Page 8 of Shallow Remains

THREE

Feeling the invisible weight of a stare, Bronwyn pulled her attention from the conversation with Xanthe and Willow to glance over her shoulder. The second she saw him headed her way through the crowded room, her pulse skipped.

Sheriff Rafe Torres, protector and defender of Skeleton Island. Six-feet-plus of commanding charisma and authority with a dark, neatly groomed full goatee that framed his mouth, and mesmerizing amber eyes.

Eyes that were currently locked on her.

Oh, my, my…

She’d never seen him out of uniform before, but the way those worn jeans and crisp dress shirt hugged his muscular frame was a glorious sight to behold. He was an impressive physical specimen, and not just because she was a human bioarcheologist. Although she’d bet the entheses on his bones were damned impressive.

“Rafe, you came,” Willow said with a big smile and hugged him.

“Did you think I wouldn’t?” Over her shoulder, his gaze cut to Bronwyn and held. While her internal temperature climbed several degrees.

It had been a long time since that had happened.

She caught his sinful scent on her next breath. Soap and a subtle woodsy cologne that made her want to get closer.

A lot closer.

“Evening, Sheriff,” she said when he stepped back from Willow.

“Evening. Fancy meeting you here.”

“I know, right?” She’d organized this with some help from Mae. The woman was a lifesaver and a human dynamo in a tiny package. “Glad you could make it.”

“Wouldn’t have missed it. Especially since it meant getting to see you again.”

Oh, his charm was so well-practiced it came across as effortless, yet the flattery felt sincere. That said a lot for the delivery. She’d been hit on enough that she considered herself an expert when it came to detecting bullshit and empty flattery from men.

His wasn’t that. “That’s nice to hear.”

“When did you get in?”

“Caught the last ferry from Victoria last night. That’s why this was spur of the moment. I stayed at Mae’s so Willow would be surprised. Tripp made sure he kept her out of the house all day while we got everything ready. He’s a good fiancé.”

“That’s because he loves her to death.”

She smiled, ignoring the tiny pang of…regret or something like it. Her studies and fieldwork had kept her busy for the past year, but there was no denying she felt lonely sometimes. Or that she’d used her work as a reason to swear off dating and give herself a break from the crushing disappointment of getting involved with emotionally unavailable men.

She’d given up on finding her own soulmate, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t ecstatic to be here celebrating her friend’s victory in the dating wars. Willow and Tripp were lucky to have found real, lasting love, and they both knew it. “They’re amazing together.”

“They are. I’m really happy for them. It’s been great to see Tripp loving life again.”

“I’ll bet.” Hot sheriff was divorced—she knew that much from Willow—but apparently it hadn’t been bitter. His ex was a nurse. Toll of the job maybe? Stress, ships passing in the night for too long because of shiftwork and they’d drifted apart? Or maybe they just weren’t right for each other.

Whatever the reason, Bronwyn found it refreshing that Rafe didn’t hold any animosity toward his ex-wife. Mad respect for that.

“So, what have you been up to since we talked last?” he asked her.

He’d called her a few weeks ago to consult about some bones found on the beach. Some vertebrae. She’d told him they weren’t human and suspected they were cetacean. Xanthe had confirmed they were probably dolphin.

She’d done a mental fist pump when she’d found out she’d been right. “Still working on a research paper I hope to get published.”

“Working where?”

“From home lately, and I did some in the UK before I moved back. Deadline for submission is in a few weeks, so I’m just finishing up the writing now, then I’ll let it sit for a week before I give it a final polish with fresh eyes.”