Behind her, Rick cursed and reluctantly released her to lead her out of bathroom.
She was aware of him walking ahead of her protectively, and a shiver of pleasure raced through her at the realization. No one had ever done that before. Even her brothers had tended to push her toward self-protection as she grew up rather than attempting to soften the battles for her.
At the front door Rick glanced out the side windows, then looked back at her with a grimace. “It’s Detective Dickerson.”
She felt like grimacing herself. Dickerson was the last person she wanted to see today. She would love to know who had broken into the house, but Dickerson hadn’t seemed too interested in figuring it out when she had talked to him on the phone earlier.
Opening the door, Rick stood back and allowed the detective in.
His craggy features were set into stern lines, his lips turned down in a natural scowl as he glanced between them.
“Afternoon, Sheriff.” He nodded toward Rick.
“Detective.” Rick nodded back as he drew Hannah against him. “Have you learned anything more since this morning?”
Hannah could hear the underlying question in Rick?
??s tone. The demand to know the reason for the detective’s visit now.
“Nothing at all, Sheriff.” Not a smile cracked the detective’s face. “I thought perhaps you might know something about it, instead?”
Hannah felt Rick tense behind her as the air suddenly thickened with tension.
“Why would I know anything about it?” Rick asked carefully. She could hear the deliberation in his voice, feel it in his body.
Detective Dickerson’s expression became sterner. “There are a lot of rumors still milling around about your wife, Sheriff Grayson. Sienna didn’t have the best reputation, and maybe some people thought you should have figured out what she was before she was killed.”
“Whoa, that’s enough.” Hannnah stepped forward as she felt the anger suddenly filling the air, placing herself between the detective and Rick. “I think you’re way out of line, Detective. And I think it’s time you leave.”
Dickerson glared down at her. “Miss Brookes, you should consider what could really be going on here,” he warned her. “You could be targeted because of your relationship with Grayson, and that could get dangerous.”
“And you should get your ass out of here and do your job rather than poking at shadows, Detective.” Rick’s voice was a hard, dark command behind her. “When you have some proof of your accusations then you can bring them to me personally. Until then, try looking for the person or persons responsible for this rather than pissing me off.”
And there was no doubt Rick was pissed off.
“Good-bye, Detective Dickerson.” Hannah opened the door wider. “Let me know when you have something concrete. I’ll be willing to listen then.”
Dickerson’s lips quirked. “You were seeing the sheriff last year, and you had problems then, Miss Brookes,” he reminded her. “Think about what I said.”
He turned and left, but Hannah couldn’t help but consider it. She had had the same thoughts the night before, thoughts she had expressed to Rick.
When she closed the door behind him, she turned back to Rick.
“What’s going on?” she asked him, wishing she could see behind the tight, closed expression on his face. “Why would anyone want to strike out at me because of Sienna, or because of my relationship with you?”
Most people liked Rick, even when they hadn’t liked Sienna. She was sure that Rick hadn’t known about the games his wife was rumored to have been playing before her death. The rumors hadn’t started until after her funeral. Before that, there hadn’t been so much as a whisper about her infidelity, simply talk that she and Mike Conrad appeared to be close. But there had been no evidence, no sightings, nothing that anyone could point to to say that she had been cheating on her husband.
And if Sienna had been unfaithful, why would anyone want to punish Rick for it?
“I don’t know what’s going on,” he said as he looked around the entryway of her house. “But I don’t want you staying here alone.” He brought his gaze back to her. “Pack a bag, you’re coming home with me.”
Dominance filled his tone, instantly triggering the independent streak that her brothers swore was a mile wide.
“I’ll be perfectly safe right here.” She crossed her arms over her breasts and glared back at him. “I don’t need a knight in shining armor, Rick, and I sure as hell don’t need a keeper.”
“Maybe you don’t, but by God I need to know my lover’s safe.” He jerked her to him, that alpha streak that she suspected was stronger than her stubborn streak darkening his expression. “Don’t fight me, Hannah. I won’t leave you here alone, and you’ll be safer at my house, in my bed. We both know it.”
His security system was state-of-the-art. His bed was warm, his arms were secure. She stared up at him, knowing that was exactly where she wanted to be.