”
“You were?” Justin asked, smiling. “Good for you two.”
It seemed to her that of the three brothers, Justin might be on board with moving things more her direction, the Wilde direction. She looked back at Alex. He clearly wasn’t. Then a glance up at Brandon told her he wasn’t on board for anything other than getting this over with.
“Yes, she was,” Alex said. “All night.”
“What time did you leave each other?” Brandon asked, his unblinking eyes cutting through her like two hot, sexy knives.
“We went to the clinic when Alex got the call that Jessie Wilde’s water had broken,” she told him, feeling her heart pound hard in her chest.
“The clinic,” Brandon said, typing again on his iPad. “When Alex went back to the delivery room, were you alone in the waiting area?”
“No. Charly Wynn was there with her guys. The Strong brothers.”
“Did you ever leave?”
“I did. Around nine after seeing the baby and getting a quick peek at the new mother.”
“Where did you go?” Brandon’s tone was so serious and authoritative. It made her feel like she was in good hands—at least legally.
She couldn’t help herself but glanced at his hands, which were large with long, thick fingers. Stop it, Shelby. This is serious. A woman was attacked. You’re a suspect. “I went home.”