Page 46 of Sleigh My Heart

He rubbed at the discomfort in his chest. Only Mickey could have him literally aching for her. It had always been her. When he was injured in Afghanistan, he hadn’t thought of Molly. No. A green-eyed redhead with a fiery temper was the one who came to mind.

He locked the door behind her and headed up the stairs to check on Ava, but his mind was full of Mickey.

Things were more complicated now, but after kissing her, he didn’t know if he could walk away. It almost killed him the first time.

Chapter 12

Michelle feathered fingers over her lips the entire drive home. He’d kissed her. It was better than she’d remembered… better than she’d fantasized. If something in the back of her brain hadn’t chirped at her, she’d be naked on his counter right now.

She clenched her thighs. Oh, how she wanted to be stripped bare and sprawled out under Nick Jolley again.

Rounding the corner on her block, her townhouse came into sight. An end unit with a two-car garage. The only thing that made it stand out was the flagpole in the tiny, dormant flower bed at the edge of the small front patio. A black and white flag with one blue stripe slapped in the spotlight. As she turned into the driveway, her vehicle’s headlights illuminated the garage door.

“What the—” A slur scrawled in red paint across the white panels slapped her into the present.

She slammed the gearshift into park and jumped from the vehicle. Her hand rested on her hip, inches from her Glock. Her head swiveled as she canvassed the area. No sign of movement. No vehicles parked on the block. Not even a neighbor’s dog in the window.

In the ten years she’d lived here, not once had her place been vandalized. Not one time. Sure, in her line of work she’d made a few enemies, but she couldn’t think of one that would do this. Not even the teenagers she’d busted for illegal substances last month.

She needed to check the perimeter. The moon hid behind a cloud. Grabbing a flashlight from her car, she pulled her gun. Silently, she moved to the side of the garage—no footprints. She moved to the other side. None. She glanced down at her new shoes. Shit, why didn’t she wear her boots home today?

She sucked in a breath and stepped into the ankle-deep snow. The cold bit into her feet, but she pushed through and circled the house.

No tracks. The windows were all secure. She holstered her gun and climbed into her car. She started the engine, tapped the garage door opener, and pulled into the garage. Should she call it in? Yes. She’d write up the details tonight and file the report in the morning.

Grabbing the box of cookies from her mom and the ones for the lab, she headed into her house. The soft patter of paws on the floor was the only sound she heard. She smiled as her cat rounded the corner.

“Looks like you had a busy day. Did you even get up off the couch to get a look at the jerk that spray painted all over my door?”

Charlie yawned and then licked his butt.

Figures. He was more a prima donna than a watch cat. Once he finished cleaning himself, he moved to the food bowl and meowed.

“Yeah, yeah. Let me get in the door and I will feed you.” She set the boxes down and did a quick sweep of the house, just to be safe. No intruders.

Returning to the kitchen, she found Charlie on the counter, pawing at the box of cookies.

“No buddy, not those.” Michelle moved the box with the cookies for the lab and pulled a cookie from the other box. She broke off a piece and handed it to him, then popped the rest into her mouth. Yup, Mom made good cookies. It was a well-guarded recipe handed down from her Grandma Swenson.

After filling Charlie’s food dishes, she checked the freezer for leftovers.

“Score.” Lasagna. What would she do if her mom didn’t send home leftovers? Right now, she didn’t care. She tossed the lid in the sink and popped the plastic container in the microwave. While the food warmed, she popped another cookie in her mouth. Dang, they were good.

She eyed the other box. A cookie halfway to her mouth. Could they be pot cookies? She’d only had two. Sure, it might not be enough for a true test, but… She looked at the sugary treat in her hand. She did have the munchies. Not to mention, Nick had been chatty. And he kissed her.

A shiver ran the length of her spine. Would he have done that stone cold sober? God, she hoped so.

The microwave beeped. She picked up the container. “Ow!” She dropped it on the counter and stuck her throbbing fingers in her mouth. Stupid, stupid. She knew better. The hot pads were in the drawer in front of her.

She snatched a fork from the dishwasher, stood in front of the sink, and dug in. Through the window, she stared. The night was still. Not a branch was moving. Could someone be watching her? Just because there were no footprints in the snow didn’t mean someone couldn’t have looped around the block and came in the back.

Naw. Most vandalism was by kids and a crime of opportunity. But this… this was targeting at her. If the perpetrator wanted to do more than piss her off, they had failed.

Finishing her food, she dropped the bowl in the sink. The dishwasher was full, but it could wait until tomorrow. Sleep called, even if work wouldn’t let her answer yet.

With a final scan of her yard, she threw back her shoulders, and flipped the middle finger to the window. You never know. If some idiot was dumb enough to graffiti her house and hang around, let him. Michelle didn’t care. She had her gun and her taser. Not to mention an armed security system. Let them do their worst.

She picked up Charlie and headed upstairs. She had a report to write.