Thunder Moon (Nightcreature 8)

“I’m a cop,” I said. “I think a lot of things. What did you see?”

“I drove up, and the roof was on fire. I thought you were inside. The place was locked. I pounded on the door, shouted for you; then those guys grabbed me.”

“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine. You may as well go.”

“I’m not leaving you.”

His voice was too loud, and I winced, then glanced over my shoulder toward Cal, who, from his scowl, had heard. He took a step in our direction, and I shook my head. I didn’t need my deputy to step in when I had man trouble.

“I’m a big girl, Doctor. I can take care of myself.”

“Where are you going to sleep?”

“Certainly not with you,” I snapped.

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

Too bad. Despite all my protestations to the contrary, I wanted to sleep with him, to hold him and have him hold me. If I’d lived in another town, one that wasn’t so small, so conservative, so judgmental... No, that wouldn’t matter.

If I’d been a different person, one who didn’t care about what was real or true or right, I’d have agreed with him that a missing wife was as good as a dead wife. But I wasn’t and I didn’t. However, that didn’t keep me from wanting what I couldn’t have.

“Thanks,” I said softly. “But I can’t.”

“Grace, you have to listen to me—”

I held up my hand. “Not now. Please.”

He pressed his lips together. “It’s just that I came over here with my speech all prepared and then—”

“My house was on fire.”

“Yeah.”

“Grace?”

The fire chief, Sam Makelway, strode up. He’d taken over recently from Joe Cantrell, who’d been the fire chief as long as my dad had been the sheriff. Sam was more than qualified since he’d joined the department right out of high school.

A few years older than me, Sam was broad and tall, with short red hair and a round, pale face that got ruddier and ruddier the closer he got to a fire and the longer he had to stay there. Right now his facial barometer hovered between salmon and rose, and I let out a relieved breath. Couldn’t be too bad.

Sam had been in the same class as my brother Gene. They hadn’t been pals—my brothers had been pals only with one another—but they’d been friendly enough. I liked Sam. He knew his job, which made mine so much easier.

“We’ve got it under control.” He waved at the roof, which was only smoking now, no longer shooting spiky tendrils of flame toward the slightly lopsided silver moon. “Looks like just the top room is ruined.”

“Well, I guess that’s better than—” I stopped as I realized what that meant.

Ian took my arm, shook it a little. “You need to breathe.”

I not only couldn’t breathe, I couldn’t stand, so I sat with a thud on the ground at Ian’s feet. Both men went to their knees next to me, Sam bellowing for Cal to call the paramedics.

“No,” I managed, then drew in a loud, gulping breath. “I’m okay.”

I wasn’t, but I didn’t need a paramedic. No one, nothing, could fix this.

Grandmother’s papers had been in that third-floor room, and now they were gone.

It was as if I’d lost her all over again.

Chapter 24